How Iran responds to new European sanctions in coming weeks will determine whether military action can be avoided, according to intelligence experts at LIGNET.com. It would not be surprising to see Tehran strike back, possibly by cutting off oil shipments to Europe before the embargo is fully implemented, and Iran may act to close the Strait of Hormuz, as its defense minister is threatening. But first, Iran will cast about looking for friends in usual, and unusual places, to keep its economy afloat.

Find out the worst Iran's possible response to sanctions at LIGNET.com. Click Here.

Huge New Oil Discoveries Support Continental “Mirror” Theory

New oil discoveries are helping to bolster an old theory that says that oceanic oil deposits can be found by following the path of continental drift that separated South America and Africa over millions of years. To explore this important development, LIGNET asked its London office to interview a spokesman for Tullow Plc (London: TLW), a British oil firm that has recently made a series of large oil discoveries off the Atlantic coasts of Africa and South America.

India: Wal-Mart Still Excluded From Market

A recent India’s announcement to permit only “single-brand” retailers like Starbucks (SBUX) to operate freely in its domestic market does little for “multi-brand” players like Wal-Mart (WMT), which remains on the outside looking in. That could change, however, if India’s economic challenges such as slowing GDP growth and high inflation reach a tipping point and enable real reform to gain traction.

Find out more about Wal-Mart and multi brand corporations at LIGNET.com. Click here.