Reuters: French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy urged Iran on Saturday to study carefully the European Union’s offer
of incentives in return for a suspension of its nuclear fuel work, after Tehran rejected the offer. “Faced with the first, negative reactions from Iran, I urge its leaders to give themselves the time to examine these proposals with care,” Douste-Blazy told Le Journal du Dimanche in an early release of an interview to run on Sunday.
France urges Iran to study EU proposals carefully
Iraqi Kurds rally to support Iranian brethren
AFP: More than 400 Iraqi Kurds gathered Saturday to protest recent clashes in neighbouring Iran’s northwest Kurdish region as police opened fire to disperse the crowd, an AFP correspondent reported. Carrying anti-Iran banners and shouting slogans condemning the Islamic republic, the demonstrators gathered in the centre of the northern Kurdish town of Suleimaniyah, 330 kilometers (205 miles) north of Baghdad.
Paramilitary vigilantes given police role in Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Aug. 06 The head of police in the province of Isfahan, central Iran, said in a gathering on
Saturday that members of the Bassij, paramilitary vigilantes loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were authorised to assist the police in cracking down on dissent.
Paramilitary vigilantes given police role in Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Aug. 06 The head of police in the province of Isfahan, central Iran, said in a gathering on
Saturday that members of the Bassij, paramilitary vigilantes loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were authorised to assist the police in cracking down on dissent.
New president warns Iran will not submit to other nations
AFP: New President Mahmood Ahmadinejad said Iran
would respect international regulations but would not accept “submission” to any other nation, as he took the oath of office
before parliament Saturday.
“We will not accept anything that violates our nation’s rights, it’s
an inviolable principle of our policies,” said the hardliner who takes over as head of state amid an intensifying stand-off with the international community over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran Rejects EU’s Civil Nuclear Proposal
AP: Iran on Saturday rejected Europe’s proposal for ending the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, calling it “unacceptable” and not up to Tehran’s “minimum expectations.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the government would send its official rejection to the Europeans within days.
Iran swears in hardline president
BBC: Iran’s new ultra-conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been sworn in at a ceremony in parliament in Tehran. The ex-Tehran mayor succeeds the pro-reform Mohammad Khatami, who held office for eight years. Correspondents say that with the new president in office, hardliners now control all institutions of power and the reform period is over.
Showdown looms as Europeans give Iran a stark choice
The Times: Europe and Iran were last night headed for a serious diplomatic showdown, after Tehran vowed that it
would resume work on its controversial nuclear programme, appearing to snub a long-awaited compromise from Britain, France and Germany.
Iran looks set to reject nuclear peace deal
Daily Telegraph: Iran gave a cool reception last night to a long-awaited series of European Union proposals aimed at staving off a confrontation over Teheran’s nuclear ambitions. Following two years of diplomacy, the “EU3” – Britain, France and Germany – offered a range of economic and political incentives to try to persuade Iran to abandon its controversial uranium-enrichment activities.
Canada threatens Iran with UN action on rights record
AFP: Canada threatened Friday to introduce a UN resolution
on Iran’s human rights record as it called on the Islamic republic’s new government to improve its human rights record and change its position on nuclear ploriferation.
