Iran
Protests over the plunging Iranian currency erupted on Wednesday around Tehran’s main bazaar, the country’s commercial hub, as escalating economic woes become a rising political challenge. – Wall Street Journal
Now a major general — the highest rank in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps — after a promotion last year, [Suleimani] has been the mastermind behind two central Iranian foreign policy initiatives, exerting and expanding Tehran’s influence in the internal politics of Iraq and providing military support for the rule of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. – New York Times
The leader of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq, facing skepticism in Washington over its sway inside the country, said her organization is seeking international recognition as the legitimate political opposition to the government in Tehran. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Iran could put an end to sanctions that are debilitating its economy “in short order” if only it would cooperate with international calls to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Iran could begin manufacturing 60 percent-enriched uranium if dialogue with six major governments proves unsuccessful, Iran’s Press TV quoted one of the country’s lawmakers as saying on Tuesday. – Global Security Newswire
The U.N. atomic agency has yet to agree a date for further talks with Iran and has little hope for a speedy resolution to a standoff with Tehran over its nuclear program, the head of the nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. – Reuters
Shops in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar stayed shut and police patrolled the area on Thursday as authorities struggled to restore normalcy a day after security forces clashed with anti-government demonstrators angered by the collapse of the currency. – Reuters
Iran’s tumbling rial currency will face more heavy pressure as the United States and its allies enforce sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A leading media watchdog has accused Iran of trying to cow journalists into silence and self-censorship, adding to international pressure on Tehran over its treatment of activists and the press. – Reuters
Michael Singh writes: On their own, sanctions are unlikely to work. Instead, for the United States to succeed in its aims, sanctions must be just one part of a broad, coordinated, and disciplined policy which brings all policy tools to bear on the goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. – Shadow Government
Syria
Turkey said Wednesday that it shelled targets within Syria as retaliation for a mortar that landed across the Turkish border and killed five civilians, a move that increases the risk of escalating the bloody civil war into a regional conflict and ratchets up pressure for further international involvement. – New York Times
A series of car bombs exploded in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo early Wednesday, killing more than two dozen people, injuring many more and causing massive damage. – Los Angeles Times
[N]ow opposition commanders say defections have slowed to a trickle. Some commanders have given up trying to entice defectors, and others have resorted to more desperate measures: cajoling, duping, threatening and even drugging and kidnapping military men to get them to change sides, or at least stay out of the fight. – New York Times
Syrian rebels killed 21 elite Republican Guards on Thursday in an ambush on an army minibus in a suburb northwest of Damascus, opposition activists said. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke Wednesday afternoon with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu about the Syrian shelling in Turkey that killed five civilians and provoked Turkey’s retaliatory strikes inside Syria. – The Cable
Rogin also reports: As the battle for Aleppo intensifies, the U.S. State Department is trying to direct more non-lethal aid to opposition groups inside the strategic Syrian city, according to a memorandum by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton obtained by The Cable. – The Cable
Libya
More than three weeks after attacks in this city killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, sensitive documents remained only loosely secured in the wreckage of the U.S. mission here on Wednesday, offering visitors easy access to delicate information about American operations in Libya. – Washington Post
Republican lawmakers investigating the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans invited their first witnesses for a hearing next week. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
American military and intelligence officials are compiling a set of “target packages” in preparation for clandestine strikes in retaliation for the deadly terrorist assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya earlier this month. – DEFCON Hill
[A]fter a rowdy anti-militia demonstration in Benghazi on September 21 drove its fighters out of their bases – along with their Kalashnikovs, truck-mounted guns and rocket-propelled grenades – Ansar al-Sharia has all but disappeared underground, beyond the vision of the security forces or even fellow militiamen. – Financial Times
Past investigations into attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions have blamed both the administration and Congress for failing to spend enough money to ensure that the overseas facilities were safe despite a clear rise in terror threats to American interests abroad. – Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday vowed to pursue a full accounting of the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi “wherever that leads,” but cautioned that it could take time for a complete picture to emerge. – Reuters
Libyan Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur nominated his cabinet on Wednesday for approval by the national congress, presenting a line-up that excluded the North African country’s leading liberal coalition. – Reuters
Eli Lake reports: In the six months leading up to the assault on the United States consulate in Benghazi, the State Department reduced the number of trained Americans guarding U.S. facilities in Libya, according to a leading House Republican investigating the Sept. 11 anniversary attacks. The reduction in U.S. security personnel increased America’s reliance on local Libyan guards for the protection of its diplomats. – The Daily Beast
Egypt
A prime example of the difficult financial and economic circumstances that the new Egyptian government faces is the billions of dollars it owes foreign oil companies. – New York Times
Liberal activists like Mr. Aggour started the Arab Spring revolts. Now they are taking to the social media to express their dismay that a contentious film trailer could generate more attention and outrage than bloody oppression and threats to the freedom that they have risked their lives to obtain. – New York Times
[W]hile the women who work for Maria TV said they want to promote their belief that all Egyptian women should be covered, the channel also serves as a vehicle for what the CEO said was an effort to dim the influence of Christianity in the Muslim-majority region. – Washington Post
Egypt is holding off on reform of its costly state energy subsidy regime until it completes more studies and holds a “social dialogue” on the issue, the country’s oil minister told Reuters. – Reuters
Egypt’s prime minister said an IMF team would come to Cairo in the last week of October to resume talks on a loan sought by his government, which was still working on the major issue of how to reduce fuel subsidies. – Reuters
A trickle of foreign donor aid looks like Egypt’s best hope of averting a balance of payments crisis for now because many of the investors who fled the country last year are loath to return until the government seals a loan from the IMF. – Reuters
Gulf States
The United States said Wednesday that it is deeply concerned about a decision by Bahrain’s top court to uphold jail terms against nine health-care workers convicted for their role in last year’s pro-democracy uprising, calling it a setback for reconciliation efforts in the Gulf Arab state. – Washington Post
Kuwait’s cabinet has asked the country’s ruler to consider dissolving parliament, state news agency KUNA reported on Wednesday, in a widely expected bid to clear the way for a new election and end months of political deadlock. – Reuters
Analysis: When Kuwait’s next ruler takes power he will need to reassure competing factions in the Al-Sabah dynasty that he is protecting their interests and maintaining stability, making progress toward democratic reforms unlikely, at least at the beginning – Reuters
Yemen
Analysts and diplomats believe that the ascent of the Houthis, named after its leaders’ family, has turned Yemen into a new front in a long struggle between Iran and Western powers and the Arab regimes they back. – Reuters
Israel
A growing rift between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, a political rival, centers on Israel’s strategic relations with the United States as Mr. Barak tries to turn the tension between Mr. Netanyahu and Washington to his political advantage. – New York Times
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that governs the Gaza Strip, of running a criminal justice system rife with arbitrary arrests, torture and unfair trials. Hamas officials responded sharply, challenging the methodology of the group’s research. – New York Times
The United Nations is likely to hold a debate on whether to upgrade the Palestinians’ U.N. status to a sovereign country in mid-November – after the U.S. election, the president of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s hopes of transforming its $1 trillion in mineral deposits into an economic engine could be derailed by obstacles to the construction of a railway system needed to transport minerals out of the country, according to a draft report by the U.S. military. – Wall Street Journal (subscription require)
A top commander from the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan warned against a precipitous withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, after recent news reports suggested that an accelerated pullout could take place. – Washington Times
Recent comments by NATO’s top official suggesting the alliance could depart Afghanistan ahead of the United States are “misleading,” and is not a sign of any pending change in coalition strategy. – DEFCON Hill
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday named the deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, James Warlick, to lead negotiations on a post-war troop deal. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Public tributes to Afghanistan’s fallen national heroes are readily apparent to any traveler driving through the country’s capital, where scores of prominent streets, squares, and schools have been renamed to honor the dead. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday that presidential elections would be held on time in 2014 and he would step aside as mandated, denying speculation that the exit of foreign troops and security problems would delay the poll. – Reuters
David Ignatius reports: While the overlooked war in Afghanistan grinds on, a group of officials in Washington, Kabul and Islamabad are exploring a bare-bones strategy that would narrow each side’s demands to a set of minimum conditions for escaping the current diplomatic dead end. – Washington Post
Frederick and Kimberly Kagan write: Al Qaeda and affiliated terrorist groups will almost certainly re-establish sanctuaries in the wake of our retreat—as they are actively trying to do while we are still there—if we do not finish setting conditions to prevent that outcome. Given those stakes, it is imperative that we persevere as long as there is still a viable path to achieving our core national security objectives. There is. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
India
After three years of shelving controversial policy proposals that rubbed one political faction or the other the wrong way, the Congress party now appears to be itching for a fight. Its new mantra, apparently: Bring it on. – WSJ’s India Real Time
India-Russia defense talks scheduled to run Oct. 4-10 have been postponed, according to a news release stating that Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has deferred his visit due to pressing official engagements at home. – Defense News
East Asia
Four Tibetans, including two teenage Buddhist monks, have been given lengthy prison terms for supporting the resistance movement to Chinese rule that has involved the self-immolation of more than 50 people since 2009, according to Radio Free Asia, a news organization financed by the United States government. – New York Times
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $1.85 billion contract by the U.S. government to begin retrofitting Taiwan’s remaining F-16A/B Block 20 fighter aircraft. – Defense News
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, a fiery nationalist whose failed bid to buy a group of disputed islands ignited a crisis with China, is pushing ahead with a plan to build structures there to hammer home Japan’s claim, officials involved told Reuters. – Reuters
China quietly deferred a request by North Korea for its young leader to visit last month because the Chinese leadership was preoccupied with its once-in-a-decade leadership change and a host of other distractions, two independent sources said. – Reuters
Miles Yu reports: The credibility of China’s official verdict on disgraced communist leader Bo Xilai is under serious challenge by China’s many neo-Maoists. – Washington Times’ Inside the Ring
Philippines
A new Internet law that took effect in the Philippines on Wednesday could lead to imprisonment for common activities like sharing Facebook and Twitter posts, critics say. – New York Times
A Philippine court said it has ordered the arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on plunder charges, meaning a likely return to detention after she posted bail in July following about seven months of confinement. – Reuters
Central Asia
Now, even the proxies are becoming increasingly difficult to access in his native Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country where information is so tightly controlled that the government is ranked among the world’s worst offenders of Internet freedom. – Washington Times
Kyrgyz police fired tear gas on Wednesday to stop protesters storming government headquarters in what their leader called a coup bid after the new premier rejected demands to nationalize a gold-mining venture with a Canadian company. – Reuters
Russia
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Russia and the United States should do more to strengthen mutual economic ties because the “reset” in relations cannot go on indefinitely. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Russia’s petrodollar surplus, which has buffered the economy from external shocks for more than a decade, is poised to vanish as early as 2015 as import revenues overtake those from oil exports, according to its central bank. – Financial Times
Europe
The billionaire whose political coalition shocked much of the region by prevailing in this week’s parliamentary elections here, on Wednesday hastily rescinded his demand that President Mikheil Saakashvili resign, and said he was “ready for constructive relations” with him. – New York Times
A trio of Senate hawks that’s long supported Georgia’s pro-Western leader said Wednesday they were “disappointed” by calls from Monday’s election winner for President Mikheil Saakashvili step down before his term ends next year. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Concern is mounting over the well-being of jailed opposition figures in Belarus amid reports of prison abuse, including threats of torture, rape, and murder. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
The appearance of a life-size statue of Azerbaijan’s “founder of the nation” on Mexico City’s elegant Reforma Avenue, not far from Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Mexico’s national heroes, is raising eyebrows and protests. – Associated Press
United States of America
The United States announced criminal charges Oct. 3 against 11 members of an alleged ring illegally exporting $50 million worth of high-tech military electronics to Russia under the guise of civilian deals. – AFP
Josh Rogin reports: A full quarter of the State’s Department’s overseas posts and Washington, D.C.-based bureaus inspected this year are suffering from weak leadership that the State Department needs to address, according to a new report by the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG). – The Cable
Rogin also reports: Each morning, the U.S. Treasury Department compiles a daily economic briefing for the president, but Treasury recently denied the State Department’s request to see the product. – The Cable
Bill Gertz reports: Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld blamed President Obama’s apologies and policies of blaming America for the ills of the world as the root cause behind the anti-U.S. violence that erupted recently in the Muslim world. – Washington Times’ Inside the Ring
Latin America
Henrique Capriles is a skinny marathon runner and opposition governor who has done something no Venezuelan politician has managed in the past 14 years: pose a serious threat to President Hugo Chávez. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
There is broad optimism in Colombia as the government prepares to embark on peace talks with the FARC this month in Oslo, the first since a three-year effort collapsed a decade ago. – Los Angeles Times
Three House Republicans are criticizing an educational trip to Cuba that they say led to a meeting with a fugitive from U.S. justice last year, and have called on President Obama to ensure that future visits do not allow these sorts of meetings to take place. – The Hill’s Floor Action Blog
Cuba is cutting back its hallowed free education system and moving students into more practical careers to reduce costs and fill needs in its work force, recently released government statistics show. – Reuters
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ surgery for non-aggressive prostate cancer was successful and the 61-year-old is recovering well, his medical team said on Wednesday. – Reuters
West Africa
The U.N. Security Council will soon be asked to approve a Western-backed security force to combat the spreading terrorism threat in Mali, a senior European official said Wednesday. – Washington Post
Al Qaeda is determined to make the fragile African nation of Mali and safe haven and the terrorist threat from the network’s affiliate in that country, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, “is spreading while we speak,” a senior European official said Wednesday. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Unidentified gunmen massacred at least two dozen university students in northern Nigeria Monday night in the city of Mubi near the border with Cameroon. The attacks lasted more than an hour, with gunmen targeting specific students by name rather than indiscriminately firing. – Christian Science Monitor
Across northern Mali, Islamists have plucked and paid for as many as 1,000 children from rural towns and villages devastated by poverty and hunger, the Associated Press has found in several dozen interviews with residents, human rights officials, four children or youth and an Islamist official. – Associated Press
East Africa
South Sudan’s security forces are shooting, torturing and raping civilians in the country’s east, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday, urging the government and United Nations to do more to stop the abuses. – Reuters
African Union and Somali troops combed the Somali port of Kismayu on Wednesday for bombs hidden by al Qaeda-linked militants who fled their last urban bastion but warned of retaliatory strikes, the two militaries said. – Reuters
Katherine Zimmerman writes: Though the overall strength of [Al Shabaab] may be weakened, the resolve of its leaders to pursue regional and global jihad has not been weakened. – AEI’s Critical Threat Project
