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December 2006 22nd Fajr International Music Festival kicks off in Iran Iran's 22nd Fajr International Music Festival opened on Saturday simultaneously in Tehran and Chabahar, an Iranian city and a free trade zone on the coast of the Gulf of Oman. -MNA - 12/31/06 Rafsanjani blasts anti-Iran UNSC resolution Iran's former president and expediency council chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Sunday harshly criticized recent anti-Iran UN Security Council resolution and stressed that Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful. -IRNA - 12/31/06 Iranian photographer Siavash Laghaie wins Venice 2006 award young Iranian artist won the International Venice Photography 2006 award. The Iranian photographer, Siavash Laghaie won a silver medal in the Black and White Street section for displaying photos that depicted people, bazaars, and cities in Iran along with landscapes of the Persian Gulf isles up to the northern borders. -ISNA - 12/31/06 Workers set to resume modification of Jahan-Nama Tower in Isfahan Located west of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Jahan-Nama Tower still spoils the horizontal view of the square containing a complex of monuments which was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. -MNA - 12/31/06 Azar Oilfield can produce 200m barrels of crude: Iranian official Some 200 million barrels of crude oil can be extracted from Azar Oilfield in Anaran Block, deputy with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Exploration Directorate said in Tehran on Sunday. -MNA - 12/31/06 A Dictator Created Then Destroyed by America Who encouraged Saddam to invade Iran in 1980, which was the greatest war crime he has committed for it led to the deaths of a million and a half souls? And who sold him the components for the chemical weapons with which he drenched Iran and the Kurds? We did. No wonder the Americans, who controlled Saddam's weird trial, forbad any mention of this, his most obscene atrocity, in the charges against him. -Robert Fisk, Independent - 12/31/06 Fajr Film Festival fuels film production rush Iranian filmmakers have accelerated their productions as the Farabi Cinematic Foundation has started the countdown for the 25th Fajr International Film Festival, which will be held in Tehran from February 1 to 11. -MNA - 12/31/06 The New Middle East As the Iraq war helps bring the American era to a close, a new order will begin to emerge in the region. -Newsweek - 12/31/06 War in Iraq Voted Top News Story of 2006 These were the other top stories of the year. The United States and its allies worked unsuccessfully to halt nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. North Korea tested a nuclear weapon in October. And Iran moved forward with plans to bring its first nuclear center into operation by the end of next year. -VOA - 12/31/06 Clerical error? Iranian officials say coed attendance remains possible, despite sharia ban With translation help from Portland, Oreg.-based writer and radio host Goudarz Eghtedari, we learn from Iran’s sporting authority that preparations are being made to facilitate coed attendance at football matches despite an ongoing ban by clerics. -Global Game, GA - 12/31/06 Unrepentant Saddam Hussein Hanged In Baghdad The judge who read the order for Saddam Hussein's execution told RFE/RL that the former Iraqi president said he was "not afraid of death" before he was hanged early this morning in the presence of judicial and government figures. -RFE - 12/30/06 Iranian businessman Yousef Daneshvar awarded British honour Daneshvar, who is deputy chair of the British Iranian Chamber of Commerce (BICC), was bestowed with the quait title of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to British business interests in Iran." -IRNA - 12/30/06 When we met the real hero When we were hosting the 2nd Annual Persian Golden Lioness Awards® in Budapest in October 2006 we were all eager to meet with the Award Winner Bruce Bahmani, the real hero who turned Rostam of Shahnameh into a Comic Book. -Marjan Abdi - 12/30/06 Sassanid Salasel Fort Threatened by Government Organizations Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Sustar is trying to get legal support for freeing the Salasel Fortress which has for years been changed into a storage area for keeping goods by different organizations including the Sugar Organization, Iran's Drug Control Headquarter, and Imam Khomeini Relief Fund. -CHN - 12/30/06 New Years resolution: Stop another war What is or should be frightening to every world citizen, is the sheer disregard by this cabal of neo-conservatives for the catastrophic consequences of implementing such dangerous policies. Oblivious to the mess created in Iraq and Afghanistan, they continue to use the very same tactics pushing for a far more serious confrontation with Iran. -Daniel M Pourkesali - 12/30/06 Iranian Zurkhaneh to be Established in Hamburg According to representative of International Federation of Traditional Sports (Zurkhaneh) in Germany, the plan for construction of a gymnasium for the Iranian ancient sport of Zurkhaneh in Hamburg has been prepared and will be performed in a near future. -CHN - 12/30/06 Muslims Begin Annual Hajj The annual hajj -- or pilgrimage to Mecca -- is getting under way in Saudi Arabia, with more than 2 million Muslims expected to take part. Saudi authorities say they have implemented new safety measures to prevent the stampedes that have killed hundreds of people at previous hajjs and also to protect against possible militant sectarian attacks. -RFE - 12/30/06 Ex-German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder warns of growing rift between US and Europe "After the end of the East-West conflict, US domestic political interests are more and more pushing to the forefront and increasingly the impression arises that American and European world views are drifting apart," Schroeder wrote in his best-selling memoirs titled 'Decisions: My Life in Politics'. -IRNA - 12/30/06 Reaction to Saddam's Execution Ranges from Jubilation to Condemnation President Bush called the execution an important milestone for Iraq's path to democracy. Iran called it a "victory for the Iraqi people." -VOA - 12/30/06 Kashan's Historic Amerian House Turns into Tourist Lodging Historic Amerian House, one of the architectural masterpieces of the Zand era (1750–1794 AD) in Kashan will turn into tourist lodging by next year. The House will also include a restaurant and a coffee shop. -CHN - 12/30/06 Released diplomats handed over to Iranian officials in Baghdad Two Iranian diplomats illegally detained by the US forces in Baghdad on December 21 were released on Friday morning and handed over to the Iranian officials in the presence of Iraq's National Security Advisor Mowaffeq al-Rubaie. -IRNA - 12/29/06 Website Manager, Editor Arrested In Iran The manager and political editor of the Iranian news site iranews.org have been arrested. The charges against the two men are not clear. There has been no reaction from Iranian officials. -RFE - 12/29/06 Virginia Woolf night in Tehran The 20th century British writer Virginia Woolf was remembered at Iran's Artists Home in Tehran. In the ceremony, the editor of Bokhara Literary Monthly, Ali Dehbashi and the Iranian short story writer, Nahid Tabatabaei presented a brief biography of Woolf and also discussed her obvious influence on her contemporary colleagues as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the 20th century. -ISNA - 12/29/06 Persian Gulf Online Sends Letter to Reader's Digest In its recent World Atlas, Reader's Digest has replaced the Persian Gulf with a bogus term "the Gulf". The following is the letter that Persian Gulf Online (PGO) sent to Reader's Digest's headquarters in Sydney and New York to protest the matter. - 12/29/06 Iran's Justice Minister killed in road accident Iran's Minister of Justice Jamal Karimi-Rad was killed in a car accident on Thursday while travelling to the central city of Isfahan. -IRNA - 12/29/06 Iran expands links with Syrians As the White House begins to rethink its strategy for dealing with the Middle East, particularly how to calm the chaos in Iraq, pressure to try to re-engage with Syria has grown. Some Western analysts contend that Syria, with a government more pragmatic than ideological, can be pried away from Iranian influence and convinced that its long-term interests lie instead with the West. -IHT - 12/29/06 Diminishing Glory Veiling our ineptitude in the legacy of Cyrus the Great, cowardice abound, we abandon Iran in her moment of need and justify our action on the basis of the Islamic regime’s despotism. -Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich - 12/29/06 Ford attacks Bush over Iraq invasion in message from beyond the grave In an interview with the Washington Post's Bob Woodward, granted on condition that it be published only after Mr Ford's death, the late president said he strongly disagreed with Mr Bush's stated justification for the war - that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. He also suggested Mr Bush had departed from his overriding duty as president to act in America's national interest. -Guardian - 12/29/06 Bush Says Security Team 'Making Good Progress' in Developing New Iraq Plan U.S. President George Bush says he is making good progress on a revised strategy for Iraq. VOA White House correspondent Paula Wolfson reports, the president spoke in the midst of consultations at his Texas ranch with his top national security advisers. - 12/29/06 Arlen Specter 'would meet' Ahmadinejad Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania who broke ranks with the Bush Administration and met Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this week, said Thursday in Jerusalem that he would now like to sit down and talk with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. -Jerusalem Post - 12/29/06 Bush Iraq Policy Murky on the Real Enemy This year saw the emergence of a sectarian civil war in Iraq and much more open Sunni-Shi'ite conflict in the Middle East. Sunni regimes in the region expressed acute anxiety both about the possibility of the Sunni-Shi'ite civil war in Iraq spreading to their own countries and about the growth of Iranian influence. -Antiwar - 12/29/06 Nuclear Disarmament Gets Critical If prospects for nuclear weapons reduction took a turn for the worse in 2006 the New Year holds out little hope for containing proliferation. Looming large over these developments in different parts of Asia are the Great Powers, led by the U.S., whose geopolitical role as well as refusal to undertake disarmament has contributed to enhancing the global nuclear danger in 2006. -IPS - 12/29/06 Quake jolts Kahnouj in Iran's southeastern province of Kerman An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale jolted suburbs of Kahnouj city in Kerman province, southeastern Iran, Thursday night. -IRNA - 12/29/06 Reports: Saddam Could be Executed by Sunday Two U.S. news organizations say Iraqi authorities might execute ousted leader Saddam Hussein before the start of a religious holiday on Sunday. -VOA - 12/29/06 Power Grids Threaten World Registration of Ferdowsi Tomb Installation of power poles for transferring 400 kilowatt hours of power from the city of Mashhad to Sarakhs in the Iranian northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi has not only vulgarized the historical-cultural landscape of Toos historic city and the tomb of renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi, it has also reduced the chances for registration of this historic monument in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. -CHN - 12/28/06 A Night at La Comédie Française with Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam is the VERY FIRST Iranian Pensionnaire of the Prestigious Comedie Française since its inception in 1680. It is indeed a historical accomplishment for an Iranian comedian to this day which was noticed by the French Media in magazines such as Point De Vue Images du Monde, Le Monde as well as on French TV hosted by Michel Drucker's weekend program Vivement Dimanche to name a few. -Darius KADIVAR, Paris - 12/28/06 The Iranian petroleum crisis and United States national security The U.S. case against Iran is based on Iran's deceptions regarding nuclear weapons development. This case is buttressed by assertions that a state so petroleum-rich cannot need nuclear power to preserve exports, as Iran claims. The U.S. infers, therefore, that Iran's entire nuclear technology program must pertain to weapons development. However, some industry analysts project an Irani oil export decline -Roger Stern, PNAS - 12/28/06 UN resolution will increase pressure on Iran: analyst "The Security Council members will follow their objectives through the recent resolution because all the parts that it was said Russia was trying to exclude from the resolution over the past two months have been covertly included in the text," International affairs analyst Ali Khorram told the Mehr News Agency. -MNA - 12/28/06 Persian . . . or Iranian? They lean into me and murmur: "Did you say you were Persian or Parisian?" They count on the tie, the long-stemmed wine glass, or the exalted titles on their name tags to make flirtation pass as ethnographical inquiry. The "compliment" is clearly a profound insult: When an Iranian proves to be sophisticated, she no longer qualifies as Iranian. -Roya Hakakian, WSJ - 12/28/06 Historic City of Toos Shaken by Explosions Explosive operations by Road & Transportation Department of Khorasan Razavi province in the vicinity of Toos resulted in cracks to appear in the walls and fences of this historic city. -CHN - 12/28/06 Americans Begin Debate on US Nuclear Weapons Program A debate is beginning to take shape once again in the United States between supporters and opponents of nuclear weapons. In the 1990s, following the end of the Cold War, many Americans questioned whether the United States even needed nuclear weapons. -VOA - 12/28/06 Iran's International Sturgeon Research Institute chosen as NACA center In a session of NACA (Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific), Iran managed to gain the official certificate of the network for the Dr. Dadman International Sturgeon Research Institute. The institute is located in Iran's northern port city of Bandar Anzali. -MNA - 12/28/06 Former Iran leaders speak out against nuclear policy Former Iranian officials have spoken out against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardline nuclear policies and urged a return to transparency and moderation. -AFP - 12/28/06 Isfahan's authentic flavors from Iran The man sitting at the plastic-covered table, reading a newspaper in Persian script, had just polished off a big plate of shish kabob and rice. ``Do you like Persian food?'' he asked me as he stood to leave. ``It's the best.'' -San Jose Mercury - 12/28/06 'What Would Happen If the Virgin Mary Came to Bethlehem Today?' The plight of pregnant women in the West Bank, where babies are dying needlessly -Independent - 12/28/06 War Critics See New Resistance by Bush Immediately after the beating his party took in November, President Bush indicated that he had received the message that voters wanted change, and that he would serve some up fast. He ousted his defense secretary, announced a full-scale review of his war plan and contritely agreed with critics that progress in Iraq was not happening “well enough, fast enough.” -New York Times - 12/28/06 Rafsanjani: Iran ready for comprehensive assistance to Iraqi nation Expediency Council Head Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in Tehran on Wednesday Iran is ready for offering any kind of assistance to Iraqi nation, Expecting nothing in return. The newly re-elected IRI Leadership Experts Assembly member made the comment in a meeting with visiting Iraqi Treasure Minister Baqer Bayan Jabr al-Zubaidi. -IRNA - 12/28/06 Iran signs MOU with Lebanese Development & Reconstruction Council Islamic Republic of Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Beirut on Wednesday with Lebanon's Development and Reconstruction Council (DRC) for construction of seven bridges destroyed in recent Israeli war. -IRNA - 12/28/06 Russia/Belarus: Possible Gas War Looms Another New Year, another gas crisis between Russia and one of its neighbors. Russia's natural-gas monopoly Gazprom has said that it will cut fuel supplies to Belarus if Minsk does not accept a steep price increase by January 1. But with the deadline just days away, Minsk hit back today with an implicit ultimatum of its own. -RFE - 12/28/06 Iran, Afghan foreign ministers call for economic cooperation Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki conferred on Thursday in Kabul with his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta on expansion of economic and commercial ties between the two nations. -IRNA - 12/28/06 US Says New Israeli Settlement Would Violate 'Road Map' The United States said Wednesday Israel's plan to build a new settlement in the West Bank would violate Israeli obligations under the international Middle East peace road map. The State Department said U.S. diplomats are seeking an explanation from Israel. -VOA - 12/28/06 US warns Iran over 'downward spiral' with UN nuclear The United States warned Iran against heading into a "downward spiral" of non-cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA after Tehran's parliament authorized the government to limit the agency's access to its atomic sites. -AFP - 12/28/06 Larijani: Special committee appointed to examine revision of Iran-IAEA relations Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani on Wednesday declared the formation of a special committee to examine various dimensions of government's plan to revise its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). -IRNA - 12/27/06 Iran Activists Protest Crackdown On Universities More than 500 Iranian rights activists have issued a statement protesting what they describe as a government crackdown on universities, Radio Farda reported. - 12/27/06 Iran: Expert Says UN Sanctions Leading To Lose-Lose Situation RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari interviewed Trita Parsi, author of the forthcoming book "Treacherous Triangle: The Secret Dealings Of Iran, Israel, And United States" and president of the National Iranian-American Council. - 12/27/06 Speaking of "wiping" countries off the map: NATO's New Middle East map Speaking of "wiping" countries off the map, I wonder if he has seen the NATO's New Middle East map? I think he should. It was presented at their last meeting. Iran will lose most of its oil, gas, mountains, and water access shores and sources and gets some of Afghanistan's barren deserts (for learning poppy cultivation technology, I wonder!) -Khosrow Jamshidi - 12/27/06 US National Wrestling Team not to be fingerprinted in - Iranian official Head of the Iranian Wrestling Federation Mohammad-Reza Yazdani-Khorram said on Wednesday that members of the US National Wrestling Team will not be fingerprinted upon their arrival in the country. -IRNA - 12/27/06 Third International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora: Call for papers for presentation Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) is pleased to announce its Third International Conference on the Iranian Diaspora, to take place April 28-29, 2007 at New York University in New York, NY. - 12/27/06 U.S. says evidence links Iran military to plots in Iraq The U.S. military said it had credible evidence linking Iranians and their Iraqi associates, detained here in raids last week, to criminal activities, including attacks against U.S. forces. Evidence also emerged that some of the detainees were involved in shipments of weapons to illegal armed groups in Iraq. -IHT - 12/27/06 Iran's SAIPA produces 350,000 autos in nine months Production from Iran's automaker SAIPA Co. has increased by 75 percent and has reached 350,000 during the first nine months of the year (Iranian year ends March 20, 2006). -MNA - 12/27/06 Iran, US main competitors in Takhti Cup contests, says official The International Free Style Contests of Takhti Cup will be held in Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on January 18-19. -IRNA - 12/27/06 Pope appreciates Iranians' sentiments for Mary, Jesus Christ Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Wednesday in a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Holy See delivered a written message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. -IRNA - 12/27/06 Iran, Switzerland reach preliminary gas transfer agreement "We have agreed on gas transfer via a pipeline passing through Turkey three weeks ago," Nosratollah Seifi, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) noted. -MNA - 12/27/06 A careful approach to US-Iran dialogue on Iraq A dialogue with Iran and its regional ally Syria is one of the key recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, echoing the sentiments of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who suggests to focus less on Iraq's internal problems and more on the regional dimension to de-escalate Iraq's crisis. -Kaveh Afrasiabi, Boston Globe - 12/27/06 Iran calls in UK envoy over Blair Iran's foreign ministry has summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to strongly criticise recent comments made by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. -BBC - 12/27/06 Iranian Basij Students Protest UN Sanctions A group of Basij militia members today gathered in front of the UN office in Tehran to protest against a Security Council resolution imposing limited sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment work. -RFE - 12/27/06 Iran: Guardian Council confirms Majlis nuclear ratification The Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) on Wednesday ratified a double-urgency bill urging the government to accelerate Iran's peaceful nuclear activities and make a revision in the country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to meet interests of the nation. -IRNA - 12/27/06 Iran to revise IAEA co-operation Iran's parliament has passed a bill which obliges the government to review its co-operation with the United Nation's nuclear agency, the IAEA. -BBC - 12/27/06 Iran in Afghanistan: Paving with good intentions? The rise of Hezbollah, with Iran's support, has demonstrated the extent of Tehran's sway in Lebanon, and the American toppling of Saddam Hussein has allowed it to expand its influence in Iraq. Iran has been making inroads into Afghanistan, as well. -IHT - 12/27/06 MAHAK - The society to support Children suffering from Cancer The MAHAK charity is one of the most impressive charitable organizations in Iran. Their aim is that no child in Iran diagnosed with cancer has to go without treatment because of lack of money. -Paul Sanford, Tehran - 12/26/06 Iranian Christians Celebrate Christmas Iranian Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in a somewhat similar fashion as it is celebrated around the world. -CHN - 12/26/06 Persian culture & Non-Persian Contributors As a Persian living in Diaspora, I have always felt responsible to show a fair portrait of my land, history and culture. For this very reason, with the help of friends and family, I managed to gather some books and documents as well as website addresses all equipping me with enough sources to play my part in this very corner of the world. -Marjan Abdi - 12/26/06 20 teams to attend World Cup, Grand Prix fencing contests in Kish Bulgaria, Turkmenistan, Australia, Belarus, Russia, Germany, China, Italy, France, Romania, Venezuela, Kuwait, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Canada, Holland, US and Portugal are the teams to attend the contests. -IRNA - 12/26/06 Another Cuneiform Brick Inscription Found in Rabat Tepe Archeologists at the historic site of Rabat Tepe, northwest Iran, discovered the fourth cuneiform inscription written with white glaze. Similar inscriptions had previously only been seen in the structure of the Gate of Babylon. -CHN - 12/26/06 Iranian FM: Government backs bill on revising relations with IAEA The government supports a bill to revise Iran's relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), currently under review by the Majlis, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Tehran on Tuesday. -IRNA - 12/26/06 Iran's nuclear drive linked to looming oil crisis: US study Iran's nuclear ambitions are motivated not just by a desire for regional supremacy but by a potentially devastating crisis in its oil industry, a US researcher has said in a report. -AFP - 12/26/06 Iran, Iraq study expansion of economic cooperation Visiting Iraqi Minister of Commerce and Finance Bayan Jabr conferred in Tehran Tuesday with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries. -IRNA - 12/26/06 Christmas stamps displayed in Iran On the occasion of Christmas, an exhibition of artistic stamp collection from 16 countries around the world was held in Mashad, Iran. -ISNA - 12/26/06 Iran says oil industry hit by US pressures Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh has lamented that the development of Iran's oil industry was suffering from US pressure -AFP - 12/26/06 Iran prepared to export gas to Azerbaijan The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan announced on Tuesday that the country is prepared to export gas to the ex-Soviet state. He stated that gas transport to Georgia is also possible via Azerbaijan, commenting, "The Islamic Republic supports its neighbors." -MNA - 12/26/06 Olmert Says He Wants to Renew Peace Talks with Syria Israel says it would like to revive negotiations with neighboring Syria. But as Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, Israel is setting down some tough pre-conditions. - 12/26/06 Iran, Qatar reach agreement on joint management of oilfield A joint platform has been built at Mobarak Oilfield around Iran's Abu Musa Island and the two countries would take their share of the production from the joint field, Akbar Torkan, the managing director of Iran's Pars Oil and Gas Company said. -MNA - 12/26/06 Some in Iran ask whether their country and U.S. can ease tensions At a time of worsening tension between Iran and the United States, many Iranians are asking whether the two estranged nations can still move past their old arguments and at least communicate civilly, if not reconcile. -Boston Globe - 12/26/06 A philosophical conference in Tehran Tehran is a big city and many things go on quietly. On a sunny but cold Sunday morning we were invited, most unusually, to a one-day philosophical conference, organized by Dr Simon Farid Oliai of Paris and Tehran which took place at the Swiss Ambassador’s Residence in Elahieh. Dr Oliai is a delightful thinker, scholar and philosopher, fluent in many languages, who is very enthusiastic and ardent about his subjects. The title of the conference was the Global Impact of European Cultural and Philosophical Heritage. -Paul Sanford - 12/25/06 Help Save Nima Nima is a 19-year old Iranian student who has been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (also known as ALL). He is currently in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. - 12/25/06 13th Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering: February 2007 at Sharif University in Tehran The 13th Iranian Conference on Biomedical Engineering will be held on Feb 21-22, 2007, in Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. The Conference will focus on recent advances. - 12/25/06 US Forces in Baghdad Seize Iranians Invited to Iraq Iraqi officials say Iraqi President Jalal Talabani had invited two of the Iranians to the capital, and he was unhappy that U.S. forces had detained them. -VOA - 12/25/06 Film Crew Leave Fake Blood Stains On Walls of Persepolis Stains of fake blood left by film crew making a movie at the ancient Palace of Persepolis on the walls of palace of King Xerxes have outraged cultural heritage experts. -CHN - 12/25/06 Famed filmmakers to present documentary on Iranian carpet at Fajr Film Festival Fifteen veteran directors have come together to put Iranian carpet in spotlight through an episodic documentary to be shown at the 25th International Farj Film Festival. Commissioned by Iran National Carpet Center, the project has been produced by Reza Mirkarimi in collaboration with Farabi Cinematic Foundation. -MNA - 12/25/06 Iran in talks with LUKoil over North Azadegan Oilfield National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is currently in talks with Russia's LUKoil on the development of North Azadegan Oilfield, southern Iran, NIOC managing director said. -MNA - 12/25/06 UNICEF's Iranian envoy, actress Mahtab Keramati, visits Bam Iranian actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mahtab Keramati paid a visit to Bam ahead of the anniversary of a devastating earthquake that hit the southeastern city on Dec. 26, 2003. Keramati along with a group of UNICEF members visited the region to observe the progress of the world body's reconstruction operations. -MNA - 12/25/06 Iran: Debate heats up over new MP qualifications bill On Sunday, the Majlis approved a bill stating that only candidates who have a master's degree and five years of administrative experience can run in parliamentary elections. The bill is yet to be endorsed by the Guardian Council. -MNA - 12/25/06 Goods labelled with "Arabian Gulf" banned in Iran "Goods tagged Arabian Gulf and textiles that have the Persian Gulf map printed on them but are titled as Arabian Gulf are banned from import to Iran," informed Iran's custom affairs deputy, Mohammad Reza Naderi. -ISNA - 12/25/06 National Iranian Oil Company puts development of 17 new oil blocks on tender Development of some 17 new oil blocks will be put on tender for domestic and foreign executives in Vienna on February 1-2, Director for Exploration Affairs of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mahmoud Mohades said on Monday. -IRNA - 12/25/06 U.S. holds four Iranians seized in Iraq The American military is holding at least four Iranians in Iraq, including men the Bush administration called senior military officials, who were seized in a pair of raids late last week aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces, according to senior Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad and Washington. -IHT - 12/25/06 IRAQ: Smuggled oil hampering reconstruction Hundreds of health, education and infrastructure projects have been delayed because of corruption and the smuggling of oil, according to officials in the Ministry of Reconstruction. -IRIN - 12/25/06 CASMII Statement on UN Sanctions against Iran: A Terrible Day for International Diplomacy The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran is gravely concerned about the latest development in the United Nations Security Council. The imposition of sanctions by the Council is ill-advised and destructive to peaceful dialogue. This action not only robs Iranians of their inalienable rights enjoyed by every other nation, it also exposes the irresponsible way in which the international body is being used as a tool to satisfy militant warmongers in US and the West. - 12/24/06 Find courage to take principled stand: Letter to Gordon Brown Dear Mr Gordon Brown, We are writing to you on the day that the UN Security Council is voting on a resolution to impose sanctions against Iran, in order to convey our grave concerns regarding the Labour government’s current stance towards Iran and to urge you, as a likely member of a future Labour cabinet, to use your influence to persuade the Prime Minister to enter into meaningful diplomatic dialogue with Iran without any preconditions. -Campaign Iran - 12/24/06 Iran To Install 3,000 Centrifuges At Natanz Iran says it will start installing 3,000 centrifuges at its Natanz uranium-enrichment plant from today as an "immediate reaction" to a UN Security Council resolution. -RFE - 12/24/06 Ahmadinejad: Wrong Man, Wrong Place, Wrong Time! The mocking of Ahmadinejad's picture by students during the President’s unexpected visit of Amir Kabir University last week reflects a political trend of frustration in the Iranian society. "Down with the Dictator" and similar slogans were heard for the first time during the president’s speech a few days ago in Tehran; these messages are unlike other dominant messages typically utilized by the government’s modern propaganda machine. -Omid Memarian - 12/24/06 Iranian MPs introduce double-urgency motion on suspension of IAEA inspections A number of Iranian MPs introduced a double-urgency motion to Majlis on Sunday calling for suspension of the UN nuclear watchdog's inspection of Iranian nuclear sites following the approval of an anti-Iran resolution by the United Nations Security Council. -IRNA - 12/24/06 Iran's Khatami wishes for a year of peace On Sunday, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami expressed hope that the New Year would be a year of peace. -MNA - 12/24/06 Blair seen as part of Middle East problems Prime Minister Tony Blair fulfilled his pledge to travel to the Middle East before the end of the year but his visit only underlined that the British leader has become part of the region's problems. -IRNA - 12/24/06 What We Wanted to Tell You about Iran Here is the redacted version of a draft Op-Ed article we wrote for The Times, as blacked out by the Central Intelligence Agency’s Publication Review Board after the White House intervened in the normal prepublication review process and demanded substantial deletions. Agency officials told us that they had concluded on their own that the original draft included no classified material, but that they had to bow to the White House. -Common Dreams - 12/24/06 US hails Iran UN sanctions, urges financial, weapons limits The United States hailed long-sought UN sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program and urged individual countries to further isolate Tehran with financial and weapons limits. -AFP - 12/24/06 Architects designing Iran's largest site-specific museum at Gohar-Tappeh in Mazandaran A group of architects has recently begun designing what will be Iran's largest site-specific museum at the Iron Age Site of Gohar-Tappeh in the northern province of Mazandaran. -IRNA - 12/24/06 Iran set to use Japan satellite know-how to preserve historical sites Iran is seeking Japan's cooperation for providing satellite images needed for preservation of historical sites, said a Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) official in Tehran on Sunday. - 12/24/06 Iran condemns UN resolution as illegal The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement here on Saturday condemning the UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear work as an illegal measure violating the terms of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Statute. -MNA - 12/24/06 Current and future labour cabinets urged to block Bush-Blair on Iran A letter will be delivered to No 10 and No.11 Downing Street today (December 22) urging the current cabinet, Gordon Brown and potential members of his future cabinet to oppose current moves towards military intervention in Iran. -Campaign Iran - 12/23/06 Vandals Behead Bas Relief of Achaemenid Soldier at Persepolis One of the members of a film crew making a feature-length film at the Palace of Persepolis was arrested last Thursday for vandalizing two Achaemenid bas-reliefs at Palace H, denoted to King Artaxerxes (465-425 BC), grandson of Darius the Great. -CHN - 12/23/06 Security Council approves Iran sanctions The resolution orders all countries to ban the supply of specified materials and technology that could contribute to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. It also imposes an asset freeze on key companies and individuals in the country's nuclear and missile programs named on a U.N. list. -AP - 12/23/06 106 Sassanid Ossuary Tombs Discovered in Khark Island Archeologists at the Persian Gulf Island of Khark discovered 106 ossuary tombs belonging to the Sassanid dynastic era (224-651 AD) dug into a cliff. -CHN - 12/23/06 Blair's Mideast Message Echoes Past Failure Tony Blair has toured the Middle East and called for an "alliance of moderation" against Iran, in an effort to restart the Middle East peace process and reduce Tehran’s influence in the region. But the idea that the problems of the region can be resolved by isolating Iran has been tried before – under much more favorable circumstances – and failed. Now when Washington and London’s credibility is at an all time low in the region, can this failed strategy suddenly succeed? -Trita Parsi, IPS - 12/23/06 Iran determined to fight false names for "Persian Gulf" Iran is determined to fight the use of the false titles for Persian Gulf and will not clear the goods re-exported under the sham names for the forever "Persian" Gulf. -MNA - 12/23/06 Internet allows Iranian Jews to mourn The 52-year-old Los Angeles woman first laid eyes on her grandparents' headstones two months ago on the Web site Beheshtieh.com. The site has photographs of thousands of graves from Beheshtieh Cemetery. -AP - 12/23/06 U.S. "big stick" policy will fail in Persian Gulf Concurrently with the efforts of the United States and Britain to issue a UN resolution against Iran's civilian nuclear program, the Pentagon has dispatched more warships to the Persian Gulf. During his recent surprise visit to Iraq, new U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated that U.S. forces would remain in the region for a very long time. -Hassan Hanizadeh - 12/23/06 Many Azeris see Iranian hand behind wave of unrest BAKU, Azerbaijan: An article denigrating Islam published early last month in an obscure newspaper here in the capital has led to emotional demonstrations across Azerbaijan and in Iran. A prominent Iranian cleric demanded the death of the two writers of the article, who have been imprisoned in Azerbaijan. -IHT - 12/23/06 Iraq: Istanbul Conference Enflames Sectarian Tensions On December 13-14, Turkey hosted a "Conference for the Support of the Iraqi People" in Istanbul that brought together more than 150 attendees, including politicians, religious figures, intellectuals and activists, from both inside and outside Iraq. -RFE - 12/23/06 Iranian clay tablets to return home: Official "We had a phone conversation with Chicago University officials yesterday and they told us that the court was postponed to the 19th of January," said Omid Ghanami. -ISNA - 12/23/06 2006, Year of U.S. Failure: Iranian Defense Minister Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar on Friday called 2006 the year of the absolute failure of the U.S. aggressive policies in the Middle East. -MNA - 12/23/06 Now Blair must appeal to Iran's moderates Little more than a month after floating a civil "partnership" with Tehran in his annual Guildhall speech, Blair filed a petition for divorce in Dubai. What changed his mind on this (and on Syrian engagement) is unclear. Possibly it was his recent visit to the White House. Whatever the answer, his stated grounds for seeking a separation were clear. -Guardian - 12/23/06 Iran to test 1st semi-submersible oil rig in 2007 Iran will test its first locally made semi-submersible oil rig in the Caspian Sea in the first half of the next Iranian calendar year, said an official of the National Iran Oil Company (NIOC) Friday afternoon. -IRNA - 12/23/06 British soldier 'gave Army secrets to Iran' A British soldier has been charged with passing secret information linked to the military campaign in Afghanistan to Iran, The Times has learnt. The case was considered so sensitive that after the charge had been read out, reporters were told to leave and the remainder of the hearing was held in camera. -TIMES Online - 12/23/06 Iran warns U.N. to expect reaction over sanctions Iran's parliamentary speaker said on Saturday parliament would alter Iran's relationship with the United Nations' IAEA nuclear watchdog if the U.N. Security Council issued a sanctions resolution against Iran. -Reuters - 12/23/06 UN Security Council Expected To Vote On Sanctions Against Iran The UN Security Council is to vote today on a resolution imposing sanctions on Tehran for its nuclear program. The resolution demands Tehran end all uranium-enrichment work -- which can produce fuel for nuclear power plants and bombs -- and halt research and development that can make or deliver atomic weapons. -RFE - 12/23/06 Iranian Chemical Attacks Victims In response to Saddam's recent proud confession in court to gassing Iranians, we post the text of speech by Kamin Mohammadi at the joint Action Iran and CASMII meeting in London on September 19th this year. Ms Mohammadi spent three months in Iran and its Kurdish region earlier this year to produce her full report. -CASMII - 12/22/06 Target Iran: Former UN Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter and Investigative Journalist Seymour Hersh on White House Plans for Regime Change The Pentagon has announced plans to move additional warships and strike aircraft into the Persian Gulf region to be within striking range of Iran. We air an in-depth discussion between two of the leading critical voices on the Bush administration’s policy in Iran: former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, author of "Target Iran: The Truth About the White House's Plans for Regime Change", and Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist for The New Yorker magazine. -Democracy Now - 12/22/06 Iran: Youth Leader Discusses Recent Local Elections The recent municipal elections in Tehran were a rejection of hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, says student activist Mohammad Hashemi. Hashemi -- a leader of Daftare Tahkim Vahdat, Iran's largest reformist student organization -- spoke recently by phone from Tehran with RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. - 12/22/06 Iran forging ahead in Iraq without U.S Some Western diplomats in Iraq say the Iranians are able to leave their embassy compound more easily without fear of kidnapping or street violence, and they call on their Iranian colleagues for assessments of developments in Iraq. But a number of Iraqis suggest that Tehran exaggerates its influence in Iraq, hoping the perception of its importance will give it more leverage in its dispute with the United States and European allies over its nuclear program. -Borzou Daragahi, Times - 12/22/06 Iran to host nine women's bands Nine women's bands will be participating at the upcoming International Fajr Music Festival. Music ensembles Orkideh, Yavaran, Jivar, Avaz, Yaran, Neyriz, Parishad, Ava-ye Mehrabani, and Parirokh will perform at the event. -MNA - 12/22/06 Ahmadinejad derides Bush for baseless accusations against Iran Referring to Bush threats on imposing sanctions and isolating the Islamic Republic of Iran on nuclear program, he said, "You have been isolated in the world and if you do not believe it you and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair could arrange a trip to other countries to see how the world nations would welcome you." -IRNA - 12/22/06 Russia Wants UN to Delay Iran Sanctions Vote Russia is seeking a delay of a U.N. Security Council vote scheduled for Friday on a resolution penalizing Iran for its suspect nuclear program. -VOA - 12/22/06 Iran provides IAEA some documents related to Natanz - Diplomats Foreign diplomats in Vienna here Friday said that Iran has provided IAEA with some documents related to its Natanz nuclear facilities. -IRNA - 12/22/06 Iran replaces dollar with euro in foreign deals The Iranian government prepared ground for replacement of dollar with euro and other foreign exchanges, Secretariat of the government's information dissemination council said on Friday. -IRNA - 12/22/06 A great coffee place in Tehran Tehran like all other metropolises has many hidden beautiful corners and places. I had heard from my good friends about a lovely café near 7th Tir Square. They had assured me that it offers great coffee and the ambiance is top notch. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 12/22/06 Iranians Celebrate Yalda Night While the Christians all over the world are getting ready to celebrate Christmas, Iranians will rejoice in celebration of one of their most ancient traditions, the night of Yalda. -CHN - 12/22/06 Haleh Anvari's Chador Dadar exhibition in Tehran Last Friday, Haleh Anvari’s new exhibition of photographs Chador Dadar opened in the Etemad Gallery in Tehran. It was a very crowded and busy gathering on the first snowy night of the winter in North Tehran. -Paul Sanford - 12/21/06 Iranian President's Allies Defeated In Local Elections Final results of the elections for the crucial Tehran city council show that the allies of Iran's hard-line president Mahmud Ahmadinejad have suffered a defeat at the hands of moderate conservatives and reformists, Radio Farda reported. - 12/21/06 UN Security Council Sets Vote On Iran Sanctions The U.N. Security Council is set to adopt a resolution penalizing Iran for its suspect nuclear program. But as VOA's correspondent at the U.N. Peter Heinlein reports, the penalties have been weakened to meet Russia's objections. - 12/21/06 FM: Adopting anti-Iran resolution to further complicate status Iranian Foreign Minister said here Wednesday adopting a UNSC revolution against Iran would merely further complicate status of Iran's nuclear program, regarded as antagonistic, and within national security threats. -IRNA - 12/21/06 2007 oil price forecast back up to dlrs 57 after OPEC agreement The Center for Global Energy Studies (CGES) has reversed next year's average oil price forecast back up to over 57 dollars per barrel after OPEC's agreement last week to make further quota cuts from February. -IRNA - 12/21/06 Turkmenistan: President's Death Brings Muted World Reaction The 66-year-old Niyazov died of cardiac arrest in the early hours today. "Turkmenbashi" -- or the great leader of the Turkmen, as he was known -- led one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. -RFE - 12/21/06 U.S. and Britain to add ships to Persian Gulf in signal to Iran The United States and Britain will begin moving additional warships and strike aircraft into the Persian Gulf region in a display of military resolve toward Iran that will come as the United Nations continues to debate possible sanctions against the country, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday. -IHT - 12/21/06 Nuclear Games Nicholas Burns had the audacity to undermine the American public's intelligence and mock the world by announcing that "after 30 years we have realized that the NPT is ineffective, therefore we are going to reward India for non-proliferation. In response to a reporter who quizzed him about Iran, he said we plan to punish Iran for violating the NPT!" -Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich - 12/21/06 Bush: No Direct Talks with Iran U.S. President George Bush says there will be no direct talks with Iran until it stops enriching uranium. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, a bipartisan panel studying U.S. policy in Iraq has urged the president to include Tehran in discussions about finding a new way forward in Iraq. - 12/21/06 Howard Zinn on The Uses of History and the War on Terrorism Howard Zinn is one of this country's most celebrated historians. After serving as a bombardier in World War II, Howard Zinn went on to become a lifelong dissident and peace activist. He was active in the civil rights movement and many of the struggles for social justice over the past 40 years. -Democracy Now - 12/21/06 After Baker-Hamilton: What to Do in Iraq After Baker-Hamilton: What to Do in Iraq,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation in Iraq and the wider region in the wake of the Iraq Study Group. Co-chaired by James Baker and Lee Hamilton, the Study Group described with necessary candour the magnitude of the Iraqi calamity. - 12/21/06 Implementing the Iraq Study Group’s Recommendations on Iran Of the Iraq Study Group’s 79 recommendations, seven deal directly with Iran and the question of US-Iranian relations. This memorandum examines Iranian activities and interests in Iraq and presents some specific thoughts on next steps the Bush administration could take in implementing the ISG report recommendations. -NIAC - 12/21/06 Iran: Election Results Show Anti-Ahmadinejad Vote Safdar Husseini, the reformist coalition's provincial campaign coordinator, said in Tehran on December 18 that of the 1,524 people who have been declared winners in municipal elections around Iran, 605 can be considered reformers, 438 as conservatives, 429 as independents, and only 52 on the list of Ahmadinejad's allies -RFE - 12/21/06 Lavrov calls for participation of Iran, Syria in solving Middle East crisis Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday said that an international conference, to be attended by Iran and Syria, should be held to solve the Middle East crisis. -IRNA - 12/20/06 Blair Calls For Moderate Alliance Against Iran British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on the final day of a Middle East tour, urged world leaders today to step forward in support of moderates against "forces of extremism" in Iran and elsewhere in the region. -RFE - 12/20/06 Hajieh Esmailvand, previously sentenced to stoning, acquitted of adultery in a re-trial and released Hajieh Esmailvand was acquitted on 9 December 2006 of the charge of adultery for which she had been sentenced to execution by stoning. She had been released on bail in September 2006 pending a retrial. Ruhollah G remains at risk of execution after being sentenced to qesas (retribution in kind) for the murder of Hajieh Esmailvand's husband. -Amnesty International - 12/20/06 Life is given by God and must be taken by him Having inherited the foundation of Human Rights from a just Emperor, Cyrus the Great 2500 years ago, we must be teaching the world how to develop human souls to eradicate crime. Shamefully enough, we are witnessing the fact that even all the basic human rights are being violated in the very land of the founder of them! -Dr. Marjan Abdi, IFSI Institute - 12/20/06 Iran's Saipa Diesel to introduce Chinese Foton truck next year In a bid to compete with Isuzu trucks built at Bahman Group, Saipa Diesel Co. is going to kick off the production of Chinese Foton in the first half of next Iranian year -MNA - 12/20/06 Tehran mayor flying high in Iran vote A self-proclaimed technocrat and qualified airline pilot, Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has emerged as one of the main winners of Iran's municipal elections. -AFP - 12/20/06 Bush to Expand Military President Bush says he wants to increase the size of the United States military in order to wage a sustained war on terrorism. -VOA - 12/20/06 Asian Cup draw: Iran in Group C with Uzbekistan, China and Malaysia The draw for finals of the Asian Cup 2007 to be held from July 7-29 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. -MNA - 12/20/06 Ahmadinejad allies defeated in Tehran elections Allies of hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmmadinejad have suffered a stinging defeat in elections for Tehran's city council, losing to moderate conservative and reformist forces. -AFP - 12/20/06 Belgian TV: 300 repentant MKO members return home Belgian television RTBF-1 in a report dispatched from Tehran said 300 repentant members of the terrorist MKO grouplet have returned to the Islamic Republic. -IRNA - 12/20/06 Russia Says West Trying To Punish Iran In UN Resolution Lavrov said Western powers were trying to "turn the situation in their favor" by inserting into the resolution statements that would "de facto lift all limits on restrictions" and could "sever trade and economic ties with Iran in completely legitimate areas." -RFE - 12/20/06 UN General Assembly Cites Iran For Human Rights Abuses The United Nations General Assembly has voted to express "serious concern" about a long list of human rights abuses in Iran and to call on Iranian authorities to ensure full respect for such rights. - 12/20/06 “Leave Us Alone,” Iranian Reformers Say If the Bush Administration attacks Iran, it would be violating the U.N. Charter. And it would also be violating the Algiers Accord that the United States signed with Iran in 1981 to end the hostage crisis. Point I, paragraph 1, of that accord states, “The United States pledges that it is and from now on will be the policy of the United States not to intervene, directly or indirectly, politically or militarily, in Iran’s internal affairs.” -Muhammad Sahimi, Progressive - 12/20/06 White House Refuses Comment on Iran "show of force" Report The Bush administration says it will not comment on reports it is considering a naval build-up off the coast of Iran. The reports began to surface as Iranian leaders vowed to defy any international sanctions relating to Tehran's nuclear ambitions. -VOA - 12/20/06 Monotheistic religions exhibition kicks off in Tehran This year's competition focuses on the pictorial representation of religious leaders' biographies, the prophets' teachings. Artists from Turkey, India, Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, the U.S., France, Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, the UAE, and Germany are competing at the event. -MNA - 12/20/06 Some Arab companies freeze business ties with Iran over Persian Gulf As a result to recent rumors which have distorted the Persian Gulf as the fake Arabian Gulf, some Arab companies have broken up their business relations with Iranian companies. -ISNA - 12/20/06 Oil Minister: European states will suffer most from economic sanction on Iran Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh said on Wednesday that the European states will suffer the most if possible economic sanction being orchestrated by Washington on Iran creates obstacle in the way of Iranian crude oil output. -IRNA - 12/20/06 'Mass purges' at Iran universities Iranian students say there is a second cultural revolution under way in the universities with scores of professors forcibly retired and politically active students being threatened with expulsion. -BBC - 12/20/06 Release of persecuted Iranian trade unionist welcomed The ITUC and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) today welcomed the release of detained Iranian trade unionist Mansour Osanloo, while deploring the fact that he had to post additional bail to ensure his release. - 12/20/06 Turkmen-Iran Free Trade Zone Withers Hopes that business and cultural links would be boosted have been dashed by lack of interest from both Turkmen and Iranian governments. -Muhammad Tahir - 12/19/06 5000-Y-Old Shrouded Skeleton of a Child Found near Burnt City Archeologists at the prehistoric Taleb Khan Tepe, southeast Iran, discovered the remaining skeleton of a child from the third millennium BC wrapped in a white garment. -CHN - 12/19/06 We didn't make it this time but... We sure made a difference for the next election and others that follow. I am writing this without knowing the final outcome of last Friday's election for Tehran city council in which I ran as an independent westernized educated candidate. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 12/19/06 Bush Signs Law Implementing US-India Nuclear Deal The legislation he signed, in essence, exempts India from U.S. law that bars civilian nuclear trade with countries that refuse to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Washington banned such exports to help stop the spread of nuclear weapons. -VOA - 12/19/06 Democrats challenge Bush doctrine on Mideast tour Last week, Bill Nelson (D) of Florida became the first US senator to visit Syria's President Bashar Assad in nearly two years. Tuesday, Democratic Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut are due in Syria for high-level talks. -CSM - 12/19/06 Rembrandt remembered in Tehran A painting exhibition opened at the National Library and Documents Organization of Iran on Tuesday to celebrate the 400th birthday anniversary of Dutch painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. -MNA - 12/19/06 Bush White House Censors Op-Ed on Iran: Elliot Abrams Must Go Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation carries the story of how Elliot Abrams and others at the National Security Council in Bush's White House have intervened to stop the publication of an op-ed in the New York Times by Flynt Leverett. Leverett himself served in the National Security Council until not so long ago. -Juan Cole, Indymedia - 12/19/06 Dollar dropped in Iran asset move Iran is to shift its foreign currency reserves from dollars to euros and use the euro for oil deals in response to US-led pressure on its economy. -BBC - 12/19/06 US to warn Iran with naval buildup in Gulf- CBS The Pentagon is planning a major buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Gulf as a warning to Iran, CBS News reported on Monday. -Reuters - 12/19/06 Russia Voices Support For Draft Iran Resolution Russia, which has close ties to Iran, has objected to earlier drafts aimed at pressuring Iran to halt its uranium-enrichment work. But Interfax today quotes Lavrov as saying the current draft "largely reflects our approach." - 12/19/06 Ahmadinejad allies still trailing in Tehran: latest results Ultra-conservative allies of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are trailing moderate technocrats and reformists in elections for Tehran's city council, according to the latest figures reported by state television. -AFP - 12/19/06 US Wants Iran Sanctions Resolution within Days The Bush administration said Monday it wants the U.N. Security Council to vote within a matter of days on a resolution putting sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment. -VOA - 12/19/06 Iran bloggers test regime's tolerance By day, Alireza Samiei covers banking and insurance for an industry newspaper. By night, he writes a daring online blog about Iran's social and political ills. -Boston Globe - 12/19/06 Chief banker says Iran to use all currencies in international exchanges "We are going to use many currencies, and not just the euro, in our system of payments in line with national interests," said Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Ebrahim Sheibani in the seminar of `A Survey of Islamic Banking Challenges'. -IRNA - 12/19/06 Iran Confirms Rafsanjani's Election Victory Former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate conservative, garnered more than 1.5 million votes, which is the most of any candidate. - 12/19/06 Iran: Early Election Results Seen As Bad For President As results slowly emerge from the Iranian city council and Assembly of Experts elections there seems to be one clear winner: the conservative but pragmatic Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who was badly defeated by Ahmadinejad during last year's presidential vote. -RFE - 12/19/06 Underwater Archeology Center to be Established in the Persian Gulf A research center for underwater archeology will be established in the Persian Gulf as the first attempt to recover the Partho-Sassanid shipwreck discovered last September at a depth of 70 meters near Siraf Port. -CHN - 12/19/06 Lessons from the Keeper: Interview with Kayvan Mashayekh & Crew on DVD Release of Khayyam movie It’s been a long and thrilling journey of six years for its director Kayvan Mashayekh and his young crew of actors, producers, technicians and all who contributed to the making of his first independent epic film The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam. -Darius Kadivar - 12/18/06 The World Isn't Florida and the US Isn't Its Supreme Leader: On the Municipal Elections in Iran Had this election occurred in an allied country of the United States, it would have been celebrated as the highest achievement of American foreign policy. But the Bush administration and the mainstream media disregard elections held under an alleged "totalitarian" state as a nonevent. -Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi - 12/18/06 Iranian photographer Javid Tafazzoli wins two medals Venice International Photo Contest The official in charge of Iran's Youth Cinema Association in Mashhad, Nassrin Shah-Mohammadi, said here Monday that a young photographer from the provincial capital of Mashhad, Javid Tafazzoli, managed to grab gold and bronze medals at Venice International Photo Contest 2006. -IRNA - 12/18/06 Iranian cartoonist Daryush Ramezani wins Euro Humor award Iranian artists win the main section awards of the international (2006-2007) Euro Humor festival with the subject of "School, the Teacher of Life". -ISNA - 12/18/06 Iranian students hide in fear for lives after venting fury at Ahmadinejad Iranian student activists who staged an angry protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week have gone into hiding in fear for their lives after his supporters threatened them with revenge. -Guardian - 12/18/06 What Iran vote says about Ahmadinejad's support The president's supporters hailed Friday's high turnout as a sign of satisfaction; reformers pointed to discontent. -CSM - 12/18/06 So Much for Inalienable Rights Two weeks ago, during his Senate confirmation hearings, nominee Robert Gates was asked if he believed the Iranians were trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Gates said he did. He was then asked if he believed "the Iranians would consider using that nuclear weapons capability against the nation of Israel." Gates said he didn’t. -Antiwar.com - 12/18/06 Persian version of Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" available in Iran The Nobel Prize-winning American author Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" has hit Iran's bookstores. Translated by Nilufar Shidfar and Ali Azarang, the book came out by the Daricheh Publications. -MNA - 12/18/06 Iran has 1,400 uranium mines: AEOI official AEOI Deputy Head for Nuclear Fuel Hossein Faqihian made the the disclosure in an address to a conference introducing the nation's nuclear technologies and achievements in the northeastern city of Mashhad. -IRNA - 12/18/06 Iran vote "decisive defeat" for president: reformers Iran's biggest reformist party said on Monday President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had suffered a "decisive defeat" in nationwide elections last week due to his government's "authoritarian and inefficient methods." -Reuters - 12/18/06 Iraq: Political Parties Consider Uniting Against Al-Sadr The decision by radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to pull his political bloc out of the Iraqi government to protest Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's decision to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush on November 30 has brought the Iraqi political process to a virtual standstill. -RFE - 12/18/06 Iran asks UN to deal with Israel's nuclear arsenal Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki has rebuked the United Nations Security Council for doing nothing about Israel's nuclear arsenal. -MNA - 12/18/06 Ahmadinejad allies trail in Iran vote battlegrounds Ultra-conservative allies of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are lagging in key election battlegrounds after gains by moderate conservatives and a solid reformist showing. -AFP - 12/18/06 Iranian new wave filmmaker Farrokh Ghaffari dies in Paris Farrokh Ghaffari, one of the original new wave filmmakers of Iran, died in Paris on Sunday. He was 85 years old. - 12/18/06 Iran's Biggest Prehistoric Site Discovered in Bam A prehistoric site, almost twice bigger than the Burnt City, has been discovered near the city of Bam, most probably belonging to 5000-6000 years ago. The blade of a bronze axe and statuette of a cow made of burnt brick are among the discoveries in the area. -CHN - 12/18/06 Poetry: Echoes in Exile by Sheema Kalbasi An important and honest voice from the Middle East. Sheema Kalbasi is a human right activist, an award winning poet, and literary translator. She is the director of Dialogue of Nations through Poetry in Translation, director of Poetry of Iranian Women Project, the poetry editor of Muse Apprentice Guild and the co-director of the Other Voices International project. - 12/18/06 Foreign Minister terms any sanction on Iran as 'hostile' Referring to any sanctions against Iran as "ineffective", Mottaki expressed the hope that the parties to the dispute on Iranian nuclear program would return to negotiation. -IRNA - 12/17/06 Iran Khodro planning to export 100,000 passenger cars next year Iranian carmaker Iran Khodro Co. is planning to export 100,000 passenger cars next year (Iranian calendar year starts March 21, 2007), the company said on Sunday. -MNA - 12/17/06 Ahmadinejad's allies struggle in Iran elections Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's allies failed to dominate elections for a powerful Iranian clerical body and local councils, early results showed on Sunday, in what analysts said was a setback to the president's standing. -Reuters - 12/17/06 The March to War: Political Crises in Lebanon and Palestine Lebanon and Palestine are both unique lands on the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean and within the Levant; they are two ancient lands that have seen great armies and navies come and go in the course of history. -Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, Global Research - 12/17/06 Iran May Begin Sharing Nuclear Technology Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his nation is ready to begin sharing its nuclear technology with nearby states. -VOA - 12/17/06 US accused of using aid to sway votes in UN security council The US uses its aid budget to bribe those countries which have a vote in the United Nations security council, giving them 59 per cent more cash in years when they have a seat, according to research by economists. -Guardian - 12/17/06 Asian Games Close With China Winning Most Medals China won the most medals, 316, with 165 gold. South Korea was second with 58 gold medals in its total of 193. Japan had more total medals than South Korea, but had 50 golds. -VOA - 12/17/06 Train derailment in central Iran leaves eight injured The number of people injured as a result of derailment of a passenger train near the central city of Kashan Sunday morning has raised to eight, said a local official. -IRNA - 12/17/06 Iranian Oil Minister lauds signing $128b energy deals over last year Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh said on Sunday Iran has signed total of energy deals valued at $128 billion over the past year. MNA - 12/17/06 Iran: Elections Test President's Popularity Iranians have cast ballots for local councils and a powerful clerical body in polls that look set to give the first indication of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's popularity since his election victory in June 2005. -RFE - 12/17/06 FIFA lifts ban on Iran FIFA President Sepp Blatter Sunday said the world football's governing body has decided to lift its international ban on Iran. -IRNA - 12/17/06 First women-only radio cab service starts operation in Tehran The service came about at the repeated requests of female clients for a safe and comfortable taxi ride, deputy of transportation bureau at Tehran Municipality Seyyed Jafar Tashakori-Hashemi said. -MNA - 12/17/06 Asian Games: Yazdani, Massoumi give Iran wrestling gold, silver Iran's Reza Yazdani and Fardin Massoumi won the Asian Games 84 and 120kg freestyle wrestling gold and silver medals here Thursday. -MNA - 12/16/06 Two SCU Law School Alumni Honored for Pro Bono Work Julie Saffren and Fariba Soroosh were honored in the December 2006 issue of California Lawyer magazine as two of California's outstanding pro bono lawyers. -Santa Clara University - School of Law - 12/16/06 Experts Say Washington Has Few Good Options for Dealing with Iran's Nuclear Ambitions A panel of American experts, none of whom is currently serving in government, said Friday that Washington has few good options for combating Iran's nuclear ambitions. VOA's Barry Wood reports. - 12/16/06 "Fireworks Wednesday" lights up Kerala The Iranian family drama "Fireworks Wednesday" (2006) won the Best Film Award of the 11th International Film Festival of Kerala at the closing ceremony of the Indian gala on Friday evening. -MNA - 12/16/06 Iran bags basketball bronze at Asian Games Iran took the bronze medal at men's basketball tournament of the 15th Asian Games here Friday. The Iranian side defeated Jordan 84-78 in the playoff to forget its surprising loss to the Jordanian team in their opening match. -MNA - 12/16/06 Iran calls for US policy change in Iraq, hints at assistance Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani said on Friday Washington can count on Tehran's assistance if the White House changes its policy in Iraq. -IRNA - 12/16/06 Early signs mixed in Iran vote Iran said on Saturday turnout was high in elections for local councils and a powerful clerical body, with some initial reports suggesting allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might not have won resounding backing. -Reuters - 12/16/06 Britain: Deal Emerging on Iran Sanctions British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said Friday a resolution could be finalized by Tuesday. But Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, while delegates have made modest progress, "things are not ready yet." -VOA - 12/16/06 Iran's election results to be announced on Sunday except for Tehran Results of the 4th Assembly of Experts and 3rd local council elections as well as second by-elections of the 7th Majlis in all constituencies except for Tehran will be announced Sunday evening, the interior ministry said on Saturday. -IRNA - 12/16/06 Iran to start gas transfers to Armenia in Jan 2007 Iran is to begin piping gas to Armenia in January 2007, the executor of the gas pipeline project of Iran's Gas Engineering and Development Company, Mohammad-Reza Lorzadeh, said on Saturday. -IRNA - 12/16/06 Iranians artists sweep Noma Concours Iranian artists won 17 of the 33 prizes awarded at the 15th Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations, which was held recently in Tokyo, Japan, the Shabaviz Publishing Company announced on Saturday. -MNA - 12/16/06 Iran To Host Caspian Summit Next Year Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki today said the next summit of the five Caspian Sea states would take place in Tehran in the first quarter of 2007. -RFE - 12/16/06 Iran's Women's Rights Movement and the One Million Signatures Campaign In the midst of all the horrible and worrisome news of violence, war and massacres coming from the Middle East these days, it is news about women whose humane creativity, civic movements, and life-promoting and peace-seeking activities that bring hope for the future of this bloody and turbulent region. -Nayereh Tohidi - 12/16/06 French archaeologist says Ur royal tomb artifacts came from Burnt City French archaeologist Michèle Casanova said that the artifacts unearthed from the royal tombs in the ancient Sumerian city of Ur came from Iran's 5200-year-old Burnt City, the Persian service of CHN reported on Friday. -MNA - 12/15/06 Could Iran help the US stabilize Iraq? The word "compromise" is rarely invoked when the leaders of archenemies Iran or the United States speak about each other. But as the crisis in Iraq deepens, President Bush is being asked by a growing chorus, from the Iraq Study Group to Mideast experts, to appeal directly to Iran for help. -CSM - 12/15/06 Iran: Elections Seen As Test Of Ahmadinejad's Popularity Iranians will go to the polls on December 15 to cast ballots to select the powerful Assembly of Experts -- which oversees the work of Iran's supreme leader -- and to fill city councils across the country. -RFE - 12/15/06 OPEC Delays Production Cuts Till February OPEC oil ministers meeting in Nigeria have agreed to cut the organization's overall production by half a million barrels a day in February, but turned down calls for more immediate cuts. Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA from Abuja. - 12/15/06 Iran votes in twin test for Ahmadinejad Iran is choosing a new Assembly of Experts, the body that selects the supreme leader, and voting for municipal councils in nationwide elections that will provide a crucial reading of the political temperature. -AFP - 12/15/06 Iraq: Kurds Warn Against Delaying Kirkuk Referendum As 2007 approaches, one of the more contentious issues in Iraq looks likely to come to the fore: the status of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. -RFE - 12/15/06 Computerized vote count decision still effective - Tehran's Elections HQ Chief Head of Tehran Constituency Elections Headquarters said here on Friday as long as Interior Ministry has issued no other order, decision on computerized vote count would be effective. -IRNA - 12/15/06 Israel worried by closer Hamas-Iran ties Members of the Israeli defense establishment are concerned by the close ties that seem to be developing between Iran and Hamas. In response to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's recent visit to Tehran, experts here have said Iran is seeking to form a strategic alliance with Hamas. -Haaretz - 12/15/06 With help from a friend, Mel cut to the chase For Farhad Safinia, Mel Gibson's screenwriter and co-producer on "Apocalypto," it all began with a love for chase scenes. That in turn led to long, drawn-out film discussions with Gibson that resulted in Safinia, a London-raised mathematician-turned-filmmaker, earning his first writing and producing credit. -Reuters - 12/15/06 Senator Kerry says willing to go to Iran U.S. Senator John Kerry said on Friday he was willing to go to Tehran to talk to Iranian leaders but would not have time during his current Middle East tour. -Reuters - 12/15/06 Iranian painter, sculptor Iraj Karim-Khan Zand dies at 54 Painter and sculptor Iraj Karim-Khan Zand died of cancer at Tehran's Pars Hospital on Thursday. Born in 1952, Zand was a student of Mohsen Vaziri-Moqaddam, one of the pioneers of modern art in Iran. -MNA - 12/15/06 Analysts: Iran Elections to Gauge President's Public Standing Iranians are to vote Friday in elections for local governments, as well as the body that will choose the country's Supreme Leader. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the elections are expected to open up simmering rivalries on Iran's political landscape. - 12/15/06 Polling starts in Iran for Experts Assembly, councils election The 4th Assembly of Experts and 3rd local councils elections started across the country at 09:00 hours local time (0530 GMT) simultaneously Friday. Head of the elections headquarters, Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, said over 46 million and 43 million people are eligible to vote at the Assembly of Experts as well as City and Village Councils elections, respectively. -IRNA - 12/15/06 Tehran's Holocaust Seminar: Questioning the Sanctity of the Sacred Cow! The even bigger question that is not being addressed is, Why all the fuss? What is it that worries us or the Israelis about that conference or its outcome? What the hell are we afraid of? Mr. Ahmadinejad referred to the Holocaust issue as some kind of a Sacred Cow that has gained an even loftier status than God and His Prophets. Surely we were not so insecure as to think that anyone could have butchered the Sacred Cow at the Tehran seminar! -Kam Zarrabi - 12/15/06 A place of joy for children in South Tehran There are many organizations and charities that work for children around Tehran. Some are there to work for the children, and for some of them the children are there to provide work. Even though the former are more common, and most of these organizations are there to serve the children and do what they can to improve their life and wellbeing in general. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 12/14/06 IRANIAN IDENTITY: Myths and Realities At a recent Conference on Iranian Identity Abroad sponsored by the Foundation for Iranians in Diaspora held in Tehran on December 5-7, 2006, the major focus was on how Iranian Identity is preserved, transformed and transmitted among the three million rapidly growing expatriates abroad, and how these Iranians remain interconnected with their motherland where many still have strong extended family ties as well. -D.N. Rahni, New York - 12/14/06 Heads of UNESCO National Commissions to Finalize Norouz File Heads of UNESCO’s national commissions in ten countries sharing the Norouz tradition will get together in Tehran in April 2007 for a final review of Norouz file to be sent to UNESCO for inscription in World Intangible Heritage list. -CHN - 12/14/06 Fuel supply to Iran Bushehr NPP to begin in March 2007-official Nuclear fuel supplies to Bushehr nuclear power plant will begin in March 2007, according to an earlier adopted plan and preliminary steps for the supplies will be taken in January 2007. -IRNA - 12/14/06 The importance of US engagement with Iran and Syria Why did the 10 very experienced members of the Iraq Study Group lay such great stress on the need to engage politically with Iran and Syria? First, because after studying the situation in Iraq for nine long months they understood clearly that it is both "grave" and "deteriorating." -CSM - 12/14/06 Flurry of text messages ends Iran vote campaign In a flurry of last-minute mobile text messages from rival camps, campaigning ended in Iran before Friday's elections that will be the first popularity test for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since he won the presidency last year. -Reuters - 12/14/06 Iran Holocaust row rages on Outrage at an Iranian conference casting doubt on the Holocaust intensified with Israel's leader urging the pope to rally Christians in protest and France threatening a speaker with legal action. -AFP - 12/14/06 News Analysis: Iran's so-called Holocaust conference Iran's so-called Holocaust conference earlier this week was billed as a chance to force the West to reconsider the historical record and, thereby, the legitimacy of Israel. The question, then, is why the Iranians would invite speakers with so little credibility in the West, including a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and disgraced European scholars. -IHT - 12/14/06 Bush has created a comprehensive catastrophe across the Middle East In every vital area, from Afghanistan to Egypt, his policies have made the situation worse than it was before -Guardian - 12/14/06 Iranian journalist and human rights defender Sherko Jihani held incommunicado Iranian Kurdish journalist and human rights defender, Sherko Jihani, was detained on 27 November 2006 in the town of Mahabad in Kurdistan province, northwestern Iran. -Amnesty International - 12/14/06 Mohammadi, Bazri and Heidari hand Iran Asiad wrestling golds Iran's freestyle wrestlers Morad Mohammadi, Ali-Asghar Bazri and Alireza Heidari took the coveted gold medals at the 15th Asian Games in Doha on Wednesday. -IRNA - 12/14/06 European Court Unfreezes Iranian Opposition Group's Assets A terrorist expert at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Bob Ayers, doubts the court's decision will have much impact on the People's Mujahedin. Ayers describes the group's effect on the Iranian government as a flea on an elephant - a mild irritant, but not much more. -VOA - 12/14/06 How the Mullahs Manipulate Iranian Oil This piece is an amended extract from the new book Iran Oil: The New Middle Eastern Challenge to America by Roger Howard (published on 23 November 2006 by I.B. Tauris). - 12/14/06 Discovered Stone Slab Proved to be Gate of Cambyses' Tomb A huge stone slab discovered accidentally last year was proved to have once been the entrance gate to the mausoleum of Cambyses II, son and successor of Cyrus the Great. -CHN - 12/14/06 Leading Iranian Musician Nominated for Grammy Award Hossein Alizadeh, famous Iranian music composer and instrumentalist, is nominated for the Grammy Award 2007 for his album "Endless Vision." -CHN - 12/13/06 Book: The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian History, 1500-1900 Author: Rudi Matthee; Winner of the 2006 Albert Hourani Book Award; Winner of the 2006 Saidi-Sirjani Award, International Society of Iranian Studies. - 12/13/06 New UN Resolution Softens Language on Iranian Students But Ambiguities Remain The US, France, and UK are pressing ahead with a targeted sanctions resolution to pressure Iran to drop its nuclear program at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Revised draft resolution language retains controversial language contained in a prior draft that targets Iranian college students wishing to study certain scientific subjects, although the text has been somewhat diluted. -NIAC - 12/13/06 RSF condemns "sham justice" and impunity since wave of murders of Iranian writers and journalists eight years ago Eight years after the brutal murders of five Iranian writers and journalists between 25 November and 12 December 1998, Reporters Without Borders has condemned that fact that those implicated in their deaths now hold high government positions. - 12/13/06 Iranian Jews Face Tricky Balancing Act On a quiet street in the heart of Tehran, the devout arrive for prayers just after dawn, in Yussuf Abad Synagogue. There have been Jews living and worshipping in Iran for 2,500 years, -CBS - 12/13/06 Iran: Reformists optimistic about comeback ahead of polls A reformist candidate for the December 15 municipal polls said here on Tuesday, "We believe the elections will be the starting point for the reformists to return to power." -MNA - 12/13/06 Blair: Iran is major threat Tony Blair today made his strongest attack yet on the Iranian government, declaring that President Ahmadinejad's government was a "major strategic threat" to the Middle East. -Guardian - 12/13/06 Ahmadinejad faces popularity test in Iran elections Iran's anti-Western President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces the first test of his popularity since coming to power 16 months ago with elections on Friday for local councils and a powerful clerical assembly. -Reuters - 12/13/06 Bush Puts Off Announcement Of New Iraq Strategy President Bush has put off the announcement of changes in his Iraq policy until sometime in early 2007. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, the president is continuing to seek input from experts inside and outside the U.S. government. - 12/13/06 Iran, Arabs demand UN action over Israeli nuclear arms Iran and Arab states have seized on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statement implying that Israel has nuclear weapons, calling it proof of a regional threat and demanding UN action -AFP - 12/13/06 Le Web 3: West's media 'misrepresent Iran blog censorship' Speaking to the Le Web 3 conference in Paris, Hossein Derakhshan, who claims to have been apprehended, detained and interrogated over posts made to his blog, said: "Less than 100 blogs are filtered out of 100,000 blogs in Persian. -Journalism.co.uk - 12/13/06 Pivotal Election Can Change the Islamic Republic’s Course December 15 could prove a pivotal date for the neo-conservative movement in Iran. On that day, Iranians will go to the polls to cast ballots in two elections; in municipal elections -Eurasianet - 12/13/06 Iraq: Former U.S. Diplomat Urges Cautious Diplomacy Many Americans welcomed a December 6 report by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group as a potential blueprint for peace and stability in Iraq. Others -- mostly on the political right -- dismissed the report with words like "surrender" and "defeat." -REF - 12/13/06 Leverett: Only a Grand Bargain With Iran Will Work “At this point, Iran will not negotiate on issue-specific items incrementally unless it is part of a broader package or a grand bargain. Unless both parties’ concerns are addressed, [limited negotiations] will not work and [such an overture] is not serious,” former President Bush advisor Flynt Leverett emphasized at the Cato Institute -NIAC - 12/13/06 Iranian-Kurd border refugees reject new proposals Iranian Kurds stuck on the Iraq-Jordan border for nearly two years say they will not leave their make-shift camp until they are resettled to a third country. Some 200 Iranian Kurdish refugees living in deteriorating conditions categorically rejected recent proposals by US-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) to resolve their problem. -IRIN - 12/13/06 Olmert Comments Set Off Firestorm of Criticism in Israel Comments by Israel's prime minister that apparently imply the Jewish state has nuclear weapons have set off a firestorm of criticism in Israel. -VOA - 12/13/06 Asian Games: Iran takes team pursuit silver Iran finished runner-up to South Korea at the 4km team cycling pursuit event of the 15th Asian Games in Doha on Tuesday. -MNA - 12/13/06 Iran's Mohammadi wins Asiad wrestling gold, Rowhani lifts kumite title Iran's 60kg freestyle wrestler Morad Mohammadi snatched the glittering gold at the 15th Asian Games in Doha on Wednesday. Also, Hossein Rowhani of Iran grabbed the kumite under-60kg gold medal in the karate tournament. -MNA - 12/13/06 Majidzadeh tells archaeologists to use Proto-Iranian instead of Proto-Elamite The director of the archaeological team working at the Jiroft ancient site in the Halil-Rud River cultural area told archaeologists on Wednesday to use the term Proto-Iranian instead of Proto-Elamite. -MNA - 12/13/06 Iran-China trade to hit over $13b Iran-China trade volume is well over $10.5 billion. The figure is expected to hit $13 billion by the end of Iran's Fourth Five-Year Socioeconomic Development Plan (2004-2009) however, noted Chairman of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines. -MNA - 12/13/06 Iran: Official Sanction Of Holocaust Conference Distresses Many Iranian officials' assault on one of the most thoroughly documented campaigns of mass murder in history appears aimed at undermining the legitimacy of Israel and focusing attention on the Palestinian exodus. -RFE - 12/13/06 Daily Telegraph political editor investigated over misleading articles The Press Complaints Commission have launched an investigation following the submission of a report today detailing a catalogue of innaccurate and misleading stories about Iran by Daily Telegraph political editor, Con Coughlin. -CASMII - 12/13/06 Iran dismisses European Court's ruling on MKO assets Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad- Ali Hosseini on Wednesday dismissed as "legally unjustified and unacceptable" a ruling by the European Court of First Instance which annulled an EU decision to freeze the assets of the terrorist Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO). -IRNA - 12/13/06 Iran: Prosecute Torturers, Not Bloggers The Iranian Judiciary should prosecute officials responsible for the arbitrary detention and alleged torture of several bloggers in 2004, instead of prosecuting the bloggers for expressing their opinions, Human Rights Watch said today. - 12/12/06 Iran, Russia to start up nuclear power plant on schedule It is the "political will" of Iran and Russia to start up the Bushehr nuclear power plant on schedule, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Gholamreza Aqazadeh said in Tehran on Monday. -MNA - 12/12/06 Iran: Defiant Tehran Hoping Consensus Eludes 5+1 Group Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reportedly welcomed a new UN draft resolution targeting Iran's nuclear program. Lavrov said the so-called 5+1 major powers' compromise is "based on Russia's proposals" and is intended "to push Iran to sit at the negotiating table." -RFE - 12/12/06 SYRIA: Ahwazis in fear after news of deportation and deaths Ethnic Arab (Ahwazi) refugees from Iran now living in Damascus have expressed fear as news emerged that Syria has deported three more Ahwazi activists to Iran, where they face torture and execution. -IRIN - 12/12/06 Iran's petrodollars touch over $36.5b in eight months Iran's petrodollars touched over $36.5 billion during the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started March 21, 2006), said reports released by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance. -MNA - 12/12/06 Israel Denies Policy Change After Olmert Nuclear Arms Hint Israeli officials are denying any change in policy after comments by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in which he appears to admit that Israel has nuclear weapons. - 12/12/06 Iranians ponder vote for powerful clerical body Election posters of turbaned clerics are pasted on walls and newspapers debate the nature of divine rule before Friday's vote for what is, in theory, Iran's most powerful institution. -Reuters - 12/12/06 Bahrain names Shia deputy premier The Sunni Muslim-ruled Gulf state of Bahrain has appointed its first Shia Muslim deputy prime minister. -BBC - 12/12/06 European court overturns EU decision to add Iranian resistance movement to terror list EU governments said in a statement that the court's ruling did not call into question the EU's anti-terror list, which includes top terror groups and suspects like Osama bin Laden, Palestinian group Hamas, and al-Qaida. It added that the judgment also did not call into question a decision by EU governments that the Mujahadeen is a terrorist organization. -AP - 12/12/06 Carter: Israeli apartheid 'worse' Former US President Jimmy Carter says some Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinians in the West Bank are worse than apartheid-era South Africa. -BBC - 12/12/06 Back to Lebanon: Lebanese nationalism on the rise When Israeli jets were dropping American-made-and-paid-for bombs on Lebanon's cities, where was the Lebanese "army"? Hiding in its barracks, even as the Israelis reduced their bases to rubble. And where was Lebanon's prime minister, Fouad Siniora, and what was he doing about it? -Antiwar.com - 12/12/06 Iraq War Casualty Study Defended in Congress Based on surveys in Iraq, the report, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, estimated that 655,000 more people have died since U.S. and coalition forces invaded Iraq then would have been the case under pre-war mortality rates. Of the total, 601,000 of the deaths were attributed to violence. -VOA - 12/12/06 Iran stuns Japan at Asian Games basketball quarters Iran beat Japan's powerful basketball team 68-64 at the quarterfinals in the 15th Asian Games here Tuesday -MNA - 12/12/06 Iranian Students Disrupt Ahmadinejad's Speech Students at Tehran's Amir Kabir Polytechnic University today disrupted a speech by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, calling him a "dictator" and a "liar." - 12/12/06 Asian Games: Iran's Mazaheri wins Asiad heavyweight boxing gold Ali Mazaheri from Iran overcame Jasur Matchanov of Uzbekistan on points to celebrate the Asian Games 91kg heavyweight boxing title on Tuesday. -MNA - 12/12/06 Author Shares Inspiring Childhood Story of Survival A young boy forced to live on his own by his parents. That's the story author Abbas Kazerooni shares in his new book, "The Little Man." But rather than being a tale of cruelty and sadness, it is a story of hope and love. -VOA - 12/12/06 70-day Iranian cloned sheep "Royana" at good health Iran and Middle East's first cloned sheep "Royana" is at good health conditions on 70th day of its birth, it was announced in Tehran on Monday. - 12/12/06 A Letter to the Louvre Following the recent name violation of the Persian Gulf in Louvre's guide maps, the Persian Gulf Online Organization sent a protest letter to Louvre Museum director Henri Loyrette. - 12/11/06 Bushehr's Historic Texture Pending Restorations Lack of a clear plan and map of the historic texture of Bushehr together with funding shortages and more importantly lack of accountability have resulted in gradual destruction of the city's historic texture. -CHN - 12/11/06 Sassanid Bas-reliefs of Mt. Khajeh Fortress Falling Apart Almost nothing has remained from bas-reliefs depicting three Sassanid horse-riders inscribed on the wall of a Parthian fortress built on Khajeh Mountain, southeast Iran. -CHN - 12/11/06 Iran: Ships trapped in Caspian port city of Bandar Anzali due to strong winds Many ships were trapped in the northern port city of Bandar Anzali Monday morning due to a strong storm accompanied by heavy rainfall and strong winds. -IRNA - 12/11/06 Persian Gulf Arab States Commission Study for Shared Nuclear Program In a statement Sunday, the six Persian Gulf Arab states said the region has a right to possess nuclear technology that is in accordance with international standards. -VOA - 12/11/06 Washington's Most Beautiful People: Mojgan Shokri What’s the craziest thing you’ve done? I moved to the United States from Iran when I was 20. I didn’t speak any English. My husband wanted to come. It was hard to leave behind my parents. -Washingtonian - 12/11/06 On the Iraq Study Group Recommendations The much-anticipated bipartisan Iraq Study Group report recommends a new political and diplomatic "offensive" aimed at reversing the trend of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, including engagement with Iran and Syria "without preconditions." -San Francisco Chronicle - 12/11/06 Seeking Iran Intelligence, U.S. Tries Google When the State Department recently asked the CIA for names of Iranians who could be sanctioned for their involvement in a clandestine nuclear weapons program, the agency refused, citing a large workload and a desire to protect its sources and tradecraft. -Washington Post - 12/11/06 Iran students heckle Ahmadinejad Iranian students have disrupted a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a prestigious Tehran university, setting fire to his picture and heckling him. -AFP - 12/11/06 Iranian inventors win three gold medals in Seoul Seven Iranian inventors who attended an international contest in Seoul won on Monday three gold, one silver and one bronze medals. -IRNA - 12/11/06 EU to grant scholarships to Iranian students and teachers The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, launched Monday a new scholarships scheme that includes 110 scholarships for students and teachers from Iran, Iraq and Yemen. -IRNA - 12/11/06 Russian Nuclear Chief Holding Talks In Iran The Russian government's atomic energy agency chief, Sergei Kiriyenko, is due to hold talks with Iranian officials today in Tehran. - 12/11/06 Iran Opens Controversial Holocaust Conference A government-sponsored conference has opened in Tehran that questions whether the massacre of millions of Jews and non-Jews during World War II -- the Holocaust -- ever took place. -RFE - 12/11/06 Documentary: Blood and Oil – The Middle East in World War I Filmmaker Marty Callaghan thought it was time that a film provide more detail on the expansive and complex theater of operations that took place in the Middle East during WWI, which still influences the hatred and violence seen today. - 12/11/06 Satrapi Launches Official Website & Production Blog of Persepolis: Movie due in Theaters in 2007 It was announced officially during the last Cannes Film Festival. Sony Pictures was to produce Marjane Satrapi's bestseller comic book Persepolis into an animated feature film. Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg's producer on such films as E.T and the Indiana Jones films had purchased the rights for Sony Pictures and the film is co-produced with two French production companies Bibo Films and Pumpkin 3D. -Darius KADIVAR - 12/11/06 U.S.-based foundation to translate 100 Iranian literary works A U.S.-based Iranian foundation, Translation Project, plans to translate 100 top Iranian literary works into world's mostly spoken languages. -MNA - 12/11/06 Iran's saffron is of highest quality Overall, Iran's saffron is of the highest quality and the comments made by some European companies questioning the quality of Iran's saffron is baseless, noted on Sunday, chairman of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI), Mehdi Ghazanfari. -MNA - 12/10/06 Foreign Minister: No change in Moscow, Beijing stance on Iran Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that there is no change in the stance of Russia and China on Iran. -IRNA - 12/10/06 Human Rights Day Focuses On Poverty Eradication The United Nations is calling on governments to urgently come to grips with poverty and end the discrimination that systematically deprives poor people of their fundamental human rights. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva on this year's theme for Human Rights Day Sunday. - 12/10/06 US Has the Most Prisoners in the World Tough sentencing laws, record numbers of drug offenders and high crime rates have contributed to the United States having the largest prison population and the highest rate of incarceration in the world, according to criminal justice experts. -Reuters - 12/10/06 Afghanistan War Nears 'Tipping Point' The conflict in Afghanistan has entered a dangerous phase, and the next three to six months could prove crucial in determining whether the United States and its NATO partners can suppress a revitalized enemy — or will be dragged into another drawn-out and costly fight with an Islamic insurgency, according to senior military and security officials and diplomats. -Los Angeles Times - 12/10/06 Supreme Leader: God willing Palestine will be liberated The Supreme Leader made the remarks in a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his entourage in Tehran. -IRNA - 12/10/06 The Roman Empire is Falling - So It Turns to Iran and Syria The Roman Empire is falling. That, in a phrase, is what the Baker report says. The legions cannot impose their rule on Mesopotamia. Just as Crassus lost his legions' banners in the deserts of Syria-Iraq, so has George W Bush. There is no Mark Antony to retrieve the honour of the empire. The policy "is not working". "Collapse" and "catastrophe" - words heard in the Roman senate many a time - were embedded in the text of the Baker report. Et tu, James? -Robert Fisk, Independent - 12/10/06 Iran to export 1m bpd kerosene to Iraq Iran will export one million barrels per day (bpd) of kerosene and other oil products to Iraq within a period of three months. -IRNA - 12/10/06 Iran's Hadadi wins discus gold at Asian Games Iranian athletic Ehsan Hadadi won the gold medal in discus at the Asian Games 2006 in Qatar on Sunday. - 12/10/06 4800-year-old artificial eye discovered in Burnt City A team of archaeologists working at the Burnt City recently discovered an artificial eye at the 5200-year-old site in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran. -MNA - 12/10/06 Iran's Karami wins taekwondo gold at Asian Games Iran's 84 Kg taekwondo player Youssef Karami tamed Park Kyeong Hoon from South Korea 4-3 in a nail-biting final at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar on Saturday. - 12/10/06 Asian Games: Judges gift host Qatar taekwondo gold at the expense of Iran Iran 's 78kg welterweight taekwondo player Mehdi Bibak here Friday night was shamelessly victimized by the judges who had already decided to announce the Qatari finalist the gold winner. -IRNA - 12/9/06 Jimmy Carter: Speaking Frankly about Israel and Palestine The many controversial issues concerning Palestine and the path to peace for Israel are intensely debated among Israelis and throughout other nations — but not in the United States. For the last 30 years, I have witnessed and experienced the severe restraints on any free and balanced discussion of the facts. -Los Angeles Times - 12/9/06 Iran's president says Holocaust now up for debate "For 60 years talking about the Holocaust was a crime in the West but now there is a serious debate about the Holocaust in the media and also in political and popular meetings," state television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. -Reuters - 12/9/06 Afghanistan: Daily Survival Robs Street Children Of Education Children trying to earn a meager wage -- some as young as 5 years old -- are a common sight on the streets of Kabul. Many are orphans with no relatives to look after them, but a surprising number have been sent out on the streets by impoverished parents who can't support their families.-RFE - 12/9/06 First group of Iraqi postal staff end training course in Iran A group of Iraqi postal employees have completed their first training course in the southwestern city of Khorramshahr, said the city's post office head Hamid Soleymani on Friday. -IRNA - 12/9/06 Iran To Launch Women-Only Taxi Company For Tehran Iran will launch a women-only taxi company in Tehran aimed at women who feel uncomfortable riding in close proximity with members of the opposite sex. -Reuters - 12/9/06 Congress Passes U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Bill Congress passed the U.S.-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act shortly before adjourning for the remainder of 2006. President Bush said in a White House statement that he is looking forward to signing the bill into law. -Washington File - 12/9/06 Iran may