Free Republic

An even more devastating terrorism charge could be laid on Iran's doorstep if intelligence reports linking Iran to al-Qaeda are confirmed. Insight has learned of new links between top Iranian intelligence officials and the al-Qaeda leadership that suggest direct Iranian government involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. mainland. Documents and information provided to this magazine by a recent Iranian defector, if confirmed as authentic, could open a new front in the war on terror. The defector, Hamid Reza Zakeri, says he worked in the intelligence office of Supreme Leader Ali Khameini and personally handled security at two...

The body of American hiker Kathleen Namphy, who perished on Sunday on Mount Damavand, was eventually retrieved late Friday and was sent to Tehran's morgue Saturday morning. A group of rescuers from Iranian Red Crescent and law enforcement forces braved harsh climate to stretcher down the body of the 69-year-old honored Stanford lecturer from the brink of a nose-shaped cliff, about 4,000 meters deep. "The main reason for the 4-day delay has been ruthless weather conditions, but the rescue team, including Iran's elite mountaineers, did manage to bring down the well-preserved body Friday midnight," said a Red Crescent official. The...

The caller told Lisa Namphy that he was from the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, Iran. A hiker had come down from snow-capped Mount Damavand on Sunday with news that Namphy's mother had died on the mountain trail. Then things got worse. "There are so many conflicting stories,'' Namphy, of Palo Alto, said. ``And we have so little information. What we do know is that my mother is missing on Mount Damavand.'' Kathleen Namphy's family wasn't used to worrying about her. The 69-year-old mother, cancer survivor, veteran world traveler, peace activist and honored Stanford lecturer had been adventuring around the planet...

Quakes Jolt City Northeast of Tehran IRIB News 2004/02/22 08:57:53 Þ.Ù Tehran, Feb 22 - As many as 23 tremors jolted on Saturday vicinity of Damavand in the northeast of the capital city of Tehran. Tehran University Geophysics Institute affiliated to the National Geophysics Organization said the tremors measured 1.2-4.4 degrees on the Richter scale. It also registered the time of their occurrences from 10:00-21:00 hours local time (5:30 GMT-16:30 GMT). There are no reports on possible injuries or damage. It added earthquakes are frequent occurrences in Iran, a country sitting in major fault lines. Iran is situated on some...