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Top News Story Iraq's Shiites rule out Iran model Monday, January 3, 2005 Political coalition says it won't create an Islamic theocracyBAGHDAD In a surprise press conference Sunday, leaders of the Shiite-dominated coalition that is expected to prevail in national elections sought to dispel fears that they are under the secret sway of Iran, or have any desire to create an Islamic theocracy. Speaking in offices that were damaged by a car bomb just six days before, leaders of the United Iraqi Alliance urged disaffected Sunnis to join in the elections for a National Assembly, scheduled for Jan. 30....

Top StoryIran's Ebadi to run for presidency LONDON, Jan 1 (IranMania) – According to Iran Daily, news sources on Friday reported of Peace Prize Laureate, Iranian Shririn Ebadi's candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. 14 groups such as the Council in Defense of Prisoners' Rights along with independent human rights advocates are to form a coalition to back Ebadi's candidacy. This is while according to Iran's Guardian Council, the controversial term ' Rejal' explicitly mentioned in Iran's constitution in defining the characteristics of the presidential hopefuls refers to the masculinity of the candidates. Thus it is still unknown what...

Top News Story Iraqi Prime Minister warns Iran, Syria to stop disrupting peace Fri. 31 Dec 2004 Iran FocusBaghdad, Dec. 31 - The Iraqi interim-Prime Minister, Ayad Allawi, speaking on Iraqi TV today echoed comments made yesterday by Iraq’s Defence Minister, about Iranian and Syrian meddling in Iraq. “There are countries which host those who are involved in activities that are harmful to the people of Iraq”, he said. Allawi made the comments in response to a question by Al-Iraqiah satellite TV channel on Iranian and Syrian meddling in Iraq and the recent evidence that had been obtained in...

Top News Story Iran, Russia to study UFOs Scientific probe amid rash of sightings in Eastern Hemisphere Posted: December 30, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Image taken from infrared video of UFOs in Mexico in May With a rash of recent sightings of unidentified flying objects in the Eastern Hemisphere, Russia and Iran have agreed to jointly study the UFO phenomenon. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the two nations are stressing "expansion of bilateral cooperation particularly in space research and construction of satellites." In addition to the scientific look at UFOs, Russia and Iran are finalizing agreement for...

Top News Story “Car bomb work of Iranian intelligence”: Najaf chief of police Wed. 29 Dec 2004 Iran FocusBaghdad, Dec. 29 - The police chief in Najaf said that the commander of three terrorists arrested on Sunday in connection with a car bomb that exploded in the holy city, had extensive connections to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). He said that intelligence for when and where to attack was given by an MOIS agent to the terrorist cells. “Iraqi security forces had received information regarding a possible attack. The chaotic security situation, due to the burial ceremony...

Top News Story Iraq and Iran It may be a positive sign that when campaigning began for elections scheduled for Jan. 30 in Iraq, the first hot-button issue raised by Iraqi politicians was the specter of Iranian influence. American officials as well as Arab leaders are breaking no new ground when they warn in public about Iranian meddling in Iraq. They are fearful of Tehran for geopolitical reasons. They don't want Iranian-style theocracy to spread beyond Iran's borders. But it is an exhilarating novelty for Iraqis to be open about such a politically sensitive subject without fear of being...

Top News Story Grand Strategy in the Second TermJohn Lewis Gaddis From Foreign Affairs, January/February 2005 Summary: In his first four years, George W. Bush presided over the most sweeping redesign of U.S. strategy since the days of F.D.R. Over the next four, his basic direction should remain the same: restoring security in a more dangerous world. Some midcourse corrections, however, are overdue. Washington should remember the art of speaking softly and the need for international legitimacy. John Lewis Gaddis is Robert A. Lovett Professor of History at Yale. RECONSIDERATIONSSecond terms in the White House open the way for...

Top News Story Choices on Iran New York Sun Staff Editorial December 23, 2004 President Bush surely mis-underestimated himself when he spoke, during a year-end press conference this week, of his reliance on European allies to achieve American aims in Iran. "We're relying upon others, because we've sanctioned ourselves out of influence with Iran," Mr. Bush said. It can't be a good sign when the president of a superpower is going around claiming he lacks influence. It's not even accurate.The fact is that there are plenty of ways in which Mr. Bush could exercise influence on Iran. He could...

Top News - By Ali Akbar Dareini Tehran: Iran’s Air Force has been ordered to shoot down any unknown or suspicious flying objects in Iran’s airspace, an Air Force spokesman said on Saturday amid state-media reports of sightings of flying objects near Iran’s nuclear installations. "All anti-aircraft units and jet fighters have been ordered to shoot down the flying objects in Iran’s airspace," spokesman of the regular Army, Air Force Colonel Salman Mahini, said. Flying object fever has gripped Iran after dozens of reported sightings in the summer and in recent weeks. State-run media has reported sightings of unknown...

Top News Story A Special Christmas Story by Joe Katzman at December 25, 2004 03:23 AM I haven't talked about this, but over the past few weeks a number of bloggers have been working to help a certain gentleman escape from a dangerous situation in Iran and find freedom. Our Iranian friend is now out of the country and in a safe location, with people on the ground set up to help his transition and a refugee application in progress. I'm told that our Iranian friend extends his profound gratitude to the crew of elves (Gary Metz, Emily, Jack...

Top News Story Iranians lying, cheating for nukes Posted: December 24, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com The mullahs of Iran have given the E.U.-3 and the International Atomic Energy Agency their word that they will stop enriching uranium and, after negotiating back and forth for weeks, they are allowing for IAEA verification. That was the word at the end of November. So, we can all stop worrying, right? Not so fast. Not even one month later, and the mullahs have created enough exceptions to fly a Shahab-3 through. First, the Iranians insisted they needed to keep some 20 or 30...

Top News Story Iran - A New Approach The Committee on the Present Danger Policy Paper Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of Iran presents a fundamental threat to peace, for all signs point to his determination to develop nuclear weapons. Iran’s people, on the other hand, are our allies. They want to free themselves from Khamenei’s oppression and they want Iran to join the community of prosperous, peaceful democracies. The recent agreement Iran made with France, Germany and Britain to temporarily halt uranium enrichment, while it may slow down its overall program, will do so only briefly. What is needed...

Top News Story Iran Atomic Work Breaks Spirit of Accord - Diplomats By REUTERSPublished: December 21, 2004Filed at 5:37 p.m. ETVIENNA (Reuters) - Iran's decision to keep preparing raw uranium for enrichment, a step on the way to making nuclear weapons, breaks the spirit though not the letter of its pledge to freeze all such activity, diplomats said on Tuesday.Under a deal Iran reached with three EU nations to freeze all enrichment activity as of Nov. 22, preparing ``yellowcake'' uranium for enrichment is strictly prohibited. But the accord allowed Iran to finish some limited uranium conversion work that it...

Top News Story Iranians Start Questioning Role Of Religion In Politics December 20, 2004 Kuwait Times Cyrus Khaki Throughout history, it has been a frequent occurrence for countries to switch political systems, from feudal states to kingdoms and back again. It has been equally common for a country to change from a republic-based hierarchy, to the equally disputed democratic system. What is much more rare is for a nation to alter is approach to religion. The history of the Middle East is in large part a patchwork quilt of religious conflicts, shifting dogmas and fracturing of religious systems. But...

<p>To subscribe to DEBKA-Net-Weekly click HERE .</p> <p>Iranian foreign ministry spokesman announced Sunday December 19 that intelligence minister Ali Younessi would “soon” report to the government on an eight-member spy ring that gathered information for Israel. No further information was offered about the identities of the “spies,” the nature of the “information” they had gathered or when.</p>

Top News Story Iran's secret plans for 'nuclear' gas go ahead despite earlier promisesBy Damien Mcelroy(Filed: 19/12/2004)Teheran had assured European leaders that it would suspend uranium enrichment activities, but new information suggests otherwiseIran has drawn up secret plans to make large quantities of a gas that can be used to produce highly enriched uranium, despite promises to suspend enrichment activities.   Technicians work in the Isfahan nuclear facility south of Tehran Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, Iran's atomic energy chief, has authorised construction of a plant to make Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride (AHF), a gas that has many uses, from petrochemical processing...

Top News Story EU leaders call on Iran to keep nuclear engagements By Safa HaeriPosted Friday, December 17, 2004  E-mail this page    Printer-friendly page BRUSSELS, 17 Dec. (IPS) Leaders of the 25- member European Union on Friday called on Iran to keep its nuclear installations shut against closer relations with Europe.In a statement issued at the end of the EU’s Summit in Brussels, the heads of the member states expressed their readiness to intensify political and economic relations with Iran if Tehran, beside continuing suspension of enriching uranium, also take steps in fighting international terrorism and give more...

Top News Story Analysis: Rafsanjani Plots Iran Comeback Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:35 AM ET TEHRAN (Reuters) - Fears that Islamic hard-liners could exacerbate Iran's nuclear standoff with the West, scare foreign investors and worsen social tensions may pave the way for a comeback by former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Humiliated by reformists in parliamentary polls in 2000 when he failed to gain a seat, the mid-ranking cleric has set his sights on presidential elections in mid-2005. But Rafsanjani, 70, who has yet to declare he will run, must overcome stern opposition from reformists and hard-liners alike, as well...

Top News Story Iran rejects negotiations with US on N issueAFP[ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2004 08:35:43 PM ] TEHRAN: Iran Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi on Wednesday rejected any talks with the United States on the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme because of Washington's hostile attitude towards the Islamic republic. "With the existing US hostile policies, there are no grounds for negotiations with Washington. If they deal with Iran on the basis of mutual respect and equality, then we would start talks with them like other countries," he said after a weekly cabinet meeting. "There are no such conditions. In...

Top News Story Congressman Warns of Iranian Attack on U.S. BY ELI LAKE - Staff Reporter of the Sun December 14, 2004 WASHINGTON - A senior Republican congressman has been warning America's intelligence community for more than a year of an alleged Iranian plot to crash commercial airliners into a New Hampshire nuclear reactor.Since February 2003, Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania has held a series of secret meetings in Paris with a former high-ranking official in the Shah's government who has correctly predicted, according to Mr. Weldon, a number of internal developments in Iran ranging from the regime's atomic...