Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat

Syria Tells Troops to Be Ready for Battle
(Full Story)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has placed his military on full alert, citing "regional challenges", and vowed to continue supporting the "Palestinian and Lebanese resistance more than ever".

In a speech to mark the Syrian Army national day, Mr Assad said the volatile situation across the Middle East required "vigilance, preparation and readiness" and ordered all units of the armed forces to be on alert.

The comments were interpreted by Israel as a morale booster to the Syrian armed forces and not a call to battle. Israeli intelligence chiefs have assessed that Syria is not in the mood for an open war and is instead content to resupply Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon.

	Iranian Cleric Asks Muslims to Send Weapons to Hezbollah
	Blair Says Syria, Iran Risk Confrontation
	Iran and Syria Beat the Drums of War

Thread Thirty-Nine

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ON THE NET...

https://tips.fbi.gov/

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http://www.fbi.gov/page2/aug06/extremists080406.htm
"WANTED: ANIMAL RIGHTS EXTREMISTS
For Attempted Murder"
08/04/06

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http://losangeles.fbi.gov/pressrel/2006/la071806.htm

July 18, 2006 11000 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, Ca 90024
310-996-3804,3343,4402
Fax: 310-996-3345

"REWARD INCREASED TO $30,000 IN CASE WHERE
ANIMAL LIBERATION GROUP CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR TERRORIST ATTACK ON ELDERLY WOMAN WHO WAS UNINTENDED TARGET"

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: "On July 11, an animal rights website reported that the Animal Liberation Front or "ALF" had claimed responsibility for an improvised incendiary device left at a home in Bel Air, California on June 30, 2006. The device found outside the home, which is inhabited by a 70 year old woman and a male tenant, could have claimed the life of its unintended victims and others.

When the device was discovered, the victim contacted the fire department. Arson investigators responded and notified members of the Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force, since the incendiary device used was similar to those used by animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists. In addition, a separate residence in the neighborhood is the frequent subject of protests by animal rights groups, indicating that the victim residence was not the intended target.

The improvised incendiary device failed to ignite when left at the victim's door. It is the opinion of arson investigators that if the device had functioned properly, escape would have been difficult, if not impossible, particularly given the hillside location of the house.

A sample of the flammable liquid was taken by the Los Angeles Fire Department Arson unit for analysis, and the device will be sent to the FBI Laboratory for forensic analysis.

Anyone with information about this crime is urged to contact the FBI or their local law enforcement agency. A reward of up to $30,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person/s responsible for this crime. The FBI can be reached 24 hours per day at 310 477-6565.

This investigation will be conducted by the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, the ATF, and other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force."

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=australia

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21957_Israeli_Stabbed_to_Death_in_Sydney
(August 5, 2006)

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=21957_Israeli_Stabbed_to_Death_in_Sydney#comments

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http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20035903-2,00.html

"Two wanted after Israeli fatally stabbed"
By Paul Mulvey
August 06, 2006 04:51pm

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The man was attacked by at least two men whom witnesses say jumped out of a car, bashed him with a pole or similar object, and left him with multiple stab wounds to the back and stomach.
Witnesses said a carload of men bashed the 36-year-old victim at about 9.45pm last night, although police were uncertain how many were involved."

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Superintendent Mark Walton said detectives were trying to establish a motive but said it was not connected with the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

Supt Walton said the attack would have been over in an instant.

"These attacks last seconds rather than minutes," he said.

One of the men wanted by police is described as 178cm tall, of medium build with shoulder length dark hair and clean shaven, wearing jeans and a black top.

The second is 170cm tall, of medium build with short, dark hair.

"We are trying to determine how many people were involved but at this stage we are focused on those two men," Supt Walton said outside Bondi Police Station.

"We have neither recovered or have a good description of the weapon."

Detectives are hunting for a green Mitsubishi Pajero with New South Wales registration SVJ 201 which was seen driving in Glenayr Avenue immediately after the attack.

"The motivation in relation to this incident is unknown at this stage," Supt Walton said."

Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006/08/012555print.html

August 05, 2006

European Muslims remain silent on horrific crimes within the community citing fear of fuelling Islamophobia as the reason

As I have pointed out many times. An incisive piece by Rafia Zakaria of the Asian American Network Against Abuse of Women in India's Frontline, with thanks to all who sent this in:

SAMAIRA NAZIR WAS stabbed by her brother 18 times.
ON June 27, 2006, the two murderers of a 19-year-old honour killing victim, Ghazala Khan, were sentenced to life in prison by a Danish court. On September 23, 2005, Ghazala Khan, a Danish Pakistani, was gunned down by her own brother at a suburban Danish railway station Her crime was marrying a man of her own choice. Her husband Emal Khan survived the attack despite being shot in the abdomen. Seven other people, including an aunt and cousins, were convicted of being accessories to the murder. Perveen Khan, Ghazala's paternal aunt who had maintained contact with the couple and acted as the family's informant about the couple's whereabouts, cajoled and wheedled a reluctant Ghazala to meet her father and brother at the station for a supposed reconciliation. Following Ghazala's murder, her father Ghulam Abbass, the owner of a taxi service and reputed to be one of the wealthiest members of the Danish-Pakistani community, continued trying to kill Emal Khan, even while he was recovering in hospital.

Ghazala Khan is hardly alone in her tragic and untimely end. On July 14, 2006, the killers of 25-year-old Samaira Nazir, a British Pakistani girl, were sentenced to life in prison. In a story unparalleled in the grotesque cruelty of its execution, Samaira, who had defied her family by marrying an Afghan immigrant, was held down by her mother while her brother stabbed her more than 18 times. Her two nieces, aged two and four, were made to watch as their young rebellious aunt was given the treatment deserved by girls who defy the will of their family. When the police arrived at the behest of a neighbour who heard Samaira's screams, they found her bloodied body in the hallway of her home. A silk scarf had been tied tightly around her neck and her throat sliced three times. The two nieces, their clothes spattered with blood, watched as their aunt's body was carried away to the morgue.

Despite the alarming details of both cases, little has emerged in terms of condemnation by the European Muslim community. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the leading representative organisation of the Muslim community in Britain, has yet to denounce the killing. In the single statement on honour killings available on the group's website, the MCB asserts that the problem is found only "in a very small section" of the British Muslim community. Furthermore, the statement defensively asserts, that "such killings are not restricted to Muslim families but occur also in Sikh and Christian families".

In a position paper that follows the statement, the MCB continues its defensive rhetoric by reiterating the fact that the worst forms of punishment for women who bring dishonour to their families "affect only a small percentage of women" and that "women from other faith groups may be subject to similar attitudes from within their communities". The remainder of the report treads the delicate line between asserting the validity of Koranic injunctions that regard all extra-marital sexual relations as sinful while also condemning honour killings that are often avowedly perpetrated by family members to punish women who stand accused of just such sexual relations. While the MCB's position paper urges Muslim leaders to "take an unequivocal stance against behaviour that is direct violation of Islam", it seems that no MCB leader actually considers such advice worthy of notice. "Unwillingness to deal with the issue," the MCB asserts "is the result of an inherent distrust of perceived `Western' attempts to malign Islam in the interest of global politics."

Read it all.

Posted at August 5, 2006 06:25 PM

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678590/posts
AP

"English Tutors Complain of Chinese Abuse (Death Invloved)"
Yahoo ^ | Sat Aug 5, 2006 | AUDRA ANG

Posted on 08/06/2006 1:20:25 AM PDT by Dallas59

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "BEIJING - Tanya Davis fled Jizhou No. 1 Middle School one winter morning in March before the sun rose over the surrounding cotton fields covered with stubble from last fall's crop.

In the nine months Davis and her boyfriend had taught English at the school in rural north China, they had endured extra work hours, unpaid salaries and frigid temperatures without heating and, on many days, electricity.

Hearts pounding and worried their employer would find a pretext to stop them leaving, the couple lugged their backpacks, suitcase, books and guitar past a sleeping guard and into a taxi.

As they drove away, "the sense of relief was immense," said Davis, a petite, soft-spoken 23-year-old from Wales. "I felt like we had crossed our last hurdle and everything was going to be OK."

It's a new twist on globalization: For decades, Chinese made their way to the West, often illegally, to end up doing dangerous, low-paying jobs in sweatshop conditions. Now some foreigners drawn by China's growth and hunger for English lessons are landing in the schoolhouse version of the sweatshop.

In one case, an American ended up dead. Darren Russell, 35, from Calabasas, Calif., died under mysterious circumstances days after a dispute caused him to quit his teaching job in the southern city of Guangzhou. "I'm so scared. I need to get out of here," Russell said in a message left on his father's cell phone hours before his death in what Chinese authorities said was a traffic accident.

As China opens up to the world, public and private English-language schools are proliferating. While most treat their foreign teachers decently, and wages can run to $1,000 plus board, lodging and even airfare home, complaints about bad experiences in fly-by-night operations are on the rise. The British Embassy in Beijing warns on its Web site about breaches of contracts, unpaid wages and broken promises. The U.S. Embassy says complaints have increased eightfold since 2004 to two a week on average.

Though foreign teachers in South Korea, Japan and other countries have run into similar problems, the number of allegations in China is much higher because "the rule of law is still not firmly in place," said a U.S. Embassy official who spoke on condition of anonymity."

A bit of RECAP...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678594/posts?page=6#6
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678594/posts?page=8#8

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Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678594/posts

'Suicide bombers heading for Britain'
ITV ^ | 04AUG06 | ITV

Posted on 08/06/2006 1:32:39 AM PDT by familyop

An Indonesian militant group has said over 200 Islamic suicide bombers will target countries that support Israel, including Britain and the US.

Suaib Didu, chairman of the Jakarta-based ASEAN Muslim Youth Movement (AMYM), said militants have been trained to carry out suicide bombings to revenge Israel's military strikes on the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.

Hardline militant groups in Indonesia have made claims in the past of sending volunteers to participate in conflicts overseas which have sometimes proved exaggerated.

Didu claims over 3,000 people signed up for the mission but only 217 people from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore have been dispatched abroad so far.

Indonesia's foreign ministry said it would not advise volunteers go to the Middle East and wage war against Israel, but it also could not stop travel of citizens in general.

Australia is also a potential target being a staunch ally of the US, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. While it has been targeted in attacks in Indonesia, Australia has never suffered a major peacetime attack on home soil.

Australia and Indonesia strengthened co-operation on counter-terrorism following the 2002 nightclub bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australian tourists.

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=northkorea
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nkorea

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Thanks to Tiger Likes Rooster for this post/thread:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678596/posts

N. Korea: DPRK Scud, Rodong tests 'successful'(within 50km in radius)
Yomiuri Shimbun ^ | 08/06/06

Posted on 08/06/2006 1:37:28 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

DPRK Scud, Rodong tests 'successful'

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Six of seven missiles that North Korea test-fired on July 5 fell inside a sea zone that was put off-limits for ships in advance by Pyongyang, government sources said Saturday, adding that the missiles' accuracy indicates the tests were successful.

Soon after the launches, the government announced the six missiles, which were Rodong and Scud missiles and exclude the launch of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile, were estimated to have hit points 400 to 500 kilometers out to sea.

But the government later learned the six missiles likely slashed down in an area about 50 kilometers in radius, as North Korea had calculated.

A government official said, "The targeting accuracy of the Rodong and Scud missiles was high to a certain degree, and it proved the missiles are operational."

North Korea set the restricted area--a triangle about 160 kilometers long on each side--in the Sea of Japan off the North Korean coast between July 4 and 11.

Pyongyang had notified concerned persons in North Korea of the restricted zone.

According to Japanese and U.S. analyses based on data from radar of Aegis-equipped warships and other intelligence, the Rodong and Scud missiles traveled about 300 to 400 kilometers northeast from a missile base in Kitaeryong in the southeastern part of the country.

All the landing points were inside the designated zone and the government believes they were within an area with a radius of about 50 kilometers.

A senior Defense Agency official said it was unknown whether the missiles accurately hit targeted points. "As we don't know the target points that North Korea set, it's difficult to make that judgment," the official said.

Based on initial data from infrared monitoring by U.S. military early warning satellites, the Defense Agency released a map of the landing points on July 5.

On the map, the landing points of the six missiles were about 300 to 800 kilometers away from the launch site and most of them were outside the sea zone. As a result, some in the agency doubted the targeting accuracy of the Rodong and Scud missiles.

But it has been discovered the missiles actually fell inside the sea zone North Korea likely targeted beforehand and the senior agency official concluded the launches were relatively successful.

"Though the Taepodong-2, which came down just after the launch, was an obvious failure, the test-firing of the others, including Rodong missiles capable of hitting parts of Japan, seemed to be successful to a certain degree," the official said.

Military experts believe North Korea has 200 Rodong missiles stored in underground military facilities and other sites.

As Rodong missiles can be fired from mobile launch pads on large trucks, it is difficult to detect signs of a launch in advance.

Though the agency planned to release the result of its analysis, including the reason for the Taepodong-2 failure, early this month, the announcement will be delayed because talks with the United States will take more time, the government sources said.

(Aug. 6, 2006)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3286975,00.html

Northern War
"Kiryat Shmona: 10 killed in rocket attack"

"At least 10 Israelis killed, four others seriously wounded in massive rocket attack on Kiryat Shmona area kibbutz; Nablus Palestinians celebrate lethal attack"
Hagai Einav

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In New York a ceasefire is being discussed, but in the north the fighting continues: Ten Israelis were killed and four others were seriously injured Sunday during a rocket attack fired on Kibbutz Kfar Giladi in the Kiryat Shmona area.

Choppers were dispatched to area to assist in the evacuation of the wounded.

According to initial reports, a Katyusha landed near the kibbutz’s cemetery.

Galilee Police Sub-District Commander Danny Hadad said “this is one of the most severe incidents since the onset of the fighting in Lebanon; there are many casualties at the scene.”

Celebratory processions were held in Nablus following the lethal attack.

Cars with photographs of Hassan Nasrallah drove past with Hizbullah flags."

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TODAY'S UPDATES AND RECAP:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1678452/posts?page=39#39

http://www.ynetnews.com
http://www.jpost.com
http://www.haaretz.com
http://off-topic.internet-haganah.com/
http://www.foxnews.com

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=israel
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=2006israelwar

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=jihad

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.memri.org/iran.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=syria
http://www.memri.org/syria.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=lebanon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gaza

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hamas

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaeda
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=alqaida

200 jihad bombers ready to leave for Middle East (Indonesian)

Snip: "We give Israel 4 x 24 hours as of now to stop its military aggression agaist Palestine and Lebanon. If this ultimatum is ignored, we will not be responsible for the 200 voluntary jihad bombers who are going to leave for the two Middle Eastern countries," Indonesian Human Rights spokesman Suib Didu said here on Saturday.

He said the jihad bombers would not only launch attacks in Palestine and Lebanon but also in countries allied with Israel.

South Park episode infuriates Bosnian Muslims

Snip: The episode in question portrays the Muslim prophet alongside Christianity's Jesus Christ, Hinduism's Krishna and Buddhism's Buddha.

Enes Ljevakovic, head of the Bosnian Islamic Council, says: "The broadcast (of the cartoon) is unacceptable and we condemn it and consider it to be a kind of provocation.

Ayatollah al-Uzma Khamenai's message to the Muslim Ummah

Snip: Today Hezbollah is on the frontline of the sacred defense of the Muslim ummah and all nations of the region.

To the Zionist enemy religion, faith, mosque, church, Shiite or Sunni make no difference. It is a racist, aggressor and brutal regime. If it finds no obstacle on its way, it will spare no crime and show no mercy toward any group or nations.

Thanks to fanfan for the ping to this post.
Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1678783/posts

SERBIA WEBSITE POSTS VIDEO OF 1995 MURDER OF SERB POWS BY CROATIAN PARAMILITARY (& Bosnian Muslims)
BBC Monitoring/slobodan-milosevic.org ^ | August 4, 2006 | Andy Wilcoxson

Posted on 08/06/2006 12:27:42 PM PDT by joan

BBC Monitoring International Reports - August 4, 2006 Friday

Excerpt from report by Belgrade-based Radio B92 on 4 August

Belgrade, Zagreb, Banja Luka, 4 August: The 11th anniversary of Croatia's military Operation Storm was marked with a commemoration in St Mark's Church and a gathering in Nikola Pasic Square [in central Belgrade] today.

Following the commemoration, a protest walk from St Mark's Church to Nikola Pasic Square was organized by the Association of Families of Missing Persons from Krajina [part of Croatia formerly with Serb majority]. A resolution was read out in Nikola Pasic Square to several hundred Serbs from Croatia and the families of those killed and missing in the Croatian army operation, demanding that "Croatian officials - for the sake of peace, reconciliation and a shared life - reveal the truth about 'Storm' in which genocide against the Serb people was carried out. This should be done".

B92 has acquired a video recording compiled by the Hague prosecution showing the events on 7-8 August 1995. The video shows how members of the "Black Mamba" Croatian paramilitary unit and "Hamza" platoon of the Bosnia-Hercegovina Army settled scores with Serb soldiers but also civilians who were leaving Krajina. The participation of the latter in Operation Storm is less well known. This tape of war crimes was made with an amateur camera and those who taped it are the participants themselves.

The video recording contains a scene of the murder of an ethnic Serb who surrendered and was sitting on the ground with his hands up, the torching of houses of the exiled population from an area extending from Glina to Dvor na Uni and the abuse of elderly persons, refugees from the intercepted column.

Download video at: http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/documents/oluja.rm [33 MB RealVideo File]

Note: The following text is a quote:
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http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=373

Coalition Forces Conduct Raids, Seize Weapons, Detain Terrorists

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, August 6, 2006 –
Coalition forces conducted raids today and yesterday in two areas of Iraq, seized a large weapons cache and captured four terrorists Aug. 4, and detained three terrorists Aug. 3, U.S. military officials in Iraq reported.

Coalition forces killed one man during a raid north of Bayji, Iraq, this morning.

Recent intelligence led troops to target terrorists responsible for an attack against an Iraqi army checkpoint near Hawija yesterday, officials said. The terrorists shot and killed five Iraqi soldiers and wounded two others during the attack. Intelligence led coalition forces to a location where the terrorists were suspected to be hiding.

Troops secured multiple buildings simultaneously after arriving at the site. The man tried to grab a weapon when coalition forces entered, so they engaged and killed him.

Many women and children were present at the raid sites. None were harmed and all were returned to their homes once the troops secured the area, officials said.

Elsewhere, coalition forces killed one suspected terrorist and detained 11 others during simultaneous raids near Taji yesterday.

Intelligence from several sources led security forces to target members of an al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cell operating throughout central Iraq. The cell is known for improvised explosive device attacks and helping foreign terrorists carry out deadly attacks against innocent Iraqis and security forces in the region, officials said.

The coalition forces raided multiple buildings and detained the suspects without incident. During the assault, a vehicle rapidly approached the ground troops. The driver ignored multiple warnings to stop, so the troops engaged and killed the driver.

Upon approaching the vehicle, a working military dog indicated that explosives were present. Troops used a grenade to destroy the vehicle.

In another operation, soldiers of Battery A, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, seized a large cache of explosives and captured four terrorists in Adhamiyah in a predawn raid Aug. 4.

This raid was part of Operation Guinness, a battalion-level operation that was part of Operation Together Forward, a Multinational Division Baghdad operation concentrating on disrupting murders, kidnappings and bombings in Baghdad. The detained suspects are believed to have launched bombing attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi security forces.

In another operation, a local national’s tip led to the arrest of three terrorists Aug. 3 south of Baghdad and in a separate incident, two terrorists were killed while emplacing a roadside bomb.

While conducting an area reconnaissance mission, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, along with Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, were approached by an Iraqi citizen. The man claimed terrorists had killed his two sons and said he was willing to take the troops to homes in the area known by local residents to harbor terrorists.

The patrol continued their reconnaissance mission with the Iraqi citizen, who identified the three suspected murderers. The unit checked the names and obtained two sworn statements against the three suspects and detained the individuals for further questioning.

In a separate incident, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment scouts observed three terrorists emplacing a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad Aug. 3. After positively identifying the threat, the scouts engaged and killed two of the three terrorists, preventing a future roadside bomb attack.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

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http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2006/08/012561print.html

August 06, 2006

Official: Iran ready to expand nuclear activities

August 1939 Alert from AP, with thanks to Arjun:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Sunday that Iran will expand -- not suspend -- uranium enrichment activities, in defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
The resolution gave the Islamic Republic until August 31 to halt nuclear activities or face the threat of political and economic sanctions.

Ali Larijani called the U.N. Security Council resolution issued last week "illegal" and said Iran won't respect the deadline. "We reject this resolution," he told reporters.

"We will expand nuclear activities where required. It includes all nuclear technology including the string of centrifuges," Larijani said, referring to the centrifuges Iran uses to enrich uranium....

"We won't accept suspension," he said.

Posted at August 6, 2006 07:19 AM

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