Posted on 02/15/2006 7:51:34 PM PST by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Signs that Russia on Board with the West on Iran?
- The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel is confident neither Russia nor China will block the implementation of UNSC sanctions. It revealed the sanctions being discussed.
- Dow Jones Newswires reported that Putin spoke with Angela Merkel about Iran and "Both sides expressed satisfaction with the high level of mutual understanding and emphasized the intention for continuing close coordination."
- Itar-Tass News Agency reported that Russia and France have made a joint statement, which calls on Iran to suspend the uranium enrichment process. “Russia and France are determined to resolve concerns about the Iranian nuclear program consequences for non-proliferation.”
- Yuri Zarakhovich, Time was less optimistic, saying: Moscow seeks cash and cachet from its interventions in the nuclear crisis. But it may end up isolated, unpaid and under threat.
- Rooz Online reported that according to their sources Russian and China have been offered deals that now put them in opposition to Iran's hardliners.
- MosNews reported that Russian political expert Mikhail Delyagin is convinced: the U.S. will launch a missile attack against Iran this summer.
More Words of Caution.
- The Washington Times reported that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned President Bush not to "escalate" tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
- Dow Jones Newswires reported that once again, Britain's foreign minister said the standoff with Iran over the country's nuclear program could only be resolved by diplomacy.
Iran Confirms Resumption of Uranium Enrichment.
- Reuters reported that Tehran confirmed it had restarted work on uranium enrichment, but said it would take some time to crank up to industrial-scale production.
Gallup Poll.
- USAToday reported on a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll which found that Americans are deeply worried about the possibility that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and use them, they also fear that the Bush administration will act prematurely, but also that the United States won't do enough.
Hardliners Inside of Iran.
- The Associated Press reported that an Iranian newspaper's contest for cartoons about the Holocaust, launched Monday in response to a series of caricatures about the Prophet Mohammed, has already drawn at least one entry.
- Reuters reported that about 200 demonstrators threw stones, firecrackers and at least two petrol bombs at the German and British embassies in Iran.
- Contactmusic News reported that the religious edict condemning author Salman Rushdie to death for his controversial novel The Satanic Verses will remain "forever", Iran's official news agency reports.
Regime Attacks Sufi's.
- IranMania reported that clashes broke out between members of the Sufi sect and Iranian police in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Qom, when security forces used tear gas to break up the protest after local authorities decided to close the Sufi centre. Photos.
More Calls for a Regime Change in Iran.
- Nazenin Ansari, Open Democracy reported that Iran is on freedoms path. An interesting read.
- Count Down argued that the way out of this crisis is a concerted campaign to oust the regime.
Here are a few other news items you may have missed.
- ABC News reported that Iran's actions are reminiscent of N. Korea's.
- Rooz Online reported "dangerous" is the word that the Majlis Research Committee on the budget has used to explain Ahmadinejad's budget.
- Ladane Nasser, PBS reported that for Iran's young population, celebrating a solemn religious holiday while also gearing up for the excitement of Valentine's Day created an enthralling cultural dichotomy on the streets of Tehran last week. An interesting read.
- The Wall Street Journal argued that as Iran plays a growing role in Iraq, it is complicating Bush's strategy for the Middle East.
- Mort Kondracke, RealClear Politics argued that Iran, Iraq, and Hamas make 2006 the year of crisis for President Bush.
- And finally, The International Intelligence Summit reported that ABC News will be reporting on the Saddam WMD Tapes: Wednesday, February 15, 2006.
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"Signs that Russia on Board with the West on Iran?"
Yeah, sure!!! /s
Russia will sell SAMs to Iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1578650/posts
Russia to sell 29 air defense systems to Iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1533567/posts
Russians help Iran with missile threat to Europe
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1503209/posts
Iran and Russia sign $1 bln defense deal: reports
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1366658
All I know is that March 1st deadline the Israelis set is fast approaching.
Russia is doing its usual schtick.
Playing both sides of the fences.
The checks from the mullahs must have clearted..
With the deepest regard for international diplomacy and international democracy, this commentary from the Secretary of the UN is laughable. American officials taking concrete steps to solve the Iran problem is not an escalation. Secretary Annan, should we remind you of the millions of lives the Iranian leadership has threatened and the billions of lives the Iranian leadership is gambling with! Barking orders at responsible democratic nations sympathetic to international governance in order to protect dictatorships with nothing but contempt for you is bad leadership. The net result Mr. Annan is that these remarks will drive the constituents of real democracies to lose sympathy for you and your institutions. This is an unfortunate trend to initiate. When the constituents of healthy democracies lose faith in international democracy, democratic representatives of nations like the United States will be obliged to lose sympathy for you as well.
"We talked about U.N. reform, structural reform, management reform, as well as the reform of the Human Rights Commission," Mr. Bush said. "I was most interested in the secretary-general's thoughts. I appreciate very much his leading on these issues, and we'll continue to work closely." Mr. Annan said he agreed that reforms of the human rights panel "should be done as soon as possible."
U.N. REFORM! NOW… BTTT
Ping
KGB Putin's playing everyone off against each other. Iran's new anti-aircraft missile batteries were "Made in Moscow".
Iranian "Shahab-3" missile
Russia and the Development of the Iranian Missile Program
Red China is also very deeply involved in advanced missile systems to Iran.
AUGUST 11, 2004
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5138937
Iran Tests Missile Capable of Hitting Israel, By Paul Hughes
TEHRAN (Reuters - 11 August) - Iran's defense ministry said on Wednesday it had carried out a field test of the latest version of its Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile which defense experts say can reach Israel or U.S. bases in the Gulf.
Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said last week Iran was working on improvements to the range and accuracy of the Shahab-3 in response to Israel's moves to boost its anti-missile capability.
A defense ministry spokesman confirmed a state television report that the test was carried out "to assess the latest developments implemented on this missile." He declined to give any further details.
Iran says its missile program is purely for deterrent purposes. Tehran also denies U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is seeking to develop nuclear warheads which could be delivered by the Shahab-3.
Based on the North Korean Nodong-1 and modified with Russian technology, the Shahab-3 is thought to have a range of 810 miles which would allow it to strike anywhere in Israel. Shahab means meteor in Persian.
Amid media speculation that Israel may try to halt Iran's nuclear program by carrying out air strikes on some atomic facilities in Iran, Iranian officials have said Tehran would retaliate promptly and strongly to any such attack.
"If Israel behaves like a lunatic and attacks the Iranian nation's interests, we will come down on their heads like a mallet and break their bones," the ISNA students news agency quoted Revolutionary Guards Commander Yahya Rahim Safavi as saying on Wednesday.
Israeli nuclear munitions within Iran's missile range: commander
AUGUST 17, 2004
US: Iran Says Can Make Uranium for Nuke in a Year
By REUTERS
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A hawkish U.S. official
said on Tuesday that Iran has warned it could make
enough bomb-grade material in a year to produce a
nuclear weapon, a threat that may boost a U.S.
push to report Tehran to the United Nations.
...U.S. Under Secretary of State John Bolton said
Iran had sought in negotiations with European
powers to pressure them to ease their opposition
to its suspected weapons programs.
``They've told the EU threethat they could
produce, they could enrich enough uranium for a
nuclear weapon within a year and they could
produce nuclear weapons within the range of our
own assessment, which is a way of threatening the
Europeans to get them to back down,'' the senior
official said at a Washington think tank session
on Iran.
U.S. officials with access to intelligence
estimates say Iran can achieve a bomb in three to
five years and the United States believes that
would be a danger in the Middle East, notably to
its close ally Israel.
AUGUST 23, 2004
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040823-124036-3721r.htm
China breaks vow on halting arms transfers
By Bill Gertz, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A Chinese company recently supplied missile-related
technology to Iran in violation of Beijing's promises to
curb arms-proliferation activities, U.S. intelligence
officials say.
.... The missile-related transfers, which in the past have
included materials used in making missile shells and
missile-guidance systems, took place after China's
government issued a report in December pledging not to
transfer weapons of mass destruction and missile-delivery
systems.
... "Chinese entities continue to assist Iran with dual-use
missile-related items, raw materials and chemical
weapons-related production equipment and technology," the
report said, quoting a recent CIA report.
.....
The U.S. report includes a chart showing Chinese
companies have sold CSS-8 and DF-15 ballistic missiles to
Iran, along with cruise missiles identified as HY-1, HY-2
Silkworm, C-201, C-601, C-801 and C-802.
The report says China also is suspected of assisting
Iran with the medium-range Shahab-3 missile, which was
recently tested by the Iranians.
Other Chinese assistance to the Iranian missile
programs has included support for indigenous Iranian
missiles, propellant and chemicals used in making missile
fuel, missile-guidance kits, gyroscopes, accelerometers and
test equipment.
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