Putin urges Iran to yield to IAEA demands

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Reuters: Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Iran on
Friday to heed the demands of the U.N. nuclear watchdog after Tehran defied the United Nations by going ahead with its uranium enrichment programme.
Russia is helping the Islamic republic build a nuclear reactor
at the port of Bushehr despite strong criticism from the United States which says Tehran is seeking atomic weapons.

Iran, accused and defiant

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The Economist:”WE HAVE made our choice: yes to peaceful nuclear technology and no to nuclear weapons,” said Iran’s president, Muhammad Khatami, this week. But few are convinced. Among the doubters are Britain, France and Germany, the European trio that last October thought they had the makings of a face-saving deal to head off Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Since then, inspectors have turned up more evidence of past wrongdoing, and Iran has turned more belligerent.

Iran, accused and defiant

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The Economist:”WE HAVE made our choice: yes to peaceful nuclear technology and no to nuclear weapons,” said Iran’s president, Muhammad Khatami, this week. But few are convinced. Among the doubters are Britain, France and Germany, the European trio that last October thought they had the makings of a face-saving deal to head off Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Since then, inspectors have turned up more evidence of past wrongdoing, and Iran has turned more belligerent.

Conservatives flex muscles in Iran’s new parliament

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Financial Times: Iran’s parliament has asserted its claim to control contracts signed by the government with international companies, highlighting a constitutional right that had fallen into disuse.
The move reflects the desire of a conservative majority elected in February to rein in the reformist government of President Mohammad Khatami in its last year of office.

Royal Navy tells Iran to return boats

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Daily Telegraph: Adml Sir Alan West, First Sea Lord, has demanded the return of three Royal Navy river patrol boats seized by Iran in June. He said it was “outrageous” that Iran
still held them.

Respol, Shell sign natural gas deal with Iran’s NIOC

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AFP: The Spanish oil group Repsol YPF and British-Dutch group Shell have signed a project framework agreement involving the Iranian oil company NIOC regarding liquefied natural gas in Iran, Repsol said on Thursday.
Spain’s El Pais newspaper reported earlier that Repsol and Shell had signed an agreement worth $3.96 billion dollars with Iran to exploit natural gas reserves.

US senator urges US to confront Iran on nuclear weapons program

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AFP: A prominent Democratic senator urged the Bush administration to directly engage Iran over its suspected nuclear weapons program and that preemptive military force should not be ruled out.
“I don’t want to saber rattle, but I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” said Senator Joe Lieberman …

Gender segregation in school transport

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Iran Focus: Tehran, Sep. 23 – As millions of school children headed back to school at the beginning of the new academic year, government officials in Iran announced new measures aimed at further segregation of boys and girls.
School transport authorities across the country have been instructed to allocate separate buses for boys and girls.

Gender segregation in school transport

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Iran Focus: Tehran, Sep. 23 – As millions of school children headed back to school at the beginning of the new academic year, government officials in Iran announced new measures aimed at further segregation of boys and girls.
School transport authorities across the country have been instructed to allocate separate buses for boys and girls.

Tehran-Baku Tensions Rise Again

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Iran Focus: Baku, Sep. 23 – Azerbaijan’s media reported Thursday that Iran violated Azeri airspace by sending surveillance aircraft for aerial reconnaissance. There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, but the top commander of Azerbaijan’s Air Force, General Rahil Rzayev, denied any incursion of his country’s airspace.