AFP: Iran has rejected an EU call for Tehran draw up a compromise formula on uranium enrichment, saying it will not "sell out" its nuclear capabilities, a top negotiators said on Monday. "The Europeans want to get from Iran a total halt to enrichment, but in the face of our strong opposition they insisted in the negotiations that Iran propose an alternative which also covers enrichment," Sirus Nasseri told the state news agency IRNA. Iran rejects EU call for nuclear compromise
AFP: Iran has rejected an EU call for Tehran draw up a compromise formula on uranium enrichment, saying it will not "sell out" its nuclear capabilities, a top negotiators said on Monday. "The Europeans want to get from Iran a total halt to enrichment, but in the face of our strong opposition they insisted in the negotiations that Iran propose an alternative which also covers enrichment," Sirus Nasseri told the state news agency IRNA. Iran says its nuclear skills not for sale
Reuters: Iran has reiterated that it will not bow to U.S. and European demands that it abandon uranium enrichment, stressing that its nuclear capability is "not for sale". Tehran stood defiant on the nuclear issue as U.S. President George W. Bush started a European tour which will include
discussions on Iran and other foreign policy issues.
The price paid for blogging Iran
BBC: Iran is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to keep an online diary. Web logs have become a popular forum for dissent. And the Iranian government has responded by arresting dozens of bloggers. Some of those detained are reportedly being held in solitary confinement and tortured. Slovak Leader: Bush, Putin to Discuss Iran
AP: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Ukraine are likely to dominate this week's summit between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Slovakia's prime minister said. Bush arrives in Slovakia late Wednesday after visiting Belgium and Germany. He will meet with Slovak officials on Thursday before his talks with Putin - Bush's first meeting with the Russian leader since he began his second term. Governor accuses Iran of meddling in Iraq
Iran Focus: Baghdad, Feb. 21 The governor of the Iraqi province of Wasit accused Tehran of meddling in Iraqi affairs, disrupting the peace, and creating instability and havoc in his province, which shares a common border with the Islamic Republic. "The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad came to meet me and called for friendly relations. I told him, the people of Al-Kut (Wasits capital) are suffering from Iranian agents who are involved in acts of theft, narcotics distribution, smuggling, and assassination of personalities", he said, in an interview with the Baghdad journal Al-Shahid Al-Mostaqel on Friday.An EU voice of caution
International Herald Tribune: During the run-up to the U.S.-led war against Iraq in early 2003, Javier Solana retreated from public view, more content to keep a very low profile out of character with his role as Europe's top foreign policy chief than to engage in the bitter diplomatic exchanges over the pending war.
Jaafari's possible ascent as Iraqi premier cause for concern: Senator Clinton
AFP: There are grounds for concern if Iraqi interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari is picked as Iraq's new prime minister, Senator Hillary Clinton said Sunday, pointing to his ties to neighboring Iran. Clinton was interviewed from Iraq alongside Republican Senator John McCain, who said Jaafari appeared likely to become the next premier. Tehran: Guess Who's Trying to Infiltrate Iraq?
Newsweek: Fresh intel suggests that Tehran is trying toexpand its influence over whatever government emerges in postelection Iraq. According to U.S. officials familiar with the latest intelligence, the Iranian government has been secretly directing its agents inside Iraq to plant themselves in influential positions throughout the Iraqi governmentinto agencies ...
Iranian FM to visit India, gas imports seen as key topic
AFP: Iran's foreign minister is to begin a three-day visit to India Sunday for talks following New Delhi's decision to launch discussions on securing gas to fuel its energy-hungry economy.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazzi will address the India-Iran Joint Business Council Meeting Monday before holding talks with his Indian counterpart Natwar Singh, the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday.
Iran not wanting to acquiring nuclear arms, Putin says
AFP: President Vladimir Putin said Friday Russia was convinced Iran has no intention of making nuclear weapons, but warned Tehran must "strictly respect" rules to make sure it does not do so in exchange for Russian help in developing its civilian nuclear power program. "The latest steps on Iran's behalf persuade us that Iran has no intention of building an atomic weapon," Putin said as he greeted Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, at the Kremlin. Bush says Iran using U.S. refusal as excuse
Reuters: President George W. Bush said on Friday that Iran is trying to use the United States' refusal to join European talks over Tehran's nuclear program as an excuse for not giving up uranium enrichment. He stressed that the United States preferred diplomacy and did not want to use military action against Iran over the nuclear question.
Iran does not fear Security Council senior official
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 18 A senior Iranian official today shrugged off the threat of referral to the United NationsSecurity Council for its perceived nuclear weapons program, saying that Iran did not fear the implications of such an action.
Hunger strike in Iran prison enters third week
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 17 - A hunger strike by seven political prisoners in Iran's Rajaii Shahr prison near Karaj (west of Tehran) has entered its third week. The hunger strike by the prisoners started on January 25 in protest to their confinement in the "dangerous criminals" section. Reports have surfaced that the political prisoners have been faced with assault and intimidation from murderers and other dangerous criminals. The seven prisoners are Hojjat Zamani, Bina Darab-Zand, Arzhang Davoodi, Valiollah-Feyz Mahdavi, Mehrdad Lohrasbi, Dr. Farzad Hamidi, and Jaafar Iqdami. Words are weapons for Iranian bloggers
UPI: Iran is already under attack. The opposition is at work both within and beyond its borders, restless, coordinating and sharing intelligence. Its ranks number in the tens of thousands, most of whom are young and savvy with experience in clandestine activity. Their arsenal, however, includes neither guns nor grenades, but keyboards and flat-screen monitors.
Iran warns of immediate payback for any attack after blast scare
AFP: Iran warned Thursday that it would respond immediately to any military strike after a roadworks blast near a nuclear site sparked fears of an attack, the state news agency IRNA reported Thursday.
"An attack, whatever it is, against any site, whether it be nuclear or not, would produce a very rapid response," Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani said.
Nuclear fuel deal with Russia imminent, Iran says
Reuters: Russia will sign a deal with Iran next week to start nuclear fuel shipments for the Russian-built reactor there, an Iranian official said on Thursday. The United States, which accuses Iran of secretly working to develop nuclear weapons, has long called on Russia to avoid supplying the Islamic state with nuclear fuel.
Bush: U.S. to counter Iran nuke threat with "effective strategy"
Combined dispatches: Washington, Feb. 17 - United State President George W. Bush today called on Iran to adhere to its international obligations and called Iran's possession of nuclear weapons "unacceptable". At a White House press conference to introduce John Negroponte as the new national intelligence chief, Bush said Iran had kept its program secret over the past two decades until it was exposed by an Iranian group.Iran Continues Support of Terrorism, US Congress Told
Voice of America: Experts and other witnesses appearing before a congressional committee say Iran continues to support terrorist groups and is encouraging instability in Iraq. A hearing also included emotional testimony by individuals affected by Iranian-backed terrorism. From Israel and the Palestinian territories to Iraq and elsewhere, witnesses at Wednesday's hearing said Iran's ongoing sponsorship of terrorism is indisputable, and poses a direct and continuing threat to U.S. interests.After Iraq, Iran the new threat as Bush heads to Europe
AFP: When US President George W. Bush comes to town next week, Washington's European allies will be hoping to extinguish the heat of transatlantic rancour over Iraq. But just as one issue gets switched to the backburner for Bush's participation next Tuesday in EU and NATO summits, another in the form of Iran's nuclear ambitions threatens a fresh flare-up.
Iran and Syria confront US with defence pact
The Guardian: Iran and Syria heightened tension across the Middle East and directly confronted the Bush administration yesterday by declaring they had formed a mutual self-defence pact to confront the "threats" now facing them. The move, which took the Foreign Office by surprise, was announced after a meeting in Tehran between the Iranian vice-president, ...Iran blast panics financial markets
The Independent: An explosion which turned out to be a dam blast in southern Iran sent jitters through financial markets amid speculation that the country's only nuclear reactor had come under attack. The incident came as Iran and Syria announced yesterday that they would "form a common front" against external threats, and a day after the Islamic state confirmed that unmanned American spy planes were flying surveillance missions over nuclear facilities.Lawmakers Urge Strong US Position On Iran
Voice Of America: Iran's leadership has been sharply criticized in congressional hearings on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers assess what steps the United States, Europe and others can take to avert a nuclear-armed Iran. The criticism, and testimony by experts, came amid Iranian warnings regarding what it calls U.S. aerial intelligence-gathering efforts, as well as European calls for stepped up diplomatic efforts.
Iran: Explosion in Tehran Bazaar
Iran Focus: Tehran, Feb. 17 A fire set ablaze stalls in the Goldsmiths Bazaar in Tehran this morning after a spontaneous gas explosion. Eye-witnesses reported that a gas capsule exploded in one of the side roads of the bazaar.
Iran seeks long range missiles and remains 'terrorism' backer: CIA chief
AFP: Iran is stepping up efforts to build long range missiles and remains a "state sponsor" of terrorism, Central Intelligence Agency director Porter Goss told Congress on Wednesday.
"Iran continues its pursuit of long-range ballistic missiles," Goss said in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on the main security threats to the United States.
