AP: Calling war divisive for the country, President Bush said he will continue pursuing diplomatic rather than military options to try to get Iran to halt its nuclear program.
Earlier this month, Iran confirmed it had resumed building nuclear centrifuges, which can be used to enrich uranium to weapons grade, and declared it should have the right to advanced nuclear technology.
Bush: Diplomacy Is Best Option With Iran
Putin: Iran must not become nuclear power
Middle East Online: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about Iran’s atomic programme on Tuesday and said it must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
“Russia has cooperated with Iran and we will continue to do so, but like our European colleagues France, Germany, Britain, and the US, we are concerned by the fact that questions are being raised about Iran’s nuclear programme,” Putin said.
Pettigrew: Canada hasn’t ruled out sanctions against Iran in Kazemi case
Associated Press: Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew said Tuesday that Canada has not ruled out sanctions against Iran to protest the death in custody of a Quebec-based photojournalist.
Pettigrew, who was on his first visit to the European Union as Canada’s new foreign affairs minister, said he discussed the case of slain Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi with EU counterparts during two days of meetings in Brussels.
Iranian influence in Iraq essential – Khamenei
Iran Focus: In a meeting with university lecturers and students, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged young people in Iraq to continue their struggle against U.S. forces in Najaf.
He said that Iran is a “source of hope for the world due to its confrontational position” towards the United States. Khamenei urged Iraqis to follow Irans example of achieving an Islamic Republic.
Iran arrests dozens for espionage, nuke leaks
Iran Focus: Iran has arrested dozens of spies including several who leaked the Islamic Republics nuclear secrets, Minister of Intelligence and Security Ali Younessi said on Tuesday.
“The Information Ministry has arrested several spies who were carrying Irans nuclear information [out of the country”>,” he told reporters during a news conference in the Iranian capital.
Iran says can deter all enemies
Iran Focus: TEHRAN, Aug. 30 – Iranian Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani told a meeting of senior military officiers at the headquarters of the joint chiefs of staff, on Sunday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the undisputable power in the region.
Shamkhani said Iran has achieved an effective deterrent power” to confront its enemies in the region. He did not elaborate.
Thousands of Iranians to Rally in Brussels to Demand Removal of Terror Tag
Iran Focus: Thousands of Iranians will be heading to Brussels from across Europe on Monday, September 13, to take part in a huge rally outside the offices of the European Union as EU foreign ministers meet inside, Iranian exiles said.
The rally is being organized by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a coalition of democratic opposition groups seeking to topple the theocratic regime in
Iran and establish a democratically-elected government in its place.
German Min: Iran Nuclear Buildup Would Be “Nightmare”
Associated Press: An Iranian nuclear arms buildup would be a “nightmare,” German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer warned Sunday, saying Europe is looking to head off any dangerous confrontation with Tehran.
Iran’s nuke plans may be unstoppable
USA TODAY: The core of President Bush’s foreign and national security policy is that he will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to acquire the world’s most dangerous weapons.
But Iran, a charter member of Bush’s “axis of evil,” is believed to be only one to three years away from being able to make nuclear weapons, and a growing number of nuclear experts worry that there may be no way to stop it from becoming …
Edwards Says Kerry Plans To Confront Iran On Weapons
Washington Post: A John F. Kerry administration would propose to Iran that the Islamic state be allowed to keep its nuclear power plants in exchange for giving up the right to retain the nuclear fuel that could be used for bomb-making, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said in an interview yesterday.
