Posted on 09/25/2004 10:59:22 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
The US media still largely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, “this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year.” As a result, most American’s are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East. In fact they were one of the first countries to have spontaneous candlelight vigils after the 911 tragedy (see photo).
There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. I began these daily threads June 10th 2003. On that date Iranians once again began taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Today in Iran, most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy.
The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.
In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.
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This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.
I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.
If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.
If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.
DoctorZin
France's foreign minister, Michel Barnier, insisted yesterday that Iran must assure the world that it does not plan to acquire atomic weapons as European nations lost patience with Teheran over its nuclear programme.
Diplomats close to negotiations in which Britain, France, and Germany are trying to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment programme said the Europeans might soon be ready to support American demands to refer it to the United Nations Security Council.
Iran said this week it had begun processing raw uranium to prepare it for enrichment, a process that can be used to develop nuclear bombs.
Mr Barnier said Iran urgently needed to reassure the world about its nuclear programme, which Teheran says is purely for nuclear energy.
Federal prosecutors completed a plea agreement this week that imposed more than $6.3 million in fines on a U.S. company that illegally sent embargoed high-technology pumps to Iran.
"We view this case as very significant," said Julie Myers, assistant commerce secretary for export enforcement, who took part in the year-long investigation of Ebara International Corp.
"It shows we have a strong commitment to enforcing the embargo against Iran, and that people who ship to embargoed destinations will be found out, and we will go after them to the full extent of the law," she said in an interview.
The plea deal was approved by U.S. District Court Judge John Garrett Penn in federal court Thursday. The case involved the specialty pump manufacture Ebara, a Sparks, Nev.-based subsidiary of a Japanese company, Ebara Corp. Japan.
The company was fined $6.3 million related to seven counts of conspiracy, money laundering and illegal exports. It also was fined an additional $121,000 in civil penalties.
The fine is one of the largest penalties for an illegal-export case ever imposed, officials said.
Kenneth L. Wainstein, U.S. Attorney for the District, said, "Export controls and embargoes should not be seen as avoidable obstacles to increase corporate profits, but as a corporation's opportunity to contribute to this nation's security.
"Those responsible for violations of the United States' export laws will be held accountable," he said.
Ebara's former chairman, Everett Hylton, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements. He will receive a three-year suspended prison term and a $99,000 fine for his role in the case.
The investigation was triggered in August 2003 after inquiries about the diversion were first made to the Commerce Department by a reporter for The Washington Times.
The company was caught in a scheme to sell cryogenic submersible pumps to Iran. The company conspired with two French companies, Cryostar and Technip, to mask the deal by making it appear the pumps were being sold to a French firm.
The pumps were banned for export to Iran under U.S. anti-terrorism sanctions. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism, thus trade to the country is severely restricted.
Four pumps were sold and the covert transfer of three others was blocked during the investigation by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security,
Miss Myers declined to comment on the role of Cryostar and Technip, noting that the investigation of the illegal pump sale is continuing. She said that there were initial fears that the cryogenic pumps, which can transport cold liquids, may have been for Iran's nuclear program.
However, she said that it is now believed by government officials that the pumps were limited to use in pumping liquid natural gas.
The pump sale originated in 2001 when one of the French companies sought to buy pumps from Ebara, despite U.S. trade restrictions on Iran.
The Japanese parent firm, Ebara Corp. Japan, initially opposed the sale, but later went along with a scheme to complete the deal illegally by circumventing the U.S. embargo.
Ebara in early 2003 falsified export documents in an attempt to hide the transaction from investigators.
The plea deal was approved by U.S. District Court Judge John Garrett Penn in federal court Thursday. The case involved the specialty pump manufacture Ebara, a Sparks, Nev.-based subsidiary of a Japanese company, Ebara Corp. Japan.
The company was fined $6.3 million related to seven counts of conspiracy, money laundering and illegal exports. It also was fined an additional $121,000 in civil penalties.
The fine is one of the largest penalties for an illegal-export case ever imposed, officials said.
Kenneth L. Wainstein, U.S. Attorney for the District, said, "Export controls and embargoes should not be seen as avoidable obstacles to increase corporate profits, but as a corporation's opportunity to contribute to this nation's security.
"Those responsible for violations of the United States' export laws will be held accountable," he said.
Ebara's former chairman, Everett Hylton, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make false statements. He will receive a three-year suspended prison term and a $99,000 fine for his role in the case.
The investigation was triggered in August 2003 after inquiries about the diversion were first made to the Commerce Department by a reporter for The Washington Times.
The company was caught in a scheme to sell cryogenic submersible pumps to Iran. The company conspired with two French companies, Cryostar and Technip, to mask the deal by making it appear the pumps were being sold to a French firm.
The pumps were banned for export to Iran under U.S. anti-terrorism sanctions. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism, thus trade to the country is severely restricted.
Four pumps were sold and the covert transfer of three others was blocked during the investigation by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security,
Miss Myers declined to comment on the role of Cryostar and Technip, noting that the investigation of the illegal pump sale is continuing. She said that there were initial fears that the cryogenic pumps, which can transport cold liquids, may have been for Iran's nuclear program.
However, she said that it is now believed by government officials that the pumps were limited to use in pumping liquid natural gas.
The pump sale originated in 2001 when one of the French companies sought to buy pumps from Ebara, despite U.S. trade restrictions on Iran.
The Japanese parent firm, Ebara Corp. Japan, initially opposed the sale, but later went along with a scheme to complete the deal illegally by circumventing the U.S. embargo.
Ebara in early 2003 falsified export documents in an attempt to hide the transaction from investigators.
HAMBURG - A German businessman under investigation for illegally exporting nuclear technology had planned to sell the material to Iran, Der Spiegel magazine reported in its issue out on Monday.
On Thursday the German federal prosecutor's office arrested 53-year-old Helmut R., in Friedrichshafen in southwest Germany, on suspicion of involvement in the delivery of 24 long-distance detonators, a device indispensable to the development of nuclear arms.
While the prosecutor's office gave no indication of the destination of the detonators, according to Der Spiegel they were to be delivered to Iran, but authorities intervened in time to stop the operation.
Prosecutors said the German national had been released on bail but was being investigated for conducting secret activities and aiding nuclear development.
As part of the investigation, several companies were searched in Germany and Switzerland around the Lake Constance area on the border.
Swiss cantonal officials confirmed searching two companies on Friday.
In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submitted a list of 15 persons suspected of participating in the development of Iranian and Libyan nuclear programs.
On the list were three Swiss citizens and a German living in the Swiss canton of Saint Gallen.
NEW YORK: Israel should be ready to face dire consequences if it intends to target Iran's nuclear installations, President Pervez Musharraf said in an interview with an Arabic language daily on Saturday, according to a private TV channel.
President Musharraf said that Israel was "neither the policeman of the world" nor did it have "any right to attack Iran." "Israel is committing a breach of the world order. It should get ready to face horrendous eventualities if it attacks Iran," he added.
He went on to say that Israel's military offensive against Iran would have negative regional and international implications. "Iran should also give up its hardline stance," he said.
On sending troops to Iraq, he said that Pakistan was ready to send its forces if other Muslim countries also contributed their troops. He asserted that Pakistan was winning the war against terrorism and would eliminate all Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan.
Hamas offices in Damascus ordered shut |
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The Syrian government has ordered the offices of Palestinian organizations operating in its territory closed, according to recent reports from Damascus. Khaled al-Fahum, former chairman of the Palestinian national Council said the Syrian authorities have closed the offices of various Palestinian organizations in recent days and in some cases have even cut their phone lines. |
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President Khatami meets KDP leader
TEHRAN, Sept. 25 (MNA) -- President Mohammad Khatami held talks on Saturday with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani to discus Tehran-Baghdad relations.
At the meeting, President Khatami said that the Iraqi people have the right to experience social progress and to live in peace and security and called for the exchange of views between officials from the two countries on the cause of peace and stability.
Khatami expressed hope that with the withdrawal of foreign troops, national sovereignty would be established in Iraq.
He stressed the need for all political parties representing different ethnic groups to foster unity and to avoid divisiveness.
"We stood by you in the hard times (under Saddam) and we will help you establish peace and security and social progress," Khatami said.
"Insecurity in Iraq would have a negative impact on Iran-Iraq relations," he added.
Iran is concerned about the lack of peace and security in Iraq and believes that efforts should be made to normalize the situation in Iraq and to hold democratic elections as soon as possible, he said.
All Iraqi people, Shia and Sunni, should make efforts to establish peace and security and to contribute to the administration of the country, he noted.
President Khatami said that the presence of foreign troops is inciting terrorist acts, adding that Iran respects the logical stance of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and his significant role in establishing peace and security in the country.
The president observed that holding elections would play a decisive role in establishing democracy, law, and order in Iraq.
President Khatami also called for the expansion of economic and commercial relations between the two countries.
For his part, Barzani expressed his appreciation for Iran's contribution to the cause of peace and security in Iraq and said that all Iraqi officials are interested in developing good neighborly relations with Iran.
"Regional states should live together due to their common culture and history and also work together to usher in progress and development," he added.
Barzani emphasized the need for national solidarity among the different Iraqi ethnic groups and said that the occupation will come to an end and the Kurds and the Shia Muslims will work together to establish prosperity and to build a new Iraq, with respect for its territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
The KDP leader also called for the expansion of commercial relations between the two countries and asked Iran to participate in the process of Iraqi social development and progress.
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=115112
Iran seeks Indian radar to protect N-facilities
TEHRAN (Agencies)- Iran is negotiating with India to buy advanced radar system to protect its nuclear weapons facilities.
The Untied States is closely monitoring the potential deal.
Industry sources on Saturday said New Delhi has been considering an Iranian request for an upgraded Western- origin radar systems.
They said the systems are designed for fire control and surveillance of anti-aircraft batteries.
Iran is seeking an unspecified number of Upgraded Support Fledermaus radar systems from the Indian state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd, or BEL. The deal could reach $ 70 million and mark the first major defence agreement between New Delhi and Tehran since they signed a defence cooperation pact in 2002.
The government in New Delhi has been examining the Iranian request for about a year now. Tehran has relayed two separate requests for the upgraded radar systems.
Industry sources said New Delhi has been under pressure form the United States not to sell the radars to Iran. The United States has determined that the request is part of Iran’s military effort to protect its nuclear weapons facilities.
Iran already employs Soviet-origin anti-aircraft systems around the Bushehr nuclear reactor. It has already been a client of BEL in 2001, the Indian company sold Teheran components for sonar systems deployed by the Iranian navy.
The 2002 defence cooperation pact between New Delhi and Teheran was meant to pave the way for Indian upgrades and maintenance of Iran’s navy.
The Upgraded Super Fledermaus is a monopulse radar used in 35-mm air defence batteries and designed to detect low-flying objects, such as unmanned air vehicles. The digital system contains a but-in simulator as well as a signal jammer.
BEL has confirmed Iran’s request for the upgraded radar. Executives said Iran has sought the same fire control and surveillance radar that the company upgraded for the Indian Army in 2001.
The Super Fledermaus was acquired in the early 1980s and produced by BEL under licence from the radar’s designer Ericsson Radar Electronics.
IRAN ARMY TAKES DELIVERY OF NEW MISSILE: The Iranian army has taken delivery of a new ‘strategic missile’, Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani was reported to have said Saturday.
The missile, unnamed for security reasons, was successfully tested last week, Shamkhani was quoted as saying by state television.
It was unclear if the weapon in question was the Shahab-3 medium-range missile, acquired by the Revolutionary Guards in July last year, of which an improved version was successfully tested in August.
The Shahab-3 is based on a North Korean design and is thought to be capable of carrying a one-tonne warhead at least 1,300 kilometres, well within range of Israel.
Steady progress made by Iran’s ballistic missile programme is a source of concern to the international community, adding to worries about the country’s nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful.
Iran says the Shahab-3 is simply a deterrent, while Israel charges that the Islamic state could have a nuclear warhead by 2007, leading to speculation that Israel may launch a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en72307&F_catID=&f_type=source
Iran poll:
The Bush Administration is hinting at an upcoming major confrontation with Iran over nuclear issues.
-- Tehran and Washington will compromise 14.73 % (19)
-- The real objective is regime change in Iran 27.13 % (35)
-- Iran will prevail and its nuclear energy program will continue 27.13 % (35)
-- Iran will be forced to accept most UN Security Coucil demands 31.01 % (40)
Total Votes: 129
http://www.iranian.com/Poll/index.php
Last Saturday I wanted to go ride my dirt bike in the mountains with my band of brothers.
To me this is the ultimate example of freedom.
As it turns out My boss scheduled me to work in a capitalist icon....a BP oil refinery,and since I am the only one of 23 employees with the site specific safety training, current drug testing, and security clearance for this job , I was forced , against my will to submit to the extreme duress of slavery like conditions.
I was subjected to endure the harsh agony of 10 hours, operating heavy equipmentwith only 6 hours sleep at Local 12 union scale ( time and a half all day ...$47.50 per hour).
Now my time on this earth is more precious to me than any wage ....
So I wish to register my complaint to the UN and Nelson Mandella .... Please release me from this capitalistic tyrany.......
Posted Saturday, September 25, 2004
PARIS, 25 Sept. (IPS) Iran reiterated on Saturday that its determination to reach full nuclear circle was non negotiable, but at the same time repeated that since the project is for civilian purposes, it would continue cooperating with both the European trio and the international nuclear watchdog.
“Taken at the country’s highest level, the program for attaining full capacity in nuclear field, something that it is our absolute right under the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would go ahead”, Mr. Mohammad Hoseyn Moussavian, Iran’s second top negotiator with both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Europe’s “big 3” told the Students News Agency “ISNA”.
The declaration came almost immediately after foreign affairs ministers of Britain, France and Germany sent news warnings to Iran, calling on it to respond positively to the for stopping at once its uranium enriching activities or faces sanctions from the United Nations Security Council.
Iran had never gave anybody any guarantee concerning the suspension of enriching uranium.
But in his interview with ISNA, Mr. Moussavian, the Secretary of the Foreign Department of Iran’s Supreme Council for National Security (SCNS) repeated that Iran had never gave anybody any guarantee concerning the suspension of enriching uranium.
“We suspended enriching activities unilaterally and voluntarily and agreed to sign the Additional Protocol in order to help confidence building”, he went on, adding that “confidence building does not mean giving in”.
However, he warned that in case Iran’s dossier at the IAEA’s Board of Directors goes to the UN’s Security Council, the G-8, namely the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, Italy, France, Germany and Britain would pay a “great price”.
On Friday, Michel Barnier, France’s Foreign Affairs Minister had warned Iran that if it continues not heeding IAEA’s demands, the European trio could not stop opposing Washington that presses for harsher measures against the Islamic Republic.
Hours later, Mr. Joschka Fischer, the German Foreign Affairs Minister told his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi in New York that Tehran would make a “grave mistake” if it thought that IAEA and the Big 3 were not serious in their demands from Iran concerning its controversial nuclear activities.
Earlier in the week, Iran’s embattled President Mohammad Khatami had stated that Iran would continue its “path to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes even if the result is the cutting off of international supervision".
Addressing a parade marking the beginning of "Sacred Defence Week" that marks the anniversary of the outbreak of war with Iraq in 1980, Mr. Khatami said "we have made our choice and it is now the turn of others to chose", a reference to the IAEA, which gave Iran until November to come clean on its nuclear intentions and ratify the Additional Protocol to the Non Proliferation Treaty.
A clause in the Non Proliferation Treaty permits any country to withdraw on three months' notice. North Korea withdrew in 2001, allowing it to proceed with the separation of plutonium from spent uranium and presumably the development of a nuclear bomb.
In the interview, Mr. Moussavian also announced that all the Iran’s nuclear related sites, including the heavy water research reactor in Arak and UFC in Esfahan are working “with full power and without slightest problem”.
This 13 August 2004 DigitalGlobe satellite image courtesy of the Institute for Science and International Security shows a view of facilities within Parchin, Iran which are possibly involved in nuclear weapons research" width="170">
“Activities of Arak’s heavy water are not stopped. Esfahan’s UCF continue working with full capacity, passing successfully its first tests. Therefore, one can say for sure that our efforts and capabilities to master the full cycle of nuclear processing cycle have been conducted positively”, he added.
In an interview published Saturday by France’s leftist magazine “Marianne”, Mr. Moussavian called on the IAEA to install in Iran its sophisticated equipments that keeps uranium enriching at a constant 3.5 per cent level, a percentage enough for civilian use, including producing electricity, but not enough for making nuclear weapons.
But though Mr. Moussavian complained the trio’s “lenient respect” of its engagements with Iran and underlined that IAEA’s Board, in its resolutions on Iran “never mentioned the positive points contained in the reports of the Agency’s boss Mohammad ElBarade’i, Hojjatoleslam Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, a former Speaker of the Majles who serves now as the Head of the leader’s intelligence service accused Britain, France and Germany of being “still more evil than the Great Satan of America”.
“While American opposes us overtly, Britain, France and Germany are afraid of being in our reach and therefore stabs us from behind”, he said on Saturday in Tehran.
As the wrangles between interested parties continues on Iran’s atomic projects, Tehran announced on Saturday that it had successfully tested a "strategic missile" and delivered it to its armed forces, state-run radio reported.
Iran’s nuclear related sites, including the heavy water research reactor in Arak and UFC in Esfahan are working “with full power and without slightest problem”.
Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, who announced the news, did not say whether the missile was the new version of the Shahab-3 rocket, which already was capable of reaching Israel and U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East, or was a new missile and declined to give details about the missile for "security reasons," but said Iran was "ready to confront all regional and extra-regional threats".
"This strategic missile was successfully test fired during military exercises by the Revolutionary Guards and delivered to the armed forces", Shamkhani was quoted as saying. The exercises were held Sept. 12-18.
The announcement came four days after Israel said it was buying about 5,000 U.S.-made smart bombs, including 500 one-ton bunker-busters that can penetrate 2 metres-thick concrete walls.
The development of the Shahab, whose name means "shooting star" in Persian, has raised fears in Israel about possible attack by the Iranian government, which strongly opposes the Jewish state's existence.
ENDS IRAN NUCLEAR 25904
Bump!
I hope Israel does the job many people in the US government are too scared to do.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is attempting to broker a deal with Iran to secure safe haven for a group of Iraqi nuclear scientists who were sent by Saddam Hussein to Damascus before the U.S. invasion.
According to a report in the London Telegraph, western intelligence officials believe Assad is desperate to get the Iraqi scientists out of his country before their presence prompts America to target Syria in the next phase of the war on terrorism.
The issue came up, according to the report, when Assad made a visit to Tehran in July. Intelligence officials say the Iranians have not yet responded.
However, intelligence analysts believe Iran is working overtime to develop its nuclear weapons program. It is not known how much the Iranians can learn from the Iraqi weapons program.
A group of about 12 middle-ranking Iraqi nuclear technicians and their families were transported to Syria before the collapse of Saddam's regime, says the report. The transfer was arranged under a combined operation by Hussein's Special Security Organization and Syrian Military Security, which is headed by Arif Shawqat, the Syrian president's brother-in-law.
The Iraqis reportedly brought with them CDs crammed with research data on Iraq's nuclear program, were given new identities, including Syrian citizenship papers and falsified birth, education and health certificates. Since then they have been hidden away at a secret Syrian military installation where they have been conducting research on behalf of their hosts, according to the report.
The report also says Assad has his own nuclear weapons program and is reconsidering the offer of sending the Iraqis to Iran.
There is evidence Syria has acquired a number of gas centrifuges -- probably from North Korea -- that can be used to enrich uranium for a nuclear bomb.
Syria is already in the U.S. crosshairs because the military says the Syrians are allowing foreign fighters to cross the border into Iraq, where they carry out terrorist attacks against coalition forces.
Under the terms of the deal Assad offered the Iranians, the Iraqi scientists and their families would be transferred to Tehran together with a small amount of essential materials. The Iraqi team would then assist Iranian scientists to develop a nuclear weapon. Assad also wants the Iranians to share with Damascus the results of their nuclear weapons research.
Iran is under close scrutiny from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is investigating claims that Iran is maintaining a secret nuclear bomb program. The Iranians, who possess one of the world's largest oil reserves, insist that their nuclear program is aimed solely at developing nuclear energy.
Making the issue of nuclear weapons even more serious, Iran said yesterday it has successfully test-fired a long-range "strategic missile" and delivered it to its armed forces, saying it is now prepared to deal with any regional threats and even the "big powers."
Iran's new missiles can reach London, Paris, Berlin and southern Russia, according to weapons and intelligence analysts.
"This strategic missile was successfully test-fired during (the recent) military exercises by the Revolutionary Guards and delivered to the armed forces," Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani was quoted by the state-run radio as saying.
The missile is believed by intelligence analysts to be an updated version of the Shihab-3, improved with the help of the North Koreans.
The news comes shortly after Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards staged military maneuvers near the border with Iraq, seen as a signal to Washington Tehran is prepared to fight back against any attempts to prevent the development of a nuclear reactor that could be used to make weapons-grade plutonium.
The radio said Shamkhani refused to give details about the missile for "security reasons," but said Iran was "ready to confront all regional and extra-regional threats."
Shamkhani last month said Iran was working on improvements to the range and accuracy of the Shihab-3 in response to Israel's moves to boost its anti-missile capability.
Today's announcement came days after Israel said it was buying from the United States about 5,000 smart bombs, including 500 one-ton bunker-busters that can destroy 6-feet-thick concrete walls.
Analysts say such bombs could be used to destroy Iran's nuclear reactor before it goes online. In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor before it went "hot." Iran may be only weeks or months away from activating the reactor.
The 2,000 pound "bunker-buster" bombs are part of one of the largest weapons deals between Israel and the U.S. in years. The bombs include airborne versions, guidance units, training bombs and detonators. They are guided by an existing Israeli satellite used by the military.
In addition to the 500 one-ton bunker-busters, the purchase includes 2,500 other one-ton bombs, 1,000 half-ton bombs and 500 quarter-ton bombs. Funding will come from U.S. military aid to Israel.
On Tuesday, Iran defied the International Atomic Energy Agency by announcing it is producing uranium hexafluoride, the material for centrifuge enrichment.
Kurtis Cooper, a U.S. State Department spokesman, declared: "Although Iran has repeatedly asserted that its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes and its pursuit of uranium enrichment technologies are to fuel a planned civilian power program, Iran will have no peaceful use for enriched uranium for many, many years. ... The rush to convert 37 tons of yellowcake into feed-stock for centrifuge enrichment has no peaceful justification. ... Thirty-seven tons of yellowcake is not a test. It is a production run."
Posted on Sun, Sep. 26, 2004
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is exploring several steps aimed at containing Tehran's growing influence in Iraq, according to U.S. officials, who say a split between the Pentagon and the State Department has paralyzed the administration's ability to craft a long-term policy on Iran for three years.
As one measure, the United States has earmarked $40 million to help Iraq's political parties mobilize - and, subtly, to counter Iran's support for its allies in an emerging race to influence the outcome, U.S. officials said.
With the election in Iraq four months away, the administration has grown increasingly alarmed about the resources Tehran is pouring into Iraq's well-organized Shiite religious parties, which give them an edge over struggling moderate and nonsectarian parties, the officials said.
In the past year, Iran has provided tens of millions of dollars and other material support to a range of Iraqi parties, including the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Islamic Dawa Party and rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, U.S. officials say. The U.S. funds will, in theory, be available to all Iraqi parties, although the U.S. goal is to bolster the prospects of secular groups, on the premise that Iranian-backed parties are unlikely to turn to America for training or money, U.S. officials said.
In another diplomatic move aimed partly at Iran, the United States has been promoting a plan for a conference that would bring the United States together with Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, plus representatives of the European Union, the Group of Eight industrialized nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Secretary of State Colin Powell lobbied for the conference last week at the United Nations, knowing it would provide a setting in which he and Iran's foreign minister could participate, U.S. officials said. The meeting is tentatively planned for mid-November, after the end of the holy month of Ramadan, in Egypt.
"It's not an attempt to open a channel to Iran. It's a way to talk about how all Iraq's neighbors and special friends and others can help the Iraqi government, and that includes Iran," said a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of ongoing diplomacy. "It's about how to be responsible neighbors, and one of our concerns is that Iran is not being a responsible neighbor. It's a way of addressing one of the issues we have with Iran."
The two moves follow a decision by the administration's top foreign-policy team this summer to initiate steps to prevent Iran from gaining a major behind-the-scenes role in shaping the Iraqi government scheduled to be elected in January, U.S. officials said. But they also reflect U.S. recognition that attempts to keep Iran out of Iraq, given strong religious, geographic and ethnic ties dating back centuries, are likely to fail and could even backfire, U.S. officials said.
"The idea that you can prevent Iran from having influence or playing a role is totally misplaced, given connections between the clergy, geographic proximity, a long border, family connections, the large community of Shiites from Iran and all the mullahs who studied in the same schools under the same teachers," said Shaul Bakhash of George Mason University, an expert on Iran and author of "The Reign of the Ayatollahs: Iran and the Islamic Revolution."
| 26 September 2004 |
"No negotiations with the Americans are on the agenda, but we call on the Europeans to discuss with us," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.
"The Europeans should negotiate and not use threatening language against us, because this is pointless," he added. "We have to find a bridge between our legitimate rights and the concerns of the Europeans."
Iran is under threat of being hauled before the UN Security Council amid widespread suspicions it is seeking the capacity to develop nuclear weapons.
In a resolution passed on September 18, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called on Iran to halt its uranium enrichment-related activities, a part of the nuclear fuel cycle that can be directed to both energy and weapons purposes.
Nuclear fuel cycle work is permitted under the Non-Proliferation Treaty if it is for peaceful purposes but the IAEA wants such activities stopped pending the completion of its more than 18-month-old investigation.
The three main European powers which have been spearheading talks with Iran -- Britian, France and Germany -- want Iran to give up its fuel cycle work altogether.
Iran suspended enrichment itself last year, but has continued to advance on other parts of the fuel cycle -- including the conversion of uranium yellowcake to produce the feed gas for centrifuges -- and insists on its right to resume enrichment at any time.
The United States is pushing for Iran to be referred to the United Nations Security Council, and recently the three Europeans have been hardening their stance following Iran's refusal to implement IAEA demands for an immediate suspension of enrichment-related activities.
Asefi said "no decision has yet been taken" over resuming enrichment itself.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York during the week for what the sources said were "very blunt" talks.
"You are making a terrible mistake," Fischer told Kharazi, according to one participant.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has also spoken of a "moment of truth" on November 25, the date the IAEA has set for Iran to remove suspicions over its nuclear drive.
But Asefi said that since the IAEA resolution was passed, "nothing has changed" in Iran's nuclear activites.
"Iran has not resumed enrichment but continues" to produce centrifuge parts and convert uranium, he said. Text and Picture Copyright © 2004 AFP. All other copyright © 2004 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.
Isfahan, Iran, Sep. 26 (UPI) -- Iran said Sunday more than 30,000 Afghan refugees have left the Iranian city of Isfahan to return to their country since March 20.
The official Iranian news agency, IRNA, quoted immigration officials as saying the refugees voluntarily decided to return to their homes in neighboring Afghanistan.
IRNA said the refugees' repatriation was coordinated by the Iranian interior ministry and the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.
More than 50,000 Afghan refugees who remain in Isfahan are due to return home by the end of the Iranian year, March 20.
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