Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 – A prominent Iranian Majlis (Parliament) deputy said on Saturday that Iran had the upper hand in the international standoff over its nuclear activities.

Iran Focus: London, Jan. 14 – United States Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to have Iran and Syria at the top of his agenda as he travels to Egypt to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other top officials, the Kuwaiti news agency reported on Saturday.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended on Saturday his previous comments calling for the destruction of Israel and rejected criticism from Unites States President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the issue.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 – Radical Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded once again on Saturday that Iran be permitted to send inspectors to evaluate “human rights abuses” in the European Union.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 – Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Saturday that the Islamic Republic would never abandon its nuclear efforts even if it meant facing the United Nations Security Council.