• Extraordinarily, President Obama used a secret back channel to directly warn Grand Ayatollah Khamanei that Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz would provoke a U.S. response, military if necessary. [NYT]
• A meeting this month in Vienna with Iranian nuclear scientists could reveal whether Iran has secretly been working on nuclear weapons. [AP/Vos Iz Neias?]
• Eli Lake reports both that the Mossad is likely responsible for the Iranian scientist assassinations and that it would like other countries to think it is anyway. [The Daily Beast]
• Because you couldn’t get enough of the first two, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet for round three of the latest talks in Amman on Satuday (Shabbos?). [Reuters/Haaretz]
• “It’s the economy, stupid.” With a plurality and near-majority in the forthcoming parliament, the Muslim Brotherhood begins to turn its attention to bread-and-butter issues. [LAT]
• Charles Krauthammer agrees that the threat of Ron Paul isn’t Paul himself, it’s lingering Paul-ism, including in the form of his son, Rand. [WP]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.