Global Politician: The war of words and actions between the Iranian regime and the US administration has been at the forefront of all Middle Eastern affairs since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, one incident in the last week brought this to our sharp attention. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz were seen to have threatened a US naval fleet with what can only be described as extremely provocative actions.
US-Iran tensions heightened
US: Iran speeding up missile development
AP: The head of the United States’ missile defense program sought Wednesday to bolster Washington’s argument for anti-missile sites in Europe by warning that Iran has sped up development of long-range missiles.
US fears ‘disastrous’ links in Latin America with Islamic militants
AFP: A top US military commander said Wednesday he fears a “disastrous” linkup between drug traffickers and radical Islamists in Latin America, where he said Iran wields growing influence.
Germany set on halting Iran nuclear arms
AP: Germany’s foreign minister said Thursday that the international community remains determined to prevent Iran from developing technology for nuclear weapons, despite U.S. assessments saying Tehran has stopped working on an arms program.
Six power talks to show unity on Iran — Germany
Reuters: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Thursday a meeting of six big powers next Tuesday aimed to show international determination not to allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons technology.
German accused of nuclear smuggling bid
AP: Authorities have arrested a German man of Iranian descent on suspicion of attempting to export materials “relevant to nuclear technology” to Iran, the federal prosecutor’s office said Wednesday.
Iran temporarily halts Afghan expulsion
AFP: Iran said on Wednesday it had temporarily stopped the expulsion of illegal Afghans for “humanitarian reasons” after Kabul called for an immediate halt, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Faulty heaters kill many in Iran
BBC: Faulty gas heaters have been blamed for 89 deaths during a cold snap in Iran, according to local media reports.
Iran says it will join Iraq security conference
AFP: Iran said on Wednesday it would take part in a conference of Middle East and Western powers to be held in Kuwait in April to debate security in war-ravaged Iraq.
Afghanistan summons Iranian envoy on winter expulsions
AFP: The Afghan foreign ministry said it had summoned the top Iranian diplomat in Kabul to complain about the expulsion of thousands of Afghans over the winter and call for an immediate halt.
