New York Times: Britain, one of the three European Union nations negotiating with Iran over its nuclear project, has concluded that Iran is “quite serious” in its threats to resume uranium enrichment activities that would be likely to lead to
punitive international countermeasures, a senior British official
said Monday.
Britain Sees Iran’s Threats to Resume Nuclear Activity as ‘Serious’
Imprisoned blogger goes on hunger-strike
Reporters Without Borders: Reporters Without Borders today called on bloggers throughout the world to post messages in support of Iranian blogger Mojtaba Saminejad, who has been in prison since 12 February and who began a hunger-strike on 14 May. “The life of this young blogger is in danger as he is being held in a prison where several detainees have died or have been injured in violence between inmates,” the press freedom organization said.
Europeans Agree to Meeting With Iran on Nuclear Program
Washington Post: The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany agreed yesterday to meet with a senior Iranian official next week in an effort to pull Tehran back from threats to resume its nuclear program, diplomats representing all four countries said. Iranian officials characterized the meeting as a last chance at avoiding crisis and said it will be held May 23 in Brussels. European officials said it probably will take place
one day later and might be moved to Paris or Geneva to accommodate travel schedules.
Voter fury threatens Iranian election
The Guardian: Sitting in Tehran’s grand bazaar, once the spiritual heart and financial lifeblood of Iran’s Islamic revolution, the man fidgeting with the prayer beads ventured a fiercely uncompromising opinion of his country’s ruling elite. “We won’t vote for any of them, they are all robbers,” he declared, his voice rising with indignation. “All of them have been lying to us.”
U.S. warns Iran on Iraq
United Press International: The U.S. State Department said Monday Iran must make its ties with Iraq “transparent” and stay out of its neighbor’s politics. “Iran’s relations with people inside Iraq are not transparent,” spokesman Richard Boucher said. “They need to be made transparent.”
Iranian lawyers appeal over slain photojournalist
Reuters: Human rights lawyers on Monday accused Iran’s hardline judiciary of permitting an illegal trial that acquitted a government agent of the killing of a Canadian photojournalist. However, a judge gave the lawyers’ arguments short shrift and indefinitely postponed giving his verdict on their appeal, one of the human rights team said.
New Iran hearing into murdered photographer ends in an hour
AFP: A Tehran appeals court handling the case of murdered Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi on Monday wrapped up its first hearing in less than one hour after turfing out reporters and refusing to hear arguments from family lawyers. The intelligence agent accused of the murder but acquitted in the first trial was absent from the hearing, which may prove to be Iran’s last look into a controversial case that has badly damaged relations with Canada.
Annan warns U.S. on Iran
USA TODAY: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned the Bush administration that the Security Council might deadlock if asked to punish Iran for its nuclear program. The United States and Britain have called for Iran to be brought before the Security Council if it carries out threats to resume efforts to make nuclear fuel.
Support for U.S. Sanctions for Iran Grows
AP: As Iran appears to move closer to resuming nuclear activities, support has been quietly building in Congress for new U.S. sanctions, including penalties that could affect multinational companies and this country’s foreign aid recipients.
Iran pessimistic ahead of last-ditch nuclear talks
AFP: Iran warned Monday that an emergency meeting next week with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany may have little chance of resolving mounting tensions over its nuclear programme.
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said the May 23 talks may prove to be the “last round of negotiations” between Iran and the so-called EU-3, insisting that Iran has already decided to resume controversial uranium activities.
