AFP: An Iranian diplomat was freed Monday after a 55-day hostage ordeal at the hands of the same Islamic militant group which is holding two French newsmen, as 12 people were killed in fresh Iraq violence.
However there was no word on the fate of British hostage Kenneth Bigley as British Muslim leaders wrapped up a …
Iran diplomat freed by captors as 12 killed in Iraq unrest
Pro-Democracy Protest in Iran Gains Momentum
Reuters: TEHRAN – A rare pro-democracy protest in Tehran gained momentum late on Sunday with hundreds of cars pouring onto the streets, blaring horns and provoking an appearance from hardline vigilantes, witnesses said.
Putin: Iran doesn’t need nukes
UPI: Iran does not need nuclear weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said according to a Moscow Times report this weekend.
“Possession of a nuclear bomb will not enhance Iran’s security or regional security,” the Russian president told the First World Congress of News Agencies …
Bush says Iran will not get nuclear weapon
AFP: US President George W. Bush says “all options are on
the table” for making sure Iran dismantles its nuclear program, and that Washington will never let Tehran acquire atomic weapons.
“My hope is that we can solve this diplomatically,” Bush said in a three-part interview with Fox News Channel’s “O’Reilly Factor” program, excerpts of which were made public on Sunday.
Iran calls for nuclear talks but shows no sign of halting work
AFP: Iran appealed Sunday for a negotiated settlement to its standoff with the UN atomic energy watchdog but showed no inclination to abide by a resolution calling for an immediate
halt to its sensitive nuclear activities.
“No negotiations with the Americans are on the agenda, but
we call on the Europeans to discuss with us,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.
Nuclear Showdown
Time Magazine: Iran days after the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved a resolution demanding that Iran suspend all uranium-enrichment activities, a defiant Tehran announced that it had started the conversion of some 37 tons of uranium oxide (yellowcake) into UF6-gas the feed material for enriched uranium.
Two Islams face off
Washington Times: By Jalal Ganje’i – Thirty-five years ago, when in a jurisprudence course in Najaf, Ayatollah Khomeini boasted that Khoms (a religious tax equivalent to one-fifth on property or income) from Baghdad’s Bazaar was adequate to run the affairs of the Islamic world, he wanted to affirm that assuming power on his part cost very little but benefited the public at large.
However, no one, not even me, attending his course as a student at the time, had any idea that some day Khomeini’s covetous design on Baghdad, not to mention Tehran, would emerge as the principle foreign policy objective of the theocracy that he erected a few years later.
German trader suspected of selling nuclear secrets to Iran
AFP: A German businessman under investigation for illegally exporting nuclear technology had planned to sell the material
to Iran, Der Spiegel magazine reported in its issue out on Monday.
On Thursday the German federal prosecutors office arrested 53-year-old Helmut R., in Friedrichshafen in southwest Germany, on suspicion of involvement in the delivery of 24 long-distance detonators, a device indispensable to the development of nuclear arms.
Khatami postpones Turkey visit after MPs move against contracts
AFP: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has postponed a visit to Turkey after the conservative-controlled parliament threw into doubt two major contracts signed with Turkish companies, an official said.
Tension grows over Iran’s nuclear aims
Boston Globe: The diplomatic showdown over Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions could escalate into a confrontation that changes the political dynamic of the Middle East and further destabilizes the region, Western diplomats, officials, and analysts say.
