Free Republic

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned against any military strike on Iran in an interview published on Saturday. The United Nations Security Council has demanded Iran suspend uranium enrichment by the end of the month after Tehran failed to persuade the international community its atomic scientists were working on power stations, not bombs. Washington has declined to rule out military strikes as a solution to the nuclear dispute. "The conflict between the United States and Iran must be resolved through diplomatic channels and direct dialogue, because any strike on Iran means the end of stability in the region...

That sounds a bit ominous... Iran: Khamene'i Message Greets Congress of University Students' SocietyIRNA (Internet Version-WWW)Saturday, August 19, 2006 Shiraz, Fars Prov, Aug 19, IRNA -- The Islamic Society of University Students opened its 8th national congress in this southern city Saturday with an inaugural message from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.In an inaugural ceremony, the Supreme Leader's message to the congress was read for him by the representative of the Vali-ye Faqih (religiousjurisprudent) in universities. "Dear university students! I hereby greet you one by one and pray that God Almighty would grant you a more prosperous and dignified future...

Excerpt - TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Saturday launched a series of large-scale military exercises aimed at introducing the country's new defensive doctrine, state-run television reported. The television report said the military exercise would occur in 14 of the country's 30 provinces and could last as long as five weeks. The first stage of the maneuvers began with air strikes in the southeastern province of Sistan va Baluchistan, the report said. ~ snip ~ The military exercise, involving 12 infantry regiments, is called "The Blow of Zolfaghar," in reference to a sword that belonged to Imam Ali, one of...

Iran will launch a series of large-scale military maneuvers across the country and has not made plans for an end to the ongoing war games, the army said Thursday. "The maneuvers are aimed at introducing Iran's new defensive doctrine," military spokesman Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted as saying by state-run television. He said the exercises would begin on Saturday in the south east of the country. "It will continue in the whole of Iran, stage by stage for an unspecified period," Ashtiani said. The announcement came as Iran faces heightened international scrutiny because of its contentious nuclear program and...

Tehran, Iran, Aug. 16 – Iran will launch a new round of war-games later this week, putting on display new Iranian-make armaments, a top military commander announced on Wednesday. The military exercises involving land and air combat forces will begin Saturday in several border provinces where anti-government protests have been most rampant. “We must show the enemies the Islamic Republic’s military capability”, the deputy commander of the regular armed forces, Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, told reporters. Ashtiani said that the manoeuvres, code-named “Zolfaghar”, will be in support the policies of the government and in particular the Foreign Ministry, a possible...