Washington Post: A senior U.S. general said Sunday that about 50 members of an elite Iranian military unit are training Shiite militias south of Baghdad, the first time the U.S. military has alleged that Iranians are aiding insurgents from inside Iraq.
Iran trains militiamen inside Iraq, U.S. says
UN opens further talks with Iran
BBC: Senior UN officials are holding a third round of talks in Tehran to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran frees two Chinese arrested for spying
Reuters: Iran has freed two Chinese arrested for spying last month when taking photographs of military nuclear installations, apparently because of a misunderstanding, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
Al-Maliki encourages Iran’s growing presence in Iraq
Chicago Tribune: On the surface, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s visit to Tehran on Aug. 8 to talk with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was another effort to enlist Iran’s help in bringing security to Iraq. The real purpose, however, was quite different. Al-Maliki’s trip helped smooth the way for the Iranian clerics to install a sister Islamic republic in Iraq.
Ahmadinejad may visit Iraq
Reuters: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation to visit neighbouring Iraq, Iran’s foreign minister said on Sunday, a move that would be unlikely to be welcomed by the United States.
Iran says nuclear work non-stop ahead of IAEA talks
Reuters: Iran’s nuclear programme is continuing “non-stop”, an Iranian official said on Sunday, the eve of high-level talks with the U.N. atomic watchdog aimed at defusing Western suspicions about Tehran’s intentions.
Iran hangs three men in public
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Aug. 19 Iranian authorities hanged three men in public in the town of Saveh, near the Iranian capital Tehran, state media reported on Sunday.
Iran hangs three men in public
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Aug. 19 Iranian authorities hanged three men in public in the town of Saveh, near the Iranian capital Tehran, state media reported on Sunday.
Hijack bungle as pilots and passengers escape
Sunday Telegraph: An attempt to hijack a passenger plane and fly it to Iran ended in shambles when the hijackers inadvertently allowed the pilots to get off after it landed to refuel.
Iraqi premier stirs discontent, yet hangs on
New York Times: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has lost the support of the largest Shiite, Sunni and secular parties in Parliament. Some American officials privately describe him as a paranoid failure, while his only recent success has been a meeting on Saturday with senior Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders. It yielded little more than promises of future compromise.
