time.com cartoon of the week

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West opposed to Iran-IAEA constructive cooperation

A move by the US, Britain and France on release of 10 pages of additional questions over Iran's peaceful nuclear program was aimed to counter the constructive cooperation between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, a diplomat said here Thursday.
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Ahmadinejad:Iran Monitoring US Military Moves in Region

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Wednesday said his country is monitoring US military moves in the region very closely, stressing that Islamic Republic officials are ready for all possible conditions.

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Iran Starts Industrial Enrichment

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here Wednesday said that his country has started uranium enrichment at an industrial scale since the beginning of the current Iranian year, (started March 21).

Ahmadinejad:

"Industrial enrichment started at the beginning of the year when I was in Natanz and it has continued since then,"

Iran's nuclear activities are at an industrial scale, carried out under the inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA

Government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham :

"We are moving on a path which leads to industrial (enrichment) technology and we want to use this technology for our nuclear power plants in a peaceful way and within the regulations," Elham said in response to the question if Iran intends to increase the number of its centrifuges to over 3,000.
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USA soldiers in persian golf

Israel 's anger indicates ElBaradei’s report is positive

Harsh attacks against the IAEA and its Director General Mohamed ElBaradei by the Zionist officials indicates that the agency’s report is in favor of Iran, said MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh here on Monday.

“This position indicates that the International Atomic Energy Agency director general’s report will be in favor of Iran,” Falahatpisheh, a member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the Mehr News Agency. Iran and the IAEA agreed on a timetable in August for Tehran to provide answers to remaining questions over its nuclear program. The IAEA is set to release its report to the IAEA Board of Governors on November 23 and 24. On nuclear proposals by European foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal, he said the security committee plans to review both proposals so to “see what their nature is.” If the plans are intended to deprive Iran of its right to nuclear enrichment, they will be rejected, he explained. Saudi foreign minister said recently that his country and the other five members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council had suggested setting up a consortium, possibly based in Switzerland, to provide enriched uranium to Iran to defuse its confrontation with the West over its nuclear plans. Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin in his recent trip to Tehran carried any messages from the U.S. President George W. Bush to Iranian officials, the MP said, “Westerners had pressured him (Putin) to be Bush’s messenger, but Putin had not accepted.”

http://www.mehrnews.com/en

The lonesome cowboy of the Middle East

As the crises become more acute in the Middle East and South Asia and developments rapidly change in the region, the United States is on the precipice of a major foreign policy and security crisis.

The critical situation in Pakistan, the uncertain future of Pervez Musharraf’s government, the rise in bombings in Afghanistan, the fact that the Turkish army is on alert on the border of northern Iraq, the dispute over the presidential election in Lebanon, and the increased tension in the occupied territories of Palestine are giving rise to a situation that will shake the position of the U.S. in the region. Pakistan, a nuclear power which is regarded as an ally of the United States, is in a bleak political situation due to the current national crisis. If instability rises in Pakistan, the country’s nuclear arsenal could become a major security issue for the region and the world. U.S. officials are becoming worried because hardliners could take power if General Musharraf is not able to control the situation, and then the country’s nuclear arsenal could threaten U.S. interests in the region. Turkey, another military ally of the U.S. and an important member of NATO, is at a sensitive juncture. It has deployed its troops on Iraq’s northern border, and a protracted struggle between the Turkish army and the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) seems likely. Of course, recent developments in northern Iraq have raised concerns in the White House, and the U.S. is trying to prevent the Turkish army from attacking PKK hideouts in the impassable heights of Iraqi Kurdistan. This has caused problems for Turkey’s Islamist government and influenced the country’s relations with the U.S. If the PKK issue is not resolved in a way acceptable to the Turkish government, relations between Turkey and the United States will seriously deteriorate. In Afghanistan, the Taleban and Al-Qaeda are increasing their forces and expanding their operations against NATO and ISAF (the International Security Assistance Force), and this will intensify the crisis in the country. Events in Afghanistan will surely cause some differences among the United States’ military allies since it is becoming increasingly difficult for NATO and ISAF forces to deal with the current level of casualties. The increased violence in Palestine and the Zionist regime’s siege of Gaza City could cast a shadow over the Autumn Peace Conference and eventually lead to its failure. In Lebanon, the deadline for holding the presidential election is approaching and disputes between the March 14 and March 8 groups are rising, which will lead to unpredictable developments. In fact, it is the interference of the U.S. and France in the internal and electoral affairs of Lebanon which has led to the current political stalemate in the country. In Iraq, George W. Bush’s former allies are distancing themselves from him, the wave of violence is swelling, and U.S. forces are becoming more and more drained, making it more difficult for them to remain in the country. With the situation about to spin out of control in the Middle East and many of Washington’s close allies in the region experiencing internal crises, the United States is facing a major foreign policy crisis. Clearly, if the U.S. does not revise its Middle East policy and does not seek new allies in the region, it will face a political crisis that will influence the 2008 presidential election. Now many of Bush’s old associates blame him for his aggressive policies that have been implemented throughout the world and believe that the current situation is harmful to U.S. interests. Thus, it is not surprising that Bush’s friends have dubbed him the lonesome cowboy of the Middle East.

http://www.mehrnews.com/en

Ahmadinejad: Iran should get ready for its global missions

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday, "We should get ready to carry out our significant missions in the world." The president made the remark while addressing students, professors and officials of Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran.

"We should first resolve our geopolitical issues and then prepare ourselves for the next move," he said.

The enemies try to convince the world that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not capable of handling its own affairs, he said, adding that "In my belief the God Almighty will humiliate the big powers." The enemies try to create obstacles to deviate Iran from path of development and success, said the president. keep reading

Iran keen to boost ties with Africa

The seminar on Iran-Africa Trade Opportunities kicked off here on Monday, with high-ranking officials stressing the expansion of bilateral economic ties

Mas’ud Mirkazemi, the commerce minister, announced that Africa’s exports to Iran show a 165 percent rise during 2001-2007 while its imports from Iran was tripled in the period keep reading

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad :Arrogant world angry with Iran-Africa cooperation

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Monday that the arrogant world today is frowned over cooperation between Iran and Africa.

President Ahmadinejad told a group of ministers attending the Seminar of Iran-Africa Trade Opportunities that Iran and African states, which have abundant financial and human resources, are in today's world in need of very serious, all-out and close cooperation. keep reading

Anti-war activists do battle over intervention in Iran

An acrimonious war of words has broken out between notable luminaries within the anti-war movement after the Stop the War Coalition refused to allow a group that campaigns against military intervention in Iran to join its ranks.

The decision has prompted a number of prominent activists, including Peter Tatchell and Michael Mansfield QC, to accuse the coalition of being apologists for the Iranian government by "refusing to allow any criticism" of the Tehran regime.

Hands Off the People of Iran (Hopi), a small group of predominantly Iranian exiles who campaign for regime change in Iran but are against external military intervention, were told last month they could not be affiliated to the Stop the War Coalition after their application was rejected by a vote at the anti-war coalition's annual meeting. Members of Hopi said they have been "excommunicated" because of their vociferous opposition to the Tehran regime.

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Iran Has a Right to Seek N. Technology

Some call it "the nuclear double standard;" others, "nuclear apartheid;" still others, "America's nuclear hypocrisy." But it has rarely been expressed as baldly as it was during the last days of October 2007.

Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and Randall Forsberg, the genius behind the 1982 Central Park nuclear freeze rally, which the New York Times called the largest political demonstration in American history, both died - with exquisite irony, within a few days of each other.

As if that didn't illustrate enough the tensions of the nuclear age, two Bush administration officials - United Nations Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and deputy State Department spokesman Tom Casey - made simultaneous remarks that illuminated the nuclear double standard more starkly than ever. keep reading

British MPs Underline Iran's N. Rights

A group of British lawmakers, currently on a visit to Tehran, reiterated Iran's right to possess nuclear technology in a meeting with their Iranian counterparts, a prominent Iranian lawmaker said.

"The head of the British parliamentary delegation reiterated Iran's right to possess nuclear technology several times during the meeting," rapporteur of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Kazem Jalali told FNA following a meeting between the two sides here in Tehran on Monday . keep reading

Mofaz’s shameful and arrogant suggestions

Since Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed a deal on August 21 to clear up the remaining questions about Iran’s nuclear activities Israel and U.S. became too angry and started leveling charges against the IAEA and its director Mohamed ElBaradei.

This angriness and impudence is becoming more and more naked as Iran and the IAEA are actually succeeding to resolve all differences one by one, especially after ElBaradei stressed in an interview with CNN on October 28 that there is no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons keep reading

US Will Not Win Iran War

VIENNA, Austria, Nov. 10--

The US will not win if it opts for a new war with Iran, Germany’s former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Saturday. Any US attack on Iran would be a ’nightmare’, said Fischer during a discussion at Vienna’s Institute for Human Sciences, IRNA reported. He described as ’shocking’ comments on the issue made by Rudolph Giuliani, who is one of the Republican candidates for the 2008 presidential election. Giuliani said last month: “If I become president of the United States, I guarantee you, we will never find out what they will do if they get nuclear weapons, because they are not going to get a nuclear weapon.““The military option is not off the table.“Fischer said the upcoming elections in Iran and the US could heighten tensions between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear program. He warned the US not to start another war that could not be won. The United States is spearheading international efforts to thwart Iran’s atomic work, but Iran denies western charges that it is trying to build atomic weapons. source

Bush extends Iranian asset freeze

President George W. Bush on Friday extended by one year a freeze of Iranian government assets in the United States that has been in place since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the White House said.
The measure was ordered by then president Jimmy Carter on November 14, 1979, 10 days after students took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran where they eventually held about 60 hostages for 444 days. The crisis led to the end of U.S.-Iranian diplomatic relations in 1980. The asset freeze, which has been renewed every year, is a source of resentment in Iran. Washington has since reinforced a sanctions regime on the Islamic Republic. The United States is also pushing for UN sanctions to punish Iran for its refusal to halt its nuclear program.source

The 5+1 Has Accepted 3.000 Centrifuges for Iran”

• Russian Foreign Affairs Minister was the last high-ranking personality who met Mr. Ahmadinejad on 30 October


• Iran had put into operation more than 3,000 centrifuges and every week we install a new series, Mr. Ahmadinejad had said last month.

Paris, 7 Nov. (IPS) The United States has sent a message to Iran, saying they are ready for talks in case Iran “stops its nuclear activities at 3.000 centrifuges“, the fanatic Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed Wednesday.

“The Big Ill-humoured (the new name Ahmadinejad is bestowing to the United States) has sent a message to the Islamic Republic, saying if you stop at the level of 3.000 centrifuges, we are ready to talk (to you) “, the President told people at Birjand, the capital city of the Southern Khorasan Province, bordering with Afghanistan.

“On behalf of the Iranian people, I told those who brought the message that we had not asked anybody to talk to put conditions for us”, Mr. Ahmadinejad said. keep reading

The Iranian Challenge

• Although the ruling clergy in Iran are very unpopular, they are not going anywhere anytime soon.



• Iran often conceals its real objectives behind layers of ideological rhetoric, with the aim of confusing potential enemies



• Intrusive inspections is the best tool to ensure that Iran doesn't divert its civilian program into a military one.

Iran will be the top foreign policy challenge for the United States in the coming years. Washington’s failure to understand Iran is partly because it for a long time could afford to ignore that country – and adopt self-serving and ultimately false assumptions about Tehran.

Today, Washington can no longer afford to be in the dark about the realities of Iran. For the next President of the United States to be successful in dealing with Iran, he or she must first reassess these assumptions before a new policy can be adopted.

In the piece below, published in a special edition of The Nation Magazine, he discusses these assumptions and describes how Washington can change Iran’s behavior by modifying its own.keep reading

IRGC Commander Highlights Iran's Security

Commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari :

Despite enemies' plots and threats, our Islamic country enjoys tranquility and security, but sustainable peace and security requires vigilance and preparedness of the armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in particular.

Ahmadinejad meets People

Iranian envoy says Iran playing key role in regional equations

Iran's Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi :

Highlighting stance of Iran at Istanbul conference, he said Iran has adopted crystal clear and supportive stands in dealing with Iraq's neighbors but the latest proposal to save Iraq from current situation demonstrates Iran's significant role in regional equations.

Iran's stands at Istanbul conference focused on administration of Iraq's internal affairs by the Baghdad government, withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq, forging the country's national unity and solidarity, postponement of referendum on future of Kirkuk and campaign against terrorism, he said.

Iran also called on neighboring states to contribute to Iraq's reconstruction, play an active role in restoring security to the war-stricken country, reopen their embassies and help rehabilitate Iraqi army.

In the conference, Iran's humanitarian aid and assistance were outlined for the audience, Qomi pointed out.

"We are now trying to liberate Iranian diplomats kidnapped by US troops in Iraq," Qomi underlined.

The Iraqi president who is pursuing the case is very optimistic about settlement of the issue and release of the Iranian diplomats as soon as possible, he said.

Reliable resources declare that the kidnapped Iranian diplomats might be freed on Friday.

No discord among Iranian officials on nuclear issue

Iran says there is no discord among high-ranking Iranian officials over the country’s nuclear issue.

Iran’s approach to the nuclear issue is based on specific directives, and the framework of the activities is according to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, therefore there is no disagreement between the Iranian officials, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini told the London-based newspaper. As an active signatory to the NPT, Iran has been very cooperative with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and all official reports, from the beginning of the activities until now, have proved this fact, he added. He also noted that Iran believes the Persian Gulf should be a safe and peaceful place for all the littoral countries.

Iran will study any offer guaranteeing its nuclear rights

Iran will consider all proposals that will guarantee its nuclear rights, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Monday.

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s offer, which was made two years ago, on the establishment of a nuclear consortium still exists, Hosseini told reporters in reference to a similar offer by Saudi foreign minister to set up a consortium to provide enriched uranium for Iran, Persian Gulf Cooperation Council members, and other Middle East countries. Region can not tolerate more crises Hosseini shrugged off the foreign media propaganda about a possible U.S. attack against Iran, adding, “The region is not ready to tolerate a new crisis and the United States is not able to carry out such a thing.” keep reading

Ahmadinejad: Iran's N. Progress Irrevocable

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad underlined here on Wednesday that his country may not retreat along the nuclear path.

"The nuclear progress of the Iranian nation is irrevocable," Ahmadinejad told a fervent crowd in the city of Birjand on the first leg of his visit to Southern Khorassan province. keep reading

Iran's Power to Strike US Interests

Lieutenant commander of Iran's Armed Forces warned Washington against an invasion of the Islamic Republic, saying that his country holds sufficient information, data and possibilities to strike US interests

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking to create tension in the region…while it has organized its defensive preparedness and capabilities in such a way that it is capable of pushing enemy into withdrawal," General Masoud Jazayeri said. keep reading

West opposes legal investigation of Iran nuclear dossier: expert

The U.S. and some European countries are by no means willing the Iranian nuclear dossier to be investigated through a “legal channel”, international expert Davud Hermidas Bavand said here on Saturday.

Political directors from 5+1 group (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) met in London on Friday to discuss new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. However, China and Russia objected calls for a new set of sanctions on Iran.

The 5+1 group would push for a third UN Security Council resolution unless the forthcoming reports from European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and the head of UN atomic watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei showed ""a positive outcome"". keep reading

Enemy Troops Escape after Iran's Warning

Commander of the Iranian army :

Units of alien troops deployed at Iran's borders with one of its neighboring countries abandoned their position in a great hurry after they received a warning from Iranian forces.

"Several alien troops were stationed in a wrong position by mistake and after they received a warning from the army they left the area in a great hurry and in such a manner that it looked like an escape., noting that the incident happened while he was inspecting a border region on Sunday.

The General did not mention the name of the neighboring country or nationality of the troops, but he seemed to be pointing to the US or British troops deployed at Iran-Iraq borders as he used the word "alien" - an adjective normally used by Iranian officials to describe trans-regional foes, the US to be precise. source

Ahmadinejad: Iranians prepared to safeguard their faith, virtues

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad :
Iranian nation are well-prepared to safeguard their faith and virtues, which are the key to their prosperity.

Addressing huge gathering of people at the mass funeral ceremony of 65 martyrs of the eight-year Sacred Defense here on Tuesday, President Ahmadinejad said Iranian nation should remain loyal to the lofty ideals and goals of martyrs.

President Ahmadinejad said faith and spirituality are the key to chastity of mankind in today's world.

Iran Decides Next US President

In classical strategy, there are nine specific strategic situations in classical strategy. Each of them demands a very specific response. In the ultimate situation, called the do-or-die situation, the only response is to fight with everything you have. This brings us to the problem of Iran.


click to solve the puzzle
Is preventing a nuclear Iran a do-or-die situation? I think most independent Americans recognize that it is. This creates a serious political problem for both parties. If Bush takes any visible action before the end of his term (and sooner is always better in terms of strategy), the war with Iran becomes Bush’s war, like Iraq, and the Republicans lose the next election. However, if Bush refuses to act, the Democrats are forced to take a position on Iran, and, with their large anti-war base, are put in a no-win situation, where they have to choose between subtantial percentage of their base or the majority of independents. This is why both Hillary and Armadinejad would like to goad Bush into taking action before the next election. Interesting situation, isn’t it? source

Anniversary of 'Students Day' honored

Islamic Associations of Independent Students, Basij members studying in universities and the office to consolidate unity marked anniversary of 'the Students Day'.

They issued a five-point statement at the end of the rally.

"Almost three decades after victory of the Islamic Revolution and passing through crises and struggle with hostile approach of the enemies in both software and hardware areas, the revolutionary awakening has dealt a blow to the western liberal democracy.

"The Islamic Revolution took place in the East during the 20th century, an era referred to as the end of morality, ethics and religion. It served the beginning of the revolutionary and religious teachings whose message was campaign against bullying and
war-mongering powers," the statement said.

It said that November 4, 1978 served as a turning point of the Islamic Revolution culminated in February 11, 1979 and it was symbol of solidarity, wisdom, insight and campaign against tyranny.

"The scandal of Abu Ghraib prison, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Qana, Holocaust and Palestine are stains in the face of so-called western humanism which has ignored rights of nations in the past half century. What feature in the western world is the superiority of wealth and power to control the nations and plunder their wealth." The statement said that the Islamic Revolution and the tenets of late Imam Khomeini are flourishing in an era which is thirsty for morality, ethics and religion and the growing conversion to Islam of the Europeans and Americans indicates how the people embrace Islam

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Iranian nation firm to gain its nuclear rights

Iran Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said here Sunday that the great Iranian nation is determined to gain its nuclear rights through perseverance despite the opposition of the US and its allies.

Addressing a ceremony marking the Aban 13 (November 4) takeover of former US embassy in Tehran, Pourmohammadi said :

Americans had in the nuclear case piled up high pressure on Iran so as to bring it to its knees.

when the US and its allies realized that they cannot push another resolution against Iran through the UN Security Council, they started to take the illegal and political action of issuing unilateral sanctions against Iran over its peaceful nuclear program.

Iranians are confident that such sanctions would not be the least effective.

Iranian nation has shown in practice that is capable of withstanding sanctions. Officials, however, should try to take necessary arrangements and plans so as to prevent any halt in the country's development.

US Seeks Control over Mideast Oil under Pretext of Al-Qaeda

An Iranian MP said that the Untied States sought to dominate the Middle-East and its oil reserves under the pretext of campaign against terrorism, al-Qaeda and Bin Laden in particular.

"The Untied States has deployed its military troops in 8 different countries in the region in a bid to control oil reserves and secure free flow of oil

Once it was known that the world oil reserves are mainly located in the Middle-East, the United States launched efforts to dominate the region as it found out that controlling oil reserves would mean controlling the world's affairs

keep reading

Attacking Iran Is A Really, Really Bad Idea

If you think through the consequences of attacking Iran preemptively, the risk-reward ratio seems most unfavorable.
The best-case upside is that Iran is disarmed permanently, and everyone shrugs their shoulders and accepts it. What are the chances, really, that will happen?
The worst-case downside is appallingly bad. It could rally the Iranian population behind that mullahs - a population that right now is very unhappy with their leadership, and somewhat pro-American. That would all be swept away, and even worse, it could rally the majority Sunni muslims behind the minority Shi'ites in Iran in a way no other event possibly could. It would be the polarization of the West versus Islam that Osama bin Laden has long been seeking. It could end the disunity in the Muslim world that thus far has worked to the West's advantage. keep reading

Ahmadinejad Blasts Powers' Misuse of Media

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said bullying powers make an instrumental use of the world media in a bid to humiliate other nations and cultures and to channel world relations into their own interests through distorting realities. keep reading

Iran is bad ,Pakistan is good

There’s some really interesting commentary over on Reddit about the discrepancy between how USA treat Iran and how USA treat Pakistan. Here are some of the quotes that highlight the issue:

• 
  Pakistan has a military dictator who came to power in a coup, Iran has a democratically elected President.


• Pakistan has nuclear weapons, Iran may be acquiring the “knowledge” of nuclear, but according to El Baradei (UN’s nuclear inspector) there is no evidence of nuclear bombs.


• Pakistan supported the Taliban and currently harbors Bin Laden, Iran was openly hostile to the Taliban.


• America supports Pakistan and wants to bomb Iran “back to the stone age. WTF?


• The leader of Pakistan is the president and the leader of Iran is not.


• Iran has oil. Pakistan doesn’t.


• Iran does not do what the USA tells it to do. Pakistan does.

So what’s the reason for USA treating these two countries differently? Is it purely because of the puppet dynamic or is Iran really more dangerous than Pakistan?
Should USA be more concerned about Pakistan (and their existing nuclear weapons) falling into the hands of radical Muslims than of Iran getting some in the future? Isn’t that a major concern if Musharraf were to lose power?

Thoughts?

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Rafsanjani Highlights Iran's Military Achievements

Iranian Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said Iran has reached self-sufficiency in manufacturing military tools, equipment and weapons, adding that the Islamic Republic's success in manufacturing hi-tech weapons has surprised enemies.

full story

Iran warns U.S. of "quagmire" if attacked

Iran warned the United States on Wednesday it would find itself in a “quagmire deeper than Iraq” if it attacked the Islamic state, and Russia stepped up efforts for a diplomatic solution to Tehran’s nuclear row with the West.

The warning by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, a target of new U.S. sanctions announced last week, added to angry rhetoric between the two old foes that has prompted speculation of possible U.S. military action.

U.S. President George W. Bush this month suggested a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to World War Three but the White House said on Tuesday it remained determined to resolve the stand-off peacefully. keep reading.....

Attacking Iran for Israel?

With 200-300 nuclear weapons in their arsenal, Israelis enjoy a nuclear monopoly in the Middle East. They mean to keep it that way, and they want the U.S. to help.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is at her mushroom-cloud hyperbolic best, and this time Iran is the target. Her claim last week that "the policies of Iran constitute perhaps the single greatest challenge to American security interests in the Middle East and around the world" is simply too much of a stretch.

To gauge someone's reliability, one depends largely on prior experience. Sadly, Rice's credibility suffers in comparison with Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Basing his judgment on the findings of IAEA inspectors in Iran, ElBaradei reports that there is no evidence of an active nuclear weapons program there.

If this sounds familiar, it is in fact déjà vu. ElBaradei said the same thing about Iraq before it was attacked. But three days before the invasion, American nuclear expert Dick Cheney told NBC's Tim Russert, "I think Mr. ElBaradei is, frankly, wrong." keep reading.....

Bush Regime Targets Iran After 9/11

by Larry Everest

October 31, 2007

For over 100 years, the domination of Iran has been deeply woven into the fabric of global imperialism, enforced through covert intrigues, economic bullying, military assaults, and invasions. This history provides the backdrop for U.S. hostility toward Iran today--including the real threat of war. Part 8 of this series examines why the Bush administration targeted Iran after 9/11, how the invasion of Iraq has backfired on them in many ways, and why this has increased their felt need to confront the Islamic Republic.

• Iran, 9/11 and the "War on Terror" .........
• After Iraq, Debating Iran........
• The Fateful Decisions of May 2003.......

full article

Iranian graphic designer wins top Dutch award

Iranian graphic designer Reza Abedini has won the 'Principal Prince Claus Award' for his unique artistic works.

The 40-year-old Abedini who teaches at Tehran University is to receive the prize on December 13 during a special ceremony.
The 100,000 euro 'Prince Claus Award' which dates back to 10 years ago, is funded by the Dutch royal family aimed at promoting cultural exchange between Europe and the other continents.

German Orient X Press magazine

Iranian Supreme Leader Dismisses US Claims about Iran

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei here Wednesday strongly rejected the recent claims made by the US about Iran's involvement in military nuclear activities and the killing of US soldiers in Iraq.

Ayatollah Khamenei, reminded that Iran is not afraid of US threats and sanctions and would continue its peaceful nuclear programs ,

"The reason why they (the US) want to deprive us of nuclear technology is because scientific power increases self-confidence and strengthens the resolve of a nation and the big powers cannot bring such a nation under their domination," he said.

He strongly denied US charges that Iran is following a secret nuclear program for military purposes, and meantime reminded that Iran is a courageous nation which will not bow to threats and intimidation.

"Because of their failures in Iraq and as they have no answer to increasing criticism at home, the US statesmen accuse other countries like Iran for their political failures," Khamenei said, dismissing claims by the US military officials about Iran's role in the killing of US troops in Iraq.

"The US is the main reason for instability in the region and Middle East," he said.

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