Clinton's poll day threat to Iran

Hillary Clinton has issued a stark warning to Iran, as Democrats in Pennsylvania vote to choose between her and Barack Obama to run for president.

She said the US would attack, and could "obliterate" Iran, if it launched a nuclear strike on Israel.

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Iran shows off its military might

Iran has been displaying its military power at a ceremony to mark the country's annual army day.

Speaking at the parade, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was the most powerful nation in the world.

The country's strength was such that no major power would dare to challenge its security, he said.

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Iran accuses U.S. of invading Afghanistan, Iraq under pretext of Sept. 11 attacks

TEHRAN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday accused the United States of invading Afghanistan and Iraq under the pretext of Sept. 11 terror attacks.

President Ahmadinejad made the accusation while addressing a large group of local residents in Iran's central city of Qum, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying that over one million people have so far been killed in the occupied Iraq and tens of thousands of civilians have died in Afghanistan after U.S. forces invaded the two countries.

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Iran nuclear talks in China fall short of agreement

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Six-nation talks looking to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran fell short on Wednesday of agreeing on a new package to present Tehran, while Iran's president said he was open to talks within limits.

The meeting in Shanghai of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- plus Germany and an EU representative, was a first such meeting for China, which has kept away from the spotlight in the dispute.

But China's Assistant Foreign Minister He Yafei emerged from several hours of bargaining to say the diplomats failed to fully agree on a fresh plan to offer Iran, which rejected an earlier offer of negotiating incentives put to it in 2006.

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Petraeus: Iran is destroying Iraq

Top US commander in Baghdad General David Petraeus accuses Iran of playing a 'destructive' role in Iraq by financing militia groups. Speaking at a Tuesday Senate hearing, General Petraeus claimed Iran's influence on militia groups is the longest-term threat to the liability of a democratic Iraq.

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Iran deplores civilian deaths in Basra, Sadr City

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, on Tuesday deplored civilian losses in Iraq, condemning US forces for indiscriminate bombardment of residential areas in Sadr City and Basra.

On Iran's stand regarding the recent invasion on residential areas in different parts of Iraq, he said Tehran also strongly condemns attack on Baghdad Green Zone where the diplomatic missions and state organizations are situated.

Lauding rightful measures taken by the Iraqi government to counter illegal armed groups, he said the move is aimed at establishment of security and stability in the country.

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Iran Steps Up Defiance of UN With More Centrifuges

April 8 (Bloomberg) -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran is installing 6,000 new advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility, a move that steps up the Persian Gulf country's dismissal of United Nations sanctions.
Natanz already has 3,000 of an older version of the fast- spinning machines that produce uranium 235, a material that can be used to fuel a nuclear power plant or build a bomb. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said in February that Iran was testing a faster, more reliable centrifuge. Iran plans to install 50,000 centrifuges at Natanz, Ahmadinejad said in 2006.
``In addition to installation of 6,000 new centrifuges, there are also reports about other new achievements,'' Ahmadinejad said on the National Day of Nuclear Technology, marking Iran's mastery of uranium enrichment in 2006. Details of the nuclear advancements will be announced later today, he said, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
Whether Iran enriches uranium is at the heart of the dispute with the U.S. and some European countries. The UN Security Council voted on March 3 to tighten trade, travel and financial sanctions against Iran for the country's refusal to suspend nuclear work that might lead to an atomic bomb. It was the third resolution imposing UN sanctions on Iran, all of which the government in Tehran has rejected.
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US moves towards engaging Iran

The coming few weeks are going to be critical in the standoff between the United States and Iran as the upheaval in the Middle East reaches a turning point. And all options do remain on the table, as the George W Bush administration likes to say, from military conflict to a de facto acceptance of Iran's standing as the region's dominant power.

One thing is clear. The time for oratorical exercises is ending. A phase of subtle, reciprocal, conceptual diplomatic actions may be beginning.

An indication of this is available in the two radio interviews given by Bush last weekend and beamed into Iran, exclusively aimed at reaching out to the Iranian public on the Persian New Year Nauroz.

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Iran to hold run-off parliament votes April 25

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will hold run-off votes on April 25 for parliamentary seats not decided in a first election round earlier this month, Iranian media said on Wednesday, but the outcome will not threaten a conservative majority.

More than 200 of parliament's 290 seats were decided in the first round and the Interior Ministry said over 70 percent of those went to conservatives, who call themselves "principlist" for their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may not get an easy ride even though he shares the "principlist" tag because the camp is broad and includes political rivals who may use parliament as a springboard for next year's presidential race.

Some conservatives have also joined the president's staunchest critics, reformists, in questioning Ahmadinejad's economic management, blamed for double-digit inflation.

The Guardian Council, a supervisory body of clerics and jurists, said run-offs would take place on Friday, April 25, the official IRNA news agency reported.

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Gay Iranian Fights For Asylum In Europe

(AP) The Netherlands' highest court rejected a gay Iranian asylum seeker's last-ditch bid to avoid deportation to Britain, where he fears authorities will send him back to Tehran and possible execution.

In a ruling published on its Web site Tuesday, the Council of State said Britain is responsible for Mehdi Kazemi's case, because it was there that the 19-year-old first applied for asylum.

Gay rights campaigner Rene van Soeren said Kazemi's Dutch lawyer was considering an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The lawyer, Borg Palm, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Boris van der Ham, a lawmaker who has taken up Kazemi's cause, has tabled questions in Parliament asking the junior minister for immigration, Nebahat Albayrak, to lobby British authorities on Kazemi's behalf.

Albayrak should either urge Britain not to send Kazemi back to Iran or offer him asylum in the Netherlands, Van der Ham said in a telephone interview.

Kazemi's case highlights not only the plight of homosexuals in Iran, but also differences in the way European Union allies deal with asylum seekers.

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US not seeking war with Iran: White House

The White House says "there is no one" inside the US Government who wants war with Iran, even though US President George W Bush has not ruled out any options.

"There's no one in the administration that is suggesting anything other than a diplomatic approach to Iran," spokeswoman Dana Perino said one day after the commander of US forces in the Middle East resigned.

Ms Perino said "it's nonsense" to say that Admiral William Fallon was pushed out because he reportedly disagreed with Mr Bush's hardline approach towards forcing Tehran to end its suspect nuclear program.

"The President welcomes robust and healthy debate," she said, adding that there were "dissenting views on a variety of issues that get worked out through our policy process. That is usually not played out in the press."

"What the President has said is that all options are on the table is what helps make diplomacy work and makes it more effective," she said.

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Iran's rise owes much to Bush's Iraq and Afghan wars

By Alistair Lyon, Special Correspondent - Analysis

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Five years on, Iran can thank the United States for unwittingly aiding its drive for regional power by ousting Saddam Hussein, one of Tehran's deadliest foes.

The U.S. military had already defeated Afghanistan's Taliban after the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities in 2001 -- with the unintended consequence of wiping out another of Iran's enemies and tilting the local balance of forces in Tehran's favor.

"The removal of these two regimes without powerful successor states benefited Iran greatly...and opened elbow room for Iran to spread its influence," said Vali Nasr, senior fellow at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Iran cannot entirely rule out U.S. military action to destroy its nuclear sites, and its oil-reliant economy may prove vulnerable a few years hence, but for now it is riding high.

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This is significant because it is about nations involving with other nations.

Iran: Appointment A ‘Surprise’

Daei, Iran’s record goal-scorer, was famously axed after Team Melli were eliminated from the World Cup in 2006. But when the Iranian Football Federation [IFF] offered him the job, it was an honour the striker simply could not refuse.

“I love my reputation more than anything,” Daei told Iran’s ISNA news agency.
“You all know how I left the Team Melli and now I have returned this way. [The IFF] choosing me for the post of Team Melli coach was a surprise.”

With the appointment of Daei as Iran coach on Sunday, the IFF have finally put an end to a long-running saga over a new manager to take charge of the national side. Several foreign names and homegrown coaches were mentioned.

But, the IFF failed to settle on a particular candidate despite former Spain boss Javier Clemente and Iranian-American Afshin Qotbi being linked to the job.

Daei, though, appealed for the fans to overlook the confusion over Iran’s search for a new national football coach. Instead, he promised Iran will deliver an improved performance when they take on Kuwait in their next World Cup qualifier.

And, he plans to instill discipline to his squad in order to rescue Iran’s flagging fortunes. Daei also revealed he will be employing two foreign and two Iranian coaches to assist him.

Iran dismisses 'worthless' UN resolution

TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Tuesday dismissed the latest UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear programme as "worthless", vowing to press on with the contested drive which the West fears could be used to make weapons.

The Security Council on Monday imposed its third set of sanctions against Iran in the space of 15 months to punish Tehran's repeated refusal to suspend the process of uranium enrichment.
The resolution "is worthless and unacceptable and it is condemned", foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in a statement quoted by Iranian news agencies.

"The continuation of this trend (of issuing resolutions) will have no effect on the Iranian people and the government's determination in seeking its legitimate and lawful right for peaceful nuclear activities," he added.

Iran had been hoping its ongoing cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog to answer questions about past areas of ambiguity in its atomic programme would mean the nuclear case would be taken away from the Security Council.

Officials have also repeatedly hailed the UN watchdog's latest report as a success for Tehran that "closed" its nuclear case, even though the body was unable to confirm the atomic drive was peaceful.

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This is significant because it is about the nuclear program.

Iran calls on US to quit Iraq

The Iranian president, on a landmark visit to neighbouring Iraq, has called for US troops' withdrawal from the war-torn nation, saying that the country will "live in peace" without them.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the call on Monday while signing seven pacts with Iraq in the areas of trade, industry and transport.

"Without the presence of the foreign troops the region will live in peace and brotherhood," said Ahmadinejad.

"We believe that the forces that travelled thousands of kilometres to reach here must leave the region, and must hand over responsibility to the people of the region."

He avoided directly naming the United States, which has 158,000 troops in Iraq.

US commanders have accused Iran of training and arming Shia fighters.

Iraqi government figures revealed at the weekend that for the first time in six months the Iraqi death toll from unrest rose in February. At least 23 people were killed in fresh attacks on Monday.

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This is relevant because Ahmadinejad believes that if the United States troop leave Iran that we can all "live in peace".

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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