- President Obama on Friday nominated Middle East peace envoy David Hale US Ambassador to Lebanon, as previously reported was in the works.
- POTUS nominated Mike Hammer, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and former NSC spokesman, to be US ambassador to Chile. Hammer has served the last two years as the spokesman for the US delegation to the P5+1 talks with Iran.
- Who might be in Hassan Rouhani’s cabinet?
- The text (.pdf) of Hassan Rouhani’s 2005 speech, "Beyond the Challenges Facing Iran and the IAEA concerning the Nuclear Dashboard."
- Rouhani reportedly changed his family name from Feridoun to evade the Shah’s secret police (Rouhani means “cleric.")
- Little is known about Rouhani's wife, but her name apparently has been discovered: Sahebe Arabi.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informs the Washington Post, in an interview, that Rouhani wrote a book.
- Israel tries to game Rouhani: Ben Caspit.
- Shlomi Eldar on Israel’s nuclear option for peace.
- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah reportedly reconsiders his resignation.
- Palestinian leaders’ dilemma.
- Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird reverses himself on “meaningless” Iran elections, offers congratulations.
- US CIA and military operatives have been secretly training Syrian rebels how to use anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons since last November.
