News in Brief
Deputy FM: Iran's assets in Iraq being unblocked in phases
MEHR – The unblocking of Iranian funds in Iraq has commenced and is currently in progress, announced Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani.
Bagheri Kani revealed that following an agreement with the US regarding the release of frozen Iranian funds in South Korea, the matter of Iranian funds held in Iraq was also raised. The release process began three weeks ago, and is expected to gather momentum. He also expressed optimism that discussions on sanctions relief would be pursued more seriously.
Qatari PM hopes Iran-US deal leads to nuclear dialogue
Reuters– Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said on Friday he hopes a recent prisoner exchange agreement his country facilitated between Iran and the United States leads to a wider dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program.
“With Iran, we became a key mediator with the US in the prisoner swap agreement, which we hope will lead to a wider dialogue on the nuclear deal,” he said.
Denmark to ban Qur’an burnings
DW – Denmark’s government has said it will ban the burning of holy texts, including the Qur’an.
Denmark’s Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said on Friday that the Scandinavian country would ban the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Qur’an.
The government has rejected objections put forward by some Danish opposition parties saying such a prohibition would infringe on free speech.