IRAN:

Iran closes border with northern Iraq

09/24/2007 | 10:22 PM
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq

Iran closed major border crossings with northeastern Iraq on Monday to protest the US detention of an Iranian official the military accused of weapons smuggling, a Kurdish official said.

At least four border gates were closed starting Sunday night and one remained open Monday, Sulaimaniyah Gov. Dana Ahmed Majeed told The Associated Press.

The move threatens the economy of Iraq's northern region ? one of the country's few success stories ? and also appears aimed at driving a wedge between Iraq and the Americans at a time of friction over a deadly shooting in Baghdad involving the security firm Blackwater USA.

In Tehran, the public relations department at the Interior Ministry said no decision had been made to shut the border.

However, the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that five border points had been closed to protest the detention of the Iranian, who has been identified as Mahmudi Farhadi. He was arrested four days ago during a raid on a hotel in Sulaimaniyah, 160 miles northeast of Baghdad.

The closure will continue until Farhadi's unconditional release, the Mehr agency quoted Ismail Najjar, general governor of Iranian Kurdistan province, as saying. <http://www.gmanews.tv/story/61806/Iran-closes-border-with-northern-Iraq>

Women's bill 'unites' Iran and US

By Kambiz Fattahi
BBC News, Washington

For more than 27 years, America and Iran have rarely seen eye-to-eye on anything.

So, how is it that these archrivals have a similar position, albeit for very different reasons, on a key women's rights convention?

Iran and the US are two of only eight countries that have not joined the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw).

Supporters call Cedaw an international "bill of rights" for women.

"This treaty deals with the most basic rights for women and girls, including access to basic medical care, legal redress against violence, and access to education," says Sarah Albert, co-chair of the Working Group for Ratification of Cedaw.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is meeting until 10 August at UN headquarters in New York to review reports on the situation of women in 15 of the 185 countries that are party to the convention.  <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6922749.stm>

France warning of war with Iran

"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," Mr Kouchner said in an interview on French TV and radio.

He was speaking ahead of a visit to Russia on Monday, during which Iran is likely to feature prominently.

Iran's nuclear programme will also be one of the main issues for the UN nuclear watchdog's annual conference, starting in Vienna on Monday.

Iran denies it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and says it only wants nuclear power to generate electricity for civilian purposes.

But it has repeatedly rejected UN demands to give up the enrichment of uranium, which the US and other Western states fear is being diverted to a nuclear weapons project. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6997935.stm>

Putin's visit to Iran 'unclear'

Russian President Vladimir Putin. File photo

Vladimir Putin is due to arrive in Iran on Monday evening

It is "unclear" whether Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned visit to Iran on Monday will go ahead, his spokesman has said.

"I can't confirm or deny that this visit will happen," Dmitry Peskov told the BBC, without elaborating.

Earlier, the Interfax news agency cited unnamed Russian security service sources as saying suicide bombers were plotting to kill Mr Putin in Tehran.

Iran's foreign ministry dismissed the reports as "completely baseless". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7044611.stm>

Iran backing terror, says Blair

Tony Blair at the 62nd annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York

Mr Blair warned against being 'forced into retreat'

UK ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair has accused Iran of backing terrorism and warned the world faces a situation akin to "rising fascism in the 1920s".

Mr Blair told a charity event in New York that Iran was prepared to destabilise peaceful countries.

In his first major speech since leaving office, Mr Blair again defended the decision to go to war in Iraq.

He urged continued vigilance by the United States, Britain and their allies in combating the threat of extremism.

Mr Blair - now an envoy for the Middle East Quartet - warned against being "forced into retreat" as the world faced a situation similar to "rising fascism in the 1920s". <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7052080.stm>

1979: Militants storm US embassy in Tehran

Militant Islamic students in Iran have stormed the US embassy in the Iranian capital,Tehran, and taken more than 90 people hostage.

The students have demanded that the Shah of Iran, who fled the country in January, be extradited from the US, where he is currently receiving medical treatment for cancer, to stand trial in Iran. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_3910000/3910627.stm>

Iran 'must free' woman activist

Seven human rights groups including Amnesty International have urged Iran to set aside a prison sentence for women's rights activist Delaram Ali.

She has been ordered to begin her sentence of two-and-a-half years in prison and a flogging on Saturday.

Ms Ali, 24, joined a protest last year calling for greater legal rights for Iranian women.

Dozens of journalists and activists have been detained or jailed recently, accused of acting against the state.

Police broke up the demonstration Ms Ali was part of last year which called for greater rights for women in Iran's Islamic legal system.

Ms Ali says the security forces broke her left hand when they beat up the demonstrators. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7088310.stm>

Iran faces up to tighter sanctions

By Jon Leyne
BBC News, Tehran

Iranian woman shopping at Tehran's main bazaar in Iran (25/10/2007)

Economic sanctions could have an impact on domestic prices

Iran is bracing itself for a new round of sanctions after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for more restrictions on trade.

Mr Brown called for a ban on investment in the oil and gas industries if Iran does not agree to end the production of enriched uranium, which the West fears could be used to make a nuclear bomb.

The issue will return to the UN Security Council this month.

The official response from the Iranian government is one of defiance. Officials speak of a campaign of "psychological warfare" against Iran, and point out that the country has been the subject of sanctions since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

It is certainly the case that the new UN sanctions have been hard to agree, despite pressure from Washington. But Gordon Brown's call could damage the Iranian economy regardless. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7095085.stm>

Iran calls for US nuclear apology

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the US and its allies should apologise for their treatment of Iran over its nuclear programme.

Mr Ahmadinejad said the latest report by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) showed Iran had been truthful about its nuclear activities.

The IAEA found Iran had clarified some of its nuclear history but questions remained over present activities.

The US has vowed to push for further UN sanctions in the light of the report.

The IAEA report praised Tehran for making progress in responding to questions about past activities but warned that the agency's knowledge about Tehran's current nuclear programme was diminishing.

It said that Iran was continuing to enrich uranium in defiance of demands by the UN Security Council.

"Selective co-operation" was "not good enough", the White House said after the report's release on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a meeting scheduled for next week to discuss further sanctions against Iran has been cancelled because China has pulled out, diplomats say. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7098751.stm>

Iran leader dismisses US currency

US dollars

The value of the US dollar has fallen steadily in recent times

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has suggested an end to the trading of oil in US dollars, calling the currency "a worthless piece of paper".

The call came at the end of a rare Opec summit, and was opposed by US ally Saudi Arabia.

The Iranian president had wanted to include the attack on the dollar in the summit's closing statement.

The communique made little mention of the dollar, however, focusing instead on energy security and the environment.

The summit in Saudi Arabia was only Opec's third in 47 years.

During the talks, Opec members revealed differences about the future direction of the exporters' group.

But Opec leaders ended with a pledge to provide the world with reliable supplies of oil. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7101050.stm>

Iran eyes nuclear options abroad

Bushehr nuclear reactor

Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to discuss with Arab nations a plan to enrich uranium outside the region in a neutral country such as Switzerland.

He made the announcement in an interview for Dow Jones Newswires in Saudi Arabia where he is attending a petroleum exporters' summit.

Gulf Arab states recently proposed setting up a consortium to provide nuclear fuel to Iran and others.

The scheme could allay fears Iran is enriching uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Iran has insisted that its right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme is not up for negotiation. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7100793.stm>

US-Iran 'nuclear game' goes on

By Jon Leyne BBC News, Tehran

Questions remain about whether Iran needs nuclear power at all

Iran's first reaction to the best news it had heard for a long time was - silence.

For more than 12 hours, state media did not even mention the new US intelligence assessment that said Iran no longer had an active nuclear weapons programme.
It was almost as if it was too good to be true. The authorities simply could not believe their ears.
Now they have regained their balance, the mood in Tehran is little short of triumphalist.
The foreign ministry says the new assessment shows that everything US President George W Bush says on the nuclear issue is "unreliable and fictitious".
Iranian TV has been covering the report full time, with lengthy discussions all devoted to the theme of "we told you so".

Enriched uranium concerns

But what has really changed?
To hear Mr Bush's recent remarks warning of the threat of "World War III", you would think Iran was putting the finishing touches to its first nuclear warhead. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7127404.stm>

Ahmadinejad invited to be pilgrim

It will be Mr Ahmadinejad's third visit to Saudi Arabia, seat of the Kaaba

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will this week become the first sitting president of the Islamic republic to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, his office said.

It follows a formal invitation from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, seat of the Islamic holy places and a long-time regional rival of revolutionary Iran.
It is not clear if he has performed the Hajj before, or if past presidents have been to Mecca after leaving office.
An official said the invitation was an important event in Saudi-Iranian ties.

"It is the first time in the history of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia that the king of this country invites a president of the Islamic republic to make the pilgrimage to Mecca," said presidential aide Ali Akbar Javanfekr.

Relations between revolutionary, Shia Iran and the conservative, Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia have been steadily improving since the first visit to Riyadh by an Iranian president in 1999.
Twelve years earlier, more than 400 people, mostly Iranians, were killed in clashes between Iranians and Saudi security forces during the Hajj.
Earlier this month Mr Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president to attend the annual summit of six Arab Gulf states - all strong US allies - in neighbouring Qatar.
Iran and Mr Ahmadinejad in particular are among Washington's most vocal critics in the region.

It will be his third visit to Saudi Arabia as president.

The pilgrimage rites, which last for five days and are performed by at least 1.5 million Muslims, are expected to begin on 18 December.
 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7141994.stm>

Russia, Iran 'agree nuclear deal'

Iran insists its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes

Russia and Iran have agreed a schedule for finishing building the Bushehr nuclear plant, reports from Russia say.

"Difficulties with the Iranian client are resolved and we have agreement on the timetable for construction," said the head of Russia's state contractor.

Work by Russian engineers on Iran's first big nuclear reactor has been dogged by delays.

Russia says Iran is behind on payments, but Iran believes Russia has dragged its feet for political reasons.
The US and its European allies on the UN Security Council have been pushing for tougher UN sanctions because of Tehran's refusal to end uranium enrichment.
However, correspondents say last week's US National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, which said the country had halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, has raised questions about the need for new measures. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7142117.stm>

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See Also:

• Irangate:
• Iran Air Airbus, shot down by the USS Vincennes
• Lockerbie: