Time against U.S. in Iran row: Washington

The United States, France, and Britain are pushing for the UN Security Council to pass new sanctions against Iran this week for ignoring demands it suspend uranium enrichment, which can make fuel for power plants or, potentially, atomic weapons. Iran has always insisted that its nuclear activities are civilian and peaceful.

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A group of countries are fearing that Iran is up to no good but Iran still claims that their nuclear prgram is peaceful.

PM to Japanese Minister: Iran, N. Korea pose a threat to all of Asia

The Japanese minister agreed with Olmert, who stressed the extreme importance of preventing North Korea from transferring technological know-how to Middle East states, and ultimately preventing the dissemination of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

The prime minister told Ishiba that "Iran stands at the head of the axis of evil." He added that together with North Korea, Iran poses a threat to the stability of the continent of Asia, and especially the Middle East.

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Great Britain and Japan are fearing that if the North Korea and the Middle East get together and share nuclear weapon ideas, it could cause major destruction and many problems.

Iran leader hails Ahmadinejad for 'nuclear success'

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday hailed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's role in the "great success" of the nuclear programme, amid threats of new sanctions against Tehran.

"One of the examples of achievements in last 29 years (since the Islamic revolution) is the nuclear issue," Khamenei told Iran's elite clerical body the Assembly of Experts, in comments broadcast on state television.


Representatives from six world powers met in Washington on Monday on a draft resolution imposing new sanctions proposed by permanent Security Council members Britain and France, after a new report by the UN atomic watchdog.

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Iran still wants to continue its nuclear program even though there are so many opposed to it. They see it as a need as other countries see it as a problem.

Iran: Women's Activist Wins Human Rights Award

Parvin Ardalan, a leading Iranian women's rights activist, has won the Palme Award for her work and commitment to human rights.

Ardalan is a founder and active member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, a movement that aims to promote equal rights for women in Iranian society.The prize is named for former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and is awarded annually for "outstanding achievements" by those who actively promote peace, equality, and security.

Ardalan's friends say she has dedicated her adult life to fighting for women's issues. Ardalan was one of the first members of the Women's Cultural Center, the first-ever Iranian nongovernmental organization to advocate women's rights.

The 37-year-old, Tehran-based journalist and author has previously worked for women's publications such as "Zanestan" and "The Feminist Tribune of Iran" before both of those online magazines -- as well as "Women's Cultural Center" -- were shut down by Iranian authorities in 2007.

Ardalan, who is currently an editor of "Change for Equality," contributes to many publications in Iran -- including the most influential women's magazine, "Zanan," which was suspended last month for allegedly "painting a gloomy picture" of Iran.

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This article is significant because the Palme Award is a very respectable award to receive. This is a huge accomplishment.Parvin Ardalan has done many successful things throughtout her lifetime.

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Iran: Human Rights Activists Concerned Over Prison Deaths, Torture

Zahra Bani Yaqub seemed to have everything going for her. A 27-year-old graduate of the Tehran Medical University, she was a young doctor with a bright future.

But last October, Bani Yaqub was arrested while walking in a park in the western city of Hamadan with her male companion. The next day, she was dead.

Police say she committed suicide in prison overnight, but her family says that’s impossible -- that she was happy and upbeat about her future as a urologist. They accuse prison authorities of killing Bani Yaqub, whose case is merely the latest in a series of suspicious deaths or tortures in prison to be highlighted by human rights activists.

Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights attorney who won the Nobel Peace Prize, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that she is handling Bani Yaqub’s case as a suspicious death under detention.

The activists maintain that such abuses occur before suspects are officially charged or have had access to a lawyer.

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This article is important becauce Human Right Activists stand for peoples basic rights in a country. When someone that stands for Human Rights commits suicide obviously that person felt that she was not granted her full rights. Although this is not for sure te reason she might have committed suicide, this is reason to be suspicious.

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Iran shrugs off sanctions threat over atomic plans

Iran voiced defiance on Monday as Western powers pushed for new sanctions over its nuclear program, saying high oil prices will cushion the blow.

The United States, Britain and France are pushing for a United Nations Security Council vote on a third round of sanctions this week because they fear Iran seeks an atomic bomb.

But an Iranian minister was quoted as saying the economy of the world's fourth-largest oil producer would not be hurt.

"New sanctions will not harm Iran's economy ... High oil prices will help Iran to compensate," Economy and Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari was quoted by the students' news agency ISNA as saying.

Danesh-Jafari was speaking hours before senior diplomats from Britain, France, Germany, the United States, China and Russia were due to meet in Washington to discuss their next moves on Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country denies wanting nuclear weapons, said on Saturday world powers could pass sanctions resolutions for 100 years without deterring Tehran from its nuclear work.

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This article is important because Iran does not want to have sanctions. It also talks about Iran's nuclear program, which is always important!

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First phase of Iran oil bourse inaugurated on Kish island

The first phase of Iran's oil stock market started its work on Kish island in the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, on Sunday presenting oil and petrochemical products.

Based on the approval, products of Iran's Oil Ministry should be traded through stock market in two forms which are the crude oil stock market and the oil and petrochemical products stock market.

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Oil is a major resource in Iran and this expansion could help the economy. This new project will help the stock market and the oil industry.

Iran allows reformist candidates

The Iranian body that vets election candidates has reinstated another 251 people who had been banned from running in next month's parliamentary vote.

Correspondents say it is not clear how much impact the reinstatements will have on the chances of opposition parties in the election.

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The new elections could be a new chapter in Iran history. A problem is that the final canidates will be announced March fifth, yet the election is on the fourteenth.

Iranians spar with Israel at UN

Iran is urging the UN Security Council to stop Israel threatening military action against its nuclear programme.

srael's UN envoy called the letter "disgusting dangerous... hypocrisy" in the light of what Iranian leaders have said about Israel.

Mr Khazaee stressed that Iran's nuclear programme was for peaceful purposes only, and said the UN should respond to Israeli threats of force by unambiguously condemning them.

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This shows the possibility of war starting between Iran and Israel. They have had some tensions in the past and they are starting again. The nuclear program in Iran has caused more harm then help in the world.

Israel faces 'certain death': Iran leader adviser

TEHRAN (AFP) — The assassination of a top commander of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah has hastened the "certain death" of Israel, the top military adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday.

General Yahya Rahim Safavi, in the latest of a spate of anti-Israel verbal attacks by Iran, said the murder of Imad Mughnieh in a Damascus car bombing last week had enraged thousands of young members of Hezbollah.

"With this anger, the certain death of the Zionist regime had been brought forward," he said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Safavi, who was for a decade top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, again accused Israel of carrying out the attack that killed Mughnieh but also said that "security terrorists" from the United States and "one Arab nation" had cooperated.

He did not name the Arab country.

Iran has stepped up its rhetoric against Israel in the last days after the murder of Mughnieh, which it blamed on the Jewish state. Israel has denied any involvement.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called Israel a "dirty microbe" and "savage animal".

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This is important because the Israeli's are really upset about the death of Mughnieh. This article also shows Israel's response to Ahmadinejad's comment about Israel.

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Ahmadinejad: Israel filthy bacteria

In yet another verbal attack against Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Jewish state a "filthy bacteria" whose sole purpose was to oppress the other nations of the region.

"The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast," the Iranian president told supporters at a rally in southern Iran.

"[Israel] won support [from the other nations] which created it as a scarecrow, so as to keep the people of this area under control," Ahmadinejad said.

Referring to the assassination of Hizbullah terror chief Imad Mughniyeh, the Iranian leader said that Israel "uses terror as a threat every day, and afterwards is happy and joyful."

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This is important because Ahmadinejad made a verbal attack against Israel. It is always important when a President speaks badly of another country.

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Iran opposition: Teheran making nukes

Teheran has accelerated its nuclear weapons program, including the production of atomic warheads, an exiled Iranian opposition group claimed in Belgium on Wednesday.

"The Iran regime entered a new phase in its nuclear project," said Muhammad Mohaddessin, a representative of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, while speaking at a news conference in Brussels.

He said that Teheran had established a command and control center to work on a nuclear bomb for the first time, and that southeast of the capital a center was being set up to produce warheads.Iran has steadfastly denied it was working to obtain a nuclear bomb, arguing that its nuclear program was purely civilian.

In December, the US National Intelligence Estimate said that Iran halted a nuclear weapons development program in 2003 because of international pressure.

Mohaddessin said Iran had closed down one center only to open another later with the same purpose. He called the US report "not accurate."

He said he had provided the latest information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday and urged them to investigate more sites in Iran and to interview more scientists.

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This article is very important because it shows that Teheran is advancing their nuclear programs and even developing atomic substances.

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Ahmadinejad to become first Iranian president to visit Iraq

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraq's government said on Thursday that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due in Baghdad on March 2 for the first visit ever by an Iranian president to the neighbouring country.
The announcement came shortly after Iraqi and US officials said that Tehran had asked for a delay in talks expected this week in Baghdad between the United States and Iran on the future of Iraq.

"The Iranian president will be visiting for two days from March 2. He will be meeting with President Jalal Talabani and with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told AFP, adding that discussions would revolve around "bilateral issues."
"He will be accompanied by a number of ministers," Dabbagh said, refusing to be drawn on what else was on the itinerary "for security reasons."

Ahmadinejad's visit would be the first by an Iranian president to Iraq since the creation of the Islamic republic after the 1979 revolution which ousted the shah.
Iran and Iraq fought a devastating war between 1980 and 1988 in which around one million people died.

But the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime in 2003 led to a marked improvement in relations with the new Shiite-dominated government in Iraq.

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Anytime a leader from a country visits another country it is important.

US Intel Links Iran With Nuke Bomb Bid

VIENNA, Austria (AP) — The U.S. has recently shared new intelligence with the International Atomic Energy Agency on key aspects of Iran's nuclear program that Washington says shows Tehran was directly engaged in trying to make a bomb, diplomats said Thursday.
One of the diplomats said Washington also gave the IAEA permission to confront Iran with at least some of the evidence in an attempt to pry details out of the Islamic republic, as part of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's attempts to investigate Iran's suspicious nuclear past.

The diplomats suggested that such moves by the U.S. administration would be a reflection of Washington's' drive to pressure Iran into acknowledging that it had focused part of its nuclear efforts toward developing a weapons program.

The U.S. is leading the push for a third set of U.N. sanctions against Iran. Tehran insists its program is intended only to produce energy and has refused U.N. demands that it suspend its uranium enrichment program — technology that can produce both fuel for nuclear reactors and the fissile material for a bomb.

A recent U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran had a clandestine weapons program but stopped working on it four years ago has hurt Washington's attempts to have the U.N. Security Council impose a third set of sanctions.

While the Americans have previously declassified and then forwarded intelligence to the IAEA to help its investigations, they do so on a selective basis.

Following Israel's bombing of a Syrian site late last year, and media reports citing unidentified U.S. officials as saying the target was a nuclear installation, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei turned in vain to the U.S. in asking for details on what was struck, said a diplomat who — like others — spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for divulging confidential information.

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This is important cause the U.S. is really interested in Iran and their nuclear program that they a launching and that Tehran is trying to make a bomb.

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Iranian and U.S. officials will meet within days in Baghdad for a new round of talks as part of efforts to build on recent progress in stemming sectarian violence, Iraq's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Washington, at odds with Tehran over its nuclear programme, wants Shi'ite Muslim Iran to use its influence with militias from the same sect in Iraq to stem attacks on U.S. forces and Sunni Muslim groups, which are deepening the cycle of sectarian violence in the country.

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Iran and the United States are trying to work out the issues concerning nuclear programs. Hopefully, after all the discussions, they will be able to ressolve the conflicts that have been created.

Iranian Satellite for Research Only

Iran’s satellite pursues scientific, commercial and research purposes, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Tuesday. “The research rocket, Explorer 1, is gathering information in preparation for sending a satellite into space,“ IRNA quoted Hosseini as saying.

The spokesman made the remark while commenting on the nature of the Iranian satellite ’Omid’.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the massive gathering at Azadi Square on Monday that Explorer 1 has been successful and Iran will launch two more explorers ahead of sending the indigenous satellite into space.

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Iran is really trying to spread the message of their nuclear program just being for educational purposes. Yet, very few believe that they will not use the space program for education, but for destruction.

Iran defiant on anniversary of revolution

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad struck a defiant tone Monday on the 29th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, vowing not to slow Iran's nuclear program and announcing plans to launch more rockets into space as part of its drive to orbit a domestic satellite.

Like Iran's nuclear activities, the country's space program has provoked unease abroad because the same technology needed to send satellites into space can be used to deliver warheads.
Iranian officials insist both the space and nuclear programs are intended for peaceful purposes, and Ahmadinejad rallied Iranians against U.N. Security Council demands that Iran stop enriching uranium.

Hundreds of thousands marched in Tehran shouting "Death to America" and burning effigies of President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

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This article shows the opinions of the citizens of Iran as well as their future plans. They say that they are using the space program and nuclear missiles for their advantage and not for harm, but other countries do not believe that.

Bush hails 'headway' on highlighting Iranian threat

President George W. Bush said in an interview aired Sunday the United States had made headway convincing Middle East states that Tehran is a threat, and that sanctions are having an impact on Iran's economy.

"In my trip in the Middle East, I made it abundantly clear to nervous nations that Iran is a threat," Bush told Fox News Sunday.

"I think I made pretty good headway in the Middle East that Iran is a threat," he said.

Bush expressed confidence in stepping up pressure on Tehran with a third sanctions resolution from the UN Security Council, aimed at forcing Iran to halt uranium enrichment, which the US and European allies believe is geared toward developing nuclear weapons.

The proposed new measures include an outright travel ban on Iranian officials involved in the country's nuclear and missile programs, and inspections of shipments to and from Iran if there are suspicions of prohibited goods.

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This story is significant because President Bush announced numerous times before, how big of a threat Iran is to all other nations. He also said that Tehran is another threat to the Middle East.

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South Africa: Concern Over UNSC's New Resolution On Iran

South Africa has raised concern on new punitive measures against Iran, in a resolution currently before the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC), regarding the suspected use of nuclear weapons.

"We [as South Africa] said in our preliminary comments that we are concerned about the potential impact of new punitive resolutions on Iran at a time when Iran is actively cooperating with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," Foreign Affairs Chief Director for United Nations Political Affairs Xolisa Mabhongo told reporters in Pretoria Tuesday.

"There is optimism both in Iran and the IAEA that there will be more effort put into resolving the outstanding issues."

Explaining South Africa's position on the elements within the resolution, Mr Mabongo said: "We are currently finalising our considerations of the actual resolution, but in the meantime we have submitted our comments on what we have seen in the resolution."

South Africa is entering its second year as a non permanent member of the UNSC, and as such, is at liberty to comment on the proposed resolution.

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This article is important because once again it shows another country's, Africa, concern about Iran getting nuclear weapons and plans. Most all countries are seriously concerned.

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Iran Does Not Listen to US

Iranian officials have dismissed U.S. concerns regarding the country's space program after launching a new rocket capable of carrying the first domestically-built satellite into orbit.

Washington and European officials have expressed concern about Iran's missile program and accused Tehran of trying to master technology to build nuclear weapons. Iran denies the charges and says both programs are peaceful.

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This article shows the worry that Washington and other major areas of power are showing with Iran having the capability of sending rockets and what not into space. Iran sees this as a peaceful new chapter in their history, but the new success has caused a lot of controversy.

French envoy condemns Iran statements

PARIS (AP) — A French ambassador summoned by Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad implying Israel would be destroyed, a French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Monday.

Pascale Andreani confirmed that France's ambassador to Iran had been summoned over the weekend as part of a continuing dispute between the two countries — largely over Iran's nuclear program. Iranian news reports Sunday said the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador, Bernard Poletti, to protest France's policy toward Iran's nuclear activities.France has been a vocal supporter of new sanctions against Iran because of the country's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or fissile material for a bomb.Andreani said Poletti took advantage of the summons to protest "unacceptable" comments Ahmadinejad made last week during a speech in the southern port of Bushehr implying that Israel would be destroyed.Poletti reiterated the French position that "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israeli-Lebanese relations cannot serve as a pretext to question Israel's right to exist," Andreani said in an online briefing Monday.She said the ambassador also emphasized the "very negative impact of these comments on the international community's perception of Iran."

Last week, France's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to Paris, Ali Ahani, to protest Ahmadinejad's comments.

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This is important because once again it shows that another country, France, is also concerned and arguing with Iran mostly about the nuclear program in Iran.

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Iran claims to have Nuclear Weapons

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Iran is approaching the "summit" of nuclear development after Russia finished delivering all the nuclear fuel.

In his speech, Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran had overcome the bullying of the West and changed the political climate of the world.

Mr Ahmadinejad invited the West to come forward and join Iran in building new nuclear power plants. Otherwise, he said that Iran would push ahead on its own.

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Ahmadinejad has made many threatening words towards the west. Now that Iran is ready to make nuclear weapons, the US and other countries believe they have more to worry about. Soon, they could have weapons and maybe become a leading power of the world.

Iran Fires Rocket

Iran fired a rocket from its newly inaugurated space center Monday, laying the groundwork for what it says will be the future launch of its first domestically produced satellite, the semi-official FARS news agency reported.The report said the rocket was launched "into space." But similar previous technological achievements announced by the Islamic republic have been greeted with doubt by analysts.

Amid fears in the West that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, some experts believe Iran's space program is possibly a cover to improve its military ballistic missiles.

In February 2007, Iran announced the launch of "its first satellite into space," the state-run Iranian Students News Agency reported at the time. But the satellite did not reach orbit.

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This could cause some controversy with Iran's missiles that they claim not to have. Some may fear that they will be able to send out a nuclear bomb towards the United States and others will believe that they are just going out into space like everyone else does all the time. This is a big step for Iran when the space center was inaugurated.

Iran discovers new gas field

TEHRAN, Feb 2: Iran has discovered a gas field in the Gulf with estimated reserves of some 11 trillion cubic feet, Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said on Saturday.There is a low possibility that it is a joint field (with a neighbouring country), Nozari told a news conference.Despite sitting on the world’s second-largest gas reserves after, analysts say Iran has been slow to develop the sector due to sanctions, politics and construction delays.

Iran’s daily gasoline imports have fallen about 57 per cent since the country introduced fuel rationing last June, a senior oil official was quoted on Saturday as saying.The world’s fourth-largest oil producer lacks refining capacity and must therefore import large amounts of fuel, which it then sells at heavily subsidised prices. It introduced rationing to curb soaring consumption.

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This article is significant because Iran's gasoline import has dropped because of various reasons and now the country will be picking up more oil and producing more gas which will help the country become more productive and prosperous.

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