World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #6 Disinformation, Inc.

VEVAK learned its methodology from the Soviet KGB and many of the Islamist revolutionaries who supported Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini actually studied at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba Friendship University, the Oxford of terrorism. Documented Iranian alumni include the current Supreme Leader (the faqih) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, under whose Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Islamic Jurisprudent) apparatus it has traditionally operated. Its current head is Cabinet Minister Hojatoleslam Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Ezhei, a graduate of Qom's Haqqani School, noted for its extremist position advocating violence against enemies and strict clerical control of society and government. The Ministry is very well funded and its charge, like that of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (the Pasdaran) is to guard the revolutionary Islamic Iranian regime at all costs and under all contingencies.

From the KGB playbook, VEVAK learned the art of disinformation. It's not so difficult to learn: tell the truth 80% of the time and lie 20%. Depending on how well a VEVAK agent wants to cover his/her tracks, the ratio may go up to 90/10, but it never drops below the 80/20 mark as such would risk suspicion and possible detection. The regime in Teheran has gone to great lengths to place its agents in locations around the world. Many of these operatives have been educated in the West, including the U.K. and the United States. Iranian government agencies such as embassies, consulates, Islamic cultural centers, and airline offices regularly provide cover for the work of VEVAK agents who dress well and are clean shaven, and move comfortably within our society. In this country, because of the severance of diplomatic relations, the principal site of VEVAK activities begins at the offices of Iran's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Teheran has worked diligently to place its operatives in important think tanks and government agencies in the West. Some of its personnel have been recruited while in prison through torture or more often through bribery, or a combination of both. Others are Islamist revolutionaries that have been set up to look like dissidents - often having been arrested and imprisoned, but released for “medical reasons”. The clue to detecting the fake “dissident” is to read carefully what he/she writes, and to ask why this vocal “dissident” was released from prison when other real dissidents have not been released, indeed have been grievously tortured and executed. Other agents have been placed in this country for over twenty-five years to slowly go through the system and rise to positions of academic prominence due to their knowledge of Farsi and Shia Islam or Islamist fundamentalism.

One of the usual tactics of VEVAK is to co-opt academia to its purposes. Using various forms of bribery, academics are bought to defend the Islamic Republic or slander its enemies. Another method is to assign bright students to train for academic posts as specialists in Iranian or Middle East affairs. Once established, such individuals are often consulted by our government as it tries to get a better idea of how it should deal with Iran. These academics then are in a position to skew the information, suggesting the utility of extended dialogue and negotiation, or the danger and futility of confronting a strong Iran or its proxies such as Hizballah (Hezbollah). These academics serve to shield the regime from an aggressive American or Western policy, and thereby buy more time for the regime to attain its goals, especially in regards to its nuclear weaponry and missile programs.

MOIS likes to use the media, especially electronic media, to its advantage. One of VEVAK's favorite tricks is setting up web sites that look like they are opposition sites but which are actually controlled by the regime. These sites often will be multilingual, including Farsi, German, Arabic French, and English. Some are crafted carefully and are very subtle in how they skew their information (e.g., Iran-Interlink, set up and run by Massoud Khodabandeh and his wife Ann Singleton from Leeds, England); others are less subtle, simply providing the regime's point of view on facts and events in the news (e.g., www.mujahedeen.com or www.mojahedin.ws). This latter group is aimed at the more gullible in our open society and unfortunately such a market exists. However, if one begins to do one's homework, asking careful questions, the material on these fake sites generally does not add up.

Let's examine a few examples of VEVAK's work in the United States. In late October, 2005, VEVAK sent three of its agents to Washington to stage a press event in which the principal Iranian resistance movement, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MeK), was to be slandered. Veteran VEVAK agent Karim Haqi flew from Amsterdam to Canada where he was joined by VEVAK's Ottawa agents Amir-Hossein Kord Rostami and Mahin (Parvin-Mahrokh) Haji, and the three flew from Toronto to Washington. Fortunately the resistance had been tracking these three, informed the FBI of their presence in Washington, and when the three tried to hold a press conference, the resistance had people assigned to ask pointed questions of them so that they ended the interview prematurely and fled back to Canada.

Abolghasem Bayyenet is a member of the Iranian government. He serves as a trade expert for the Ministry of Commerce. But his background of study and service in the Foreign Ministry indicates that Bayyenet is more than just an economist or a suave and savvy businessman. In an article published in Global Politician on April 23, 2006, entitled “Is Regime Change Possible in Iran?”, Bayyenet leads his audience to think that he is a neutral observer, concerned lest the United States make an error in its assessment of Iran similar to the errors of intelligence and judgment that led to our 2003 invasion of Iraq, with its less than successful outcome. However, his carefully crafted bottom line is that the people of Iran are not going to support regime change and that hardliner President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad actually has achieved greater popularity than his predecessors because of his concern for the problems of the poor and his fight for economic and social justice. To the naive, Bayyenet makes Ahmadinejad sound positively saintly. Conveniently overlooked is the occurrence of over four thousand acts of protest, strikes, anti-regime rallies, riots, and even political assassinations by the people of Iran against the government in the year since Ahmadinejad assumed office. So too, the following facts are ignored: the sizeable flight of capital, the increase in unemployment, and the rising two-figure rate of inflation, all within this last year. Bayyenet is a regime apologist, and when one is familiar with the facts, his arguments ring very hollow. However, his English skills are excellent, and so the naОve might be beguiled by his commentary.

Mohsen Sazegara is VEVAK's “reformed revolutionary”. A student supporter of Khomeini before the 1979 revolution, Sazegara joined the “imam” on his return from exile and served in the government for a decade before supposedly growing disillusioned.

He formed several reformist newspapers but ran afoul of the hardliners in 2003 and was arrested and imprisoned by VEVAK. Following “hunger strikes”, Sazegara was released for health reasons and permitted to seek treatment abroad. Although critical of the government and particularly of Ahmadinejad and KhameneМ, Sazegara is yet more critical of opposition groups, leaving the impression that he favors internal regime change but sees no one to lead such a movement for the foreseeable future. His bottom line: no one is capable of doing what needs to be done, so we must bide our time. Very slick, but his shadow shows his likely remaining ties to the MOIS.

Lebanon: Jund al-Sham militants take over preschool near Ain al-Hilweh
Jund al-Sham militants take over preschool near Ain al-Hilweh
Standoff follows army deployment in taamir
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Monday, February 05, 2007

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=79234

SIDON: Wanted Jund al-Sham militants occupied a preschool in the volatile Taamir neighborhood on Sunday to demand compensation for being forced to flee their homes for fear of capture, less than two weeks after the Lebanese Army deployed in the area after a 30-year absence. Around 15 members of the militant group stormed the headquarters of the Children's Library Association, which is affiliated with the Hariri Foundation in Sidon.

The headquarters, which includes a daycare center and public library, is located in Taware, a corner of Taamir, adjacent to the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp, that has yet to come under army control.

The preschool was empty when the militants took the building, reportedly destroying furniture and ransacking offices.

Local sources quoted the militants as saying that breaking into the school was intended to inform "all concerned parties" that "we can no longer return to our homes and demand to be compensated or provided with alternative shelter."

The militants left their homes out of fear of arrest by the army on outstanding warrants.

The deployment was repeatedly delayed due to fears that Jund al-Sham would not accept the army presence, which was intended to root out the militant group.

Several clashes between army troops and Jund al-Sham members over the past months have rocked the tiny neighborhood, a virtual security vacuum on the outskirts of Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp.

Several of the militants holed up in the preschool on Sunday brought their families and various pieces of luggage, announcing that they would not clear the building until their demands were met.

Extensive calls and meetings between various Lebanese and Palestinian groups failed to broker a solution on Sunday.

The militants continued to occupy the building as the The Daily Start went to press.

Sidon MP Bahia Hariri was quoted as saying that the takeover would "lead nowhere." Hariri told visitors on Sunday that she would not respond to the militants' demands as long as the group continues to occupy the school.

Jund al-Sham is believed to comprise approximately 40 members, all of whom are wanted by Lebanese authorities for various crimes.

From The Times
February 05, 2007

Litvinenko's widow dares Putin to prove innocence
Daniel McGrory and Tony Halpin

The widow of the murdered former KGB spy, Alexander Litvinenko, has
written to Vladimir Putin challenging the Russian President to prove
he had nothing to do with her husband's death.

In an emotional message Marina Litvinenko gave warning to the
Russian leader, who has repeatedly denied that the Kremlin had any
involvement in the murder, to stop sheltering the killers. She tells
him: "I can assure you I will not rest until the murderers are
brought to justice."

Litvinenko was convinced that Mr Putin gave the orders for his
murder, but his widow says that she is prepared to give the
President the benefit of the doubt.

To prove his innocence she tells him to order his officials to
cooperate with the British investigation. "If you and the Russian
state are not responsible for the murder, surely you should be doing
everything possible to assist the British authorities in discovering
who is guilty?" she writes.

"I have never said that I knew you were personally responsible. I
said that if you did not make every effort to assist the UK
authorities in the discovery of the perpetrators of this terrible
crime, I could only assume that you must have something to hide."

Mrs Litvinenko, 44, has rarely broken her silence or been seen in
public since the death of her husband from polonium210 poisoning in
November. She and Anatoly, her 12-year-son, remain under police
protection. Her intervention comes as Kremlin prosecutors have
requested permission for a team of Russian detectives to visit
London to carry out their own investigation into the former spy's
death. They want to question more than a hundred witnesses,
including Mrs Litvinenko.

She has been offended by remarks made at the weekend by three
Russian businessmen, alleged to be the prime suspects behind the
poison plot.

Andrei Lugovoy, Dmitri Kovtun, and Vyacheslav Sokolenko, who all met
Litvinenko at a London hotel the day he fell ill on November 1, told
Ren TV, a Russian TV network, that if a sushi bar opens in Moscow it
will have to serve "Litvinenko tea."

The three men were also shown together last night on Russian
national television's NTV channel being interviewed in a Moscow
sushi bar. Mr Lugovoy was also pictured firing a revolver at a
shooting range used by employees of his security company.

All three men, who are said to have been contaminated by
polonium210 — although Mr Kovtun claims to be free of contamination
after treatment at a Moscow hospital — deny any involvement in the
poison plot. They told Ren TV that they are heading to a ski resort
to escape British media attention.

The trio also say that they are considering writing a film about the
affair as Hollywood studios are already fighting over rival scripts.

They joked about who would play them in the film saying: "Lugovoy
will be played by Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant will take the part of
Sokolenko, and Kovtun will be played by Quentin Tarantino."

A close friend of Litvinenko told The Times yesterday that he had
received death threats. Yuri Felshtinsky, who wrote Blowing up
Russia with Litvinenko, says that he has received telephone threats
from a former FSB agent who said that "an accident could happen to
you" at his home in Boston, in the US, where he has asylum.

"You have to take these people seriously. I told Sasha [Litvinenko]
before he died that if we had written a book about poisoning
dissidents with radioactive poison, people would have called us
fantasists.

"Of course the Kremlin could have killed Sasha in a simpler way. But
this is a project for them. They enjoy finding new ways to kill."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/

Exodus: Throwing refrigerators
February 5, 2007; 1:48:19 AM
Exodus: Throwing refrigerators
Posted by YEHUDA HAMMER

http://blogcentral.jpost.com/newsItems/viewFullItem$1653

I moved south from Beersheba to Kibbutz Lotan seven days ago.

Kibbutz Lotan is on the border with Jordan, 55 kilometers north of Eilat, the southernmost Israeli city. In Lotan there is a spectacular view of the Edom Mountains in Jordan. Shades of orange, yellow, and red explode from the mountains and sand surrounding Lotan. As the day progresses the colors change. It is beautiful.

Kibbutz Lotan was founded in 1983 by settlement groups of Israelis and North Americans. Many of the founders were graduates of the Reform (Liberal Jewish) youth movements. Currently there are approximately 60 adult members from 9 countries, whose average age is 35. There are also around 60 children in Lotan. There are people living temporarily on Lotan who partake in educational courses, such as an environmental design course, Israelis who elect to do a year of national service before joining the army, Reform Jewish youth groups and volunteers who come from all over the world, which make up about another 30 people. Last of all there are about 25 non-member residents who also live on Lotan.

Lotan’s economy is based on a dairy barn, a date plantation, a fish farm in Eilat, and eco-tourism. Many of the members are employed outside the Kibbutz in a variety of professions.

How long will I stay on the kibbutz? I don’t know. I have to take it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, breath by breath, heartbeat by heartbeat, et cetera et cetera.

My living conditions on Lotan are nice. I have a living room, with a sink, cabinets, a hot plate, a medium sized refrigerator, a desk, a bedroom, bed, a closet, and a bathroom with a shower. There was supposed to be working internet in the room, but the fiber optic cable running underneath my house is damaged. I spoke to the man in charge of the kibbutz internet network and he told me he would install DSL in my house next week.

I always feel nervous in new living situations and starting life at Lotan was no different. I was nervous to the point of nausea. A couple of evenings I skipped dinner afraid I would be unable to hold the food down, but after a week I am beginning to feel more relaxed.

There is communal dining on Lotan, which means for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the people on the kibbutz eat together in a dining hall. The kitchen and food are kosher.

On the first day I took a two and a half hour bus ride from Beersheba to Lotan. At Lotan I was given my room by M who is in charge of the kibbutz absorption process, which takes about two years before one can become a member. M also gives the weekly work assignments. After I received my room I unpacked and tried as best as I could to get settled.

On the second day I milked goats with three other guys, something I had never done before. First I filled trays with pellets of goat food. I then opened a gate and the goats went up onto a platform with the food trays and began eating. While the goats were eating I gently squeezed down on the goat teats to make sure there was milk. I then put clear cylindrical vacuum tubes on the teats which automatically milked the teats. The goat milk went from tubes to a clear container and then after some sort of purification process went to a black storage container. After milking many goats the goat milk was poured into plastic buckets which were taken to a storage refrigerator. Eventually the goat milk will become cheese.

On the third day I went to three lectures by various kibbutz members given to prospective members. For the prospective kibbutz members one day a month is dedicated to learning. My Hebrew is far from fluent so I just nodded my head and tried my best understand.

On the fourth day I helped lay irrigation pipes, something I had never done before. Like most of Israel, Lotan uses a drip irrigation system. I unrolled plastic black irrigation hoses, punched little holes in various areas and put drippers into the little holes I had punched.

On the fifth day I moved lots of junk from one storage area to another larger storage area. The junk was separated by wood, plastic, and metal. I worked with a couple other people. At one point during the day we ended up moving about six medium sized refrigerators. With the help of one of the other workers we threw a couple of the refrigerators into the larger storage area, something I had never done before. One…two…three and throw…THUD!

On the sixth day I replaced damaged door and window screens, something I had never done before. During the evening I went to a lovely Shabbat service, followed by a nice Shabbat dinner in the communal dinning room. After dinner there was a charming ceremony for eight new kibbutz members. The night was capped off by drinking beer, talking, and dancing at the pub.

And on the seventh day I rested and wrote this, something I had never written before.

Giving life a chance in Lebanon
Giving life a chance in Lebanon
By Riad Bou Hadir
Commentary by
Monday, February 05, 2007
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=79226

Much has been written in the past few months to accommodate either the March 8 or the March 14 movement. Their rivalry has been eating at the very core of Lebanon. Our country has reached a point where people have lost all interest in the first prize, whoever takes over power.

Many Lebanese are searching for means to relocate to another place they can call home. While driving on Lebanon's roads, many of us regularly see two competing advertisement campaigns - one close to March 8, the other to March 14 - both of which have as their theme, "I Love Life." But who doesn't love life? Who can disagree with what is written on the billboards?

There are people in this country who don't belong to a specific party. In this brief moment I would like to be their voice in saying that one huge billboard should replace all the ones present. It should say: "I Deserve a Chance to Live." I am looking for a chance to survive, to be able to think how I am going to be able to make it in Lebanon and not have to emigrate to countries where survival is something offered much more readily.

A friend of mine living in Dubai recently showed me bracelets made out of nanotechnology, designed to prevent tension by allowing the proper course of blood to stream through the body. I mention this detail because the day after he left, last Tuesday, what was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into an effort to block my path and that of many other Lebanese who wanted to get to work. There were burning tires, broken cars, and the destruction of public property, the same public property that happened to make it unscathed through the July-August war. There were fistfights, exchanges of harsh words, and in some cases gunfire.

After seeing all this, and the lives of human beings being treated so lightly, I felt the urge to write this article to direct people away from the ambient propaganda that is destroying the Lebanese people. Everyone living in our society knows this problem, but sometimes it's good to have the point of view of an outsider, someone like me who doesn't belong to any party. Nobody is perfect, error is part of human nature, but the important thing is to determine how we can fix our mistakes. If we live in the past, we will only destroy our future. Those of us who lived through the last Lebanese Civil War have been striving to catch up with the rest of the modern world and return Lebanon to its previous prosperity - in order to shield our offspring from what we went through as children.

The hunger for power of Lebanese leaders has been destroying Lebanon and pushing the country backward even more than did the summer war with Israel last year. People should use common sense and accept their neighbors as equals without interfering in their lifestyle. They should respect their freedom to do what they want, as long as that freedom does not destroy another person's right to exercise his freedom as well. Who cares what a person is wearing or what God he believes in? The important thing is to communicate with others and respect them for what they are.

Being a follower of a religion or party is a choice that individuals make, but not everyone likes to be a follower; some like to be independent, to lead a life of tranquility. Peace has never been a part of Lebanese culture. We have tried to create many "independence days," but we will never truly achieve this unless we accept that we should all live together. Everyone is entitled to a better life, where people can go to sleep and know that their safety is guaranteed, without having to worry what tomorrow might bring or whether they can go for a walk without being shot. This applies to all Lebanese, regardless of their beliefs or the color of the clothes they wear; the only colors we should adhere to are those of our national flag.

The Lebanese must combine their strength and stick together, before it is too late. They say that whoever does not learn from the past is doomed to repeat it. Let history say that the Lebanese people overcame all adversity and saved their country. Asking for a chance to live is the minimal human right that should be available to all Lebanese. Being Lebanese means being proud, keeping one's head high and joining with fellow Lebanese to preserve this country of ours.

Riad Bou Hadir is a member of the online staff of THE DAILY STAR.

Sever Plocker

Clash of Muslim civilizations
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3361088,00.html

Outcome of current conflicts will determine future of Mideast's Muslims
Published: 02.05.07, 11:43

There are currently several volatile fronts in the Mideast but only one war. In Gaza, Beirut, and Baghdad and increasingly in Iran as well, a great war is now being waged over the soul and image of the Muslim Mideast.

Pitted against each other in this war are radical Islam against the moderates; jihadists against human rights activists; terrorists against civilians, and for the first time in this type of conflict in the Arab world, even moderates are taking up arms and fighting back the attackers.

The outcome of this conflict will determine the future and character of the Arab-Muslim civilization in the Middle East. If Hamas defeats Fatah in Gaza, if Hizbullah overpowers the incumbent multi-ethnic coalition in Lebanon, if the suicide bombers topple the elected Iraqi government in Baghdad, and if Ahmadinejad's cronies reverse the local election results and prevent the reestablishment of sane statesmen in Teheran – the region will sink into a black sea of backwardness, and a red sea of a holy war.

An alternative option

But a reverse outcome is also possible; new elections in the Palestinian Authority with a clear majority for the parties opposing Hamas; Hizbullah's removal from the center of Lebanon's arena to its militant sidelines; ousting of the Iranian president and expropriation of his authorities in favor of the moderate conservatives; and eradication of the murderous terror gangs throughout Iraq.

Neither of these options is dictated from above. Experience shows that the spreading of Islamic Jihad can be halted, albeit the heavy cost of a civil war. Yet even prevention of an open conflict is costly. Fanatics are incapable of ruling anyone in any country – not in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran or Palestine – and therefore in order to conceal their inability to rule, they drag their people into bizarre wars and adventures that inevitably culminate in destruction, deterioration and bloodshed.

From this standpoint, Islamic fanaticism is adopting the modes of rule prevalent in 20th century radical Western ideology. Similar to these ideologies, fanatic Islam requires the constant fire of an armed revolution, a holy war of some type or another and ambitions for physical and ideological dissemination.

Only this way, in a climate rife with incitement and sacrifice, can it recruit the masses and silence the dissidents. Regime failures by fanatic movements will be forgiven - as hoped by the leadership against the backdrop of honing swords, showcase trials and witch hunts. According to them, silence is tantamount to filth. When civilians attempt to stabilize their country and improve their economic plight, fanaticism tends to collapse.

Stability is therefore radical Islam's primary enemy, just as it was the enemy of fascism. Therefore, there is no practical solution for peaceful coexistence between the radicals and the moderates.

The dream of a "national unity government" in which terrorists will rule alongside civilians and fanatics alongside experts is not a viable option. Even if such a government is established in Ramallah or Beirut, it is destined to quickly collapse and leave scorched earth behind.

You can't ride a predator unless you are wiling to be its next prey.

Israel is currently positioned on the outside of this intra-Arab, intra-Muslim clash of civilizations, but only ostensibly: Coming to terms with Israel's right to exist is one of the key issues in this conflict, although not the main bone of contention. At the heart of the conflict lies the question of the future: What kind of a future can the hundreds of millions of children in the Muslim east expect – one of jihad or growth? Light or darkness?

This dilemma can only be resolved by the Arab world, and there will be no shortcuts.

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=20284
U.S. Set to Appoint Russia Spy Manager
Combined Report

Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Michael McConnell told his Senate
confirmation hearing that he would focus more attention on Russia and on the
risks of foreign-oil dependence as U.S. director of national
intelligence.

“I’ve been troubled by some of the trends in Russia over the last year
or so,’’ McConnell said, when asked whether the country was becoming a
strategic threat because of its oil wealth. “So that’s a scenario that
needs attention,” he said, adding that his efforts would include the
naming of an official to oversee intelligence efforts on Russia.

He said he would consider creating a “mission manager” position to
focus on Russia.

“I think we need to understand it. We need to know where it’s going,”
McConnell said. “Having someone focused on it as a mission manager at
the national level would serve us well to stay focused and continue to
review it.”

The first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, created
the mission manager positions following the 2005 recommendations of
Bush’s commission on weapons of mass destruction.

The focus of current mission manager positions now includes Cuba and
Venezuela, North Korea, Iran and counterterrorism. In testimony to the
intelligence committee last month, Negroponte highlighted Russia in his
annual review of global threats. He raised concerns that Russian foreign
policy tactics have been creating friction with the West.

Caucasian Knot / Memorial
5/2/2007

M. Mutsolgov: ANCO "Mashr" is under permanent pressure of the
authorities

The Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization "Mashr" is the first human
rights organization in Ingushetia engaged in rendering legal aid to the
population, executing public control of the observance of human rights
and freedoms in the territory of the Republic of Ingushetia.

Magomed Mutsolgov, head of the ANCO "Mashr" and a talker to the
correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot," has stated that during a year,
the procuracy has three times inspected the Organizations, its
documents
at the tax inspection, accounts, financing and accounting. In his
words,
this all has started after our submission of a notification on holding
a
picket in memory of Anna Politkovskaya in Nazran.

"For this reason we were excluded from the list of grant-takers on the
outcomes of the contest held by the Public Chamber of the Russian
Federation. It was done by the Administration of the President of
Russia. And most of the public figures of the Republic and human rights
activists believe that this was result of the work of local powers,"
Mr.
Mutsolgov has said.

According to him, the pressure is also executed by the threat that "any
moment they can rush in with a search, as it happened with Murad
Yandiev, an employee of our Organization."

Magomed Khasultanov, CK correspondent

http://eng.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/engnews/id/1175888.html

Rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia Now Talking

http://www.houmatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070205/API/702052861
February 05. 2007 1:50PM
Rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia Now Talking

By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI and DONNA ABU-NASR
Associated Press Writers

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are bumpy at the best of
times, but violence between Shiites and Sunnis in Lebanon and Iraq is
prompting the two Mideast heavyweights to engage in new talks seeking
to head off a regional crisis.

The clearest sign of the new diplomacy has been in Lebanon, where a
joint Saudi-Iranian effort defused a general strike called by the
pro-Iranian Shiite militant group Hezbollah after the country erupted
into violence two weeks ago, according to state-guided Saudi media.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal has said the two nations began
working together after Iran approached his country to "cooperate in
averting strife between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq and Lebanon" - an
apparent reference to the joint intervention that calmed the strike
unrest.

Saudi Arabia sent a high-profile envoy, Prince Bandar, to Tehran to
study efforts being made there to defuse the unrest in Iraq and
Lebanon and "explore what Iran can contribute," Al-Faisal said.

Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani made a visit to Saudi Arabia
in mid-January that Arab media reports said sought Saudi help in
easing tensions between his country and the United States and other
Western nations over Tehran's nuclear program.

After Larijani's visit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the
envoy proposed that Iran and Saudi Arabia cooperate on Iraq, Lebanon
and other issues and that Riyadh's response had been "positive."

One Saudi official told The Associated Press last week that Iran asked
the kingdom to get Washington to tone down its verbal attacks on Iran.

Saudi Arabia, in turn, asked Iran to pressure its allies in Lebanon to
work with Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and to rein in
Shiite militias in Iraq, according to the official, who agreed to
discuss the talks only on condition of anonymity because of the
matter's sensitivity.

It is unclear what the U.S. thinks of the diplomacy. Washington has
tried to isolate Iran diplomatically and says it won't talk to Tehran
unless the Iranians suspend uranium enrichment. The Bush
administration also is beefing up U.S. military forces in the Persian
Gulf in what it says is a signal to Iran.

But it is unlikely Saudi Arabia would risk its key relationship with
the United States by entering talks with Iran without first consulting
America.

"I'm sure the Saudis are getting the green light from the Americans to
talk to the Iranians," said Saudi professor Khaled al-Dakhil.

Western diplomats in Saudi Arabia said there are no indications that
the U.S. or other countries that decline to talk to Iran are unhappy
about the Iranian-Saudi talks.

"Even governments that are very cautious about directly engaging Iran
are happy that Saudi Arabia and Iran are talking," said one Western
diplomat, who agreed to discuss the efforts only if not quoted by name
because of their sensitive nature.

Saudi Arabia has a strong stake in calming the region. It is worried
that Shiite-Sunni fighting in Iraq and Lebanon could explode out of
control and damage its own interests or even lead the U.S. to attack
Iran, which would have repercussions across the Middle East.

The Saudis have taken a large new role in mediating in the Palestinian
power struggle between President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and the
Islamic militant group Hamas, which runs the Palestinian government.
Observers say one of Saudi Arabia's main concerns - and that of the
U.S. - is that Hamas has turned to Iran for money.

Saudi Arabia, whose predominant population is conservative Sunni
Muslim, sees Shiite Iran as a danger to the region and to the
monarchy's power, especially as money and weapons are channeled from
Tehran to Hezbollah in Lebanon and to Shiite militias in Iraq.

More broadly, most Arabs are Sunnis and they are exhibiting strong
anti-Shiite and anti-Iran sentiments amid suspicions about Iranian
intentions in the region - including rumors of a campaign to convert
Sunnis to Shiism.

More and more Arabs have been highlighting Iran's non-Arab roots, with
some, like the editor of the Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh, even
insinuating recently that what is good for Iran is also good for
Israel - the Arab world's traditional foe.

Tensions heightened even more last month after Saudi King Abdullah
referred to the rumors that Iran is backing a drive to convert the
Middle East to Shiism.

"We are following up on this matter and we are aware of the dimensions
of spreading Shiism and where it has reached," Abdullah told the
Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyassah. "The majority of Sunni Muslims will
never change their faith."

Iranians, for their part, accuse Saudi Arabia and other U.S.-allied
Arab states of misconstruing Iran's aims and they allege Saudis
support Iraq's Sunni-dominated insurgency that targets Shiites in
daily car bombings and other attacks.

Oil-rich Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads - off and on -
for decades, especially since the 1979 Shiite revolution toppled
Iran's shah and swept Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power. But their
leaders apparently felt the need to try to calm the situation,
diplomats and analysts said.

"Sitting and talking is a good start for defusing tensions," said
Mohammad Mohtadi, director of the Center for Middle East Strategic
Studies in Tehran.

---

AP writer Scheherezade Faramarzi reported from Beirut and AP writer
Donna Abu-Nasr reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Iran Said to Assemble Two Uranium Units

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top14feb05,0,1947935.story?coll=scn-newsnation-headlines
Iran Said to Assemble Two Uranium Units
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer

Published February 5 2007, 7:15 PM EST

VIENNA, Austria -- Shrugging off the threat of tougher U.N. sanctions,
Iran has set up more than 300 centrifuges in two uranium enrichment
units at its underground Natanz complex, diplomats and officials said
Monday.

The move potentially opens the way for larger scale enrichment that
could be used to create nuclear warheads. Iranian leaders have
repeatedly said the Natanz underground hall would house first 3,000
centrifuges and ultimately 54,000 machines.

It also poses a direct challenge to the Security Council, which late
last month imposed limited sanctions targeting programs and
individuals linked to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs
-- and warned of stricter penalties within 60 days unless Iran freezes
enrichment.

Speaking separately -- and demanding anonymity because their
information was confidential -- a diplomat accredited to the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency and a U.S. official
said that two "cascades" of 164 centrifuges each had been set up in
recent days.

The likely next step was "dry testing" -- running the linkups without
uranium gas inside -- to be followed by attempts to spin and re-spin
the gas. The process, known as enrichment, can be used to fuel nuclear
power plants. But at higher levels of enrichment the material can be
used for the core of nuclear warheads.

Both the Iranian leadership and the Vienna-based IAEA, which is the
U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency, had said recently that Tehran would
start assembling the machines this month.

In another sign that Tehran was forging ahead with plans to create a
large-scale "pilot plant" of 3,000 centrifuges running in series, U.N.
officials late last week told the AP that that piping, cables, control
panels and air conditioning systems had been installed at Natanz to
support such a number of machines.

David Albright, the former U.N. nuclear inspector whose
Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security
tracks Iran's nuclear activities, said the country was likely capable
of hooking up 300 to 500 centrifuges a month, allowing it to reach its
goal of a 3,000-machine linkup this year.

Such an operation could be used to produce fissile material for two
bombs a year, but Albright -- like other analysts -- suggested that it
could take somewhat longer as the Iranians have had only limited
success in running the machines for prolonged periods without
breakdowns in aboveground tests at Natanz.

Iran says it wants to use the technology to generate nuclear power,
but the U.S. and other nations believe Tehran is intent on using the
process to develop weapons. Albright said Iran could opt to create a
large stockpile of low-enriched uranium which it could then use to
"break out" and re-enrich to weapons grade at any time.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based
think tank, last week estimated that Iran was two to three years away
from having the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. The head of U.S.
national intelligence, John Negroponte, has spoken of a four-year
period.

The State Department did not comment directly on the reported
centrifuge setups, saying only that it would push for "incremental"
U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran if Tehran authorities
continue to ignore council demands for suspension of the country's
uranium enrichment program.

Spokesman Sean McCormack said that Iran appears to be continuing "down
the path of isolation."

* __

On the Net:

International Atomic Energy Agency: http://www.iaea.org

Dear IRIS subscriber,

Below are recent excerpts from the IRIS Blog. For the
full stories and links to other articles as well please
visit:

http://www.iris.org.il/blog.html

* Palestinians: We Don't Deserve a
State *

Khaled Abu Toameh, an Muslim Arab journalist, has been
reporting truths that his colleagues have been too
intimidated to reveal:

"Everyone here is disgusted by what's happening in the
Gaza Strip," said Shireen Atiyeh, a 30-year-old mother
of three working in one of the Palestinian Authority
ministries. "We are telling the world that we don't
deserve a state because we are murdering each other and
destroying our universities, colleges, mosques and
hospitals. Today I'm ashamed to say that I'm a
Palestinian."

Ayman Abu Khalaf, a 40-year-old businessman, said he
was seriously considering moving with his family to
Jordan because of the growing state of anarchy and
lawlessness in the PA territories.

"The situation is very dangerous and many people are
afraid to leave their homes," he said. "I'm very
worried about the safety of my children. There are many
armed gangs and everyone is afraid. If the situation
does not improve, I will take my family and go to
Jordan. This is not the Palestine we want to live in."

Hafez Barghouti, editor of the PA-funded daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadeeda, said he was concerned that the fighting
would tarnish the image of the Palestinians. "Tens of
millions of people now look at us as worthless
gangsters with no values," he complained.

Columnist Mahmoud Habbash also acknowledged that the
fighting had caused grave damage to the Palestinians on
the international arena. The internal fighting, he
said, has distorted the image of the Palestinians in
the eyes of the world.

"The world is watching how the Palestinians are
destroying their institutions and achievements with
their own hands. They see how we are mercilessly
slaughtering innocent people. We are losing the
sympathy of the world. I'm afraid the world will now
view us differently."

[There isn't much danger of that. The Bush
administration sees the recent violence as more reason
to pump millions into the coffers of Abbas in the
bizarre hope that he will turn out to be a good bad
guy.]

* Mossad Killing Iranian Nuclear
Scientists? *

Haaretz picks up a story from the Stratfor Web site,
run by former intelligence agents. Like all
intelligence, this should be considered educated
speculation, not fact:

A senior nuclear physicist involved in Iran's nuclear
program who died under mysterious circumstances two
weeks ago was killed by the Mossad, according to a
report released in a U.S. website this weekend...

Professor Ardashir Hosseinpour, a world authority on
electromagnetism, was until recently working on uranium
enrichment at the facility in Isfahan, one of the
central processing sites in Iran's nuclear program.

The physicist died January 18, but news of his death
only emerged six days later in two Iranian media
outlets.

A report released this weekend in Stratfor.com stated
that the Mossad was behind Hosseinpour's death.

The report said the physicist died from "radioactive
poisoning" as part of a Mossad effort to halt the
Iranian nuclear program through "secret operations."

The site indicates that in the late 1970s and early
1980s, the Mossad was involved in the deaths of
scientists involved with the Iraqi nuclear program. At
least three scientists were killed in those operations.

A website of expatriate Iranian communists said that
several other scientists were killed or injured in the
operation to kill Hosseinpour at Isfahan, and given
treatment at nearby hospitals.

Both news items said Hosseinpour died from "poison
gas."

Radio Farda - a Persian-language station operated by
the U.S. government - said several days ago that the
scientist died of "smoke inhalation."

* Other Headlines *

Kadima's Ezra Calls for Release of Mass Murderer
Barghouti
The AP calls the five-time murderer "the most popular
leader in the Palestinian territories".

California Muslim Students Chant for Destruction of
Israel

Ahmadinejad: On February 11, Iran's Nuclear Rights
'Will be Established'

Israeli Security Forces Nab Two Palestinian Terror
Cells in Jerusalem

Remember, the complete stories and much more can be
found by visiting the IRIS blog at:

http://www.iris.org.il/blog.html

The IRIS Staff

Information Regarding Israel's Security (IRIS)
http://www.iris.org.il
email: info@iris.org.il

To subscribe/unsubscribe to/from this list visit:
http://www.iris.org.il/maillist/

More charges against Russian oil tycoon

Monday, February 5th, 2007

By ALEX NICHOLSON, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) - Prosecutors filed new charges Monday against former oil
baron Mikhail Khodorkovsky, now serving the fourth year of an
eight-year
prison term in Siberia. The relentless pursuit of the tycoon has
showcased President Vladimir Putin's highly successful campaign to tame
Russia's oligarchs using its politically pliant justice system.

Lawyers for Khodorkovsky called the new money laundering charges an
"insane" Kremlin bid to neutralize any remaining political threat ahead
of crucial elections, casting it as a vengeful move to crush a man who
challenged Putin's policies and broke an unwritten rule against
bringing
his vast wealth to bear in the political arena.

Once Russia's richest man and the chief of its largest oil producer,
OAO
Yukos, Khodorkovsky angered Putin's Kremlin by funding opposition
parties before 2003 parliamentary elections. He also questioned
government policy on pipelines and foreign participation in the oil
industry, running up against a government increasingly bent on
restoring
its control over Russia's vast petroleum wealth.

Arrested in October 2003, his trial proceeded at the same time as a tax
probe that put most of his blue chip oil giant OAO Yukos in state
hands.
Khodorkovsky was sentenced to eight years for fraud and tax evasion and
shipped off to a prison camp near the Chinese border, where he has been
out of the public eye but remained, for Putin's critics, a symbol of
Russian injustice. For Russia's superrich, his punishment served a
stark
reminder not to cross the Kremlin.

Khodorkovsky would be eligible for parole in October, after serving
half
his term. With parliamentary elections slated for December and a March
2008 presidential vote - which Putin is barred by term limits from
contesting - analysts said the president and those around him want to
ensure Khodorkovsky remains behind bars.

For the Kremlin, "The main thing is that he doesn't get out before
2008," said Yuri Korgunyuk of the Indem think tank in Moscow. "They
very
much wouldn't want that to happen."

The new charges are about "revenge," Korgunyuk said.

"The idea is to crush them completely," he said of Khodorkovsky and his
business partner, Platon Lebedev, who is also serving eight years and
faces the same charges.

Khodorkovsky could face up to 15 years for money laundering - a
sentence
that could keep him in prison well beyond the 2012 presidential vote.
Multiple sentences are most often served concurrently in Russia.

Before his arrest, Khodorkovsky was estimated by Forbes magazine to be
the richest man in Russia with a fortune worth $15 billion.

Analysts say he violated an understanding with the Kremlin that
Russia's
powerful business leaders - the so-called oligarchs - would keep out of
politics under Putin. Some observers say his fate was sealed at a
February 2003 meeting between Putin and business leaders where the two
sparred publicly.

With the Khodorkovsky behind bars, such meetings have become tame
affairs, used to raise donations for charity, education and other
public
projects. At a meeting with business leaders at his residence in
Moscow's lush western suburbs Tuesday, Putin is expected to seek
suggestions on diversifying the economy away from oil and gas.

The campaign against Khodorkovsky and the carve-up of Yukos shook faith
in the rule of law, deepening doubts about freedoms in post-Soviet
Russia and drew sharp criticism from the West. Foreign investors,
though, have put their concerns aside and are piling into the country's
oil-boom economy.

Foreign direct investment last year stood at $31 billion. The value of
the country's main stock market has soared since Khodorkovsky's
conviction and recently broke the $1 trillion mark in capitalization,
meaning there are plenty of promising stocks for investors beyond
Yukos.

"As long as it's confined to that company no one will care," said Peter
Westin, chief economist of the MDM investment bank. "Yukos used to be
the investors' baby. Now there are new babies."

The new chapter in the campaign against Khodorkovsky opened in the
Siberian city of Chita, capital of the remote region where he has been
serving his sentence, some 3,000 miles east of Moscow.

State television showed footage of a masked, machine gun-toting guard
as
prison vans pulled up outside the regional prosecutors' office, where
Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were charged with embezzling and laundering as
much as $25 billion in illegal oil revenues.

The allegations are "not simply absurd - they are insane,"
Khodorkovsky's lawyer, Yuri Shmidt, told The Associated Press by
telephone from Chita. "Whoever wrote them was either mad or drunk."

Prosecutors allege Khodorkovsky stripped profits from Yukos by selling
crude to trading companies at a knockdown price and then selling it
internationally and squirreling away the difference, Khodorkovsky's
U.S.-based legal team said in a conference call. The state claims some
proceeds were laundered through Khodorkovsky's Open Russia foundation,
which closed last year after repeated searches by prosecutors, lawyers
said.

One member of Khodorkovsky's legal team, Sanford Saunders, Jr.,
insisted
nothing was stolen and the proof was in the company's audited annual
reports.

"If you look at the consolidated statements ... you see that all these
revenues were all brought back into Yukos, they did not disappear they
were not embezzled," he said.

John Pappalardo, another lawyer for Khordokovsky, suggested the money
laundering charges were being introduced to give prosecutors leverage
to
go after the tycoon's assets abroad. Simultaneously the charges would
besmirch the reputation of Open Russia, which Khodorkovsky created as
part of his attempt transform himself, in the public mind, from robber
baron to responsible corporate citizen.

Pappalardo said the charges were baseless and were meant "to tarnish
the
image of Khodorkovsky and his efforts to promote the social projects he
believed in so much."

Representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office said they could not
provide details of the charges.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=school+bus+accident&ei=utf-8

Relevance | Date

1. No injuries in school bus accident Open this result in new window
Louisville Courier-Journal - Feb 07 6:12 AM
No injuries were immediately reported from an accident involving a Jefferson County school bus carrying students this morning, according to MetroSafe dispatch. The accident occurred at the intersection of Westport Road and Maple Forest Drive, dispatch said.
Save

2. School bus accident Open this result in new window
WHOI Peoria - Feb 06 6:35 PM
TAZEWELL COUNTY -- Pekin Police and the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department are investigating a school bus accident.
Save

3. Accident Involving School Bus Kills 1 Open this result in new window
FOX 5 Atlanta - Feb 06 4:47 PM
ATLANTA (FOX5) -- One person is dead after an accident involving a school bus on the downtown connector Tuesday afternoon. It happened in... ATLANTA (FOX5) -- New allegations of sexual misconduct have surfaced in the ongoing Bishop Earl Paulk sexual abuse lawsuit. The woman, who...
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4. 1 Dead in School Bus Accident on 75/85 Open this result in new window
WXIA-TV Atlanta - Feb 06 2:32 PM
One person was confirmed dead in an accident involving a school bus on the Downtown Connector on Monday afternoon. » Gallery: Downtown Connector School Bus Accident
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5. School Bus Involved In Deadly Accident Open this result in new window
WSB-TV 2 Atlanta - Feb 06 1:30 PM
The Atlanta Police Department is investigating an accident involving four vehicles and a school bus that left the driver of one car dead.
Save

6. Fatal school bus accident in McColl Open this result in new window
WPDE-TV Myrtle Beach - Florence - 16 minutes ago
In Marlboro County, the driver of a school bus carrying 10 kids died after a wreck. We can report all ten children on board are okay.
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7. City school bus attendant killed in depot accident Open this result in new window
The Philadelphia Inquirer - Feb 07 12:26 AM
Two school buses struck and killed an employee at a Philadelphia School District bus depot yesterday and the resulting investigation disrupted service for up to 3,000 students on one of the coldest mornings of the year.
Save

8. Longview school bus accident Open this result in new window
KETK 56 Tyler - Feb 07 5:14 PM
Three people were taken to a Longview hospital following a collision involving a school bus. The crash happened Wednesday morning at the intersection of Judson and Plier Precise.
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9. Attendant Killed In School Bus Accident Open this result in new window
CBS 3 Philadelphia - Feb 06 5:33 PM
Police said a school bus attendant was struck and killed by a school bus in North Philadelphia Tuesday morning. Chopper 3 Video More Local News...
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10. Tazewell County School Bus Accident - video included Open this result in new window
WEEK-TV Peoria - Feb 06 3:02 PM
At least eight students injured when school bus leaves icy road.
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Google Alert - bomb threat

Law courts in Kyustendil closed for 24 hours over bomb threat
Focus News - Sofia,Bulgaria
The building of the law courts of the southwestern Bulgarian town of
Kyustendil has been closed for 24 hours after it received an anonymous
bomb
threat, ...
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n105030

Ex-student receives probation for bomb threat
Advance Titan - Oshkosh,WI,USA
After sending out a bomb threat to give her extra time to prepare a
speech,
a former UW-Oshkosh student was placed on probation Feb. 1. ...
http://www.advancetitan.com/story.asp?issue=11331&story=5778

Bulgarian Radio, TV Center Closed After Bomb Threat
Sofia News Agency - Bulgaria
A man called the police in Blagoevgrad seven times in the afternoon,
saying
there was a bomb in the local TV center. Bomb squads are still
searching
the ...
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=76325

Turner Broadcasting Agrees to Pay $2M for Aqua Teen Hunger Force ...
By Scared Monkeys
The Turner Broadcasting System and Interference Inc have agreed to pay
$2M for
the “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” ad fiasco that paralyzed Boston, MA last
week as a
suspected bomb threat. The settlement of course erases any legal
action, ...
http://www.scaredmonkeys.com/2007/02/05/turner-broadcasting-agrees-to-pay-2m-for-aqua-teen-hunger-force-bomb-scare/
Scared Monkeys
http://www.scaredmonkeys.com

[I looked at 9 pages of links, for today, there may be more than that]

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?fr=yalerts-keyword&c=&p=%22Iran%22&ei=utf-8

1. Yes, Iran Can Be Stopped Open this result in new window
The Weekly Standard via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 2:55 PM
IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROJECT can probably be stopped by significantly cutting its oil income.
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2. U.S. urges additional U.N. action against Iran Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 4:26 PM
The United States on Tuesday said non-military measures can be effective against Iran's nuclear ambitions and called for a new round of tougher U.N. sanctions if Tehran fails to halt nuclear enrichment that could be used to produce weapons.
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3. Rice grilled over lack of smoking gun in allegations against Iran Open this result in new window
AFP via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 3:22 PM
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice faced a blistering challenge in Congress over the administration's failure to provide evidence to back up allegations Iran is building nuclear weapons and fueling attacks on US forces in Iraq.
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4. Iran's Larijani plans talks with West in Germany Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 11:50 AM
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said on Wednesday he planned to hold talks with Western officials in Germany, in the first such contacts since the United Nations imposed sanctions on Iran in December.
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5. US and Iran help rebuild Lebanon's destroyed bridges Open this result in new window
AFP via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 7:52 AM
The United States and Iran are among foreign contributors to the 85-million-dollar reconstruction of 90 bridges in Lebanon destroyed or damaged by Israel during its offensive on the country last year.
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6. Iran test-fires Russian air defence missiles Open this result in new window
AFP via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 6:29 AM
Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have successfully test-fired a new Russian-made air defence missile system, whose delivery last month sparked bitter US criticism.
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7. Iran's Guards launch Gulf war games: state media Open this result in new window
Reuters via Yahoo! News - Feb 07 4:51 AM
Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched two days of war games on Wednesday in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, state media reported.
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8. U.S. blames Iran for Iraqi arms surge Open this result in new window
International Herald Tribune - Feb 07 9:43 AM
U.S. officials say they believe that Iran is supplying Shiite militias with new weapons, including more powerful roadside bombs, some of which they say could have found their way into the hands of Sunni insurgents who operate around Taji, north of Baghdad.
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9. Sunni Arab view of US-Iran tensions Open this result in new window
The Christian Science Monitor - Feb 07 2:48 PM
There's virtually unanimous opposition to a US attack on Iran.
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10. Iran May Launch Its Own Spy Sat by Martin Sieff UPI Senior News Analyst Washington (UPI) Feb 07, 2007 Open this result in new window
Space War - 2 hours, 41 minutes ago
Is Iran about to put a spy in the sky? The Israeli debka.com Web site, which maintains a wide circle of sources within Israeli intelligence, has claimed that Tehran may soon launch its own surveillance satellite.
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