Washington Post: 3 Americans now held in Iran for half of a year It’s been six months since three young Americans were taken into custody in Iran, and the mother of one said even hiring an attorney in Iran has brought no new information on how they are doing.  “It’s like there’s this brick wall in front of us, and we can’t get through,” Cindy Hickey, the mother of Shane Bauer, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “The concern for me as a mother is how this has to be taking a toll on them psychologically, and I would like someone to see them physically to tell me that they’re in OK health.”

Reuters: Slain Hamas man was Iran-Gaza arms link -Israelis A Hamas commander killed in Dubai played a key role in smuggling Iranian-funded arms to Gaza, Israeli security sources said on Sunday, while refusing to comment on accusations that Israel was behind his death. Hamas said on Friday that Israel’s Mossad spy agency had assassinated Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in his hotel room on Jan. 20, a possibility police in the United Arab Emirates did not rule out, though they said they suspected a foreign “criminal gang”.  Israel’s government would not officially comment, but its media were unanimous in linking Mabhouh to the Gaza arms supply. One Israeli security source said on Sunday Mabhouh had been “key” to Hamas efforts to smuggle rockets and other arms into his native Gaza Strip, ruled by the Palestinian Islamist faction and whose borders with Israel and Egypt are under blockade.  “He was a strategic asset for Hamas when it came to its armament by Iran,” the source said. Israel accuses Iran of supplying weapons to Hamas by sea and land routes such as Sudan and Egypt. Iran calls its support for Hamas diplomatic only.

Telegraph: Former ambassador to Iran Sir Richard Dalton criticises Tony Blair over Iran Sir Richard Dalton, who is now a fellow at the Chatham House think tank, said he was dismayed that the former prime minister told the Chilcot inquiry he would consider taking military action against Iran.  During his evidence concerning the Iraq war Mr Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy, mentioned Iran 28 times and added: “I take a very hard line on Iran today and many of the same arguments apply.”  The Economist’s review here.

The Media Line: Iran Plans to Counter Sanctions by Building Seven Refineries Iran plans to build seven new oil and gas refineries in a bid to diminish its vulnerability to sanctions from foreign refineries.  According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, the new oil and gas refineries will allow Iran both to meet domestic demand and become a gas exporter, although the agency failed to state when construction was due to start.  Iran relies on exporting its oil to southern Gulf countries for refinement, which necessitates re-importing its own oil at a much higher price.  “From an economic point of view, it’s very difficult, simply because it’s going to be a very costly enterprise,” Mohammed Shakeel, editor and economist with the Economist Intelligence Unit, told The Media Line.  “But also for Iran, it’s a very immediate concern as well, because the threat of sanctions is targeting that particular sector. So the government wants to show that it’s on top of developing its refineries, and therefore is able to handle any pressure from sanctions,” he said.  “Whether it has the resources to carry this out is a completely different story,” Shakeel added, referring to the huge costs of constructing refineries.

CNN: Two American writers’ gifts to the world On January 27, 2010, as our attention was distracted by the news of horrors from Haiti to Iraq, the quiet passing of two giant Americans in a single day was barely noticed around the globe. J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) and Howard Zinn (1922-2010) passed away at the ages of 91 and 87, respectively.