Feed Editor 24 May 2007 13:45:59 GMT Iran Latest News http://www.ourworldoursay.org/iran.php http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en US military posturing towards Tehran lacks credibility and, in any case, such action would fail in all its purposes The favoured season for launching wars used to come when the harvest had been gathered. This year, there is talk of an Israeli strike against Iran in November or December, when it would no longer embarrass the US election process but George Bush will still be in the White House during the presidential transition. Last year, following a US intelligence submission which stated that Iran was not actively pursuing the creation of atomic weapons, a direct American attack on the country's nuclear facilities became implausible - and remains so. But Jerusalem and Washington are talking seriously about a possible Israeli strike, for which American collusion would be indispensable. In Washington at the weekend, Shaul Mofaz, Israel's deputy defence minister and a candidate for the premiership, said of negotiations to halt Iran's nuclear programme: "It's a race against time, and time is winning." He repeated the familiar Israeli warning that Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would be "unacceptable". 4 Aug 2008 11:53:16 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/04/iran.usa Max Hastings 972F2023-129B-48B3-83FA-4658CFA63612 The Guardian Analysts speculate about the danger of a U.S. or Israeli military attack on Iran before the Bush administration departs office next January. But if you read the tea leaves carefully, the evidence is actually pointing in the opposite direction. One sign that the diplomatic track is dominant for now is that the administration plans to announce late this month that it will open an interest section in Tehran, a senior official disclosed Thursday. This will be an important symbol, as it will be the first American diplomatic mission in Iran since the U.S. Embassy there was seized in 1979. The official described it as an effort to "reach out to the Iranian people." The Iranian government has long had an interest section in Washington. The administration's wariness of military options is also clear from recent efforts to dissuade Israel from attacking Iranian nuclear facilities. Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, traveled to Israel in early June; he was followed in late June by Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both officials explained to their Israeli counterparts why the United States believes an attack isn't necessary now, because the Iranians can't yet build a nuclear weapon, and why an attack would damage U.S. national interests. 4 Aug 2008 11:50:29 GMT http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080102872.html David Ignatius 4ABAC38A-66DD-4FA9-B14A-0E84187E907D The Washington Post Not so long ago, a top-level meeting between Syria and Iran, two members of America's "axis of evil", would have caused alarm in western capitals. It is a testament to how dramatically the political situation has changed in the Middle East in recent months that some in the West regarded the weekend's visit of the Syrian President, Basher al-Assad, to Tehran as a potentially positive development. According to France, which hosted President Assad in Paris last month, the purpose of the Syrian visit was to help resolve Iran's stand-off with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme. President Assad is said to have promised the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, that Syria will help to persuade Iran to offer proof that it is not developing nuclear weapons. Unsurprisingly, there is an alternative view. There are those who suspect the real purpose of Syria's visit was to reassure Tehran about the firmness of the alliance between the two countries. The truth probably lies somewhere in between the two. President Bashar would doubtless like Syria to be accepted into the respectable international fold. But he will be under great internal pressure not to jeopardise relations with Iran in pursuit of this goal. This meeting is likely to have been a testing of the water, rather than an attempt to rush things. 4 Aug 2008 11:47:12 GMT http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-two-nations-that-hold-the-key-to-middle-east-peace-884254.html 48B29158-87B5-442A-8884-D4C62DCB822B The Independent The Bush administration, in rhetoric that is eerily similar to that used to build the case for a war against Iraq, asserts that the Iranian Quds Force is arming anti-U.S. groups in Iraq and providing them with high-tech roadside bombs and sophisticated rockets. It dismisses the National Intelligence Estimate conclusion that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program. The White House has not provided evidence to back up its claims. I suspect it never will. And when Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz tells the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth an attack on Iran is “unavoidable" if Tehran does not halt its alleged nuclear weapons program, what he is really telling us is we should prepare for war. An attack on Iran by either the U.S. or Israel and the ensuing regional war will propel us into the Armageddon-type scenario in the Middle East relished by the lunatic fringes of the radical Christian right. And so, we barrel mindlessly toward a Dr. Strangelove self-immolation. No one will be able to say we did not go out with a spectacular show of firepower, gore and death. Our European and Middle Eastern allies, who are numb with consternation over our death spiral, are frantically trying to reach out to Tehran diplomatically. 4 Aug 2008 11:45:51 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/politics/bush-must-be-stopped-before-starting-war-with-iran/4232/ Joe Parko 4FC12711-3128-4A80-B1D3-F56D08A4B8E8 RINF Iran has so far ignored an informal deadline yesterday to respond to an offer by major powers on its nuclear programme, a European Union official said, but the bloc is ready to wait a few more days for an answer. Major powers asked Iran on July 19 to respond within two weeks to their offer to hold off from imposing more UN sanctions if Tehran froze expansion of its nuclear work. Iran dismisses the idea of having a deadline to reply and accuses the West of double standards. “There is nothing new (from Iran)," the EU official said, adding that the bloc did not expect an answer over the weekend. 4 Aug 2008 11:45:05 GMT http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=233512&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17 DCBAEAED-E6E7-4D0B-A53D-E50D730B5250 Gulf Times A war with Iran would be "disastrous on a number of levels," according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. In an article appearing in the latest issue of Parameters, the U.S. Army War College quarterly, Gates wrote that with the army already bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, "another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need" - despite the fact that Iran "supports terrorism," is "a destabilizing force throughout the Middle East and Southwest Asia and, in my judgment, is hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons." Nevertheless, he continued, "the military option must be kept on the table, given the destabilizing policies of the regime and the risks inherent in a future Iranian nuclear threat, either directly or through nuclear proliferation." Gates offered these remarks on Iran as commentary on how to apply an axiom uttered by General Fox Connor in the early 20th century: "Never fight unless you have to." But this is not the first time he has warned against war with Iran; he also did so in a speech at West Point, the U.S. military academy, three months ago. The current article is based on that speech. 4 Aug 2008 11:36:32 GMT http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005910.html Amir Oren 41AEE08F-D047-4941-9012-3DA74B360F91 Haaretz Twenty-nine people convicted of crimes including drug trafficking, murder and rape were hanged in Iran yesterday, in the country's biggest mass execution in years. The executions were in defiance of growing criticism of Iran's human rights record. Eight women and a man also face death by stoning for adultery, despite a moratorium introduced in 2002 on such executions, an Iranian human rights group said last week. 4 Aug 2008 11:35:32 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article4412670.ece Michael Theodoulou 9F18E2AF-886C-4DED-B7F4-5660A544E882 The Times Every move the White House makes strengthens the Iranian government - even Washington analysts must accept this by now. But within Iran, aside from the war of words between Khamenei's minions and the Bush administration, it is a reconfiguring of the political classes that has got the middle classes talking. Whole areas in even the upmarket north of Tehran have been shut down for demonstrations, however ill-conceived. Thousands of brick-makers are on strike in the north-western city of Orumieh, provoking arrests and the intimidation of families of strikers. Towards Iraq, in the west, there has been a month-long strike at the Haft-Tapeh sugar cane factory in the ancient city of Shush because of unpaid wages. Thousands were also on strike in the Qarchak Brick factory in Varamin, south of Tehran. Little is printed about worker power but even in parliament, the words of one MP, Mesbahi Moqadam, attacking factory owners for using their money to invest in the lucrative property market instead of industrial production were reported in the press. Ministers have relaxed import controls in exchange for oil export contracts with China and India - only to destroy home-grown manufacturing. 4 Aug 2008 11:26:44 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/25/iran.middleeast M Cist 2D7933EA-B9A3-4F15-B825-7B85D2257032 The Guardian Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has done the impossible. He's made U.S. President George W. Bush look intelligent. Just as the United States was closing the deal with the Czech Republic to station an early warning radar there to help shoot down Iranian rockets, Iran fired off a test series of missiles, including the Shahab-3, capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometers away. Bush went from looking pre-scientific to prescient. But then it turned out that not all the Iranian missiles were launched successfully, and at least one was the product of computer-image manipulation. One wag quipped that the best defense against Iranian missiles might be Photoshop. Meanwhile, in a coincidence that defies all odds, the Russian supply of oil to the Czech Republic experienced mysterious technical problems. 4 Aug 2008 11:25:06 GMT http://www.sptimesrussia.com/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=26621 Richard Lourie 3B68AA0D-C50D-44E2-B7D1-AAEADBF34AFE The St. Petersburg Times In the first speech by a British prime minister to the Knesset. Mr Brown proclaimed himself a "friend of Israel" who would increase the pressure on Teheran until President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad halted his atomic programme. "Our country will continue to lead, with the US and our European partners in our determination to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapons programme. We stand ready to lead in taking firmer sanctions," he said. Talks at the weekend between Iran's nuclear negotiator and representatives of America and the world's leading powers ended inconclusively without agreement. Mr Brown stressed that tougher action will be taken unless Iran complies with four United Nations Resolutions and stops enriching uranium. Turning on Mr Ahmadinejad, the Prime Minister said: "To those who believe that threatening statements fall upon indifferent ears we say in one voice that it is totally abhorrent for the President of Iran to call for Israel to be wiped from the map of the world." 4 Aug 2008 11:23:44 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/2438666/Gordon-Brown-promises-Israel-he-will-take-the-lead-in-preventing-a-nuclear-Iran.html David Blair and Melissa Kite EC3116FE-92CF-45A9-9D08-C95393B879E5 The Daily Telegraph The presence of the William Burns, the number three official at the US State Department, at the same table as leading Iranian officials had built up hopes for the historic meeting in Geneva. But during the day-long session, the Iranian team skirted discussion of the offer of a package of incentives from the West if Tehran freezes uranium enrichment. Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief who led negotiations on behalf of six major powers, gave Iran another two weeks to agree to suspend uranium enrichment - a key step towards building a nuclear weapon - in return for economic and diplomatic incentives. A failure to agree would leave Tehran facing further United Nations sanctions, he warned. 4 Aug 2008 11:22:37 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/2308822/Iran-refuses-to-discuss-nuclear-freeze-in-talks-with-US.html Philip Sherwell FA9A9AE6-9622-4067-A259-B194D550ACF0 The Daily Telegraph he United States said after inconclusive talks with Iran yesterday that Tehran had a choice between cooperation and conflict, and negotiations could begin with Washington only if sensitive nuclear work ended. "We hope the Iranian people understand that their leaders need to make a choice between cooperation, which would bring benefits to all, and confrontation, which can only lead to further isolation," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack after the Geneva talks, attended for the first time by senior US diplomat William Burns 4 Aug 2008 11:12:37 GMT http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=July2008&file=World_News200807201207.xml 92983819-2CAB-4A6F-A19A-F58F21958265 The Peninsula Qatar There can no longer be any doubt about the consequences of any U.S. and/or Israeli military action against Iran. Armchair warriors, pundits and blustering politicians alike have been advocating a pre-emptive military strike against Iran for the purpose of neutralizing its nuclear-related infrastructure, as well as retarding Iran's ability to train and equip “terrorist" forces on Iranian soil before dispatching them to Iraq or parts unknown. Some, including me, have warned of the folly of such action, and now Iran itself has demonstrated why an attack would be insane. I've always pointed out that no plan survives initial contact with the enemy, and furthermore one can never forget that, in war, the enemy gets to vote. On the issue of an American and/or Israeli attack on Iran, the Iranian military has demonstrated exactly how it would cast its vote. Iran recently fired off medium- and long-range missiles and rockets, in a clear demonstration of capability and intent. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, regional oil production capability and U.S. military concentrations, along with Israeli cities, would all be subjected to an Iranian military response if Iran was attacked. 4 Aug 2008 11:10:47 GMT http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080714_iran_shows_its_cards/ Scott Ritter 30840560-FCA4-4573-8753-4851EEACB06C TruthDig Iran will hold direct talks with the United States if necessary, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday. He said that Tehran does not need any mediator for talks with Washington and is well-prepared for direct talks. Responding to a question after the cabinet meeting that Iran and the United States are willing to hold direct talks, he said that Iran prefers direct talks with the United States without intermediary. "As I have previously announced, I am ready to talk with Mr Bush directly," President Ahmadinejad said. 4 Aug 2008 11:09:39 GMT http://www.payvand.com/news/08/jul/1126.html F5009702-BC24-4D4B-8796-F403FC3FFCAA Payvand News The aggressive foreign policy of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been a "gift for Arab states that want to dodge democratisation", said Dr Mohammad Hafezian, of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. The strident anti-Americanism of Ahmadinejad has been part of the reason that American policy in the Middle East has focused on resisting Iran, to the exclusion of much of its previous policies which included requiring more democracy in the Gulf. Hafezian was spelling out the present Iranian view of how the balance of regional interests has shifted in Iran's favour in the past few years, which has threatened the much-valued Iranian-Saudi rapprochement of the 1980s. He was presenting a paper to the 30th Gulf Studies Conference at Exeter University in Britain. 4 Aug 2008 11:08:30 GMT http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iran/10228221.html Francis Matthew FA177DA1-3C4D-45B1-8CF6-32FAF419E05A Gulf News The United States and Iran appear on a collision course in the Middle East, firing off mixed messages that are raising world tension and roiling oil markets amid fears that an eventual confrontation may be military. Both insist war is not imminent, but their sharp words and provocative actions are stoking uncertainty as Washington and Tehran joust for strategic supremacy in the oil-rich region where American might along with that of its top ally in the area, Israel has long been dominant. 4 Aug 2008 11:07:30 GMT http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/09/america/NA-US-Iran-Mixed-Messages.php 33484F84-6FF0-45CA-B057-1FC2A7A96EE8 International Herald Tribune/AP Americans appear bent on either launching a strike or steps of covert action to create dynamics that will make it impossible to avoid waging war against Iran. The U.S. and Israel have been actively engaged in a news media war to provoke an Iranian reaction that would justify a war, or at least a military action as a prelude to war. This military action, strongly advocated by the pro-Israeli Washington Institute for Near Studies, could either be an American or an Israeli limited strike. The U.S. has yet to garner enough Arab support for a war against Iran. But while some Arab governments are definitely afraid of Iranian influence in the region, they are also wary of a conflict that will drag the region into yet another continuous war. An escalation of covert actions, according to the Finding report, revealed by Seymour Hersh and other journalists, is the most likely scenario. Covert actions will achieve several objectives - but, most likely, could trigger an Iranian action that could be construed as a declaration of war. The ultimate goal, it seems, is to create chaos from within allowing for foreign intervention. 4 Aug 2008 11:05:46 GMT http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/lamis_andoni/2008/07/bushs_farewell_includes_attack.html Lamis Andoni 160809A9-A8F2-4DBD-B116-E443C921F900 Post Global One theory says that until the very last moment on March 20, 2003, Saddam Hussain thought he had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs); plenty of them. That is what his corrupted circle had been telling him for years, and this explains why he never fully comprehended the dangers of war with the United States. Perhaps he reasoned that the Americans were bluffing, and would never dare invade Iraq. At curtain fall, Saddam probably told one of his men to go down and "press the button" only to realise that he had no WMDs, and that Iraq -and his regime - were on the verge of disaster. "Sorry Mr. President, but we were lying!" That scenario - 80 per cent fiction, 20 per cent reality - is dangerously close to being repeated in 2008. This time, standing in Saddam's shoes would be the Israelis. The writing has been on the wall for several months and suddenly snowballed into grave fear that war between Iran and the United States - or Iran and Israel - was in the immediate horizon. Last week, a Pentagon official said that a war between Iran and Israel was going to take place before the end of 2008. 4 Aug 2008 11:03:22 GMT http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10226935.html Sami Moubayed 7164EC49-3517-42A2-A692-36437333BB18 Gulf News Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that diplomacy is the only way out of his country's standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear program and insisted he was serious about negotiations. Iran's leader made the comments a day after asserting that his country would not give up its "nuclear rights," signaling that it would refuse demands to stop enriching uranium or at least not to expand its enrichment work. 4 Aug 2008 11:01:08 GMT http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAN_NUCLEAR?SITE=WABEL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Nasser Karimi 48CD6A82-A159-4315-895A-DA882CDEA0A6 The Bellingham Herald/AP Iran indicated Saturday that it has no plans to meet a key Western demand that it stop enriching uranium, a day after Tehran sent the European Union a response to an international offer of incentives for halting enrichment. The content of that response has not been made public and there was caution about the prospects of progress. "It was not something that made us jump up and down for joy," said one European official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was confidential. "We are in a holding mode until we get a chance to look at it more closely." 4 Aug 2008 10:59:48 GMT http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/05/iran-indicates-it-has-no-plans-to-halt-enrichment/ Ali Akbar Dareini 7282CF61-B3A5-4A8A-A0EA-179EE8408D41 Washington Times/AP Sometimes diplomacy is more about reading the runes than listening to those who have the ear of those in the know. Take the not-so-little matter of a pre-emptive strike to take out Iran's uranium enrichment programme. If you heed the warnings of hawks like John Bolton, former US ambassador to the UN, it's a done deal. The US or Israel will take appropriate military action during the window of opportunity between the presidential elections in November and the swearing-in of the new president in January 2009. That way, Bush gets what he wants - he is on record as saying that nothing is ruled out to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons - but he will leave the consequences to his successor. Fortunately, it's not as cut and dried as that. No strike can be mounted if the military is not keen on the idea. 4 Aug 2008 10:58:00 GMT http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.2381278.0.predictions_suggest_diplomacy_will_win_but_beware_the_unpredictable.php Trevor Royle 7D2B538A-1299-44A0-BEA9-EEE584E9D4BC The Sunday Herald Iran continues to withhold information needed to establish whether the country has attempted to build nuclear weapons, an allegation that remains a matter of "serious concern" the UN's nuclear watchdog reported last night. In a sternly-phrased report, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iran had failed to provide the documentation and other evidence required to examine apparent anomalies in its nuclear activities that raise questions about a possible covert military programme. The report also said that Iran had not complied with UN Security Council demands for it to suspend the enrichment of uranium, but had instead expanded its enrichment efforts adding an extra 500 centrifuge machines to the 3000 it has installed already and applying improved technology. 31 Jul 2008 16:52:48 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/27/iran.unitednations Julian Borger 62F9C393-9821-48CE-9A24-0446ACF153F4 The Guardian Mr Bolton said that striking Iran would represent a major step towards victory in Iraq. While he acknowledged that the risk of a hostile Iranian response harming American's overseas interests existed, he said the damage inflicted by Tehran would be “far higher" if Washington took no action. “This is a case where the use of military force against a training camp to show the Iranians we're not going to tolerate this is really the most prudent thing to do," he said. “Then the ball would be in Iran's court to draw the appropriate lesson to stop harming our troops." Mr Bolton, an influential former member of President George W Bush's inner circle, dismissed as “dead wrong" reported British intelligence conclusions that the US military had overstated the support that Iran was providing to Iraqi fighters. A US military spokesman revealed last week that the elite Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards had drafted in personnel from Lebanon's Hizbollah to train fighters from Iraq's Shia militias. Colonel Donald Bacon, a spokesman for the coalition in Baghdad, said captured fighters had told interrogators that thousands of Iraqi fighters were undergoing training in the Islamic Republic. 31 Jul 2008 16:51:43 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/john-bolton-us-should-bomb-iranian-camps/3404/ Damien McElroy 515EA8CA-7577-4CC9-A5C7-A58AA2B7AFD4 RINF Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, who was among the original experts to question Bush Administration claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, now says he believes an attack on Iran is a "virtual guarantee." "We take a look at the military buildup, we take a look at the rhetoric, we take a look at the diplomatic posturing, and I would say that it's a virtual guarantee that there will be a limited aerial strike against Iran in the not-so-near future-or not-so-distant future, that focuses on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Command," Ritter said last week in a little-noted interview with Amy Goodman's Democracy Now. "And if this situation spins further out of control, you would see these aerial strikes expanding to include Iran's nuclear infrastructure and some significant command and control targets." The Pentagon denied the claim again Monday. 31 Jul 2008 16:50:10 GMT http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Former_UN_weapons_inspector_says_attack_0505.html John Byrne 814A7B4B-9C05-4B55-B1CF-FB837D14DEDC The Raw Story Republican US presidential candidate John McCain said on Wednesday he would not rule out launching preemptive wars against future enemies. President George W Bush, in launching his 2003 invasion of Iraq, said it was necessary to forestall possible future attacks from a country that was developing weapons of mass destruction. None of the weapons he alleged were in Iraq were subsequently found. McCain, who has wrapped up his party's nomination to run for the White House in the November election, has maintained support for Iraq war and has said frequently that he would rather lose an election than a war. When asked at a town hall meeting about the Bush policy on preemption, McCain said, “I don't think you can make a blanket statement about preemptive war because obviously it depends on the threat that the United States of America faces." 31 Jul 2008 16:31:29 GMT http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C04%5C11%5Cstory_11-4-2008_pg4_6 3AF25C93-A182-4300-BFAF-D2EB530CD6B4 Daily Times The nation's top military officer said yesterday that the Pentagon is planning for "potential military courses of action" as one of several options against Iran, criticizing what he called the Tehran government's "increasingly lethal and malign influence" in Iraq. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a conflict with Iran would be "extremely stressing" but not impossible for U.S. forces, pointing to reserve capabilities in the Navy and Air Force. "It would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," he said at a Pentagon news conference. Speaking of Iran's intentions, Mullen said: "They prefer to see a weak Iraq neighbor. . . . They have expressed long-term goals to be the regional power." Mullen made clear that he prefers a diplomatic solution and does not expect imminent action. "I have no expectations that we're going to get into a conflict with Iran in the immediate future," he said. 31 Jul 2008 16:28:20 GMT http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042501480.html?hpid=topnews Ann Scott Tyson CC7C4A81-8455-418F-BCA0-94AB47C408CD Washington Post THE chances of the United States "stumbling" into a confrontation with Iran through skirmishes in Iraq "are very low", US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said today. When asked on CBS television if such a scenario was inevitable the longer US troops stayed in Iraq, he said: "I think the chances of us stumbling into a confrontation with Iran are very low. "We are concerned about their activities in the south. We are concerned about the weapons that they are sending in - that they continue to send into Iraq. "But I think that the process that's underway is, as I said, headed in the right direction." 29 Apr 2008 12:13:24 GMT http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23535203-12377,00.html 4EE6C097-448F-4D26-8F24-024840E1A9B5 The Australian The Shia “martyrs" of this hill village are normally killed in the dangerous, stony landscape of southern Lebanon, in Israeli air raids or invasions or attacks from the sea. The Hizbollah duly honours them. But the body of the latest Shia fighter to be buried here - from the local Hashem family - was flown back to Lebanon last month from Iran. He was hailed as a martyr in the village Husseiniya mosque but the Hizbollah would say no more. For when a Lebanese is killed in live firing exercises in the Islamic Republic, his death brings almost as many questions as mourners. Yet it is an open secret south of the Litani river that thousands of young men have been leaving their villages for military training in Iran. Up to 300 men are taken to Beirut en route to Tehran each month and the operation has been running since November of 2006; in all, as many as 4,500 Hizbollah members have been sent for three-month sessions of live-fire ammunition and rocket exercises to create a nucleus of Iranian-trained guerrillas for the “next" Israeli-Hizbollah war. 10 Apr 2008 10:22:44 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/fisk-hizbollah-turns-to-iran-in-war-on-israel/2921/ Robert Fisk 85C4C316-4E91-42FB-91DB-F6CF796BBE61 RINF Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the U.S. Tuesday of using the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 as a "pretext" to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. "On the pretext of this incident a major military operation was launched and oppressed Afghanistan was attacked. Tens of thousands of people have been killed until now," he said in a speech broadcast on state television. "Poor Iraq was attacked. According to official figures ... 1 million people have been killed." 10 Apr 2008 10:21:47 GMT http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080408\ACQDJON200804081421DOWJONESDJONLINE000710.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na D1C9E6E8-F5A7-4F53-9E87-B405AE5802B7 NASDAQ/AFP Iran said on Saturday it would press ahead with plans to expand its nuclear programme, after diplomats in Vienna said Tehran was installing advanced centrifuges in its key uranium enrichment plant. The government spokesman also rejected any idea of halting work the United States suspects is aimed at building nuclear bombs in return for trade, technology and other benefits. Speaking a few days before the Islamic Republic's annual National Nuclear Technology Day on April 8, Gulam Hussain Elham said he hoped for "good news" on that day but did not elaborate. The world's fourth-largest oil producer says it needs to produce nuclear fuel for a planned network of power plants to satisfy soaring electricity demand. 10 Apr 2008 10:20:47 GMT http://www.gulfnews.com/region/Iran/10203445.html A88A68F3-CE64-4CB9-8EFC-66F44B4330C3 Gulf News/Reuters errible rumors from Russia continue to swirl around the Middle East that the Cheney-Bush junta has decided to bomb Iran on April 4th or 6th, targeting not only nuclear-power research facilities but ships, planes, antiaircraft installations, and the Iranian pentagon. Apparently the nuclear-power reactor being built by Russian companies will be spared, but not much else. Will it happen? Certainly the neocon hate network is working overtime to make it so. Bush fired the anti-neocon Admiral Fallon. One thing we know for sure: it will be the typical Bush administration snafu, with horrific consequences for the region and the world, not to speak of the Iranian people, and reap much trouble for the US empire. Indeed, it could mark the end of the empire if, as Bill Lind worries, the Iranians in retaliation cut off water-food-ammo supply routes to US troops in Iraq, and, with the help of Shiite militians, capture large numbers of them. Need I mention that Ron Paul, our champion of peace, is the leading opponent of war on Iran? 10 Apr 2008 10:19:43 GMT http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19641.htm Lew Rockwell F69CC682-7899-40F8-9E97-0499F3B811FD Information Clearing House Arab online newspaper published in London, is the only newspaper to report this a week ago but I waited few days to see if there is any development provides evidence to the newspaper claims, and the military campaign in Basra was what i am waiting for.Arab online says that there are secret Iranian - American negotiations at Ahmadinejad's visit to Iraq [please remember there were other developments in this week period, like the U.S. embassy refused to meet the Iranian delegation.etc] The report contains details and names of people who attended the meeting from both sides which we don't need here, so this is what the newspaper said in short: Ahmadinejad offered to calm the situation in Iraq, using the three days attacks-free visit to Iraq as a demonstration of what can Iran do, the second offer is to accept the long term Iraqi - American agreement 10 Apr 2008 10:16:58 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/the-secret-american-iranian-security-deal-in-iraq/2798/ 0FAF2458-9C50-43E7-B345-05EC7857F8AD RINF The Arab media has raised US-Iran confrontation alarms, saying the US has a proxy war with Iran going at the tail end of the Bush administration. The UAE-based newspaper, Gulf News, in its Friday's editorial said that with George W. Bush in office the Washngton is effectively maintaining low intensity warfare with Iran and the potential exists to ratchet it up to more open hostilities. The source asserted that the recurring visits by the US Vice President Dick Cheney and John McCain to Iraq and occupied Palestine are surely not 'coincidences' but a means to ensure Israel remains fully in the picture for any "plans the US could have against Iran" 10 Apr 2008 10:14:19 GMT http://www.payvand.com/news/08/mar/1246.html 35C53D91-9622-4CFE-8215-5AAC82973626 Payvand's Iran News The approval of fresh sanctions on Iran marks the third time that the United Nations Security Council has been galvanized to stem the Islamic Republic's feared uranium enrichment efforts. Unfortunately, the new sanctions are unlikely to be any more effective than the first two rounds. Consider the two earlier Security Council resolutions. The December 2006 resolution curbed international assistance to Iran in mastering the nuclear fuel cycle. The March 2007 resolution called for "vigilance and restraint" in the sale of heavy weapons to Iran and avoidance of new grants, financial assistance or concessional loans. Neither moved the country's ruling mullahs. Few expect a different outcome from the new sanctions, which authorize international interception of Iranian contraband and tightened monitoring of the regime's financial institutions, along with travel limitations and asset freezes applied to people and companies involved in Iran's nuclear program. 10 Apr 2008 10:15:21 GMT http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=136193 Bennett Ramberg D5EDC58A-B8DE-493C-B31C-BED7DABCAD4D Todays Zaman The invasion had one clear purpose - the removal of a tyrant. But the consequences have been far more complex, throwing up a new regional power, intensifying Sunni-Shia divisions, and prompting a painful US rethink On a brisk spring morning four years and 11 months ago, a truck driver on the Iraqi-Turkish border killed time in a queue at customs by telling a Western reporter of the terrible consequences of the fall of Baghdad a month earlier. At the time, his doom-laden predictions of civil war and regional chaos seemed far-fetched. Now they seem far less so. From the distant, tsunami-struck tip of Sumatra to Wall Street, from the specialist world of counter-terrorism to that of contemporary feminist literary criticism, the war, the occupation and the continuing conflict in Iraq have left their mark. The effects will not be known for some time, but some broad effects are already all too evident. The Iraq of the Nineties - run by a nationalist, broadly secular Sunni Muslim elite; brutalised and terrorised, but stable under Saddam Hussein - has been replaced by a weak, violent, unstable state racked by a largely communitarian civil war and crime. Where once the fear in Ankara, Riyadh, Tehran or Tel Aviv was of an unpredictable dictator, now it is of a spillover of chaos. 10 Apr 2008 10:13:09 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2008/mar/16/iraqandiran?gusrc=rss&feed=fromtheobserver Jason Burke 0236D4D0-1F5E-4701-8062-EBB14EA45AFB The Observer On the face of it, the victory was fairly overwhelming. By Sunday evening, conservatives had won four times as many seats as the reformists, retaining control of the Iranian parliament. No doubt they will take it as an endorsement of their uncompromising view of Iran's Islamic system, of the nuclear programme, and of Iran's assertive foreign policy. No doubt they will conveniently forget that a large proportion of the reformist candidates were disqualified. 10 Apr 2008 10:11:50 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7299733.stm Jon Leyne BC1FE0C1-0FBF-44FA-B3C0-6C3361091049 BBC Iran's Students for Justice Movement has gathered a million dollars to be awarded to whoever manages to kill three top Israeli figures including defence minister, Ehud Barak, hardline journalist Forouz Rajaifar announced. The hardline student group is offering a 400,000 dollar bounty for the slaying of Barak, 300,000 dollars to kill Mossad spy agency chief Meir Dagan, and the same sum for the assassination of military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin. Whoever kills these three criminals will receive these sums, and if acts of martyrdom are involved, the money will be paid to their families, Rajaifar told Iranian state news agency IRNA. 10 Apr 2008 10:10:56 GMT http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.1959594498 680BEBF0-5F03-4517-BD1A-01C597EEDC85 AKI Britain and America are flying in the face of world public opinion as they push for tougher measures against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, according to a BBC World Service poll which shows that opinion worldwide is overwhelming in favour of a diplomatic solution. It says that support for economic sanctions or military action has dropped “`significantly" in most countries, including India, since a similar poll in June 2006. Worldwide, options of economic sanctions or military strikes were rejected in 27 out of 31 countries, covered by the poll. Instead, the most preferred approach was to either use only diplomatic efforts or not put any pressure on Iran at all. 10 Apr 2008 10:09:52 GMT http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/11/stories/2008031154921300.htm Hasan Suroor 9D765ABF-1081-4E6C-BDB5-1390DD7A5B87 The Hindu "What election?" On the ski slopes just outside Tehran, few of the young skiers say they will heed a call by Iran's religious leaders to vote in Friday's parliamentary election. "I'll never vote. I'll come here to ski instead," said Babak, a university student in his early 20s enjoying the sunny weather and good skiing conditions in the resort of Darbandsar. "It won't change anything," agreed his female friend Maniya, sporting Western-style ski wear as well as pink lipstick and nail varnish. Like others critical of the government, they were wary of giving their last names. 10 Apr 2008 10:08:32 GMT http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=March2008&file=World_News2008031112248.xml 69C8A2DB-4130-4662-A146-70C298D73288 The Peninsula Qatar / Reuters Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic of Iran will consider any proposal offering cooperation in its nuclear program. In response to a question made by the reporter of Christian Science Monitor regarding some proposals about uranium enrichment in Iran, Mottaki said "More than two years ago President Ahmadinejad offered a proposal to establish a consortium for uranium enrichment in Iran." 8 Apr 2008 20:00:05 GMT http://www.iribnews.ir/Full_en.asp?news_id=251732 56AD2A35-5781-4316-8333-04BD07E38819 IRBM Iran will ask for compensations during the halt of its nuclear activities for more than two years, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said on Sunday. Jalili made his comment to local media when he was attending an International Conference on Iran's Peaceful Nuclear Program and Activities, adding that "those who made us stop uranium enrichment based on false accusations will have to pay for compensations as a result." The Iranian official also expressed readiness for dialogue with the western powers, noting that "Tehran welcomes any talks on the issue, however dialogue must come with conditions," but he did not mention what are those conditions. 8 Apr 2008 19:59:00 GMT http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1890336&Language=en D0242444-8965-47E9-B396-072A59443090 KUNA President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to become the first Iranian leader since the revolution to visit Baghdad after the Iraqi foreign ministry announced he had accepted an invitation, at a time of high tension in the Gulf. The visit was confirmed by the Iranian president's office, but no firm date has been agreed. The visit would mark a breakthrough in relations between Iran and Iraq, which fought an eight-year war in the 1980s that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. It would also represent a challenge to American influence in Iraq, at a time when the US and Iran are vying for regional supremacy. US warships in the Gulf have fired across the bows of Iranian patrol boats once and come close another two times over the past two months. 24 Jan 2008 17:15:20 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2245666,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12 Julian Borger 050DA5C1-C3D4-4F89-A2A5-0B36D753D426 The Guardian Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday held out the prospect of a better relationship with Iran, a day after the US and other world powers drafted a fresh United Nations resolution against Tehran. The US Secretary of State used an appearance at the World Economic Forum to offer the prospect of a more normalrelationship between the two countries should Iran end its uranium enrichment programme. Ms Rice went on to say she would meet her Iranian opposite number any place, any time, anywhere to talk about anything. Critics asked why the US would not engage Iran's government diplomatically, she said, but why won't Tehran talk to us? There have been diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington over the past 10 months to discuss the situation in Iraq and Ms Rice has previously held out the prospect of improved relations. Her address on Wednesday said any improved relationship could include growing co-operation, expanding trade and exchange, and the peaceful management of differences The US had no desire for a permanent enemy in Iran she said. We believe we can resolve this problem through diplomacy. 24 Jan 2008 16:54:22 GMT http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e149e62-c9f2-11dc-b5dc-000077b07658.html Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson 858EB410-22F1-4422-85EC-06414D644FD4 FT World powers ended weeks of deadlock over whether to press ahead with a fresh raft of sanctions against Iran by agreeing to a new United Nations draft resolution that is weaker than the US might have wished but leaves the international community united. The resolution, agreed at a meeting of foreign ministers from the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in Berlin on Tuesday, represented a moderate tightening of the sanctions regime against Tehran, diplomats said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister, said Britain, France and Germany would table the resolution at the Security Council in the next few days. The foreign ministers of China, Russia which had been reluctant to support any new action against Tehran and the US, who were also present in Berlin, supported the draft text. European diplomats indicated that the agreement had been reached because all sides had been willing to compromise. They argued that the US now accepted last month's assessment by US intelligence that Iran had abandoned its plans to militarise its nuclear capability in 2003 made a tough new resolution impossible. But at the same time, Russia and China accepted that the international community would look weak if it failed to press home its concerns about Iran's continued uranium enrichment. 24 Jan 2008 17:18:51 GMT http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/26109124-c93a-11dc-9807-000077b07658,dwp_uuid=be75219e-940a-11da-82ea-0000779e2340.html Hugh Williamson 03B239CB-C6D6-4C26-8EF3-D39D664A83D7 FT The US diplomat at the heart of the Bush administration's Iran policy is to leave his post, in a move that represents a setback for Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state. Nicholas Burns, the number three at the state department, has been a close colleague of Ms Rice for almost 20 years, and has been trusted by her as the point man not only on US policy on Iran, but also on Kosovo and the US's nuclear pact with India. Mr Burns announced on Friday that he was retiring for personal reasons, making him the latest in a series of senior officials to leave the administration as it enters its final year. He first worked under Ms Rice at the National Security Council during the presidency of George H. W. Bush. He will leave office in March, although Ms Rice said he would continue to work on the agreement with India after that 24 Jan 2008 17:16:24 GMT http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c8108034-c632-11dc-8378-0000779fd2ac.html Daniel Dombey 3B823D3C-474E-41DD-B789-7FAC8428B163 FT A senior advisor to Rudy Giuliani says the next US president must discharge President Bush's 'responsibility' of waging war on Iran. Writing for the February edition of Commentary, Norman Podhoretz said if the next US president doesn't have the 'courage' to attack Iran, the outcome will be catastrophic for Washington. We had all better pray that there will be enough time for the next president to discharge the responsibility that Bush will have been forced to pass on, Podhoretz added. If not - God help us all - the stage will have been set for the outbreak of a nuclear war that will become as inescapable then as it is avoidable now, continued the 78-year-old politician. 24 Jan 2008 17:17:39 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/politics/pray-next-us-president-bombs-iran/2251/ E12003B9-9F74-4421-8B10-A4EF3A46E364 RINF The great chess match in Iran seems to be moving towards the endgame, and this may prove the most momentous world event of 2008. To everyone's surprise, the United States has been reduced to a passive observer, while the remaining players are Iran, Israel and Russia. A dazzling act of sabotage directed against the Republican Administration by Democratic sympathizers within the intelligence agencies (see: "NIE report is folly or treason," Dec.18, 2007) has almost totally paralyzed American policy towards Iran. What matters is less that an American preventive strike against Iran's nuclear sites has been ruled out (it was never very likely), but that even hard-hitting economic sanctions which might have forced Iran to halt its nuclear program, and which the countries of Europe and even China were beginning to favor, are out of the question. After publication of the NIE, Bush would make himself a laughing stock if he called for them now. In short, the U.S. is out of the game, leaving Israel alone to confront an Iran which, in full view of the rest of the world, is acquiring uranium enrichment technology. Moscow's supplying of the TOR-M1 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran made any attempt at a preventive strike by Israel highly problematical, but it retained the capacity to launch an effective missile strike at least against the key centrifuge complex in Natantz. Until 5 December (NIE publication), Israel could also hope for support from the far more daunting technological capacity of its American elder brother. On December 26, just 3 weeks after the scandalous publication of the NIE and a week after the fourth meeting of the Russo-Iranian intergovernmental commission on military technology cooperation, Iranian Defense Minister M. Madzhar made an announcement that radically changed the strategic situation in the region. Russia was to deliver C-300 ground-to-air missile systems to Iran. 24 Jan 2008 17:11:06 GMT http://www.insightmag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=5D3B38F8A2584DB5A77BA05660C6045C&nm=Free+Access&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=1CF37E4BB0A349FFB5E270AF6F632EFD Andrei Piontkovsky C542829F-D31F-4EDF-B90C-D01495BD01EB Insight How to prevent a naval war with Iran. Just how serious was the half-hour standoff Sunday morning between three American warships and five Iranian speed boats in the Strait of Hormuz? Did we come close to war? Was there any provocation? Was the Pentagon's version of events, as the Iranians claim, a fake? In response to the Iranians' charge, the Defense Department released excerpts from a videotape of the incident. In response to that, the Iranians issued their own video. Both clips are strange. They are also very different from each other. There's a good reason, however, for the strangeness and the contradictions. The Pentagon's footage shows five speed boats making provocative maneuvers a couple of hundred yards from an American warship. Speaking in English over the standard radio frequency, a U.S. Navy officer identifies his ship. Suddenly, an Iranian voice, in heavily accented English, is heard saying, "I am coming to you. You will explode in [unintelligible] minutes." The voice sounds superimposed; it is much louder than the other voices; there's also no background noise of engines or waves, as there would be if the speaker were on one of the speed boats. 24 Jan 2008 17:13:50 GMT http://www.slate.com/id/2181851/fr/rss/ Fred Kaplan 10F0BA96-1222-4518-AFE9-A33D478EF230 Slate Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said relations with the US could be restored in the future. In a speech to students, he said the time was not right to restore ties, but if it were ever in Iran's interests he would endorse such a move. The US and Iran cut their diplomatic ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution and the subsequent takeover of the US embassy by militants in Tehran. Relations have been further strained by the row over Iran's nuclear programme. "We have never said these relations should be suspended indefinitely," said Ayatollah Khamenei. 24 Jan 2008 17:12:48 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7170381.stm BA2A4BA5-DDDE-4524-A5D8-F32388B78686 BBC A heckling radio ham known as the Filipino Monkey, who has spent years pestering ships in the Persian Gulf, is being blamed today for sparking a major diplomatic row after American warships almost attacked Iranian patrol boats. The US navy came within seconds of firing at the Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz on January 6 after hearing threats that the boats were attacking and were about to explode. Senior navy officials have admitted that the source of the threats, picked up in international waters, was a mystery. 24 Jan 2008 16:53:23 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2240533,00.html Matthew Weaver D41E3B56-6711-4715-B06D-BD6879B33457 The Guardian Russia has delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr atomic power station, a step both Moscow and Washington said should convince Tehran to shut down its disputed uranium enrichment program. But a senior Iranian official said his country would under no circumstances halt its efforts to enrich uranium -- fuel it says it needs for other power plants but which foreign powers fear could be used in a nuclear bomb. Western nations led by the United States had urged Russia not to deliver fuel to Bushehr, a plant in southern Iran that Russian engineers are building under a $1 billion contract. In a change of tactics apparently the result of consultations between Moscow and Washington, the White House signaled that the arrival of the fuel could help international efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. 24 Jan 2008 16:52:30 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL177524820071217?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Christian Lowe 0F9A9B13-F1FA-42EB-A189-0E3701DED589 Reuters Russia and Iran have settled all differences over the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power station and agreed on a timetable for its completion, the Russian contractor building the station said on Thursday. Russia's role in building Bushehr, Iran's first nuclear power station, is a key element in a diplomatic dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions. "We have resolved all the problems with the Iranians," said Sergei Shmatko, president of state controlled Atomstroiexport, which is building the Bushehr plant on the Gulf. "We have agreed with our Iranian colleagues a timeframe for completing the plant and we will make an announcement at the end of December," Shmatko told reporters. 24 Jan 2008 16:48:38 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL1355362320071213?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Guy Faulconbridge 12392E31-603A-4047-916D-1746D406A47C Reuters If the US can reach an accommodation with Iran before quitting, there is still the chance of a tolerable outcome in Iraq A few months ago, I suggested here that all of us who are sceptics about Iraq should subject ourselves to regular brain scans, just in case we were wrong. That is to say, enthusiasm to see George Bush's nose rubbed in his follies must never tip over into eagerness for US failure in Iraq. Its consequences for the world, and above all for the Iraqi people, are far too grave to indulge schadenfreude. There are three reasons today to revisit our thinking about Iraq even if, at the end of the process, we end up back where we started. James Forysth rightly remarked in the Guardian's media pages yesterday that the British press has under-reported the success of the US troop surge. It is a notable achievement by General David Petraeus and his forces that insurgent attacks have fallen by two-thirds, and civilian fatalities have declined steeply. Second, Gordon Brown told British troops outside Basra at the weekend that their role is almost over. Within weeks responsibility for security in the southern province will pass to local Iraqi forces. Finally, last week's amazing US national intelligence estimate, which declared that Iran has no current nuclear weapons programme, could carry critical significance for Iraq. It removes the overriding obstacle to dialogue between Tehran and Washington, which itself is indispensable to stabilising Iraq. 24 Jan 2008 16:47:31 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2225391,00.html Max Hastings 34BE4E66-55E1-4D18-96A2-B81948383CC6 The Guardian Bush is so fact-phobic that he might as well declare a war on reality, in which anything palpably authentic is the enemy So let's get this straight. A US intelligence report decides that Iran isn't as big a threat as once feared, and Bush decides this proves that, actually guys, I think you'll find it is. You've got to admire his steadfast refusal to acknowledge anything that doesn't complement his monochromatic world view. He's a true tunnel visionary. Awkward facts simply ricochet off him, like peashooter pellets bouncing harmlessly from an elephant's hide. He knows what he wants to believe, and he'll carry on believing it until it kills him. Or us. Preferably us. He can always recant and say, "Oops, I was wrong" in his bunker. We'll be long gone by then, so what does he care? Very little, in all probability. Bush is a bit like an unhinged iconoclast who has arbitrarily decided he doesn't believe in cows, and loudly and repeatedly denies their existence until you get so annoyed you drive him to a farm and show him a cow, and he shakes his head and continues to insist there's no such thing. At which point it moos indignantly, but he claims not to hear it, so in exasperation you drag him into the field and force him to touch the cow, and milk the cow, and ride around on the cow's back. And, finally, he dismounts and says, "That was fun'n'all, but dagnammit, I still don't believe in no cow." And then he shoots it in the head regardless, just to be on the safe side. Just so it isn't a threat. 24 Jan 2008 16:21:23 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2225028,00.html Charlie Brooker EB411706-1AD0-4487-8FC9-6A2EB61EC63D The Guardian GP dies in custody after arrest for sitting with her fiancé in the park - and the police say it is suicide Nothing about Zahra Baniyaghoub's life suggested she would have wanted to end it. With a flourishing career as a doctor and a stable relationship with a man she loved, she seemed to have everything to live for. But when she died suddenly in the custody of Iran's morals and virtues police - an organisation empowered by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to enforce Islamic behavioural standards - officials reported it as suicide. 24 Jan 2008 16:20:15 GMT http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2220406,00.html Robert Tait E807DC9E-A966-428C-B8B9-ACE062FDA194 The Observer The mystery of Iran's nuclear plans has deepened, and the prospects of war seem to have receded, with the publication of a new United States intelligence report. But this is only one episode of an unfolding story The status and intentions of Iran's nuclear-energy plans are again at the top of the international agenda, and in a dramatic and unexpected way. The publication of the latest United States national-intelligence estimate (NIE) on 3 December 2007 - in the declassified digest released to the public - contained the striking assessment that Iran halted its nuclear-weapons programme in 2003 "in response to international pressure"; a judgment, moreover, backed with "high confidence". The report, which gathers material from the US's sixteen leading intelligence agencies, does admit: "We do not know whether (Iran) currently intends to develop nuclear weapons." But the tenor of the report is - as has been instantly understood around the world - to challenge the narrative of an Iranian nuclear danger that the George W Bush administration and its supporters has assiduously been building, and to make more difficult the argument for armed confrontation with Iran as a way of resolving the perceived problem. 24 Jan 2008 16:19:03 GMT http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/democracy_power/iran/nuclear_complex Jan De Pauw C8A6F86F-6048-49E7-B2C2-D92EFD7DFE23 Open Democracy Iran poses a threat to the United States and the Middle East despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday. In a speech to the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, the Pentagon chief argued Iran still has the capability to restart its weapons program and continues to enrich uranium, an essential part of atomic weapons development. He also accused Iran of actively supporting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Islamist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, and that its missile program poses a wider threat throughout the region. 24 Jan 2008 16:18:05 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSPAR82748720071208?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Kristin Roberts 0FCA2251-13BC-4DAF-9FC1-42AB82FF4846 Reuters Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah urged Iran to avoid escalation in its standoff with the West over its nuclear program as Israel's deputy prime minister called for the resignation of the head of the UN nuclear watchdog. King Abdullah called for a solution that would allow Tehran to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes 24 Jan 2008 16:12:02 GMT http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=86644 B17899BE-FDEE-42F8-8CC9-7A404A50C6D8 Daily Star German Chancellor Angela Merkel told U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday she would be willing to support a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran if Tehran continues to resist demands to halt sensitive nuclear work. Merkel, in a visit to Bush's ranch in Crawford, also said she would consider possible cuts in her country's brisk trade flows with Iran should other efforts fail to secure Tehran's cooperation over its nuclear program. Bush agreed with Merkel that diplomacy was the best way to resolve the standoff with Iran. "We were at one in saying that the threat posed through the nuclear program of Iran is indeed a serious one," Merkel said at a joint news conference with Bush. 24 Jan 2008 16:08:40 GMT http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKN0936347520071111?rpc=401& Caren Bohan D2F59C62-D59C-4C4A-A758-0D886E10A468 Reuters Senior officials from the permanent five members of the UN Security Council and Germany are meeting in London to discuss the next steps over Iran's nuclear programme. The gathering comes at another crucial juncture in the long-running stand-off, in which Western countries say they suspect Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and the Iranians repeatedly deny the charge. As a backdrop, Saudi Arabia has said it and its Gulf allies have proposed as a compromise setting up a consortium with Iran to enrich uranium in a neutral country. 24 Jan 2008 16:02:37 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7075152.stm Nick Childs DF3B6686-097A-4D27-A67A-C47C7D2466C8 BBC News Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday she does not believe a Senate resolution authorizes President Bush to take military action against Iran. ``There is nothing in this particular resolution that would suggest that from our point of view. And, clearly, the president has also made very clear that he's on a diplomatic path where Iran comes into focus,'' Rice said. The Senate in late September voted 76-22 in favor of a resolution urging the State Department to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. While the resolution, by Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., attracted overwhelming bipartisan support, a small group of Democrats said they feared labeling the state-sponsored organization a terrorist group could be interpreted as a congressional authorization of military force in Iran. 24 Jan 2008 16:01:35 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7072004,00.html BE4AE994-DBD6-4610-BB36-815FA1EB6392 The Guardian/AP Brown should be blunt about al-Qaeda and Afghanistan It is a slightly strange but perhaps appropriate arrangement that Remembrance Sunday is followed by the Lord Mayor's Banquet. At one level there is a disconnection between the sombre ceremonies witnessed yesterday and the feast in Guildhall tonight. At another, however, it is right that ceremonies to mark the sacrifice of those who died in conflict precede an event at which the Prime Minister makes an annual address on international relations. The tragic truth is that war is part of foreign policy, even if peace and prosperity are the long-term goal. And that harsh reality must be recognised by Mr Brown. The attention this evening will probably be on the words and tone that Mr Brown adopts concerning Iran. This is perfectly understandable. The consequences of Tehran acquiring the bomb would be profound. It is right that the Prime Minister has not ruled out any course of action on Iran - including a military response - because a lack of resolve would only encourage extremists there to seek nuclear weapons. If that ambition is not rebuffed, then at some point difficult decisions may have to be taken. 24 Jan 2008 15:36:18 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article2852667.ece 98AAEE8E-4935-46AE-AFC6-2B9EB44F5A65 The Times While US attack plans against Iran are in an advanced state of readiness, there are growing divisions between the military and the White House regarding these attacks. "U.S. defense officials have signaled that up-to-date attack plans are available if needed in the escalating crisis over Iran's nuclear aims, although no strike appears imminent .... Among the possible targets, in addition to nuclear installations like the centrifuge plant at Natanz [are] Iran's ballistic missile sites, Republican Guard bases, and naval warfare assets that Tehran could use in a retaliatory closure of the Straits of Hormuz, a vital artery for the flow of Gulf oil." (AP, November 8, 2007) These ongoing war preparations are consistent with official statements and political threats directed against Iran by the US president and vice president. On October 12, President Bush dropped a bombshell by intimating that the confrontation with Iran could lead to a "World War III". In a recent TV interview Bush clarified that the reason he mentioned World War III was "because this is a country [Iran] that has defied the IAEA.." This statement is a barefaced lie by the US head of State. The IAEA confirmed in an August report the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program. 24 Jan 2008 15:34:18 GMT http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0711/S00204.htm Michel Chossudovsky 1751EE84-0F52-4065-ADA8-90D4177A8008 Scoop/Global Research The next five days will show whether President Ahmadinejad gets what appears to be his wish: a growing row with the West over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Despite deep unease within the regime about his taste for confrontation, the chances are that he will. There is good news for those who want Iran to back down: factions within the top leadership are now fighting with each other about whether to risk defiance of the United Nations Security Council. The bad news is that none of them, even the so-called moderates, appears to want to give up uranium enrichment, the work that could give Iran nuclear weapons. The worse news is that the countries trying to curb Tehran are even more divided among themselves than are Iranian leaders. On Monday a meeting in Brussels of the five permanent members of the Security Council may well show that the US, Britain and France do not have support from China and Russia for more sanctions, and will have to try their best alone. 24 Jan 2008 15:27:39 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2866014.ece Bronwen Maddox 769BBA86-966A-4FDE-9B3B-B34FC0EA77D5 The Times Gordon Brown last night proposed a worldwide ban on companies developing Iran's oil and gas fields if it failed to curb its nuclear ambitions. He promised to take the lead in seeking tougher penalties through the United Nations and the European Union as Britain and the United States seek to increase the pressure on Tehran. In his first major speech on foreign policy the Prime Minister said that Iran had a choice confrontation with the international community and stringent sanctions against it; or dropping its nuclear plans, ending support for terrorism and having a transformed relationship with the world. Unless imminent reports from the EU and the International Atomic Energy Agency suggested movement from Iran, there would be stronger sanctions, including on oil and gas investment and the financial sector. Iran should be in no doubt about our seriousness of purpose, he said. 24 Jan 2008 15:26:11 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/politics/gordon-brown-threatens-iran%E2%80%99s-oil-interests/1732/ Philip Webster DD85CEB6-821B-49D9-B7CA-2FDA59270C3D RINF The US has vowed to push for further UN sanctions against Iran, following the latest report on its nuclear programme. The UN's nuclear watchdog said Tehran had made moves towards transparency, but was continuing to enrich uranium in defiance of the Security Council. The White House said "selective co-operation" was "not good enough". The US and its allies fear Iran is building a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran denies this and insists the report gave it a clean bill of health. 24 Jan 2008 15:25:28 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7097561.stm 5807575D-626E-44BE-9378-4C361B9F2005 BBC The government faces a diplomatic row with America over disclosures that it has provided the Iranian regime with financial support worth about £290m while at the same time calling for sanctions. The money was offered by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) to support British firms exporting to Iran, mainly to the country's petrochemical industry. Many of the loans were being negotiated while British ministers were threatening sanctions against Iran for creating a nuclear enrichment facility to make atomic weapons. 24 Jan 2008 15:22:34 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2890957.ece Jonathan Leake and Sarah Baxter 138C678E-B89B-4B4D-A4E3-EBDFDBD6F4A1 The Sunday Times Some OPEC mavericks want to switch to the euro as oil's pricing basis. But analysts say there are several factors keeping the greenback in the game. Despite calls from Iran and Venezuela - OPEC's steadfast bashers of the U.S. government - experts say there's little chance the cartel will shift from pricing oil in dollars to something like the euro. At a summit of leaders from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries members in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over the weekend, Venezuelan head Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated the historic link between crude oil and the dollar should be severed. 24 Jan 2008 15:20:28 GMT http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/19/news/international/oil_opec/index.htm?section=money_latest Steve Hargreaves E50A9600-EFCF-42F5-8D2A-35B63AB5AC90 CNNMoney.com The United States has accepted an Iraqi proposal to hold new talks with Iran about the security situation in Iraq, the State Department said Tuesday. The as-yet unscheduled meeting would be the fourth round of talks between Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and his Iranian counterpart. Two previous sessions ended inconclusively with Iran rejecting U.S. allegations that Iran is supporting Shia insurgent groups in Iraq by providing bombmaking material responsible for the deaths of American troops. Amid a decline in attacks involving such devices, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had responded favorably to a suggestion from the Iraqi government that it was now ``the appropriate time'' for another meeting at the ambassadorial level in Baghdad. 24 Jan 2008 15:19:30 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7091829,00.html Matthew Lee 49F94469-A9C7-4348-8D76-6B8EC5931847 The Guardian/AP US President George W. Bush on Tuesday played down his warning of "World War III" if Iran gets nuclear arms but refused to rule out using force to keep Tehran from getting atomic weapons. "I think it's very important for us to pursue our objectives diplomatically. I also know it's important for all options to remain on the table, and they are on the table," Bush told ABC television in an interview. "No one wants to use military force to achieve any objective. But, but it's important for all parties to understand that, you know, while I'm optimistic we can solve it diplomatically, options are available to the president," he added. 24 Jan 2008 15:18:22 GMT http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/312827/1/.html 1176D8DB-701D-4A52-B8B9-EF423155F6FB Channel News Asia The most important player in the push for Mideast peace that President George W. Bush launches with a high-stakes conference next week may be one that is not on his long list of invited guests. For varying reasons, Iran is a force driving the United States, Israel, the Palestinians and their Arab backers to seek a deal now. Many other motives come into play, but the growing influence and uncertain aims of Tehran provide rare unity of purpose among states that are key to solving the six-decade Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United States has asked nearly 50 nations and organizations to attend next week's coming-out party for what U.S. diplomats say will be serious, continuing set of negotiations to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. 24 Jan 2008 15:17:31 GMT http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/22/america/NA-GEN-US-Mideast-Peace-Iran.php 3979EBE2-2379-4383-A64E-CFCF29C3BEEC International Herald Tribune/AP British intelligence was behind the US' altered assessment of Iran's nuclear intentions, the Guardian newspaper claims. On Tuesday a new US national intelligence estimate (NIE) said it believed Iran had ceased its active pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability in 2003, contradicting its previous belief that Iran was interested in an atomic bomb. According to the Guardian a Washington source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said GCHQ intercepted Iranian communications on which the intelligence was eventually based. 24 Jan 2008 15:12:22 GMT http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/news/uk-behind-usiran-u-turn-18383403.html A9A2E15F-44C8-4BBC-9F51-45D3744E6C18 View London There's been no letup in attacks and weapons-smuggling by Iranian-backed Shiite militants in some parts of Iraq's capital, the area's top U.S. commander said Monday. The comment by Army Col. Don Farris contrasts with suggestions in recent weeks that Iran was slowing the flow of bombs, money and other support to Shiite extremists in Iraq. Farris is commander for coalition forces in northern Baghdad, an area including the huge Shiite slum of Sadr City, which he called ``really a hub for these activities coming from Iran.'' It also includes the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah. Despite a 75 percent decline in overall attacks in his area, there was an increase last month in the most lethal kind of roadside bombs - the explosively formed projectiles (EFPs) that officials say come from Iran, Farris said. 24 Jan 2008 15:11:02 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7105531,00.html Pauline Jelinek 57C39A48-5258-4721-BD61-EECCFBC872C9 The Guardian/AP The United States-led war in Iraq has hardly affected the residents of Sidikan, a small Kurdish town nestled in the mountains where the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey converge, but the surrounding area has fast become the frontline of another conflict. In recent weeks, residents say, Iranian artillery shells have been heard almost daily, raining down on the nearby hills where anti-Tehran guerrillas of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) are based on both sides of the Iran-Iraq border. Since August, thousands of Kurdish villagers on the Iraqi side of the frontier have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the barrage. "Iran is creating a lot of problems for the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG]," said the chief of security police in the nearby town of Soran, who only revealed his first name, Gafar. "Border areas are being shelled every day." The KRG is the governing authority of the predominantly Kurdish region of northern Iraq, or Iraqi Kurdistan. 24 Jan 2008 15:09:27 GMT http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/29000 Nelson Rand C5CB1616-2C8C-4BC8-AE8E-63D0A7C4CC11 After Downing Street/Asia Times · Bush hopes for progress despite press scepticism · US to monitor parties' compliance to road map George Bush formally relaunched Israeli-Palestinian negotiations yesterday, inviting Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas to meet again at the White House the morning after the Annapolis summit showcased US determination to bring peace to the Middle East despite near-universal scepticism about the prospects. In the face of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Hamas rocket fire into Israel, violence in the West Bank and Iranian taunts that his policies had failed, the president was keen to show he was serious about supporting the search for a two-state solution in his remaining 14 months of office. 24 Jan 2008 15:08:37 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2218607,00.html Ian Black 75CD3336-1AB1-4C03-911A-466838AB87B9 The Guardian That's the main implication of the startling new intelligence estimate that Tehran isn't working on a bomb. But the long-term impact is just as significant. A look at the winners and losers. President Bush, in his news conference today, said "nothing's changed" about the U.S. approach to Iran. On the contrary, everything has. What the U.S. president failed to acknowledge was that there had been an earthquake in Washington, which came in the form of this week's new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran. The most immediate impact is that the NIE resolved the big question hanging over the last 12 months of Bush's troubled tenure as president: will he attack Iran? The answer now is almost certainly no. The report also means that a host of international actors who are not necessarily friendly to America from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Russia's Vladimir Putin to Mohamed ElBaradei, the controversial head of the International Atomic Energy Agency come out looking like winners. America's reputation in the world is the biggest loser. 24 Jan 2008 12:56:18 GMT http://www.newsweek.com/id/73761 Michael Hirsh 478BB540-B47F-4BF5-86EF-A8FD1C8A530F Newsweek Iran says that a newly published US intelligence report proves that its intentions for its nuclear programme are benign. So does Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the United Nations watchdog, who has greeted the report as if it confirms what he has always maintained that a resolution of the row with Iran is within reach. However, the offers no reassurance; on the contrary, it supports fears that Iran could soon have nuclear weapons. It argues that Iran has been deterred from pursuing them mainly by the fear of US military action, a fear that has now faded. That may seem like support for the case for tough action against Iran, and yesterday Downing Street and President Bush were keen to emphasise the seriousness of the threat. But it seems that the report's conclusions will be even more easily appropriated by the doves, partly because ElBaradei has thrown his weight behind that interpretation. 24 Jan 2008 12:55:20 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/bronwen_maddox/article3001210.ece Bronwen Maddox B389FF16-5006-442E-9C3E-0D40913BB8F3 The Times A report by US intelligence agencies has contradicted Washington's claims that Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, concluding instead that such work stopped four years ago. Reaction to the surprise findings has been varied: 24 Jan 2008 12:54:21 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2221754,00.html 4693DB63-7353-4F2A-8349-C08865F56C78 The Guardian A new U.S. intelligence report concludes that Iran's nuclear weapons development program has been halted since the fall of 2003 because of international pressure - a stark contrast to the conclusions U.S. spy agencies drew just two years ago. The finding is part of a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran that also cautions that Tehran continues to enrich uranium and still could develop a bomb between 2010 and 2015 if it decided to do so. The conclusion that Iran's weapons program was still frozen, through at least mid-2007, represents a sharp turnaround from the previous intelligence assessment in 2005. Then, U.S. intelligence agencies believed Tehran was determined to develop a nuclear weapons capability and was continuing its weapons development program. The new report concludes that Iran's decisions are rational and pragmatic, and that Tehran is more susceptible to diplomatic and financial pressure than previously thought. 24 Jan 2008 12:53:17 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7124869,00.html Pamela Hess 3FD85A9C-6CD5-49C7-BE2E-6BD97193337A The Guardian/AP In 2001, 83% of the Pakistanis supported the Taliban[i]. Six years later, in a 2007 World Public Opinion poll[ii], 84% of the Pakistanis thought attacks on civilians for the purpose of reaching a political goal was justified. Given that there are radicals who support terrorism with the possibility of gaining access to nuclear bombs in a country that is currently under emergency rule, common sense demands that world leaders turn their attention to Pakistan. Yet, inexplicably, the United States continues to hand out aid to its 'ally' Pakistan while quietly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island of Diego Garcia in preparation for a military assault against Iran[iii]. What motivates the United States to take such paradoxical action? America and Israel have accused Iran of intending to diversify its program - they allege that Iran is using its civilian program as a cover to build nuclear bombs. This supposition begs the question why Iran would place itself in the spotlight instead of renouncing the energy program for history has shown that having an operating nuclear power reactor is no longer a prerequisite or even a necessary condition of obtaining fissile material which can be used for the development of nuclear materials. South Africa was able to develop five nuclear bombs without having a nuclear energy program. North Korea was able to acquire enriched uranium with mundane centrifuges and other technologies to constitute the critical mass needed for a low-yield "dirty" bomb (Meshkati[iv]). 24 Jan 2008 12:52:18 GMT http://www.payvand.com/news/07/dec/1000.html Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich 216C6571-43D5-4012-A5CB-B337B7AD312D Payvand's Iran News Noam Chomsky interviewed by Paul Jay 24 Jan 2008 12:50:13 GMT http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/20071119.htm Paul Jay C770086E-41FD-4D6C-820E-2A69A6230FE6 The Real News Network UK Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Kim Howells says the US is reluctant to invade Iran, despite its rhetoric, PressTV reported. The Pontypridd MP warned that the ongoing standoff between Iran and the West would have dire consequences for the international community. He added that another US-led military attack would spark opposition in the British Parliament. It's not fashionable to say it, but I didn't meet anybody in the States who wants to invade Iran. The US was heavily involved in Iraq and Afghanistan and could do without a further war in Iran,? the British official said in a meeting with members of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. We certainly never threatened Iran with military action and we have no intention of doing so," he said. "I can't speak for other countries in the world, but no one has said they think it would be a good idea to take military action in Iran, and quite frankly I don't think there is any requirement for it,? Howells concluded 24 Jan 2008 12:48:31 GMT http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=55952&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs 49CBFDD5-EB59-4E2E-B771-AF3402752E16 IranMania Iran has welcomed a major US intelligence report that suggests its government is not currently trying to develop nuclear weapons. The latest National Intelligence Estimate says it is now believed Iran stopped its weapons programme in 2003. Tehran has always maintained its nuclear programme is being developed purely for peaceful purposes. But the US and other Western powers say Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapons capability. 24 Jan 2008 12:47:41 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7126422.stm 9727A7C5-E866-4009-BEC5-F839B7EABDBB BBC Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003 and has not restarted it since, a stunning new assessment released yesterday by intelligence agencies in the United States has found. The findings contradict an assessment by US intelligence officials two years ago that Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons and appear to undercut President Bush's repeated warnings about Iran becoming a nuclear power. As recently as August Mr Bush warned that Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology could lead to a holocaust and that the US will confront this danger before it is too late. In October he said that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to a third world war. Last night, however, Mr Bush's closest aides claimed that the finding was vindication for the White House's muscular but diplomatic approach. Stephen Hadley, Mr Bush's National Security Advisor, said that the White House was only told last week about the new assessment of Iran's nuclear programme. 24 Jan 2008 12:43:55 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2995111.ece?EMC-Bltn=KJVHI4 Tim Reid DFE9E6A4-EDA3-4CD0-AE9E-A73BF437FA07 The Times The European Union said it was disappointed after talks with Iran on Friday seen as a last chance to avert U.S. pressure for tougher international sanctions over Tehran's disputed atomic program. The absence of a breakthrough at the London talks means six world powers meeting in Paris on Saturday will try to agree new penalties to propose to the United Nations, despite differences in their approach to halting Iran's nuclear program. "I have to admit that after five hours of meetings I expected more. I am disappointed," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters, adding he would talk to Iran's negotiator Saeed Jalili again before the end of December. 24 Jan 2008 12:42:14 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL3037761520071130?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Parisa Hafezi and Adrian Croft 0E97D637-4EED-45DE-8803-FA3D78E3CCD4 Reuters Iran has agreed to hold a new round of talks soon with the United States on how to improve security in Iraq, Iran's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Ambassadors of the two old enemies, deeply at odds over who is to blame for the violence in Iraq as well as over Tehran's disputed nuclear ambitions, have held three meetings in Baghdad since May on Iraq, but the last one was three months ago. Washington accuses Iran of arming, funding and training Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Tehran blames the sectarian violence, which has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis, on the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. 24 Jan 2008 12:41:09 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSDAH82773820071120?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews Zahra Hosseinian F6A68479-28CA-4C99-A423-55ED04128592 Reuters Interrogator says US military seeks evidence incriminating Tehran US military officials are putting huge pressure on interrogators who question Iraqi insurgents to find incriminating evidence pointing to Iran, it was claimed last night. Micah Brose, a privately contracted interrogator working for American forces in Iraq, near the Iranian border, told The Observer that information on Iran is 'gold'. The claim comes after Washington imposed sanctions on Iran last month, citing both its nuclear ambitions and its Revolutionary Guards' alleged support of Shia insurgents in Iraq. Last week the US military freed nine Iranians held in Iraq, including two it had accused of links to the Revolutionary Guards' Qods Force. 24 Jan 2008 12:39:12 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2209036,00.html David Smith E6D4F3CC-B10A-4480-9FD8-559B71429B34 The Observer Three people explaining why it's essential we start a war with Iran 24 Jan 2008 12:08:45 GMT http://observer.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,2200790,00.html Armando Iannucci DD3AAEB0-0155-45C0-A3A9-AC600C165A96 The Observer Russia's nuclear chief on Friday said only full nuclear powers should create centers for enriching uranium, in a swipe at a Saudi proposal for Arab states to help supply Iran with enriched uranium. U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states are ready to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran in a bid to defuse Tehran's stand-off with the West over its nuclear plan, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told a magazine this week. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries -- Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates -- have proposed creating a Middle East consortium for users of enriched uranium, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED). 24 Jan 2008 12:06:47 GMT http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSL0214924020071102?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews 5FCB674D-0D8F-4803-8E02-F8A5090A3A29 Reuters A polished silver Spitfire on the desk of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa recalls two centuries of close and cordial ties between Britain and Bahrain. But even its most powerful friends cannot guarantee the security of this strategic island caught in the Gulf between worsening Iranian threats and deadly serious talk of a US military strike. It is not a position from which to mince words. In an interview with The Times the Crown Prince has become the first Arab leader to jettison the language of diplomacy and directly accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons. While they don't have the bomb yet, they are developing it, or the capability for it, he said the first time one of Iran's Gulf neighbours effectively has accused it of lying about its nuclear programme. 24 Jan 2008 12:03:02 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article2789056.ece?EMC-Bltn Giles Whittell C9C9675D-341D-476A-BA76-45D8590DB656 The Times Iran treats its Arab minority as second-class citizens. Now it is planning to hang six of them after rigged trials held in secret. President Bush justifies his imposition of sanctions against Iran on the grounds that Tehran supports the insurgency in Iraq and is seeking nuclear weapons. Not a word from Washington about the way the Iranian regime is abusing the human rights of its own people. Bush doesn't care about their fate. In this sense, he mirrors the Iranian state. The charge sheet against Tehran includes the probably true allegation that it is supplying Iraqi insurgents with weapons that are being used to kill US soldiers. But it doesn't include any mention of Tehran's murder of its own citizens. Surprise. Surprise. US policy on Iran is dictated primarily by selfish geo-political interests. Concern about terrorism and nuclear weapons is, in part, a populist cover. It disguises a secret neo-imperial agenda. Washington's real goal is to extend its sphere of influence, remove a non-compliant regime and guarantee its access to already diminishing global oil supplies (of which Iran holds about 10% of the world's known reserves). 24 Jan 2008 12:01:37 GMT http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2007/10/irans_antiarab_racism.html Peter Tatchell 475595B0-9C76-4416-ACDB-A56D668ED4DE The Guardian High-ranking military experts say an attack would lead to world economic chaos, or even what Bush calls 'World War III.' US Vice President Dick Cheney the power behind the throne, the eminence grise, the man with the (very) occasional grandfatherly smile is notorious for his propensity for secretiveness and behind-the-scenes manipulation. He's capable of anything, say friends as well as enemies. Given this reputation, it's no big surprise that Cheney has already asked for a backroom analysis of how a war with Iran might begin. In the scenario concocted by Cheney's strategists, Washington's first step would be to convince Israel to fire missiles at Iran's uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Tehran would retaliate with its own strike, providing the US with an excuse to attack military targets and nuclear facilities in Iran. 24 Jan 2008 11:58:17 GMT http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/white-house-leak-cheneys-plan-for-iran-attack/1584/ Gregor Peter Schmitz and Cordula Meyer 91B1DCCE-74EE-4F02-B360-B83969B6C0CA Der Spiegel/RNIF Signs of a split over nuclear policy at the heart of Iran's leadership emerged yesterday after MPs and an adviser to the country's most powerful political figure criticised the departure of its chief negotiator, Ali Larijani. Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, praised Mr Larijani and said his resignation should not have happened. His comments coincided with a letter of support for Mr Larijani signed by 200 MPs in Iran's parliament. The parliament's foreign and national security committee wrote to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, complaining that Mr Larijani's departure "put the country in danger". 24 Jan 2008 11:57:20 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2197748,00.html Robert Tait 00C321E9-0940-47F6-AC0F-828DAEB9F11A The Guardian The Middle East peace conference proposed by the Bush administration is clearly a smokescreen, aimed at concealing the true intentions of US foreign policy in the region. In the predictable process of rewarding 'moderate' allies and chastising 'extremist' foes, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will most likely receive the accolades befitting a peacemaker, while his protagonists in Hamas are reprimanded, demonised and further isolated. But the ultimate goal of this charade is not even so much to isolate Hamas, but rather to set in motion events that will further isolate Iran and Syria. The significance of the anti-Iran campaign already underway in the US should not be missed in light of the conference next month. The media circus demonising Iran was unleashed a few years ago, when leading neoconservatives, notwithstanding Richard Perle himself, went on accusing President Bush, some of his advisors and military generals of being 'stupid' for failing to recognise the threat posed by Iran. However, more recently, and most notably after the failure of the Israeli military adventure in South Lebanon in the summer of 2006, the war drums sounded by the media began to take on a new and deafening volume, reminiscent of that which preceded the US war on Iraq in March 2003. Those who appreciate the symbiotic relationship between the media and the state in the US can understand well that such a campaign is anything but genuine intellectual concern over the state of human rights in Iran, or the outcome of a sudden realisation that Iran is impairing US war efforts in Iraq. Considering the level of determination in Washington and Tel Aviv to confront Iran militarily and the media's decided role in gathering the public support for such a prospect, it is difficult to imagine a peaceful way out of the crisis. 23 Jan 2008 14:56:47 GMT http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/opinion/2007/October/opinion_October82.xml&section=opinion&col= Ramzt Baroud 28AF337E-4251-4F44-8B16-8F3DEF097D38 Khaleej Times The prospect of Turkish tanks rolling into northern Iraq - current oil exports: virtually zero - was enough to send crude prices soaring. So what would happen if bombs started dropping on Iran, the world's fourth-largest exporter? The debate in Washington remains unresolved but the US has clearly made preparations for a potential strike on Iran's nuclear programme. A wider attack on its oil facilities is highly unlikely, as is an Iranian response of cutting off supplies. Even if this occurred, Iran's net exports of 2.5 million barrels a day could, in theory, be covered by spare capacity in Saudi Arabia and the world's four billion barrels of commercial and strategic stocks. More important would be Iran's military response - most likely, asymmetric retaliation against US interests. The possibilities, which include attacks on Saudi facilities handling one in 10 of the world's barrels, may read like the jottings of the "techno-thriller" writer Tom Clancy. But the vulnerability of the region's oil network is real enough. The mere threat of such attacks would push oil beyond $100 a barrel. What then? Big economies have so far proved resilient to high oil prices. Yet falling oil demand in the US and efforts to run cars on hooch and chip-fat show high prices are biting. Three-digit oil prices would accelerate this trend, particularly if they sparked a US recession. Economic expansion across the Middle East - an important region in terms of incremental oil demand growth, not just supply - would reverse. A short-term spike, therefore, could well be quickly followed by a sharp drop - as happened with oil after the 1991 Gulf war and with gas after 2005's hurricanes. 23 Jan 2008 14:42:50 GMT http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/10/24/10162276.html 1D30200F-43F2-4371-A022-D533C67682D9 Gulf News/FT President Bush has said that a US-led missile defence system in Europe is urgently needed to counter the emerging threat of attack by Iran. He said intelligence estimates showed Iran could have the capability to strike the United States and many European allies by 2015. "If (Iran) chooses to do so, and the international community does not take steps to prevent it, it is possible Iran could have this capability," he said. "And we need to take it seriously now." 23 Jan 2008 14:41:45 GMT http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/bush+warns+of+iran+attack+threat/952257 89874C19-160C-481A-9E76-E33E746CC009 C4 News The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclearstrike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia. 23 Jan 2008 14:39:52 GMT http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ26Ak06.html Pepe Escobar 00D5602A-883E-4B3A-8A6F-11851A4620C8 Asia Times Statement by Secretary Paulson on Iran Designations Washington, DC-- U.S. Treasury released the following statement by Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. on Iran designations announced today: "Iran exploits its global financial ties to pursue nuclear capabilities, develop ballistic missiles and fund terrorism. Today, we are taking additional steps to combat Iran's dangerous conduct and to engage financial institutions worldwide to make the most informed decisions about those with whom they choose to do business. "The Iranian regime's ability to pursue nuclear and ballistic missile programs in defiance of UN Security Council Resolutions depends on its access to the international commercial and financial systems. Iran also funnels hundreds of millions of dollars each year through the international financial system to terrorists. Iran's banks aid this conduct, using a range of deceptive financial practices intended to evade even the most stringent risk-management controls. In dealing with Iran, it is nearly impossible to know one's customer and be assured that one is not unwittingly facilitating the regime's reckless conduct. The recent warning by the Financial Action Task Force, the world's premier standard-setting body for countering terrorist financing and money laundering, confirms the extraordinary risks that accompany doing business with Iran. 23 Jan 2008 14:38:32 GMT http://www.payvand.com/news/07/oct/1249.html 4F3F325E-9F33-4A43-B01A-6911335009E0 Payvand's Iran News The United States today imposed its harshest programme of sanctions on Iran since the Islamic Republic's 1979 revolution. Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, announced that 22 Iranian Government agencies and three state-owned banks were being blacklisted, in an attempt to punish Iran for refusing to stop enriching uranium. In particular, the sanctions target Iran's elite Quds Force, a military unit which the US says helps to train worldwide Islamist militant groups, as well as its Revolutionary Guards. Announcing the measures, Ms Rice told journalists: "These actions will help to protect the international financial system from the illicit activities of the Iranian government. 23 Jan 2008 14:37:06 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article2739711.ece David Byers 8FE41B7B-CADB-44A7-8A9E-2EFE246F8612 The Times Iran would need another three to eight years to make a nuclear bomb, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in an interview published on Monday, warning against any rush to use force to curb its nuclear ambitions. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told France's Le Monde newspaper there was plenty of time for diplomacy, sanctions, dialogue and incentives to bear fruit. Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday the world would not stand by and let Iran develop a nuclear weapon, and Washington has not ruled out an attack. Iran says its nuclear plans are peaceful and denies it wants to make an atomic bomb. 23 Jan 2008 14:35:33 GMT http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0710/S00376.htm 56382303-C6BA-49AE-9AD4-AF7866AFCD7F Scoop US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would set off a regional arms race and raise the risk of a major Mideast war "with who knows what consequences." Gates' remarks at a Pentagon news conference came in response to questions about a warning by President George W. Bush on Wednesday that Iran must be prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons to avoid a "World War III." "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons it seems very probable that there will be other states in the region that will decide for their own protection they will have to obtain nuclear weapons as well," Gates said. "So you would very likely have a nuclear arms race in the Middle East." 23 Jan 2008 14:33:33 GMT http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nuclear_armed_Iran_raises_risk_of_major_Mideast_war_Gates_999.html CF3CA011-D5F9-40FF-9E4E-686EC0DAFFB5 SpaceWar Vice President Dick Cheney said Iran faces ``serious consequences'' if it continues to pursue development of nuclear weapons. ``The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences,'' Cheney said in a speech before the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Lansdowne, Virginia. ``We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.'' He also accused Iran of being a ``subversive'' force in Iraq and working to ``destabilize'' the Middle East. 23 Jan 2008 14:32:09 GMT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aOBorZpm1oY4&refer=worldwide Nicholas Johnston 968743B5-ECB4-4D72-B702-28DF1BF50664 Bloomberg Iran's top nuclear negotiator resigned Saturday in a move seen as a victory for the hardline president that could push the country into an even more defiant position in its standoff with the West. Ali Larijani was viewed as more moderate than President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and the two often clashed over how to negotiate with the world on the nuclear issue. His resignation and replacement by the little known deputy foreign minister for European and American affairs, Saeed Jalili, puts the nuclear portfolio firmly in the president's hands just days before a key meeting with European negotiators. It was not clear whether Larijani left his post under pressure, but his departure was interpreted by many here as giving Ahmadinejad a free hand in dictating his views to the less experienced Jalili. 23 Jan 2008 14:30:13 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7011631,00.html Ali Akbar Dareini 2DF02AE5-E3FC-4C5D-ACEE-81B672E48E50 The Guardian/AP UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair has accused Iran of backing terrorism and warned the world faces a situation akin to "rising fascism in the 1920s". Mr Blair told a charity event in New York that Iran was prepared to destabilise peaceful countries. In his first major speech since leaving office, Mr Blair again defended the decision to go to war in Iraq. He urged continued vigilance by the United States, Britain and their allies in combating the threat of extremism. Mr Blair - now an envoy for the Middle East Quartet - warned against being "forced into retreat" as the world faced a situation similar to "rising fascism in the 1920s". 23 Jan 2008 14:25:46 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7052080.stm 9B6BE641-2443-49D2-9B42-0B6A383BF167 BBC Two former high-ranking policy experts from the Bush administration say the U.S. has been gearing up for a war with Iran for years, despite claiming otherwise. It'll be Iraq all over again. In the years after 9/11, Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann worked at the highest levels of the Bush administration as Middle East policy experts for the National Security Council. Mann conducted secret negotiations with Iran. Leverett traveled with Colin Powell and advised Condoleezza Rice. They each played crucial roles in formulating policy for the region leading up to the war in Iraq. But when they left the White House, they left with a growing sense of alarm -- not only was the Bush administration headed straight for war with Iran, it had been set on this course for years. That was what people didn't realize. It was just like Iraq, when the White House was so eager for war it couldn't wait for the UN inspectors to leave. The steps have been many and steady and all in the same direction. And now things are getting much worse. We are getting closer and closer to the tripline, they say. "The hard-liners are upping the pressure on the State Department," says Leverett. "They're basically saying, 'You've been trying to engage Iran for more than a year now and what do you have to show for it? They keep building more centrifuges, they're sending this IED stuff over into Iraq that's killing American soldiers, the human-rights internal political situation has gotten more repressive -- what the hell do you have to show for this engagement strategy?'" 23 Jan 2008 14:26:36 GMT http://www.esquire.com/features/iranbriefing1107 John H. Richardson 2C35D24D-1C68-4EB2-9448-60CB7C18832B Esquire Vladimir Putin yesterday brushed off efforts by Nicolas Sarkozy to persuade Russia to be more co-operative in its dealings with the world. He notably stuck to his refusal to put more pressure on Iran over its nuclear plans. President Sarkozy, on a two-day tough-love mission to Moscow, was visibly embarrassed when his Russian counterpart failed to share in his upbeat account of the rapport that the pair had struck at a private dinner at Mr Putin's home. Talking in formal, deadpan tones in the white-and-blue splendour of the Catherine Hall, in the Kremlin, President Putin said nothing to substantiate the French President's claim on Tuesday night of a Russian change of heart over Iran. “We do not have information that Iran is trying to create a nuclear weapon, Mr Putin said. We operate on the principle that Iran does not have those plans. But she shares in the concerns of our partners. 23 Jan 2008 14:23:39 GMT http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2631090.ece?EMC-Bltn Charles Bremner E424C5A1-7A59-4173-8CC6-AE7B5BE80860 The Times · Outgoing ambassador dismisses sabre-rattling · Negotiations can solve nuclear issue, he believes The outgoing British ambassador to the United States, Sir David Manning, insists the US remains committed to the diplomatic route over Iran rather than contemplating air strikes, despite recent sabre-rattling from the White House. Although Washington continues to hum with predictions of military action - one insider on Capitol Hill said there was a 50-50 chance of such a strike next year - Sir David said he had not heard anything from inside the US administration. 23 Jan 2008 13:55:34 GMT http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2180742,00.html Ewen MacAskill C6717464-C06C-4705-984D-B6F927D541B0 The Guardian When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was first elected president, he said Iran had more important issues to worry about than how women dress. He even called for allowing women into soccer games, a revolutionary idea for revolutionary Iran. Today, Iran is experiencing the most severe crackdown on social behavior and dress in years, and women are often barred from smoking in public, let alone attending a stadium event. Since his inauguration two years ago, Mr. Ahmadinejad has grabbed headlines around the world, and in Iran, for outrageous statements that often have no more likelihood of being put into practice than his plan for women to attend soccer games. He has generated controversy in New York in recent days by askin