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Top News Story Iran and Europeans Open a New Round of Negotiations Virginia Mayo/Associated PressAt a news conference yesterday in Brussels, from left, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier of France, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain, Hassan Rowhani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator; Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of Germany; and Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief. By ELAINE SCIOLINO Published: December 14, 2004 RUSSELS, Dec. 13 - Iran and its European partners pledged Monday to work to overcome their differences and lingering suspicions as they began negotiations for a long-term agreement on nuclear, economic and security cooperation.The largely ceremonial...

Top News Story Dec. 12, 2004 3:24  | Updated Dec. 12, 2004 16:06Feith to 'Post': US action against Iran can't be ruled out By CAROLINE GLICK Douglas Feith Photo: DOD The Natanz nuclear facility in Iran is seen in this Aug. 29, 2002, satellite image taken by DigitalGlobe's high-resolution imaging satellite QuickBird. Photo: AP (File) The US hopes that Iran will follow Libya's lead in abandoning its nuclear program, but nobody should rule out the possibility of military action against Teheran's nuclear sites if it does not, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith told The Jerusalem...

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Top News Story Tapping the hornets' nest By Michael Rubin During the U.S. presidential campaign, debate over Iran policy received unprecedented attention. The reasons are multifold. With Iran on the verge of developing both nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile capability, Washington policymakers can no longer ignore the Iranian threat, especially when confidants of Supreme Leader Ali Khomenei lead televised chants of "American will be annihilated," as Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati did last June. American concern over a nuclear Iran is multifold. The danger is not necessarily that Iran would conduct a nuclear first strike, although former president Ali Akbar Hashemi...

Top News Story Iranian Dissidents to form united referenfum front By Eli Lake and Safa HaeriPosted Tuesday, December 7, 2004  E-mail this page    Printer-friendly page By Elie LakeNEW YORK, 7 Dec. (The New York Sun) After years of bitter internal divisions and a series of crackdowns from the Islamic Republic, the Iranian democratic opposition in the last two weeks has organized a united front to push for a referendum on the powers of the supreme leader.In an exclusive interview with “The New York Sun”, a founder of the new front, which comprises the major student groups as well...

Top News Story Bush administration planning to increase pressure on Iran BY WARREN P. STROBEL Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON - (KRT) - As 150,000 U.S. troops battle to stabilize Iraq, some officials in the Bush administration are already planning to turn up the heat on another member of the president's axis of evil. Officials in the White House and the Defense Department are developing plans to increase public criticism of Iran's human rights record, offer stronger backing to exiles and other opponents of Tehran's repressive theocratic government and collect better intelligence on Iran, according to U.S. officials, congressional aides...

Top News Story Report: Iran Has Tried Arrested Al Qaeda Members Mon Dec 6, 2004 05:45 PM ET TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's judiciary has tried a number of arrested al Qaeda members and verdicts have been issued, a senior judiciary official was quoted as saying on Monday. Tehran Justice Department head Abbasali Alizadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency Iran's "high-ranking officials are satisfied with the issued verdicts," but did not elaborate on what the verdicts had been. News of the trials is likely to anger Washington which has repeatedly called on Iran to hand over all al Qaeda...

Top News Story Iran tells UN: sites off limitsFrom correspondents in TehranDecember 5, 2004IRAN said today it was not obliged to allow UN atomic energy agency inspectors to visit military sites alleged to be involved in secret nuclear weapons work, but that it was willing to discuss the issue. "It is not a matter of unlimited commitments and unlimited inspections," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters when asked if International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams would be able to probe two suspect military facilities. "We will act in accordance with the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), our duties...

Top News Story Watchdog 'bowed to pressure from Iran' on bomb materialsBy Damien McElroy, Foreign Correspondent(Filed: 05/12/2004)The world nuclear watchdog dropped a claim that Iran bought large quantities of a metal used to trigger explosions in atomic weapons after bowing to objections from Teheran.The International Atomic Energy Agency at first accepted Western intelligence reports that the Islamic republic had bought "huge amounts" of beryllium from "a number of nations", but removed the claim from its final report on Iranian compliance with nuclear non-proliferation rules, published 10 days ago.   IAEA Director General Mohammad ElBaradei An earlier draft of the...

Top News Story Iran To Reject IAEA Resolution In Near Future - Hardline Paper By Safa HaeriPosted Thursday, December 2, 2004  E-mail this page    Printer-friendly page PARIS-TEHRAN First of Dec. (IPS) “The resolution that the international nuclear watchdog passed on Iran in November and all its clauses that are imposed on Iran would be declared as void in coming months”, an advisor to the Iranian leader predicted on Wednesday.The forecast came two days after Iran reached a painful agreement with Britain, France and Germany in Vienna and as a consequence, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saved Tehran...

Top News Story Rumsfeld warns Iran making 'a lot of mistakes' Thu Dec 2, 7:08 PM ET  Politics - AFP WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Iran was "making a lot of mistakes" but said any action to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons was a call for President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and other leaders to make. AFP/File Photo   Rumsfeld was asked in an interview with Fox News television whether the United States could allow Iran to become another North Korea (news - web sites), which is believed to have nuclear...

Top News Story Arms Inspectors Said to Seek Access to Iran SitesBy WILLIAM J. BROAD, DAVID E. SANGER and ELAINE SCIOLINO Published: December 2, 2004 his article is by William J. Broad, David E. Sanger and Elaine Sciolino.VIENNA, Dec. 1 -International inspectors are requesting access to two secret Iranian military sites where intelligence suggests that Tehran's Ministry of Defense may be working on atomic weapons, despite the agreement that Iran reached this week to suspend its production of enriched uranium, according to diplomats hereThe inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency base their suspicions on a mix of satellite...

Top News Story Iran In Focus: 2004-12-01 by Guest Author at December 1, 2004 05:12 AM Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Iran, courtesy of DoctorZin at Regime Change Iran. TOP TOPIC Blogger Adventures of Chester looks at The Future of the Iranian Nuclear Program. A four-part series: first, second, third, and fourth. I have my own, faster recap of recent diplomatic maneuverings, and where Iran's A-bomb program stands now. US News & World Report exposes Iran's effort to see US efforts in Iraq fail. Dan...

Top News Story U.S. may seek lone push on Iran sanctionsMon 29 November, 2004 18:02 By Louis Charbonneau and Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran has escaped U.N. censure over its nuclear programme but Washington, which accuses it of seeking an atomic bomb, says it reserves the right to take the case to the Security Council on its own.The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a U.N. watchdog, passed a resolution approving Iran's week-old suspension of sensitive nuclear activities as part of a deal between Tehran and the European Union. Crucially, and in line with Iranian demands, the resolution described...

Top News Story Iran Backs Away From Demands on A-Bomb Fuel By ELAINE SCIOLINOPublished: November 29, 2004 ARIS, Nov. 28 - Iran on Sunday backed off a demand to operate uranium enrichment equipment that could be used either for energy purposes or in a nuclear bomb-making project, European and Iranian officials said. The Iranian retreat appeared to salvage a nuclear agreement reached Nov. 15 between Iran and France, Britain and Germany to freeze all of Iran's uranium enrichment, conversion and reprocessing activities. It also paves the way for the 35 countries that make up the ruling board of the...

Top News Story Iran Reasserts Its Right to Enrich Uranium as Standoff PersistsBy NAZILA FATHIPublished: November 28, 2004 EHRAN, Nov. 27 - Iran's foreign minister said Saturday that Iran had every right to keep, for research purposes, some centrifuges that could be used to enrich uranium, an indication that a standoff on the country's nuclear program may not be easily resolved. "Iran's demand to keep 20 centrifuges is not against its commitments," said the minister, Kamal Kharrazi, the IRNA news agency reported. In talks in Paris with Britain, Germany and France, Iran agreed on Nov. 15 to freeze all...

Top News Story Iran and Europe Negotiate to Try to Save Nuclear Agreement By ELAINE SCIOLINOPublished: November 27, 2004 IENNA, Nov. 26 - Iran and its European partners struggled Friday to salvage their agreement committing Tehran to freeze an important part of its nuclear program, European and Iranian officials said. But the two sides were so far apart that their talks were put off until Monday.The agreement was thrown into jeopardy this week after Iran announced plans to operate 20 centrifuges that can enrich uranium that could be used either for energy purposes or in a project to make...

The US media has finally discovered Iran. For the past few years the media has largely ignored 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)....

The US media has finally discovered Iran. For the past few years the media has largely ignored 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)....