AFP: US lawmakers on Monday stepped up pressure on President Barack Obama to ready tough new economic sanctions on Iran in the event Tehran fails to freeze its suspect nuclear program by late 2009.
US lawmakers press Obama on Iran
Iran supreme leader warns opposition to back down
AP: Iran's supreme leader issued a tough warning Monday to the opposition to back down after a pro-reform former president called for a referendum on the government's legitimacy, a sign of the movement's growing boldness in challenging the country's clerical rulers.
Iran’s controversial new VP denies quitting
AFP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial choice for vice president on Monday denied reports he has quit, despite his appointment ruffling feathers even among hardliners.
Iran reformers urge referendum to end vote crisis
AFP: Iranian reformers, including former president Mohammad Khatami, called on Monday for a referendum to resolve the crisis that has gripped the country since last month's disputed presidential election.
Thirty-six army officers arrested in Iran over protest plan
The Guardian: The Iranian army has arrested 36 officers who planned to attend last week's Friday prayer sermon by former president Hashemi Rafsanjani in their military uniforms as an act of political defiance, according to Farsi-language websites.
Iranian critic quotes Khomeini principles
New York Times: During his decades in Iranian politics, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been praised as a pragmatist, criticized as spineless, accused of corruption and dismissed as a has-been.
Iran bails British embassy staffer
AFP: Iran on Sunday released on bail a British embassy staffer, who was among a group of nine arrested following disturbances after the hotly disputed June 12 presidential election, his lawyer said.
Iran hardliners criticise Ahmadinejad over appointment
Reuters: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has come under fire from many leading hardliners for appointing controversial figure Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as his new first vice-president, Iranian media reported on Sunday.
Irans ex-president criticized for comments about election
New York Times: Several prominent Iranian conservative figures and hard-line newspapers offered sharp criticism on Saturday of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who delivered a speech on Friday that assailed the government’s handling of last month’s presidential election.
Diplomats: Iran has means to test bomb in 6 months
AP: Iran is blocking U.N. nuclear agency attempts to upgrade monitoring of its atomic program while advancing those activities to the stage that the country would have the means to test a weapon within six months, diplomats told The Associated Press Friday.
