tagged w/ Tehran
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The World Today - August 6
Israel warns it may launch a pre-emptive attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as concerns increase over Iran's ability to make a nuclear weapon. Israel, in the past, has done this to Iraq and Syria. On several occasions Iranian officials have called for the destruction of Israel and Tehran supports Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists operating against Israel.
The World Today - August 6
Israel warns it may launch a pre-emptive attack on... more
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Iran has warned it can easily close the Persian Gulf to oil shipments and says it has a new long-range naval weapon that can sink ships 300 kilometres away.
The warning, by the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, followed the expiry at the weekend of an informal deadline for Iran to respond to incentives from six world powers to stop enriching uranium.
On Monday a US State Department official said the six powers — the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany — had agreed to pursue new sanctions if Iran had not responded positively by today to an offer of incentives, but it remained unclear what the sanctions might be or which countries would take part.
In comments carried by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said Iran was capable of imposing "unlimited controls" at the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf and an important oil route.
He gave no details about the type of naval weapon, which was involved in a recent test, but said it was Iranian-built and "unique in the world".
General Jafari said it would have the range to reach enemy warships in the Persian Gulf, an apparent reference to US warships, which have been conducting manoeuvres there.
"Closing the Strait of Hormuz for an unlimited period of time would be very easy," he was quoted as saying.
General Jafari said the missile would put Iran on a more even footing with its enemies — by implication, the US Navy, which dominates the oil artery.
He said Iran was ready to force the closure of the Gulf, a development that would push oil prices much higher. Recent missile tests had displayed Iran's ability to close "the Strait of Hormuz easily and on an unlimited basis", he said. "No vessel would be safe and would be sent to the depths."
Iran has previously made similar claims about its military capabilities, but analysts have treated them with scepticism.Iran has warned it can easily close the Persian Gulf to oil shipments and says it has... more
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A short article updating the Iran issue:
Iran's president says diplomacy is the only way out of his country's standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear program.
State TV aired footage Sunday of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying "there is no way except talks and obedience to the law." He says Iran is "serious in nuclear talks" and hopes "the other side" will be as well.
A deadline expired this weekend for Tehran to respond to an offer of incentives by six world powers if Iran curbs uranium enrichment.
That process can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or the material for a nuclear bomb.
Ahmadinejad said Saturday his country would not give up its "nuclear rights" and that any participation in international talks would "be aimed at reinforcing" those rights.A short article updating the Iran issue:
Iran's president says diplomacy is... more
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'Prince of Persia' follows Iranian born, but London raised hip-hop artist REVEAL as he goes through a musical and personal metamorphosis to find out who he is; a rebel with a cause.
Having been a mainstay of the UK hip-hop MC 'battle' scene (think '8 Mile') and an undefeated champion, REVEAL is transforming. He has always held within himself two conflicting identities, British and Iranian, now he his fusing his UK hip hop style with Persian rhythms, and has teamed up with the top Iranian hip hop artists to create a new sound that has helped to kick-start the burgeoning but underground Iranian hip hop movement known as '0-21' which refers to the Tehran phone code.'Prince of Persia' follows Iranian born, but London raised hip-hop artist... more
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DJewel
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added this
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3 years ago
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Mahmoud Ahmedinjad, Iran's president, has said that the country's nuclear programme now has more than 5,000 centrifuges actively enriching uranium.
State radio also quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Saturday that the West had "accepted that Iran would continue uranium enrichment with its current 6,000 centrifuges".
Western powers have offered Tehran a package of economic and other incentives to stop enrichment, which can have civilian or military uses.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator met the the six negotiating powers - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany - in Geneva on July 19, where he was reportedly told that Tehran had two weeks to respond.
Iran says it is ready for negotiations but will not accept any pre-conditions or threats in a row that has helped send oil prices sharply higher, despite falls in the last two weeks.
"Iran does not negotiate with anyone over its obvious nuclear right," Ahmadinejad said.
Iran, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, says its nuclear activities are aimed solely at generating electricity.
Sanctions
The UN Security Council has imposed three sets of sanctions in a stand-off that goes back to the revelation in 2002 by an exiled opposition group of the existence of a uranium enrichment facility and heavy water plant in Iran.
Iran says it aims eventually to have 50,000 centrifuges to produce fuel for a planned network of power plants.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in May that Tehran had 3,500 centrifuges working at its Natanz facility in central Iran.
In April, it said that it had started installing 6,000 new centrifuges at Natanz and testing a more advanced model.
If running smoothly for long periods, 3,000 would be enough to make material for a warhead in a year, Western experts say.
The United States has warned Iran that it will face more sanctions if it fails to meet the two-week deadline.
Meanwhile, the US has not ruled out military action if diplomacy were to fail.
Mahmoud Ahmedinjad, Iran's president, has said that the country's... more
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EXCERPT: ...it is nevertheless astonishing that American Jews are so blinded by hatred of the Republicans that they are prepared to ignore the fact that Obama speaks out of two sides of his mouth over Israel; ignore the fact that every single one of his foreign policy advisers is hostile to Israel; ignore the fact that he would appease the genocidal fanatics of Tehran; and not only ignore the fact that for twenty years his spiritual adviser was a man who supports the Islamist antisemite Louis Farrakhan but regard it as definitely ‘off-limits’ even to mention it.
Just imagine, as a thought experiment, if McCain was revealed to have been brought into the church by and spent 20 years sitting at the feet of a minister who turned out to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Would Bob Shrum be sneering then that the voters ‘don’t buy this personal stuff’? Au contraire – you wouldn’t see the rapidly departing Republican candidate for dust. One rule for the Democrats and another for the Republicans, it seems, when a charismatic orator promises a glorious new dawn for mankind -- and reason takes a dive.
EXCERPT: ...it is nevertheless astonishing that American Jews are so blinded by hatred... more
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The Sunday Times of London reported this weekend that "President George W. Bush has told the Israeli government that he may be prepared to approve a future military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities if negotiations with Tehran break down." The Times report quoted a senior Pentagon official as its source.
With increased resistance from the Pentagon and the November elections closing in, the White House may be choosing its next best option in dealing with Tehran: to have Israel launch strikes on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities.
The paper said Bush has told Israel it has an "amber light" to proceed.
“Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you’re ready,” the paper quoted a U.S. official as saying.
Military experts are not sure that Israel's military forces can do the job. Iran has dispersed its nuclear program sites around the country, and some weapons facilities are said to be deep within the earth. The U.S. has special bunker-busting bombs that could destroy such underground laboratories, but Israel does not.
Iran has made clear it will retaliate against Israel and the U.S. if either nation attacks it. Last week, Iran's military demonstrated its reach by firing nine long- and medium-range missiles -- including the modified Shahab-3 ballistic missile, which can easily strike Israel from western Iran.
Political factors may be playing a role in strike plans for both Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Bush is in lame-duck status, and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, the front-runner to win the presidency in November, says he favors the use of diplomacy over force when dealing with Iran.
Olmert is facing a political crisis as corruption charges threaten his hold on office. Some Israeli political analysts say Olmert may order an attack on Iran to bolster his political standing in Jerusalem.
The Times cited one of Olmert's closest friends as quoting the prime minister: "In three months’ time it will be a different Middle East.”
The Sunday Times of London reported this weekend that "President George W. Bush... more
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TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Sunday said it has discovered a new oil field in the hydrocarbon-rich province of Khuzestan with more than one billion barrels of crude in place.
Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari said the oil field held 1.1 billion barrels of sweet crude oil, of which 233 million was recoverable, the oil ministry's Shana news agency reported.
He told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the field is in the area of Andimeshk town in Khuzestan province of southwestern Iran that borders Iraq. No further details were immediately available.
Iran is the number two producer in OPEC and the number four worldwide, although its ability to reach oil production targets has been hampered by a lack of international investment.
Production started in February from Iran's biggest onshore oil field, Azadegan, which is estimated to have 42 billion barrels of crude oil in place. TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran on Sunday said it has discovered a new oil field in the... more
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Ogmin
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added this
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3 years ago
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A defiant Iran continues to test missile systems in the wake of a show of strength by Israel's air force. So far, the U.S. is opting for diplomacy to deal with the Islamic republic's perceived nuclear threat. But persistent threats from Tehran to destroy Israel continue to draw international sanctions.A defiant Iran continues to test missile systems in the wake of a show of strength by... more
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Iran test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises meant to show that the country can defend itself against any attack by the U.S. or Israel, Iranian state television reported Thursday.Iran test-fired more long-range missiles overnight in a second round of exercises... more
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Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohammed Jafari, was quoted by the Iranian state news agency as saying: "Iran's response to any military action will make the invaders regret their decision and action." Mr Jafari had already warned that if attacked, Iran would launch a barrage of missiles at Israel and close the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet for oil tankers leaving the Persian Gulf. Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Mohammed Jafari, was quoted by the Iranian... more
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"The Israeli government no longer believes that sanctions can prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. A broad consensus in favor of a military strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities -- without the Americans, if necessary -- is beginning to take shape."
"President Bush, however, has recently been sending out signals that are suspiciously reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war. Then, as today, he insisted that "all options are on the table." And then, as today, he sought to appease the Europeans by saying that all diplomatic channels would be exhausted first. But during his recent visit to Slovenia, Bush said: "There's a lot of urgencies when it comes to dealing with Iran, and the Israeli political folks ... if you go to Israel and listen carefully, you'll hear that urgency in their voice."
"Israel can only depend on American support for as long as current US President George W. Bush is still in charge in Washington. They are convinced that the country cannot truly depend on any of the candidates to succeed Bush in office. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic candidate, has already said that he favors direct negotiations with Tehran. And even if Republican John McCain wins the race, politicians in Jerusalem do not expect him to be ordering an attack as his first official act -- despite his performance, at a campaign appearance last year, of the Beach Boys' song "Barbara Ann" with the lyrics: "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."
I suppose the nation calling itself Israel would not be so afraid of being bombed if they hadn't taken over Palestine by terrorism. It takes one to know one.
"The Israeli government no longer believes that sanctions can prevent Iran from... more
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Minister Ben-Eliezer’s tough message to Tehran may be the right approach
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who this week threatened Iran with destruction, drew smiles in Israel. The prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister refrained from responding. I personally saw one of them chuckling. “Oh, well, so he said it, so what?” said a close associate of one of our top leaders.
Minister Ben-Eliezer’s tough message to Tehran may be the right approach... more
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At least 28 people are reported to have died in Iran's heaviest snowfall in recent years. Eight people froze to death as severe blizzards left 40,000 people stranded in their cars, authorities said. Tehran has declared two days of national holiday, urging people to stay at home to avoid the bitter cold.At least 28 people are reported to have died in Iran's heaviest snowfall in... more
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Iranian police have closed down 24 Internet cafes and other coffee shops in as many hours, detaining 23 people, as part of a broad crackdown on immoral behavior in the Islamic state, official media said on Sunday.
The action in Tehran province was the latest move in a campaign against fashion and other practices deemed incompatible with Islamic values, including women flouting strict dress codes and barber shops offering men Western hair styles.
"Using immoral computer games, storing obscene photos ... and the presence of women wearing improper hijab were among the reasons why they have been closed down," Colonel Nader Sarkari, a provincial police commander, said.Iranian police have closed down 24 Internet cafes and other coffee shops in as many... more
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A personal documentary about the day to day lives of Iranians, told by an Iranian-American girl visiting her family in Tehran for the summer. This is a 5-minute cut of a feature work in progress.A personal documentary about the day to day lives of Iranians, told by an... more
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President Vladimir Putin made clear to Washington on Tuesday that Russia would not accept military action against Iran and he invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Moscow for talks.President Vladimir Putin made clear to Washington on Tuesday that Russia would not... more
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