Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who now leads Iran's powerful Expediency Council, said he was no richer than before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. "The total value of all my belongings today is not even close to the value of the house I owned [then]," he said. It is unclear what prompted him to deny rumours going back many years now. He told religious students in the holy city of Qom that he only possessed two pieces of land. "Except for these, there is nothing registered under my name and I am managing my life with a normal income," he was quoted as saying by the Iranian state news agency, Irna. Mr Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, said he was proud that after 25 years in high office his assets were a tenth of what he had once possessed. Correspondents say it is rare for Iran's clerics to comment on their personal affairs. |
More than 650 female students stage protest in TehranThu. 7 Oct 2004 |
Iran Focus |
"These pressures have always existed and we have to neutralize them through our cooperation," the official news agencies of both countries reported Khatami as saying in Damascus at the start of his visit to Syria.
Khatami's visit comes at a time when Tehran and Damascus are facing mounting U.S. pressure over allegedly seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction and for supporting anti-Israeli militant groups.
Tehran says it will not give in to foreign pressure to halt what it calls a peaceful nuclear energy program but which the United States says is a covert scheme to build nuclear bombs.
Khatami said his talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will focus on ways of maintaining stability in the Middle East in view of escalated Israeli violence and developments in neighboring Iraq. Both Syria and Iran strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
"In our meetings we will try to cooperate toward ensuring calm and stability in the crisis-ridden Middle East region," Khatami said. "The situation is getting more perilous because of the inhuman and violent actions of the Zionist regime."
Syria's support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups and allegations Damascus was pursuing weapons of mass destruction were among key reasons behind U.S. economic sanctions in May.
Washington also wants Syria to seal its border with Iraq because of anti-U.S. insurgents and to pull its troops out of neighboring Lebanon where Damascus keeps around 14,000 soldiers under a bilateral deal with Beirut.
TEHRAN: Iran intends to further improve its Shahab-3 missiles, which already have a claimed range of 2,000 kilometres, a senior official was quoted as saying on Thursday.
The Shahab-3 missile has a range of 2,000 kilometres, Nasser Maleki, deputy director of Irans aerospace industry organisation, was quoted as saying.
Very certainly we are going to improve our Shahab-3 missile and all of our other missiles. When asked if Iran intended to produce longer-range ballistic missiles such as a Shahab-4 a device that would involve a two-stage propulsion system and possibly bring European capitals within range the official replied only that we are at the level of the Shahab-3.
Steady progress made by Iran on its ballistic missile programme is a major cause for concern for the international community, already alarmed over the countrys nuclear activities. On August 11, Iran tested an upgraded version of its Shahab-3 missile, which is believed to be based on a North Korean design. Previous figures had put the missiles range at between 1,300 and 1,700 kilometres, already bringing archenemy Israel and US bases in the region well within range. afp
Hey, like the new banner at the top.
Yesterday, I heard something that made me sit up and take notice -- then the details got lost when I had to miss part of it. On Fox News they were saying something about an "October Surprise", and seemed to be hinting at the fact that Israel is planning on taking some kind of big action against Iran.... anybody even see that?
I remember thinking, gee, dont hurt the people in Iran...
While most global concern revolves around that country's ability to amass nuclear weapons, there is a threat of another kind.
Recently 80 Christian leaders attending a religious conference in Tehran were arrested and questioned in a police raid; the detainees being driven for hours with their eyes blindfolded to disorientate them.
Officials in Tehran have been known for their harassment of churchgoers and for their monitoring of Christian churches.
Iran follows Shari'a law, which prohibits anyone from sharing his or her faith if it is not Muslim.
Iran has also told Christian groups to submit the names of those who attend their churches but so far that demand has not been meet.
The General Secretary of the Assemblies of God in Iran was killed because he would not sign a document stating that he would prevent Muslims from entering his churches.
The world watches to see if Iran will become even more of a threat, but we must never overlook the reality that they already are a real threat to religious liberty.
I'm Janet Parshall.
Kerry and Iran
In an atmosphere where the crosshairs of the global war on terrorisms are clearly trained on the state of Iran, not only for its blatant and arrogant support of groups like Hezbollah, but also for its continued effort to produce weapons of mass destruction, John Kerry is proving himself to be an ally to those seeking to impede internal revolution which would draw to a close the era of the Islamo-Fascist Mullahocracy.
The regimes apologists include Democrat favorite Hassan Nemazee, who is known to have given $80,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the re-election campaign of Bill Clinton, and is now John Kerry's main Iranian fundraiser (having raised over $100,000 during this election cycle alone). So established within the Democratic party was Nemazee that he was nominated to the post of U.S. ambassador to Argentina in 1999 by Clinton, however was forced to eventually withdrew his nomination under the weight of numerous business scandals.
Nemazee has recently brought a bogus 10 million dollar slander lawsuit upon the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran (SMCCDI), as well as it's coordinator Aryo B. Pirouznia. The SMCCDI, is a well known organization, embedded in the struggle for freedom in Iran and, most certainly, a friend of Conservative Punk and freedom loving people around the world. This lawsuit is meant not only to muzzle the SMCCDI, but to destroy it, thus halting its valuable operations. However, this lawsuite will prove to have the opposite effect, as stated on the SMCCDI website, "opening a Pandora's box for the Islamic regime's lobbyists and affiliates in the US and the Democratic Presidential nominee."
So it comes as no surprise then that Kerry's policy toward Iran seems to be Clinton-esq North Korean bargaining tactics at best, or Chamberlain style Nazi appeasement at worst. It would seem to be, in fact, pro-Islamo-Fascist, reflecting the opinions of his Iranian money men, whom are not limited to Nemazee, but include several other high level fund raisers. In what should be considered a shocking statement, nearly ignored by the mainstream press, Kerry stated during the September 30th debate with President Bush, "I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes", this is similar to saying that we should issue guns to prison inmates in order to gauge their ability to be trusted. It's foolishness undeniably raises questions about Kerry's ability to lead a war against the enemies of freedom. Mr. Kerry's stance on Iran will be soft, or perhaps it will be in his words a "kinder, gentler" stance on Iran.
Such fraternization with Fascist apologists by an American political party should not, and can not, be tolerated, especially within todays global parameters. With the stakes as high as they are, the company John Kerry keeps should be considered by the American people. We must challenge the mainstream press to bring these developments to light, and expose the depth to which the Iranian, pro-totalitarian lobby has infiltrated the Democratic party.
"How come there is no noise about the shedding of Palestinian blood but a retaliatory act is expected to be condemned so much?" Rafsanjani asked during the weekly Muslim prayers in Tehran.
"In Taba some angry people blew up a place they believed Israelis were staying. It is not known yet who has taken revenge ... and now all countries are lining up to condemn it in the media," he said.
Three suspected car bombs ripped through beach resorts packed with Israeli tourists on the Red Sea coast of Egypt's Sinai desert late Thursday.
A blast at the Hilton Hotel killed at least 24 people and caused a 10-storey wing of the building to collapse. Another two people were killed in attacks on another Red Sea resort south of Taba.
Rafsanjani hit out at the world's silence over the deadly Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 90 Palestinians have been killed in an army offensive since September 28.
"We oppose terrorism, we have suffered from that more than any other country but we do not accept that one side commit as much crime as it wishes and the other side be all submissive and have its hands tied," he said.
He referred to Tuesday's US veto of an Arab-sponsored draft resolution in the United Nations Security Council against Israel's military operation in Gaza as "the best evidence of how cruel the world justice system can be".
The Iranian Connection by David Wilder Oct 08, '04 / 23 Tishrei 5765 |
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We have all been asking ourselves the same question, over and over again. Why? What happened to Ariel Sharon? Why is he insisting that Israel abandon Gush Katif and evict people from their homes? The difficulty is compounded following the tragic events at the end of last week: Kassam missiles hitting S'derot, killing two children, aged two and four. And this on the heels of the terror mortars and missiles in N'vei Dekalim, which left a young woman dead, soldiers killed and a mother of two shot to death by terrorists. For the past few days, Israeli troops have, much to the chagrin of the Europeans, moved en masse into several key strategic points in Gaza, including the infamous Jabalya refugee camp. Dozens of terrorists have been wiped out, including major producers of Kassam missiles and those who operate them. This, in order to prevent further attacks on S'derot. In a radio interview, Ariel Sharon emphasized that all rocket attacks on S'derot and other Israeli communities must be stopped completely, "allowing the eviction to take place quietly;" i.e., not under fire. Of course, it must be asked why Sharon didn't take major offensive action many months ago, thereby preventing literally thousands of daily attacks on Gush Katif communities. It is quite clear that the State of Israel, according Sharon, is divided into different types of people: there are those who live in cities like S'derot, who have real red blood, and then there are others, like those living in Netzarim, Kfar Darom and N'vei Dekelim, whose blood isn't quite so red. Jewish sacrifices in S'derot are unacceptable; Jewish blood spilled in Gush Katif is another story. What is imponderable is what exactly Sharon expects will occur following (G-d forbid) the retreat from Gaza. Israeli forces will totally pull out, leaving the entire southern border open to attack. Hamas has promised, time after time, to hit Ashkelon. Does Sharon believe that Hamas terrorists are liars? Hamas doesn't lie, it tells the truth. They believe in the destruction of the State of Israel and they say it. They promise to kill Jews, and unfortunately, they do it. They guarantee that they will bomb Ashkelon, and I have no doubts that they will do their best to fulfill their pledge. And they have no plans to stop there. So what does Sharon think, that fleeing from Gaza will solve all our problems, that Hamas will turn into our best friends? Far from it. When you run away from terror, the terror just follows you, like a tail. You cannot escape it or avoid it. The only way to deal with terror is head on - to destroy it. Ariel Sharon is accomplishing exactly the opposite. And it is hard to believe that he doesnt know it. So, whats up? The following thesis is conjecture only. I have no proof of what I am about to say. I dont have 'connections' with 'higher-ups' who have 'leaked' information to me. Truthfully, it is very difficult, if not down right impossible, to accurately analyze the current situation, because there is too much that is unknown. You can only analyze a situation based on the data available. When critical data is unavailable, the analysis can only be defined as unreliable. That having been said, I would like to offer a possible explanation of Ariel Sharon's escapades. The key is Iran and the magic word is "nuclear weapons". Only a few days ago, Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi said, "Nobody has the right to deny Iran its right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes." The previous week, Iran defied the International Atomic Energy Agency by saying it was resuming the enrichment of uranium. Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazadeh said the country had started converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, an important step in making a nuclear bomb. According to the internationally acclaimed security publication Janes, the Iranian reactor is an authentic nuclear threat: "A heavy water reactor is among the most dangerous in existence from a proliferation perspective.... According to David Albright, Director of the Institute for Science and International Security, the IR-40 will be able to produce 8-10kg of plutonium per year - approximately one to two bombs' worth of nuclear material. The IAEA holds that 8kg of plutonium constitutes a 'significant quantity' - enough to build a nuclear weapon. How is Israel reacting to the Iranian threat? Last week, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz stated that Israel has to be prepared to deal with what he called the Iranian "threat". "All options have to be taken into account to prevent it," he was quoted as saying. Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel is "taking measures to defend itself." What's the connection between this and Gush Katif? My guess is this: Ariel Sharon knows that Israel will have to strike first against the Iranian nuclear reactor, regarding this presently as the gravest strategic threat to Israel's existence. He also knows that the mission may include preemptive strikes against Hizbullah, stationed in Lebanon, and possibly also against Syria. He also knows that the entire world will condemn these actions. In order to lessen the 'damage' as he sees it, before hitting Iran, he pulls Israel out of Gaza, in essence, saying to the world, 'Look, you see, I really want peace. I did what no other Israeli prime minister could do - now leave me alone and let me protect my country.' Then, Israeli warplanes bomb the Iranian reactor. In other words, in Sharons eyes, Gush Katif, and four Shomron communities, are a necessary sacrifice in order to remove Iran from the nuclear club. He expects that the rest of the world will leave him alone after pulling Israeli families out of their homes. He couldnt be more wrong. Israel doesn't need any excuses to destroy the Iranian threat. An Iranian nuclear bomb threatens not only Israel, but all of world peace. Where would we all be today if Israel hadn't destroyed the Iraqi nuclear plant in 1981? Iranian Islamic fundamentalist leadership would have no qualms using 'the bomb' against Israel, nor would they hesitate to use it against any Western nation, all of whom they view as infidels. Sharon's fleeing from Gaza in order to placate world opinion creates, in itself, an existential threat to our state. True, if your leg is infected and must be amputated to save your life, then there is no choice. But in this case, the infection is left festering and the healthy limb is to be removed. This also establishes a very dangerous precedent for the future. Israel will be told, in no uncertain terms, 'If you want to continue to protect yourself from outside threats, without international intervention, chop off another part of your body.' And perhaps most important, the world will never let us be. They assisted Hitler, actively or passively, sixty years ago. And they haven't changed. In other words, we must do whatever is necessary for self-preservation. And we must not play into the hands of our enemies, attempting to cosmetically 'look good', in their eyes. We must unconditionally guarantee destruction of the Iranian threat, we must stay put in all our land, and we must not allow the Iranian connection to disassemble our state. |
URGENT ACTION
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE
13/040/2004
UA 281/04 Imminent execution
07 October 2004
IRAN Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh (f) aged 33
Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh has reportedly been sentenced to death for the murder
of her husband, who allegedly tried to rape her then 15 year old daughter from
a previous marriage. She is reportedly at risk of imminent execution.
According to a 6 October report in the Iranian newspaper Etemad, Fatemeh
Haghighat-Pajouh murdered her husband in 1997. At her trial she alleged that
her husband, identified as a 30 year old man named Bahman, was a drug addict,
who had been overtly interested in her 15-year-old daughter. She also told the
trial judge that Bahman had said he had lost the girl in a gambling match. When
she later discovered that he had tried to rape the girl, she killed him.
It is not known when Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh was arrested. According to the
report in Etemad, the sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court, although
it is not known when. In Iran, all death sentences have to be approved by the
Supreme Court before they can be implemented. The Etemad report states that
her execution is expected to take place in the next few days.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty as the ultimate cruel, inhuman
and degrading punishment, in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to
which Iran is a state party. Article 6 of the ICCPR states: In countries which
have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for
the most serious crimes.
The Bush administration, as it tries to halt Iran's nuclear program, is looking like the only person in the fireworks factory warning against lighting a match. If the world doesn't stand up to the Iranian threat quickly, a bomb in the hands of the terrorist-friendly Iranian regime could be only a year or two away.
That, of course, is not the spin that comes out Tehran. There, the leadership contends that the nuclear program merely aims at satisfying domestic energy needs -- nevermind the fact that Iran has no need for nuclear power plants. The nation sits atop some 90 billion barrels of oil and untold hundreds of millions of cubic meters of natural gas, making it one of the most energy-sufficient nations on Earth.
Also, the known record of Iran's nuclear development, carried on in secret until two years ago, goes well beyond domestic power purposes. Just this week, Iran confirmed that it has converted several tons of raw uranium into a gas needed for enrichment, which is a key step toward building atomic weapons. Iranian nuclear authorities previously said they planned to process some 40 tons of uranium in that manner, a virtually unmistakable signal of bomb-making intent. At the same time, Iran revealed that it has expanded the reach of its missiles to 1,200 miles -- enough to reach Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East.
October 07, 2004
National Post
Nooredin Abedian
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell recently told the International Herald Tribune that "Iran is providing support for the insurgency in Iraq." He added, however, that "the extent of its influence over insurgent forces is not clear."
But it is very clear to Iraqis themselves -- including Iraq's Defence Minister, Hazem Shaalan. Being on the terrorists' hit-list himself, having recently lost a cousin to terrorism and having had an uncle kidnapped during last month's unrest in the city of Najaf, Mr. Shaalan cannot be blamed for rejecting Mr. Powell's diplomatic formulations. He told The Washington Post in July that Iran remained "the first enemy of Iraq," charging it with sending spies and saboteurs into his country and infiltrating the new government, including his own ministry.
Theoretically, the Iranians should have little motive for supporting Iraq's guerrillas and terrorists. Iran is largely a nation of Shiite Muslims. The same religious group constitutes a majority of Iraq's citizens, and so Shiites will likely get their way when expected elections are held next year. Moreover, the most influential and organized Iraqi Shiite parties are deeply influenced by Iran, ideologically as well as politically. During Saddam Hussein's rule, many of Iraq's Shiite leaders lived in Iran. Some Iraqi groups were even founded in Iran under direct Iranian influence, with their leaders publicly calling Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei their marja (religious guide).
The wisest course for Tehran, one would think, would be to permit a smooth transition of power following elections, and then extend influence through friendly Shiite intermediaries in Baghdad's new government. Even if the United States military were still stationed in Iraq at that time, Washington would hardly be in a position to confront a nation designated an ally by a sovereign, democratically elected Iraqi government.
Yet an overwhelming array of facts show Iran has embraced the opposite strategy. In September, Mr. Shaalan displayed an array of weapons with Iranian markings that had been captured from insurgents in Najaf after they were forced out of that city's Shiite shrines following days of bloody fighting. Dozens of Iranians captured during the clashes were shown on Iraqi television.
According to Iran's official press, there are currently more than 1,200 Iranians in custody in Iraq. Iraqi media has recently reported that a truckload containing 1,800 82 mm-mortar rounds, three mortar launchers, 250 Katyusha rockets and large quantities of explosives was seized in transit from Iran to Iraq. Iranian independent opposition sources say 4,000 Shiite clerics from Iran have been sent to Iraq since the fall of Saddam's regime. According to the same sources, thousands of Revolutionary Guards disguised as religious pilgrims have also been dispatched.
Why is Iran stirring up Iraq's guerrilla war when it might just as easily profit from a smooth transition to democracy?
The answer lies in Iran's domestic affairs: If Iran, a dictatorship, were to permit a truly democratic political structure to take root next door, it would only provide encouragement to the millions of young Iranians who have been militating for similar reforms back home.
Though Iran and Iraq fought a long and deadly war in the 1980s, the affairs of the two nations are heavily interrelated. Last year, more than five million people crossed the 750-mile-long unguarded Iran-Iraq border, many of them religious pilgrims (and this according to official figures, which are likely lower than the true numbers). Several hundred thousand Iraqis took refuge in Iran during Saddam's rule, married Iranians, and are now travelling back and forth. Two peoples with such a huge volume of religious, cultural, commercial and political ties cannot long be expected to live under totally political different regimes.
For the clerics ruling Iran, the solution is clear. Ayatollah Ali Meshkini, speaker of Iran's Assembly of Experts, an exclusive body of clerics that appoints the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, recently urged Iraqi leaders to "expel the occupiers and establish an Islamic government." And if that doesn't happen, Tehran would gladly accept ongoing bloodshed as a second choice.
Iran's rulers loathed Saddam's regime, but they at least took comfort in the fact that his Baathist political model did not pose much threat to Iran's domestic order. The same cannot be said of a democratic Iraq. Thus is Iran using its violent proxies to help tear the country apart.
In the long run, promoting stability in Iraq will require democratization in Iran -- for Tehran's theocrats will never accept a democracy on their western border. Until that day, the United States and other Western nations should hold Tehran to account for the violence and chaos it is deliberately fomenting. It is bad enough that 70 million Iranians must live under tyranny. Iraq's population must not be allowed to suffer the same fate.
nooredinabedian@mail.com; Nooredin Abedian is a writer living in France, and a former university professor in Iran.
Some of the Islamic regime's notorious apologists are intending to open their way of influence to the "US House's Select Committee on Intelligence". In this line a "fundraising" has been planned for the Honorable "Anna Eshoo" (D-14th/CA) who's a prominent US lawmaker and member of a very sensible legislative body.
The House Representative member seems to be totally unaware of her supporters background and their ultimate goals.
The main organizers and members of the Host Committee are "Susan Akbarpoor", founder of "Silicon Iran" and "Iran Today", and her husband, "Faraj-Alaei" head of the "Centillium Corp." and co-founder of the so-called "Iranian American Political Action Committee" (IAPAC). The couple and some of their related organizations are notorious for having tried, for several years, to legitimize the tyrannical and terrorist Islamic republic regime in the US.
The controversial fundraising is to take place in a Bay area home, located at 27011 DeZahara Way in Los Altos Hills - CA 94022, on October 10th from 05:00 PM. This home seems to be belonging to "Gita Kashani" who's a former head of the "Society of Iranian Professionals" (SIP) of N. California. Involved in the organization of some very controversial activities, Kashani was one of the main planners of "Technological trips to Iran", by non scrupulous US researchers, scholars and businessmen, and a well known organizer of official exchange seminars in cities, such as, Esfahan. It's to note that such actions are known to be needing the collaboration of the highest levels of the Islamic regime's Intelligence and Government in order to take place. She has since joined IAPAC and has increased her activities in a different way and which are more adapted to the current sensible circumstances.
Akbarpoor is a close friend to Hashemi Rafsanjani's daughter and a firm advocator of Kamal Kharrazi the Islamic regime's FM. Her organizations are intending to bring US Technology firms to lobby the US Administration for a recognition of the Mullahcracy and the cancellation of sanctions. She seems to have been able to attract, so far, the support of some mercantilist individuals, such as the wife of one of AT & T's main heads, to her goals.
In addition, "Hassan Nemazee", IAPAC's main co-founder who has tried to silence the Movement by initiating a costly juridical litigation, is expected to be present during Ms. Eshoo's questionable fundraising along with his long date colleague, Akbar Ghahary, the current front man of the Kerry Campaign for Iranian-Americans.
It's to note that IAPAC's initial founders, Nemazee, Alaei and Ghahary, were also Board members of the infamous and self-called "American Iranian Council" (AIC). Nemazee used of his position, as AIC Board Member, for publicly calling for the recognition of the Islamic regime, on June 1, 2002, in presence of Senator J. Kerry.
AIC, which is headed by the infamous "Hooshang Amir-Ahmadi", is still publicly trying to lobby for the recognition of the Islamic regime. It has to its dark credit the formal apology offered to Iran (meaning the Mullahs) by "Madeleine Albright", the then Secretary of State; Joe Biden's fundraising at the IMAN Islamist Center of Los Angeles headed by Sadegh Nemazikhah who's a AIC Board member; And various meetings organized between members of the Mullahs' regime, such as Mehdi Karoubi, and several US lawmakers and members of Clinton Administration. Biden is well known for having tried to use of his influence within the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee to push for resumption of ties with the illegitimate Mullahcracy.
The IAPAC's trio founders are also among John Kerry's main fundraisers. They're hoping that the election of the Democratic Candidate, as a future US President, will help to avoid Islamic regime's total collapse by boosting it via commercial and nuclear deals with Uncle Sam. Huge amounts of money are getting disbursed, at this time, by this group's members and their affiliated creations or partners, such as the self called "National Iranian American Council" (NIAC), in order to use some of non scrupulous Iranian Satellite TV and Radio networks, such as Tamasha, Channel One or 670 AM, in order to promote Candidate Kerry among the Iranian-American community.
NIAC's front man President is Titra Parsi. He was also a AIC Board member and a well known Khatami advocator. In addition to some questionable Iranian financial sources, the group is receiving financial contributions from groups affiliated to Theresa Heinz Kerry , such as Tides Foundation, and George Soros' Open Society Institute. Playing the nationalistic feelings of young Iranians, NIAC claims to be bi-partisan while in reality its heads are targeting a Democrat victory in the next US Presidential elections.
The Honorable Anna Eshoo's contact references are:
Phone: (202) 225-8104; (650) 323-2984; (408) 245-2339
Fax: (202) 225-8890 ; (650) 323-3498
E.mail: http://www-eshoo.house.gov/contact.aspx
"We do not have a concrete date for a visit by the president to Iran, but there is a firm agreement with the Iranian side that this visit will take place in the foreseeable future," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Tehran for two days starting Sunday for talks with Iranian officials that could finalize details for a trip there by Putin, Alekseyev told reporters at a briefing.
Iran is under mounting international pressure to suspend uranium enrichment activities until its nuclear program is investigated thoroughly by independent experts, and Russia is also being squeezed for assisting in its development.
Russia has called on Iran to comply with all demands from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but Alekseyev rejected suggestions that Moscow should suspend its work in Iran's civilian nuclear program. "We are working and will work with Iran in the area of nuclear development for civilian purposes," Alekseyev stated. "It has no importance whether there is pressure or not."
During his visit, Lavrov was due to discuss a series of economic projects with Iran as well as possible ways of cooperating to fight international terrorism.
"We could imagine a new document in which Russia and Iran could express their unacceptance of international terrorism and their decisive rejection of terrorist acts," Alekseyev said.