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May 2003 Pentagon Eyes Massive Covert Attack on Iran The Pentagon is advocating a massive covert action program to overthrow Iran's ruling ayatollahs as the only way to stop the country's nuclear weapons ambitions, senior State Department and Pentagon officials told ABCNEWS. -Common Dreams - 5/31/03 Iran-US ties should be based on mutual respect: Iranian FM Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said in Tehran on Friday evening said that Iran-US talks will be meaningful only when they are based on mutual respect and equality - 5/31/03 Sending a Strong Message to Iran If any nation is a poster child for the Axis of Evil, it’s Iran. Its government combines repressive Islamic fundamentalism with chemical and biological weapons and robust support for some of the world’s worst terrorist groups, including senior al Qaeda operatives responsible for the Saudi Arabia bombings. -Heritage Foundation - 5/31/03 Singapore to Attempt Separation of Twins Surgeons in Singapore will attempt a risky operation to separate a pair of adult Iranian sisters who were born joined at the head, a hospital official said Friday. - 5/31/03 Amanpour: Two governments in Iran U.S. pressure on Iran is feeding an internal power struggle within that country. For sometime now, there has been a push for democratic change in Iran but the conservative power base is not yielding. -CNN - 5/31/03 U.S. Insiders Say Iraq Intel Deliberately Skewed A growing number of U.S. national security professionals are accusing the Bush administration of slanting the facts and hijacking the $30 billion intelligence apparatus to justify its rush to war in Iraq. -Reuters - 5/31/03 Quake shake central Iranian city of Bafq An earthquake measuring 3.1 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale jolted the city of Bafq in the central province of Yazd on Saturday - 5/31/03 Kurdish poet finds his voice He found his voice by stitching up his lips. Yesterday, as a nurse snipped away the coarse green cotton thread, Abas Amini hoped that the world was still listening. -Guardian - 5/31/03 Iran 'liable' for Beirut bomb A US federal judge has found Iran liable for the 1983 bombing of a US barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, which left 241 marines dead. -BBC - 5/31/03 U.S-Iran tensions put oil markets on alert Brewing tensions between Iran and the United States will keep oil markets on alert in coming months, but a direct threat to Iran's crude supply is so far too remote to push prices up, analysts said on Friday. -Reuters - 5/31/03 Hundreds of Saudi clerics 'dismissed' The Saudi Government has played down media reports that it has embarked on a campaign to reform preaching at mosques following suicide attacks on Western targets in the kingdom earlier this month. -BBC - 5/31/03 Fighting continues in Saddam's heartland In the weeks since the end of the conflict in Iraq, most American troops have gradually scaled down from combat operations to policing patrols. But in Falluja and a string of smaller towns just west of Baghdad, they believe they are still very much at war. -Guardian - 5/31/03 Iran's Khamenei calls for Islamic unity against US presence in Iraq "The United States, like any other 19th century colonialist, is trying to impose an American governor in Iraq," Khamenei was quoted Saturday as saying at a meeting with the secretary general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Abdulwahed Belkeziz. -AFP - 5/31/03 US posturing on Iran worries India India is concerned about the George Bush administration toughening its approach towards Iran and warned that opening a new front after Iraq could worsen the situation. -Tribune, India - 5/31/03 US would like different kind of regime in Iran Rice signals US determined to address Iranian threat as Bush says using force in Iran is idle speculation. -Middle East Online - 5/31/03 Rowhani dismisses US rhetoric againt Iran as psychological warfare Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Hassan Rowhani said on Saturday that the US has embarked on psychological warfare against Iran - 5/31/03 Iran's Kharrazi Rejects Likelihood of U.S. Attack Iran does not believe the United States will attack it although it does think Washington has demonized Tehran unjustly, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told a German magazine. -Reuters - 5/31/03 Iran Disputes U.S. on Actions in Iraq Iran's foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said today that American accusations of Iranian meddling in Iraq were an attempt to cover Washington's failure to establish order there -New York Times - 5/31/03 Time for offensive diplomacy: Iranian daily Iran Daily' on Saturday suggested that Iran should switch gears from a "defensive" to an "offensive" diplomacy if it wants to convince world public over the need to globally destroy Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and other crucial problems facing the international community - 5/31/03 America's Dubious Ally President Bush is presently deciding on the MKO's final status. But if the MKO does win this next battle - the battle for effective US recognition - there can be no doubt that the White House will have a very difficult job to explain dealing with a blacklisted terrorist organisation in order to win a war against terror. -Institute for War & Peace Reporting - 5/31/03 US Rules Out Russian Idea on Iran's Nuclear Program The United States on Friday ruled out any nuclear cooperation with Iran, as proposed by Russia, until Tehran implements stronger safeguards recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency. -Reuters - 5/31/03 Iran Invites West to Build Nuclear Plants Iran's foreign minister invited Western countries to join Russia in building new nuclear plants in Iran and pledged to sign extra nuclear nonproliferation treaties if Tehran gets access to the latest atomic technologies. -AP - 5/31/03 ON TO TEHRAN? - The threat of war is real What is clear is that we are now entering phase two of the neoconservative plan to effect regional "regime change" and refurbish the Middle East with rulers more to America's and Israel's liking. Get on board the War Train. Next stop – Tehran. Toot! Toot! -Antiwar.com - 5/30/03 Rumsfeld pushes for regime change in Iran Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, is spearheading efforts to make "regime change" in Iran the official policy goal of the Bush administration, but his campaign is meeting with considerable resistance from other senior figures, according to officials and analysts. -Financial Times - 5/30/03 Return to Iran? - Popular Uprising, Inc. Like the Bush administration, I would like to see a popular uprising in Tehran. However, unlike the Bushites, I would like to see that the resultant government be one that the Iranian people put in place themselves without any CIA "help." -CounterPunch - 5/30/03 Interview: Salehiforouz on Iran's South Pars Gas Field Pars Oil and Gas Company is one of the better known companies to IOCs in Iran. The company commenced operations in early 1999 and is in charge of development of the North and South Pars gas fields. - 5/30/03 Panel discusses Iran A panel comprised of experts on Iran addressed a packed room at Stanford University last night during “Iran Unraveled: Temptations of Tradition and Modernity in Iran.” -Stanford Daily - 5/30/03 UK must not be 'conned' again by the US over Iran, warns Cook Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook warned Friday that Prime Minister Tony Blair's government must "not be suckered a second time" by the US over Iran as it was over the war against Iraq - 5/30/03 Bush Denies Iran 'Preoccupation', Review Put Off President Bush said on Thursday he had no "preoccupation" with Iran, and a government official said consideration of new get-tough measures against Tehran had been put off indefinitely amid divisions in the administration. -Reuters - 5/30/03 Iran: al-Qaida Leaders May Be in Custody In a reversal, Iran left open the possibility Thursday it may have top al-Qaida operatives in custody, including the terror network security chief suspected by U.S. officials of planning attacks in Saudi Arabia. -AP - 5/30/03 Iran and regime change: Leave it to the Iranians Over a one-week period, two groups of influential Iranians have criticized the unelected but powerful institutions undermining efforts towards their country's liberalization. They have both expressed concerns about the status quo, and demanded a change. -Asia Times - 5/30/03 U.S. Pressure Feeds Iran's Internal Debate Reformist and Conservatives Differ Over How to Deter Washington -Washington Post - 5/30/03 The Case for War is Blown Apart Tony Blair stood accused last night of misleading Parliament and the British people over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, and his claims that the threat posed by Iraq justified war. -Independent - 5/30/03 Blair pays landmark visit to Iraq, hears of Iranian bid for influence British Prime Minister Tony Blair became the first leader of the coalition that toppled Saddam Hussein to visit Iraq, flying into this southern capital to be told of Iranian efforts to exert control. -AFP - 5/30/03 Refugee vows to continue hunger strike The Iranian Kurdish refugee who has been on hunger strike for 11 days over the plight of refugees worldwide has warned doctors that he will fight treatment to the bitter end. -Guardian - 5/30/03 Powder Thrown at Iran's Oslo Embassy, Employee Attackers threw a mysterious white powder into Iran's embassy in Norway on Friday and an employee had to be taken to hospital with breathing problems, officials said. -Reuters - 5/30/03 Russia Says Only UN Body Can Object to Iran Plant Russia ignored U.S. objections on Thursday and vowed to keep building a nuclear power plant in Iran, saying only a special U.N. meeting could assess whether Tehran was violating promises not to use it to produce weapons. -Reuters - 5/30/03 Analysis: Iran coud change the region There is no question that a change of regime in Iran would have far reaching consequences for the entire region. The supporters of that change in Washington hope to create a pro-American bloc in the Middle East consisting of Iran, a refurbished Shiite Iraq and the Kurds. -UPI - 5/30/03 ANALYSIS-US pressure makes life tough for Iran's reformers If Iran's reformist movement was having a tough time before, the recent barrage of U.S. criticism aimed at Iran and rumours Washington may seek to destabilise its Islamic government have certainly not helped the cause. -Reuters - 5/30/03 Rafsanjani stresses Iran's impartiality in Iraq's affairs Rafsanjani on Friday dismissed British Prime Minister Tony Blair's claim in Basra Thursday that Iran and Syria interfered in Iraq's internal affairs - 5/30/03 Is Iran next after Iraq? Is Iran next? That is the question being posed with increasing urgency in Washington, amid rumours of a new tougher stand by the Bush administration - a stand that could conceivably end in an Iraq-style standoff, perhaps even in a war. -BBC - 5/30/03 Iran to appoint Portuguese national Antonio Oliveira as new soccer head coach Pejman Nozad, an internationally well-known expert on Iranian football and contributing writer to Iran Sports Press who leads the negotiation with Oliveira reveals that talks are in final stages and Oliveira will travel to Iran soon to finalize the deal. - 5/30/03 EU united in continuing engagement with Iran The European Union was deeply divided over the issue of war against Iraq, but the 15-member bloc is united on the process of dialogue and engagement with the Islamic Republic - 5/30/03 Please sir, we really didn't On the old Middle East chessboard, the Iranian bishop and the Syrian knight were nimble allies. Often aided by their little Lebanese pawn, Hizbullah, they thwarted the ambitions of other players, including Iraq, Israel and America. But now the superpower has abruptly changed the game, and is imposing new rules. -Economist - 5/30/03 Despite Thin Intelligence Reports, the US Plans to Overthrow Iranian Regime Here we go again. While postwar Iraq continues to crumble, the Bush administration is now setting its sights on a new target--Iran--in its so-called effort to reshape most of the Middle East and bring democracy to countries ruled by vicious dictators. -Common Dreams - 5/30/03 'Crude' US rhetoric could boost Iran's hard-liners Critics of Washington's approach to Iran say it would also be a mistake to champion exiled opposition figures or groups that have little support inside Iran. Influential neoconservatives in Washington are promoting Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah, currently living in Virginia, whose only real base of support among Iranians is in Los Angeles. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/30/03 Iran's youth seek future overseas Faced with poor job prospects and restrictive social conditions, thousands are leaving every year, creating alarm among the country's leaders. -BBC - 5/30/03 The CIA in Iran: The Oily Business of Regime Change About fifty years ago, in July 1953, the U.S. secretary of state held a press conference in which he stated, "The growing activities of the illegal Communist Party in Iran and the toleration of them by the Iranian government has caused our government much concern." -CounterPunch - 5/29/03 Blair warns Iran not to push Iraq theocracy Tony Blair on Wednesday warned Iran not to press for installation of a theocratic regime in post-Saddam Iraq and also called on the Iranian leadership to come clean about the country's nuclear programme and links with terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. -Financial Times - 5/29/03 2nd day of OIC foreign ministers meeting in Tehran The foreign ministers and heads of delegations attending the 30th meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Tehran on Thursday continue dialogues on matters of general interest - 5/29/03 On accusations against NIAC: What you deserve to know We Iranian-Americans have come from half-way round the globe, we have braved hardship, perhaps misery -- even tragedy -- to get here. We have endured insecurity, uncertainty, and fear of the unknown, to embrace possibility. What do we deserve as a reward? -NIAC - 5/29/03 Iranian Resistance Group Says it has Revealed Two More Uranium Enrichment Sites in Iran The new nuclear accusations come from a group called the National Council for the Resistance of Iran — an umbrella for Iranian opposition organizations which last December provided commercial satellite photos taken over Iran of two secret nuclear sites -Bellona - 5/29/03 Iran President stresses need to promote democracy in Islamic states President Mohammad Khatami on Thursday held talks with Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mousa on the need for promoting democracy in the Islamic states - 5/29/03 Three Iranian women to judge world fencing in Tehran Three Iranian women will be among the judges of World Fencing Championships in Tehran, the Fencing Federation announced on Wednesday - 5/29/03 The Iranian Challenge If Iran escalates in Iraq, refuses more intrusive international inspections of its nuclear facilities or appears to actively harbor al Qaeda, the tougher measures the administration is debating may be necessary. But for now, they are not. -Washington Post - 5/29/03 Iranian Apathy May Hinder U.S. Bid to Foment Unrest Iranian analysts warn that any U.S. plan to foment popular unrest in Iran will run up against the same challenge that has stalled the country's struggling reform movement: The careworn Iranian public is steadily disengaging from politics. -Washington Post - 5/29/03 Iran Says It's Determined Not to Interfere in Iraq Iran has repeatedly pleaded its innocence in answer to a stream of charges from Washington that Tehran is trying to unhinge the U.S. hold on Iraq, develop nuclear weapons and is giving refuge to top al Qaeda fugitives. -Reuters - 5/29/03 US has "no plans" to use Azerbaijan for Iran attack: ambassador The US ambassador to Azerbaijan denied a Russian press report that the Pentagon plans to use the Caucasus republic as a launching pad for military action against Iran. -AFP - 5/29/03 Bush's change of direction President George W Bush is about to launch into the sort of Middle East peacemaking he had been determined to avoid. -BBC - 5/29/03 Editor who fought Saudi religious zealots sacked The battle between conservatives and reformers in Saudi Arabia heated up yesterday after the sacking of a newspaper editor who campaigned against religious extremism. -Guardian - 5/29/03 Iranian Refugee Wins Asylum Case An Iranian refugee who had his eyes and lips sewn up to protest plans to deport him has won his legal fight for asylum, but will continue his hunger strike on behalf of other asylum seekers, media reported Thursday. -AP - 5/29/03 Iran's Cannes success hailed in reformist press, ignored by conservatives Iran's Cannes success hailed in reformist press, ignored by conservatives -AFP - 5/29/03 EU committed to dialogue and engagement with Iran The European Union has reiterated its commitment to continue the process of dialogue and engagement with the Islamic Republic of Iran ahead of a new round of EU-Iran negotiations - 5/29/03 Iran vows no compromise with US, says it may try al-Qaeda members Iran's supreme leader ruled out any compromise with the United States, accusing Washington of seeking to strip the Islamic republic of its values through a campaign of intimidation. -AFP - 5/29/03 US sees different approach to Iraq, Iran The United States went to war with Iraq citing ties to terrorists and unconventional weapons, but similar symptoms in Iran may require a different approach, the White House said. -AFP - 5/29/03 Al-Qaida 'sheltered in shah's lodge' The tough line on Iran contemplated by the Bush administration is partly driven by intelligence reports that al-Qaida leaders are being sheltered by the Iranian revolutionary guards at one of the former shah's hunting lodges, it emerged yesterday. -Guardian - 5/29/03 Look Who's Talking Iranian Democracy: Son of the Late Shah Critics worry that Pahlavi is merely a pawn in the hands of neoconservative hawks pushing for regime change in Iran through diplomatic pressure and even covert action. Pahlavi shares the hawks' assessment that the regime in Tehran cannot reform itself and that it only understands "a message of strength" and should not be engaged diplomatically with the United States. -Forward - 5/29/03 Under threat, Iran's supreme leader vows no compromise with US Iran's supreme leader vowed that the Islamic republic would not compromise with the United States, and accused Washington of seeking to strip the country of its values, state media reported. -AFP - 5/28/03 Rumsfeld warns Tehran on Iraq regime "Iran should be on notice that their efforts to remake Iraq in Iran's image will be aggressively put down," Mr Rumsfeld said in a speech to the independent Council on Foreign Relations, in New York. -Financial Times - 5/28/03 US weighs a tougher Iran stance The White House is increasingly citing Iran as key source of instability in region. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/28/03 Iran, EU to hold next round of talks in Tehran Iranian and the European Union (EU) officials are expected to hold the next round of talks in Tehran on June 1-3, foreign ministry said on Tuesday - 5/28/03 Iran Accuses U.S. of Terrorism Double Standards Iran on Wednesday denied U.S. charges it had secret nuclear facilities or harbored members of the "fanatic" al Qaeda network and accused Washington of double standards in the war on terror. -Reuters - 5/28/03 FILM: America So Beautiful The pidginized title of Babak Shokrian's debut feature might suggest an ethnic quirkfest on the order of Bend It Like Beckham, but this slice of Iranian American life circa 1979 is a thoroughly lugubrious affair more interested in preaching the perils of assimilation than evoking multiculti color, quirky or otherwise. -Village Voice - 5/28/03 Iran, Russia discuss continuation of peaceful nuclear cooperation Russian Energy Ministry onTuesday stressed continuing cooperation with Iran in peaceful use of nuclear energy - 5/28/03 Iran named AFC "Futsal Team of the Year 2002" Iran has been named the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) "Futsal Team of the Year 2002" - 5/28/03 Iran press responds to US threats Newspapers from both sides of Iran's political divide warn that the latest threats from Washington must be taken seriously. -BBC - 5/28/03 Guerrilla violence flares in Iraq as US warns Iran Two US soldiers were killed in a second day of guerrilla attacks in Iraq, as Washington warned it will not tolerate an Iranian-style Islamist regime there. -AFP - 5/28/03 US finds evidence of WMD at last - buried in a field near Maryland The good news for the Pentagon yesterday was that its investigators had finally unearthed evidence of weapons of mass destruction, including 100 vials of anthrax and other dangerous bacteria. -Common Dreams - 5/28/03 U.S. Hopes for Peaceful Solution on Iran In some ways, Iran may seems more of a menace in both terrorism and weapons than Iraq did. Still, administration officials are talking as though a military strike is the last thing on their minds. -AP - 5/28/03 Conservatives in Iran Crack Down on Women's Clothing Iran's clothing stores and factories were issued a written order to stop the production and selling of clothes that are not in line with the current strict female dress code. -Feminist Daily - 5/28/03 Amnesty: US 'War on Terror' Has Made World Worse Washington's "war on terror" has made the world more dangerous by curbing human rights, undermining international law and shielding governments from scrutiny, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. -Common Dreams - 5/28/03 Khatami calls for coalition for peace based on justice President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday proposed a "coalition for peace based on justice" instead of efforts to coax countries into war - 5/28/03 White House: Iran's terror arrests 'insufficient' Two senior White House officials said the Bush administration is not looking to overturn Iran's government but for it to change its behavior in three key areas: The United States wants Iran's Islamic regime to stop giving al-Qaeda figures refuge in Iran, to end development of nuclear weapons and to quit interfering in Iraq -USA Today - 5/28/03 Taleqani says Iran will compete in world wrestling event in US President of Iran's Wrestling Federation (IWF), Mohammad-Reza Taleqani, said on Tuesday that the freestyle wrestlers of the country will compete in the world championship in the United States - 5/28/03 Russia presses Iran over nuclear fuel Russia has responded to US pressure by telling Iran it will not supply nuclear fuel for the reactor it is constructing unless the Islamic republic agrees to intrusive inspections of all its nuclear facilities, say US and European officials. -Financial Times - 5/28/03 Iran rejects US criticism Leading Iranians have forcefully rejected US allegations that Tehran is harbouring terrorists, interfering in Iraq and seeking to develop nuclear weapons. -BBC - 5/28/03 Next stop Tehran? With Iraq beaten, the US is now playing the same dangerous WMD game with Iran -Guardian - 5/27/03 The Iranian challenge to the US At a May 21 Washington Institute for Near East Policy luncheon on Iran and Iraq, William Samii, senior regional analyst for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, argued that Tehran is trying to destabilize Iraq. The Iranian government is trying to pull the U.S. into a quagmire to bring about America’s failure in Iraq, Samii said, but claimed Tehran cannot realistically expect a Shia state to take over in Iraq. -NIAC - 5/27/03 US issues new warning to Iran but to keep contacts open The United States warned Tuesday that Iran has "insufficiently" responded to demands it crack down on al-Qaeda and forsake nuclear arms, but said contacts with the Islamic republic would continue. -AFP - 5/27/03 Pentagon adds to despair of Iran's reformers The Pentagon's pronouncement that it would seek to "destabilise" Iran's Islamic republic has given the country's clerics ammunition to portray their liberal opponents as traitors. Hardly a day passes without warnings in the official press against reformists accused of sowing divisions. -Guardian - 5/27/03 Iranian Governors: Respect for votes of people, criterion for national unity Governors general from across the country in statement on Tuesday said that respect for the people's landslide votes for the president and their representatives to the parliament is the only criterion for 'national unity' - 5/27/03 Iran Feels the Heat from Washington During the U.S.-led war in Iraq, some in "axis of evil" member Iran joked: "When the Americans beat Saddam, Iran goes through to the final." -Reuters - 5/27/03 Reza Pahlavi is shooting himself in the foot Once Iranian people see the picture of Pahlavi with Daniel Pipes, Michael Ledeen and Rob Sobhani then comes the end of the road for Pahlavi. -Kave Pourmand - 5/27/03 Khatami asks Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting to be neutral in its broadcasts President Mohammad Khatami on Monday called on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) to be politically neutral towards all parties and groups in the country - 5/27/03 UCD Iranian students explore heritage Born in Iran, graduating senior Maral Behnam moved to America when she was 5 years old. Ever since, she said, she has found it difficult to learn about her native country. -California Aggie - 5/27/03 Biden Urges Caution on Dealing With Iran The Bush administration should adopt a go-slow approach on Iran despite its allegations about an evolving nuclear weapons program and suspicions that al-Qaida terrorist figures operate there, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Tuesday. -AP - 5/27/03 Rumsfeld: U.S. Won't Let Iraq Be Made Into New Iran The United States will not allow Iraq's neighbors to create an Iran-style Islamic republic there after the toppling of Saddam Hussein by U.S. forces, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in comments published on Tuesday. -Reuters - 5/27/03 Quake jolts Iran's Khuzestan Province An earthquake measuring 4.2 degrees on the pen-ended Richter scale jolted Iran's southwester Khuzestan Province on Monday evening - 5/27/03 Bush may take first step to Tehran regime change Bush administration officials today look set to turn up the heat on Iran at a meeting to consider whether to break off diplomatic contacts as a possible first step to regime change in Tehran. -Guardian - 5/27/03 US sees renewed role for nukes in military arsenal Research on low-yield nuclear weapons underscores US shift from a strategy of deterrence to one of preemption. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/27/03 Asylum protester sews up eyes An Iranian Kurdish man living in Nottingham has sewn up his eyes, ears and mouth in protest at his treatment by the Home Office. -BBC - 5/27/03 Moscow Says It Won't Back Out of Iran Nuclear Plans Moscow will not drop plans to build Iran's first nuclear plant despite growing U.S. pressure over fears Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear arms, Russia's atomic energy minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying. -Reuters - 5/27/03 US officials debate Iran policy US policymakers are to discuss whether to take new action against Iran amid rising tensions between the two countries. -BBC - 5/27/03 Iranian lifters denied visa, cancel Mexico trip Young weightlifters of Iran postponed their Tuesday's trip to Mexico as the Tehran-based embassy of South American country did not issue their visas - 5/27/03 Germany urges US to act responsibly over Iran Germany called on all countries involved in the Middle East to act "responsibly" in the campaign against terrorism, after reports the United States was mulling plans to foment an uprising in Iran. -AFP - 5/27/03 Top US military official asserts again that Iran holds al-Qaeda members The top US military official repeated US allegations that Iran is harboring members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, despite recent strong assertions by Tehran to the contrary. -AFP - 5/27/03 Iran Warns U.S. Not to Interfere in Its Affairs Tehran Tuesday told Washington to stay out of its internal affairs as U.S. policymakers prepared to discuss whether to take a tougher stance on Iran aimed at destabilizing its clerical establishment. -Reuters - 5/27/03 Neo-cons move quickly on Iran Reports that top officials in the administration of President George W Bush will meet this week to discuss US policy toward Iran, including possible efforts to overthrow its government, mark a major advance in what has been an 18-month campaign by neo-conservatives in and out of the administration. -Common Dreams - 5/27/03 "Empress of the Arts" Empress Farah's deep interest and personal involvement in the arts have been largely responsible for Iran's many cultural movements and her frequent visits to art exhibitions and performances gave fresh incentive to all Iranian artistic activities. -Darius Kadivar - 5/27/03 Iranian reformists' plea gagged Iranian authorities have banned the publication of a letter that called on the country's supreme leader to intervene to break the political deadlock holding up the reform process. - 5/26/03 U.S. Lawmakers: Iran Rulers Should Leave The United States needs to have a more amenable government in Iran but must be careful how it removes the religious hard-liners now in power to avoid alienating the many Iranians friendly to America, lawmakers say. -AP - 5/26/03 Afghanistan's women will see Cannes prize-winner, Iranian director says The Cannes prize-winner portraying the plight of Afghan's women -- "At Five in the Afternoon" -- will be shown in Afghanistan as well as in Iran, the young Iranian director of the film said. -AFP - 5/26/03 Analysis: Iran-US rift widens Tension is rising sharply in relations between the United States and Iran, with three issues pointing to a possible crisis between the two countries after years of stalemate. -BBC - 5/26/03 HREOC protest over detention of Iranians in Australia Supporters of 200 Iranian people detained in Australian immigration centres have rallied outside the offices of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in Sydney. -Radio Australia - 5/26/03 Exiled Opposition Makes New Iran Nuclear Charge A spokesman for the National Council of Resistance of Iran said it had learned from "highly placed sources in Iran" of two secret nuclear sites and research facilities run "by the clerical regime." -Reuters - 5/26/03 US looks away as new ally tortures Islamists Uzbekistan's president steps up repression of opponents -Guardian - 5/26/03 Washington turns up the heat on Iran It is possible that the leaked information about attempts to undermine the Iranian government is meant as a warning. With his comments about capturing and extraditing al-Qaeda in Iran, UN-ambassador Zarif indicated that the message has been received loud and clear. -Radio Netherlands - 5/26/03 Iranian detainees in people-for-trade deal The Australian Greens Party says the federal government is discussing a secret refugee deal with representatives from the Iranian government. -SBS, Australia - 5/26/03 The people should know, daily advises Iran President Khatami, it may be recalled, won on his promise "to build a civil society, promote social and individual freedoms within the framework of law, equality and accountability in high places," said Iran Daily. - 5/26/03 Iran to privatize some 36 energy firms Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf said in Tehran on Monday that in line with the Third Five-Year Development Plan and reduction of state role in current affairs, 36 companies affiliated to the Ministry of Energy will be transferred to the private sector in the current Iranian year - 5/26/03 Iran Says Unsure if Arrested Al Qaeda Are Senior Iran, under pressure from Washington to join the U.S.-led war on terrorism, said on Monday it had arrested several suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda but was unsure of their rank in the network. -Reuters - 5/26/03 Iran has shown no leniency towards al-Qaeda members: Asefi Talking to reporters, he said that any Al-Qaeda member who is caught trying to enter Iranian territory will be arrested, investigated and expelled and that a number of Al-Qaeda members are currently under investigation in the country. - 5/26/03 Iran rejects US al-Qaeda pressure Iran has said it has arrested a number of members of the al-Qaeda network, but that they are not high level operatives -BBC - 5/26/03 U.S. Demands That Iran Turn Over Qaeda Agents The United States is pressing Iran to cooperate with the investigation into the recent bombings of foreign compounds in Saudi Arabia and to hand over operatives of Al Qaeda believed by American intelligence officials to have been working on Iranian territory, Bush administration officials said today. -New York Times - 5/26/03 Declaration of Iranian Cultural and Political Activists We the undersigned, considering the above three points, express our complete dissatisfaction with the rulers in Iran. We believe our country's interest demands a reduction of political pressure in order to create justice and security for the people and to reduce any threats from abroad. In pursuit of the end, we again demand the following... (English & Persian texts) - 5/26/03 U.S. Eyes Pressing Uprising In Iran The Bush administration, alarmed by intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda operatives in Iran had a role in the May 12 suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia, has suspended once-promising contacts with Iran and appears ready to embrace an aggressive policy of trying to destabilize the Iranian government, administration officials said. -Washington Post - 5/25/03 With US pressure set to intensify, Iran's political crisis edges to showdown With the United States looking set on a concerted campaign to destabilise Iran's clerical regime, the Islamic republic's embattled reformist camp are edging closer to a major showdown with their hardline rivals. -AFP - 5/25/03 Iran reformers in deadlock appeal Nearly 130 members of the reformist-dominated Iranian parliament have signed an open letter to the country's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling on him to intervene to break the political deadlock holding up the reform process. -BBC - 5/25/03 Iran tells women to button up Iran's conservatives are cracking down on women's clothing ahead of the baking summer. -BBC - 5/25/03 Iran's top security chief vows no leniency to al-Qaeda Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Hassan Rowhani in a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in Tehran on Sunday said that Iran will not ease up against al-Qaeda and will continue to arrest and evict suspected terrorists - 5/25/03 Quakes shake several cities in Iran An earthquake measuring 3.2 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale jolted the southern city of Larestan on Sunday morning. An earthquake with an intensity of 3.5 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale shook the city of Razan, south of Qazvin province, on Sunday... - 5/25/03 'A tool to disclose beauty' of Iran in Ottawa The Iranian ambassador's home captures his homeland's traditions, writes Maria Cook. -Canada.com - 5/25/03 Iranians defend resistance group A small but vocal group of Iranian-Americans demanded yesterday that an Iranian resistance group be removed from the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations. -Washington Times - 5/25/03 Yo, Ayatollahs! Far from being chagrined about the little problem of having no casus belli, and no plan for smoothly delivering Pax Americana to Iraq and Afghanistan, the hawks are hawking the next regime change. If Iraq was not harboring Al Qaeda and going nuclear, then certainly Iran is. -New York Times - 5/25/03 US hunts al-Qaeda's new terror chief The prime suspect for the bombings in Riyadh may be operating from Iran. Jason Burke reports on US efforts to link terrorists with the Tehran regime -Guardian - 5/25/03 Israel narrowly backs peace plan The Israeli cabinet has backed the latest Middle East peace plan, which envisages the step-by-step creation of a Palestinian state. -BBC - 5/25/03 Persian playboy goes shopping Robert Tchenguiz just can't help attracting interest. The 42-year-old property tycoon was struggling last week to bring together backers for a bid for Selfridges. -Guardian - 5/25/03 On the roads of ruin Tony Blair vowed that the West would not walk away from Afghanistan. But in a remarkable journey, meeting militia leaders and the heavily guarded President, Peter Oborne found a nation left to fend for itself - and Taliban thugs undeterred -Guardian - 5/25/03 Researcher: Many significant faultlines surround Tehran A seismographer and researcher, Mehdi Zare, declared in Tehran on Sunday that several major faultlines have been identified in the suburb of Tehran including Eivanki, northern and southern Rey, Kahrizak and Mosha - 5/25/03 Ambassador for a Silenced Music Mr. Vahab, a native of Tehran, left Iran for London in 1976, three years before those laws crippled Iran's music community. In 1981, he moved to New York, where he has become a one-man clearinghouse for Iranian-Americans who want to learn about their culture. He lectures regularly at Columbia and New York University, and he has performed at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the United Nations and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. -New York Times - 5/25/03 Iranian women struggle to catch up with world rights Women make up 31.5 per cent of the workforce in state bodies but hold less than 3 per cent of management positions. But in October the first group of women will become police officers. There are two female judges. For the fourth successive year female students have outnumbered males, occupying more than 60 per cent of university places. -Financial Times - 5/24/03 Iran's directors fighting tighter measures on showing films abroad As Iran's film directors win the hearts of audiences at this year's Cannes festival, their ongoing battle for freedom of expression has taken a new twist with local authorities pressing them to obtain permission to screen films abroad. -AFP - 5/24/03 Iran wins Takhti Wrestling Cup title, US finishes third Iran won the crown with 70 points and the two teams of Syria and the United States finished runner-up and third, winning 56 and 26 points respectively. - 5/24/03 Oregon State artist paints from life Iranian Tala Madani originally came to the United States seeking an education, but upon her arrival, she found much more, including her passion for painting and art. -Daily Barometer - 5/24/03 First Person: Love in a foreign land The first time I met Bijan was at my cousin's wedding in Saqqez, a town in Iranian Kurdistan. I don't know what we talked about because I was only five years old. But I always remembered Bijan, who was seven. -Financial Times - 5/24/03 Against All Odds Despite Grave Danger, Iran’s Bahais Study at Underground University -ABC News - 5/24/03 Living on a Prayer: Persian Melodies From Iran, Jordan, and Kenya, three Muslim men and women tell their stories of rejection and new-found hope after being diagnosed HIV positive. -Positive Nation - 5/24/03 Tense Kirkuk choosing council A new council is being chosen in the important oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk in a bid to end its simmering ethnic tensions. -BBC - 5/24/03 US blamed for Baghdad tension Britain says American military failure to secure capital threatens to delay reconstruction -Guardian - 5/24/03 G8 Ministers Flag N.Korea, Iran Nuclear Concerns The G8 foreign ministers, meeting for talks in Paris in preparation for a summit in France next month, also pressed Iran to offer more guarantees on its nuclear ambitions. -Reuters - 5/24/03 Iran scraps permanent residence for Afghan refugees Iran will withdraw from September 23 permanent residence for Afghan refugees as part of the Islamic Republic's plans to gradually repatriate all Afghans - 5/24/03 Iran's Parliament to examine draft on membership in anti-torture convention According to the text of the convention banning torture and any other type of punishment as well as inhuman and humiliating behavior, the member states are required to take effective legal, administrative and judicial steps to block torture in the domain of their legal authorities. - 5/24/03 Iranian reformists call on supreme leader to intervene in political deadlock A group of 127 Iranian reformist MPs launched a blistering attack on their powerful hardline rivals, warning supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the political deadlock was threatening the very survival of the Islamic republic. -AFP - 5/24/03 Pentagon sets sights on a new Tehran regime The Pentagon has proposed a policy of regime change in Iran, after reports that al-Qaida leaders are coordinating terrorist attacks from Iran. But the plan is opposed by the US state department and the British government, officials in Washington said yesterday. -Guardian - 5/24/03 Analysis: End of UN's 'Iraq era' Fourteen votes in favour, none against, one not present. So ended the Iraq era at the United Nations. Resolution 1483 legitimises the control of Iraq by the slightly sinisterly named "authority". That is a polite euphemism for Washington. -BBC - 5/23/03 Stranded Iranian Refugees Start to Leave Iraq Hundreds of Iranian Arab refugees stranded at a desolate border crossing in Iraq were told on Thursday they could return to their homeland -- but only if they left their vehicles and livestock behind. -Reuters - 5/23/03 Iran Says Qaeda Charges Due to Bad U.S. Intelligence Iran said U.S. allegations it harbored al Qaeda members were based on faulty intelligence, but vowed to arrest any militants who might have entered the country without its knowledge -Reuters - 5/23/03 Iran will not succumb to 'American chantage' on al-Qaeda, says intelligence minister Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi said in the northwestern city of Tabriz on Wednesday night that Iran would not submit to American blackmail over the alleged presence of al-Qaeda and demanded Washington extradite terrorist opposition elements in US - 5/23/03 US halts Iran talks over terror claim The cancellation of the Geneva meeting comes as a debate rages in the Iranian press about the merits of restoring diplomatic relations with the US. This is part of a wider power struggle in Iran that pits the reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, and his allies against conservative clerics defending the country's theocratic system. -Guardian - 5/23/03 Terror Level Blamed on al-Qaida in Iran Concern about possible activities of senior al-Qaida operatives thought to be in Iran was a factor in raising the domestic terror alert level in the United States, officials say. -AP - 5/23/03 4.5 Quake shakes Tabas in central Iran An earthquake with the intensity of 4.5 degrees on the Richter scale shook the desert city of Tabas in the central Yazd province early Thursday morning - 5/23/03 Poll: Iran, Syria, Saudis support terror A growing number of Americans believe that Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia are supporting terrorism, a new poll indicates. -UPI - 5/23/03 The Wrong Direction To be sure, Iran is still a theocracy, still uses the Koran as the basis of its legal system, and still thinks poorly of America. It is also the only Muslim country in the region that sustains competing political parties and genuinely contested elections. -Eat The State - 5/23/03 Director Without Borders Kurdish Filmmaker Explores Our Dividing Lines in 'Marooned in Iraq' -Washington Post - 5/23/03 Christian in Name Only: A Clash of Civilizations? Take, for example, the case of Iran. Why Iran? Firstly, because Iran illustrates the failure of Christian values. Secondly, because Iran could well become the next target of U.S. aggression. Today, few Americans understand the pivotal role the U.S. government played in Iran in the 1950s sewing the seeds for the Islamic revolution of the 1970s. -CounterPunch - 5/23/03 Iranian, French FMs discuss Iraq, terrorism, nuclear programs Ties between Iran and the European Union as well as Tehran's nuclear energy plans were discussed between Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin in Paris on Thursday on the sidelines of a conference on drugs - 5/23/03 Short Story: Anti-Memory There is the sound of footsteps approaching in dark. It gets closer and closer, then it stops and the door flings open with a dry sound. An intense light breaks into the dark room. A woman wearing a black chador is standing at the gate. -Katayoun Riahi - 5/23/03 US punishes firms in Iran and China The US has imposed sanctions against a Chinese company for allegedly supplying Iran with ballistic missile technology, without providing details of the deal. -BBC - 5/23/03 Iran and EU discuss ways of boosting ties Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten met in Paris on Thursday and discussed ways of boosting ties between the Islamic Republic and the European Union - 5/23/03 Iran demands US extradite suspect in 1994 shrine bombing Iran's intelligence minister Thursday demanded the United States extradite a suspect in a 1994 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine in the northeastern city of Mashad. -AFP - 5/23/03 US official plays down terror case against Iran The evidence that Iran may be harbouring al-Qaeda operatives is far less clear-cut than has been claimed by top figures the Bush administration, a senior US official said on Thursday. -Financial Times - 5/23/03 Mutual terror accusations halt U.S.-Iran talks Geoffrey Kemp, a Middle East expert at The Nixon Center, said the contacts should be resumed because of the need to discuss vital issues that include Iraq, nuclear weapons and Iran's support for militant Palestinian and Lebanese groups that impede settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. "It behooves both governments to be imaginative and creative, because the costs of not working out their differences are very high for both," Kemp said. -USA Today - 5/22/03 Tehran's Art Scene Tehran art scene has been flourishing as ever, and this week I really did myself a favor going to many exhibitions and even two Iranians films and here is the account what I saw. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 5/22/03 Iran in US sights over Al-Qaeda Iran is protesting vociferously against US charges that it is harbouring Al-Qaeda operatives on its territory, as it faces increasing anger from Washington. -AFP - 5/22/03 Iran says it has arrested several Al Qaeda operatives Iran has arrested several Al Qaeda operatives in a new sweep and they are now undergoing interrogation, a crackdown that Washington is fully aware of, a senior Iranian official said yesterday. -Boston Globe - 5/22/03 Khatami lambasts conservative clerics However, analysts believe that a final showdown is nearing. Threats by the US, which has branded Iran part of the "axis of evil", have inflamed the political infighting. Reformists insist that political reform could deprive the US of excuses to target Iran, while conservatives believe that further reform would lead to foreign dominance. -Financial Times - 5/22/03 U.S. wrestling team arrives in Iran Shunning U.S.-Iranian diplomatic tensions, a three-member American freestyle wrestling team arrived Wednesday in Tehran for the Takhti Cup, hoping to take home three medals. -AP - 5/22/03 Why don’t Iraqis come to welcome Coalition Forces! With such a history behind them, it is not surprising that contrary to the earlier anticipation of Americans, not only the people of Iraq did not welcome the coalition forces, but they used the arms distributed among them to resist these forces. -Masoud Behnoud, Tehran - 5/22/03 Official: money laundering is 20 percent of Iran's economy A member of Financial Research Center of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Hossein Heshmati Moulai said the amount of money laundered in Iran has jumped from about six percent of gross domestic product (GDP)in mid 1970's to close to 15 percent in 1980's. - 5/22/03 Surveys pointing to high civilian death toll in Iraq Evidence is mounting to suggest that between 5,000 and 10,000 Iraqi civilians may have died during the recent war, according to researchers involved in independent surveys of the country. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/22/03 Iran returns 95-year-old favour to BP Ninety-five years after BP founder William Knox D'Arcy struck oil in Iran, the tables have turned. -Telegraph UK - 5/22/03 Iran's Parliament Speaker says Iranians would stand fast against threats Karroubi's comments on the defense against threats was an allusion to the US anti-Iran allegations and hostile rhetoric. - 5/22/03 The Emerging Shiite Bloc The U.S. lifted the veil on the real face of power in Iraq by bringing down the secular regime of Saddam Hussein. A powerful Shiite Muslim bloc now exists across the Middle East. PNS contributor William O. Beeman probes the religious, social and political reasons for its strength. - 5/22/03 Blair Warns Iran Not to Shelter Al Qaeda British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Thursday his government had warned Iran that harboring al Qaeda operatives would be "entirely unacceptable." -Reuters - 5/22/03 Iran's provincial court transferring outspoken journalist to Tehran A court in the western Iranian city of Hamedan has upheld part of outspoken university professor Hashem Aghajari's 8-year jail term and decided that he serve his sentence in Tehran. - 5/22/03 Wrestler's surprise: Trip to Iran, gold Now the family is celebrating. He's back in the USA after winning a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling last week in the Takhti Cup tournament. The only glitch: His return luggage, including his medal and two Persian rugs for his mom, was lost. -USA Today - 5/22/03 Iran President lashes out at Guardian Council for rejecting reform bills President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday lashed out at the supervisory Guardian Council (GC) for rejecting his proposed twin bills on presidential powers and elections, stressing that he was against the decision - 5/21/03 Iran government spokesman rules out Khatami's resignation Government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh Tuesday night brushed aside speculation that President Mohammad Khatami may resign in the face of ongoing opposition to bolster presidential powers - 5/21/03 U.S. Suggests a Qaeda Cell in Iran Directed Saudi Bombings The United States has intercepted communications strongly suggesting that a small cell of leaders of Al Qaeda in Iran directed last week's terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, and the United States is sending a strong protest to the Tehran government, according to senior Bush administration officials. -New York Times - 5/21/03 Does Motherland Really Need You, O, Champion in Shining Armor? To sit back and accuse the "mullahs" of filling their pockets, ruining the nation, and laughing all the way to their banks in Switzerland, is as maliciously cynical as saying that Reza Phlavi has "sold out" the Iranian people to the interests of Zionists. -Kam Zarrabi - 5/21/03 Iran Parliament approves bill on changing election law Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill on changing the election law for parliamentary poll that once enforced would make each province an electoral district - 5/21/03 Iran is in high-risk region for AIDS Health Ministry's official said in Tehran on Tuesday that Iran is located in one of the high-risk regions for spread of AIDS - 5/21/03 An Unprecedented Crisis: The Arab Condition My impression is that many Arabs today feel that what has been taking place in Iraq over the last two months is little short of a catastrophe. -Edward Said, CounterPunch - 5/21/03 Amnesty Decries G8's Arms Sale to Nigeria, Others Human rights body, Amnesty International (AI), has criticized the G-8 countries including the United States of America, the Russian Federation, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Canada, for selling arms to Nigeria and other developing countries, involved in human rights abuses. -Common Dreams - 5/21/03 U.S. halts talks with Iran because of suspected al-Qaeda links "The Iranian government is, unfortunately, not a single entity. Some may know about the al-Qaeda presence and others may not. It's important to get at the bottom of this as soon as possible ,"a senior administration official said. -Los Angeles Times - 5/21/03 Renewed US-Iranian friction The United States has accused Iran of harbouring al-Qaeda leaders responsible for planning last week's suicide attacks in the Saudi capital Riyadh. -BBC - 5/21/03 'Iron hand' cleric issues fatwa amid Baghdad chaos Baghdad's most powerful Shia cleric warned yesterday that he would use a "hand of iron" to impose an extreme vision of Islam that could seriously challenge America's secular ambitions for Iraq. -Guardian - 5/21/03 US to revise Iraq resolution The United States has agreed to revise its draft resolution on Iraq's future still further after its first reading at the United Nations Security Council. -BBC - 5/21/03 Iranian reformists, dissidents urge changes Some 116 reformists, liberal dissidents accuse Iran's conservatives of misusing sacred principles to keep power. -Middle East Online - 5/21/03 Tehran's new mayor signed into office The Iranian Interior Ministry on Tuesday signed Tehran's newly-elected Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad into office, putting an end to speculation that the ministry was dragging its feet on the signing since it was displeased with the appointment - 5/21/03 A Terrorist U.S. Ally? One of the stranger news items coming out of Iraq these days concerns an Iranian opposition group called the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK). It's a U.S. government-designated terrorist organization that coalition forces first bombed from the air, then signed a cease-fire agreement with - and finally disarmed and protected. -Daniel Pipes and Patrick Clawson - 5/21/03 Sayeh Ghanbari Sayeh Ghanbari, 22, was born in Iran, but fled the country with her family when she was six years old during the Iran/Iraq war. She is now an aeronautical engineer based in London -Guardian - 5/21/03 The Undesirables By the time I was finally able to go for a visit back to Iran in 1995, my grandfather had already surrendered his life for over a decade. I never got a chance to say goodbye to him when I left Iran, as I departed under rather temporary intentions. -Pedram Moallemian, Blanket - 5/21/03 Iran Vows to Expel Any Al Qaeda Members It Finds Iran Wednesday denied U.S. accusations it harbored al Qaeda members but vowed to expel any it might find as it has with some 500 people suspected of ties to Osama bin Laden's network. -Reuters - 5/21/03 Rumsfeld suggests al-Qaeda terrorists in Iran had role in Saudi attacks US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld strongly suggested that al-Qaeda terrorists based in Iran had a role in the May 12 suicide attacks in the Saudi capital that killed 34 people. -AFP - 5/21/03 Suddenly, an Iranian leader is welcome in Beirut Turkey is no longer such a good friend of the American administration and its ability to intervene in Iraqi matters is very limited. Iran, on the other hand, is developing into an important state, mainly due to the fears of its influence on Iraq and thereafter on the other Gulf states, which have large Shi'ite minority populations, or on Bahrain, which has a Shi'ite majority. -Ha'aretz - 5/21/03 Self-fulfilling prophecy US threats make matters worse in Iran. The two countries have interests in common, if they would only see it. A platform for bilateral talks has been established under UN auspices in Geneva. Both sides should make better use of it. -Guardian - 5/20/03 Russia Agrees with US That Iran Poses a Nuclear Threat Following a whirlwind visit Wednesday to Russia by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Moscow this week finally concurred with western assertions that Iran is operating a covert nuclear programme, and is, in the words of President George Bush's National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, a "sponsor of terror." -Bellona - 5/20/03 Senator Brownback announces Iran Democracy Act with Iranian exiles Kansas Senator Sam Brownback announced at a press conference on May 19 that he will introduce a bill, the Iran Democracy Act, asking for fifty million dollars to promote democracy in Iran and to fund Iranian opposition groups. -NIAC - 5/20/03 The future of the Mujahideen Khalq The belated disarmament agreement between the United States and the Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO) has surprised many analysts both in Iran and the United States. -Mahan Abedin, Daily Star - 5/20/03 Senators Seek Iranian Dissident Support The bill is called the "Iran Democracy Act." Brownback, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the measure is similar to lawmakers' efforts last month to pay for opposition broadcasts during the war on Iraq -AP - 5/20/03 The story of the Internet and the frustrated mullahs On April 19, Hossein Derakhshan, a young Iranian living in Toronto, got an alarming e-mail from a friend of his in Tehran. The friend, Sina Montallebi, wrote that he had been summoned to appear before the religious police. -Globe & Mail, Canada - 5/20/03 ThyssenKrupp retakes Iran stake ThyssenKrupp on Monday said it had bought back a stake held by state-controlled Iranian investors following a threat from the US defence department to exclude the German conglomerate from some government contracts. -Financial Times - 5/20/03 Why Religious Wars and the Spread of Empires Go Hand in Hand From Cyrus the Great down to imperial leaders of the modern age, empire builders have fostered the spread of religion, and empires have ushered in periods of religious warfare. -PNS - 5/20/03 Iran is "very serious" against al Qaeda Iran on Tuesday once again rejected the recent US remarks on the presence of al Qaeda operatives inside its territory, and refreshed vows to "seriously" confront the terror network - 5/20/03 You Let Al-Qaida Off Hook, Bush Told The attacks in Riyadh and Casablanca emboldened the Democrats contending for next year's presidential nomination to launch the most vigorous attack yet on President George Bush's war on terrorism. -Common Dreams - 5/20/03 Why militants reject the roadmap "These attacks will continue in all the territories of 1948 and 1967, and we will not stop attacking the Zionist Jewish people as long as any of them remain in our land." -BBC - 5/20/03 More than 100 Iranian reformists and dissidents urge reforms "We want a free and independent Iran, as much as we are afraid of the return of foreign domination or attack, as much as we hate religious dictatorship and the suppression of people's freedom," read the letter signed by the group, which included deputies, journalists, intellectuals and student leaders. -AFP - 5/20/03 Saddam's praise singer shot dead as revenge killings start Two gunmen shot and killed a senior Ba'ath party official who appeared regularly in uniform on Iraqi state television singing anthems praising Saddam Hussein, the Guardian has learned. - 5/20/03 UK supplying Iran night vision goggles to combat drug spread Britain is making a further exception to its national arms embargo to provide Iran with more night vision equipment to help border guards combat drug smuggling from Afghanistan - 5/20/03 Baghdad's Death Toll Assessed A Times hospital survey finds that at least 1,700 civilians were killed and more than 8,000 injured in Iraq's capital during the war and aftermath. -Times - 5/19/03 Global Exchange Reality Tours to Iran Our tours to Iran provide Americans an opportunity to explore Iranian civil society in addition to visiting the rich cultural, historical and architectural sites of the country. Such “citizen diplomacy” fosters understanding between our two countries and creates the building blocks of peace. - 5/19/03 Old world order Makhmalbaf, Ruiz, Téchiné... the art-house heavyweights are stealing Hollywood's thunder -Guardian - 5/19/03 Police seize 756 kgs of drugs in southern province of Iran Police in Sistan- Baluchestan province said here Sunday over 756 kgs of illicit drugs were seized the province in the past two days adding that the haul included morphine, hashish and opium - 5/19/03 Bus runs over teen-aged school girls in Tehran A bus ran over a number of teen-aged school girls who were waiting at a bus stop in Tehran on Sunday. One student was killed instantly and seven others were seriously injured. - 5/19/03 War leaves Iranian Arabs stranded, homeless in Iraq hey are the human driftwood of wars that have blighted this region for decades, forced out of their country 23 years ago and now homeless again after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. -Reuters - 5/19/03 Azerbaijanis Uneasy Over Absent Leader President Geidar Aliev's grandfatherly smile beams reassuringly from office portraits, calendars and carpets throughout the capital. But since he collapsed during a speech last month, the real Aliev has been almost completely out of sight. -AP - 5/19/03 First aquarium submarine launched in Persian Gulf waters The first aquarium submarine named "Kish Star" was launched in the Persian Gulf waters on Sunday - 5/19/03 Lebanon's 'A-Team of terrorists' valued for social services Lebanon's Hizbullah organization may be ranked high on the US list of terrorist organizations, but analysts and diplomats here believe that Washington is seriously misguided in delivering sweeping demands for the elimination of the group. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/19/03 Fears grow for Iraqi children The head of the UN Children's Fund, Carol Bellamy, says a sharp rise in acute diarrhoea is hitting children in Iraq already weakened by malnutrition. -BBC - 5/19/03 Khamenei brands American Islam as 'backward' Iran's supreme leader lashes out at American brand of Islam, accusing it of only serving US interests. -Middle East Online - 5/19/03 Iran signs drilling contract for South Pars with Japanese company A contract to drill in South Pars gas field was signed in Tehran on Sunday between National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Japan Drilling Corporation (JDC) - 5/19/03 A woman's place Samira Makhmalbaf set out to make a film about a female president of Afghanistan. The hardest part was persuading someone to play the role, she tells Geoffrey Macnab - 5/19/03 Proved innocent Observer reporter Farzad Bazoft was hanged by Saddam in 1990. Now we have tracked down his interrogator who admits: 'He was no spy' -Guardian - 5/18/03 FILM: At five in the afternoon (directed by Samira Makhmalbaf) Yes, yet another Iranian film about the suppression of women in the Muslim world. Yes, like Kandahar (2000) by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the 23-year-old director's father, it tells of the devastation wrought by the war in Afghanistan and the struggle for women to gain their liberation. You might think that we have been here before. But no. -FilmFestival.com - 5/18/03 Iran dissident rejects retrial A leading Iranian reformist, Hashem Aghajari, has refused to attend the first day of his retrial for blasphemy in the north-western city of Hamedan. -BBC - 5/18/03 Iran receives remains of 45 soldiers of Iraqi war The bodies were delivered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)'s office in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in exchange for 83 remains of Iraqi soldiers - 5/18/03 In Reversal, Plan for Iraq Self-Rule Has Been Put Off In an abrupt reversal, the United States and Britain have indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month. -New York Times - 5/18/03 Video Game Mounts Simulated Attacks Against Israeli Targets The hottest video game for the teenagers of Beirut's southern Shiite neighborhoods is "Special Force," a creation of Hezbollah, the strongly anti-Israel militant organization that is on the United States' terror list. -New York Times - 5/18/03 Official: Iran Imports Topped 21 Billion Dollars Last Year Deputy Minister of commerce and Head of Iran Export Promotion Center Mojtaba Khosrotaj said in Tashkent that Iran imports exceeded dlrs 21 billion in the last Iranian year (ended March 20) - 5/18/03 Accord on three phases of South Pars onshore refinery signed An agreement was inked on Saturday afternoon on construction of an onshore refinery related to development phases 6,7, and 8 of the South Pars gas field in presence of Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and a number of domestic and foreign officials and experts - 5/18/03 1st World Human Rights Charter belongs to Iranians: expert A senior archaeologist from Khorassan province Cultural Heritage Department, Mahmoud Bakhtiari Shahri said in Mashhad on Sunday that the first `World Human Rights Charter' was drawn up by Iranians - 5/18/03 Iran veteran lifters keep breaking world records During the competitions in Bahman 22 Sports Complex of Shiraz, Keramat Owlad-Vatani representing the western province of Ardebil in the 45-49 age group set a new 85 kg world record by a total lift of 252.5 kilograms on Saturday. - 5/18/03 My colleague was simply a journalist after a scoop MInutes before his execution as a spy at 6.30am on Thursday 15 March 1990, Farzad Bazoft said to Robin Kealy, the British consul general in Baghdad: 'I was just a journalist going after a scoop.' None of his colleagues on The Observer ever doubted this - and we are gratified that his innocence has now been conclusively established 13 years after his death. -Guardian - 5/18/03 An Iranian Girlhood "Persepolis" will zap you with its story. A memoir of growing up as a girl in revolutionary Iran, "Persepolis" provides a unique glimpse into a nearly unknown and unreachable way of life. -TIME - 5/18/03 Costliest UK film takes on epic scale An action adventure with a cast of thousands about the Persian emperor Cyrus is set to become the most expensive British film ever made. -Guardian - 5/17/03 Money exchange case is settled A money exchange service has agreed to forfeit $1.25 million to the US government for using an Arabic transfer system to illegally exchange US dollars for local currency in Iran, federal prosecutors said. -Daily News, Bahrain - 5/17/03 Sadr claims leadership of Iraq's Shiite Muslims Muqtada al-Sadr opens struggle with other two major faction on control of Shiite population. -Middle East Online - 5/17/03 Purge of Saddam loyalists The move will wipe out the Baath Party, putting "a stake in its heart", a senior official from the office of the new US civilian administrator in Iraq told reporters. -BBC - 5/17/03 Iranian dissident refuses defense in retrial Aghajari refuses to defend himself unless there is open court with presence of media, experts, professors. -Middle East Online - 5/17/03 US new tactic to tarnish Iran's image will backfire: Iranian daily `Tehran Times' on Saturday said that Washington's latest tactic to have a report falsified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against Iran's nuclear programs, will fail like all previous attempts to accuse Iran of violating the arms treaty - 5/17/03 Iranian Director Lifts Her Veil on Afghanistan Already an acclaimed director, Samira Makhmalbaf's latest work is a sobering depiction of the struggle for survival in the aftermath of Taliban rule, with many still homeless and hungry, and women still repressed. -Reuters - 5/17/03 Iran's veteran lifters set new world records Veteran weightlifters of Iran broke three world records on the first day of competitions in Shiraz on Friday - 5/17/03 Khatami holds talks in Bahrain Iranian President Mohammed Khatami held talks with Bahrain's King Hamad Friday after arriving in Manama on the first such visit by an Iranian leader since the 1979 Islamic revolution. -Middle East Online - 5/17/03 Iran first in `Takhti Cup' Greco-Roman wrestling; US wrestler wins gold Pitting 57 Greco-Roman wrestlers, Iran collected 67 points to rank first. Syria finished runner-up with 58 points and the two teams of Azerbaijan and the United States stood third and fourth with 37 and 17 points respectively. - 5/17/03 Petrochemical exports hit dlrs. 1.2 billion this year Exports of various petrochemical products is predicted to hit dlrs 1.2 billion this year while the figure stood at dlrs 940 million last year - 5/17/03 Talks With Iran Are Overdue After having no formal relations with the government of Iran for nearly 24 years, American diplomats and Iranian diplomats are having secret negotiations in Geneva on a wide range of issues, USA Today reported this week. That's all to the good. -Day Publishing - 5/17/03 Iran declares tripartite accord on Caspian Sea 'invalid' The Caspian Sea needs a five-nation agreement and tripartite accord announced by Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia lacks validity, Iranian special envoy on the Caspian Sea Mehdi Safari said on Saturday - 5/17/03 Afghan plight jolts Cannes A film about the aftermath of the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan by a young female Iranian director has premièred at the Cannes film festival. -BBC - 5/17/03 Iran's Secret Quest for the Bomb What options remain for constraining Iran's nuclear ambitions? If the Bush Administration can rally the international community to condemn Iran and isolate it diplomatically, it may be able to push Iran for concessions. The first would be for Iran to accept the "Additional Protocol" to its safeguards agreement. -YaleGlobal Online - 5/17/03 The Effects of Iraq war on Iran: Pressures have increased After the military attack of the Coalition forces on Iraq, Islamic Government of Iran is taking it harder on the opposition; a greater number of university students and writers are imprisoned and compelled to confess in contrived trials; students' gatherings are perturbed more violently and frequently; political activists are re-arrested and newspapers supervised by clergies speak of the foundation of a suicidal group with the goal of attacking Americans and Israelis -Masoud Behnoud - 5/16/03 The oil curse Iran illustrates this overall pattern - and provides clues as to potential problems in Iraq. Imperial Russia and Britain vied for influence in Persia in the 19th century, manipulating local politics and carving out trade concessions for themselves. In 1901, a wealthy Englishman persuaded the then Shah, Muzaffar al-Din, to grant him an oil concession covering most of the country. This was operated by a company called Anglo-Persian, renamed British Petroleum in 1954. -Financial Review - 5/16/03 Al-Qaeda leaders in Iran: Rumsfeld Al-Qaeda leaders are operating from havens like Iran and ungoverned parts of the world, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said, explaining why Osama bin Laden as not been found nearly two years after his network attacked the United States. -AFP - 5/16/03 Iran and Yemen sign seven documents for cooperation The agreements were signed at the presence of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami who is on the first visit by an Iranian president to Sanna since the 979 Islamic Revolution. - 5/16/03 Syria drops objections to Middle East 'road map' Syria on Thursday dropped its objections to the internationally backed "road map" that sets out a detailed timetable for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by 2005. Kamal Kharazzi, Iranian foreign minister, on Thursday told EU diplomats Tehran was not willing to accept the road map until it knew Israel's intentions. -Financial Times - 5/16/03 Demystifying Democracy: Workshop on Civic Participation in Sunnyvale, California What makes certain individuals more influential than others? What makes certain communities more influential than others? How can the Iranian-American community translate its vast resources into influence, in order to defend its civil rights? -NIAC - 5/16/03 Saudis face up to life as a soft target of Islamists Criticism of security precautions taken against al-Qaida attacks by Saudi Arabia and British companies in the kingdom mounted yesterday as the interior minister blamed foreign influences for the violence. -Guardian - 5/16/03 Remains of Toxic Bullets Litter Iraq The Monitor finds high levels of radiation left by US armor-piercing shells. -Christian Science Monitor - 5/16/03 UK exporters can reap rewards in developing Iranian market A Three-Day trade visit to highlight growing business opportunities for UK exporters in Iran was today announced by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD). -Creditman, UK - 5/16/03 The Road To Victory Goes Through Tehran President Bush has declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq, but he has not declared victory in the War on Terrorism--and that's a good thing, because the largest and most important battle in that war still remains to be fought. The road to victory goes through Tehran. -Ayn Rand Institute - 5/16/03 Exhibition on Persepolis opens in Brussels' Royal Museum of Art and History "In this exhibition we try to show to the people how the landscape and monuments originally were in Persepolis," Dr. Alexander Tourovets, scientific counselor at the museum and scholar of Iranian archaeology, told IRNA. - 5/16/03 The Woodcutter of Rashomon! Rashomon narrates, from four perspectives, the story of a murder and a rape. Kurosawa's masterpiece depicts how distortion of memory and play of imagination lead to divergent narratives of the same event. Sasan Fayazmanesh's speciously simplified characterization of MKO in his article "The Good Terrorists?" posted on Counterpunch website is one of such narratives. -Amin Boroumand - 5/16/03 U.S. Warns U.N. Agency on Iran Nuclear Program The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency would be making a big mistake if it failed to find Iran in serious violation of a key international arms control treaty, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. -Reuters - 5/16/03 Enough Hypocrisy! The Iranian people have patiently given more than enough chances to the "rational" factions of the clergy to achieve democracy calmly and peacefully. It may surprise you to know that I was among the very people who not only voted for our figurehead President TWICE, but encouraged everyone that I knew to do the same and strengthen the reform movement by our votes. -Mohsen Moshfegh - 5/16/03 Iran Denies Has Banned Weapons or Shelters Al Qaeda Iranian government officials strongly denied on Friday that Iran was producing weapons of mass destruction or was sheltering members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. -Reuters - 5/16/03 US wrestlers take part in Iran tournament, ignore Washington travel warning "Everything's been very good and we were all treated well ... Iranians have done a good job in hosting the event," Russell told AFP by phone from Sanandaj in western Iran where the two-day competition is being held. -AFP - 5/16/03 Hergé's Fanstasy Kingdom: The Land of the Black Pelikan and its similarities with the "The Land of the Peacock Throne" -Darius Kadivar - 5/16/03 Letter from Iran: Dreaming of Baghdad An Iraqi exile in London told me, with a knowing smile, "You know how the Persians are"—hand gesture. "They can be the nicest people to your face, but underneath they might want to kill you. On the other hand, the Arabs, as you know, are straightforward. They say what they mean." -New Yorker - 5/16/03 Iran Expert to Congressional Staffers: “Talk to Them” Three prominent figures on the Middle East spoke before a group of congressional staffers at a luncheon Friday, May 9 on Capitol Hill. Guy Dinmore, and Gary Sick offered thoughts on the current political climate in Iran, especially after the Iraq war. -NIAC - 5/15/03 Putin Agrees Iran Poses Nuclear Threat Edging closer to the Bush administration's view, Russian President Vladimir Putin is registering concern about Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions and there will be further discussion of the issue when Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov holds talks in Washington next week, a senior U.S. official said. -AP - 5/15/03 Iranian Developing New Security Initiatives To Counter Perceived US Threat Feeling threatened by the US military presence in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian leaders are embracing a classic deterrence concept that relies on strategic regional alliances and military preparedness to discourage enemies. -Eurasianet - 5/15/03 U.S. Says Has No Plans for Military Action in Iran Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday Washington has no plans to take military action to stop Iran's nuclear program, which, Washington says, is a cover to develop nuclear weapons. -Reuters - 5/15/03 Iraq: U.S. Forces Disarm Armed Iranian Opposition Fighters The disarmament of the MKO is the latest in a series of on-again, off-again actions by the U.S. military against the group, which was directly supported by the Hussein regime and often helped it to suppress domestic enemies. -RFE - 5/15/03 US may stoke Asian arms race A plan to repeal a US ban on nuclear-weapons research could embolden India and Pakistan -Christian Science Monitor - 5/15/03 ILO: Labor syndicates to get organized in Iran Director General of the liberalization department of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Bernard Jernigan said in Tehran on Wednesday that labor syndicates are to be organized in Iran based on ILO standards - 5/15/03 Iranian Jew Nabbed In L.A. Shul Arsons Alarmed at a string of recent arson attacks against synagogues and other religious institutions in the affluent San Fernando Valley, residents of this city were relieved last weekend when a suspect was arrested — and then shocked when the suspect was identified as a Jewish immigrant from Iran. -Forward - 5/15/03 The truth about Jessica Her Iraqi guards had long fled, she was being well cared for - and doctors had already tried to free her. John Kampfner discovers the real story behind a modern American war myth -Guardian - 5/15/03 Culture via Persian dance Classical Persian dances, inspired by Iranian poetry and paintings, will be performed in the new Legacy Room at the Weekes Branch of the Hayward Public Library. The show will feature Shahar-Hojat Dehghan, a member of Ballet Afsaneh who recently performed at the Ethnic Dance Festival in San Francisco. -Alameda Times-Star - 5/15/03 Asylum seeker handcuffed to bed An Iranian asylum seeker under guard in a Scottish hospital has claimed his human rights are being violated. -BBC - 5/15/03 Israeli tanks pour into Gaza The Israeli army has launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip, in what is being seen as a fresh blow to US efforts to push a new peace plan for the region. -BBC - 5/15/03 Some in Baghdad Seek Out Hypnotist to Find Missing On top of worries about security, Iraqis are facing the stunning reality of newly unearthed mass graves and estimates of some five million disappeared or killed under Saddam Hussein's rule. -Farnaz Fassihi, Wall Street Journal - 5/15/03 Persian Culture Night Takes To MCC Stage The third annual Persian Club Culture Night will bring the sights, sounds, and culture of traditional Iran to University of California at Santa Barbara. -Daily Nexus - 5/15/03 Iranian refugees driven from their homes in Iraq Hundreds of Iranian refugees who have lived near the eastern Iraqi city of Kut for more than a decade have been driven from their homes by Iraqis since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the United Nations said on Wednesday. -Reuters - 5/15/03 Lebanon, Iran condemn US "threats," as Khatami vows to seek detente Without naming Washington, the statement said the "two parties condemn threats made against Iran, Lebanon and Syria, and the exploitation by Israel of regional and international developments to occupy Arab territories, notably the Golan" Heights. -AFP - 5/15/03 Group says Iran expanding its biowarfare program The group, Mujahideen Khalq, citing informants inside the Iranian government, says the anthrax weapons are the first of a program begun secretly in 2001 to triple the size of Iran's biowarfare program. -Boston Globe - 5/15/03 Over 30,000 HIV victims in Iran: health official More than 30,000 people have contracted HIV, virile virus which develops into the deadly AIDS disease, in Iran, a health official said in the northwestern city of Zanjan on Wednesday - 5/15/03 Editor Roshan Tuned Radar as Long Island Teen Roshan, the 36-year-old publisher and editor of Radar — one of the most eagerly anticipated new magazines to hit the newsstands in years — is talking about being Jewish, Iranian and gay. -Forward - 5/15/03 Iran's Khatami in Syria for Talks on U.S. Demands Iranian President Mohammad Khatami arrived on Wednesday in Damascus where he is expected to discuss U.S. demands that Syria stop supporting anti-Israeli groups including Iranian-backed Hizbollah guerrillas. -Reuters - 5/15/03 Iraq: People's Mujahideen Disarming Under Coalition Supervision A statement from the U.S. Central Command says the group - also known as Mujahideen-e-Khalq - has left their checkpoints along the Iran-Iraq border and are complying with coalition directives. In exchange, the People's Mujahideen's fighters will be treated according to the Geneva Convention. -VOA - 5/15/03 Science and Arts Foundation News: SAF Launches Iran Internship Program SAF-USA in collaboration with SAF-Iran has launched an internship program. This exciting program will offer young Iranian expatriates the opportunity to spend the summer in Iran learning the language, experiencing the culture firsthand and making connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. - 5/15/03 Remarks by Iran's President Indicate No Sign of Thaw With U.S. Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, dampened any notion today that relations between Iran and the United States might be warming. -New York Times - 5/15/03 Rebel in exile Marjane Satrapi's childhood was devastated by the revolution in Iran. Now she has written a 'love story' to her country in the form of a graphic novel. Esther Addley meets her -Guardian - 5/15/03 US ruffled by India's growing ties with Iran The US shrugged off as harmless an Indian parliamentary resolution last month criticising the invasion of Iraq. The same cannot be said for India's rapidly growing ties with Iran. -Financial Times - 5/15/03 New Front Sets Sights On Toppling Iran Regime A budding coalition of conservative hawks, Jewish organizations and Iranian monarchists is pressing the White House to step up American efforts to bring about regime change in Iran. -Forward - 5/15/03 Iranian woman cyclist Poupeh Mahdavinader arrives in Milan, Italy Iranian woman cyclist, Poupeh Mahdavinader, who is cycling around the world has arrived in Milan, Italy. She has sent the following notes and pictures to share with our readers. - 5/15/03 U.S. wrestlers headed to Iran with little worry about security USA Wrestling said Tuesday that two of its Greco-Roman wrestlers, plus a coach and team leader, had arrived in Iran for the Takhti Cup tournament Thursday and Friday in the city of Sanandaj. -USA Today - 5/14/03 American Greco-Roman team coach says happy to attend tournament in Iran The US Greco-Roman team is taking part in the 22nd international wrestling tournament, Takhti Cup, to be held in Sanandaj in Kurdestan province. - 5/14/03 Leadership Test for Reza Pahlavi With all the criticism of the current government in Iran, the regime still enjoys a healthy support. It can easily mobilize millions of people to fight the invaders. Iranians will never allow U.S to walk into their country and install Reza Pahlavi as its puppet. -Shahriar Etemadi - 5/14/03 Iran and the New Strategic Environment The sea change in the strategic environment of Iran since September 11 has been a mixed blessing for Iran, simultaneously decreasing and increasing Iran's national security worries, and it is rather difficult, if not impossible, to determine precisely which side has or will have the upper hands. -Kaveh L. Afrasiabi - 5/14/03 Iran warns US against 'new crises' Iran is not interested in escalating tensions in the Middle East and opposes anything that created instability in the region, President Mohammad Khatami has said. -BBC - 5/14/03 No reason to halt construction of nuclear power reactor in Iran There is no reason to halt ongoing construction of a first reactor for the nuclear power plant in Iran, Alexander Rumyantsev, the Russian minister of atomic energy, told Tass. - 5/14/03 Al-Qaeda leader hiding in Iran linked to Saudi bombings US officials believe Saif al-Adel, an Egyptian al-Qaeda leader they say is hiding in Iran, helped organize the triple bombings in Riyadh that killed 34 people last week, the Washington Post reported. -Reuters - 5/14/03 Has Iran bartered Hizbullah with US for Iraq-based Iranian opposition group? Analysts speaking to Al Bawaba assessed that the main reason behind the recent Lebanese visit of Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami, was to pressure and curb the Lebanese Hizbullah in its struggle with Israel. -Al Bawaba - 5/14/03 Expatriates flee Saudi Arabia as their compounds prove unsafe Expatriates began flying out of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after the terrorist attacks punctured their safe havens. Diplomats said flights were fully booked, and the airports were crowded with families queuing to leave. -Financial Times - 5/14/03 16th Tehran International Book Fair ends At the ending ceremony of the Sixteenth Tehran International Book Fair on Wednesday, the selected publishers were introduced - 5/14/03 Pooya Dayanim urges assitance to Iranian Jewish and Iranian-American groups The following is the Press Statement of Pooya Dayanim, President, Iranian Jewish Public Affairs Committee, on the arrest of a suspect in the arson attacks on the houses of worship in Encino - 5/14/03 Bush Is Seeking Newer, Smaller Nuclear Bombs A dozen years after the Cold War's close raised hopes for an end to the nuclear threat, the Bush administration is embarking on a quest for a new generation of nuclear bombs that are smaller, less powerful — and that the Pentagon might actually use in battle. -Common Dreams - 5/14/03 Khatami Condemns Attacks in Saudi Arabia Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Wednesday condemned the terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia that killed at least 34 people and said that despite ``important and big'' policy differences with the United States, the recently disclosed U.S.-Iranian talks in Geneva would continue. -AP - 5/14/03 Iran's Chief Urges Quick U.S. Exit From Iraq, but Favors Vote In a speech both defiant and conciliatory, President Mohammad Khatami of Iran called on the United States today to leave Iraq quickly but pledged that his country would support a new, inclusive government there based on one Iraqi one vote. -New York Times - 5/14/03 Powell, Russians Discuss Iran Tech Sales Russian technology sales to Iran could snarl next month's summit in St. Petersburg between President Bush and President Vladimir Putin, so Secretary of State Colin Powell is meeting officials in Moscow Wednesday to help smooth over any bumps before the meeting. -AP - 5/14/03 Befriending the Great Satan Though the power struggle between Iran’s reformers and its conservative theocrats is heating up, both sides seem agreed on improving relations with America -Economist - 5/14/03 U.S.-Iran Relations Patched Up? Not Likely Soon The tantalizing prospect of Iran and the United States patching up their 23-year diplomatic feud remains as distant as ever despite talks between officials from the two arch foes in recent weeks. -Reuters - 5/14/03 Iran's Khatami Says No Breakthrough in U.S. Talks President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday differences between Iran and the United States were "serious and huge" despite talks in Geneva between the old foes. -Reuters - 5/14/03 Iran's Khamenei says resumption of ties with US is surrender "Some are prescribing surrender to the US adventurers, but surrender to the enemy is no remedy," Khamenei told thousands of students at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti University on Monday. -AFP - 5/13/03 Ignorance and Folly First let's play a little bit of Politics. Was Saddam Hussein a fool or an ignorant? What about President Bush? (I do apologize for my imprudence. This is not to hurt the feeling of all those who used to believe in Saddam or now believe in President Bush.) -Roya Monajem - 5/13/03 U.S.-Iran Talks on Iraq, Afghanistan, Not Relations The United States expects to hold more talks with Iran as the two bitter enemies work out practical issues concerning Iraq and Afghanistan, but resuming broad diplomatic relations is not on the agenda, senior U.S. officials said on Monday. -Reuters - 5/13/03 9th Caspian Sea meeting opens in Almaty, Kazakhstan The 9th special working session to hammer out a legal regime for the Caspian Sea opened in Kazakhstan on Monday - 5/13/03 Reed Professor Darius Rejali Named "Scholar of Vision" by The Carnegie Corporation Darius Rejali, associate professor of political science at Reed College, has been named a "Scholar of Vision" and awarded a grant of $100,000 from the Carnegie Scholars Program. The grant will support the development of Rejali's forthcoming book, Approaches to Violence: A Citizen's Toolkit, to be published in 2005 by Princeton University Press. - 5/13/03 Walk the Talk: Iran needs to show that it is reforming The stand-off between the United States and Iran has long been a destabilising factor in the Middle East. For 23 years, Tehran has vilified “the Great Satan”, encouraged opposition to US-backed peace moves in the Middle East and funded terrorist groups. -TIMES, UK - 5/13/03 Iran to supply India with 5mn tons of LNG, 100,000 bpd of oil Iran will provide India with five million ton of liquefied natural gas and 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day for a year on the basis of two separate contracts signed in Tehran on Tuesday - 5/13/03 BG pips rivals to risky Iranian gas deal BG Group will today announce it has beaten European oil firms in the race for groundbreaking - but highly sensitive - gas deals in Iran. -Guardian - 5/13/03 Iran Hostages Seek Suit's Reinstatement Lawyers for the 52 Americans taken hostage in Tehran a generation ago took their case to a federal appeals court yesterday in a bid to overturn a lower court ruling that dismissed their anti-terrorism suit against Iran. -Washington Post - 5/13/03 Ayatollahs at odds over intervening in politics Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia clerical leader, was greeted by tens of thousands on his return to Iraq after more than 20 years in exile. But it remains unclear how much political influence he will wield despite his Iranian support, a high international profile and an armed wing of 12,000-15,000 men. -Financial Times - 5/13/03 Resurgent Iraq Oil No Threat To Mkt -Iran Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says the international oil market is stable and not even the full-scale resumption of Iraqi oil exports can destabilize it, the Iranian daily Aftab reported Monday. -Dow Jones - 5/13/03 Saudi bombing deaths rise The Saudi authorities say at least 29 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in what appear to have been co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks against Western targets in the capital, Riyadh. -BBC - 5/13/03 Wave of executions in Iran AN Iranian was beheaded in public and three others hanged, while five more were due to be executed later today for offences ranging from rape and murder to kidnapping women and homosexuality, reports said. -AFP - 5/13/03 Iran signs deal to help rebuild Afghan airports, train pilots Iran has signed an agreement to help rebuild airports in the Balkh and Herat provinces as well as train Afghan pilots, the state news agency Bakhtar cited the country's tourism minister as saying - 5/13/03 172 Iranian MPs lambaste IRIB's gross financial misconduct Some 172 Majlis representatives in a letter on Tuesday to the Majlis Presiding Board called for a probe into the recent report by special Parliament Inspection Commission on the organization's financial offenses and deal with the politically- motivated stance of IRIB's President Ali Larijani - 5/13/03 Iranian leader angry at US talks Resuming ties with the United States would be tantamount to surrender, Iran's supreme leader has said. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also accused the Americans of preparing the ground for an invasion of the hardline Islamic state. -BBC - 5/13/03 Kaveh left us 40 days ago Today is Kaveh’s 40th day, as tradition has it some family and friends drove up to his final resting place in Afjeh, a village up the hill in Lavasanak, on east of Tehran. His last home is on some solitary grounds where the air is always clean and sun shines across lovely hills all around. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 5/13/03 NIAC Seeks Meeting with Monster.com The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) announced today that it would seek a meeting with Monster.com, the world’s largest online job search and career management company, to establish dialogue that would serve to prevent the company’s new policies from unfairly discriminating against individuals based on national origin. - 5/13/03 Iranian journalist Sina Motallebi released from jail The I