Israeli officials say they have seized a ship carrying a large consignment of Iranian weapons, including Katyusha missiles, to the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
The ship, the Francop, which was flying under an Antiguan flag, was seized near Cyprus and taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.
If the Israeli account is true, this is a propaganda coup for the Jewish state.
First, the scale of the find - hundreds of tonnes, according to the officials - makes it unprecedented.
The Israelis say the cargo of the Francop was 10 times as big as that of the Karin-A, the ship they captured in 2002 allegedly bringing Iranian weapons to the Palestinians.
It could, they say, have kept Hezbollah supplied for a month of fighting.http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/722569--analysis-israel-seizes-thousands-of-r... more
The UN's nuclear watchdog has asked Iran to explain evidence suggesting that Iranian scientists have experimented with an advanced nuclear warhead design, the Guardian has learned.
The very existence of the technology, known as a "two-point implosion" device, is officially secret in both the US and Britain, but according to previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design. The development was today described by nuclear experts as "breathtaking" and has added urgency to the effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.
The sophisticated technology, once mastered, allows for the production of smaller and simpler warheads than older models. It reduces the diameter of a warhead and makes it easier to put a nuclear warhead on a missile.
Documentation referring to experiments testing a two-point detonation design are part of the evidence of nuclear weaponisation gathered by the IAEA and presented to Iran for its response.Looks like the US wasn't so wrong about Iran developing nuclear weapons...now multiple... more
BEIRUT — An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face.BEIRUT — An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in... more
BEIRUT – An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in Iran for daring to criticize the country's most powerful man to his face.
Mahmoud Vahidnia has received an outpouring of support from government opponents for the challenge — unprecedented in a country where insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a crime punishable by prison.
Perhaps most surprising, the young math whiz has so far suffered no repercussions from the confrontation at a question-and-answer session between Khamenei and students at Tehran's Sharif Technical University.
In fact, Iran's clerical leadership appears to be touting the incident as a sign of its tolerance — so much so that some Iranians at first believed the 20-minute exchange was staged by the government, though opposition commentators are now convinced Vahidnia was the real thing.
Details of the encounter were reported on the state news agency IRNA and in a pro-government newspaper, Keyhan, which gave its account with a headline reading, "The revolutionary leader's fatherly response to critical youth." Even Khamenei's official Web site mentioned the incident.
Still some of those in attendance at the Oct. 28 forum say Khamenei appeared taken aback by the questioning and left the meeting early, according to commentary posted on pro-reform Web sites.
The session began with a speech in which Khamenei told the students the "biggest crime" was to question the results of the June 12 presidential election that returned hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power. Khamenei himself declared Ahmadinejad the victor despite opposition claims of widespread fraud.
After the speech, Vahidnia raised his hand, then for 20 minutes he criticized the Iranian leader over the fierce crackdown on postelection protests, in which the opposition says 69 people were killed and thousands were arrested.
In brief excerpts broadcast on state TV, the thin, bespectacled Vahidnia was shown standing behind a podium, gesturing at times for emphasis.
"I don't know why in this country it's not allowed to make any kind of criticism of you," said the student, wearing a long-sleeved blue polo shirt and appearing calm.
"In the past three to five years that I have been reading newspapers, I have seen no criticism of you, not even by the Assembly of Experts, whose duty is to criticize and supervise the performance of the leader," he said, referring to the clerical body that chooses the country's supreme leader.
Khamenei countered, "We welcome criticism. We never said not to criticize us. ... There's plenty of criticism that I receive," according to accounts in state media and on opposition Web sites.
The boldness of Vahidnia's comments underlines how Iran's postelection turmoil has undermined the once rock-solid taboo against challenging the supreme leader. During demonstrations, young protesters have frequently chanted "Death to the dictator" — referring to Khamenei — and even "Khamenei is a murderer." Several high-ranking pro-opposition clerics have also been openly critical.
The supreme leader stands at the top of the hierarchy of Iran's clerical rulers, and his word is supposed to be final on political issues. Scores of Iranian writers, bloggers and academics have been jailed for writing what authorities have deemed as insults to Khamenei.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_challenging_khamenei;_ylt=AovspgGk3.b5L5N9Et6rxrtvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0dm4wbmVhBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMTA1L21sX2lyYW5fY2hhbGxlbmdpbmdfa2hhbWVuZWkEY3BvcwMyBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3N0dWRlbnRzdHVucw--BEIRUT – An unassuming college math student has become an unlikely hero to many in... more
TEHRAN, Iran - -- A cry from the streets of Tehran put Iranian attitudes toward America at the center of a day of violent clashes Wednesday.
"Obama, Obama!" protesters chanted on a day marking the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover. "Either you're with them, or with us."TEHRAN, Iran - -- A cry from the streets of Tehran put Iranian attitudes toward... more
Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Protesters clashed with police at a central Tehran square on Wednesday while government supporters nearby marked the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy capture with chants of "Death to America."
Scenes in the Iranian capital turned ugly yet again as riot police and pro-government Basij militia turned out in force to quash anti-government sentiment.
At least 2,000 opposition supporters, sternly warned by authorities to stay home, marched defiantly at Haft-e-Tir Square, witnesses said. Many held up their hands in a V sign. Others shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great," a slogan of protest. Police blocked all roads leading to the square, prompting massive traffic jams.
Witnesses described helmet-clad security personnel beating demonstrators with batons and firing tear gas at Haft-e-Tir Square and in a neighborhood a few kilometers north.
"I had never seen that many riot police and security personnel," a witness told CNN. "They were brought in by the busloads. As soon as crowds gathered somewhere, riot police were there within minutes."http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/04/iran.hostage.protests/index.html?eref=rss_wor... more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8341737.stm
Israel's navy has intercepted a ship carrying hundreds of tonnes of weapons 160km (100 miles) off its coast, the military says.
The cache included rockets and missiles, the military said, adding that they originated in Iran and were destined for Hezbollah militants.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the arms were "destined to strike Israel's cities".
The Antiguan-flagged vessel has been towed to the port of Ashdod.
In recent months Israel has stepped up efforts to combat the smuggling of arms to Hamas and Hezbollah militants.
'Numerous weapons'
The Israeli military said marines had boarded the ship after its captain agreed to the search and that no force was used.
The country's deputy defence minister, Matan Vilmai, said the ship's crew were not thought to have been aware of the smuggling operation.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8341737.stm
Israel's navy has intercepted a ship... more
The Iranian opposition movement returned to street protests today despite threats from the security forces, as official rallies mark the 30th anniversary of the storming of US embassy. Follow live on the Guardian:
Henghameh Shahidi has been arrested during the protests after Ahmadinejad re-election. Today the journalist, more and more ill, has been released after the payment of a bail. http://www.inaltreparole.net/en/journalism/giornalistashahidiliberata021109.htmlHenghameh Shahidi has been arrested during the protests after Ahmadinejad re-election.... more
Max Blumenthal made this wonderful video of a Christians United for Israel conference in Washington, DC. That organization is founded and headed by the closeted (and sometimes not so closeted) anti-Semite and genocidal maniac John Hagee. It is an absolute hate fest, where Hagee calls for nuking Iran, Sen. Joseph Lieberman is an honored guest and one attendee mentions the mission of this racist organization as "fighting what's behind the Muslim poeple, which is Satan."
Just hours after Iranian President Ahmadinejad agreed to accept an IAEA deal to enrich uranium out of the country, they suddenly backed out. The plan had been to take Iran's nuclear stockpile and send it to Russia to be enriched. It's disappointing for those concerned about Iran's plans for its enriching uranium - though I don't think it's particularly surprising.
I was thinking about how long Iran has been playing this game, and it brought to mind this Supernews gem: Iran: Deal or No Deal?
That piece was produced in 2006. Over three years ago. It's kind of disheartening to see what looks like the same game playing out, but with a few different players. No more Bush or Condoleeza Rice, and Putin is now the Prime Minister of Russia, not the President. But it's hard not to watch this and see Iran doing the same things today. Is there another card up the Obama Administration's negotiating sleeve? Let's hope so.
La disponibilità a collaborare con l’Occidente, pronunciata ieri dal presidente Ahmadinejad di fronte al popolo iraniano, potrebbe non essere reale: questa la denuncia del New York Times, dopo le dichiarazioni di alcuni diplomatici europei e funzionari americani, che sono stati messi al corrente dei contenuti della risposta iraniana all’Aiea (Internatioal Atomic Energy Agency).L’essere "pronto a cooperare" di Ahmadinejad potrebbe rivelarsi semplicemente una scelta tattica e non una reale predisposizione a trasferire all'estero le quantità di riserve di uranio per il processo di arricchimento, disposte dall’accordo sul nucleare proposto dall’Aiea. Teheran non avrebbe intenzione di rispettare questo nodo centrale dell’accordo, ufficialmente approvato la settimana scorsa da Usa, Russia e Francia: l’eventualità di possibili riserve da parte dell’Iran erano state prese in considerazione ma, il rifiuto di trasferire i tre quarti dell'uranio a basso arricchimento detenuto dall'Iran, torna a complicare la già faticosa gestione del nucleare in questo Paese.La disponibilità a collaborare con l’Occidente, pronunciata ieri dal presidente... more
President Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning, where he met with family members and paid his respects as the bodies of 18 Americans killed this week in Afghanistan were returned to the United States.
It was the president’s first trip to the Delaware air base, the main point of entry for the nation’s war dead to return home. The trip was a symbolic one for Mr. Obama — intended to convey the gravity of his decision as he moves closer to announcing whether he will send more troops to Afghanistan.
The overnight trip was not announced in advance. The president, wearing a dark suit and long overcoat, left the White House at 11:44 p.m. A small contingent of reporters and photographers accompanied Mr. Obama to Dover, where he arrived at 12:34 a.m. aboard Marine One. He returned to the South Lawn of the White House at 4:45 a.m.
October has been the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began eight years ago, with at least 55 troops killed in action. This week alone, about two dozen soldiers have died in attacks and accidents. The bodies returning to Dover Air Force Base shortly after midnight included seven Army soldiers and three agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration who were killed when their helicopter crashed on Monday in rural Afghanistan. The bodies of eight soldiers killed in an attack on Monday also arrived on an Air Force C-17.
On a clear fall morning, Mr. Obama boarded the back of the gray plane at 3:40 a.m., standing watch as Air Force Chaplain, Maj. Richard S. Bach, offered a brief prayer over the cases containing the remains of the 15 soldiers and three federal agents.
The family of Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, of Terre Haute, Ind., agreed to have the transfer of his remains photographed early Thursday morning. The other families chose not to, officials said, under a new Pentagon policy that lifted an 18-year ban on media covering the return of U.S. service members killed in action if families provide permission.
There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their freedom or both, simply because they try to tell the truth. Most people probably cannot understand why they do it. The problem is that the word journalist is not a good definition of the profession, because it includes three different behaviors that have nothing to do with each other.There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their... more
You'd never know it from the mainstream media, but he deserves high grades for his work so far in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.You'd never know it from the mainstream media, but he deserves high grades for his... more
Ci sono tantissimi uomini e donne nel mondo che ogni giorno rischiano la vita, la libertà o entrambe, semplicemente perché cercano di raccontare la verità. La maggior parte delle persone probabilmente non riesce a capire perché lo fanno. Il problema è che la parola giornalista non è una buona definizione della categoria, perché include tre diversi comportamenti che non hanno niente a che fare l'uno con l'altro.Ci sono tantissimi uomini e donne nel mondo che ogni giorno rischiano la vita, la... more
Washington, 26 October (WashingtonTV)—Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf is among the five nominees announced on Monday for the Freedom to Create Prize.
The prize “celebrates the power of art to fight oppression, break down stereotypes and build trust in societies where the social fabric has been ripped apart by conflict.”
........................ http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=2&id=15123Washington, 26 October (WashingtonTV)—Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf is among... more
The latest exhibition on Islamic art in Washington DC’s Freer and Sackler Gallery, which starts on 24 October 2009 and runs through 24 January 2010, is entitled “Falnama: The Book of Omens”.
This exhibition, which is the first of its kind devoted to Falnamas, is centered on manuscripts from Safavid Iran and Ottoman Turkey from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries and sheds new light on their artistic, cultural, and religious significance.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran ignored a U.N. deadline on Friday to respond to an international draft deal for it to cut an atomic stockpile the West fears could be used for weapons, and challenged the basis of the pact.
Iranian officials said they would give an answer only next week to the U.N.-drafted deal, which has been accepted by the other parties -- Russia, France and the United States.
They also said Tehran preferred to acquire enriched uranium abroad rather than send out its own for processing into fuel for nuclear medicine, as Western powers said it tentatively agreed to at Geneva talks on October 1 on ways to defuse growing confrontation over its disputed atomic aspirations.
....
The U.N. nuclear agency said it had been told by Iran that it was considering the proposal "in depth and in a favorable light," but needed until the middle of next week to take a position -- flouting the IAEA's Friday deadline for responses.
It said International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei hoped Iran's reply "will equally be positive, since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation" after seven years of standoff.
....
(more in full article - but really, who didn't see this coming? What do you guys think - is it imortant for them to abandon nuclear development of anything but power etc? And should other countries [ie not just Middle East] be disarming and disposing of the weapons as well? I think this world would be better off if no one had these blasted things.)VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran ignored a U.N. deadline on Friday to respond to an... more
Washington, 23 October (WashingtonTV)—The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the Iranian government’s “state-sponsored persecution” of members of the Baha’i faith and its “continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights.”
.............................. http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=3&id=15070Washington, 23 October (WashingtonTV)—The US House of Representatives on Thursday... more
