• An Iranian official confirmed the new nuclear talks on April 13 in Istanbul, another small but crucial confidence-building step. [NYT]
• Which will not stop Iran from sending a monkey into space. [IRNA]
• A new poll suggests Shaul Mofaz’ Kadima win yesterday will likely have little larger effect on Israeli politics, though on a smaller level it will actually help Labor. [Ynet]
• Influential columnist David Ignatius suggests the Syrian rebels support the more moderate Annan plan, which would theoretically halt the killing and lead to elections. [WP]
• High-ranking Israeli and Egyptian officials met in Cairo to discuss a new embassy location, a potential prisoner swap, and other matters. [Haaretz]
• Israel defiantly insisted Jerusalem is its capital, no matter what is implied by American passports. [Times of Israel]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.