AP: Army Gen. David Petraeus, who is to assume control of U.S. forces in the Middle East, says that a continued U.S. presence in Iraq is more likely to blunt, rather than inflame, Iran's growing influence in the region.
Petraeus: Troops in Iraq help blunt Iran threat
Rice says Iran must make “right choice”
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Wednesday that if it did not make the "right choice" and abandon sensitive nuclear work it faced more punitive action from the international community.
EU concerned by arrests of Baha’is in Iran
Reuters: The European Union called on Iran on Wednesday to release six members of the Baha'i faith imprisoned on security-related charges, urging Tehran to allow full freedom of religion.
Iran submits nuclear package to IAEA chief
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, May 21 – Iran has presented a package of nuclear proposals to the chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog in a bid to counter a similar offer to be made by major world powers to Tehran to convince it to abandon its controversial nuclear activities.
Iran called primary threat to progress in Iraq
Washington Times: Iran's influence in Iraq is posing a direct threat to peace in the region, as lawmakers on Capitol Hill debate whether talks with Tehran will bear fruit or further place U.S. war strategy in jeopardy.
Tehran urges new round of talks
Washington Post: As the presidential candidates debate whether to deal with the Iranian regime, Tehran has called for new international talks on political, economic and security issues, including its controversial nuclear program and the Arab-Israeli peace process, according to a copy of the proposal released yesterday.
Bush team criticizes new report about Iran
New York Times: The White House sharply criticized a news organization on Tuesday for the second time in two days over reports about administration policy toward Iran, dismissing an Israeli report that President Bush was preparing to order an attack on Iran before leaving office in eight months.
Ahmadinejad: Set an Afghanistan deadline
UPI: A deadline should be set for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says.
U.S. delays report on Iran arms
Wall Street Journal: The U.S. military, in a shift, has postponed the release of a report detailing allegations of Iranian support for Iraqi insurgents, according to people familiar with the matter.
Middle East in nuclear race to match Iran
The Guardian: Almost every country in the Middle East has announced nuclear energy plans in the space of less than a year, in response to Iran's dramatic progress towards atomic power, it was reported yesterday.
