iran
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Kashan holds seminar on birth anniversary of Sohrab SepehriA 5-day seminar a oeWe Nothing but Looka , organized to commemorate the 80th birthday of the late contemporary poet Sohrab Sepehri, is opening on Monday.
Source : topix.net | 06-Oct-2008 18:34
Tehran: Iran to start gas exports to Armenia by Oct. 13
Date : Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:37:20 -0700 Tehran Times, Iran News Code : TTime- 179295 Print Date : Monday, October 6, 2008 Iran to start gas exports to Armenia by Oct.
Source : topix.net | 06-Oct-2008 10:20
Israelis see delay in Iran-Russia missile deal
Iran has not received Russia's advanced S-300 anti-aircraft system yet though the countries are still discussing a purchase, Israeli defense sources said on Sunday, revising earlier statements that a deal was ...
Source : topix.net | 06-Oct-2008 04:09
Politics scuttles plan to put US diplomats in Iran
The Bush administration has shelved plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran, in part over fears it could affect the U.S. presidential race or be interpreted as political meddling, The Associated Press has learned.
The proposal to send U.S. diplomats to Tehran for the first time in three decades attracted great attention when it was floated over the summer, but has now been placed on indefinite hold as November's election nears and Iran continues to defy demands to halt suspect nuclear activities, officials told the AP.
Source : topix.net | 05-Oct-2008 19:55
Iran proposing its mediation in settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict is waiting for answer
"Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) hopes that Azerbaijan and Armenia will respond official Tehran's proposal on mediation in settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict", said Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Naser Hamidi Zare.
Touching upon the processes going on in the region, the diplomat emphasized that Iran, which is one of the important countries of the region, had keen interest in finding solution to the deadlock: "Therefore, official Tehran has offered the proposal of being mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Iran is ready to take any step for the establishment of normal relations between the all regional countries".Source : topix.net | 04-Oct-2008 11:45
Oil giants to attend Iran's Gas Export Conference
The world's biggest oil companies have applied to attend Iran's second Gas Export Conference.
Source : topix.net | 04-Oct-2008 05:20
Sadr repeats call for US troops to go home
BAGHDAD: Hard-line Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a fresh call on Friday for US troops to withdraw from Iraq, saying there would be no sectarian violence after foreign forces quit the country.
Source : topix.net | 04-Oct-2008 00:49
Russia is back, but its policies may prove doubly misguided
Almost undetected, Russia is regaining much of the influence that it lost in the Middle East after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Source : topix.net | 03-Oct-2008 16:42
Olmert: International Community, Not Israel, Must Deal With Iran
Iran's nuclear ambitions need to be dealt with by the international community and not by Israel alone, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in remarks published Monday.
Source : topix.net | 03-Oct-2008 08:28
Barack Obama: millions in very questionable campaign contributions
The Barack Obama campaign has raised millions of dollars in very questionable contributions .
Source : topix.net | 03-Oct-2008 03:48
The 'Southern Azerbaijan' problem
Azeris make up roughly 24 percent of Iran's population and Tehran is worried about just whose side they are on as rumors of US infiltration are taken seriously, complicating Azerbaijan's own foreign policy outlook.
In cities across northern Iran in mid-February, tens of thousands of ethnic Azeris marched in observance of International Mother Language Day, although the subtext was a protest against what they perceive to be the systematic, state-sponsored suppression of their heritage and language.
Hundreds were arrested in what became riots in cities such as Tabriz and Ardebil, the violence instigated by Iranian special forces and Revolutionary Guards, according to witnesses. Others have been held in various detention facilities since violent disturbances in May 2006, including Iran's notorious Evin prison, a favorite dumping ground for journalists and human rights activists.
Unreported by most of the world's media, as many as 100 demonstrators were killed during the 2006 demonstrations, and scores of injuries and an unknown number of fatalities occurred during this year's February demonstrations.
Source : topix.net | 02-Oct-2008 02:43
Iran's crime rate drops during month of Ramadan
Iran's overall crime rate and murder rate have declined during the holy month of Ramadan.
Source : topix.net | 02-Oct-2008 00:47
Iran Remains Unyielding, Gates Says
By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service Sept. 29, 2008 - Until Iran decides to change its approach to the world, the United States shouldn't reach out to the nation, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said ...
Source : topix.net | 01-Oct-2008 18:49
IRAN: IS THE UNITED STATES TRYING TO STIR UP DISCONTENT AMONG MINORITY GROUPS?
Azeris, who comprise the largest non-Persian population in Iran, are forbidden from giving their children traditional Azeri names or celebrating Azeri national heroes such as Babek and Javanshir, said Fakhteh Zamani, the director of the Canada-based Association for Defense of Azerbaijani Political Prisoners. She said that while there is state media broadcasting in the Azerbaijani language, it uses what she termed "Fazeri," a form of Azerbaijani that uses Farsi words. "This tactic has accelerated the cultural and linguistic assimilation of Azerbaijanis and, according to the masterminds behind this, will eventually make Azerbaijani less relevant and lose a status of a language, being relegated into a 'dialect' of Persian," she testified.
Source : topix.net | 30-Sep-2008 13:33
IRAN: CAN PUTIN LINK THE GEORGIAN AND IRANIAN CRISES?
Linkage is the time honored practice of getting another party's cooperation on an issue of importance to oneself by promising to help or threatening to hinder that other party on another issue of importance to it. Moscow is clearly trying to get American and European acquiescence (if not approval) for the gains it has made in Georgia by threatening to increase Russian cooperation with Iran if this is not forthcoming.
The Kremlin's diplomatic aims became clearer on September 23, when Russian officials announced that they would not participate in talks at the United Nations that were intended to explore new sanctions against Iran. Russian officials cited the "intensity" of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's schedule during the UN General Assembly as the main reason that Russia could not participate in a meeting about Iran.
For almost a month, Moscow has been dropping not-so-subtle hints that it wants a geopolitical deal in order to continue cooperation with Western states on the Iranian nuclear issue. In his interview with CNN broadcast on August 29, for example, Russian Prime Minister Putin said that if the West did not want Russia's cooperation on the Iranian nuclear (as well as other) issues, "God bless, do this work yourself."
Source : topix.net | 30-Sep-2008 13:28
Azerbaijan hails Iran's efforts for regional conflicts resolution
Resolution of some regional problems will become possible after the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is settled, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"Iran, aspired to develop relations with all countries in the region, wishes all regional conflicts were resolved peacefully. All we hail its efforts to that end," Araz Azimov said, the Azeri Press Agency reports.
Source : topix.net | 29-Sep-2008 21:42
Understanding Iran: The line between Judaism and Zionism
Home to the largest Jewish population in the Middle East after Palestine, Iran has demonstrated itself to be a country adamantly opposed to anti-Semitism.
Turning the pages of history, one can see the persecution of Jews throughout the world. Some claim that Jewish heritage was not what gave impetus to their plight; there are others who blame widespread racism and the absence of a Jewish state as the main culprits.
While those who now boast of being at the forefront of the enlightened world themselves have cavernous archives of ethnic cleansing, genocide and anti-Semitism, Iran bears witness to a 2,700-year history of thriving Jewish communities.
Source : topix.net | 29-Sep-2008 12:58
Iranians mock Holocaust on annual Jerusalem Day 19 minutes ago
Iranians chanted "Death to Israel" on Friday as Islamist students unveiled a book mocking the Holocaust in an Al-Quds Day annual parade to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
Source : topix.net | 29-Sep-2008 12:11
Athenaeum Theater Presents 'Haram Iran'
Haram Iran opens Nov. 8 and plays through Dec. 7 Chicago's Athenaeum Theater presents the world premiere of Haram Iran , a play examining the dangerous world of gay teens finding love in a country hostile to ...
Source : topix.net | 29-Sep-2008 07:35
Iranians mourn Paul Newman despite poor relations with the...
Iranians mourned Paul Newman on Sunday in a rare instance of adoration of cinema trumping ideological and political differences.
Source : topix.net | 29-Sep-2008 03:07
Iran ex-president slams Iraq-US pact
Thousands of Shiites rallied Friday against a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security pact, while one of Iran's most influential politicians urged Iraq's government and religious leaders to block the deal.
Source : topix.net | 28-Sep-2008 22:34
UN reaffirms previous sanctions on Iran
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution reaffirming previous sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program and incentives to do so.
The speedy vote Saturday followed a compromise a day earlier between the United States and Russia to lead a new council effort to condemn Iran's nuclear program, without introducing any new sanctions.
The brief resolution reaffirms the three earlier Security Council sanctions resolutions which imposed progressively tougher sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program.
Source : topix.net | 28-Sep-2008 16:30
Iran's president: Nation must control nuclear fuel
Iran needs the ability to produce nuclear fuel because it cannot rely on other nations to supply enriched uranium to the Islamic regime's planned reactors, the Iranian president said Thursday.
Source : topix.net | 28-Sep-2008 11:59
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians rally against Israel on annual Al-Quds Day
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians are reportedly taking part in annual "Al-Quds Day" demonstrations against Israel's continuing hold on Jerusalem.
Source : topix.net | 28-Sep-2008 07:27
7 power plant units operational in Iran by Mar'09
Seven power plant units with the total generation capacity of 1,114 megawatts will come on stream by the end of the current Iranian calendar year , MNA reported.
Source : topix.net | 27-Sep-2008 23:07
Another Day, Another Doozy From Biden
His mouth is like the Energizer bunny : Criticizing McCain for opposing negotiations with Iran, Biden said even the Bush administration now favors such talks - which Obama has long supported.
Source : topix.net | 27-Sep-2008 14:47
Ahmadinejad: Iran's nuclear program peaceful
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his speech to the UN General Assembly's general debate on Tuesday, asserted that his country's nuclear program is peaceful and slammed "a few bullying powers" for ...
Source : topix.net | 27-Sep-2008 10:13
Iran Denounces Western Support for Israel
A former Iranian president warned the West on Friday that its support for Israel would backfire, as hundreds of thousands of people staged rallies in support of Muslim claims to the holy city of Jerusalem.
Source : topix.net | 27-Sep-2008 05:42
Government Coercion Holds Iranian Society Together
The situation of South-Azeris has gotten worse. In the old days, there were a few media outlets with limited coverage of cities and rural areas. More than half of the population was illiterate.
But today, in each province, we have only one or two radio and television stations and Persian language enters every house through religious and entertainment programs. The local radios and newspapers are run by people who have no education in the local language. Though the Islamic Republic's Constitution recognizes other languages and allows for them to be taught in schools and universities, not a penny has been spent on this effort. Such unjust policies and negligence have resulted in people's distrust towards both authorities and opposition activists.
Persians are the only ethnic group in Iran which enjoys the right to speak and write in its own language. Other ethnic groups must speak and write in Persian, and if they protest and seek equal rights, they will be accused of being secessionists or traitors. How can these people trust politicians who ignore them? How can they support these politicians who do not acknowledge their rights?
Source : topix.net | 25-Sep-2008 23:09
Iranian parliament approves law on apostasy calling for death penalty
Iranian parliament approved the law calling for a mandatory death sentence for apostates, or those who leave Islam.
Members of the parliament citing to sharia (Islamic law) made decision on death sentence for men abjuring Islam and life sentence for women.According to other points of the new law, extrasensory individuals, fortune-tellers and homosexuals will also be sentenced to death. This grave punishment is applied to men and women abjuring Islam. 196 parliamentarians voted for the law, 7 against, 2 abstained. European missionary organizations condemned the decision of Iranian parliament.
Two men converted to Christianity were arrested in Shiraz in May this year. Islamic Revolutionary Court of Iran demands death sentence for them.
Source : topix.net | 25-Sep-2008 10:21
Perkovich: If Iran Stone-Walls, Stop Trying to Negotiate
George Perkovich, an expert on Iran's nuclear program, says the United States and its negotiating partners should set a deadline for Iran to agree to negotiations on suspending its nuclear enrichment program. If Iran still refuses to talk, he says, the negotiators should pull all previous incentive offers from the table and seek tougher sanctions.
Source : cfr.org | 24-Sep-2008 19:34
Iran seeks to join proposed Caucasus union
Iran is seeking to join a five-nation Caucasus union recently proposed by Turkey, an official has said.
Kamal Zareh, the representative of political affairs at the Iranian embassy in Armenia, said Tehran could provide a "three-plus-three" format for such a union.
"It would include the three South Caucasus states - Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, as well as the three countries surrounding them--Iran, Turkey and Russia," Zareh said in a recent interview with Armenia`s Azg newspaper. Iran believes this format would offer the best choice in achieving peace in the volatile region.
Zareh added that the non-participation of Tehran in the Caucasus platform would make the initiative "inadequate".
Following a brief war between Russia and Georgia early in August, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to establish the union, which is called the Caucasus Peace and Cooperation Platform. Ankara believes the platform should include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia and Georgia.
Source : topix.net | 24-Sep-2008 16:40
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Georgia and S. Ossetia were the victims of the provocation of NATO and West"
In the political debate held at the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused "a few bullying powers" of trying to thwart his country's nuclear program.
The Iranian president said Iran's uranium enrichment program is for "peaceful purposes" and is not designed to produce nuclear weapons, as alleged by the U.S. and some of its European allies. The president said Iranian people will defend their rights with the help of their friends till the end. Taking a stance on the ongoing processes in various regions, as well as the Caucasus, Iran's president said Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia were the victims of the provocation of NATO and some Western states. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the UN Security Council of making decisions based on double standards.
"The UN Security Council is unable to make any decision, since main players of this scene are NATO members. The American empire is nearing collapse, that's why the country's new leaders should end military involvement in other countries," he said.
Source : topix.net | 24-Sep-2008 13:08
Argentina asks Iran to hand over suspects in 1994 Jewish center bombing
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez asked Iran on Tuesday to hand over several citizens suspected of planning the deadly 1994 bombing of an Argentine Jewish center, so they can face a local trial.
Source : topix.net | 24-Sep-2008 12:05
Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater
But at the same time, they acknowledge that Tehran's rights record is significantly better than in some other Middle Eastern nations.
Source : topix.net | 24-Sep-2008 04:03
Azerbaijanis: A Divided Nation
Despite less territory and a smaller population, North Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan) is the political, ideological and cultural center of the Azeri nation.
However, the countries difficult geopolitical position has forced Azerbaijan to look for allies in and out of the region. South Azerbaijan can be potentially the most faithful and strongest ally in the foreseeable future. The notion of a United Azerbaijan is very popular in the Azerbaijan Republic.
Persian chauvinism in Iran has hurt significantly the economic and social well-being of South Azerbaijan. Chauvinism as a policy has been practised implicitly by the Iranian regime and has targeted at its core the national culture of Azeris in South Azerbaijan. The Azeri language had been removed from official use in all areas, including, schools, courts, government structures, and the army. Specific forms of Azeri cultural expression are prohibited as well.
The national-liberation movement of South Azerbaijan has a history going back 90 years. National-territorial autonomy demands were put before Iranian rulers during various movements-led by Sattarhan (1908-1909), Hiyabani (1920), Pishevari (1945-1946), Shariat-Madari (1979-1980). In their demands, they outlined various ways to resolve the pressing issues of nationality questions in Iran.
Source : topix.net | 23-Sep-2008 01:21
UN nuclear watchdog accuses Iran of stonewalling
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog says the agency it unable to tell if Iran is hiding secret nuclear activities.
Source : topix.net | 22-Sep-2008 20:53
Iran: Chewing gum cost three boys their arrest
NCRI Three boys were arrested by the State Security Forces mullahs' suppressive police for chewing gum in Mardom Park in the western city of Hamadan.
Source : topix.net | 22-Sep-2008 16:22
Cyber attack launched on Shiite websites: Iran
Sunni Muslim computer hackers have attacked hundreds of Shiite websites including Shia Islam's most popular site linked to the community's leader in Iraq, Iran's Fars news agency reported, according to AFP.
Source : topix.net | 22-Sep-2008 08:13
Iran softening on Israel? Yeah, right.
Iran softening on Israel? Yeah, right. Fri, 09/19/2008 - 5:50pm ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images I doubt Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent warm fuzzies across Israel yesterday when he said that it's not Israelis Iran has a ...
Source : topix.net | 21-Sep-2008 23:50
Ramadan fast means hard times for smokers
It's the fasting month of Ramadan, and fear of God keeps taxi driver Abdel Karim Romaneh from reaching for the pack of cigarettes next to his gearshift during the day, despite his pounding head and frazzled nerves.
But once the sun sets and the call of 'Allahu Akbar' from Ramallah's mosques ends the daytime ban on food, drink and cigarettes, Romaneh indulges in his favorite vice.
'I don't want to quit smoking,' said Romaneh, 42, who lights one Gauloise Light with another, inhaling deeply in between sips from a glass of thick Arabic coffee. 'Smoking is a joy.'
Source : topix.net | 21-Sep-2008 19:26
Vafa Quluzade: "Iran will always support Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh conflict"
"Thesis, voiced by editor-in-chief of Tehran-based Armenian-language Alik newspaper Derenik Melikyan, is a truth, but not officially voiced position of official Tehran on Azerbaijan and Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh", said famous political scientist Vafa Quluzade.
"All warm words of representatives of official Tehran are a diplomatic necessity, a lie and a game. In the reality, Iran's interests lie in support of Azerbaijan's enemies, in weakening our country. I am confident that Iran will always support Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
But Iran's real face is well-known to official Baku. Therefore, no one in Azerbaijan should be surprised that there are two Hay Dat offices in Iran and that Iran does not want the lands, surrounding the so-called "Nagorno Karabakh Republic", to return to Azerbaijan", said Quluzade.
Source : topix.net | 20-Sep-2008 14:51
The Two Azerbaijans: A Common Past and A Common Future
The recent merger of four Southern Azerbailani (Iranian) political parties as the Front for the National Independence of South Azerbaijan (FNISA) and subsequent remarks on it by the deposed President of Azerbaijan Elchibey have drawn attention to the unification of the two parts of Azerbaijan-Northern and Southern Azerbaijan, or the Azerbaijan Republican and Iranian Azerbaijan. The reports have failed to mention, however, that this Is the third time since the beginning of World War II that such a movement has emerged in Southern Azerbaijan, and that each time it has gained the support of Northern Azerbaijan's intellectual, creative, and political elite. The difference this time, according to a FNISA spokesperson, is that the appearance or the independent republic of Azerbaijan created a real base for the unification of Southern and Northern Azerbaijan and a single, independent state of Azerbaijan."
Source : topix.net | 19-Sep-2008 21:47
Iran: Rowhani undecided about candidacy
Head of the Iranian Assembly of Expert's Center for Strategic Research says he has not yet made a decision on running for president.
Source : topix.net | 19-Sep-2008 20:56
Bipartisan group says US attack unlikely to reverse Iran's nuclear program
Intensified diplomacy and tougher economic sanctions aimed at Iran's oil and gas industries are more likely to be productive, said the forthcoming report by the Bipartisan Policy Center, prepared under the ...
Source : topix.net | 19-Sep-2008 12:31
Major powers to discuss Iran amid Russia tension
Major powers meet in Washington on Friday to haggle over a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran, but tensions with Russia and the U.S. political calendar hang over the timing of any new measures.
Source : topix.net | 19-Sep-2008 07:53