Free Republic

Why Iran's Changed Forever Reuel Marc Gerecht: Whatever Happens In Tehran, There's No Going Back To Khomeini's Islamic Republic. Who's Who Iran's Election: Key Players A look at the most important figures in Iran's contested presidential election. Stories Candidate Withdraws Iran Fraud Complaint Intensified Crackdown Mutes Iran Protests (Weekly Standard) Reuel Marc Gerecht, a Weekly Standard contributing editor, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The modern Middle East has had numerous "game-changing" moments, when history turned. Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Egypt in 1798, Muhammad Ali's conquest of the Nile Valley in 1805, and the...

Just saw it on Fox News in a discussion about the role of camera pens in the Iran protests.

The Presidency of the Council of the EU closely followed the course of the Presidential elections held on 12 June 2009 and notices Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected for the second term as the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Presidency is concerned about alledged irregularities during the election process and post-electional violence that broke out immediately after the release of the official election results on 13 June 2009. The Presidency hopes that outcome of the Presidential elections will bring the opportunity to resume the dialogue on nuclear issue and clear up Iranian possition in this regard. The...

MPG PRESS RELEASE: MPG ACTIVIST AND IRANIAN JOURNALIST ALI VAHID FLEES POLITICAL PERSECUTION AFTER EXECUTION OF YET ANOTHER MPG MEMBER IN IRAN The Marze Por Gohar Party is pleased to announce that our member Ali Vahid has successfully managed to flee the political persecution that he was suffering in the Islamic Republic of Iran due to the severe threats posed to his life. Mr. Vahid was the Editor in Chief for various publications in Iran, with Nedaye Ghumes being the more prominent publication he managed. Starting six months ago, Mr. Vahid, who had been a subject of political persecution, censorship...

FrontPage Interview’s guest today is Hadi T. Ardestani, a Nuclear Waste Management Expert and a Marz-e Por Gohar Nuclear Issues Specialist. He is also a Marz-e Por Gohar Nuclear Committee Chairman and an M.S. Environmental Sciences and Management, Nuclear Waste Management Specialist. FP: Hadi T. Ardestani, welcome to Frontpage Interview. Ardestani: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear activities as a nuclear specialist in Marz-e Por Gohar and as the chairman for MPG's nuclear committee. FP: I would like to focus with you today on Iran and what we would call...

UN human rights : Iran set to execute 7 Arabs Thursday, January 11, 2007 - ©2005 IranMania.com LONDON, January 11 (IranMania) - Three UN human rights investigators accused Iran of planning the imminent execution of seven Arabs sentenced to death after a trial held in secret, The Associated Press reported. In a joint statement released in Geneva, the investigators said family members of the seven Ahvazi Arabs were informed earlier this week that the executions would happen "in the next few days." The UN-appointed experts said the prisoners were part of a larger group of Arabs arrested in June 2006...

Top News Story Western military buildup underway in the Middle East. Global Research published a major report on the military build-up of conventional, ground, air, naval, and nuclear forces in and around the Middle East and Central Asia. The probability of another war in the Middle East is high. Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post reported that the clouds of the coming war are converging upon Israel. But our political and military leaders refuse to look up at the darkening sky.   US confident Russia and China will join in sanctions on Iran. The Washington Times reported that the United...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad to shake up his cabinet. Iran Press News reported that a source close to Ahmadinejad's cabinet said that in the coming days vast changes will be taking place within the administration. The first to leave will be the oil minister; Vaziri Hamaneh is expected to be dismissed from the cabinet.   Ahmadinejad fails to deliver his economic miracle. Inter Press Service reported that Iranian citizens are wondering if Ahmadinejad will ever make good on an election promise to crack down on the corrupt and distribute Iran's vast oil revenues more equitably.BBC News reported that Iran's...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad plans huge increase in uranium enrichment. ABC News reported that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they want to install up to 100,000 centrifuges to process uranium gas for enrichment in order to produce nuclear fuel. Bush pleased with the Iran Freedom and Support Act The White House, Office of the Press Secretary reported that President Bush said "I applaud Congress for demonstrating its bipartisan commitment to confronting the Iranian regime's repressive and destabilizing activities by passing the Iran Freedom Support Act." Here are a few other news items you may have missed. The International Herald Tribune reported...

Top News Story Bush signs Iran Freedom and Support Act! The Washington Post reported that President Bush on Saturday signed legislation that would impose mandatory sanctions on entities that provide goods or services for Iran's weapons programs.The Associated Press reported that the US Senate finally passed the Iran Freedom and Support Act.The Library of Congress published the full text of the Iran Freedom and Support Act.   But does Condi support a change of regime in Iran? The Wall Street Journal reexamined their recent interview with Condi Rice in which he concludes: Her primary method for dealing with the...

Top News Story Photo evidence of the Islamic Republic's coordinating Iraq's insurgency. Roads to Iraq and Iraqi blog reported that after a fierce battle in “Khan Bani Sa’ad� Diyala governorate north of Baghdad with “Mahdi Army�, Iraqi resistance succeeded to capture one of the “Mahdi Army�. They found a complete modern communications system manufacturing in the Ministry of Defense of Iran believed to be used as a direct contact with the Iranians. Photos.CNN News reported that a Shiite Muslim militia involved in the warfare between Sunni and Shiites in Iraq has received "millions of dollars" and an assortment of...

Top News Story Iran wins another round in the nuclear crisis with the West. ISN Security Watch reported that while a temporary suspension of uranium enrichment would boost diplomatic efforts with Iran, the UN and EU seem to have thrown in the towel, offering talks without suspension and betraying their weak position.Reuters reported that president of the Islamic Republic, Ahmadinejad, said on that Tehran would not suspend nuclear enrichment despite pressure from the West. He said: "Today, Western countries want us to suspend our nuclear technology, but we say to them that we will never give it up."Bill Gertz,...

Top News Story Pentagon report critical of US broadcasts into Iran.   Mercury News reported that a Pentagon unit has drafted a report charging that U.S. international broadcasts into Iran aren't tough enough on the Islamic regime.   The US military on the Islamic Republic's military.   Middle East Newsline reported that the US military officials have assessed that Iran's military was the second most powerful in the Middle East.   Russia finally sets a startup date for Iran's nuclear power plant.   Bloomberg reported that Iran's first nuclear power plant, a Russian-built project, will begin operating by September...

Top News Story "Islam is not compatible with democracy.� - The next Supreme Leader? The New York Times reported concern that Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, is trying to expand his already growing power by packing the "assembly of experts" (which has the power to elect the Supreme Leader) with his loyalists. He said: “Democracy means if the people want something that is against God’s will, then they should forget about God and religion.�   BBC radio's pro-Islamic Republic campaign of misinformation. Ardeshir Dolat reported that the BBC radio 4 in Britain has started a campaign of misinformation on Iran. Its...

Top News Story Is Iran about to launch a war in northern Iraq? DEBKAfile reported that a new Middle East war is in the offing with Turkish and Iranian air units are poised for an imminent coordinated invasion of the northern Iraqi Kurdistan. The report claimed Iranian and Turkish assault troops are already deployed 7-8 km deep inside Iraqi territory.   The EU/Iran have weeks to agree on an agenda for more talks. Reuters reported that France said that EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran had weeks rather than months to agree an agenda for talks about...

Top News Story EU3 cave into Iran. Reuters reported that France, Britain and Germany would be willing to begin talks with Iran even if it has not suspended its nuclear enrichment program first, but Washington would not take part.   Islamic Republic tries to crush new Azeri dissent. Regnum reported the arrest of five Azeri after troops were deployed by the authorities in order to prevent massive rallies by Azeri’s against opening new schools in Farsi.   Pakistan surrenders region to Taliban and Al Qaeda? Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Bill Roggio, The Weekly Standard reported that the government of Pakistan...

Top News Story Iranmania LONDON, September 23 (IranMania) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said rabbis are criticising the 'Zionist' regime more than the Islamic Republic of Iran, IRNA reported. Speaking to reporters after his 10-day visit to Senegal, Cuba, Venezuela and the UN General Assembly in New York, the president said he held a lengthy meeting with Jewish clerics in the US. "They expressed their concerns to us over the behaviour of the Zionists," he added. The president also said that during the visit, he explained Iran's principled stand on a host of issues during meetings with various groups...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad crushes CFR hopes for a "grand bargain." The New York Times reported that Ahmadinejad met with two dozen members of the Council on Foreign Relations, then ending the evening by asking whether they were simply shills for the Bush administration.Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that while the CFR has consistently promoted a "grand bargain" with the regime in Tehran and ex-CFR staffer Susan Maloney at the State Department has vetoed funding of the Iranian opposition radio and TV broadcasts, and training for opposition groups inside Iran, on the grounds that it might offend the Tehran...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad tells big lies but is largely unchallenged by the media. MSNBC and NBC News published an interview with Ahmadinejad in which he claimed that while the US “... speak of war so easily, as if it’s on their daily agenda. We never speak of war.�Los Angeles Times reported that Iran's president told the United Nations that the organization had become a tool used by the world's powerful to oppress the weak, and call.   Chavez calls Bush "the devil." Drudge Report published the full text of Venezuelan President Chavez remarks at the UN General Assembly....

Top News Story Ahmadinejad attempts to rally the world against the US. Vital Perspective published the full translated text of Ahmadinejad's UN speech. A few excerpts... On the nuclear issue: "All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors." On the US and Britain: "They consider themselves the masters and rulers of the entire world." On human rights: "Should respect for the rights of human beings become the predominant objective, then injustice, ill temperament, aggression and war will fade away." He ended with: "Oh, Almighty God... upon humanity that thirsts for justice, the...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad invited to speak to the CFR in NYC. One Jerusalem has confirmed that the President of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Left-leaning establishment organization in New York, is inviting major civic, business, and political leaders to meet Iran's tyrannical President Ahmadinejad this week, when he is in New York. They asked for your help.Eli Lake, New York Sun reported that Jewish leaders in New York are spurning a request from the Council on Foreign Relations to meet with the president of Iran when he arrives for the U.N. General Assembly.Ken Timmerman, Iran.org reported a...

Top News Story The Islamic Republic's media campaign in the US. Daniel M. Zucker, Global Politician reported on the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (VEVAK) sophisticated campaign of disinformation, learned from the Soviet KGB, and its work in the United States. A must read.   UNSC to act this week on Iran? CNN News reported that Condoleezza Rice said the United States expects to "make some movement forward" on a sanctions resolution when U.N. diplomats convene in New York next week.The New York Times reported that after intense talks about Iran's nuclear program, the United States and...

Top News Story A mini cold war is starting in the Middle East. Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat argued that a mini cold war in the Middle East is likely to begin with a Western push for regime change in Syria.   Bush won't meet Ahmadinejad at the UN. He has other plans. Iran Focus reported that United States President George W. Bush ruled out meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where world leaders will gather next week.   Another meaningless meeting of the major powers and...

Top News Story Pakistan releases 2500 Al Qaeda and Taliban. The Telegrah reported that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government had authorized the release from jail of 2,500 Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters caught fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.   Krauthammer: Bush preparing for war with Iran. Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post reported that President Bush said "It's very important for the American people to see the president try to solve problems diplomatically before resorting to military force." "Before" implies that the one follows the other. The signal is unmistakable.The Washington Post asked President Bush what he would say to...

Top News Story Xinhua TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran denounced Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday for his recent comments on Islam and requested a apology, the official IRNA news agency reported The pope's remarks were "contradictory to his status as the leader of one of the world's divine faiths," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying. The remarks made by the pope, "emanate from political interpretations and are contrary to the divine notions, we consider it's a big mistake... and we condemn them," he added "In order to prevent the indignation of the Muslim's world,...

Top News Story The lies Khatami spoke in the US. Amir Taheri, New York Post reported that in his recent speeches in the US, Khatami used a vocabulary carefully designed to hoodwink the Americans. The trick was reinforced by the fact that he often said one thing in Persian, while the interpreter said something else in English for the benefit of the Harvard audience. A must read.   The West is still divided on what to do next with Iran. New Press reported that key European nations called on Iran to negotiate its nuclear dispute with the international community,...

Top News Story Sharansky: A troubling story from Putin. Natan Sharansky, Los Angeles Times reported that in 2000, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin told me a story that he has been unable to get out of his mind. The story involves a nephew, a suitcase, a train to Manhattan and a nuclear bomb.   France's Sarkozy: Iran is an outlaw nation. NDTV reported that French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said that Iran had "made itself into an outlaw nation" and must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.   Did Bush promise a pre-emptive attack on Iran? Mario Loyola,...

Top News Story Khatami questioned at Harvard and slips. Russell Berman, Telos reported on a Khatami's response at Harvard to a question from an Iranian in the audience who questioned him about the case of the suppression of free speech: the arrest, rape and murder of Canadian-Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi. Khatami's answer was very revealing.Yahoo News reported Khatami was met by protesters when he arrived at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Many angrily called on him to stand up for human rights where Harvard College Democrats teamed with their Republican peers for the protest.   Blair warns the West...

Top News Story Islamic Republic's sub missile launch a fake. Los Angeles Times reported that U.S. military intelligence has determined that a video released by the Iranian government purporting to show a test of a new submarine missile is bogus. it matched a video of an earlier Chinese test. "It's the identical launch," a Pentagon official said. "The plume, everything, is the same."   Ahmadinejad visits Venezuela and Cuba. IranMania reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to hold talks next week in Venezuela to meet with Chavez who recently told cheering students that "we should unite and save...

Top News Story Khatami served with a court summons at CAIR reception. PRNewswire reported that seven Jewish-Iranian families have filed suit in an American federal court against former President Mohammad Khatami over charges that he is responsible for the kidnapping and torture of their missing family members. The summons was served on Khatami at a reception hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.   Bush personally signed off on Khatami's visit. Paul Gigot, The Wall Street Journal interviewed President Bush on Iran who said he personally signed off on the U.S. visit this week by former Iranian President Mohammad...

Top News Story Harvard Crimson Student protestors seeking amends for human rights abuses in Iran will greet former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami when he makes a highly scrutinized appearance at the Kennedy School of Government on Sunday. Khatami, an Islamic cleric who led Iran from 1997 to 2005, is set to speak at 4 p.m. tomorrow on the “Ethics of Tolerance in the Age of Violence” at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum. The Iran Freedom Concert Coalition, a student group that staged concerts to support Iranian dissidents last spring, is organizing the protest, which takes place when many...

Top News Story The under-reported Iranian opposition press conference in Washington DC on Khatami's visit. Kenneth R. Timmerman, NewsMax.com reported on the press conference of former Iranian political prisoners and their relatives gave grisly testimony of torture under the regime of former president Mohammad Khatami, who is currently visiting the United States.Senator Sam Brownback, who attended the press conference, introduced the Iran Human Rights Act, which would establish a State Department special envoy for human rights and democracy in Iran, support Iranian pro-democracy and human rights groups, and reform U.S.-funded broadcasts to the Iranian people.U.S. Senator Rick Santorum said...

Top News Story Bush ramps up the rhetoric on Iran. John Pohoretz, The New York Post reported that President Bush just delivered what may be the most important speech of his presidency. The time has come, the president all but said yesterday, to take the gloves off with Iran.The Wall Street Journal reported that in a major speech President Bush quoted extensively from recent threats by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad such as his call for "a world without the United States and Zionism."   Ahmadinejad threatens Bush and the American people. Khaleej Times Online reported on a veiled threat...

Top News Story The opposition to Khatami's visit to the US heats up. Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner reported that Governor Mitt Romney today ordered all Massachusetts state government agencies to decline support, if asked, for former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami’s September 10 visit to the Boston area saying: “State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel.�A Press briefing will take place in Washington D.C. September 7th on the visit of former President Khatami. Led by torture victims of the Islamic Regime, former political prisoners and opposition...

Top News Story Three must read letters on Khatami's visit to the US. Iran Press News published two must-read letters about Khatami's visit about Khatami's visit to the U.S.SOSIran also published a letter on Khatami's visit to the US called: Khatami - Master of deception.   No unity on Iran among the Europeans. Expatica reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has underlined there can be "no military option" for dealing with Iran's nuclear program.Die Welt reported that Britain, France and Germany each received a secret letter in response to the demand that Iran cease producing nuclear fuel. 'Some of...

Top News Story 2nd most powerful Ayatollah in Iran: The Islamic Republic is the only legitimate nation on earth. Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat reported that Ali-Akbar Meshkini, the second most powerful Ayatollah in Iran, Meshkini said "Among all the governments in the world, the only legitimate government endorsed by the Almighty is the Islamic Republic of Iran." There cannot be give-and-take between "an extension of God" and an "illegitimate and oppressive regimes." A must read.Ardeshir Dolat reported that Seyed Yahya Safavi, the head of the Revolutionary Guards Corps said “The Islamic world will soon become a major world superpower.�...

Top News Story Xinhua TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian cleric Mohammad Ali Abtahi has an impeccable résumé. He was a top adviser to the former president, and his father is a grand ayatollah, the highest religious honor a Shiite Muslim can attain. While Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's doctrine is still supported by some, including Mohsen Gharavian, above, a midlevel cleric and editor of the magazine Ma'rafaat, clerics such as the Grand Ayatollah Ali Saanei, below, who was Iran's general prosecutor in the first years after the revolution, now oppose the government. Yet despite his establishment credentials, he has a political vision...

Top News Story Most mainstream media bury the real news in the IAEA Report... United Press International reported that the IAEA told the U.N. Security Council its inspectors have found new traces of enriched uranium in Iran. The discovery marked the third instance that highly enriched uranium was found at an Iranian facility.   Now that Iran ignored the UN deadline: Europe blinks, Russia ... The Times Online reported that Iran's defiance of the United Nations' deadline was supposed to be the climax of this long-running stand-off. Instead, Europeans blinked. What happened...The Times Online reported that Iran’s defiance of...

Top News Story UNSC deadline for Iran passes with no immediate action. Reuters reported that the UN said Iran failed to meet its nuclear deadline.Vital Perspectives published a copy of the IAEA report being distributed to diplomats at the UN today on Iran's nuclear program.   Bush: There must be consequences for Iran's defiance. Reuters reported that President George W. Bush said "It is time for Iran to make a choice... We've made our choice. We will continue to work closely with our allies to find a diplomatic solution, but there must be consequences for Iran's defiance and we...

Top News Story What to expect when UNSC deadline for Iran comes Thursday. The Washington Times reported that the UN nuclear watchdog agency will hand over a report that says Iran has resumed enriching a small amount of uranium to the U.N. Security Council.The Christian Science Monitor reported that we should expect Thursday's deadline for Iran to stop enriching uranium to pass with more of a whimper than a bang. As the United States experiences what one observer calls "confrontation fatigue," and as international unity against a nuclear-armed Iran threatens to splinter under pressure, quick action against Iran is...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad challenged Bush to an uncensored debate. Reuters reported that Ahmadinejad challenged President Bush to a televised debate, saying: "The debate should be go uncensored in order for the American people to be able to listen to what we say and they should not restrict the American people from hearing the truth."Dow Jones Newswires reported that the White House dismissed the idea of a televised debate between President George W. Bush and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a diversion. A White House spokesman added: "Iran may want to look first to allowing free expression and open...

Top News Story The Islamic Republic's new tactic to impose Islamic rules on its population. Time Magazine reported that for the past few months, Iranians have been subjected to stronger enforcement of Islamic codes using a new tactic. Is this a revival of the dogmatic strictures of the country's revolutionary past? A must read.   Iranian women prepare to challenge the Islamic Republic. Radio Free Europe reported that activists in Iran have started a petition drive calling for changes to laws that discriminate against women. Organizers hope to attract the signature of 1 million Iranians -- a challenge that...

Top News Story Iran tests a submarine launched missile. MyWayNews reported that Iran test fired a new submarine-to-surface missile during war games in the Persian Gulf on Sunday. A brief video clip showed the long-range missile, called Thaqeb, or Saturn, exiting the water and hitting a target on the water's surface within less than a mile.   Iran's Foreign Minister admits the Islamic Republic is against democracy and human rights. De Velt Blog reported that they are sure Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki didn't mean it to say it so plainly when he said: 'that the US aggrandizes such...

Top News Story Senior Iranian official warns Iran may develop nuclear weapons. Haaretz reported that a senior Iranian official warned yesterday Iran may develop nuclear weapons and pull out from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if international pressure against its nuclear program continues. \ Ahmadinejad says its not a threat to anyone, while it shells Iraqi Kurdistan. Xinhua reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that the Iranian people would "use force" to protect the country's disputed nuclear program as he inaugurated a heavy water plant. He added: "There is no talk of nuclear weapons and there is...

Top News Story Xinhua PRAGUE, August 25, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- There have been different views on Iran's role in the war between Hizballah and Israel. Some observers suggested that Iran had given Hizballah orders to attack and kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to divert the world's attention from Iran's controversial nuclear program. Others said the conflict was the result of a miscalculation by Hizballah -- which likely didn't expect such a fierce reaction from Israel. Many blamed Iran for the conflict because of reports that they were helping Hizballah financially and supplying it with weapons and missiles. Iran says...

Top News Story Iran has produced 15 P-2 centrifuges? Reuters reported that an exiled opposition group said Iran has built at least 15 advanced P-2 centrifuges, which could dramatically speed up its production of nuclear fuel needed to create a nuclear bomb, and will have hundreds more ready next year.   Why Americans should furious that the US is letting Khatami speak in the US. Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that the disgraced former president of the Islamic Republic, Mohammad Khatami, wants to speak in Washington, D.C., next month, and the State Department has already indicated it will welcome...

Top News Story Iran to make a major announcement on its nuclear program, soon. Hemscott reported that Iran will soon announce an atomic breakthrough.Mehr News reported that the regime’s news agencies have just reported in its Farsi section (but not in English) that within the next few days the regime will announce a major breakthrough in its nuclear activities. The breakthrough is of huge importance.MEMRI.org reported that the Iranian news service Al-Borz predicted that on the first anniversary of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's government, in late August 2006, Ahmadinejad is expected to announce what the news service called Iran's "nuclear...

Top News Story Iranian opposition leaders furious: Former Iranian president Khatami invited to speak in Washington DC. The Washington Post reported that the Bush administration has agreed to issue a visa to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to give a public address at the Washington National Cathedral next month. Iranian opposition leaders were shocked by the announcement and are asking people to write the White House and the organizers of the event asking them to cancel the invitation.Reuters reported that former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami applied on Tuesday for a U.S. visa to give a speech in Washington next...

Top News Story What is Iran planning for Tuesday, August 22nd? ABC News reported that many are concerned with Iran's promise to respond August 22nd to the UN's nuclear offer. August 22nd marks a holy day on the Islamic calendar that is the day of reckoning for Shiites. Islamic expert Robert Spencer said: "The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by accident." Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Counterterrorismblog saw a possible connection between North Korea's possible nuclear test and Iran's self imposed nuclear deadline of August 22nd.Yahoo News reported that Iran has turned away U.N. inspectors...

Top News Story Iran to offer a "multifaceted response" to the West, but will not stop enrichment. Fox News reported that Iran will offer a "multifaceted response" to a Western package of incentives aimed at persuading it to suspend uranium enrichment activities, but insisted it would not cease enriching uranium.   Iran's five week military exercise The Jerusalem Post reported that Iran on Sunday test-fired a surface-to-surface short-range missile a day after its army launched large-scale military exercises throughout the country. The "Saegheh… missile, has a range of between 80 to 250 kilometers."The Washington Post reported that Iran test-fired...