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Home News News Archive Sports News Interesting Sites Directory Persian Calendar Bookstore Archive	August 2004 Kerry’s “Great Bargain” Offer to Iran, According to Edwards The democratic party’s vice presidential nominee John Edwards said if elected, John Kerry’s administration would allow the Islamic government to continue Iran’s nuclear energy program in exchange for commitment to give up the right to retain bomb-making nuclear fuel. -Radio Farda - 8/31/04 Iran Commits to Iraq’s Security, Praises Shiite Leadership for Protecting Iraq’s Unity and Stability Islamic government officials assured visiting Iraqi deputy prime minister that Iran supports the interim government and considers the security of the two neighboring countries “closely linked.” - 8/31/04 Oil boom unlikely to solve Persian Gulf economy woes Oil prices above $40 a barrel are giving Persian Gulf Arab states a petrodollar bonanza, but analysts warn they will not necessarily fuel an economic boom unless matched by long-awaited reforms. -Reuters - 8/31/04 Bush and Blair: four more years may bring wide rifts on the Middle East and Cuba The crowd at the campaign rally in Annandale, Virginia, knew exactly what it wanted. As President George Bush mounted the podium, the cry went up: "Four more years! Four more years!" -Guardian - 8/31/04 Hundreds of Thousands March Against Bush, War As Republicans began converging on the city to renominate a wartime president, the largest protest ever at a political convention was staged yesterday in Manhattan, a largely peaceful march against President Bush and the Iraq war that underscored the deep divisions within the nation as the fall campaign approaches. -Boston Globe - 8/31/04 Wisconsin delegate dreams of free Iran For Saied Assef, President Bush's declaration that his native Iran was part of an axis of evil could be just as important in helping foster democracy in the Middle East. -AP - 8/31/04 Iran says curvy shop dummies must cover up Iran's moral crackdown has widened its focus from stylishly dressed women to curvaceous shop-window mannequins, a newspaper has reported. -Reuters - 8/31/04 EU FMs to discuss ways to improve ties with Iran EU foreign ministers in their informal meeting at the weekend will discuss the 25-member European bloc's ties with the Islamic Republic. - 8/31/04 What More Could They Possibly Want? Israeli Moles in the Pentagon The FBI's investigation into Pentagon official, Larry Franklin, on charges of spying for Israel, has left many of us scratching our heads and wondering, "Why?" -Counterpunch - 8/31/04 Canada mulling sanctions against Iran: Pettigrew Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew says Canada is not ruling out sanctions against Iran over the death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi. -CTV.ca - 8/31/04 Hanging in Iran According to the human rights group Amnesty International, Iranian authorities have executed a sixteen-year-old girl for what were described as “acts incompatible with chastity.” -VOA - 8/31/04 Public Plunder of Jiroft Artifacts Resumes In a public frenzy to unearth lucrative 5,000-year-old artifacts, Jiroft residents are plowing their yards and gardens, reminiscent of nasty scenes last seen three years ago -CHN - 8/31/04 A Commentary on Darius Death of Cambyses in Syria: Here are various theories as to how Cambyses died: Cambyses suffered a "Natural death" according to the Bhisitun text, could this mean a suicide or an accidental death maybe? -CHN - 8/31/04 Israeli Diplomat Reported to Have Met American Under Investigation for Spying Israel says it is not spying on the United States following reports that a Pentagon analyst, under FBI investigation for passing secret information to Israel on Iran, met with a senior Israeli diplomat in Washington. -VOA - 8/31/04 Iran-Contra II? The investigation of Franklin is now shining a bright light on a shadowy struggle within the Bush administration over the direction of U.S. policy toward Iran. In particular, the FBI is looking with renewed interest at an unauthorized back-channel between Iranian dissidents and advisers in Feith's office, which more senior administration officials first tried in vain to shut down and then later attempted to cover up. -Washington Monthly - 8/31/04 Iran arrests several nuclear 'spies' Iran's Information (Intelligence) Minister Ali Younesi said in Tehran on Tuesday that several people had been arrested for spying on the country's nuclear program. - 8/31/04 Indelible Persia: Searching abandoned cities, urban centers to unlock an ancient nation's past As our aging Iran Air jumbo jet approaches Tehran in the dead of night, the announcement to prepare for landing provokes both the fastening of seat belts and the changing of clothes. Designer outfits are cloaked under sober gowns. Vivacious hairstyles disappear beneath dark cowls. -Boston Globe - 8/31/04 Tehran seeking role in Mid-East Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has warned that peace cannot come to the Middle East without the help of Iran. -BBC - 8/31/04 Israel Denies Spying on United States Israel says it is not spying on the United States. The FBI is investigating whether a Pentagon official passed classified information to an Israeli lobby group in America that, in turn, passed it on to Israel. -VOA - 8/30/04 Iran's nuke plans may be unstoppable The core of President Bush's foreign and national security policy is that he will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to acquire the world's most dangerous weapons. -USA Today - 8/30/04 Hassan Sabbah Dabbled in Astronomy: Iranian Experts Following the discovery of a sextant in the legendary castle of Alamut in central Iran, experts now believe Hassan Sabbah, the leader of Ismaili sect, has been an astronomer. - 8/30/04 Iranian Publisher Sees Slow Demand at Root of Industry's Problems Head of the association of book publishers tells Radio Farda that the book industry’s main problem is the slow demand for its products. - 8/30/04 John Edwards Outlines Fundamental Differences on National Security Speaking in Wilmington, NC, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards Monday outlined the fundamental national security choice facing voters in this election: four more years of a go-it-alone foreign policy that undermines the war against terror or the Kerry-Edwards plan to make America stronger at home and respected in the world. - 8/30/04 Huge Anti-Bush March Hits NY on Eve of Convention Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators toting colorful banners and shouting "no more Bush" took to Manhattan's streets on Sunday, the day before the Republican convention opens, to decry the Iraq war and President Bush's policies. -Reuters - 8/30/04 Iranian reformist websites blocked Three websites with links to Iran's reformist parties have been blocked by conservative hardliners and several contributers have been arrested amid increasing crackdowns in Iran. -IRIN - 8/30/04 Latest Iranian missile has upgraded warhead The warhead of the Iranian Shihab-3 missile has been considerably upgraded, according to photographs published in Iranian newspapers of test launches three weeks ago. -Haaretz, Israel - 8/30/04 AIPAC's Overt and Covert Ops Franklin's movements reveal the contours of a right-wing conspiracy of warmongering and aggression, an orgy of destruction, for the benefit of the Likud Party, of Silvio Berlusconi's business in the Middle East, and of the neoconservative Right in the United States. It isn't about spying. It is about conspiring to conscript the U.S. government on behalf of a foreign power or powers. -Antiwar.com - 8/30/04 ECONOMY: Iranian Conservatives Block Development Bill The Majles conservatives reversed many provisions of the government’s fourth five-year economic development plan to prolong the centralized, state-run, semi-socialist system of government, and prevent privatization, foreign investments and other reforms, Tehran-based economist Ali Rashidi tells Radio Farda. - 8/30/04 Israel, Iran Trade Threats As FBI Investigates Spying Analysts also said that because of AIPAC's alleged involvement, the Franklin case, if proved, could have a more damaging impact on U.S.-Israeli relations than the case of Jonathan J. Pollard, a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who admitted to spying for Israel in 1987. -Washington Post - 8/30/04 Official: More than 200 political parties and groups active in Iran Head of Iran's `Parties House` Hassan Ghafuri-Fard said in Tehran on Monday there are currently more than 200 political parties and groups in the country. However, Ghafuri-Fard added that most of these parties are active only during the elections periods. - 8/30/04 Italy's AS Roma wins friendly soccer match against Iran 5-3 Italy's Serie A-bound AS Roma defeated visitor Iran in a football friendly on Sunday night. - 8/30/04 Kerry Would Offer Special Iran Deal, Says Edwards If elected U.S. president, Sen. John Kerry would offer Iran a deal allowing it to keep its nuclear power plants if it gave up the right to retain bomb-making nuclear fuel, said Kerry's vice presidential running mate in an interview published on Monday. -Reuters - 8/30/04 Namphy’s Body Finally Reaches Tehran Morgue The body of American hiker Kathleen Namphy, who perished on Sunday on Mount Damavand, was eventually retrieved late Friday and was sent to Tehran’s morgue Saturday morning - 8/30/04 US stakes between Iraq, Iran For the US to, intentionally or not, fuel the antagonisms that have characterized Iran-Iraq relations to such tragic ends over the past quarter century seems to undermine its larger goals of Iraqi stability and regional peace. -CSM - 8/30/04 Trend of Foreign investments flows in Iran have improved: official Managing Director of Iran Investments, Economic and Technical Assistance Organization (IIETAO) said in Tehran on Monday that foreign prospects in Iran have improved in the current Iranian year started March 20)compared to the past two years. - 8/30/04 The Axis of Treason: Israeli spies in the Pentagon The death agony of the neoconservatives is going to be a prolonged and quite ugly procedure, painful not only for them but for the entire country – which will learn, to its chagrin and growing anger, how and by whom they were lied into war. -Antiwar.com - 8/30/04 Europe Big Three Near Nuclear Deal with Iran to Avoid “Nightmare,” German Foreign Minister Says German foreign minister Joschka Fischer said to avoid the nightmare of an arms race in the region, Britain, France and Germany were close to a deal to supply Iran with nuclear energy technology in exchange for assurances on Iran’s nuclear program. -Radio Farda - 8/30/04 Khatami Regrets Lost Opportunity for Normalization of US-Iran Relations In his wide-ranging comments during a press conference on Saturday, President Khatami said he regrets that an opportunity was lost to normalize relations with the US during Clinton Administration, after the US offered an apology for backing the 1953 pro-Shah coup. -Radio Farda - 8/30/04 Rezaei pinned, gives Iran 120 kg freestyle silver Iranian 120 kg freestyle wrestler Alireza Rezaei was pinned in the final to win the silver medal of the 28th Olympic Games in Athens on Saturday night. - 8/29/04 Iran's Heidari grabs 96kg wrestling bronze at Olympics Iran's Alireza Heidari here on Sunday won the bronze medal in the Olympic 96kg freestyle wrestling bout by beating Daniel Cormier from the US 3-2 in overtime. - 8/29/04 FM says Iran attaches 'high importance` to Iraq ties Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Monday Iran attaches 'high importance` to its ties with Iraq as Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh arrived in Tehran for an official visit. - 8/29/04 Iran plays down US "mud-slinging" ahead of IAEA board meeting Iran Sunday put a brave face ahead of an IAEA board of governors' meeting in Vienna, saying it was confident the country's nuclear dossier would not make a case for examination at the UN Security Council. - 8/29/04 Iraqi delegation arrives in Iran The Iraqi deputy prime minister has arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, a day later than planned. Reports say the three-day trip is intended to pave the way for a later visit by Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. -BBC - 8/29/04 FBI Espionage Probe Goes Beyond Israeli Allegations, Sources Say An FBI probe into the handling of highly classified material by Pentagon civilians is broader than previously reported, and goes well beyond allegations that a single mid-level analyst gave a top-secret Iran policy document to Israel, three sources familiar with the investigation said Saturday. -Knight-Ridder - 8/29/04 FBI probes 'spy suspect deep inside' the Pentagon The FBI is investigating a suspected spy deep in the Pentagon who have may have fed secrets about US policy on Iran to Israel. -Guardian - 8/29/04 Uneasy peace in rubble of Najaf Jason Burke in Iraq reports on the aftermath of a long and brutal siege and describes the ruthless tactics used by US forces to oust Moqtada al-Sadr -Guardian - 8/29/04 Iranian President Offers "Guarantees" on A-Bomb Development “We are ready to do everything necessary to give guarantees that we won't seek nuclear weapons,” President Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday in a news conference in Tehran, during which he warned the US that it cannot hope to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan without help from the Islamic government. -Radio Farda - 8/29/04 Iran's Karami bags Olympics taekwondo bronze Youssef Karami of Iran grabbed bronze at the men's-80kg taekwondo tournament of the 28th Olympic Games in Athens, capital of Greek, on Saturday. - 8/29/04 Iran finishes Olympics with two gold, two silver and two bronze Iran Sunday wrapped up the Olympic Games with two gold medals, two silver and two bronze, in which the 'Iranian Hercules' Hossein Rezazadeh extended his reign as the world`s strongest man - 8/29/04 New attacks on Internet freedom in Iran deplored Reporters Without Borders strongly criticised the Iranian authorities today for blocking access to three pro-reformist Internet websites and arresting some of their contributors. It also denounced continuing harassment by the judiciary of the staff of the website Naqshineh and the shutting down of three cybercafés in the southern city of Bushehr. - 8/28/04 Pentagon Worker Under Investigation for Spying for Israel Information on policy debates are alleged to have been passed to two employees of the pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) who then supplied the information to Israel. - 8/28/04 Israel denies US spy allegation The denial came after the Pentagon said an official was under investigation for allegedly passing on secret material relating to US policy towards Iran. -BBC - 8/28/04 Quake hits southeastern Iranian city of Ravar An earthquake measuring 4 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale hit the city of Ravar in the southeastern province of Kerman on Saturday. - 8/28/04 Iran celebrates US 'defeat' in Najaf The first Iranian reactions to the latest developments in Najaf have portrayed the peace deal brokered by Ayatollah Sistani as a major setback for the US. -BBC - 8/28/04 Iraq minister set for Iran visit Iraqi interim Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh goes to Iran on Saturday for what is being regarded as a fence-building visit. -BBC - 8/28/04 Peace restored to city of Najaf People in the Iraqi city of Najaf have been enjoying their first day of peace in more than three weeks after a truce between Shia rebels and US-led forces. -BBC - 8/28/04 Released Iranian reporter finally among his colleagues Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) correspondent Mostafa Darban, recently released from Iraqi detention, was given a heroic welcome by his colleagues in IRNA in Tehran on Saturday. - 8/28/04 First phase of Iranian mega overseas oil project to go on stream next year The first phase of a 156-km-long oil pipeline project in India by the Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) is expected to go on stream next year after some 25 weeks of groundbreaking construction operations. - 8/28/04 Iran Khodro, French BNP ink financial cooperation deal Iran Khodro Co., Iran's biggest car manufacturing company, and France's BNP signed a contract for financial cooperation, the English-language Tehran Times daily wrote on Saturday. - 8/28/04 Khatami terms access to nuclear weapons against Iran's principles Speaking to reporters, in response to a question about the claims of the US Undersecretary of State John Bolton and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice on Iran's attempts towards access to nuclear weapons, he rejected such claims as baseless. - 8/28/04 Iran's Alireza Rezaei waltzes into Olympics wrestling final Iran's 120 kg Alireza Rezaei vaulted into men's freestyle wrestling final in the 28th Olympic Games in Athens on Saturday. - 8/28/04 Iranian Americans put themselves on world stage with 'Death of Yazdgerd' The Bay Area may never be like "Tehrangeles," the nickname given to Los Angeles by Iranian Americans who've made it their central home in the United States. More than 500,000 people of Persian descent live in the L.A. area, where some blocks have store after store specializing in Iranian jewelry, Iranian carpets, Iranian records, Iranian everything. -San Francisco Chronicle - 8/28/04 FBI Probes Pentagon Spy Case 60 Minutes Correspondent Lesley Stahl reports the FBI believes it has "solid" evidence that the suspected mole supplied Israel with classified materials that include secret White House policy deliberations on Iran. At the heart of the investigation are two people who work at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington. -CBS - 8/28/04 Iran's Saei Bonehkohal gets gold in Olympics Taekwondo Sydney Olympic bronze medallist, Hadi Saei Bonehkohal completed what he started in Sydney, winning the Athens 2004 Olympic gold medal in the Men’s Under 68kg category. - 8/28/04 Sexed-up reports, pressure on the UN ... here we go again History is beginning to repeat itself, this time over Iran. Just two years after the notorious Downing Street dossier on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction and the first efforts to get United Nations approval for war, Washington is trying to create similar pressures for action against Iran. -Guardian - 8/27/04 An 'October Surprise'? Neocons have Iran in their Sights An American presidential election campaign is an invitation to adventure. The candidates themselves - especially when they're sitting presidents - are tempted to produce October surprises to scare or stampede the electorate. -IHT - 8/27/04 In The Rose Garden Of The Martyrs: A Memoir Of Iran Having won the confidence of many ordinary Iranians, Christopher de Bellaigue has been able to construct a people's history of revolutionary Iran, a thread of memories that describe tumultuous events and their sometimes unforeseen effects. Many of de Bellaigue's interlocutors were staunch revolutionaries. - 8/27/04 Regional states cooperate with Iran within IAEA: FM "Regional states voiced readiness to enable Iran to enjoy the advantages of cooperation with the IAEA and cooperate with Iran within the frameworks of the agency," Kharrazi told reporters upon his arrival from visits to New Zealand and Philippine. - 8/27/04 Sewage Leakage Threatens Iran's Noush Abad Underground City A defunct sewage system is posing a fatal threat to an ancient three-story underground city in Noush Abad, near the central Iranian city of Kashan -CHN - 8/27/04 Najaf militants surrender shrine A peace deal to end clashes in Najaf appears to be holding, as Shia rebels leave the Iraqi city's Imam Ali mosque and US forces pull back. -BBC - 8/27/04 Economic fallout of $50 a barrel Oil prices dipped below $44 per barrel Thursday, but attacks on 20 pipelines in Iraq signal another spike. -CSM - 8/27/04 Nearly 36 Million Americans Living in Poverty Some 1.3 million Americans slid into poverty in 2003 as the ranks of the poor swelled to 35.9 million, with children and blacks worse off than most, the U.S. government said on Thursday in a report sure to fuel Democratic criticism of President Bush. -Reuters - 8/27/04 The future's a gas Why worry about high oil prices, when a boom in natural gas may be on the way? -Economist - 8/27/04 Israel low on U.S. Jews’ radar A new poll by a partisan Democratic group shows that Republican outreach to Jewish voters may not produce the dramatic gains for President Bush predicted by some analysts, with John Kerry favored by 75 to 22 percent among American Jews. -IPS - 8/27/04 Roger Howard, Iran in Crisis? Nuclear Ambitions and the American Response Could the United States be headed for a clash with Iran? If so, it behooves policy-makers and opinion-shapers to step back and think very carefully about all of the possible consequences. Roger Howard's timely book is required food for thought. -In the National Interest - 8/27/04 Iranian Archeologists Looking for Legendary Sassanid Town Iranian archeologists plan to discover an ancient Sassanid town whose description is mentioned on an inscription found in a fire temple northeast of Iran -CHN - 8/27/04 NIAC interviews Michael Benjamin on his fight to run for US Senate New York Senatorial candidate Michael Benjamin comes from a very multicultural background. His Iranian father immigrated to the United States from Tehran in 1950 and his mother is from Honduras. - 8/27/04 A Lovely Day In Lavasan Several weeks ago, we had an unusual board meeting for one of the NGOs (Non Governmental Organization) that I work for. At this NGO we believe that it is important to spend some quality relaxed time together once in a while in order to find happy and mutual experiences to enhance the sense of togetherness and to bond. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 8/27/04 Iran Prepares For Important Presidential Vote As the results of Iran's May 2005 presidential election may well "affect Iran's foreign policy," RFE/RL Iran analyst A. William Samii suggested that now is the time to begin monitoring the election process during a recent presentation at RFE/RL's Washington office. - 8/27/04 Iranian Rescuers Fail to Airlift American Hiker's Body The body of an American hiker fell to death in the Mount Damavand, would not be stretchered down till late Friday, Iranian Red Crescent officials told CHN. She was slated to be airlifted by Thursday evening, but the operation was put off due to ferocious blizzard on the 18,000-foot Mount Damavand, the second-highest volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. - 8/27/04 'Little Israel' will not save world from Iran With verbal tensions rising daily between Iran and Israel, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee head Yuval Steinitz said the West should not expect "little Israel" to take pre-emptive action to save the world from Iranian nuclear weapons. -Jerusalem Post - 8/27/04 Iran's Cherubic Rezazadeh too strong for rivals The baby-faced Iranian colossus Hossein Rezazadeh proved invincible as the world +105 kg weightlifting record-holder won the Olympic gold on walkover in Athens, capital of Greece, Wednesday night. - 8/26/04 ECHOES IN BLUE, Two Exhibitions of Contemporary Iranian Art, Opens September 24 AND 25, 2004 in Lexington and Wellesley Echoes in Blue, two exhibitions of contemporary Iranian art, provides a vibrant examination of life within the boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This touring group show featuring six women and six men, is curated by Iranian-born Homa Taraji, and designed to introduce Americans to the work of artists living and working in Iran today. - 8/26/04 But what about Iran’s grand strategic preferences? A growing number of commentators and analysts of Iranian foreign affairs assume that actions such as the capture of the eight British servicemen can be attributed to domestic power struggles within the country. This view has many followers in the international media, especially since the ascendancy to power of the seventh Islamic Consultative Assembly (majlis). -Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Daily Star - 8/26/04 A Medieval Masterpiece from Baghdad: The Ann Arbor Shahnama One of the great classics of world literature, the Shahnama is a dramatic and entertaining telling of the legendary exploits of Persian kings and heroes from the beginnings of civilization down to the Islamic conquest in the mid-seventh century. - 8/26/04 Iran starts official auto imports Automobiles are officially being imported to Iran following announcement of a list of tariffs on imports, said Chief of Iran's Customs Administration Masood Karbasian in Tehran on Wednesday. - 8/26/04 Unstable Middle East and 'Thirsty' Asia Drive Oil Prices Up Political instability in key oil-producing countries and surging demand in Asia have driven crude oil prices up nearly 40 percent this summer. Some market watchers believe this is a temporary phenomenon. -VOA - 8/26/04 Iran mystery grows as hundreds search peak for Palo Alto hiker Kathleen Namphy was dazed and bleeding. Her frightened interpreter yelled for help, and a group of hikers promised to stay with the 69-year-old Palo Alto woman as he ran down the snow-covered Iranian mountain. -San Jose Mercury - 8/26/04 Najaf peace mission sets to work Iraq's leading Shia cleric has begun contacts with representatives of militants in Najaf after arriving on a peace mission, officials say. -BBC - 8/26/04 27 killed in Kufa mosque attack At least 27 people were today killed in a mortar attack on a southern Iraqi mosque where supporters of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were gathered. -Guardian - 8/26/04 Rezazadeh wins gold Hossein Rezazadeh set a new world record as he reclaimed his Olympic title in weightlifting's +105kg class. -BBC - 8/26/04 Armenia's Central Bank governor welcomes closer ties with Central Bank of Iran Governor of Central Bank of Armenia Wednesday in a meeting with Iranian ambassador to Yerevan Alireza Haghaqian stressed strengthening bilateral economic and financial cooperation between the two nations. - 8/26/04 Iran Expects to Be Acquitted in Next UN Nuclear Report Iran said Wednesday it has cleared up all major outstanding ambiguities over its nuclear program to reassure the world it was not trying to make an atomic bomb, but diplomats at the U.N. disagreed. -Reuters - 8/26/04 Iran, Afghanistan sign mutual cooperation agreement The agreement, signed by Iran's Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance Mohsen Safaie Farahani and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani Ahmad Zi, calls for better economic relations and cooperation based on respect for each other's national sovereignty and laws. - 8/26/04 Taliban could step up attacks ahead of Afghan elections, UN official warns Warning that the Taliban and other extremist groups are preparing to step up their violent attacks ahead of Afghanistan's presidential elections this October, the head of the United Nations mission to the country today told the Security Council that voters and electoral workers will need urgent protection. - 8/26/04 Iran: Judiciary chief says ready to draw up draft on political crime Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi announced in Tehran on Wednesday its readiness to present a new draft on 'political crime` to the government. - 8/26/04 "Is Iran America’s New Whipping Boy?": A Forum on US Foreign Policy toward Iran The Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats organization (BAIAD) today announced it will be holding an educational forum on the direction of US-Iran relations entitled “Is Iran America’s New Whipping Boy?” to be held on Sunday, August 29th at Faz restaurant in Sunnyvale, California. - 8/25/04 150 Reformist Journalists and Politicians to Stage Symbolic Fast in Protest against Limitations on Press in Iran A group of reformist journalists, politicians and activist announced that they will hold a fast next Tuesday in protest against limitations on freedom of speech, former Majles MP Hossein Loqmanian tells Radio Farda. - 8/25/04 NIAC Members to Meet with Senator Warner of Virginia NIAC has secured a meeting with Senator John Warner (R-VA) on September 22, 2004 for NIAC members in Virginia! - 8/25/04 AFGHANISTAN-IRAN-PAKISTAN: IOM prepares voter registration for Afghan refugees The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is preparing to conduct voter registration for Afghans residing in Pakistan, ahead of Afghanistan's first presidential elections scheduled for 9 October this year. -IRIN - 8/25/04 Iranian artist engraves stones on Saint-Tropez Beach Iranian artist, Ahmad Nadalian, engraved stones on the beach in southern France for 10 days beginning on July 18, reported an english-language daily in Tehran on Wednesday. - 8/25/04 World's strongest man goes for record There are hundreds of gold medals on offer at the Athens Olympics but only three mythical titles. But the title that may fascinate more than any other is "the world's strongest man", to be bestowed in the super-heavyweight competition before a sold-out crowd on Wednesday. -Reuters - 8/25/04 Iranian government needs 1.1 billion dollars for gasoline imports The government will need dlrs 1.1 billion by end of the year on March 20 to import gasoline, said Director of the International Affairs Department at National Iranian Oil Company Hojjatollah Ghanimifard in Tehran on Wednesday. - 8/25/04 1st authorized BMWs hit Iranian market The first BMW cars authorized to be sold on the tightly protected Iranian market in years have arrived and have already sold out despite punishing import duties, a representative of the German carmaker said Tuesday. -AFP - 8/25/04 Top Shia leader returns to Iraq Iraq's most influential Shia leader has returned after medical treatment in Britain as fighting continues to rage in the Shia holy city of Najaf. Ayatollah Sistani, 73, called on his followers to be ready to march on Najaf to save the city, his spokesman said. -BBC - 8/25/04 . . . And its war with the U.S. Sometime next month, three European foreign ministers are expected to fly to Tehran for what is tipped in diplomatic circles as a "last chance" attempt at persuading the Islamic Republic to stop its quest for nuclear weapons. -Amir Taheri, New York Post - 8/25/04 Strong US Influence in Afghanistan Draws Criticism As Afghanistan seeks to rebuild its place in the world after decades of war, foreign powers are seeking to gain influence inside the country. But one nation enjoys far closer relations with the new Afghanistan than any other, the United States. -VOA - 8/25/04 Iranian Judiciary Blocks Reformist Party’s Websites The judiciary’s campaign against the newspapers close to the Islamic government’s reformist faction was extended to the realm of cyber space, as staff of three ISPs used by reformist party Participation Front’s Internet sites go to jail and the sites were shut down, or changed, Hossein Bastani, a Tehran-based journalist tells Radio Farda. - 8/25/04 Iran Threatens To Retaliate If Israel Strikes Nuclear Facilities Iran has reiterated that it will retaliate if Israel carries out a preemptive strike against its nuclear program. The escalating war of words comes as a top U.S. arms-control official has charged that Tehran may have nuclear weapons within three years if left unchecked. RFE/RL looks at recent developments in the continuing crisis over Iran's nuclear program. - 8/25/04 Baroev beats Barzi in semi, Monzon tames Ashkani in Olypmics Greco-Roman wrestling Eyeing the bronze, Barzi meets Rulon Gardner from the United States, who was defeated 4-1 by Kazakh wrestler Georgiy Tsurtsumia in the semifinal. - 8/25/04 Intellectualism A few years ago when the girls of a high school in the south of Tehran (where mostly the traditionalists live) were examined, more than 80% of them were not virgin! I wonder what is the statistics for the rest of the city where mostly ‘modern, educated people live! A warning to the Iranian men living abroad interested in marrying virgins! -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 8/25/04 Interview: Shirin Neshat, photographer and film maker The Iranian-born photographer and film maker Shirin Neshat left her homeland in 1974 to work in the United States and now, after a terrifying interrogation on her last trip back six years ago, has reluctantly accepted the description, "artist in exile". -New Zealand Herald - 8/25/04 Dershowitzian Logic or The Ultimate Chutzpah Dershowitz writes that “Israel has the right, under international law, to protect its civilians from a nuclear holocaust, and that right must include preemptive military action….” Question is: Why doesn’t he grant other nations the same right? -Kam Zarrabi - 8/25/04 Iran's Parliament Debates National Dress Code In what is being called the national fashion reform bill, Iran's conservative parliament is debating whether to institute a stricter dress code for Iranian citizens. While some experts say a dress code could have its advantages, others say the proposed legislation is simply a veiled way of dictating how Iranian women should dress. -VOA - 8/24/04 IRAN: Amnesty International outraged at reported execution of a 16 year old girl Amnesty International today expressed its outrage at the reported execution of a girl who is believed to be 16 years old, Ateqeh Rajabi, in Neka in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran, on 15 August, for "acts incompatible with chastity". Ateqeh Rajabi was reportedly publicly hanged on a street in the city centre of Neka. - 8/24/04 U.S. Says Diplomacy Can Resolve Iran Nuclear Crisis The top U.S. disarmament diplomat said on Monday evidence pointed to an Iranian nuclear weapons program, but that Washington wanted a diplomatic solution and its ultimate goal was not to topple Tehran's government. -Reuters - 8/24/04 US warplanes violate Iran's air space: press report Five US warplanes entered Iran's air space last Thursday night from the southwestern Shalamcheh border and flew over the city of Khorramshahr for a while, press reports said Tuesday. - 8/24/04 Queen album brings rock to Iran Rock band Queen, fronted by gay icon Freddie Mercury, has become the first rock act to receive an official seal of approval in Iran. -BBC - 8/24/04 Iran will never conduct nuclear activities in hiding: FM Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi stressed that Iran's nuclear activities will never be conducted in hiding. - 8/24/04 The Architecture of Tehran: a Window into Iranian Culture, History An international panel of architects, scholars, and urban planners gathered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. for an in-depth look at the city of Tehran, especially how its cultural, social, and political evolution is reflected through its architecture. -CHN - 8/24/04 Iran takes 4th and 16th places at Olympics men`s 94 kg weightlifting Iran came close to first medal in the Games as Shahin Nassirinia ordered 225 kg for his third clean-and-jerk attempt and held the bar on his chest but he failed to lock it above his head and lost the invaluable bronze. - 8/24/04 Iranian hand in Najaf game Since the battle of Najaf suddenly erupted about two weeks ago, with fierce fighting raging between followers of Shi'ite maverick cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the U.S. military, the question often arose as to why this battle was taking place. -Washington Times - 8/24/04 More than 10.3 million Afghans enrolled to vote as registrations close At least 10.3 million Afghans have enrolled to vote in their country's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections after the final registration sites closed last Friday, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) has announced. - 8/24/04 Iranian Carpet Website Launched A specialized website on Iranian time-honored art of carpet weaving is launched to coincide with the opening of an international rug exhibition in Tehran - 8/24/04 38 journalists and media assistants killed since the start of the fighting there At least 38 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since the war began there in March 2003. -RSF - 8/24/04 Arundhati Roy: Life Comes Between a Firebrand and Her Fiction It's been seven years since Roy burst onto the international literary scene with "The God of Small Things," her semiautobiographical novel about a hard-luck family in southern India. -San Francisco Chronicle - 8/24/04 US forces 'tighten Najaf noose' American tanks and Iraqi soldiers are moving into position closer to the Imam Ali shrine in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, eyewitnesses say. - 8/24/04 Iran Blocks Access to 3 Reformist Websites Iran has reportedly blocked access to three reformist publication websites. -VOA - 8/24/04 IRAN: Afghan repatriation convoys resume Convoys of returning Afghans from Iran have resumed after a temporary suspension of two days due to insecurity around the western Afghan city of Herat which left some 13,000 Afghan returnees stranded on both sides of the border. -IRIN - 8/24/04 Iranian, Foreign Experts to Defuse Mines in Historical Sites Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) and military would hire domestic and foreign experts to clear historical monuments and sites of mines left over from the 8-year war Iraq imposed on Iran in 1980s - 8/24/04 Iran: The babble and the bomb The US under President George W Bush and his neo-conservative policymakers has every intention of unsheathing the regime-change strategy if he is re-elected in November. The neo-cons' aspirations of global hegemony have encountered a rude awakening in Iraq. However, those ambitions are neither abandoned, nor are they dead. -Axis of Logic - 8/24/04 Iranian student gets nearly four years for criticising regime online Reporters Without Borders protested strongly today (August 18, 2004) against a three years and 10 months prison sentence passed on theology student Mojtaba Lotfi for allegedly posting "lies" on the Internet. - 8/24/04 Iranian archeologists Discover Entrance to Sultanyeh Dome Iranian archeologists have discovered part of the gate and entrance to the Sultanyeh Citadel, the biggest brick dome in the whole world -CHN - 8/23/04 Iranian pipeline gas to diversify Europe supply A pipeline project to deliver Iranian gas into the heart of Europe is key to ensuring diverse supply sources and routes for consumers who currently rely totally on Russian exports, Austria's OMV told Reuters. - 8/23/04 Iranian journalists committee sends letter to Iraqi PM The special parliamentary journalists committee in an open letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi on Monday condemned the arrest of an Iranian journalist in Iraq. - 8/23/04 Foreign Minister Says Conflict Undermining Iraqi Government Iraq's interim Foreign Minister Hoshyar al-Zebari told RFE/RL in an exclusive interview yesterday that the ongoing conflict in the southern Iraqi city of Al-Najaf is hurting the government's credibility. He also said he thinks some other ministers in the interim administration made a mistake by calling Iran the "Enemy No. 1" of Iraq. - 8/23/04 Firefighters to Probe Suspicious Arsons in Tehran Bazaar After three suspicious-looking cases of arson in Tehran’s historical bazaar over the past month, Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO) has urged the capital city’s fire department to make an inquiry into these incidents -CHN - 8/23/04 Iran, Turkmenistan connect their power networks Managing Director of Khorassan Regional Electric Company Ali-Akbar Vahdati on Sunday said that Iran's power network in Khorassan province was connected to that of Turkmenistan. - 8/23/04 Allegations prompt UCD teacher's leave An engineering professor at the University of Colorado at Denver went on leave Friday after a female student from Iran accused him of making degrading remarks in class about women and Middle Easterners. -Rocky Mountain News - 8/23/04 US deal 'wrecks Middle East peace' The US was yesterday accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in the Middle East by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of controversial settlements in the West Bank. -Guardian - 8/23/04 Quake hits Oshnaviyeh in northwestern Iran An earthquake measuring 3.6 degrees on the Richter scale hit the city of Oshnaviyeh in this northwestern province at 08:10 hours local time (0340 GMT) Monday. - 8/23/04 Najaf in crisis, but shrine under control Birds scattered from amid the ornate balconies and beautifully decorated tile arches of the courtyard surrounding the holy shrine of Imam Ali. -BBC - 8/23/04 Bosnia beats Iran in German sitting volleyball final Bosnia and Herzegovina was crowned at a world-class four-sided sitting volleyball tournament with a straight-set victory over Iran in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday evening. - 8/23/04 Neocons Seek Vindication in Escalation "The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons." This is the heart of the Bush Doctrine from the president's "axis of evil" address to Congress. And the nations that constituted that axis were Iraq, Iran and North Korea. -Antiwar.com - 8/23/04 President Khatami dismisses Iran interference in Iraq President Mohammad Khatami on Monday strongly dismissed "any provocative interference" by Iran in Iraq's situation, saying Tehran has called for restoration of peace and stability to that country. - 8/23/04 Iran Announces Delays in First Nuclear Reactor Coming on Line Iran says its first nuclear reactor, being built with the help of Russia, will not go on line until October 2006, a year later than planned. The International Atomic Energy Agency's governing body will be discussing the question of Iran's nuclear program at a meeting in September, amid international concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions. -VOA - 8/23/04 Iranian Archeologists to Finish Unearthing of Shadyakh Historical City in Fortnight After receiving adequate funds, archeologists plan to completely unearth the historical city of Shadyakh, northeast of Iran, in two weeks -CHN - 8/23/04 Iran's Avicenna symbolized complicated links between orient, occident First International Conference on Avicenna is being held at the mausoleum of this great philosopher-physician in the western city of Hamedan. The event coincides with the birth anniversary of Avicenna, whose birth anniversary is marked annually as Physicians' Day in Iran. - 8/22/04 Iran’s Medical Tourism Potential Unique in Middle East: Health Minister To cite an example, Pezeshkian said that an open heart surgery would cost on average $18,000 in Turkey and $40,000 in UK, while any heart patient can have the surgery for less than $10,000 in Iran and can afford the rest on touring the country. - 8/22/04 Iran finances major road projects in Afghanistan Iran has allocated a grant of 7.5 million dollars to Sangan-Herat railway project which is currently under construction in Afghanistan - 8/22/04 US Doctors Tied to Prisoner Abuse U.S. military doctors and medics at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad were "complicit" in the torture of Iraqi detainees and faked death certificates to try and cover up homicides, says a report in a top British medical journal. -Toronto Star - 8/22/04 Najaf rebels hold off US-led raid Iraqi rebels led by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr have fired on US armoured vehicles in the disputed city of Najaf. -BBC - 8/22/04 Besieged Al-Sadr keeps grip on shrine Iraqi government claims that police had arrested hundreds of the radical cleric's fighters and taken over his headquarters in Najaf could have come from Saddam's Comical Ali, reports Luke Harding -Guardian - 8/22/04 Voters See Saudi Arabia as Greatest Source of Global Terror, Demand President Offer New Plan for Energy Self-Sufficiency The direct link between oil money and al-Qaeda has led Americans to identify Saudi Arabia as the greatest backer of terror in the world. Even Iran, an avowed enemy of the United States, is ranked second to Saudi Arabia as a source of global terrorism. -Hudson Institute - 8/22/04 FM spokesman denies cancellation of Solana's visit to Iran Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Sunday dismissed a press report that a planned visit by the EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana had been scrapped - 8/22/04 Municipality Workers Dump Garbage on Iran's Historical Susa Becoming an outrageous role model for people, the municipality of the modern city of Susa is dumping garbage on relics of an ancient fort in this historical city -CHN - 8/22/04 Iran denies developing missiles to reach US Iran on Sunday repudiated US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's allegations that Tehran may be working to develop missiles capable of reaching the United States - 8/22/04 Iran denies it may deliver preventive strike on aggressors Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani has denied mass media reports saying his country might deliver a preventive strike on potential aggressors, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi. - 8/22/04 Iran: Il-Khanid Architectural Relics Found in Takht-e Suleiman The latest excavation in the northern gate of Takht-e Suleiman, an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple northwest of Iran, has revealed architectural relics dating back to the late Il-Khanid era (1256-1336). -CHN - 8/22/04 Foreign Ministry Encourages Expatriates To Invest In Iran Speaking at a conference on the foreign ministry's programs to help boost foreign investment in Iran, the official said that the foreign ministry is encouraging both Iranian expatriates and foreign investors to embark on investment projects in Iran. - 8/21/04 'Death after death, blood after blood' What happens in Najaf next will determine Iraq's future, for better or worse. That may in part explain the confusion which surrounds events. The claims of victory, of a Sadr cave-in, appear to be wishful thinking, more than reality. -Guardian - 8/21/04 Iraqi footballers' fury at Bush Iraq's successful Olympic football team has launched an outspoken attack on US President George W Bush. -BBC - 8/21/04 All eyes on Iraq as oil price nears $50 World oil prices pushed towards the key $50 a barrel level yesterday as fighting raged in Iraq, although they came off the boil when Iraqi police said they had driven rebels out of the Imam Ali shrine complex in the city of Najaf. -Guardian - 8/21/04 Iranian track cyclist knocked out of Olympics The Asian champion, Asgari, was narrowly beaten by his Kazakh opponent, Youri Yoda, in the preliminary round and made an embarrassing exit. - 8/21/04 Miran of Iran finishes fifth at Olympics judo meet Iran failed to win a medal in men`s judo competitions in the 28th Olympic Games in the capital of Greece. - 8/21/04 Iranian discus thrower Samimi crashes out of Olympics games Iran's discus thrower Abbas Samimi made an embarrassing exit in the first round competitions of the 28th Olympic Games in Athens on Saturday. - 8/21/04 Amend International Law To Allow Preemptive Strike on Iran Intelligence reports about Iran's capacity to produce nuclear weapons aimed at Israel are becoming ominous. Unless diplomatic pressure causes the Iranian mullahs to stop the project, Iran may be ready to deliver nuclear bombs against Israeli civilian targets within a few short years. -Forward - 8/21/04 Iran's gas production to reach 360m cubic meters a day Director of the Gas Refining and Transfer Operations Department at National Iranian Gas Company Abdul Hossein Samari told a group of local gas officials that Iran's fourth gas pipeline has reached Shiraz. - 8/21/04 Sandstorm Blocks Entrances to Iran's Burnt City A nasty sandstorm has blocked entrances to the mysterious Burnt City southeast of Iran and filled up excavated pits, archeologists lamented -CHN - 8/21/04 Congressman Marty Meehan to Host Immigration Forum for the Iranian-American Community As a result of the Iranian American Political Action Committee’s (IAPAC) educational outreach efforts on Capitol Hill, Congressman Marty Meehan (D-5th/MA) will be hosting an Immigration Forum on the issues and realities facing the Iranian community. - 8/21/04 Former Iranian MP Blasts Majles for Scraping “Gender Equality” from Rights Bill “No religion can deny the need for justice and equality among all people,” reformist former Majles MP Fatemeh Rakei tells Radio Farda’s broadcaster Golnaz Esfandiari, blasting the conservative Majles for scratching a provision that called for “gender equality” from a bill on protection of women’s rights. - 8/21/04 Sassanids Used Commercial Labels: Iranian Archeologists The latest excavations at the northern gate of the Takht-e Suleiman historical site show that during the reign of the Sassanid dynasty (224-642 A.D.), Iranians used special labels on goods as a way of promoting their brands. -CHN - 8/21/04 234 Iranian journalists write to UN chief on Darban's fate Some 234 Iranian journalists sent a letter on Friday to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan asking him to do all that he to seek the release of their colleague, Mostafa Darban, who is currently being held in Iraq. - 8/21/04 Two Iranians ranked among most powerful women in world Faezah Rafsanjani, the daughter of Iran's former president, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi, are ranked among the 100 most powerful women in the world by American business magazine Forbes. - 8/21/04 Iranian Concern about American Troop Presence in Iraq 'Unwarranted,' says US The United States said Thursday Iran should see the American military presence in Iraq as a stabilizing, rather than threatening presence. The comments followed remarks by Iran's Defense Minister that some Iranian generals favor striking U.S. forces pre-emptively if they sensed a threat. -VOA - 8/20/04 Iran calls for emergency OIC summit to discuss Iraq crisis President Mohammad Khatami on Friday called on member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to meet in an emergency summit to try to find solutions to the deepening Iraqi crisis. - 8/20/04 Iranian Scandal At Olympics But few believe that Arash Miresmaeili himself made the decision not to compete and to choose ideological animus over sportsmanship. As Mr. Miresmaeili's shunned Israeli opponent, Ehud Vaks, said, "I feel horrible for [Miresmaeili], and I'm sure if it was up to him, he would have fought. The politicians didn't let him fight. . .it is not fair to him. He was the favorite. . . . They broke his heart." -VOA - 8/20/04 Is Israel planning to attack Iran? Ariel Sharon may be on the warpath again and the target is Iran. In the past, the Israeli prime minister has focused attention on Iran by claiming that it presents the greatest threat to Israel. More than once, defense officials in Jerusalem have said that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In response, Iran's defense minister, Ali Shamkhani, warned that should Israel do so, his country would wipe out Israel. -IHT - 8/20/04 Iranian cleric lambastes US for atrocities in Iraq, sacrilege to holy sites Senior cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani here on Friday criticized US President George W. Bush for the deepening crisis in Iraq and the escalating violence in the holy city of Najaf, protesting against the aerial attacks by US troops on the holy shrine of Imam Ali - 8/20/04 How DNA saved an 'extinct' breed (Caspian Horse) A woman is spearheading a programme to resurrect a rare horse thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1960s. -BBC - 8/20/04 Iran stock exchange is cleaning up its act As many global equities markets have languished, the Tehran Stock Exchange has performed magnificently, topping world markets in the last few years and rewarding investors with 125 percent gains in the fiscal year ended March 21 and 15 percent since. -IHT - 8/20/04 Woman cleared of bigamy, perjury in high-stakes divorce The defendant was a 48-year-old Iranian woman named Shahla Rahbari, who claims to once have worked for the Queen of Iran before marrying prominent retired Beach surgeon, Dr. Mansur Ruhnema. -Virginian-Pilot - 8/20/04 We could have stopped him The CIA has taken much of the blame for the security lapses that led to 9/11 and the false intelligence on Iraq's WMDs. But now one spy has broken ranks to point the finger at the politicians - and warn that the war on terror could plunge the US into even greater danger. -Guardian - 8/20/04 Probe Examines General's Remarks on Terror A Pentagon investigation has concluded that a senior military intelligence officer violated regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official capacity when he made church speeches casting the war on terrorism in religious terms, a senior defense official said Thursday. -AP - 8/20/04 Oil prices hit new record high US light crude today set a record of $49.33 (£27) a barrel, up 63 cents, with prices having risen by $12 a barrel since the end of June. Oil costs have set records in all but one of the last 16 trading sessions, and London Brent also hit a new high of $45.15 a barrel, up 82 cents. -Guardian - 8/20/04 Iraq rebels 'leave Najaf shrine' Shia gunmen loyal to Moqtada Sadr have left their stronghold in the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, reports from Iraq say. -BBC - 8/20/04 Ancient Persian fleet surrenders its mysteries Secrets of an ancient Persian armada sunk off the coast of Greece 2500 years ago are being dredged up by modern archaeologists. -New England Herald - 8/20/04 OSCE: Organization Shifting To Focus Greater Attention On Central Asia, Caucasus The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should consider paying extra attention to Central Asia and the Caucasus. That's the view of the OSCE's current chairman, Solomon Pasi. -RFE - 8/20/04 Foreign Minister says Iranians arrested in Iraq are well Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said in Karaj on Friday that the latest information indicate that the IRNA reporter, his local colleagues and four directors from the cooperatives sector who have been arrested in Iraq are all well. - 8/20/04 The proliferation lesson One reason the Bush administration went to war in Iraq last year was to demonstrate that the United States was prepared to use a lot more than just rhetoric to prevent countries from quietly developing weapons of mass destruction. The president hoped that when the leaders of would-be nuclear states heard words of warning from Washington, images of Saddam Hussein's unshaven face would persuade them to support American nonproliferation efforts. -IHT - 8/20/04 Remarks by National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice Followed by Question and Answer to the U.S. Institute of Peace "As to Iran, I think there the United States was, perhaps at one time, the state that was most concerned about Iran's activities, but others have come to that position, principally because of Iranian behavior." - 8/20/04 FM urges IAEA to act "professionally" toward Iran nuclear case Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Thursday called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to act professionally and not to be impressed by US pressure in dealing with Iran's nuclear energy case in the September meeting of its Board of Governors. - 8/20/04 Iranians Encounter New Wave of Discrimination Due to 9/11 Crackdown Iranians in the United States are experiencing a surge in firings, deportations, FBI interrogations and security clearance denials and revocations related to the ongoing U.S. terrorist sweep. -NCM - 8/20/04 Bitter-Sweet Harvest: Afghanistan's New War You need not go far from the southern city of Kandahar, the former spiritual stronghold of the Taliban, to find poppy fields. A 20-minute drive away, farmer Mahbub is busy harvesting his crop, despite the Interim Authority's ban in January 2002 on poppy cultivation. Sap from the poppies is turned into opium - a class-A drug sold for millions of US dollars worldwide. -IRIN - 8/20/04 Iranian Security Forces Arrest Prisoners’ Families and Activist in Tehran Rally The intelligence ministry arrested a group of prisoners’ families and student activists in a rally and sit-in protest Tuesday in front of the UN offices in Tehran, spokesman of the Democratic Front opposition group tells Radio Farda. - 8/19/04 Split Remains Over How to Deal With Iran's Nuclear Program The U.S. administration is warning Iran against pursuing a nuclear weapons program, which it calls a threat to international security. But Washington and its European allies differ on how best to pressure Iran to stop. U.S. officials say Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program and must be stopped. -VOA - 8/19/04 NIAC’S Voter Guide to The 2004 Congressional and Senatorial Elections In an effort to inform Iranian Americans about which candidates are sensitive to their concerns, NIAC will be publishing an online voter guide to the Top 15 Seats of Iranian-American Influence. - 8/19/04 Iran, Undaunted by the Prospect of Sanctions, Presses Ahead with its Nuclear Program Iranian leaders have reached consensus on the country’s controversial nuclear program, deciding that the benefits of possessing atomic capabilities outweigh the possible consequences of flouting international opinion. -Eurasianet - 8/19/04 Iran Pursuing "Aggressive" Foreign Policy, Expert Says Iran's strategic calculations for the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Russia are driving a "new and aggressive foreign policy," a foreign policy expert told a RFE/RL audience last week. - 8/19/04 Illicit drugs seizure in Iran up by 82 percent in March-June Some 106,300 kg of illicit drugs were seized in Iran in the first quarter of the current Iranian year (started March 20) showing an increase of 82 percent compared to the figure for the same period last year - 8/19/04 British Gas keen to supply Iran gas to India British gas major BG Group has shelved plans to set up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Pipavav in Gujarat and is instead exploring option of supply gas to India from Iran. -IANS - 8/19/04 Exploratory studies on 660,000 sqkms of oil, gas fields in Iran complete Exploratory studies have been completed on 660,000 square kilometers out of 1,150,000 square kilometers of the oil and gas rich sedimentary zones in central, southern, southwestern and southeastern parts of Iran. - 8/19/04 UN agency strikes environment agreement with Central Asian economic group The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and a regional trading group based around Central and Western Asia today reached a deal to promote renewable energy sources, toughen green laws and encourage eco-friendly tourism in the area. - 8/19/04 Iranian cleared of judo 'boycott' Iran has escaped censure over the failure of its judo world champion to fight an Israeli at the Olympics. -BBC - 8/19/04 AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR battling to help returnees with water The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan is working to alleviate water problems experienced by Afghan returnees by constructing thousands of water points and household latrines. -IRIN - 8/19/04 Iranian MPs plan new national costume IRAN'S conservative parliament is preparing designs for national Islamic costumes to combat the corrupting influence of Western fashion, a prominent MP said Wednesday. -The Australian - 8/19/04 Clashes erupt after rebel warned Fresh fighting has been reported in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, hours after a new warning was given to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr to end his insurgency. -BBC - 8/19/04 Ban on cement export from Iran's Kurdestan province to northern Iraq lifted Manager of Bijar Cement Plant Mansour Najafi said that the ban imposed on the export of cement to northern Iraq a month ago was lifted on Wednesday. - 8/19/04 Iran: Majles Conservatives Block Free Market Economic Reforms Majles’ conservative majority reversed plans for reforms aimed at decreasing the role of state in the economy by re-writing several provisions of a five-year development plan, which had been approved by its predecessor, but rejected by the conservative Guardians Council. -Radio Farda - 8/19/04 Tehrangeles: L.A. the Iranian expatriate capital abroad California has one of the largest Iranian populations of the Iranian Diaspora, estimated at 300,000 to 600,000, and most of these exiles from the 1979 Islamic revolution reside in Los Angeles and Southern California. In fact, the population has grown so dramatically since the 1970s and ’80s that to some, Los Angeles is known as Tehrangeles or even Irangeles. -Raw Story - 8/19/04 Iran urges emergency meeting of Iraq neighbors to discuss crisis Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday called on Iraq's neighbors to convene an emergency meeting to discuss the current situation in Iraq - 8/19/04 Iranian Defense Minister Warns US and Israel of Preemptive Strikes Defense minister went beyond commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps by saying that the Islamic government could launch preventive strikes at US and Israeli installations in the region in order to prevent being struck. He said preventive strikes were not a monopoly of the US. - 8/19/04 Would Israel strike first at Iran? Israel holds the preemptive wildcard, but experts doubt Osirak-style repeat. -CSM - 8/18/04 Mehrgan Foundation's Second Annual Seminar in San Diego: "Social Justice" The guest lecturers of this year's Seminar will cover the theme of "Social Justice" from a variety of angles and view points. These honored lectures include Dr. Mahasti Afshar, Dr. Alireza Akbari, Dr. Ahmad Karimi Hakkak, Dr. Farhang Holakouee, Dr. Abbas Milani, Dr. Farzaneh Milani and Mr. Bahram Moshiri. - 8/18/04 IRAN: Information technology reaches rural areas A rural IT project has been launched in Iran as part of a joint effort by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the government of Iran. -IRIN - 8/18/04 London returns stolen stone artifact to Iran An ancient stone artifact dating back to 12th century A.D. was returned to Iran from London where it was sold in an auction in 2003, said a cultural official in the central provincial city of Yazd on Wednesday. - 8/18/04 Iran president slams U.S. over Najaf Iranian President Mohammed Khatami described the violence sweeping the holy Shiite city of Najaf as "barbaric" and heartbreaking. -UPI - 8/18/04 Iran Khodro kicks off negotiations with Indian car manufacturers Iran Khodro Company (Ikco), the largest vehicle manufacturer in Iran, is kicking off negotiations with other Indian car manufacturers for outsourcing cars, saying that the pace of its discussions with Tata Motors was not satisfactory. - 8/18/04 Afghan Vote Threatens Bush's Credibility With evidence mounting of plans for widespread vote-rigging in Afghanistan's upcoming elections, U.S. experts say the controversy could emerge as a serious liability for U.S. President George W. Bush's re-election campaign. -Common Dreams - 8/18/04 US election: Arab-American views About 1.2 million Americans - or 0.4% of the total population - are of Arab ancestry, according to the US 2000 census. The Arab-American Institute puts the figure higher, at more than 3.5 million. -BBC - 8/18/04 Offensive Resumes in Najaf, Prompting Desertions of Iraqi Troops U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a renewed assault Sunday on Shiite Muslim militiamen in the southern holy city of Najaf in a risky campaign that was marred from the onset by an outcry from Iraqi politicians and the desertion of dozens of Iraqi troops who refused to fight their countrymen. -Common Dreams - 8/18/04 Police nab 750 kg of illicit drugs in central Iran Police seized 750 kg of illicit drugs in the central province of Isfahan over a few days ago. - 8/18/04 Najaf clashes as truce talks fail Gunfire has broken out in Iraq's city of Najaf, a day after an Iraqi mission failed to end the stand-off between Shia militias and US-led forces. -BBC - 8/18/04 Fighting in Iraq Halts Refugee Returns From Iran Fighting In Southern Iraq Prompts UN Agency To Halt Refugee Returns From Iran The United Nations refugee agency has temporarily suspended its convoys for Iraqis wishing to return from neighbouring Iran because of the fighting raging in the south of the country and a housing shortage in the north. - 8/18/04 Minister: Iranian expatriates organization to be established Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ahmad Masjed-Jamei said in Tehran on Tuesday that given the active participation of Iranian expatriates in various scientific and cultural fields, particular attention should be placed on the third generation for which an organization is needed. - 8/18/04 Life halts in Iranian village over Koran Farms lie untended and workshops stand silent in an Iranian village after the theft of its 1,300-year-old copy of the Koran, Islam's holy book, state television reports. -Reuters - 8/18/04 Oil Prices Fall Slightly, But Experts Worry It's Short-Lived World oil prices have fallen slightly from record highs after the president of oil-rich Venezuela won a referendum confirming he will stay in office. But as RFE/RL reports, experts say the fall could be short-lived -- and that $50 a barrel is a possibility. - 8/18/04 NIAC Alert: Civil Liberties And The Iranian-American Community In recent weeks, NIAC has learned of an alarming number of reports of discrimination and racial profiling in what seems to be a new round of government enforcement of national-origin based security policies. - 8/17/04 Iran can see opportunity across border Iran's increasing support for insurgent Shiites in Iraq is giving the fighting in Najaf the appearance of a proxy war between Iran and the United States, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. -USA Today - 8/17/04 USS Kennedy Rescues Iranian Sailors The crew of the USS John F. Kennedy rescued six people from a sinking Iranian cargo dhow over the weekend. -First Coast News - 8/17/04 Outdoors was Iranian's passion Manuchehr Riahi helped establish Iran's national park system during the late shah's reign, and he became an enthusiastic member of the Arapahoe Hunt after moving to Colorado in the early 1980s. Riahi was 87 when he died of cancer Aug. 10 in Castle Rock. - 8/17/04 Peaceful use of nuclear energy, legitimate right of Iran: South African Defense Minister Visiting South African Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota on Tuesday stressed that making peaceful use of nuclear energy is the legitimate right of the Islamic Republic - 8/17/04 Mideast Peace Promoters Sharply Criticize Bush Administration The authors of the unofficial Geneva Initiative for peace between Israel and the Palestinians criticized the United States, with one of the top Israeli initiators admitting he wanted the Democrats to win November's US presidential race. -Common Dreams - 8/17/04 Iraq peace mission in holy city A delegation of leading Iraqis seeking to end a stand-off between US-led forces and Shia Muslim militiamen has arrived in the holy city of Najaf. -BBC - 8/17/04 International Observers Ratify Chávez's Triumph in Referendum Nobel Peace laureate and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General César Gaviria said in a joint news briefing in Caracas that Chávez survived Sunday’s referendum. -Common Dreams - 8/17/04 Afghanistan's Government Tries To End Battling Between Warlords In West Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Zaher Azimi says fighting in recent days in Herat Province began with a coordinated attack against Governor Ismail Khan's militia by several rival militia groups in western Afghanistan. -RFE - 8/17/04 Coins in Iran's Malek Museum Over 2,600 Years Old Iranian Malek museum in Tehran has a collection of thousands coins from different periods, the earliest of which date back to Lydian king Croesus (564-546 BC) - 8/17/04 Iraqi troops release Iranian container ship Iran's Mirdamad container ship, which was seized by Iraqi troops on Arvandrud river on August 12, was released on Monday. - 8/17/04 Iranian swimmer Farhoudi wraps up Olympic tour Iranian 100m freestyle swimmer, Babak Farhoudi, wrapped up his Olympic tour in the opening round in Athens on Tuesday. - 8/17/04 Iran Voluntarily Returns Kuwaiti Artifacts In a ceremony at Niavaran Palace, Tehran voluntarily extradited 399 Kuwaiti artifacts which were smuggled into Iran in 1999 after being stolen from Kuwaiti museums during the Iraqi invasion of the Arab Persian Gulf state in 1990 -CHN - 8/17/04 Iran calls on UN to interfere to stop fighting in Najaf Iran has called on the United Nations Organization to interfere in developments in Iraq in order to stop the armed clashes in the holy Shiite Muslim city of Najaf. - 8/17/04 Iran's hopes in Olympic's judo dashed Reza Chah-Khandaq poured cold water on Iran camp as he lost on technical fall in the second round of under-81 kg judo competitions of the 28th Olympic Games on Tuesday. - 8/17/04 Iranian President launches construction of petrochemical complex in Sanandaj President Mohammad Khatami on Tuesday launched construction operations on a petrochemical complex in the city of Sanandaj in Iran's western province of Kurdestan. - 8/17/04 Iranian delegation heads to Iraq to press for release of arrested journalist and diplomat A group of officials from three Iranian ministries left Tehran for Baghdad Tuesday morning to follow up the case of the Iranian journalist and diplomat recently arrested in Iraq, an Interior Ministry source said in Tehran on Tuesday. - 8/17/04 Valuable Ancient Iranian Cemetery Devastated in Isfahan In a bid to build a new public mosque, developers destroyed one of Iran’s most significant historical burial places, dating back to Safavid era, in the central city of Isfahan - 8/17/04 Washington won't get far by threatening Tehran The United States has reached a dead end in Iraq, like a trapped wolf," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said at a gathering of Shiite clerics. "It is trying to frighten people by roaring and clawing. But the people of Iraq will not allow the United States to swallow their country." -IHT - 8/17/04 Isfahan Subway to Stubbornly Pass Under Historical Street Despite stark warnings by Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO), Isfahan subway officials have doggedly decided to pass the route of an underground line beneath the historical street of Chahar-Bagh Abbasi, raising the possibility of impeachment for Interior Minister. -CHN - 8/16/04 Iranian economic reform falters The Iranian parliament on Sunday voted against key parts of a reform plan aimed at opening up the economy to foreign investment. -BBC - 8/16/04 Iran: Documentation of Behistun Inscription Nearly Complete Iranian surveyors are giving the finishing touches to the documentation process of Behistun inscription, which is damaged badly over the last decades west of Iran. The Behistun inscription is to cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs: the document most crucial in the decipherment of a previously lost script. -CHN - 8/16/04 Iranian Kurds Get Jobs in Northern Iraq, As Islamic Government Continues Sectarian Policies, Kurdish Journalist Says On the eve of an official visit to Kurdistan by President Khatami, a Sanandaj-based Kurdish journalist tells Radio Farda that the Islamic government’s ban on hiring Kurdish managers had divided people and government. The elites of the Iranian Kurdish community are immigrating to prosperous northern Iraq, where Kurdish administration has enjoyed relative autonomy since 1991 under the protection of allied forces. - 8/16/04 Experts Spot 16 Common Ancient Ailments in Iran Cancer, Tuberculosis, back pains, spinal cord twists, mouth and teeth infection, among others, have been the most common illnesses in ancient Iran, experts concluded. -CHN - 8/16/04 Family’s Lawyers Appeal to Iran's Supreme Court to Reopen Kazemi’s Death in Custody Case In their appeal to the Supreme Court, lawyers of the Zahra Kazemi summoned the intelligence minister and former head of the Majles complaints committee to testify against Tehran prosecutor Said Mortazavi, member of the family's legal team Mohammad-Ali Dadkhah said. -Radio Farda - 8/16/04 Iranian Conservatives Push for Gender Segregation and Bill to Enforce Islamic Dress Code The conservative faction of the Islamic Republic government, though the Majles, the judiciary and police, which it controls, is pressing for passage of a bill on enforcing Islamic dress code on women and segregate university classes. -Radio Farda - 8/16/04 Iran's sportswomen adapt to religious custom Nassim Hassanpour, a teenage markswoman in the 10 metre air pistol event, is the sole female athlete the Islamic Republic of Iran sent to the 2004 Olympics. She was able to take part in Athens because shooting is one of the few events that allows Muslim women to wear the obligatory headscarf and long coat, thus respecting the cultural and religious values of the Iranian authorities. -BBC - 8/16/04 100 billion dollars of investment to be made in Iran's oil, gas, petrochemicals Advisor to Oil Minister said in Yazad on Monday that dlrs 100 billion will be invested in the gas, oil and petrochemical sectors in the fourth and fifth five-year economic development plans. - 8/16/04 Culture and politics under Iran's 'new conservatives' Government 'afraid' of books, films that criticize its rule -Daily Star - 8/16/04 Iran’s Rulers Fear The People Like despotic rulers everywhere, the extremist Muslim clerics who run Iran consider the people their greatest enemy. That is why, says U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Iran’s rulers are worried about the movement toward democracy in Iraq -VOA - 8/16/04 Turkmenistan exported 4.5b cu.m of gas to Iran in 7 months Turkmenistan has exported 4.5 billion cubic meter gas to Iran since the start of 2004. - 8/16/04 Iraqis urge Sadr to end stand-off A national conference in Baghdad voted to send a negotiating team to try to defuse the stand-off between US forces and Sadr militias in the holy city. -BBC - 8/16/04 Iran face sanction for Israel boycott Officials of the sport's ruling body debated the possibility of sanctions against the entire Iranian judo team at an emergency meeting yesterday, after an Iranian world champion forfeited his match against an Israeli, apparently because of his country's refusal to compete against the Jewish state. -Guardian - 8/16/04 The hidden hand of Iran reaches to rock Iraqi stability GEOGRAPHICALLY condemned to coexistence, Iran and Iraq lie above some of the world's richest oilfields and on one of its most profound cultural fault-lines. - Australian - 8/16/04 Khatami to launch petrochemical company in Iran's Kurdestan province President Mohammad Khatami is to officiate at an inaugural ceremony for a petrochemical company that is to be established in Kurdestan at the cost of about 300 million dollars. - 8/16/04 US navy rescues Iranian boatmen A US naval ship in the Gulf has rescued six Iranian sailors from their sinking vessel, the US navy's Fifth Fleet says. -BBC - 8/16/04 Khatami hopes the first Iranian ship can be launched next year Speaking at a meeting with managers, staff and sailors of the Iran Shipping Company affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce, he referred to the nation's shipbuilding poetenial and said that despite the slow progress in this field, the country can move forward with the effective measures that have been taken. - 8/16/04 Studies to Continue on Discovered Caspian Sea Ship In a bid to determine the age and the best method of preservation, the second phase of archeological studies started on a newly-discovered ancient ship off the Caspian beach of the northern Mazandaran province -CHN - 8/16/04 Quake hits devastated Bam once again An earthquake measuring 4.2 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale hit the city of Bam, in the southeastern province of Kerman, on Monday. - 8/16/04 Iranian MPs call for release of diplomat, IRNA reporter in Iraq At least 192 Iranian MPs, in a letter to President Mohammad Khatami, urged the government to exert all its efforts to secure the release of a diplomat and IRNA reporter as well as 100 other Iranians, held in Iraq. - 8/16/04 US Administration Follows Dual Policy on Iran: A View A US-based advocate of US-Iran relations tells Radio Farda that in advance of the Presidential election, the Bush administration is pursuing a two pronged policy on Iran: public condemnation and private, closed-door talks. - 8/15/04 Iran's Nationalist Party Chief Refuses to Honor Court’s Summons A lawyer representing head of the nationalist opposition party Nehzat Azadi tells Radio Farda that the court which has summoned Ebrahim Yazdi to a trial next month for anti-regime activities, does not legally have the jurisdiction over his case. - 8/15/04 Iranian company Karun Oil produces over 1 million bpd oil Managing Director of Karun Oil and Gas Exploitation Company Abdolreza Rasouli said in Ahvaz on Sunday that his company produces more than one million barrels of oil a day. - 8/15/04 Mystery over Iran judo 'protest' Iran's Arash Miresmaeili has been eliminated after failing to make the correct weight at the Athens Olympics. But there is confusion over the affair, following the judo star's reported threat to walk out in protest when he was drawn against an Israeli opponent. -BBC - 8/15/04 Powell Asks Japan to Withdraw Business from Iran In a press conference in Tokyo, US Secretary of State urged the Japanese government and Japanese businesses to reconsider investing in Iran's energy sector. "It is clear that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon," he said. -Radio Farda - 8/15/04 Japan's trade minister rejects US demand to give up oil deal with Iran Japan's Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Sunday his country has no intention of changing its policy of pursuing an oil development deal with Iran due to a US request to reconsider. - 8/15/04 Iranian teachers representative freed on bail Member of Board of the Teachers Association for Tehran Ali Asghar Zati was freed on bail on Sunday. - 8/15/04 Lugar: Get very tough with Iran The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged the United States Sunday to get "very tough" to prevent Iran from making a nuclear bomb. -UPI - 8/15/04 US, Russian Defense Ministers Discuss Security Issues Regional security and cooperation in the war against terrorism topped the agenda at talks between U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov in St. Petersburg. -VOA - 8/15/04 'After three wars we have all had enough' The uprising against US troops in Najaf is causing further divisions among many Iraqis, who are fed up with fighting, reports Rory McCarthy, who has been in the holy Shia city for the past week -Guardian - 8/15/04 Kazemi lawyers appeal Iranian court verdict Lawyers in Iran have launched an appeal in the case of murdered Canadian photo-journalist, Zahra Kazemi. -CTV.ca - 8/15/04 The Road To Najaf And Confrontation With Iran Najaf is not so much about al-Sadr as it is Iran. From Iran's perspective, there is little question what happens in Najaf is its business., Ibrahim wrote. “Any damage there cannot leave a single Iranian ruler the option of remaining neutral, regardless of whether they are among moderates or hard-liners. The Shiite religious heritage is a shared one between Iraq and Iran.” -Axis of Logic - 8/15/04 Iran 'suspicious` of Iraqi group`s demand for release of diplomat Tehran remained suspicious as an armed group, calling itself the Islamic Army of Iraq, threatened Sunday to 'punish` a kidnapped Iranian diplomat. - 8/15/04 Iranian economist says opposition to foreign investment in Iran only benefits US An Iranian economist says opposition to foreign investment is a move in line with the US objectives at a time when Washington warns other countries of economic cooperation with Tehran. - 8/15/04 Allawi pledges to follow up detention of Iranians in Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has promised to personally pursue the case of several Iranians who have recently gone missing in Iraq. - 8/15/04 Iran-US trade volume dips to 120 million dollars Trade exchanges between Iran and the US stood at dlr 120 million during the first half of 2004, the English-language 'Tehran Times` wrote on Sunday. - 8/15/04 Foreign companies bidding for newly discovered oil field in Iran The Yadavaran oil field, with an in-place reserve of some 17 billion barrels of proven reserves, comprises the Koushk and Hosseinieh oil fields which were discovered in 2000 and 2002, respectively, in the oil-rich Khuzestan province near the Iraqi border. - 8/15/04 Iraqi Prime Minister welcomes invitation to visit Iran Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has welcomed an invitation to visit Iran despite a recent war of words which have dogged ties between the two neighbors. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi announced Tuesday that Allawi had been invited to pay an official visit to Iran. - 8/14/04 Iranians' Opening matches in Olympic Games Opening matchhttp://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040817/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iran_nuclear_1es of Iranian sportsman in 2004 Athens Olympic Games after draw - 8/14/04 Iranian Experts Rectify American Archeologists’ Dalma Estimates Following recent excavations in the Dalma historical hill in northwestern West Azerbaijan province, Iranian archeologists have managed to discover relics of three ancient periods, thus outdating the estimate of their American counterparts who had earlier explored the area. -CHN - 8/14/04 The waiting is over, but for the hosts the Olympic spirit is already broken The giant white airship, devoid of markings but humming with surveillance devices, is now as familiar a feature of the Athenian skyline as the Acropolis. High above it, criss-crossing the airlanes at 20,000ft, the Mirage interceptors of the Greek air force are as invisible as the gods of the ancient world. -Guardian - 8/14/04 US blinkered over Iran ties As in the past quarter of century, the looming presidential election in the United States has made the Iran debate a fulcrum of presidential contest, with the Republican and Democratic candidates trying to outdo each other in Iran-bashing. -Asia Times - 8/14/04 Iraq: U.S. Keeps Winning Battles, Losing Wars Once again, U.S. armed forces appear on the verge of winning a decisive military victory in Iraq -- this time in the holy city of Najaf. And once again, they appear closer to losing the larger wars for a stable and friendly Iraq and for an Islamic world that will cease producing anti-U.S. terrorism. -Common Dreams - 8/14/04 Powell Blames Extremists for Lack of 'Olympic Truce' in Iraq Canadian Foreign Minister Pettigrew, on his first trip outside Canada since taking the new cabinet post last month, said he and Mr. Powell discussed their shared concerns about Iran's nuclear program. -VOA - 8/14/04 Iran starts training program for Afghan officials Iranian experts started training 60 officials of three Afghan ministries -- mines and industries, water and power and communications -- in Kabul on Saturday. - 8/14/04 Talks collapse in Iraqi holy city Three days of talks to disarm militants in the Shia Iraqi holy city of Najaf have broken down, the Iraqi government negotiator has announced. -BBC - 8/14/04 Exhibition: Floral Perspectives in Carpet Design (at Textile Museum in Washington, DC) Floral motifs are represented in the arts of many cultures and are ubiquitous in carpet design. Floral Perspectives in Carpet Design examines this phenomenon from three perspectives – spiritual, cultural, and artistic – as rendered in the designs of 17th- to 19th-century Indian, Chinese, Central Asian, Persian, and Turkish carpets. - 8/14/04 International Federation of Journalists calls for release of IRNA reporters in Baghdad The International Federation of Journalists, (IFJ) the world's biggest journalists` organisation, has issued a new call for the release of journalists held after a police raid on the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) in Baghdad earlier this week. - 8/14/04 6,000-Year-Old Archeological Site Discovered in Sarvestan, Iran While excavating Sarvestan Palace, one of the most magnificent monuments of the Sassanid era (226-651), Iranian archeologists have unearthed a vast archeological site south of Iran, Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency reported. - 8/14/04 No reason to increase OPEC output, says Iran's OPEC governor Iran's representative to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) board of governors, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, said the organization had no reason to pump more oil into the market. - 8/14/04 Iranian journalists deplore IRNA reporter's arrest in Baghdad Association of Iranian Journalists (AIJ) on Saturday deplored the arrest of IRNA reporter Mostafa Darban from his office in Baghdad. - 8/14/04 Iran's Test Of New Missile Stirs Concern Iran has caused fresh concern with its test this week of a new version of its Shihab-3 ballistic missile. Top Iranian officials say the missile is for purely defensive purposes, but experts note it is capable of striking targets in Israel as well as U.S. targets in the Middle East. -RFE - 8/13/04 World's Shiites Warn That US Is Treading on Sensitive Ground With its twin minarets and glinting gold dome, the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf has been a beacon for the Muslim faithful for more than a thousand years. But with fighting raging around the Iraqi shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam is reprising a different historical role: rallying point against foreign forces. -Los Angeles Times - 8/13/04 US, Azerbaijan Pledge Continued Cooperation on Security Issues Donald Rumsfeld says the United States is committed to strengthening its ties with Azerbaijan, especially in terms of international security. Regional security issues were high on the agenda in talks the defense secretary had Thursday with President Aliyev in the Azeri capital, Baku. -VOA - 8/13/04 Iran, UN sign MoU to resolve youth unemployment dilemma Iran and the United Nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday to resolve the problem of youth unemployment in the country, said the head of Iran's Youth National Organization in Tehran on Thursday. - 8/13/04 Iran to Develop Ecbatana into Tourism Attraction Iranian experts and officials are studying a major plan to develop the historical site of Ecbatana,the summer capital of Cyrus the Great, into an international tourist destination -CHN - 8/13/04 Oil at new high on Iraqi violence The price of oil has reached yet new record highs due to continuing concern at the ongoing violence in Iraq. -BBC - 8/13/04 Najaf truce brings calm to city A temporary truce appears to be in force in Iraq's holy city of Najaf, which is reported to be calm after more than a week of heavy fighting. -BBC - 8/13/04 Iran Missile Test Raises Concerns Iran's recent test firing of a medium range ballistic missile is raising more concerns about the country's proliferation efforts, especially in light of its alleged efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. -VOA - 8/13/04 Supreme Leader re-appoints Shahroudi as Iran's Judiciary Chief Khamenei in a verdict on Friday re-appointed the Judiciary Chief Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi for a second five-year term in office. - 8/13/04 Iran Allows Foreign Archeologists to Excavate Sites Iran has decided to allow reputable archeological teams to work on its historical sites in a bid to enrich local expertise, announced Hussein Marashi, president of Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) on Wednesday -CHN - 8/13/04 Half-Truths, Distortions and Lies: More examples of syntactic gymnastics by the media Did Iran really tell European leaders that it wants them to back its intentions to make nuclear weapons? -Kam Zarrabi - 8/13/04 Iran Air plane makes emergency landings in Athens, Rome An Iranian Airbus 310 from the national flag carrier Iran Air had to make two separate emergency landings in Athens and Rome late Thursday for what has been reported as engine failure. - 8/13/04 Qajar King Paraded Top-Cadre Wives Every Morning: Iraniain Historian Says Famed for having over 1,000 spouses, Qajar King Fath Ali Shah (1797-1834) got his 40 respectable wives parade every morning in a pageant ceremony, noted an Iranian historian and author. -CHN - 8/13/04 Iran: A place in my heart General elections in February saw Iran's conservatives regain control of the parliament and as a result, the country faces another period of change and uncertainty. So does the BBC's Tehran correspondent, Jim Muir, as he prepares to leave his post... but not his memories. -BBC - 8/12/04 President Khatami: US should give momentum to dialogue with Iran Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said in Tehran on Wednesday that the US should take the initiative in giving momentum to dialogue with Iran. Speaking to Iranian and foreign reporters after the cabinet meeting, the president disapproved of the US tough stance towards Iran. - 8/12/04 Arrest of four Iranian news agency journalists in Iraq Reporters Without Borders said today it was extremely concerned about the arrest of Mostafa Darban, head of the Baghdad bureau of the Iranian news agency IRNA, and three of his journalists by Iraqi police late on 9 August. All four are being held at the interior ministry. - 8/12/04 Oil Minister rejects Iran link to Statoil bribery scandal Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh on Wednesday said no proof had been found in investigations into the bribery scandal of Norway's Statoil to indicate that any Iranian official was involved in the case. - 8/12/04 Political chameleon returns to clear name over counterfeiting charge Ahmad Chalabi was at an economic conference in Iran when the warrant was issued. Salem Chalabi was in London. The two men said they would return to Iraq to fight the charges but wanted guarantees of their security. -Guardian - 8/12/04 Film could give 'Terminal' man new life He has no address but his mail arrives just the same. The pharmacy takes his phone calls and the cluster of fast food restaurants assures a steady flow of food, handouts included. -CNN - 8/12/04 US moves to crush Shia uprising American-led forces have surrounded the centre of the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, in an effort to defeat a week-long uprising by Shia militiamen. -BBC - 8/12/04 Iran defiant on nuclear research Iranian President Mohammad Khatami says his country does not need permission to pursue a civilian nuclear programme, and will not stop doing so. -BBC - 8/12/04 Official urges Iran to face globalization Iran's Permanent Ambassador to UNESCO Ahmad Jalali, speaking at the fifth gathering of country's cultural attaches in Tehran Thursday, said that with the current trend toward globalization, Iran should get prepared to face it. - 8/12/04 Religious Freedom Religions are belief systems which were started by thinkers, prophets, or sometimes, unfortunately, manipulators who were looking for people to follow them or their belief system. Surprisingly, many people have followed not only their believable but also their unbelievable messages. -Mohammad Ala - 8/12/04 New ploy by Iranian Government to deprive Baha'is of higher education In yet another clear violation of the human rights of the Baha'is of Iran, nearly 1,000 Baha'i university-age students in Iran have been told they must accept identification as Muslims in order to enter university this year, the Baha'i International Community has learned. - 8/12/04 IRAN: UNHCR continues to assist Afghan refugees The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will continue to assist Afghan refugees inside Iran, despite claims by the Iranian government earlier this week that it had cut assistance to its refugee programmes. -IRIN - 8/12/04 Iranian news agency urges speedy release of abducted staff in Iraq Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Abdollah Nasseri Taheri in Tehran on Thursday called for immediate release of abducted IRNA correspondent in Baghdad and his colleagues. - 8/12/04 Israel puts Iran in its sights Israel's defence establishment is looking east with concern. In public, most Israeli politicians choose to speak delicately about Iran and nuclear weapons, taking care to avoid talking directly of Israel's own never-discussed nuclear capabilities. -BBC - 8/12/04 Iran Unanimously Voted to Coordinate Nowrouz World Heritage Listing At the end of a meeting held in Tehran in order to submit Nowrouz dossier to UNESCO for possible inscription of the New Year celebration as a world intangible heritage, delegates unanimously chose Iran as the main applicant and coordinator. - 8/11/04 Iran wins Najaf weapons apology Iran says Iraq has expressed regret over comments from one of its ministers accusing Tehran of arming Shia militia groups in the holy city of Najaf. -BBC - 8/11/04 Iran Khodro's earnings reaches 600 million dollars Iran Khodro earned 600 million dollars last year year, Iran Khodro Industrial Group Managing Director Manouchehr Manteqi said on Tuesday. - 8/11/04 Massive Locust Swarms Could Spread East From Africa Into Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan Vast swarms of locusts are spreading across North Africa's Sahel region, and experts fear the voracious insects could head east and north across the Arabian Peninsula into Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, almost to Central Asia. -REF - 8/11/04 AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR shelter programme helping more than 100,000 The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is moving forward with its shelter programme to provide 20,500 housing units for Afghan returnees this year. -IRIN - 8/11/04 US troops 'poised to storm Najaf' US and Iraqi forces are preparing for a major assault against Shia Muslim fighters in the holy city of Najaf, the US military has said. -BBC - 8/11/04 Women's Week celebrated by Iranian first lady Iran's First Lady (President Mohammad Khatami's wife) Zohreh Sadeqi said in Thran on Tuesday that the designation of certain days for women both in internal and international scopes has provided the opportunity to further speed up materialization of women's rights. - 8/11/04 Iranian University to Start Teaching Kurdish In a groundbreaking attempt, Kurdish would be taught at Kurdistan University, west of Iran, for the very first time come the new academic year -CHN - 8/11/04 Iranian Archeologists to Explore Buried City of Parse In a bid to scrutinize the 2,500-year-old city of Parse, the Achaemenids’ capital, Iranian archeologists are going to conduct geophysical surveys on a 400-hectare patch of the historical site -CHN - 8/11/04 IAEA edges towards resolving Iran's nuclear dispute, says Jane`s Defense Weekly "It now appears that most of the remaining contentious issues will be resolved before an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in September, barring any major new discoveries," it suggested. - 8/11/04 Iran test-fires latest version of Shahab-3 missile Iran`s Defense Ministry announced in Tehran on Wednesday that it has test-fired the latest version of `Shahab-3` missile. - 8/11/04 Iranians consider future of reform It was only seven years ago that 70% of Iran's voters turned out to bring the pro-reform president Mohammad Khatami to power. But since then, support for the reform parties has waned and the last time Iran's voters were invited to go to the polls, about half - mostly reformists - stayed at home -BBC - 8/11/04 Recovery brings social change to Bam The dust has settled in the southern Iranian town of Bam - seven months after the earthquake which killed at least 22,000 people and destroyed some 90% of the historic town. Now the relief effort is over and the master plan, which will map out everything from the width of Bam's roads, to the size of its houses, is being finalised. -BBC - 8/10/04 Diplomacy sidelined as US targets Iran The US charge sheet against Iran is lengthening almost by the day, presaging destabilising confrontations this autumn and maybe a pre-election October surprise. -Guardian - 8/10/04 Parliament regards peaceful nuclear use as Iran's right: Speaker Iran's Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel said on Tuesday that Majlis believes peaceful use of nuclear energy is the right of Iranian nation, saying Majlis defends national interest. - 8/10/04 Iran-Iraq Trade Exchanges To Reach 3-4 Billion Dollars The Iran-Iraq volume of trade exchanges is expected to reach 3-4 billion dollars annually because of the high economic potentials of the two countries, the director-general of the Iranian Export Development Bank said on Tuesday. - 8/10/04 Iranian Archeologists Still Trying to Identify Giant Animal Fossils After discovering remains of a giant animal in Maraghe, northwest of Iran, experts at Tabriz University have started unearthing its bones, though they yet have no idea what kind of animal it used to be -CHN - 8/10/04 From Tehran's bunkers to the 2004 Eureka Prize As a young boy growing up in war-torn Iran, Peter Abolfathi had one dream: to become an inventor. So after moving, with his family, to Australia aged 12, he pushed himself to studying biomedical engineering, a skill he could use to help the sick. -Age, Australia - 8/10/04 Iran, Britain to Publish Bilingual Iranology Encyclopedia group of Iranologists are writing a new encyclopedia, both in Persian and English, and intend to publish it simultaneously in Iran and Britain -CHN - 8/10/04 Politics on Collision Course At Shuttered Iranian Airport Exactly halfway between the vibrant metropolis of Tehran and the cloistered holy city of Qom, the new Imam Khomeini International Airport appears a fitting marker for the ambivalence the nation shows a world steadily knitting itself together beyond Iran's borders. -Washington Post - 8/10/04 Iraqi Militants Charge Kidnapped Iranian “Diplomat” of Fomenting Sectarian Strife Iraqi abductors of an Iranian official said their captive was an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards who was responsible for a plot to foment sectarian strife in Iraq. -Radio Farda - 8/10/04 Weighing a strike on Iran The Iranian threat to Israel, and to Middle Eastern stability, is serious and growing. Ten months of intensive diplomacy by Britain, France and Germany has failed to defuse the crisis. -Washington Times - 8/10/04 US calls for evacuation of Najaf US troops are asking civilians to leave parts of Najaf, raising fears of a new assault on the holy Iraqi city. -BBC - 8/10/04 Can tolerant Canada tolerate sharia? Muslims here, supported by a 1991 provincial law, have been using sharia to mediate legal disputes, such as divorce and child custody. But in the spring, after a Muslim group proposed creating a formalized tribunal, what had been going on quietly for more than a decade became front-page fodder and led to a government review of the law. -CSM - 8/10/04 Kerry's big idea? There isn't one Desperation shouldn't blind us to the faults of Bush's challenger -Guardian - 8/10/04 Conservative Journalist Links Kidnapping of Diplomat To Plot Reviving Iran-Iraq Hostility A Tehran-based conservative journalist and filmmaker, who has made several trips to Iraq in recent months tells Radio Farda that the kidnapping last Wednesday of an Iranian official in Iraq was part of a plot by some Iraqis to return to Iran-Iraq hostility, in order to limit the Islamic government’s influence in Iraq. -Radio Farda - 8/10/04 Interior Minister says Iraqi anti-Iran statement to appease US Minister of the Interior Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari said on Tuesday that anti-Iran statements of certain Iraqi officials indicated the extent to which they are inexperienced. - 8/10/04 Iranians told to avoid making pilgrimages to Iraqi holy sites Iraqi holy cities are not safe now because of renewed clashes in in these cities, said the governor of the border city Mehran, Sadeq Lotfi. - 8/10/04 Quake hits Iran's southeastern town of Nikshahr An earthquake measuring 4.5 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale hit the town of Nikshahr in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan on Tuesday. - 8/10/04 Pakistan Limits Cooperation with IAEA on Iran Pakistan foreign minister said Pakistan will not allow UN to inspect its nuclear facilities as part of its probe on Iran’s nuclear program. - 8/10/04 Iranian Judiciary Shuts Another Reformist Newspaper Iran's hard-line judiciary has shut down another reformist newspaper, "Nasim-i Saba," run by a political ally of President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami. -AFP - 8/10/04 Iranian FM: Iraqi PM to visit Tehran Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Tuesday announced that Iraq's Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has been invited to pay an official visit to Iran - 8/10/04 Time Ticking Away for Submitting Nowrouz Dossier On the first day of Nowrouz coordination meeting in Tehran, each of the 10 delegates proposed ways to up the chance of registering this unique centuries-old New Year celebration on UNESCO’s Third Proclamation of Masterpieces. - 8/9/04 Iranian consul kidnapped in Iraq was a career diplomat Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said on Monday that Iranian consul kidnapped in Karbala, Iraq, Fereidoun Jahani, has been career diplomat and regular staff of the Foreign Ministry. - 8/9/04 Edited highlights of the Zarif interview Partial text of Financial Times interview with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian ambassador to the United Nations -- “America needs a new perspective for a dialogue to achieve results. Unless there is a change in US attitudes, conversations are not conducive to progress.” -Financial Times - 8/9/04 Temperature Fluctuation Makes Renovating Iranian National Museum Urgent Experts are expecting to receive enough funding for renovating Iranian National Museum in a week to start a project made urgent because of the temperature ups and downs in Iran -CHN - 8/9/04 Iran's Qeshm island enjoys high potential in ecotourism The official referred to the marvelous attractions such as living corals moving about in the calm waters of the Persian Gulf, rare sand coasts, Hora forest, historical villages and charming landscapes as some of the features of Qeshm island. - 8/9/04 Iranian companies' share in oil projects to hit 35 billion dollars The share of Iranian companies and contractors in implementation of domestic oil projects will increase from current 27.5 billion dollars to 35 billion dollars, the Persian-language daily 'Mardomsalari` said on Monday. - 8/9/04 Play of words or the language of facts: Take your pick! New York Times August 4, 2004 article, Iran's Nuclear Challenge, appears at first glance to be a very informative commentary on a highly volatile issue facing the American administration’s strategists: Iran’s nuclear ambitions. -Kam Zarrabi - 8/9/04 Iran to Call for Foreign Aid in Salvaging Pasargadae Gorge Iran intends to urge international experts to help prevent historical sites located in Balaghi Gorge near Pasargadae from sinking under water -CHN - 8/9/04 Tehran Summons Iraqi Envoy Over Reported Detentions of Iranians Iranian officials are upset over allegations by Iraq's interim government suggesting that four Iranians arrested in Iraq are spies. - 8/9/04 US Looking at Options on Iranian Nuclear Program The White House says it will continue to rely on international diplomatic pressure to deal with Iran's nuclear intentions. White House National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says diplomacy is still the first choice. - 8/9/04 Iranian journalists start hunger strike to protest closure of two papers Some 150 Iranian journalists, some wearing black armbands, on Saturday launched a 24-hour hunger strike to protest the closure of pro-reform newspapers in a press crackdown by the hard-line judiciary. -Daily Star - 8/9/04 IFJ Condemns “Dirty Politics” of Iranian Judiciary as Press Closures Follow Court Travesty The International Federation of Journalists today (August 3) condemned the Iranian authorities over a catalogue of closures of independent media outlets and accused court officials of “a travesty of justice” in the Zahra Kazemi case. - 8/9/04 Iran's population over 67 million in spring Iran's population exceeded 67 million in spring, showing a 1.47 percent increase compared to the figure in the previous year, Iran's Statistic Center said. - 8/8/04 Iraq kidnappers seize Iran consul An Iranian diplomat has been kidnapped in Iraq, the Iranian embassy in Baghdad has confirmed. -BBC - 8/8/04 Over 300 Species of Plants, Animals Recognized in Iran's Historical Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat As the second phase of research project in Chogha Zanbil ziggurat, southwest of Iran, comes to an end, archeologists have already recognized that the Elamite era featured the richest collection of plant and animal species in the historical site. - 8/8/04 Iran demands clarification from US on Guantanamo prisoner Iran has asked the United States for clarification on an Iranian who is reportedly held in US custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for helping the Taliban. - 8/8/04 Value of Iran's petrochemicals to hit 26 billion dollars The monetary value of Iran's petrochemical products will reach some 26 billion dollars within the next ten years, including dlrs 20 billion worth of saleable commodities. - 8/8/04 Iran wins Asian freestyle gold and Greco-Roman bronze Iran garnered six golds, one silver, and one bronze to win the Asian juniors' freestyle wrestling crown - 8/8/04 Iran still ranks first in world in terms of saffron production Iran is still the world's number one producer of saffron with an annual output of 185 tons. It annually exports 125 tons of saffron to 43 world countries. - 8/8/04 Deepening Anti-U.S. Rage Casts Doubt on Iraq Leaders' Ability to Restore Order After the past two days of fighting in southern and central Iraq, the difference between firebrand cleric Muqtada al Sadr and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi couldn't be any more clear: Al Sadr has an army, and Allawi does not. -Common Dreams - 8/8/04 Demining Iran's Historical Sites Halted over Security Dispute After the 8 year war Iraq imposed on Iran in 1980, many historical sites are yet to be demined, robbing experts of any opportunity to conduct studies there, Iranian archeologists lament - 8/8/04 Bam’s Architectural, Residential Layers to be Explored In a bid to incorporate archeological data in the renovation project of the Bam Citadel, ruined last December in a devastating quake which killed over 26,000 people south of Iran, the Grand Archeological Plan of Bam would be adopted in a month. - 8/8/04 Iran mulling to summon Iraqi diplomat Iran's Foreign Ministry said Sunday it was summoning Iraq's top diplomat to Tehran for explanation following accusations by officials of the Iraqi interim government against Iran. - 8/8/04 Iranian volleyball team takes first place in Dubai's Rashed Cup Iranian volleyball team Saturday returned home from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where it won Rashed Cup. - 8/7/04 President Khatami: Iran can by no means tolerate attack on Najaf Speaking to reporters at Mehrabad International Airport upon his arrival from Azerbaijan, he referred to US military attack on the holy city of Najaf in Iraq and said "I do not think that the occupiers will be able to solve their problems through aggressive means and this will only widen the gap between them and Iraqi nation." - 8/7/04 Iran wins West Asian youth basketball crown The championship helped Iran find its way into the Asian competitions in India. - 8/7/04 Some 200 Women Arrested In Iran An Iranian daily reports today that almost 200 women have been arrested in Iran for failing to abide by the country's Islamic dress code. -RFE - 8/7/04 Iranian President: Press freedom depends on national power structure President Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday that freedom of expression and journalists depends on the national power structure. He said in his message to a ceremony held at Vahdat Hall to mark 'Journalists Day` that modern life needs healthy media system and press freedom. - 8/7/04 Tangled Mirrors Azadeh Behkish is a student of photography from the Arts University of Tehran. In her recent collection, she is appearing in front of the camera, not by herself, nor directly, but through angled and tangled mirrors and along with her friends, or shall we say peers. -Tehran Avenue - 8/7/04 'Fahrenheit 9/11` to premiere in Iranian cinemas American filmmaker Michael Moore's widely popular documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11` will soon be screened on Iranian movie theaters, a head of the institute which runs the country's cinemas said in Tehran on Saturday. - 8/7/04 Iran, Egypt sign MoU on establishment of commercial council The English-language 'Iran Daily` quoted a member of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines as saying the decision was taken by the chambers of commerce of the two countries. - 8/7/04 Iranian refuses Guantanamo review An Iranian detained at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has refused to appear before a US military tribunal to review his case. -BBC - 8/7/04 US troops kill 300 in Najaf raid American forces said yesterday they had killed at least 300 militia fighters during a ferocious two-day battle in the holy city of Najaf, where US and Iraqi troops continued to fight gunmen loyal to the militant Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. -Guardian - 8/7/04 Olympics 2004: Muslim Women Athletes Move Ahead, But Don't Leave Faith Behind Women athletes were barred from the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896. Four years later, they were permitted to participate in the "ladylike" sports of tennis, golf, and croquet. But things have changed. Now there are thousands of female athletes competing in the Summer Games, in nearly every Olympic sport -- even wrestling, which is open to women for the first time this year. -REF - 8/7/04 Europe Mum Over Next Step on Iran The US says it's working with Europe on a "tough set of resolutions" demanding Iran's compliance on the nuclear issue, but it's not clear whether Europe will abandon its engagement with Iran to follow the US position. -Deutsche Welle - 8/7/04 Iranian President Visits Azerbaijan, Calls For Closer Ties Azerbaijan and Iran share a border but this has not been enough to foster close relations between the two. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is visiting Azerbaijan this week. It's the first official trip to the neighboring country by an Iranian leader in more than 10 years. -RFE - 8/7/04 Iranian karatekas grab five more world medals In women's team kata, Iran ranked third and the top and second titles went to Turkey and Ireland. In men's team kata, Iran stole the glittering gold while Turkey stood second and Japan bagged bronze. - 8/7/04 Iran Takes Third Place in Asian Soccer Cup Veteran skipper Ali Daei grabbed his double to help Iran take vengeance on minnow Bahrain with a 4-2 win in the third-place playoff of the 13th Asian Cup at Workers Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Friday. - 8/7/04 Iran's government cracking down on Internet freedom, RSF says The media watchdog body Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has voiced concern at the growing efforts of the Iranian authorities to censor online freedom of expression, including the preparation of a draft law that would create a legal framework to crack down on Internet usage. RSF has also called for the release of Mojtaba Lotfi, a cyber-dissident theology student. - 8/6/04 Iran: Human rights commitments not matched by reality The recent hunger strike in Tehran's Evin prison and the unabated wave of arrests and temporary detention of students, journalists and workers are some of the signs of a worsening human rights situation in Iran. These have renewed international concern over the situation in the Islamic Republic. -Amnesty International - 8/6/04 Iranian newspaper editor Iraj Jamshidi freed on bail Iraj Jamshidi, the editor in chief of the business daily Asia, was freed yesterday (August 2, 2004) by the 36th division of the Tehran revolutionary court after his family paid bail of 450 millions tomans (about 440,000 euros). He had been detained for nearly 13 months. -RSF - 8/6/04 US forces battle Iraqi militiamen US-led forces in Iraq have clashed with Shia militiamen in several cities, in a second day of fighting that has shattered a truce agreed in June. -BBC - 8/6/04 Musharraf profits under US pressure One British observer of Pakistani affairs, who declined to be named, said the president had a remarkable knack of "producing suspects out of a hat whenever he has reasons to do so". -Guardian - 8/6/04 Oil prices nudge $45 a barrel Oil prices today hit yet another 21-year high despite the stated willingness of Opec to boost production. -Guardian - 8/6/04 Pakistan Seeking to Rebuild Influence in Afghanistan But as General Masood explains, these economic interests bring Pakistan into conflict with another regional power: Iran. "There is a rivalry with Iran. There has always been, because both compete for influence in Afghanistan, and both are wanting to get energy pipelines through their country," he said. -VOA - 8/6/04 Iranian Family Turn Sassanid Inscription into Vase An Iranian family living in the southern city of Kazeroon has inadvertently turned a rare Sassanid column-like inscription into a pot to plant flowers -CHN - 8/6/04 New Book Attacks Neo-Cons From the Right Neo-conservatives -- their worldview, history, networks, strategic alliances, and their role in moving Washington to war in Iraq, as well as the dangerous consequences of their policy prescriptions -- are the subject of 'America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order' (Cambridge University Press), by far the best study of the neo-conservative movement and its relevance to Bush's ''war on terror'' in the flood of critical books that have poured forth in the aftermath of the Iraq War. -Common Dreams - 8/6/04 Iranian Experts to Check Jiroft Artifacts Hauled in London Iran plans to dispatch a team of experts to Briton to check the authenticity of some alleged Jiroft artifacts detected in London’s Heathrow airport as a Kuwaiti citizen was smuggling them -CHN - 8/6/04 Power centers favor limitations for Iranian media: Sohofi Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance for Press Affairs Mohammad Sohofi said on Thursday that power centers always favor limitations for the media. - 8/6/04 Iranian President: Security unattainable by force and threat Visiting Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Friday referred to peace, security and justice as the most basic need of the human community and said that neither 'peace` can be attained by suspicion and lack of confidence, nor security by force and threat, IRNA reported from Baku. - 8/6/04 Iranian Judiciary Padlocks Commerce Ministry's Expo Center in Support of Tehran Officials After Monday’s standoff between city workers and the employees of the Tehran international expos conventions center, the judiciary came to the city’s aid on Wednesday and padlocked the premises, which has been the site of major international trade fairs for the past 40 years. - 8/6/04 Iran's only female mayor Mehri Roustaie Gherailou, mayor of busy industrial city of Saveh, has work cut out to change her world. -MEO - 8/5/04 NIAC airs public service announcements urging Iranian Americans to vote As part of its Iranian-American Project Vote 2004, NIAC has produced a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that deal with the importance of participation in America's democracy starting with the upcoming elections! - 8/5/04 Lightning-stricken Iranian plane heads home following repairs in London The plane with 350 passengers on board was ready to fly from London to Tehran on Tuesday when it was struck by a strong lightning minutes before take-off causing serious damage to its generator. - 8/5/04 US abuse could be war crime Repeated abuses allegedly suffered by three British prisoners at the hands of US interrogators and guards in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba could amount to war crimes, the Red Cross said yesterday. -Guardian - 8/5/04 With War Losing Support, Rumsfeld Stages a Retreat The once-ubiquitous Defense chief is seldom seen in public. Is he busy or deemed a liability? -Los Angeles Times - 8/5/04 US helicopter downed over Najaf The incident occurred as US troops and Iraqi security forces fought fierce battles in Najaf with supporters of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr. -BBC - 8/5/04 Iran, Germany to bolster economic, trade ties German Ambassador to Tehran Baron Paul Maltzahn on Thursday held talks with director of Majlis Research Center Ahmad Tavakoli. - 8/5/04 Amazon warrior women in Eurasia History's first mention of a race of warrior women comes in Homer's ILIAD, an account of the Trojan War, probably written in the 8th to the 7th century B.C. Homer's Amazons, a race of fierce women who mated with vanquished male foes and kept only the female children they bore, were believed to occupy the area around the Black Sea. -PBS - 8/5/04 German, Iranian Archeologists to Excavate Ancient Industrial City A group of German and Iranian archeologists plan to start the third season of excavation in the 6,000-year-old city of Erisman to learn more about metalwork in pre-historic times. -CHN - 8/5/04 Iranian president arrives in Azerbaijan Iranian President Mohammad Khatami heading a high-ranking political and economic delegation to Baku was accorded warm welcome by his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev on Thursday afternoon. - 8/5/04 Tombs of Achaemenids unearthed in south Lebanon, more finds likely Archaeologists said in Beirut on Wednesday that they have unearthed 10 giant stone tombs belonging to the era of Achaemenid rule over Lebanon near the southern city of Saida. - 8/5/04 Saddam Wasn't a Satisfying Scapegoat, So Now it's Off to Iran Instead of feeling purified by the removal of Saddam, many people in Europe and the US feel polluted by the war and its aftermath. It has not increased our security, but made us more vulnerable to terrorist attack. But instead of learning from the mistakes of the past, it seems that Iran is about to become the new scapegoat in the war on terrorism. -Common Dreams - 8/5/04 Who calls the shots in Iran's foreign policy offensive? Since last month there has been a noticeable change in Iran’s approach to foreign policy, with indications of a more confrontational attitude. -Amir Ali Nourbakhsh, Tehran - 8/5/04 Iran: U.S. Vows Tough Stance On Tehran, But Will Europe Follow? In perhaps the strongest signal yet of Washington's emerging policy on Iran, Bush administration officials say Tehran must be "confronted" and "isolated" over its nuclear activities -- and not "engaged." -RFE - 8/4/04 Breaking the taboo She is the only Iranian woman who will participate in this Olympics. The other members of Iran's 39-member team are all men. -Rediff, India - 8/4/04 Saddam's crimes against Iran to be raised in next court hearing Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al-Bayati said on Tuesday that Saddam Hussein's crimes against the Iranian nation will be argued in the next court hearing. - 8/4/04 Iran sustains over $9B environmental damage in Persian Gulf war: daily Iran suffered over nine billion dollars in environmental damage caused by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the subsequent 1991 Persian Gulf War, reported a daily in Tehran on Wednesday quoting a local official. - 8/4/04 Pasargadae Metal Mines Discovered Metal mines, providing metal for the construction of Pasargadae, have been discovered by a team of Iranian archeologists. -CHN - 8/4/04 Iraq: In Kurdistan, Land Disputes Fuel Unrest In northern Iraq, the authorities’ failure to resolve property disputes between returning Kurds and Arab settlers threatens to undermine security in the region, Human Rights Watch said today in a new report. - 8/4/04 Tehran Stock Exchange clinches deals with Bahrain, Oman, Turkey bourses Also, "talks are underway with Germany to list Iranian companies in European stock markets" - 8/4/04 Unease builds with rise of Iran Before the US military marched to Baghdad to take out Saddam Hussein's regime, Iraqi and Iranian exiles warned the US government of an unintended consequence the coming war in Iraq could bring: the rise of Iran. -Boston Globe - 8/4/04 Iranian Nurses Postpone Their Protest Rally The nurses’ association postponed a protest rally planned for Wednesday after receiving assurances from the authorities that their demands for better pay and unified work rules would be met, an activist nurse tells Radio Farda. - 8/4/04 Ancient City Possibly Sleeping Under Behistun Plateau Such telltale signs aqueducts, a unique stone quarry and potentials of urbanizations have led Iranian archeologists to believe that an ancient city lies beneath the 3,500-hectare plateau of Behistun - 8/4/04 Iran, Iraq stress economic cooperation Senior officials of Iran and Iraq, at the end of a two-day conference on Iran-Iraq economic and trade opportunities, highlighted the need to negotiate and reach agreements on transit and free exchange as well as transportation between the two countries. - 8/4/04 Iran May Back Out of Nuclear Commitments, National Security Official Says An official of the supreme national security council said Iran may consider backing out of its nuclear commitments if the IAEA board next September issues another resolution condemning the Islamic Republic for lack of cooperation. - 8/4/04 Iran's soccer coach Ivankovic blames referee for semi loss to China Iran's Croat coach Branko Ivankovic slammed the Lebanese referee Talaat Najm after his side lost to host China on penalties in the 13th Asian Cup semifinal in Beijing Tuesday night. - 8/4/04 Taking tougher line on Internet, Iranian authorities try cyber-dissident and draft harsh bill Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today about increased efforts by the Iranian authorities to gag the Internet, including the trial of a theology student at the end of July for a message posted on a news website and a proposed law that would throttle online dissent. - 8/4/04 A champion of champions Larger than life, Hossein Rezazadeh ambles his single-file path through life with a modest title. For the past four years, he has been known as the world's strongest man. -Dave Stubbs, Montreal Gazette - 8/3/04 In Zahedan, every drop counts With a coy smile, Jan Bibibarahouie lifts the hem of her robe ever so slightly to reveal the bruising on her ankle, before bursting into laughter. “You see how they push and shove to get to the water,” she notes with a grin. “But it is my job to keep order”. -International Red Cross - 8/3/04 Iranian Experts to Explore Isfahan’s First Paleolithic Cave The cave, dating back 15,000 years ago, was discovered several months ago 30 km west of Isfahan and near the Zayanderood River. This is the very first Paleolithic cave uncovered in the area and archeologists have already unearthed stone tools and some bones there. - 8/3/04 Iran's Foreign Currency Deposits at 23 Billion Dollars The English-language 'Iran Daily` further said that the figure shows an increase of dlr 3.7 billion against the figure of the preceding year. - 8/3/04 Iran: Institute established to prevent sexual harassment against kids The founder of the institute, Dr Shahin Oliaie Zand, told IRNA Tuesday that the institute was established to undertake research and carry out education programs to prevent sexual harassment of children and juveniles. - 8/3/04 Can’t Bush and Blair See Iraq Is About to Explode? The war is a fraud. I’m not talking about the weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist. Nor the links between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda which didn’t exist. Nor all the other lies upon which we went to war. I’m talking about the new lies. -Robert Fisk, Common Dreams - 8/3/04 A Nation in Danger. Or a President in Peril? Howard Dean: "I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for President Bush, he plays this trump card, which is terrorism." -Common Dreams - 8/3/04 Azerbaijan: War-Mongering Or Warning? Over the past two weeks, one former and two current top Azerbaijani officials have again affirmed their collective rejection of international mediators' insistence that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved only on the basis of mutual concessions. -RFE - 8/3/04 Iran, Tajikistan sign MoUs on construction of 15 power plants Iran's Minister of Energy Habibollah Bitaraf said here Monday evening that Iran and Tajikistan signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on construction of 15 hydro-electric power plants in Tajikistan. - 8/3/04 Iranian strategist: US elections' results not to effect Iran-US relations Head of Middle East Strategic Studies Center (MESSC) Dr. Mahmoud Sari'olqalam said in Tehran on Monday, "The victory of the current Republican White House team, or the democrats, led by John H. Kerry, will leave no effect in the quality of Iran-US relations," - 8/3/04 Iran, Iraq economic ties rated lowest in recent century Head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Ali-Naqi Khamoushi on Tuesday said that due to interference of colonial powers in regional affairs, economic ties between Iran and Iraq are at the lowest possible level in the past century - 8/3/04 Iranian Scholar: Sassanid Kings Deliberately Ignored Achaemenids’ Glory Trying to unravel an age-old mystery, an Iranian scholar suggested Sassanid kings refrained from mentioning the glory days of earlier Achaemenid emperors, possibly because of political or religious reasons. - 8/3/04 Hurray For ‘Ambiguity’ We must realize that the accusations against Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons development programs are simply unsubstantiated allegations to be added to other allegations that would justify a so-called preemptive strike against Iran. Therefore, a total transparency by Iran would not only render the country virtually defenseless, there will remain plenty of other unsubstantiated allegations that shall continue to haunt Iran as a prime target by the US and Israel. -Kam Zarrabi - 8/2/04 A Village of Flowers, Clay and Tradition - Photo essay of Masouleh, Iran Masouleh is a 1,000-year-old, traditional village in the northern Iranian province of Gilan, along the Caspian Sea. - 8/2/04 In Memory of Professor Ali Massoumi Massoumi, Ali- March 26, 1933–July 28, 2004 died peacefully at the age of 71, surrounded by family at his home in Albany, California. His latest and last position was Quality Control Specialist, Environmental Restoration Program, ESD, LBNL/UC Berkeley. - 8/2/04 Iran's population growth rate falls to 1.5 percent: UNFP Iran's government has managed to decrease rate of population growth significantly to 1.5 percent at present, said Iran's Representative to UNFP Mohammad Abdol Ahad. - 8/2/04 Sex changes are gaining acceptance in Iran After decades of repression, Iran's Islamic government is recognizing people with sexual-identity disorders and allowing them to have sex-change operations and obtain new birth certificates. -IHT - 8/2/04 Iranian Workers Groups Warn Ministry against Takeover of the Workers' Fund Assets In a harshly worded letter, the association of Islamic workers councils warned the newly formed ministry of social security and national welfare to stay away from the buildings, bank accounts and other resources of the social security insurance fund. - 8/2/04 Bahrain mulling gas deal with Iran, Qatar: Report Bahrain plans to sign agreements with Iran and Qatar next year for the purchase of gas, a Bahraini press report said, citing a finance ministry official. - 8/2/04 More than half million refugees return to Afghanistan so far this year - UN The half million mark was passed this week, with more than 273,000 returning from Iran and over 230,000 from Pakistan, the two principal asylum countries, a UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson said. - 8/2/04 U.S. Threatens To Boycott Turkish Companies Cooperating With Iran U.S. Ankara Embassy Chargé D’affaires, Robert S. Deutsch, told the Turkish press that U.S., Turkey’s main trade partner, is against the transfer of Iran’s gas to Europe through Turkish route; rather, it supports Baku, Tbilisi, Ceyhan gas pipeline. -Tehran Times - 8/2/04 Iran's Non-Oil Export To Hit 2 Billion Dollars For First Four Months Of The Year Iran's non-oil export reached some 1.995 billion dollars in the first four months of current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2004), said the Persian-language daily 'Iran` on Monday. - 8/2/04 How to Help the Ayatollahs The enemies of the ayatollahs doubtless applauded loudly earlier this week when U.S. spokesmen ventured their latest pronouncement about the status of the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK), which has long claimed to be the "official opposition" to the current regime in Iran. -Antiwar.com - 8/2/04 Enthusiasts celebrate King Darius's steed A horse thought to be extinct for 1,000 years is alive and well and living in Rutland. Celebrated in the ancient world as a chariot horse for racing and in battle, and presented to kings and emperors as a valuable gift, the caspian horse was thought to have disappeared in antiquity. -Guardian - 8/2/04 Envoys Rebuff Europeans on Iran’s Nuclear Program The representatives from the Islamic Republic rebuffed French, British and German envoys in two-day closed-door talks held in Paris on Thursday and Friday. The talks produced “no substantial progress,” EU diplomats said on Sunday. - 8/2/04 Letter by Iranian Writers Association to Pen International in support of imprisoned writers It is three years since Dr Nasser Zarafshan, one of prominent members of Iranian Writers Association, winner of PEN International prize, and the lawyer representing families of murdered Iranian writers, dissidents and freedom-lover has been imprisoned. - 8/2/04 Iranian Three-Story Underground City Served as Haven Archeologists believe that a three-story underground city, recently unearthed in central Iran, used to function as a collective shelter for its residents in wake of relentless invasions - 8/2/04 A Political Story, of an Apolitical Fool The Tarot Cards, as an ancient account of the spiritual path of human beings on the Earth, start with the card called “Fool.” Although its meaning here can not be devoid of the usual meanings of fool; that is simpleton, stupid, idiot, but to me it is much closer to the meaning of “ignorant” that is the adjective used for man in Koran. -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 8/2/04 Iranian group shares culture in new home Hoping to introduce locals and tourists alike to Iranian culture, members of the House of Iran in Balboa Park hosted a party yesterday to celebrate their new home in the park's House of Pacific Relations International Cottages. -San Diego Union Tribune - 8/2/04 Iranian teachers protest continued detention of colleagues Iranian teachers representatives from different districts of Tehran on Sunday protested continued detention of two activists campaigning for teachers' welfare. - 8/1/04 Iran: Twice-Condemned Aghajari Released on Bail, Ordered to Remain Silent A Tehran court released leftist Islamic activist Hashem Aghajari after his supporters put up nearly $113,000 in bail. The court retried Aghajari, after the supreme court twice threw out a Hamedan court’s death verdict. Aghajari said he prefers to remain “silent” pending the appeal of this five-year jail sentence. - 8/1/04 Auto Accidents dramatically on rise in Iran over recent years Director of Auto Insurance Department at private Dana Insurance Co. Siavash Mohammed Gharibani told IRNA that about 80 percent of the accidents, resulting in death, are caused by human error in Iran. - 8/1/04 Iran denies uranium centrifuge is part of plan to build nuclear bomb American officials claim that Iran intends to enrich weapons-grade uranium, but Tehran insists it only wants to develop its ability to produce electricity. 'We have started building centrifuges,' said Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi in a press conference. -Guardian - 8/1/04 President Kerry? After the strongest speech he has ever given, the Democrat candidate is starting to convince America he can oust George Bush. -Guardian - 8/1/04 Bomb blasts rock Iraqi churches Bombs have gone off near four churches in the Iraqi capital and one in the northern city of Mosul, police say. -BBC - 8/1/04 Tehran's Cab Drivers Complain about Quality and Repair Costs of New Domesic Autos Nearly half of the old Paykan sedans used in Tehran as taxicabs have been replaced with newer Iran-built Sahand sedans – a car built with South Korean parts, but Tehran cabbies demand higher fairs, complaining that the new cars have higher maintenance costs due to their poor quality. - 8/1/04 Rafsanjani: Europe should support Iran's peaceful nuclear program The proper choice for Europe is to support Iran use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes but it seems that cooperation between Tehran and Europe has become sluggish under US pressure, said Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Tehran on Sunday. - 8/1/04 FM: Iran attaches importance to peaceful coexistence with Iraq The minister expressed his desire for establishment of a democratic government in the neighboring country and hoped to witness a free, stable and developed Iraq. - 8/1/04 Iran: Excavation Yields Part of Sassanid Mud-brick Bridge Iranian archeologists have managed to unearth part of an ancient mud-brick bridge in Shushtar, south of Iran - 8/1/04 Iran-Iraq transactions to hit $1bn this year -- official says Soltani told the Seminar of Opportunities of Economic Cooperation between Iran and Iraq that Iran-Iraq trade volume was dlrs 685 million last year, dlrs 589 million of the sum related to Iran's exports to Iraq and dlrs 96 million to Iraq's exports to Iran in the year. - 8/1/04 Production of Promotional Film about Nowrouz, the Iranian New Year Celebration, Delayed The production of a 10-minute promotional film on Iranians’ New Year celebration is put off because local authorities ignored the strict regulations set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) prior to any consideration for inscribing it on a prestigious list of intangible heritage. - 8/1/04 © Copyright 2009 NetNative (All Rights Reserved)