19 june Khatami says US links to terrorist MKO is 'suspicious'
Tehran, June 19, IRNA -- President Mohammad Khatami welcomed France's rounding up of members of the Mujahedin Khalq opposition group, but took Washington for task for having "suspicious" links to the terrorist organization. "The treatment given to Munafeqin (Tehran' description of the group meaning hypocrites) by America in Iraq is suspicious since it creates the suspicion to say these forces might be misused (against us)," he told reporters here Wednesday. On Tuesday, French police conducted a series of dawn raids in a Paris region against the terrorist organization, whose fate remains in balance since the ouster of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi Baath regime provided sanctuary to the group which has carried out a series of terrorist bombings and assassinations to target both Iranian officials and civilians since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khatami said, "Paris with this move has acted according to its commitments as a member of the European Union." The largest European bloc as well as US have designated MKO as a terrorist group.
19 June Three more Iranians set themselves ablaze
Three more Iranians set themselves on fire in European capitals today in protest at a crackdown on an exile group in France, and Parisian police detained nearly 100 people to prevent further attempts at self-immolation. A total of seven Iranians have set themselves ablaze since massive raids on the French offices of the Mujahedeen Khalq, which fiercely opposes the Muslim clerical government in Iran. The sweep on Tuesday was aimed at preventing attacks by the group on Iranian diplomatic missions in Europe and elsewhere, France's counterintelligence chief has said. Today, two Mujahedeen Khalq members set themselves on fire in front of the French Embassy in Rome. Another set himself ablaze in Bern, Switzerland, after failing in an attempt the day before. The three were severely injured. Maryam Rajavi, a co-leader of the Mujahedeen Khalq who was among 26 people still held in France after Tuesday's raids, urged protesters not to resort to suicidal methods. "I want to ask all of you now to refrain from self-immolation," she said in a statement released by her group. "Otherwise, I will become more concerned and aggrieved than I already am." Police today arrested 94 Iranians gathered near the Iranian Embassy and elsewhere in Paris who were demanding that other members of the group held by authorities be set fre
16 June Iran has no nuclear arms program: FM
Tehran, June 16, Itar-Tass/ACSNA/IRNA -- Foreign Minister Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, at a meeting Sunday with Special Adviser to the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Okamoto, categorically denied accusations Iran has a nuclear arms program. "It is against weapons of the sort on Islamic and ethical grounds," the Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told the visiting Japanese official. He said Iran had put its entire nuclear facilities under IAEA control and has no classified program in this sphere.
Anti-Government Protests Continue in Iran 16 Jun 2003, 06:07 UTC
Young Iranians have demonstrated in the streets of Tehran for a sixth consecutive night -- anti-government protests that President Bush says are a positive step on the road to freedom in Iran. Nightly demonstrations near Tehran University in the Iranian capital began Tuesday and grew more intense. The protests eased somewhat, after the government stepped up security when pro-government militants began clashing with demonstrators. Riot police surrounded the university Sunday night, warning militants not to storm the campus to attack demonstrators. Several gunshots were heard, but there are no reports anyone was hurt. President Bush says the protests show there is a yearning for freedom in Iran, and the VOA White House correspondent reports that the president is making clear his moral support for the demonstrations. Freedom is a powerful incentive, Mr. Bush told reporters Sunday as he attended a church service, and said that ultimately freedom will prevail everywhere. More than 250 Iranian dissidents -- intellectuals, journalists, reformists and religious figures -- have signed an emphatic declaration backing the students' right to speak out against the conservative Islamic government.
14 June Pro-Clergy Militants Arrested in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line judiciary arrested "scores" of pro-clergy militants Saturday, including a vigilante leader, over attacks on a Tehran student dormitory sparked by attacks on pro-reform supporters, state-run radio reported. "Scores of people who suspiciously attacked a dormitory and inflicted damages have been identified and arrested," Tehran Radio quoted a judiciary statement as saying Saturday. Students said dozens of armed vigilantes - who pledge allegiance to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - attacked students sleeping in their rooms in the Hemmat dormitory of Allameh Tabatabai University and Tehran University's Chamran dormitory before dawn Saturday. More than 50 students were reportedly injured. Tehran Radio said among those arrested was Saeed Asghar, a vigilante leader who two years ago shot and seriously wounded a top adviser to reformist President Mohammad Khatami. The arrests came after police authorities, under pressure from reformers, demanded legal action against vigilantes who have taken the law into their hands to punish demonstrators and onlookers in the capital since protests broke on Tuesday. "Most of detainees are ruffians with previous (police) records," the radio quoted the statement as saying. The broadcast gave no further details. "We were sleeping in our beds. Suddenly we heard windows being smashed. Fists and kicks by hard-line vigilantes woke up some of the students held up in their rooms," Allameh Tabatabai University student Mojtaba Najafi said. The Tehran dorm attacks followed overnight clashes between hundreds of pro-cleric militants and security forces with Iranians throughout the capital.
12 June
Iran: More Unrest In Tehran Tehran, 12 June 2003 (RFE/RL) -- There was a second night of unrest last night in the Iranian capital, Tehran, with clashes reported between police and antigovernment demonstrators. Thousands of demonstrators gathered around a dormitory at Tehran University to support students who are surrounded by other police units inside. With riot police blocking surrounding streets, the protesters chanted slogans against the country's Muslim clerical rulers and demanded the resignation of moderate President Mohammad Khatami for failing to bring about quick reforms. AP reported antiriot police and hard-line vigilantes chased down several hundred mainly teenage protesters, beating them with sticks. The news agency said several people were seen being carried away with head injuries. Police with batons broke up a similar protest early yesterday and arrested around 80 people. Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi said "local radicals and foreign agents" instigated the demonstrations. He was apparently referring to satellite channels owned by Iranian opposition groups in exile which have encouraged Iranians to rise up against the ruling clerics. Yunesi warned that the government will not tolerate new "illegal activities" in the name of students.
9th June Majlis finds Iran's nuclear activities "positive"
ehran, June 9, IRNA -- The Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, after conducting a review of the government's nuclear program, declared it to be "positive" and for peaceful purposes. The head of the commission, Mohsen Mirdamadi, told IRNA Sunday that Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) head Gholamreza Aqazadeh presented comprehensive reports to the commission which met on Sunday to assess Iran's nuclear program. "The commission members visited the country's nuclear installations in recent weeks and were familiarized with their activities," he added. According to the official, the visits and discussions conducted by the Majlis deputies erased doubts in their minds as to the clear intent of the country's nuclear program and were appreciative of its intended peaceful uses. "The reports indicate that all activities are being taken in full conformity with international regulations and criteria for the production of nuclear technology for peaceful use," he reiterated. Mirdamadi said that the pertinent officials will be holding more sessions with national officials in charge of the country's nuclear program to further assess the issue.
9 June Iran Says It Imported Uranium in 1991
TEHRAN, -- Iran acknowledged today that it failed to inform U.N. authorities that it had imported a small quantity of uranium 12 years ago, but said that failure did not violate the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Gholamreza Aghazadeh, Iran's nuclear energy chief, also urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to widely publish the report it released to member nations last week on Iran's nuclear program. The Bush administration has accused Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb and wants the U.N. agency to declare it in violation of the treaty. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
7 June Iran Denies Cleric's U.S. Bribery Charge-Newspapers
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's foreign ministry has dismissed a hardline cleric's accusation that U.S. spies had brought half a billion dollars into the country to bribe officials, newspapers said on Saturday. "The suggestion that Iranian officials received money from America is a sheer lie and wrong," Yas-e No newspaper quoted ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying. He was not immediately available for further comment. Several newspapers carried a senior conservative cleric's public comments that U.S. spies had brought huge sums into the Islamic republic to bribe officials and destabilize the country. "Do not be afraid of the $500 million that American spies have brought to the country to distribute among Iranian officials," Yas-e No quoted Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi as saying at Friday prayers in Tehran. Washington, which cut ties with Tehran shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution, has been increasingly critical of Iran since defeating Iraq, accusing it of harboring al Qaeda and developing nuclear arms. Iran denies the charges. Iranian newspapers said the cleric did not accuse anybody by name but in the past accused journalists of taking U.S. cash.
7 June ElBaradei to report on Iranian nuclear program
Tehran, June 7, IRNA -- Head of Majlis Energy Commission Hossein Afarideh here on Saturday reiterated that Iran's nuclear programs are completely peaceful as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammad ElBaradei after he inspected the country's nuclear installations. Pointing to the rumors raised by foreign media of Iran's nuclear activities, he told IRNA that once ElBaradei visited the nuclear installations in Iran, he declared explicitly that Iran is not involved in any non-peaceful nuclear programs. "It is not clear whether Reuters report on the draft of ElBaradei's inspection report to be submitted to IAEA General Assembly is correct," he said. Turning to the points referred to in the report that Iran has failed to submit timely reports to IAEA on its nuclear activities, he noted that this would not result in charging Iran with non-peaceful activities. "This is how it was reported by the news agencies under the impression of the United States, which had called Iranian nuclear activities non-peaceful long ago," he added.
5th June Take Preemptive Steps Against Iran
from "intellectualconservative"
Time is running against the West when it comes to Iran's military capabilities. Let's put it this way: Either we act proactively or we find a radioactive Iran. When Israel was faced with the possibility of a nuclear Iraq, the Israeli Air Force blew up the now-famous Osirak reactor. Naturally, at the time the whole world was aghast at this act of unilateralism and condemned Israel. At the end of the day and especially in the last decade, the United States and the world breathes a collective sigh of relief that Saddam Hussein was never able to attempt nuclear blackmail. Failure to monitor North Korea properly during the lamentable Clinton years has brought us to a diplomatic brink with a psychotic dictator. I would not count on the Iranian mullahs to be any less delusional. France and Russia (surprise, surprise!) have been busy building at least two "peaceful" nuclear power plants for an oil-drenched country and its rather "enthusiastic" Shiite leaders. Iran is a major supporter of all the major Islamic terror groups and works cooperatively with North Korea. Recently ships have been stopped by the Israelis that originated in North Korea, stopped in Iran and were on its way to the Gaza Strip. Not surprisingly the ship was not laden with Korean delicacies or Persian rugs, but rather missiles, artillery launchers, and a large assortment of lethal weaponry. The French in their normal duplicitous manner have argued that these nuclear plants are strictly for peaceful purposes and we can count on their word for it. (I have no idea if the Germans are selling to the Iranians, but I am convinced that Germany gets a "pass" relative to France as long as they don't invade any of their neighbors.) The Russians also reacted stereotypically. The Russian foreign minister pronounced indignantly that "We (the Russians) don't need to answer to anyone and reject any criticism as illegitimate." Apparently, it has not yet dawned on ex-KGB President Putin and his boys that the Russian Bear has been pretty much neutered and that those good old "superpower" days are no longer-Nyet, Kaputnik! What is amazing is how these erstwhile "allies" have not changed one iota since Iraq. A long time ago these countries saw fat contracts in these countries and made their pact with the Devil. Unfortunately for these nations, they will not even benefit from this sellout of their souls in this lifetime. As long as the US Administration remains committed to the War on Terrorism, Iran is not going to become nuclear under this President's watch. Unlike Iraq, Iran is not an immediate target for large-scale military action. Undoubtedly, the Battle of Iraq has been won but the mission of establishing a peaceful, even semi-democratic country there is far from over. If anything, there is a need to deploy additional troops to Iraq and the surrounding region, including Pakistan. The American economy is slowly recovering and our military is fully capable of a multi-theater war. I have been somewhat incredulous at the timidity with which we have treated the North Koreans. If there were ever a good case for a naval blockade of a nation, it is North Korea. If President Kennedy stared down the Soviet Union in Cuba, what are we afraid of with Kim Jung Il? Is North Korea going to nuke South Korea or Japan with the full understanding that there is only the possibility of oblivion for them? Does anyone believe that the North Korean missiles would ever leave North Korean airspace or not be intercepted even if the North Korean dictator went completely mad? North Korea's antics are really a pathetic stunt that should not even have been given the seriousness that they have received. The only thing North Korea could do is send nuclear material to rogue groups and states. Thus North Korea must have a completely sealed border on all sides. The only question in North Korea is how long we are going to play games while North Korea builds more bombs. Iran is not yet a nuclear power and would be far more formidable were it to become one. The Israeli example is one America should follow. We need not attack Iran. We need only to attack with total finality their nuclear reactors before they become active. Undoubtedly this will alienate the UN, the EU and Russia. But wait...aren't they already alienated? The strategic miscalculation that the axis of weasels made was that their disapproval is no longer a deterrent to US policy. What about the reaction of the Iranians? Undoubtedly, the mullah-led government will not be pleased. Do the mullahs like us now? Are we buying anything by not destroying their potential nuclear reactors? The one concern is that the nascent democratic tendencies in Iran may rally to their government. Upon consideration, this is unlikely as long as the United States makes clear that our targets were specifically aimed at a future nuclear threat and not against Iran in general or the population. By destroying Iran's nuclear reactors, we ultimately will win the support of all peace-loving countries and reduce the long-term chance of a nuclear holocaust in the Middle East. The difference between North Korea and Iran is that the latter is a far greater threat to world peace and must be dealt with dispatch. Email Scott Shore
5th June Invasion is 'suicide' says Iran's leader
TEHRAN -- Anyone who invades Iran would be committing suicide, Iran's supreme leader said yesterday, following the Group of Eight summit's warning that the world would not tolerate an Iranian nuclear bomb. U.S. officials have accused Iran of harbouring senior al-Qaida figures and strongly suspect it is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program, raising fears in Iran of punitive measures. "U.S. threats are not new," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told tens of thousands of people who had assembled for the 14th anniversary of the death of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding father of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran says its nuclear development is solely to produce electricity and that its uranium enrichment is to provide fuel for reactors, not bombs. Leaders of the world's seven leading industrial economies and Russia ended a meeting in Evian, France, on Tuesday with a statement that said: "We will not ignore the proliferation implications of Iran's advanced nuclear program."
3rd June U.S. Soldiers, Civilians Held Overnight by Iranians
Four U.S. soldiers and five civilians in two boats were detained by Iranians, blindfolded and interrogated Sunday before being released yesterday, the U.S. Central Command said. Two of the civilians were still being held. Four soldiers from the Army's 1092nd Engineer Battalion, a civilian Army contractor, two civilian boat captains and two boat drivers were sailing up the Shatt al Arab waterway in the Faw peninsula on Sunday to pick up Iraqi personnel of the South Oil Co. when they were detained by Iranians, Navy Cmdr. Dan Gage, a spokesman for the Central Command headquarters in Tampa said. The group was "taken by force by Iranians. They were blindfolded, taken up river for about 20 minutes to a building where they were interrogated," Gage said. Gage said initial medical examinations of the released individuals indicated there were no injuries or signs of physical abuse. He said he had no information on the nationalities of the captains of the two boats or the drivers who remained in detention. Yesterday, the Iranians took the group back to their boats and released all of them except the two drivers, Gage said. A CH-47 Chinook helicopter located them near the waterway yesterday, Gage said. U.S. Navy crew members piloted the boats to Kuwait. The group may have moved into Iranian territorial waters, Gage said. The group had been on their way to Iraq's Mini al Bakr platform, which is very close to Iran's declared international water boundaries.
3rd June Iran asks for greater access for its traders to Afghan markets
Kabul, June 3, IRNA -- A visiting Iranian official here on Monday asked for the Kabul government's cooperation to give Iranian merchants and industrialists a bigger share in Afghanistan's market. Administrative and Financial Affairs Deputy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Morteza Bank, during a meeting with Afghanistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abdullah Monday Afternoon, in line with his request, said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to invest in Afghanistan's economic and industrial fields if Afghanistan lifts obstacles in the way of business and provides the required facilities and guarantees." The Iranian deputy foreign minister also referred to the ongoing Islamic Republic of Iran Exclusive Trade Fair which opened here on May 27, calling it "an appropriate opportunity for promoting trade and business relations between the two countries." Over 140 firms are participating in the fair which is to run until June 12.
2nd June Iran challenges US, invites it to participate in Iranian nuke plans
Tehran, June 2, IRNA -- Iran on Monday put up a serious challenge to the US, inviting American firms to participate in the Islamic Republic's nuclear programs if Washington had serious qualms about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "I don't think America is worried about Iran's nuclear programs; if they are, we invite them to come and participate in these programs and construct the facilities," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters during a weekly briefing. Washington has turned up the heat against Tehran in recent weeks, accusing Iran of pursuing an aggressive nuclear program and harboring suspected terror al-Qaeda elements. The Islamic Republic rejects the charges. Iran says its nuclear programs are transparent and peaceful, aimed at producing 7,000 megawatts of electricity in the next 20 years when the country's oil and gas reserves become overstretched. "Most of these statements are pretexts they (Americans) had told the former (Pahlavi) government to come to Iran and build atomic plants," Asefi said. "We have clearly said we want the nuclear know-how for peaceful objectives. We have other concerns about the country's reconstruction and development and there is no room for nuclear arms in our programs," he added.
Iran Press 2nd June
IRAN DAILY "55 bls of oil reserves in southern regions" Deputy Oil Minister Mehdi Mir-Moezzi, speaking at the inaugural ceremony for an oil-related service and logistics office at Ramhormuz on Sunday, said the southern parts of the country have an estimated 55 billion barrels of oil reserves, adding that studies conducted so far suggest that the safety factor in any oil extraction from this region (southern Iran) could be raised from 26 to 35 percent and could possibly increase to 50 percent in the next phases.
TEHRAN TIMES "OIC foreign ministers call for unity, dignity" In exclusive interviews with the Mehr News Agency, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and a number of foreign ministers of Islamic countries stressed the need for unity among the Islamic countries to ward off common threats facing them, particularly at a time when the US so-called campaign against terrorism overlooks Israel's state-sponsored terrorism and targets Islamic states.
IRAN NEWS "Khatami hints at compromise over twin bills" President Mohammad Khatami reiterated his position on two key reform bills intended to boost presidential powers, rejecting arbitration by the Expediency Council but welcoming compromise with the constitutional watchdog, Guardian Council.
KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL "Iranians owe their freedom, dignity to Imam (RH) - Khatami" President Mohammad Khatami, during a meeting with personnel of the headquarters responsible for annual commemorations of the late Imam's demise, attributed the survival of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the endless efforts of the late Imam Khomeini (RH) and the citizens of the country.
1st June Khatami urges Parliament not to forward his bills to EC
Tehran, June 1, IRNA
President Mohammad Khatami in a letter to Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Mehdi Karroubi has urged the Parliament not to refer the twin bills he had put to the chamber to the Expediency Council (EC), the press reported here on Sunday. The Persian-language daily `Yass-E No' quoted an informed source as saying that Khatami has urged Karroubi not to proceed with the bill arguing that he wanted to perform his "constitutional and religious duties." The source, whom `Yass-E No' did not identify, said Khatami had informed Karroubi about the purposes of the bills, and had told him that he was trying to materialize the rights of the people through the bills. The source also said that Khatami had stressed in his letter, the details of which have not been disclosed, that it is not possible to back off from the bills for the cause of people's rights, the Constitution, and the Sharia law of Islam. Khatami last year submitted two bills to the Parliament to facilitate his efforts to push forward his reform programs for which he has been campaigning since his 1997 election as president. One of the bills is meant to bolster presidential powers by enabling the president to warn the branches of the government against any violation of the Constitution and mete out punishment if his warnings are not heeded.
1st June Khatami hints at compromise, rejects arbitration over twin bills
Tehran, June 1, IRNA
President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday stuck to his guns over two bills, including one to prop up presidential power, rejecting arbitration of the Expediency Council, while he welcomed compromise with the supervisory Guardians Council. The Guardians Council has rejected the bills on the ground that they fell foul of the Constitution, thus paving the way to succumb them to the arbitration of the Expediency Council, headed by former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Khatami ruled out riding roughshod on the Constitution or the Islamic Sharia law, but said "I believe there is need at this phase to reach understanding with the esteemed Guardians Council".
1st June U.S.-Iran rivalry bodes ill for Iraq
BAGHDAD, June 1 — Iraq's long-suppressed Shi'ite Muslims want to shape their own future after Saddam Hussein's downfall, not set up an Iranian-style Islamic republic, Iraqi Shi'ite leaders and analysts say. Meanwhile, Washington's growing hostility towards Iran may antagonise Iraq's Shi'ite majority, harm prospects for Iraq's postwar stability and even prompt Tehran to meddle in earnest. ''We are Iraqis, not Iranians,'' said Adel Abdel-Mehdi, an aide to Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). ''If the Shi'ites take their fair share in governing Iraq, there will be stability in this country,'' he told Reuters. ''But if our isolation continues under different pretexts, such as being influenced by Iran, then chaos will prevail.'' The United States and Britain have recently turned up the heat on Iran, accusing it of interfering in Iraq. Tehran has dismissed the charges, which fatten an already thick dossier of U.S. complaints against Iran. Washington also accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, backing international terrorism and undermining Middle East peace efforts. Iran's grievances against Washington include what it sees as a long history of U.S. interference in its affairs, U.S. support for Israel and for Iraq in its 1980-88 war with Iran. It also complains that its ''reward'' for cooperating with U.S. policy in Afghanistan was membership in President George W. Bush's ''axis of evil.'' Iraq's top U.S. administrator Paul Bremer said on Wednesday he was troubled by increased Iranian activity in Iraq which could result in serious problems for Iran if it went too far. He said Iran was sending guerrillas across the border, who under the mask of restarting social services would form an armed movement. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, often identified with Washington hawks who want a tough policy against Iran, said he would not let Iraq's neighbours create an Iranian-style theocracy in the country.
30 May Bush denies Iran 'preoccupation', review put off
''There's no preoccupation'' with Iran, Bush said in an interview with French television ahead of his trip to Europe and the Middle East to begin on Friday. Bush said, however, he was concerned that operatives of the al Qaeda network were present in Iran and said any members there should be arrested and handed over to authorities in their home countries. U.S. officials said the administration had not rescheduled a high-level policy meeting on Iran put off earlier this week. ''This high-level policy review is not going to happen. Things have been indefinitely put off,'' said a government official familiar with the debate, spurred by charges that Tehran supports terrorism and is interfering in attempts to establish a democratic government in Iraq. Time pressures ahead of Bush's departure on Friday were partly responsible for the scrapped meeting, the official said. But he said a consensus on new steps to pressure Iran continued to elude the administration, with the Pentagon and Vice President Dick Cheney's office taking a hard line and the State Department and National Security Council favoring a more cautious approach. ''I think this fight will keep going for some time,'' he said. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, asked in a radio interview Thursday whether the United States was gearing up for war with Iran, said ''not to my knowledge.''
30 May -Khatami asks Muslims to maintain religious, cultural identity
Tehran, May 30, IRNA
President Mohammad Khatami here on Thursday stressed solidarity and cooperation among Muslim states to maintain their religious and cultural identity and independence. President Khatami told Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar that Muslim states should under present circumstances rely on science and technology and defend justice, security and peace while being strong. He called for expansion of economic and technical relations between Iran and Malaysia as well as implementation of formerly reached contracts in economic domain. Albar too asked for all-out expansion of Tehran-Kuala Lumpur ties, hoping that the 30th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers would prepare the ground for consolidation of unity and closer stances among Muslim states.
27 May US asks Iran to hand over Al Qaeda men
Washington: A top US military official has repeated allegations that Iran is harbouring members of the Al Qaeda network, despite denials by Tehran. "The issue with Iran is pretty clear," Richard Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told NBC television's Today programme on Monday. "We have to eliminate the safe havens where the terrorists are, and Iran of course has some of the Al Qaeda members," Dawn quoted Myers as saying. "The reports are that Al-Qaeda has been in Iran off and on for some time, particularly after our actions in Afghanistan," Myers said. He also restated US allegations that Iranian elements are trying to destabilise Iraq. "Some portions of Iranian-backed forces and organisations are in Iraq right now trying to influence events there, to the coalition's detriment."
27 May Tehran defies US with nuclear program
By Mark Forbes in Tehran and agencies May 27 2003 Iran has vowed to continue its nuclear program and is demanding that sanctions against it should be lifted before it will agree to international inspections of its nuclear facilities. After talks with the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, President Mohammad Khatami said Iran had the right to develop a nuclear energy program. President Khatami said there were no plans to develop nuclear weapons, and he rejected Mr Downer's call to allow in inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But he agreed to firm action against al-Qaeda. He also supported the introduction of a democratic, stable government in Iraq, easing fears that Iran would help to set up a neighbouring Islamic state. Mr Downer said he told Mr Khatami that the Riyadh bombings could have been prevented if senior al-Qaeda figures in Iran had been arrested. He also said Iran could not underestimate the determination of the West to stop terrorism. "I said the same thing in relation to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Mr Downer said. "These issues of terrorism and WMD are the major issues for most of the world today and we want them resolved. It would be unacceptable if Iran moved to develop a nuclear weapons capability."
24c May Police seize 204 kgs of morphine in Kerman
Kerman, May 24, IRNA
Police in the southern Iranian province of Kerman confiscated 204 kilograms of morphine stashed in a truck in the past few days, a police official said here Saturday. The police arrested the truck's two occupants who were then handed over to judicial authorities. The drug haul is part of Iran's unrelenting campaign against illicit drugs. In this ongoing battle against illicit drugs, it has lost some 3,300 of its security forces and incurred tremendous financial losses, the secretary of the national drug control headquarters, Ali Hashemi, said recently.
23 May Iranian, French FMs discuss Iraq, terrorism, nuclear programs
May 23, IRNA
Ties between Iran and the European Union as well as Tehran's nuclear energy plans were discussed between Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin here Thursday on the sidelines of a conference on drugs. Kharrazi outlined objectives behind the malevolent propaganda against Iran's nuclear energy programs and said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran so far has taken no step which contradicted international regulations." He brushed aside US allegations about the suspicious nature of Iran's nuclear energy programs and reiterated that Tehran "will pursue these activities with transparency only for peaceful objectives". Kharrazi renewed the Islamic Republic's criticism that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had failed to fulfill its commitments to the country according to the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty agreement, by denying Iran to have access to nuclear technology. "Those countries which own the nuclear technology must recognize our rights and respect it," he said.