Iran knows location of U.S. missile shields in region: general
Iran is fully aware of the locations of the U.S. missile defense shields in the region, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani said on Tuesday. The missile shields have been based around Iran for some time now, Miqani told reporters. -MNA - 2/9/10
Will Obama Opt for War on Iran?
Two articles, one by anti-war conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan and the other by neoconservative Daniel Pipes, deal with the issue of Obama moving toward war on Iran for political reasons. -Stephen Sniegoski - 2/9/10
Iraq election triggers US-Iran power struggle
Preparations for the Iraqi parliamentary elections have been thrown into chaos by a row over whether or not to uphold a ban on hundreds of candidates, because of alleged links to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party. -BBC - 2/6/10
Saudi operator Arabsat takes Iran's Al-Alam network off air
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Saudi-run satellite operator Arabsat to return to air the Iranian-owned Arabic-language satellite channel Al-Alam, which stopped broadcasting January 27 without prior notice, according to international news reports. - 2/4/10
They're Wearing Green in Dubai
Dubai may be possibly the closest thing to being in Iran itself. In five days here I've met with nearly three dozen Iranians from different walks of life to try to get a better impression of what's happening inside the country. -FP - 2/3/10
Qatar Crown Prince Meets Ahmadinejad
Qatar's relations with Iran are strategic, brotherly and strong, said Qatar's Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday in Tehran. The two countries are expected to sign a number energy, military, and economic agreements during the Qatari official's trip. -MNA - 2/3/10
US Reportedly Beefing Up Defenses in Persian Gulf
U.S. media reports say the United States is speeding up the deployment of anti-missile defenses in four Persian Gulf nations as it continues to confront Iran over its nuclear program. The reports say the United States is also beefing up its naval presence in the region with special ships with the ability to shoot down missiles.-VOA - 2/1/10
Iran expresses regret over Afghanistan confab in London
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Sunday, the outcome of London's conference statement violates countries independence and national sovereignty. -ISNA - 1/31/10
Karzai Appeals To Taliban To Lay Down Arms
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he would try his best to reach out to the Taliban leadership under a new peace plan aimed at luring militants away from violence. -RFE - 1/31/10
Afghanistan Aid Strategy Must Change Say Aid Groups
International aid agencies are calling for restructuring the international community's strategy for development in Afghanistan. They want the focus to be on long-term poverty alleviation rather than political and military incentives. -VOA - 1/28/10
Yemen Rebels Demand Truce with Saudi Arabia
The leader of a northern Yemen insurgency that has spilled into neighboring Saudi Arabia offered a truce on Monday, saying his forces will withdraw from Saudi territory. But the rebel chief added that if Saudi Arabia does not agree to abandon the war, the Houthi rebels will open new battlefronts. -VOA - 1/27/10
It has been said that history repeats itself: I hope mythology does not
Myths and legends that have withstood the test of time did not sprout out of barren grounds overnight. Some have roots in mankind's fears and hopes, some in misinterpreted observations and some are created out of longing to fulfill unrequited desires. -Kam Zarrabi - 1/25/10
The Shopping Cure
Vali Nasr, in his outstanding new book "Forces of Fortune," shows that Qutb was at least half wrong. Globalization, free trade and market economics aren't a threat to Islam per se. What they are a threat to is the totalitarian vision of Islam that Qutb's followers hope to impose. -NY Times - 1/25/10
Former Canadian Ambassador to Tehran Admits To Spying For CIA
Canada's former ambassador to Tehran has admitted to spying for the United States and serving as the "de facto CIA station chief" after the U.S. Embassy seizure in 1979. The former diplomat, Ken Taylor, approved the disclosure in a book published this week and confirmed its details for a story in "The Globe and Mail." -RFE - 1/24/10
US General Says Yemen Could Become Iran-Saudi Proxy War
The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, General David Petraeus, says there are indications the domestic conflict in Yemen could become a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Petraeus spoke in Washington Friday at the Institute for the Study of War. -VOA - 1/23/10
Iran sets condition for attending Afghan confab in London
Iran said Thursday it would take part in a conference on Afghanistan in London providing its viewpoints are fully taken into consideration. -Press TV - 1/23/10
EXCERPT: ‘Forces of Fortune'
It all happened quickly. The Muslim world changed dramatically in the short thirty-two months that separated the Ayatollah Khomeini's return to Iran on February 1, 1979, and the assassination of Anwar Sadat in Cairo on October 6, 1981. -Vali Nasr - 1/23/10
Iran's political winds are shifting
The opposition movement is gaining strength, and signs are emerging that the government could collapse. -Iason Athanasiadis, LA Times - 1/17/10
Iran Stripped of Right to Host Islamic Solidarity Games
Iran has lost its right to hold the 2nd Islamic Solidarity Games scheduled for April. Islamic Solidarity Games Federation (ISSF) located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, asked the Iranians to remove the words "Persian Gulf" from the medals and brochures but they declined. -MNA - 1/17/10
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran Promise More Coordination
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran say their three countries will increase cooperation on regional issues in the coming months. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki signed a joint declaration Saturday after meeting in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. -VOA - 1/17/10
Israeli general Brigadier-General Uzi Eilam denies Iran is nuclear threat
A general who was once in charge of Israel's nuclear weapons has claimed that Iran is a "very, very, very long way from building a nuclear capability". -TIMES Online - 1/12/10
Middle East: Atomic agitation
Just over a month ago, a group of veteran US and Israeli diplomats met at Harvard to play out scenarios for one of the most momentous issues facing the world this year – Iran's nuclear programme. -Financial Times - 1/9/10
Another invite lost in the mail
Subject: You Are Invited to an Iran Conference in Washington, DC --- my main point is to be clear about who is pushing for war with Iran and who isn't. The Israel Project and other like-minded groups want the U.S. to confront Iran, and the main reason they want this is to protect Israel from what they believe (mistakenly, in my view) is a dire threat. -Stephen M. Walt, FP - 1/9/10
Iran Shielding Its Nuclear Efforts in Maze of Tunnels
Last September, when Iran's uranium enrichment plant buried inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was revealed, the episode cast light on a wider pattern: Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part of its atomic complex in networks of tunnels and bunkers across the country. -New York Times - 1/6/10
Clinton says US to continue dual-track approach of engagement and pressure with Iran
"Iran is going through a very turbulent period in its history. There are many troubling signs of the actions that they are taking. And we want to reiterate that we stand with those Iranians who are peacefully demonstrating. We mourn the loss of innocent life. We condemn the detention and imprisonment, the torture and abuse of people, which seems to be accelerating." - 1/5/10
Ahmadinejad Visist Tajikistan
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was welcomed by his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon Monday morning at Tajikistan's presidential office. -ISNA - 1/4/10
Afghan Parliamentary Elections Plan Raises Concerns
Afghanistan's election commission has announced that the country's parliamentary elections will be held in May this year. But with the country still stinging from a presidential contest in August that revealed significant shortfalls in its electoral processes, the government will face many of the same obstacles: violence, low turnout, voter fraud, and lack of security in rural areas. -RFE - 1/3/10
Iran, Iraq don't allow foreign interference in bilateral ties: Envoy
Iran's ambassador to Iraq emphasized that the two countries policy over joint borders is based on good-neighborliness, mutual confidence and commitment to border agreements and they don't allow foreign intervention in bilateral ties. -ISNA - 1/2/10
Revealed: Iran's involvement in Britons' Baghdad kidnapping
The five British men kidnapped in Iraq were taken in an operation led and masterminded by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, according to evidence uncovered during an extensive investigation by the Guardian. - 12/31/09
Iraqi and Iranian forces in oil well standoff
Iraqi and Iranian forces are dug in on either side of a disputed inactive oil well in the sensitive border area, with Iraqis vowing to fight if necessary to fend off another occupation of the well by Iranian soldiers. -Reuters - 12/26/09
Iran Confirms Bin Laden's Daughter Is At Saudi Embassy
Iran has confirmed that a daughter of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has recently turned up at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran seeking permission to leave the country. "We do not know how the individual they referred to as Bin Laden's daughter entered the Saudi Embassy and Iran in the first place," Iran's Foreign Minister said. -RFE - 12/25/09
Bin Laden's Family Under House Arrest in Iran
Bin Laden's son reiterated his thanks to the Iranian Government for what it has provided for his brothers and sisters "but now and after eight and a half year, the changes in the situations, and since there are several places where they wish to move so as to be with their families and mothers, we want to reunite the family and need to rally together the efforts by several parties so as to fulfill this dream." -Asharq Al-Awsat - 12/23/09
Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani Meets Mubarak in Cairo
After the talks, Larijani told reporters that the meeting was positive and constructive. Also before entering the talks he had told reporters in Egypt, "there is a good ground that aids perusing Iran and Egypt ties and attempts to support the ties." -ISNA - 12/21/09
Iran, Iraq FMs discuss oil well misunderstanding
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari have stressed the importance of establishing an arbitration commission to settle the dispute over the ownership of an oil well located on their shared border. -MNA - 12/20/09
Iraq Says Iranian Troops Withdrawn from Oil Well, Still in Iraq
Iraqi officials say Iranian troops have withdrawn from a disputed oil well on their border, but remain on Iraqi territory. -VOA - 12/20/09
Iran rejects reports of oil well seizure in Iraq
Iran rejects reports that its forces have taken over an oil well within Iraqi borders, while a Baghdad official admits the site is in a disputed border area. Iran's Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi-Qomi has also described the reports as a futile campaign to harm Tehran-Baghdad ties. -Press TV - 12/19/09
Kristol Clear: The Source of America's Wars
Americans feeling let down by Barack Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan should take careful note of those who welcomed yet another "surge." It might help them to identify the source of their seemingly endless wars. -Maidhc O Cathail - 12/19/09
US Signs Nuclear Deal with UAE
The United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a landmark agreement on peaceful nuclear cooperation. The new deal, which was finalized Thursday, allows the United Arab Emirates to receive sensitive information and materials from the United States to help create the Arab world's first civilian nuclear power industry. -VOA - 12/18/09
Iraq Says Iranians Cross Into Disputed Oil Field
Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory today and took up positions at a southern oil field whose ownership is disputed by Iran, a senior Iraqi official said. -Reuters - 12/18/09
Weak Judiciary Pushes Some Afghans To Taliban
When Kabul's mayor was sentenced to four years in prison on corruption charges this week, officials were quick to paint the sentencing as evidence of the "serious steps" being taken to eliminate graft and bribery in Afghanistan. -RFE - 12/14/09
U.S. says Iran not behind conflict in Yemen
"Many of our friends and partners have talked to us about the possibility of outside support to the Houthis," U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told a regional security conference in Manama late Friday. -MNA - 12/13/09
Iraq seeks stronger Iran presence in energy sector
Iraqi Electricity Minister Kareem Waheed called for Iranian private sector to participate more actively in Iraq's energy projects. - 12/12/09
Fears of Eurabia: How Much Allah Can the Old Continent Bear?
Switzerland's recent vote to ban the construction of new minarets has shocked and angered Muslims around the world. But the controversial move also reflects a growing sense of unease among other Europeans who have trouble coming to terms with Islam's increased visibility. -Spiegel, Germany - 12/12/09
Russia to Help India Build 4 Nuclear Reactors
Indian PM Manmohan Singh says Russia will help his country build 4 new nuclear power plants. Mr. Singh made the announcement after meetings in Moscow with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. - 12/8/09
US National Security Adviser: 'Clock is Ticking' on Iran
The U.S. national security adviser says Washington is still open to nuclear negotiations with Iran, but the picture is not a "good one." Jim Jones said Sunday the "clock is ticking" toward the end of the year, when President Barack Obama plans to review U.S. diplomatic efforts with Iran. - 12/7/09
New Book Says Middle Class Values Have Power to Transform Muslim World
The author of a new book believes capitalism and middle class values can transform the Muslim World economically, culturally and politically. Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American, is a professor of international politics at Tufts University. His views on the Muslim world are based on observations during visits to Muslim countries. - 12/5/09
Israel's Patience with Tehran Wearing Thin
Iran's leaders continue to reject compromises over their nuclear program and are rebuffing the IAEA. The West is likely to respond with tighter sanctions, but that is unlikely to satisfy Israel, which has attack plans already drawn up. -Spiegel, Germany - 12/4/09
New U.S. Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy Aims To Take Fight To Al-Qaeda
Obama dedicated parts of his speech to Washington's relationship with Islamabad, saying, "our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan." But while highlighting the threats posed to Pakistan by extremists, his speech was mute on the specifics of how the strategy would affect Pakistan, where he said Al-Qaeda's leadership had established a safe haven. - 12/4/09
Captured British Sailors Tell Their Stories About Time in Iranian Detention
Five British yachtsmen who were detained by Iranian authorities for nearly a week after their boat drifted into the country's waters say their situation was dealt with in a professional manner. - 12/3/09
Iran: Time to Leave the NPT?
Article IV of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) acknowledges the "inalienable right" of non-nuclear weapons states (NNWS) to research, develop, and use nuclear energy for non-weapons purposes. -Nader Bagherzadeh and Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich - 12/3/09
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