Sundown: U.S. Tightens Iran’s and Syria’s Belts

• President Obama upped the Treasury Department’s power to sanction those who violate certain embargoes against both Iran and Syria. [Haaretz]

• President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad sent Prime Minister Netanyahu condolences, which is very menschy. The bad news is they felt they needed to keep it secret. [Elder of Ziyon/JPost]

• A Saudi official is claiming that Iran tried to kidnap or assassinate its ambassador in Cairo. [Haaretz]

• Bahrain now has a fairly high-ranking Jewish woman in its government. [JTA/Forward]

• Assemblyman Dov Hikind is angry at the Met’s new exhibition of works owned by Gertrude Stein, given the famous writer’s collaboration with (or at least acquiescence to) the Nazis in occupied Paris. [Vos Iz Neais?]

• Streimel Viking is what you get when you cross death metal and Orthodox Judaism. [DNA Info Voices of NY]

I am several tragic years late to the amazingness that is the all-Jewish Mark Ronson-Amy Winehouse cover of “Valerie.”