The XV Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran on 27-30 July 2008 issued a statement in support of Iran's nuclear programme, which has just been circulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). ››read more

Rostam PourzalSuch simplistic far left and far right analyses portray Iranians as a nation of simpletons and victims without agency. Missing from Fiyouzat's neoconservative-style rush to blame the victim is any reference to the enthusiasm of a great majority in Iran, registered in survey after opinion survey, to restore trade and diplomatic relations with the U.S. If Iran's leadership is indeed eager to welcome U.S. diplomats, investors, and tourists after nearly three decades of estrangement, it is certainly acting with the consent of the governed. With his rejection of détente, Fiyouzat in effect advocates minority rule even as he demands an expanded democracy in which Iran's left forces would have more room to organize.
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - The acrimony between Russia and the West stirred by the Georgia conflict complicates any effort to tighten U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. ››read more

Joe BidenSenator Barack Obama's choice of Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate for the Democratic ticket for the US presidency is a good omen for troubled US-Iran relations and will likely translate into positive developments on that front in the event Obama moves into the White House. ››read more

Israeli Air ForceColumnist Ian Brockwell says the US is interested in Georgia because it borders Russia, has a pipeline that is intended to transfer oil to Israel, and most importantly is a country that can be used in an attack against Iran. ››read more

The Afghan government will renegotiate the terms of US-led troops in the country after hundreds of civilians were killed in US strikes. ››read more

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki said Monday there would be no security agreement between the United States and Iraq without an unconditional timetable for withdrawal— a direct challenge to the Bush administration, which insists that the timing for troop departure would be based on conditions on the ground. ››read more

Iraqi KurdistanThe Kurdistan Regional Government has allocated 1,500 acres of land near Iran's border for the construction of a large US-financed airport.
The airport is to be built in a town called Halabja situated about 11 kilometers from the Iranian border in the northern Iraqi province of Sulaimaniyah, our Press TV correspondent reported from Irbil on Monday. ››read more

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel will be targeted by thousands of rockets if it attacks Iran, a senior official in the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah said on Sunday. ››read more

Deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Saeedi said here on Sunday that Iran will try to respond the questions of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the framework of its obligations, the official IRNA news agency reported. Iran's cooperation with IAEA is continuous and based on modality, Saeedi told reporters in the sidelines of a meeting. ››read more

The daily Iran News said the Georgia conflict, which has heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, may now make it more difficult for the United States and its Western allies to secure Russian backing for a fourth round of sanctions. The West accuses Tehran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Iran says it is mastering atomic technology to make electricity. ››read more

It emerged on Wednesday that the United States has refused to sell Jerusalem new refueling planes, fearing such a transaction could be interpreted as support for an Israeli attack on Iran. ››read more

Meir SheetritInterior Minister Meir Sheetrit, who is contending for Kadima's leadership, said Wednesday that Israel must not attack Iran, but only defend itself if attacked. "Israel must on no account attack Iran, speak of attacking Iran or even think about it," Sheetrit said. "Israel must defend itself only if attacked by Iran, but attacking Iran on our own initiative is a megalomaniacal reckless idea." ››read more

Iran said on Wednesday that talks on its controversial nuclear drive with top UN atomic watchdog official Olli Heinonen were "positive" and would continue. "The negotiations held over the past three days were positive and will continue," said the deputy chief of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Mohammad Saeedi. ››read more

US soldier in IraqBecause most Americans pay little attention to foreign affairs they lack the knowledge necessary to accurately contextualize the situation when foreign events do seem to intrude upon their lives. The assertion that Iraq was in possession of weapons of mass destruction that were to be used on American targets was an example of such a situation. Having no objective knowledge to assess this claim, Americans had to rely on the information given to them by others, most of the time government spokesmen and media “pundits.” ››read more

MilneThe only way to end the war is the withdrawal of foreign troops as part of a political settlement negotiated with all the significant players in the country, including the Taliban, and guaranteed by the regional powers and neighbouring states. A large majority of Afghans say they back negotiations with the Taliban, even in western-conducted opinion polls. The Taliban themselves insist they will only talk once foreign troops have withdrawn. If that were the only obstacle, it could surely be choreographed as a parallel process. But given the scale of commitments made by the US and Nato, the fire of the Afghan war seems bound to spread further. ››read more

ScheunemannRandy Scheunemann, one of John McCain’s top foreign policy advisers, represents a key link in neoconservative strategy that seeks simultaneously to remove hostile regimes in the Middle East and to box in Russia through an expanded NATO that incorporates former Soviet bloc countries. ››read more

Non-Aligned MovementThe Ministers stressed that diplomacy and dialogue through peaceful means must continue to find a comprehensive and long term solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. They expressed their conviction that the only way to resolve the issue is to pursue substantive negotiations without any preconditions among all relevant parties. ››read more

The deal signed with Poland today is a continuation of a disastrous American foreign policy which threatens to nullify every international security agreement reached in the last four decades. ››read more

Could the conflict between Russia and Georgia be the excuse the Bush administration has been looking for to bomb Iran? ››read more