July 2003
Shahdad Rowhani conducts concert in Tehran (photos and interview)
Shahdad Rowhani conducted a concert in Tehran's Vahdat Music Hall in early July. - 7/31/03
IAEA legal experts expected in Iran in next few days
Two teams of legal experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit the Islamic Republic of Iran in the first week of August, IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said in Vienna on Thursday - 7/31/03
Iran's Minister of Health rejects other wound scars on Zahra Kazemi's body
Minister of Health and Medical Education Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday denied that scars of other injuries had been found in the body of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi - 7/31/03
Expert complains Iran's gasoline consumption rate twice GDP growth rate
Gasoline consumption rate in Iran is almost twice the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate due to ample reasons, said an energy consultant at Majlis Research Center Iraj Mehr-Azma on Wednesday - 7/31/03
Iran's role in Iraq "not always helpful"-UK envoy
Britain's outgoing envoy to Iraq John Sawers said on Wednesday neighbouring Iran's role in Iraq had "not always been helpful" since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's government. -Reuters - 7/31/03
Website to teach Persian language to be opened
The site will be designed not only to teach but also to disseminate information on Persian language and culture. - 7/31/03
Now we pay the warlords to tyrannise the Afghan people
The Taliban fell but - thanks to coalition policy - things did not get better. More than 18 months after the collapse of the Taliban regime, there is a remarkable consensus among aid workers, NGOs and UN officials that the situation is deteriorating. -Guardian - 7/31/03
US Nobel Laureate Slams Bush Gov't as "Worst" in American History
American Nobel Prize laureate for Economics George A. Akerlof lashed out at the government of US President George W. Bush, calling it the "worst ever" in American history, the online site of the weekly Der Spiegel magazine reported Tuesday. -Common Dreams - 7/31/03
Iraq elections 'in 2004'
The United States administrator of Iraq, Paul Bremer, has said general elections could be held within a year to replace the US-appointed Interim Governing Council. -BBC - 7/31/03
Anti-US cleric rallies recruits for Islamic army
Around 10,000 young men have come forward to join an "Islamic army" in the holy city of Najaf, according to Muqtada al-Sadr, the fiery cleric who is trying to become the unchallengeable leader of Shia opposition. -Guardian - 7/31/03
How strong is Iran's opposition?
In the second piece in a special four-part series on the United States and Iran, Roger Hardy looks at US perceptions of how durable the Iranian regime may prove to be, and what might take its place. -BBC - 7/31/03
Iran Denies Funding Suicide Bomber Families
"Whenever the Israeli prime minister visits America, he brings up new claims and accusations to gain more support and put more pressure on Palestinians," Asefi said in statement faxed to Reuters. - 7/31/03
Bush calls on Europe to press Iran over nuclear weapons
President George W. Bush called on Europe to press Iran to halt what he said were plans to develop nuclear weapons and urged the Tehran government to hand over suspected al-Qaeda activists it is holding. -AFP - 7/31/03
Last Efforts of Iran’s Reformists
Twenty-five years ago, at the height of the revolutionary movement against the authoritarian regime of the Shah, Michel Foucault, borrowing from Marx’s famous critique of religion, spoke of the Iranian Revolution as an expression of “the spirit of a world without spirit.” -Ali Rezaei - 7/31/03
Journalist's mother says pressured into burying her daughter in Iran
The mother of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who died in custody in Tehran, said in an interview she was pressured into having her daughter buried in Iran against Ottawa's wishes. -Reuters - 7/30/03
Israel Tells U.S. That Iran Is Growing Threat
Israeli officials told the Bush administration there was growing evidence that Iran was stepping up support for Palestinian militants following the war in Iraq , people close to the discussions said on Tuesday. -Reuters - 7/30/03
Iranian opposition leader says group has nothing to hide
Iranian opposition leader Maryam Rajavi said her organization had nothing to hide after being questioned by French anti-terror judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere as part of an investigation into possible terrorism-related offenses. -AFP - 7/30/03
MPs call for pursing release of Iranian film producers in Iraq
Some 162 MPs in a letter addressed to President Mohammad Khatami here on Wednesday called for follow-up on release of Iranian documentary film producers who are currently in custody of the American troops in Iraq. - 7/30/03
Detainee's 18-day hunger strike after daughter deported
An Iranian man at the Baxter detention centre has refused to eat for the past 18 days after his seven-year-old daughter was sent back to Iran, the Australian Democrats said today. -Sydney Morning Herald - 7/30/03
Foreign visits to US drop sharply
With visa scrutiny to be stepped up Friday, some foresee a still bigger falloff in students, researchers, au pairs, and others. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/30/03
From jail, playwright finds right words
Imprisoned for some thing she didn't write, then tossed in jail twice for something she did, Iranian author and playwright Shahrnush Parsipur has cause to be angry. - - 7/30/03
Quake jolts Iran's southwestern city of Dehloran
An earthquake measuring 4 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale shook the city of Dehloran, in the southwestern province of Ilam on Wednesday morning - 7/30/03
Kazemi's son agrees to work with Ottawa 'for awhile'
Stephan Hachemi has been extremely critical of the way the Chrétien government has handled the fallout over his mother's death, accusing officials of failing to adequately pressure Iran to explain what happened. -National Post - 7/30/03
UN-affiliated body to cooperate in fight against addiction in Iran
Making the public more cognizant and sensitive to the issue of drug use is part of the cultural aims of the UNODC office which is also backed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and several government-affiliated bodies in Iran - 7/30/03
Iran President donates blood on occasion of blood-drive day
Accompanied by Health Minister Masoud Pezeshkian and the head of the national Blood Transfusion Organization, Ali Akbar Pour-Fatollah, the president set a humanitarian example by donating his own blood. - 7/30/03
PBS interviews New York Times Correspondent Stephen Kinzer (audio)
Stephen Kinzer is the author of the new book, All The Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. It's about the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that put an end to democratic rule, and in turn led the way for the Islamic Revolution of 1979. - 7/30/03
Iran to decide on nuclear inspections after IAEA experts' visit
Iran will decide whether or not to accept snap inspections of its nuclear sites after an upcoming visit by legal experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said. -AFP - 7/30/03
Iran points to journalist 'murder'
Iran's Vice-President, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, has said Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, who died in custody in Iran, was probably murdered. -BBC - 7/30/03
Khatami has lost his nerve, but there is still work to be done
Iranian philosopher and reformer Abdelkarim Soroush recently took Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to task in an open letter, blaming him for his inaction during the recent arrest of protesters and asking that he implement the constitution and prevent such actions in the future. -Ahmad Sadri, Daily Star - 7/30/03
IRAN: A Situation Analysis
Not dissimilar to the pre-crisis years of the late 1970s, the world appears to have, once again, been caught off guard vis-à-vis its assessment of the political dynamics of Iran and the survivability of a regime, not long ago, classified as “secure” by most western intelligence and think-tank analyses. -Afshar Koorosh - 7/30/03
Iranian woman cyclist Poupeh Mahdavinader will arrive in US on July 30
Iranian woman cyclist, Poupeh Mahdavinader, who is cycling around the world will arrive in Boston on July 30. So far Poupeh has biked in Italy, France and England. - 7/30/03
US sets sights on Iran
The Bush administration has been piling up the pressure on the mullahs who rule Iran - accusing them of sponsoring terrorism, developing weapons of mass destruction and denying freedom to their people. -BBC - 7/30/03
In a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, Middle East Studies Association of North America condemns attacks on university students in Iran
We are contacting you to express our great concern about and strong condemnation of the violent attacks on university students, and the wide scale arrest, imprisonment, intimidation, and maltreatment of hundreds of students throughout Iran in recent weeks. - 7/29/03
Iran Parliament approves key bill aimed at attracting assets in exile
Parliament on Tuesday approved the general outlines of a key bill on reinstating the nationality of Iranians who have been stripped of that, in an effort to convince the country's skilled elite and entrepreneurs in exile to return home - 7/29/03
Japan Officials Head to U.S. to Discuss Iran Oil
Japanese officials left on Tuesday for Washington to hold energy talks with their U.S. counterparts, a month after U.S. concerns over Iran's nuclear program stalled plans by a Japanese group to develop a big Iranian oil field. -Reuters - 7/29/03
Bodies of three Iranian pilgrims found near Iraqi border
According to officials, close to 100 Iranians have been killed or injured because of thirst, heat stroke or after getting stranded, hitting mines left over from the 1980-1988 Iraqi imposed war against Iran, or being shot by US troops. - 7/29/03
Senior US official hopes that differences with Iran would be resolved with time
"US relations with Iran, US relations with Syria and other countries in the region on the bilateral level are important to us," said the official speaking to a small group of Brussels-based journalists from the Arab-Muslim world, including IRNA's correspondent. - 7/29/03
U.S. Holds Two Iranian Journalists in Iraq
The U.S.-led authority in Iraq is investigating two Iranian television journalists it arrested nearly a month ago for security violations and is holding them in a high-security jail, a spokesman said Tuesday. -Reuters - 7/29/03
French anti-terrorist judge to question Iranian opposition leader
A French anti-terrorist judge is to question Maryam Rajavi, the head of the Iranian opposition group, the People's Mujahedeen, on Tuesday, legal sources said. -AFP - 7/29/03
Greeks accuse Blair of war crimes in Iraq
Tony Blair and other British ministers are accused of crimes against humanity in prosecuting the war against Iraq in a case lodged with the international criminal court by Greek lawyers yesterday. -Guardian - 7/29/03
Prison for children of Iraqis of Iranian origin turns into museum
Located at Iraq's border with Saudi Arabia, Nugrat us-Salman was once the horrendous house to innocent Iraqi youngsters of Iranian origin above 18, who had been detached from their parents that were deported to Iran by the criminal gang of the ousted Iraqi tyrant, Saddam Hussain. - 7/29/03
Iran parliament refuses to lift state monopoly on tobacco
Fifty billion sticks of cigarettes are annually consumed in Iran, of which only 15 billion are locally produced. - 7/29/03
Azarbaijan museum houses one of Iran's major treasures
The architecture of the current museum building, which is adjacent to Tabriz Kabud mosque on Imam Khomeini Avenue, was drawn by the late Ismail Dibaj in accordance with a design from the French archaeologist, Andree Godar. - 7/29/03
Canada to meet with UN's Annan on journalist killed in Iran
"We want to see journalists protected around the world, and we wish to use this case both as a way to further open democracy in Iran, but also the protection of journalists," Graham told reporters. -AFP - 7/29/03
Iran's Achaemenid palaces to be reconstructed on computer
Head of Iran Bastan Museum Achaemenid research projects, Shahrokh Razmjou, declared in Tehran on Monday that the Achaemenid palaces known as Persepolis is to be reconstructed on computer - 7/29/03
Iranian Writer Honored with Prestigious Award: Ismail Khoi Receives Hellman/Hammett Grant
The Iranian writer Ismail Khoi is one of a diverse group of 28 writers from 13 countries to receive a Hellman/Hammett grant in recognition of the courage with which he has faced political persecution, Human Rights Watch said today. - 7/29/03
Iran and the Caspian
On the Occasion of the 10th Meeting of the Caspian Sea states in Moscow -Bahman Aghai Diba - 7/29/03
Iran: Revolution
The children that they had tried so hard to educate in the way they considered "righteous, humanitarian in the sense of their interpretation of Islam" have turned against their own educators! They have more or less proved to be something completely opposite to what they wanted them to become. So many years of "Death to America" has produced just the opposite effect. America and the West for that matter have turned to be the 'dreamland' of the Islamic schooled youth. -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 7/29/03
'We had great tragedy all our life,' son says
Shortly after Stephan Hachemi learned that his mother had died, the son of the former Shah of Iran called him at his spare, shared, two-bedroom apartment in Verdun, Que., to offer sympathy. "But I didn't want to talk to him: I told him 'I'm busy buddy, I can't talk to you right now,' " -CanWest News Service - 7/29/03
Iran's ancient relics plundered in Jiroft
Head of Jiroft Cultural Heritage Department, Abdolali Hessam Arefi, said on Monday that ancient monuments in some villages bordering Halilroud river and central Jiroft are still being plundered and no measure has yet been taken to stop it. - 7/29/03
Is Iran Sick of Being a Nuclear 'Have-Not?'
In terms of military might, the world is divided between those who have nuclear weapons and those who don't. -Reuters - 7/29/03
Debate: U.S. Policy Toward Iran
In the wake of the recent pro-democracy demonstrations in Tehran, what should U.S. Iran policy be? Geneive Abdo, a fellow at the New America Foundation and co-author of "Answering Only to God: Faith and Freedom in Twenty-First-Century Iran," debates Michael Ledeen, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and author of "The War Against the Terror Masters." -NY Times - 7/28/03
Iran holds Al Qaeda's top leaders
The Tehran government is holding several top-level Al Qaeda operatives that, experts say, could lead to the biggest breakthrough in curtailing the organization since the fall of Afghanistan. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/28/03
Donors' Relations with NGOS in IRAN: How to overcome some of our cultural and social handicaps
I want to confer with those inside and outside our country, about their attitude towards NGOs in Iran. Emphasizing strongly here that I am only referring to true NOGs, those which are and want to retain their independence from government, any government involvement completely, in order to do their chosen task, and perform as real NGOs should. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 7/28/03
Tehran remains least expensive city in the world among 124 surveyed cities
Tehran remains by far the cheapest city in the world with a cost of living index less than a third of that of London or New York, according the latest survey published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Monday - 7/28/03
'Bored' youths signal a discreet social revolution
...This leaves young Iranians free to cultivate tastes and relationships that are incompatible with revolutionary ideology and hidden from conservative clerics, traditionally minded parents and police helicopters. The result is a discreet social revolution. -Financial Times - 7/28/03
Date of Iran President's visit to Belgium not yet fixed
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi here on Monday said that an official date for President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Belgium has not been set - 7/28/03
The Syrian Bet
Did the Bush Administration burn a useful source on Al Qaeda? -Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker - 7/28/03
'I can't imagine anyone who considers himself a human being can do this'
On Friday a four-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by a soldier - the most recent child victim of the Israeli army. Chris McGreal investigates a shocking series of deaths -Guardian - 7/28/03
U.S. Prison and Jail Population Increases in 2002
The U.S. prison and jail population increased to 2,033,331 people at the end of last year, holding one out of every 143 residents, according to a Justice Department report released on Sunday. -Common Dreams - 7/28/03
Cleric Risks a Backlash With Anti-U.S. Rhetoric
Residents of the holy city of Najaf have grown angry at the boisterous crowds Sadr's group has shepherded to consecutive Friday sermons, fearing strife in a city that has remained relatively quiet. -Washington Post - 7/28/03
Iran is "completing files" on al-Qaeda members it holds
Iran said that it is "completing the files" on the members of the terror network al-Qaeda it is holding before deciding on their fate. -AFP - 7/28/03
UN nuclear watchdog planning new Iran missions
The UN nuclear watchdog said it will next month send two new teams of specialists to Iran, suspected by the international community of developing nuclear weapons. -AFP - 7/28/03
Journalist's death sparks diplomatic row
A row over the killing of a Canadian citizen in Iran has spiralled into an international tit-for-tat and threats of economic sanctions -Guardian - 7/28/03
We are all grown ups!
You have to live in a vacuum or get your news ONLY from Washington Times, Jerusalem Post or National Review Online not to hear about the disasters caused by America's latest interference in Iraq! -Kave Pourmand - 7/28/03
Iran holds Al Qaeda suspects: now what?
Iran would "really like to cooperate" but is in a "peculiar situation right now," says Gary Sick, an Iran expert at Columbia University in New York. The Iranians "don't want to hand them over to the US because they don't want to be seen co-operating directly with the Americans, and they can't get other people to take them off their hands, so they're sort of stuck with them." -Christian Science Monitor - 7/28/03
Traders with 'rogue' states may face sanctions
US and foreign companies are coming under scrutiny for their dealings with states deemed by Washington to be sponsors of terrorism, particularly Iran and Syria, but officials say the Bush administration is hesitating before tightening economic sanctions. -Financial Times - 7/28/03
Safari says Caspian meeting winds up with no tangible results
The group of five Caspian states failed in their recent Moscow meeting to reach consensus on a convention defining the legal status of the Caspian Sea, postponing further discussions on the issue to a meeting which is due to be held in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan on September 8-9 - 7/28/03
Iran's Science Minister Mostafa Moin submits his resignation
It is believed that Moin's resignation was mainly due to the Guardian Council's rejection of a bill that he put forward to restructure his ministry. - 7/28/03
Dead Iranian-Canadian journalist's file sent to criminal court, judiciary pledges careful probe
The case of Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi, who died last week while in custody, has been referred to a criminal court here for investigation, the court's head said Monday - 7/28/03
We must up ante on Iran
It is time for Canada to up the ante. Hard-line clerics in Iran seem determined to block further investigation into the death of Iranian Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi. -Nader Hashemi and Bahman Kalbasi, Canada - 7/28/03
Canada notes Iran arrests in woman's death -report
The arrest of five people in connection with the death of a Canadian photojournalist while she was in police custody this month would satisfy Canada, a Canadian official told newspapers on Sunday. -Reuters - 7/27/03
Iran's IAEA rep advises Tehran to sign up to inspections protocol
Iran's representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) advised his government to agree to no-notice inspections of its nuclear facilities and said he hoped the additional protocol permitting them will be signed by September. -AFP - 7/27/03
Inflation in Iran rises further to 15.8 percent
Inflation in Iran continued its rising trend for the second consecutive year, going up to 15.8 percent in the last Iranian year of 1381 (ended March 20), with manufactured goods and foodstuff becoming costlier - 7/27/03
Iran wins three gold, five silver, and one bronze in World Transplant Games
Iran had nine representatives in swimming, badminton, track-and-field, table tennis, bowling, and shooting - 7/27/03
Terrorism: Al Qaeda’s Men in Iran
As U.S. troops try to fend off “guerrilla” attacks in Iraq, American spies and diplomats are increasingly preoccupied with a scary group of Qaeda operatives in neighboring Iran. -Newsweek - 7/27/03
Fire destroys part of Isfahan's grand bazaar
No report has yet been released on the extent of damage inflicted on Isfahan bazaar due to fire. - 7/27/03
Iraq attacks kill five US troops
Another US soldier has been killed by hostile fire in Iraq - the fifth in the past 24 hours. -BBC - 7/27/03
Thirteen Iranians drown on visit to 'paradise lost'
Thirteen Iranians, who were on a sightseeing tour, drowned in a lake in the southern city of Marvdasht in Fars province on Friday - 7/27/03
Iranian Press Community seeks immediate release of television reporters detained by US troops in Iraq
Iranian Press Community expressed deep concern over the detention of two Iranian reporters in Iraq working for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) - 7/27/03
Iranian MP rejects report on secret meeting with Belgian envoy to Tehran
Press recently said that Mirdamadi and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Aminzadeh had secretly met Metten, following which Khatami cancelled his trip to Belgium. - 7/27/03
Iran produces 97 pc of domestically-consumed medicine
Over 97 percent of medicine consumed in the country are produced domestically, Minister of Health Masoud Pezeshkian said in Tabriz - 7/27/03
Iran arrests five over Canada death
Five members of the Iranian security services have been arrested in connection with the death of a Iranian-Canadian journalist earlier this month. -BBC - 7/27/03
Iran: Political Crisis Grows Over Death Of Canadian Photojournalist
A political crisis continues to grow in Iran over the recent death of a Canadian photojournalist while in police custody. Reformist leaders say the case not only damages relations with Ottawa but underlines the way Iran's hard-line judiciary flouts the law in dealing with anyone it considers to be a critic of the regime. -RFE - 7/26/03
Iran set to extend reign as Asia's futsal kings, says AFC
The biggest-ever Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Championship 2003 is to kick off on Sunday in Tehran, Iran, the undisputed Asian heartland of the sport. - 7/26/03
Khatami cancels Belgian visit in protest
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has cancelled a visit to Belgium due to the EU's decision to put pressure on Iran's nuclear programme and human right abuses, the Iranian press reported Thursday. -Expatica - 7/26/03
Life Returns to Iraq-Iran Crossing Point
While barring Iraqis from entering the country, Iranian border authorities readily allow them to leave through the newly reopened crossing here between the Iraqi village of Badrah and the Iranian town of Mehran. -AP - 7/26/03
Iranian student says Stetson University discriminated against him
A former student has sued Stetson University for $75,000, claiming the school discriminated against him because of his Iranian heritage when administrators suspended him following an arrest. -AP - 7/26/03
Reporters Without Borders calls on EU to break with Iran over journalist's death
Reporters Without Borders called on the European Union today to break off the "constructive dialogue" it has conducted with Iran since 1998 until officials responsible for the death of Canadian-Iranian photographer Zahra Kazemi earlier this month had been brought to trial. - 7/26/03
Farzad's anger at clerics and clerks
Like many students in Iran with ideas about democracy, Farzad - not his real name - began to protest at the way his country was run. -BBC - 7/26/03
Iran MPs to discuss death of Iranian-Canadian journalist
Members of Iran's reformist-led parliament are to investigate the death in custody here of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi, which has sparked a crisis in Tehran's relations with Ottawa. -AFP - 7/26/03
Iran Names Judge to Probe Woman's Death
Iran has named a veteran judge to lead an independent inquiry into the death of an Iranian-Canadian journalist who died in police custody, the prosecutor's office said Friday — the second major investigation of the case in two weeks. -AP - 7/26/03
Iran Democracy Act passed, but no money to opposition and satellite TV’s
As the questions and concerns continue to mount regarding Iran’s nuclear aspirations, and in the wake of the recent student demonstrations in Tehran, the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed a non-binding version of the Iran Freedom and Democracy Support Act, to serve as a congressional statement of encouragement towards Iranian democratic change. - 7/25/03
Iranian American Political Action Committee Holds Kick-Off Reception in Washington DC
The newly created Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) held a kickoff reception July 22 at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, DC. The reception was a huge success, attracting well over one hundred attendees. - 7/25/03
NIAC Congressional breakfast brings Iranian-Americans together with Virginia Congressman
Iranian-Americans residing in the 8th congressional district of Virginia assembled together to meet with their congressional representative, Jim Moran, Thursday, July 24, 2003, as a part of NIAC’s Congressional Breakfast Series. - 7/25/03
Short-sighted U.S. is mishandling Iran
"The U.S. is now shooting in all directions. Its frustration over what is going on in Iraq is causing it to miss an opportunity to cooperate with Iran and try to prevent it from developing its nuclear plans with the same means it uses with India or Pakistan." -Ha'aretz, Israel - 7/25/03
Half a million Afghan refugees voluntarily repatriated from Iran: UNHCR
Half a million Afghans have left Iran to return home since a joint program for voluntary repatriation of refugees began in April 2002, the office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in Tehran on Thursday - 7/25/03
Exhibition of Photographs by ‘Abbas Kiarostami
“Not being able to feel the pleasure of seeing a magnificent landscape with someone else is a form of torture.” That is why, according to ‘Abbas Kiarostami, he began taking photographs almost 25 years ago. -Tavoos - 7/25/03
Saudi Arabia denies terror links
Saudi Arabia has responded angrily to allegations in a United States congressional report about its role in the 11 September attacks. -BBC - 7/25/03
US Congress Has Second Thoughts On Patriot Act
The Patriot Act, which significantly expands the government's domestic spying powers, was passed within weeks of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The House amendment represents the first major change to the act since it was signed into law by Pres. George W. Bush. -Common Dreams - 7/25/03
Small-Town Canadian Police Caught in Iran Dispute
Police in the Vancouver suburb of Port Moody, British Columbia, admitted surprise and some dismay on Thursday at finding themselves in the middle of diplomatic storm between Canada and Iran. -Reuters - 7/25/03
Iran calls Canadian account of Iranian's death "incomprehensible"
Iran's foreign minister called Canada's account of the death of an Iranian near Vancouver "incomprehensible", demanding a "convincing explanation" and the prosecution of those responsible for the "murder". -AFP - 7/25/03
Germany Charges Iranian Man with Spying
German federal prosecutors charged an Iranian man with spying Friday, accusing him of collecting information on Iranian opposition groups for the government in Tehran. -Reuters - 7/25/03
The Passing of a Great Master
Siavash Kasra’i, the renowned Iranian painter, passed away at the age of 64, on June 29, 2003. Born in Tehran in 1939, Kasra’i worked with watercolor and was one of the masters of this field. -Tavoos - 7/25/03
Exhibition: VEIL
Twenty artists and film-makers address the question of the veil in all its complexities and ambiguities, challenging any single or fixed cultural interpretation. -Iran Heritage - 7/25/03
Questions Arise in Iran Journalist Death
A hard-line Tehran prosecutor coerced an official to announce a false cause of death — a stroke — for an Iranian-Canadian journalist who died in police custody, the official said in a letter made public Thursday. -AP - 7/25/03
Iran's Association for Freedom of Press discuss journalists' security
The IAFP head announced, ൝ Iranian journalists, accused of various crimes, are now imprisoned, and some international communities have due to the same reason announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the second largest prison of the journalists in the world." - 7/24/03
Iran burial not final, son insists
Stephan Hachemi wants his mother's body brought back to Canada even if it means exhuming Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi from an Iranian grave to bring her here. -Gazette, Canada - 7/24/03
Iran: EU Expected To Stand Firm On Its Ultimatum To Tehran
The European Union has given Iran an ultimatum: either Tehran allows UN nuclear weapons inspectors free access to its atomic energy sites, or the bloc will call off trade talks. -RFE - 7/24/03
Powell finds Iranian statement "interesting"
US Secretary of State Colin Powell termed "interesting" Iran's declaration that it was planning to expel senior al-Qaeda members in its custody. -AFP - 7/24/03
Iranian students are once again among the top at the Chemistry Olympiad
The hard working and super-talented Iranian high school students have once again triumphed among the top winners, next after China, in the 35th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Athens, Greece from July 5-14. - 7/24/03
World Bank to extend $50 million to Khorasan NGOs in Iran
The aim is to promote the arts and culture through NGO's and Islamic councils throughout the province. - 7/24/03
Iraq Is Not Like Chechnya
Many in the world may not like it, and many in the United States do not like it, but the Iraqi experience will not stop the George W. Bush crusade against the "axis of evil" that includes not only Iraq but also Iran and North Korea. If the Iraqis were "liberated," the Iranians and Koreans also should be; the "evil" states that cause so much trouble should be dismantled. -Moscow Times - 7/24/03
Poll says Jewish settlers will leave if paid
Seventy-four per cent of Jewish settlers living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be willing to leave their homes in return for compensation from the Israeli government as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, according to an opinion poll published on Wednesday. -Financial Times - 7/24/03
Bumper year for Afghan poppies
Money from the opium trade may diminish US influence over the warlords, and aid Taliban. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/24/03
What David Kelly knew
Uday and Qusay are killed and the delighted British and American governments suggest that Iraq will be a safer place. Yes, Iraqis may well feel safer. And - with the dictator's brutal sons out of the way for ever - more confident about continuing the resistance against the American occupiers. -Guardian - 7/24/03
Democracy in Iraq
Is Islamic democracy possible? What steps must be taken to establish a successful democracy in Iraq? How is reconstruction progressing in the region? -Washington Post - 7/24/03
How might Cuba be jamming US transmissions to Iran?
In theory all they have to do is deafen the US satellite transmitting to Iran. Whether it's happening or not is uncertain. The US is investigating claims that its station, Voice of America, has been blocked since launching a daily Persian-language programme aimed at Iran. -Guardian - 7/24/03
Iran's gasoline imports reach highest level ever
The average daily gasoline imports exceeded 3.5 million liters in the first four months of the year, "which was 52.5 percent higher than in the same period last year." - 7/24/03
We inquire answers regarding surgery of Iranian twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani
More and more evidence is surfacing that Laleh and Ladan Bijani's death was financially motivated. Many doctors and their adoptive parents (Safaian family) who raised them for twenty-seven years were against their surgery. -Mohammad Ala - 7/24/03
Iran takes first gold in World Transplant Games
Amir-Hossein Talebi won the glittering gold in 25m freestyle swimming event of 9-11 age group. - 7/24/03
Iran Accuses Canadian Police of Killing Iranian
Iran accused Canadian police on Thursday of the "criminal" killing of an Iranian, ratcheting up a diplomatic row that began with the death in Iranian custody of a Canadian journalist this month. -Reuters - 7/24/03
Iranian-Americans endorse John Kerry for President in 2004
A group comprised of nearly seventy Iranian American dignitaries, invited by the Committee to elect John F. Kerry and spearheaded by Dr. Akbar Ghahary the CEO and proprietor of SAFAS Corp., cheerfully listened to an elaborate but favorable speech by the 19 year veteran Massachusetts Senator and presidential hopeful John Kerry on July 16. - 7/24/03
34 foreign players keen to play in Iran "Futures" tennis tourney
Tehran is to host the international tennis tournament from August 2-15. - 7/24/03
Iran President: Respect for Constitution, means of national strength
Addressing a large crowd of people in Firuzkouh, the president said, "Let's honor the democratic, Islamic and ethical criteria in our action. We should think about national interest. We should work in line with the Constitution to bolster national strength." - 7/24/03
Iran President comments on Iran's defense doctrine, journalist's death, twin bills
He said he had talked in person with the Judiciary Head Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi asking him to adopt measures for the judicial apparatus to assign an independent prosecutor to re-examine the case impartially. - 7/24/03
Teen director up for top film award
A film by a 14-year-old Iranian director is up for one of the main awards at this year's Venice Film Festival. - 7/24/03
Uncle Sam's Regime Change in Iran
Regime change has become the hallmark of President Bush's foreign policy. In two years Mr. Bush has dispatched two regimes (the Taliban and Saddam Hussein's), tried to sideline a third (Yasir Arafat's), and would like nothing better than to dispatch still others (Kim Jong-Il, the mullahs in Iran and the potentates that rule much of the Arab world). -New York Times - 7/23/03
Iran's Judiciary says military court should probe Kazemi's death
Iran's Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said in Tehran on Wednesday that the military court should probe the case of the deceased Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi - 7/23/03
Iran Parliament approves bill on Iran's joining UN anti-torture convention
The Majlis (Parliament) on Wednesday approved a bill calling on Iran to sign up to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment - 7/23/03
Visit by IAEA experts to Iran does not mean signing NPT protocol
Iran said a visit to Tehran by legal experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) does not mean it has agreed to allow suprise inspections of its nuclear sites. -AFP - 7/23/03
Nuclear double standard
While the reported International Atomic Energy Agency discovery last week of enriched uranium at an undisclosed site in Iran has been viewed with alarm, most nations are ignoring the regional presence of a nuclear-armed state which has not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty at all; Israel. - Radio Netherlands - 7/23/03
Iran Says It Holds al-Qaida Operatives
"A large number of small and big-time elements of al-Qaida are in our custody," Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi told reporters. He did not name any of the detainees. -AP - 7/23/03
Wife of Iranian film director detained in Iraq calls on IRCS to inquire about her husband's health
Aboutaleb along with another film director from IRIB 2nd channel left for Iraq on June 12 to make a film on the life of the Iraqi people. The two directors along with their driver and interpretor were arrested by the American forces on July 1. - 7/23/03
31 Post, Telegraph and Telephone affiliated companies in Iran to be privatized by March 2005
Minister of Post, Telegraph and Telephone (PTT) Ahmad Motamedi has announced that 31 PTT affiliated companies will be privatized by March 2005 aimed to overhaul the telecom sector - 7/23/03
Dead: the sons of Saddam
Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein's sons and his most feared lieutenants, were killed yesterday in a gun battle at their hideout in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul. -Guardian - 7/23/03
Iranian girl, 14, up for Venice Film Festival award
A 14-year-old Iranian director is up for one of the main awards at this year's Venice Film Festival. -Ananova - 7/23/03
Israeli army accused of cruelty
A leading Israeli human rights group has accused Israeli soldiers of "malicious and cruel" treatment of Palestinians and the military leadership of indifference to widespread abuses. -Guardian - 7/23/03
Peace moves augur well for Iran gas pipeline: minister
Warming ties between India and Pakistan augur well for the construction of a 3.5-billion-dollar gas pipeline which would bring fuel to energy-starved India, the Iranian deputy foreign minister said. -AFP - 7/23/03
Apocalypse soon?
Amid reports that North Korea may have a second plutonium plant, the IAEA says it presents the world’s gravest nuclear-weapons threat. But Iran is running it a close second. Can a dangerous showdown be averted in either case? -Economist - 7/23/03
Iranian prosecutor Mortazavi, hero to conservatives, bane of reformists
Tehran's chief prosecutor Said Mortazavi, who has been told to investigate the death of a foreign journalist in which reformist critics say he was involved, is a zealous conservative notorious for having closed dozens of newspapers and jailed pro-reform journalists. -AFP - 7/23/03
Canada to recall ambassador over journalist killed in Iran
Canada said it would recall its ambassador to Tehran after Iranian authorities buried an Iranian-Canadian photographer who died after injuries sustained in police custody. -AFP - 7/23/03
Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi buried in Shiraz
Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was buried in her birthplace Shiraz, Fars province, on Wednesday morning (photos) - 7/23/03
Canadian Buried in Iran Against Ottawa's Wishes
A Canadian journalist who died in custody in Tehran was buried in her birthplace in southern Iran on Wednesday against the wishes of her son and the Canadian government who wanted her body to be returned to Canada. -Reuters - 7/23/03
High Stakes for Iran
Paradoxically, the post-war chaos in Iraq has prompted the war party in Washington to escalate “regime change” rhetoric directed at Tehran. Iran is engaged in a fragile transition to democracy. The greatest threats to this difficult process are the Iranian hardliners and the Bush administration’s belligerence. -Kaveh Ehsani - 7/23/03
Conservatives in Iran Looking to Deliver "Knock-Out Blow" Against Reformists
The July 9 incidents help underscore the broad crackdown on freedom of expression being carried out by Iranian conservatives. Iran’s jails are swelling with dissidents, pro-democracy activists, journalists, and reformist politicians. -Afshin Molavi, Eurasianet - 7/23/03
Isfahan governor general halts Jahan-Nama Tower project
Isfahan Governor General Mahmoud Hosseini on Wednesday issued the order to stop the construction process of Jahan-Nama Tower in compliance with President Mohammad Khatami's call and the letter received from the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ahmad Masjed Jamei - 7/23/03
Regime Change in Iran: A Reasseddment
The politics and ideologies dominating the region can best be seen as the product of two great regime-changing revolutions: Egypt in 1952 and Iran in 1979, respectively. Explicitly or implicitly, these major innovations were taken as exemplars of the proper ideology and methodology for seizing and holding power. -MERIA - 7/22/03
The nonviolent script for Iran
Renewed student-led protests in Tehran should expedite the debate in Washington about Iran. Two questions are being asked: Can protests produce regime change, and what kind of external support would help? -Christian Science Monitor - 7/22/03
EU warns Iran it may review relations
The European Union on Monday warned Iran its entire relationship with the Islamic republic would be reviewed if the government did not sign an enhanced nuclear inspections protocol demanded by the International Atomic Energy Agency. -Financial Times - 7/22/03
Solidarity and Student Protests in Iran
This June, vigilante forces attacked nonviolent Iranian student protesters, charging them on motorcycles and assaulting them with batons, chains, and knives. Instead of protecting the students against the vigilante attacks, the Iranian government threatened to punish the students severely and arrested over 4,000 people. -Foreign Policy In Focus - 7/22/03
Iran Culture Minister asks for halting "Jahan-Nama" Project in Isfahan
UNESCO has threatened to eliminate the name of Isfahan's Naqsh-e-Jahan (Imam) Square from its Global Heritage List if the project overlooking that historical square would be completed. - 7/22/03
Iran Reformists Criticize Probe of Canadian's Death
Reformist Iranian politicians and clerics criticized on Monday a government inquiry into a Canadian journalist's death in custody this month and called for a deeper probe to find out how she died and who was responsible. -Reuters - 7/22/03
Iranian students lose hope in president's reforms
When university students in Iran took to the streets last month for seven nights in a row to demand democracy, many of them also called for the resignation of President Mohammad Khatami. -CNN - 7/22/03
U.S. Said to Seek Help of Ex-Iraqi Spies on Iran
Relying on the help of an Iraqi political party, the United States has moved to resurrect parts of the Iraqi intelligence service, with the branch that monitors Iran among the top priorities, former Iraqi agents and politicians say. -New York Times - 7/22/03
Iran Judiciary Chief asks prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi to deal with culprits in Kazemi's death severely
Judiciary Chief Ayatollah seyed Mahmoud Shahroudi, appreciating the president's timely and quick order for investigation about Zahra Kazemi's death, asked the Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi to deal with those involved in her death according to the laws, as soon as possible - 7/22/03
Iranian FM rejects Bush terrorism charge
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi rejected charges by US President George W. Bush that his country was harbouring and supporting terrorists, telling AFP in Pretoria that "it is the United States that is harbouring terrorists" in Iraq -AFP - 7/22/03
Renewed call for independent investigation after release of unsatisfactory official enquiry
The findings of an official Iranian enquiry into the death in custody of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian of Iranian origin, were today dismissed as totally unsatisfactory by Reporters Without Borders, which reiterated its call for an independent investigation into her death after she was detained in Tehran on 23 June. - 7/22/03
High Privatization Council mulls Iran Air's privatization
High Privatization Council Secretariat reported that the privatization bid had been scrutinized on the basis of a directive issued by the President's Office. - 7/22/03
Iran Defense Minister says Shahab 3 missile test-firing for national security
Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani said here Monday that the test-firing of 'Shahab 3' missile aims to bolster national security. - 7/22/03
Presidential Commission in Iran Attributes Photojournalist’s Death to "Physical Attack"
For some journalists, the outcome of the Kazemi case may determine Khatami’s political future. "The ball is again in Khatami’s court. It’s up to him to be active or play it cool!" said the Iranian journalist who asked for anonymity. "This is a historic time in Iran. If the president can produce the culprit to the people, he could rescue the country and take the credit." -Camelia Entekhabi-Fard, Eurasianet - 7/22/03
Iran a potential gas supplier to UK
The British government has included Iran as a potential gas supplier to the UK when the country becomes increasingly dependent upon imports over the next decade - 7/22/03
Quakes leaves rls 179 billion in damage to Fars province of Iran
Earthquakes which hit Iran's southern province of Fars recently inflicted rls 179 billion in damage, the secretary of the province's Natural Disasters Headquarters, Hamid Taqizadeh, said on Tuesday - 7/22/03
Israel DM warns over Iran fusing long-range missiles with nuclear capability
Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz warned of the danger of Iran integrating its newly developed long-range missile technology with the nuclear capability which Israel charges it is developing. -AFP - 7/22/03
Iran rejects any condition tied to negotiations with EU
"Iran does not accept that the other party in the negotiations impose conditions or use the language of threats," said Assefi, quoted on state radio. -AFP - 7/22/03
Iran's Sunni MPs speak out
A group of Iranian members of parliament have criticised Iran's government for its treatment of the minority Sunni Muslims in the country. -BBC - 7/22/03
Bush cautions Iran and Syria
US President George W Bush has accused Iran and Syria of continuing to support terrorism and warned that the US may take action. -BBC - 7/22/03
Iran could sign nuclear protocol: FM
Iran softened its position on signing a protocol to allow surprise inspections of its nuclear sites, with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi declaring in Pretoria that a decision would be made after a briefing by UN legal experts. -AFP - 7/22/03
Canada tackles Iran over reporter
Canada has made its strongest call to date for Iran to take action against those responsible for the violent death of one of a Canadian journalist. -BBC - 7/22/03
Many questions left unanswered over death of Iranian-Canadian journalist
An official inquiry into the death of arrested Iranian-Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi has confirmed she died from a brain haemorrhage following a blow to the head, but left many questions unanswered. -AFP - 7/21/03
Funny in Farsi - Winning Hearts Through Humor
NIAC caught up with Iranian-American writer Firoozeh Dumas, author of “Funny in Farsi,” during her visit to Washington, DC. Firoozeh's work focuses on one of the most difficult and most important aspects of our community's efforts towards self-representation: our image. -NIAC - 7/21/03
Letter from alumni of Iran's Sharif University of Technology to President Khatami regarding detained students
As the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, you have pledged to defend the civil rights and social liberties of the people. Your faithfulness to this pledge is our expectation. - 7/21/03
Iraq: Bremer Says Iran Must Pull Back Border Posts
L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, today insisted that Iran should withdraw its border posts from Iraqi territory, even though he described the alleged intrusions as "pretty minor." -RFE - 7/21/03
Spotlight falls on Cuban-Iranian ties
The US official told the FT that although Cuba might have been the source of the jamming, it was possible the interference came from the Iranian embassy in Havana. -Financial Times - 7/21/03
Iran Insists Inquiry Into Canadian's Death Serious
Iran insisted on Monday that a government inquiry into the death in custody of a Canadian journalist was serious despite its failure to pinpoint how it happened or who was responsible. -Reuters - 7/21/03
Alarm Bells Ring After Iranian Uranium Report
Although the enriched uranium might have come from contamination, the diplomats, who declined to be identified, said it might mean Tehran purified uranium without telling the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). -Reuters - 7/21/03
Iran denies new missile is regional threat
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei presided Sunday over a ceremony marking the handover of the first of the rockets to the elite Revolutionary Guards, hailing the event as a key moment in the defence of the Palestinian cause. -AFP - 7/21/03
Secret nuclear plant detected in North Korea
North Korea may have secretly built a second nuclear reprocessing plant to produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to evidence found by US intelligence agencies. -Guardian - 7/21/03
Israeli FM says Iran nuclear programme threatens entire world
Iran's nuclear programme is a threat to the stability of the entire world, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom warned the European Union -AFP - 7/21/03
Canadian reporter died of 'head blow'
A Canadian-Iranian photojournalist arrested in Iran died of a brain haemorrhage resulting from a blow to the head that caused a skull fracture, an official inquiry has concluded. -BBC - 7/21/03
Iran not to withdraw from NPT but refuses to let surprise inspections
Iran said it does not intend to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but still refuses to sign an additional protocol providing for surprise inspections of its nuclear programme. -AFP - 7/21/03
Central Bank of Iran governor emphasizes independence of banks
The official, as quoted by `Iran Daily' on Monday, said banks are allowed to organize and implement data processing operations in line with their duties as laid down in their articles of association and in accordance with CBI regulations. - 7/21/03
World Bank delegation review development project feasibility in Iran
A four-member world Bank (WB) delegation visited Sunday several areas in the southern Khuzestan province of Iran - 7/21/03
In Iraq, Shiites are wild card
Before Hakim returned from exile in Iran in May, some walls here were painted with graffiti, heralding him as "his eminence God's great miracle." Monday, Hakkim's 8,000-strong militia, known as the Badr Brigade, have returned from Iran and are helping locally with rebuilding clinics and schools and sports programs, in an effort to win hearts and minds. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/21/03
Iranian coach of Persepolis soccer team, Vahid Qelich, badly battered
Recent reshuffle in Persepolis has been front-page headlines of Iranian sports dailies. New managing director of Persepolis Akbar Ghamkhar replaced popular head coach Ali Parvin with Croat Vingo Begovic, appointed former player of Tehrani team Abbas Ashtiani as the head when veteran Mahmoud Khordbin parted company with the reds, and fired scores of players. - 7/21/03
The Hidden Wonders of The Tehran Museum
It houses the most important collection of modern and contemporary art south of the Mediterranean. Yet it has remained almost invisible since 1979. -Le Monde, France - 7/21/03
Iran: Journalist Zahra Kazemi's death caused by physical attack, inquiry says
Five cabinet ministers in charge of an inquiry into death of Iranian photojournalist Mrs Zahra Kazemi said on Sunday that she died from physical attack - 7/21/03
At war for freedom
The former Director of the CIA says that America should make no apology for its robust response in the "war on terrorism". And if that makes other states nervous, so much the better -Guardian - 7/20/03
Reformist MPs deliver written report to Iran president on twin bills
In a letter to President Mohammad Khatami, the MPs reaffirmed their commitment to defend the rights of the people adding that they will never accept the sovereignty of the nation to be violated in the context of ambiguous law, a reference to the current election law. - 7/20/03
Two quakes shake southern Fars province of Iran
Two earthquakes measuring four and 3.3 in the open-ended Richter scale shook southern Fars province on Sunday morning at 05:33:25 and 06:11:06 local time respectively - 7/20/03
US troops detaining Iranian TV crew in Iraq since July 1
An Iranian television team has been detained by US forces in Iraq since July 1, a journalist in Baghdad said. -AFP - 7/20/03
Cuba Denies Jamming U.S. Broadcasts to Iran
The Cuban government on Saturday denied jamming U.S. satellite broadcasts to Iran and said it only blocked radio and television signals beamed "illegally" at Cuba. -Reuters - 7/20/03
A haunted man
But why did Kelly have to die? -Guardian - 7/20/03
US forces hit in northern Iraq
Two US soldiers have been killed and another injured in a Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq where attacks on American forces have been rare. -BBC - 7/20/03
Report on details of photojournalist's death delivered to Iran President
A report on details of Mrs Zahra Kazemi's death delivered to President Mohammad Khatami Sunday will be made public tomorrow, the government spokesman said on Sunday - 7/20/03
Iran calls for peaceful settlement of Caspian Sea issue
Iranian presidential envoy on Caspian Sea affairs Mehdi Safari, speaking in Moscow on Sunday, reiterated the need to solve the Caspian Sea issue and establish a legal regime on the basis of international laws - 7/20/03
Minister says 600 housing units built in Iran by foreign capital
Minister of Housing and Urban Development Ali Abdolalizadeh said in Tehran on Sunday of the total 660,000 housing units built in the last Iranian year (ended March 20), 600 have been constructed using foreign capital. - 7/20/03
Iran Arms Revolutionary Guards with New Missile
Russian-built Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot close support aircraft, attack and transport helicopters were also handed over on Sunday to the Revolutionary Guards, which is separate from Iran's regular army and reports directly to Khamenei. -Reuters - 7/20/03
Iran's reformists blast hardliners for killing of Canadian photographer
Iranian reformist MPs blasted the judiciary for allegedly killing a Canadian-Iranian photographer, saying heads should roll in the hardline bastion if the Islamic republic's reputation is to be restored. -AFP - 7/20/03
189,000 killed or injured in Iran road accidents last year
Director of Interior Ministry's Road Transportation Affairs Mohammad Raoufi said in Semnan on Sunday that road accidents across the nation caused a staggering 189,245 death and injuries in the last Iranian year (ended March 20) - 7/20/03
Eating burgers beneath the veil
When you talk about going to Iran people have images of hanging out in leafy gardens and traditional tea houses or encountering crowds of angry men shouting "Death to America". -BBC - 7/20/03
Ad hoc committee in Iran prepares report on journalist Zahra Kazemi's death
The investigation committee was formed on an order by President Mohammad Khatami and included representatives from the ministries of culture and Islamic guidance, intelligence, interior and justice. - 7/19/03
Iran rejects 'suspicious' report of enriched uranium find
Iran on Saturday denounced as "suspicious and vague" western media reports that UN inspectors had found enriched uranium in environmental samples taken in the country - 7/19/03
U.N. Inspectors in Iran for 'Routine' Visit -Iran
Iran said a team of U.N. nuclear inspectors had arrived in Iran on Saturday for a "routine" visit a day after diplomats said the United Nations had found enriched uranium in samples taken in the Islamic Republic. -Reuters - 7/19/03
Iran President calls for democracy at national and international levels
President Mohammad Khatami in a meeting with Spain's Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Rodrigo Rato Figardo in Tehran on Saturday presented an analysis on the latest world developments and called for democracy both at the national and international levels - 7/19/03
Tehran province of Iran to get special economic zone
Tehran province accounts for 40 percent of the nation's total expenditures, including manufacturing, agriculture, and services sectors (insurance, social security and banking) and close to 26 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). - 7/19/03
Blow to the head, possibly in scuffle, killed Iranian-Canadian photographer
An Iranian-Canadian photographer who died in Iran after her arrest was killed by a blow to the head that was possibly inflicted during a scuffle with prison guards, the student news agency ISNA reported. -AFP - 7/19/03
US court orders Iran to pay 313 million to bombing victim's family
The Iranian government must pay 313 million dollars to the family of a US national killed in a 1997 suicide bombing that wrought havoc on an outdoor market in Jerusalem, a US federal court has ruled. -AFP - 7/19/03
Canada's liberals under fire for handling of Kazemi's death
The Liberal government has come under fire for its handling of Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi's death in Iran, though former diplomat Ken Taylor says Ottawa has likely done as much as it can to intervene. -Globe & Mail - 7/19/03
US tells Cuba to stop jamming US broadcasts to Iran
The United States has formally complained to Cuba about the jamming of US satellite television news programs that appears to be originating from the island and told Havana to stop it, the State Department said. -AFP - 7/19/03
Assyrians hold International sport-cultural festival in Orumiyeh, Iran
Assyrians' International sport-cultural festival titled `3rd Tamouz Cup' opened in Orumiyeh on Friday. - 7/19/03
Bush slams Myanmar, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe
President George W. Bush hit out six regimes on a US blacklist he said were guilty of oppression and human rights abuses in Myanmar and Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Zimbabwe and Belarus. -AFP - 7/19/03
Death Becomes Part of Iran Reform Fight
The death of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist in detention is being bitterly debated by Iran's elected reformers who hold hard-liners directly responsible for the death and unelected but powerful conservatives who blame the victim. -AP - 7/19/03
CAJ calls on government to demand inquiry of journalist's death
Those who murdered Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi in an Iranian detention centre must be brought to justice, says the Canadian Association of Journalists. - 7/18/03
Iran needs $17 billion of investments next year
Khazai, also Head of Foreign Investments, Technical and Economic Assistance Organization (FITEAO) said this level of investments aims to create 900,000 new jobs, "so that the unemployment rate is controlled and lowered to about three percent." - 7/18/03
CPJ calls for independent investigation into journalist's death in hospital
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply alarmed by the death of Canadian-Iranian free-lance photographer Zahra Kazemi. Although you have ordered several government ministries to officially investigate her death, we demand that an immediate, independent inquiry be conducted—including an autopsy—and that the results be made public. - 7/18/03
Fanatical Journalism
Two somewhat identical articles, authored by journalist and political commentator Amir Taheri, appeared on the pages of The Wall Street Journal a few days apart: -Amin Boroumand - 7/18/03
Former Hostage to Get $600M From Iran
Also Thursday, the Bush administration said it hopes to discourage such lawsuits in the future by paying terror victims a fixed benefit like that guaranteed to survivors of police officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. -AP - 7/18/03
Trouble in Iran
don't know about you, but I didn't know about the massive demonstrations happening in Iran until I ran across a few news reports on the Web. -Oregon Daily Emerald - 7/18/03
In Ohio, Iraq Questions Shake Even Some of Bush's Faithful
Americans are voicing increasing concerns about Iraq, national polls show. A CBS News survey conducted early last week before the political storm over unreliable intelligence intensified, showed that 56 percent of those polled believe the administration overestimated Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. -Common Dreams - 7/18/03
'Time running out' to secure Iraq
A high-level advisory team sent to Iraq by the United States Defence Department says the window of opportunity to establish law and order is rapidly closing. -BBC - 7/18/03
US confused by Iraq's quiet war
The battle may be over, but Americans are still dying. Is this the birth of an Islamist resistance or a thieves' rebellion? -Guardian - 7/18/03
Bush's biggest blunder on foreign policy
When the history of the second Bush administration is written, historians will conclude that one of its worst diplomatic blunders was George W. Bush's incendiary ''axis of evil'' appellation to describe Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. -Boston Globe - 7/18/03
Iranian MPs to continue debates over Majlis electoral bill on Sunday
The bill on amending the electoral law has been basically drawn up to address the GC's prerogative of Approbatory Supervision, which enables the council to disqualify candidates, whom it considers as unfit for state posts from running in elections. - 7/18/03
Iran keeps an eye on the bloggers
Iranian authorities are keeping a close eye on the Internet amid growing online access and the popularity of weblogs. -CNN - 7/18/03
Iran broadcasts 'jammed by Cuba'
The United States is investigating a rogue signal detected from Cuba which is thought to be blocking its satellite broadcasts into Iran. -BBC - 7/18/03
IRAN: Government offers conflicting explanations of free-lancer's death
"These conflicting statements only reinforce the need for an immediate, independent autopsy and investigation into Kazemi's death," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "We again urge Iranian authorities to begin such inquiries at once." -CPJ - 7/18/03
Quake shakes eastern Iranian city, casualties from last week tremor upped
An earthquake measuring 4.2 degrees on the Richter scale shook Kuhban in the southeastern Kerman province Thursday - 7/18/03
Should the United States Interfere?
There is a great debate going on in the Iranian intellectual community on the issue of American interference in the developments in Iran. -Mohsen Moshfegh - 7/18/03
Islamic regime can not be toppled, top Iranian cleric tells US
A top Iranian cleric said it would be impossible for the United States to topple the nearly 25-year-old Islamic republic, accusing Washington of fomenting unrest but saying it had only served to strengthen the regime. -AFP - 7/18/03
Iran Samples Show Enriched Uranium-Diplomats
U.N. inspectors have found enriched uranium in environmental samples taken in Iran, which could mean Tehran has been purifying uranium without informing the U.N. nuclear watchdog, diplomats said. -Reuters - 7/18/03
Top Iranian reformist MP pessimistic over probe into death, arrests
"Considering the intelligence and justice ministers are so cautious, this will end up nowhere," said reformist MP Seyed Naser Ghavami, adding that "if the two ministers had abided by their duties we would not have had this problem." -AFP - 7/18/03
Iran bags three silvers, two bronzes at International Mathematics Olympiad
Iranian mathematics Olympiad team bagged three silver and two bronze medals at the 44th International Mathematics Olympiad in Tokyo - 7/17/03
Let's Remember Iran's Literary Treasures
Not many people know what Taher is or where it is and why it is so well known in a certain circle. Taher is an Emamzadeh with a small but very pleasant looking graveyard in North West of Tehran near Karaj. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 7/17/03
Iran's Reformists Make Last-Ditch Attempt to Thwart Conservative Foes
Reformist forces in Iran are making what some observers have described as a last-ditch effort to thwart the country’s increasingly defiant conservative minority, which controls the key levers of power in the Islamic republic. -Afshin Molavi, Eurasianet - 7/17/03
Iranian official beat Kazemi with shoe: Report
A Montreal-based photojournalist who died of a brain hemorrhage in an Iranian hospital was beaten about head with a shoe by a high-ranking Iranian official; the French newspaper Liberation reported today. -Toronto Star - 7/17/03
Iran completes medical probe into death of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist
Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien pressed Iran on Wednesday to punish those responsible for Kazemi's death, saying that "if crimes have been committed, we're demanding of the Iranian government to punish those who committed the crime." -AFP - 7/17/03
Al-Qaeda spokesman 'in Iran'
Kuwait has acknowledged for the first time that one of its former citizens, the al-Qaeda spokesman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is in Iranian custody. -BBC - 7/17/03
Iran Still Investigating Canadian's Death-Official
A suggestion that a Canadian journalist was beaten to death was sheer speculation and Iran was still investigating the cause of the brain hemorrhage that killed her, a senior Tehran government source said on Thursday. -Reuters - 7/17/03
Private firms ready to enter Iran's auto market
Applications by over 25 private companies seeking permission to establish automobile factories are currently in the final stages of assessment by relevant organizations - 7/17/03
Canadian FM discusses death of Iranian journalist with Kharrazi
Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham held telephone talks with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday over the death of an Iranian photojournalist, who worked for Canada's Camera Press magazine - 7/17/03
Iran President: No place for nuclear weapons in Iran's defensive policies
Speaking to Saudi Arabia's Al Watan daily, President Khatami added, "I am telling you explicitly that not only we are not after acquiring nuclear power for military purposes, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran favors clearing the world, and the Middle East from the nuclear weapons." - 7/17/03
Iran's Student Riots - June 2003
The student demonstrations that started in Tehran on June 10, 2003 spread across Iran and continued for 10 days. What began as a protest at the University of Tehran against the regime's intent to privatize university studies and charge tuition quickly broadened. -MEMRI - 7/17/03
UN special envoy demands Iran's help for Iraq Governing Council
UN special representative on Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello Thursday called on regional neighbors, including Iran, to support the Iraqi Governing Council in running the country - 7/17/03
Iran probes journalist crackdown
The latest round of arrests is part of a long running power struggle between Iran's powerful conservatives - loyal to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - and the reformists. -BBC - 7/17/03
Israel warns of Iranian nuclear progress
Iran's nuclear program could become "irreversible" unless it is stopped, Israeli diplomats said in a Wednesday report. -Washington Times - 7/17/03
Iraq Pressure on Bush Mounts as Another U.S. Soldier Killed
A grenade attack killed a U.S. soldier in Iraq Wednesday, bringing the total combat deaths to 147, equaling the total in the 1991 Gulf War. -Common Dreams - 7/17/03
Canada seeks return of body
Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, is demanding the return of the body of a Canadian journalist who died after being detained in Tehran. -BBC - 7/17/03
Britain must hold the line over Iran
US hawks are now recklessly talking up the 'threat' from Tehran -Guardian - 7/17/03
University of Washington's Persian Program expands with local and national support
The Persian Studies program at the University of Washington in Seattle announces a series of investments that will allow it to significantly expand its course offerings, scholarships, and community service. This academic year has seen nearly $400,000 in new gifts to the program... - 7/17/03
BBG Condemns Cuba’s Jamming of Satellite TV Broadcasts To Iran
The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) today condemned Cuba’s jamming of U.S. international broadcasts to Iran, calling the action a “deliberate and malicious” effort to block Iranian audiences from gaining access to truthful news and information. - 7/16/03
Iranian Technical Forum To Be Held AT MIT
SiliconIran announced it is hosting the Iranian-American Technology Forum (ITF) on September 27 at MIT in Boston. - 7/16/03
Five women confront a new Iraq
For the more than half of Iraqis who are women, whether life is better now than under Mr. Hussein depends on whom one asks. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/16/03
Iran: MPO says Guardian Council's local supervision bureaus "unconstitutional"
Iran's Management and Planning Organization (MPO) on Wednesday called unconstitutional the recent measure taken by the Guardian Council (GC) to establish local bureaus in provinces for implementing approbatory supervision missions - 7/16/03
Iran leader denies profiteering
Ayatollah Khamenei's decision to take the unusual step of denying he receives any illegitimate payments shows he is very sensitive about rumours of corruption. -BBC - 7/16/03
Israel finds support from Britain over Iran
Britain is increasingly alarmed at the threats posed by Iran's nuclear programme and conventional missiles which could reach Israel and US forces in the Middle East. -Guardian - 7/16/03
Russia, Iran may sign nuclear fuel deal by end of July: Rumyantsev
Moscow and Tehran are very close to signing a key deal on the return of atomic fuel from Iran's first nuclear reactor, paving the way for the Russian-built facility to go on line, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev revealed. -AFP - 7/16/03
Iran Postpones Visit of U.N. Rights Official
Iran has postponed a planned visit by a top U.N. official charged with promoting free speech after a string of arrests of pro-reform journalists, the United Nation said Tuesday. -Reuters - 7/16/03
Iran has no plans to acquire nuclear weapons: Khatami
The president accused the United States of launching an unjustified campaign against Iran's nuclear programme. -AFP - 7/16/03
Iran: An Independent Inquiry Must Be Opened Into The Death Of Zahra Kazemi
Amnesty International added its voice today to the calls made by Iran's Islamic Human Rights Commission and other international human rights organizations in calling for an independent and thorough investigation into the death in custody of 54-year-old photojournalist Zahra Kazemi on 12 July 2003. - 7/16/03
US says it's not interested in direct talks with Iran on nuclear program
The United States said it did not want direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program and that it is only interested in dealing with the issue through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). -AFP - 7/16/03
Iraq first, Iran and China next
Weapons of mass destruction aren't the issue, it's about global control -Guardian - 7/16/03
Iran President orders a review of government supervision over journalists
The order was issued after he received a letter informing him of the closing down of another newpaper and detention of its editor in chief. - 7/16/03
Iran, Japan agree about technical issues on Azadegan oil field
"Despite American pressures, the Azadegan oil deal with Japan is nearing finalization," Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh had earlier said, thus dispelling speculation that Tokyo had bowed down to US pressure and pulled out of the venture. - 7/16/03
Iran's business environment still lagging despite improvements
In its survey of 60 countries, the EIU calculated that Iran's business environment would improve by rating of 1.2, the second highest after Russia, between 2003 and 2007. - 7/16/03
Biggest library in Middle East to open in Iran
The curator of the National Library and Archives and Islamic Encyclopedia, Kazem Mousavi Bojnourdi, said in Tehran Tuesday that a library, expected to be the biggest in the Middle East, is currently being constructed in Iran - 7/16/03
Iran Halts Burial of 'Beaten' Canada Photographer
Iran said on Tuesday it had blocked the burial of a Canadian photographer pending a probe into her allegedly suspicious death but Canada said Iran's "almost feudal" society meant the inquiry might not provide clear answers. -Reuters - 7/16/03
Iran Parliament commission says tried to meet Kazemi before her death
Majlis Article 90 Commission announced on Wednesday that it had tried to meet the deceased photojournalist Zahra Kazemi before she died - 7/16/03
Iran raises stakes with oilfield find
The discovery of the 38bn barrels of oil reserves near Iran's southern port of Bushehr could make US isolation of the country even more difficult, analysts said. -Financial Times - 7/16/03
Iran admits dead Canadian-Iranian journalist beaten
Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a reformist, also made the dramatic claim that the death of 54-year-old Zahra Kazemi was linked to wave of arrests carried out by regime hardliners seeking to undermine the embattled pro-reform camp. -AFP - 7/16/03
"Our Letter to Khatami Was a Farewell": An Interview with Saeed Razavi-Faqih
Saeed Razavi-Faqih is a student at Tarbiat-Modarres University in Tehran and a member of the steering council of the main national student organization, the Office for the Consolidation of Unity (OCU). Razavi-Faqih has played a key role in the leadership of Iranian student protests in December 2002 and previously. -Kaveh Ehsani - 7/16/03
New assignments at Iran's suspended dailies Javan and Hambastegi
Javan was suspended on June 29 for being published without indicating the name of its license-holder and managing director, while Hambastegi was suspended temporarily on Sunday for not having a managing director. - 7/15/03
Some 3,500 houses collapse across the quake-hit Fars province in Iran
According to the latest report released at the inflicted areas, one individual is dead and 20 are injured. - 7/15/03
Journalist sought to expose injustice
Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi dedicated herself to documenting the living conditions in war-torn areas and exposing injustices against women and children. -Montreal Gazette - 7/15/03
Iranian Court Arrests Reformist Journalist
At least four other Iranian journalists are known to have been arrested in recent days, and more than 20 others are currently known to be serving prison terms. -VOA - 7/15/03
EU foreign policy chief welcomes 'positive' Iranian cooperation with IAEA
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said he was happy with the results of international nuclear watchdog head Mohamed ElBaradei's last week visit to Iran and Tehran's 'positive' cooperation with IAEA, Foreign Ministry said Tuesday - 7/15/03
Cuba accused of blocking U.S. satellite feeds to Iran
Transmitters in Cuba are jamming the signals of at least four U.S.-based television stations owned by Iranian Americans who are critical of the Tehran regime and use satellites to transmit programs to Iran, according to broadcasters and a private U.S. firm that has pinpointed the source of the interference. -Miami Herald - 7/15/03
Iran has already buried photojournalist, says son
The son of a photojournalist who died under suspicious circumstances in Iran said today that Iranian authorities have buried his mother despite his efforts to have the body returned to Canada. -Toronto Star - 7/15/03
US forces not going home soon
American soldiers who had been expecting to be sent home from Iraq soon have been told they will remain in the Gulf indefinitely. -BBC - 7/15/03
Iranian trade delegation to arrive in Iraq
The upcoming visit to Iraq of the Iranian delegation is aimed at studying avenues to bolster trade relations between the two countries - 7/15/03
Junior Iranian volleyballers given hero's welcome
Iran ranked third in the 8th World Boys' Under-19 Volleyball Championship ended in Suphan Buri, Thailand, Sunday. - 7/15/03
Iran's Information Ministry ordered to deal with 'rumor mongers' targeting Khamenei's office
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's office has ordered the Information (Intelligence) Ministry to identify and deal with those behind the claim that a fraction of income from the sale of cars in Iran was being funneled into his office - 7/15/03
Iran Culture Minister sends condolence message to Zahra Kaezmi's family
A written condolence message issued by minister of culture and Islamic Guidance was delivered to the bereaved family of the deceased Canadian photo journalist of Iranian origin, Zahra Kazemi on Monday evening here in Shiraz - 7/15/03
Canada Hunts for Body of Photographer in Iran
Canadian diplomats in Tehran are hunting for the body of a Montreal-based freelance photographer who died from alleged head wounds after being arrested, officials said on Monday. -Reuters - 7/15/03
From influences to outcasts
The People's Mojahedin, which once boasted a large following in Iran, is exiled from the country and faces an increasingly uncertain future. -Guardian - 7/15/03
Iran students want to meet UN special rapporteur
Iranian students want to meet United Nations' (UN) special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, during his forthcoming visit to Iran, they said on Monday. -Middle East Online - 7/15/03
US rebuffs Iran offer of nuclear talks
Iran has indicated to the US it is ready to open direct talks about its nuclear programme, but US officials say the Bush administration is keeping the door closed. -Financial Times - 7/15/03
Reformers: Iran Must Chose Democracy or Despotism
Some 350 reformist intellectuals urged Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Tuesday to end repression and free political prisoners, saying the Islamic Republic must choose between democracy and despotism. -Reuters - 7/15/03
Iranian dissidents seek to apply more pressure on supreme leader
The letter (to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) said the nearly 25-year-old Islamic republic was facing three major crisis, concerning its legality, public participation in elections and efficiency. -AFP - 7/15/03
Abbas Kiarostami's Ta'ziyeh: People watching
Abbas Kiarostami's stage debut sees the acclaimed Iranian film-maker tackle the gulf between the west and Islam. Lee Marshall reports from Rome -Guardian - 7/14/03
Iran: Tehran Urged To Do More To Explain Journalist's Death
Relatives and colleagues of an Iranian-born Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi, who died after being interrogated by the Iranian intelligence services, have accused Iran of a cover-up. -RFE - 7/14/03
Zanganeh: Iran, Japan close to sign deal on Azadegan oil field
Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Iran and Japan are close to clinch a deal on developing the massive Azadegan oil field in the face of American pressures - 7/14/03
Iranian daily Hambastegi is suspended temporarily
The morning daily `Hambastegi' published in the Iranian capital was suspended temporarily on Sunday for not having a managing director - 7/14/03
More quakes hit town of Zarrin-Dasht in southern Iran
Zarrin-Dasht, 300 km southeast of Shiraz, has a population of 70,000 people. - 7/14/03
Iranian Chemists¢ Association of the American Chemical Society Open Invitation Meeting in New York on September 9, 2003
The Iranian Chemists¢ Association of the American Chemical Society (ICA-ACS) was founded in 1989 at the ACS Biannual Meeting in Boston by a group of visionary chemists who recognized the merit for an association that would promote the unique professional aspirations of the American Chemists of Iranian heritage in the US. - 7/14/03
Inquiry after journalist dies in Iran
Ms Kazemi's death came as hardline clergy closed another newspaper yesterday and arrested two more journalists and student activists as part of a intensifying crackdown on dissent following pro-democracy protests last month. -Guardian - 7/14/03
British Public Have Lost Faith in Tony Blair
TONY Blair has lost the trust of the British people over war on Iraq, an exclusive Mirror poll reveals today. Two thirds of voters believe the Premier fed them false information in the months-long run-up to conflict. -Daily Mirror, UK - 7/14/03
Let Patients Decide: Iranian twins left the world a big idea
The doctors for the conjoined twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani said that the odds of their surviving surgery to separate their heads were about 50-50. The number of times this procedure had been done successfully was--zero. -WSJ - 7/14/03
Iranian-Canadian photographer likely to be buried in Iran
The mother of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist, whose suspicious death was confirmed by Iranian authorities, has granted permission for her daughter to be buried in Iran, Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday. -AFP - 7/14/03
Iran: Revolution
And was it exactly what we actually witnessed during these past seven years? A struggle between a group of the rulers who made the mistake of showing 'too much haste and ruthlessness' in their resistance and opposition to 'changes of time and thus its demands' and the other group exhibiting excessive hesitation and conservatism?' -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 7/14/03
Report: Iran Makes Giant New Oil Find
Iran has made a major new oil find containing estimated reserves of more than 38 billion barrels, making it one of the world's biggest undeveloped fields, a senior oil official was quoted as saying Monday. -Reuters - 7/14/03
Iran, Italy to broaden economic, industrial cooperation
Minister of Industries and Mines Es'haq Jahangiri is scheduled to arrive in Rome on Tuesday to attend the 6th meeting of Iran-Italy Economic Commission - 7/14/03
Iran ranked 5th in oil trade between 1991-2001
According to figures released by Italy's National Hydrocarbon Company (ENI), the country's daily exports between 1991 and 2001 averaged 2.5 million barrels of oil, oil products and gas liquids, it said. - 7/14/03
Tehran man saw guards hold woman
And when guards quietly took Zahra Kazemi away after spotting her with a camera, Kamran Ashtarian, a 24-year-old Tehran resident who said he saw Ms. Kazemi at the time of her arrest, did not think that the reporter-photographer would be dead three weeks later. -Globe & Mail, Canada - 7/14/03
The Cult of Rajavi
Until the United States invaded Iraq in March, the Mujahedeen survived for two decades under the patronage of Saddam Hussein. He gave the group money, weapons, jeeps and military bases along the Iran-Iraq border -- a convenient launching ground for its attacks against Iranian government figures. -New York Times - 7/13/03
Iranian president orders investigation into death of Canadian journalist
Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami ordered four ministers to investigate the death of Iranian-Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi, who died following her arrest by Iranian authorities last month, student news agency ISNA reported. -AFP - 7/13/03
Iranian twins laid to rest
The conjoined Iranian twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani, who died during an operation to separate them, have been buried in their home village. -BBC - 7/13/03
Argentina Reviews a Clumsy Case by Its Spies
First came the armed forces, then the police. Now it is the turn of Argentina's state intelligence apparatus to squirm under the scrutiny of President Néstor Kirchner, who has begun investigating how the government spy agency mishandled the investigation of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center here nine years ago. -New York Times - 7/13/03
Fighting for the Right to Communicate
In its simplest terms, this is all about one man, one company and six e-mail messages. Oh yes, and one lawsuit, which took nearly five years to wind its way through the California court system. -New York Times - 7/13/03
Iraq moves towards self-rule
Iraq has taken its first step towards self-government since the fall of Saddam Hussein with the inaugural meeting of a governing council composed of Iraqi nationals. -BBC - 7/13/03
Iranian press bids sad farewell
Iran's papers on Saturday carry extensive coverage in their social affairs pages of the last days of conjoined twins Laleh and Ladan. Many writers pay tribute to the women's courage, even as they bid them an "eternal farewell". -BBC - 7/13/03
Journalist dies in Iran custody
Zahra Kazemi, 54, was pronounced brain dead after falling into a coma following her arrest on 23 June for taking pictures outside a prison in Tehran. -BBC - 7/13/03
Son of photographer who died in Iran wants body returned to Canada
The Canadian government and the son of a Canadian press photographer who died suddenly after her arrest by Iranian authorities in late June called for her body to be returned to Canada for an autopsy. -AFP - 7/13/03
Water consumption in Tehran crosses 273-million-cubic meter mark
Total water consumption in the capital since the start of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21) to July 12 reached 273.868 million cubic meters - 7/13/03
Iran Aide: Iran Should Exit Nuke Treaty
Iran should withdraw from an international nuclear arms control treaty because of U.S. pressure to give weapons inspectors greater access to Iranian nuclear sites, an aide to the supreme leader said Saturday in a newspaper editorial. -AP - 7/13/03
Another quake hits Iran's Fars province on Sunday
An earthquake measuring 3.4 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale shook the southern part of Fars province in Iran, the second, on Sunday morning - 7/13/03
Iranian academic Hashem Aqajari pleads not guilty, lawyer
Academic Hashem Aqajari has pleaded not guilty, his lawyer Saleh Nikbakht said on Sunday adding that he filed a protest with the Appeals Court in Hamdan against the prison terms against his client - 7/13/03
Iran Professor's Sentence Cut to 4 Years
Hashem Aghajari, a history professor at Tehran's Teachers Training University, is also barred from running for office or occupying a government post for five years, lawyer Saleh Nikbakht told The Associated Press. -AP - 7/13/03
Three more journalists arrested in Iran
Hossein Bastani and Vahid Ostad-Pour of the pro-reform Yas-e-No daily, and Shahram Mohammadi-Nia, director of the weekly Vaght (Time), were summoned by Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi and then arrested, a Yas-e-No colleague told ISNA. -AFP - 7/13/03
Iran grabs third place in world u-19 volleyball
Iran playes it's last match against Czech Republic. Iran lost the first set to the Czech Republic 21-15 but hit back to win the match 3-1. - 7/13/03
Terror label aside, Iran exiles boast access
It's not every day that a group listed by the United States as a terrorist organization and accused by former members of being a dangerous cult holds a news conference at a posh hotel just a block from the White House. -Baltimore Sun - 7/13/03
Iran President voices deep grief at Ms Kazemi's death, assigns four ministers to inquire into case
President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday expressed deep grief at sudden death of Iranian photographer Ms Zahra Kazemi and assigned four cabinet members to inquire into her death - 7/13/03
Backers of Iranian Reform Fight Tide of Frustration
Today, the movement is on the ropes, battered by election losses to conservative foes and fractured by internal disagreements over the future. Many leading reformists are in jail or have effectively been silenced. -Washington Post - 7/13/03
Iranian MPs urge armed forces not to enter political bickering
Members of the Assembly of Student Movement of Majlis in a letter to the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Major-General Rahim Safavi on Friday called for preventing armed forces from entering into political issues - 7/12/03
Iran's oil giants to merge soon
Two major Iranian oil corporations, Petropars and Petro Iran, have announced that they will soon merge to form a giant Middle Eastern oil company - 7/12/03
Iran president offers to quit
Iran's reformist President, Mohammad Khatami, has said he will resign if the country's people want him to. -BBC - 7/12/03
Iranian photographer dies of brain stroke in hospital
Zahra Kazemi, introducing herself as an Iranian national, was authorized to take photos and prepare reports on the recent university unrests as a representative of the English `Camera Press' institute. - 7/12/03
CIA chief takes rap for Bush's false war claim
The CIA chief, George Tenet, yesterday took the blame for President George Bush's discredited claim that Saddam Hussein had tried to procure uranium from Africa. -Guardian - 7/12/03
Saudi Arabia, Iran sign judicial cooperation deal
Saudi Arabia and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on judicial cooperation at the end of a visit by the Islamic republic's judiciary chief, the official SPA news agency reported. -AFP - 7/12/03
Surgeon Critiques Iran Twins' Operation
A neurosurgeon who assisted in the failed attempt to separate adult conjoined twins from Iran said Friday the operation should have been done in several stages instead of one procedure. -AP - 7/12/03
Iran's World Tennis Stars Tournament's closing ceremonies held
In a glorious ceremony attended by more than 4,000 tennis-mad fans, the Executive Manager Mohammad Khalilpour expressed his satisfaction with holding the tournament, hoping such events help progress tennis in the country. - 7/12/03
5th quake hits Fars province
An earthquake measuring 3.5 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale shook the southern province of Fars in Iran on Saturday morning for the fifth time - 7/12/03
Ottawa confirms Cdn. journalist died in Tehran
A Canadian freelance photojournalist reportedly arrested and allegedly beaten into a coma in Tehran has died of her injuries, Foreign Affairs confirmed Saturday. -CTV, Canada - 7/12/03
A Short Trip to Iran's Caspian Coast
The main problem with going to the Caspian is that you end up eating too much. I hardly ever have three meals a day. But there, especially with the help of Shahnaz khanoum, who with her husband Bahman Agha, takes care of this villa and cooks wonderfully delicious local dishes, we all lost control and forgot about dietary restrictions and devoured three great meals a day! -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 7/11/03
Iranian teen-aged pianist Sara Daneshpour performs in Tehran Roudaki Hall
The 16-year-old pianist, who is student of the University of Philadelphia in the United States majoring in music, has so far managed to appeal to a number of the world art circles. - 7/11/03
Iran: Tehran Mostly Quiet After Fourth Anniversary Of Pro-Democracy Protests
Iranian authorities made it clear in the run-up to yesterday's anniversary of 1999's student unrest that they would crack down hard on any observances, and their warnings appear to have had effect. -RFE - 7/11/03
Iran: Student activists and demonstrators must be treated in accordance with international human rights standards
Amnesty International is concerned at yesterday's arrest of student leaders Reza Ameri Nassab, Ali Moghtadari and Arash Hashemi who may have been targeted solely for the peaceful expression of their political views. - 7/11/03
Iran's frustrated generation
The dilemma for the reformists is whether giving concessions to young people allows them more room for expression and thus protects the Islamic system of government - or whether it just whets their appetites for more freedoms that may ultimately undermine the system. -BBC - 7/11/03
Bodies of Iranian twins taken to their village for burial
A funeral procession was held at Shiraz airport by a number of friends, relatives and well-wishers before the bodies were taken to the remote village of Lohrasb in Firouzabad for burial. - 7/11/03
Feds Search U.S. Firms in Iran Arms Case
Federal authorities on Thursday announced that 18 U.S. businesses were searched as part of a probe into arms shipments to Iran including components for fighter jets, missiles and other weapons. -AP - 7/11/03
US force nears limit of its global stretch
So many United States troops are now deployed to so many different places around the world that the American military may be in danger of overextension. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/11/03
Asylum seeker ends deportation protest
An Iranian asylum seeker who had sewn up parts of his face to protest against being deported has been taken to hospital to have the stitches removed. -BBC - 7/11/03
Iran steps up challenge to Israeli might
US silent despite impending missile deployment heralding new balance of power -Daily Star - 7/11/03
A short tour to Omar Khayyam's mausoleum in Iran's city of Neishabour
The ancient city of Neishabour, a hub of Iranian culture and civilization throughout history, is located on the southern foothills of Binaloud mountain range and is known for its inlaid pen holders. - 7/11/03
Iran defeats world volleyball host Thailand to advance to to semis
In front of boisterous home fans, Thailand was routed by Iran in three straight sets 25-16, 25-22, 25-19 respectively. - 7/11/03
Tehran, Iran: Suspense
A feeling of suspense since the moment the eyes open to the day rules over the spirit. Then feelings of apprehension, fear, hope, frustration, pessimism, optimism and... -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 7/11/03
Oil shocked
A desire to loosen Opec's stranglehold on petroleum prices lies behind Bush's interest in Africa and his plans for Iraq, writes Randeep Ramesh -Guardian - 7/11/03
Nuclear Talks Mask Strategic Dilemma in Tehran
Amid domestic turmoil, Iran continues to project a courteous but cryptic tone to the International Atomic Energy Agency. -Eurasianet - 7/11/03
Exiles work to liberate Iran
Miss Zand-Bonazzi and others have developed a network of 300 to 400 individuals on the ground in Iran who can distribute funds raised in the West. -Washington Times - 7/11/03
Khatami cautions against abuse of Constitution, religious values
"We are not people's masters, rather, we are servants of the nation," said the president adding, "If the nation says we do not like (you), we will quit. A society should be so." - 7/11/03
Journalist held in Iran brain-dead, son says
A Montreal photojournalist of Iranian origin, who was detained in Tehran last month on suspicion of being a spy, is brain-dead and not in a coma, her son Stephan Hachemi said yesterday. -Canada.com - 7/11/03
One killed, 20 injured in successive Iran quakes
One was killed and 20 others injured after two relatively strong earthquakes successively hit town of Zarrin-Dasht near the southern city of Shiraz in Fars province Thursday night - 7/11/03
Interview with Geneive Abdo and Jonathan Lyons, authors of Answering only to God: Faith and Freedom in Twenty-First-Century Iran
On both a personal and political note, we were very pleased to learn that Ayatollah Montazeri was released from his house arrest. He recently sent us an e-mail, saying we had performed a great service for the people of Iran and for the Muslim world. We plan to frame this and keep it on our wall, because it means a lot to us. You may recall, we were the first to interview him at length (by fax) about his views on the Islamic system, reform, and the role of the Supreme Leader. - 7/11/03
Iran's Takht-e Soleyman among 24 new sites on the UNESCO's world heritage list
The archaeological site of Takht-e Suleyman, in north-western Iran, is situated in a valley in a volcanic mountain region. The site includes the principal Zoroastrian sanctuary partly rebuilt in the Ilkhanid (Mongol) period (13th century) as well as a temple of the Sasanian period (6th and 7th centuries AD) dedicated to Anahita. - 7/11/03
Demonstrators, Lawmakers, express support for regime change in Iran
In a lively demonstration in front of the west side of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Iranian-American protestors voiced their support for the recent wave of student demonstrators in Iran, and called for an end to the theocratic regime in Tehran. - 7/10/03
On Iran, US opts for peer pressure
As new allegations of Tehran's nuclear program surface, Washington tries multilateral approach. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/10/03
Failed Separation Surgery Fuels Ethics Debate
Prayers were held on Wednesday for conjoined Iranian twins who died after a marathon separation operation, as a debate erupted over whether the pioneering surgery should have even been attempted. -Reuters - 7/10/03
Bodies of conjoined twin sisters flown to Iran for separate burial
What holds the mirror now, but a frozen stare / in place of thy sister’s glowing face (poem by Babak Mozafarian) - 7/10/03
Iran Denies It Has Moved Border Posts Into Iraq
Iran firmly denied on Thursday an accusation by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that it had moved some border posts several kilometers into Iraq -Reuters - 7/10/03
Bush admits Iraq 'security problems'
US President George W Bush calls on troops to "hang tough" in Iraq as two more soldiers die in attacks. -BBC - 7/10/03
Natural gas meets 54 pc of Iran's energy needs
daily gas production is expected to rise to 330 million cubic meters a day this year from 290 million cubic meters last year. - 7/10/03
World famous tennis stars to play in Tehran tournament
Speaking at a press conference Bjorn Borg and Michael Perforns from Sweden, Emilio Sanchez from Spain and Mansour Bahrami from Iran all said tennis players in the world play year around in various tournaments which keeps them match-fit. - 7/10/03
Who Are Iran's Mystery Al Qaeda Suspects?
Western governments believe Iran may be holding some of the world's most-keenly sought Islamic militant fugitives and are eagerly watching to see how Tehran will deal with them. -Reuters - 7/10/03
Iran's Interior minister appoints Tabriz mayor through a decree
Seyed Hossein Farahangpour has an MS in urbanization from a US university and he used to serve as the director general of the planning and development department at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Tabriz is the second largest megacity across the nation and has a population of 1.8 million. - 7/10/03
Iranians gather in Singapore for private farewell to twins
Iranians gathered for a private farewell to express feelings for Ladan and Laleh Bijani, the twins who died within minutes of achieving their dream of being separated after 29 years joined at the head. -AFP - 7/10/03
Iran press limits protest comment
Reformist newspapers in Iran have reluctantly complied with the authorities' request not to comment on the fourth anniversary of a raid on a Tehran University dormitory that triggered student riots in 1999. -BBC - 7/10/03
Twins' Death -- Sacrifice, Freedom Inseparable to Iranians
The deaths of two beautiful, intelligent young women would be tragic in any part of the world. However, the death of Ladan and Laleh Bijani, the Siamese twins whom doctors attempted to separate on July 8, carries an especially strong symbolic message for Iranians. -William O. Beeman, PNS - 7/10/03
IAEA chief leaves Tehran hopeful of Iran's cooperation
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei wound up his one-day visit to Tehran Wednesday evening after fruitful talks with senior Iranian officials on ways to bolster bilateral cooperation - 7/10/03
Iran: IIPF voices alarm about interference of other organs in judicial proceedings
Secretary General of the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) Mohammad Reza Khatami on Wednesday expressed concern about interference of other organs in the judicial proceedings against the defendants under arrest for political charges - 7/10/03
Iranian twins return home
The bodies of two Iranian conjoined twins who died during surgery to separate them have arrived back in Tehran amid emotional scenes. -BBC - 7/10/03
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America
This little girl came to California before most Americans could find Iran on a map -Christian Science Monitor - 7/10/03
Muslims in U.S. Feel Targeted By Anti-Terror Business Policies
Dokhi Fassihian is passionate about Iran, and her résumé reflects it. The policy analyst has written articles on Iran, helped with a book about the country and even worked there. So she was stunned when ... -Washington Post - 7/10/03
Carnegie Scholar Discusses the Prospects for Reform in Iran
Daniel Brumberg, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, held a briefing Tuesday morning at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, entitled “Beyond Ideology: Prospects for Reform in Iran.” -NIAC - 7/10/03
Iranian Vigilantes, Police, Youths Clash in Tehran
Hundreds of Iranian hardline Islamic vigilantes, police and pro-democracy youths fought sporadic street battles near Tehran University on Wednesday, the anniversary of violent 1999 student unrest. -Reuters - 7/10/03
Iran ranks third in world RoboCup 2003
Isfahan's University of Technology was named by the organizing committee as `Team of RoboCup 2003' with 5.2 points for superior design, advanced control, and unique performance. - 7/10/03
Iranian Students Vow to Defy Protest Ban
Iranian students on Tuesday vowed to commemorate a violent 1999 attack on a university dormitory on Wednesday in defiance of an official ban. -Reuters - 7/9/03
Iran asked to prove arrest of Canadian
Canada has formally urged authorities in Iran to investigate the treatment of a Canadian photojournalist who was taken to hospital with severe head injuries after her arrest in the Iranian capital last month. -Globe & Mail - 7/9/03
No Mr. Secretary, This Is Not A Family Feud!
I am afraid that the worst fears of our nation’s democratic forces may have come to pass and the U.S. Government may just have struck a deal with the Islamic Republic. -Mohsen Moshfegh - 7/9/03
Iran nuclear talks 'positive'
The head of the United Nation's nuclear watchdog, Mohammed ElBaradei, says his talks with the Iranian government have been constructive and are moving in a positive direction. -BBC - 7/9/03
Iranian official warns against consequences of earthquake in Tehran
Head of Tehran Crisis Management and Prevention Center, Ali Danesh, speaking in Tehran on Tuesday, said that once the faults in Rey and Mosha become active, they will take toll among six percent of the population - 7/9/03
Iran Twins' Adoptive Father Angry After Operation
The man who brought up the two Iranian sisters who died on Tuesday during marathon surgery in Singapore to separate their fused heads told of his deep sadness -- but also bitterness and anger -- at their deaths. -Reuters - 7/9/03
Palo Alto (California) demonstration part of global rally
More than 250 Bay Area Iranians waved flags and shouted chants against the Islamic regime in downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday evening, joining a worldwide rally to support Iranian student protesters. -San Jose Mercury - 7/9/03
Iranians Cry in Shock Over Death of Twins
Some pulled off the road upon hearing the news. Many cried out in shock. Others — at work, at restaurants, in their homes — simply wept. -AP - 7/9/03
Iran may have nuclear bomb by 2005: US senator
"Reports from inside Iran are now estimating that with the discovery of these additional sites, Iran may have the nuclear bomb by the end of 2005," said Brownback. -AFP - 7/9/03
Key US partners clash while Taliban regroups
While US enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan are regrouping, the US-backed governments in Kabul and Islamabad are locked in a bitter dispute. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/9/03
White House Backs Off Iraqi Uranium Claim
In a new blow to the US case for war with Iraq, the White House formally admitted that President George W. Bush overstated Saddam Hussein's alleged efforts to obtain uranium for nuclear arms. -Common Dreams - 7/9/03
'Crescent': A Romance in 'Iran-geles'
Diana Abu-Jaber's new book, Crescent, combines romance, folk tales and current events to illustrate the Arab-American immigrant experience. Set against the backdrop of a Los Angeles community of Iranian and Iraqi immigrants and exiles -NPR - 7/9/03
Profile: Elaheh Kulai
Elaheh Kulai is one of 11 female MPs in Iran's 290-seat parliament. She is the rapporteur of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, as well as of its subcommittee for Caspian affairs. -BBC - 7/9/03
Dissident Group Says Iranian Military Has Nuclear Site
Iran has a nuclear complex northwest of Tehran that is apparently under military control, according to an Iranian opposition group that has provided reliable information about similar facilities in the past. -New York Times - 7/9/03
US is a dog and Britain is its tail, Iran's Rafsanjani says
The United States is a dog and Britain is its tail, Iran's powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was quoted as saying in his latest colourful reference to the Western allies. -AFP - 7/9/03
Long Shots in Iran
Some top policymakers in the Bush administration will be watching carefully today to see what, if anything, happens on the streets of Tehran -- where rebellious Iranian students may seek to mark the anniversary of their landmark 1999 anti-government demonstrations by trying to revive them. -Washington Post - 7/9/03
Iran names athlete roster for the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling in New York City, 12-14 September
Iran is the defending World Team champion in men's freestyle wrestling, having won the team title at the 2002 World Championships held in Tehran, Iran. - 7/9/03
The Iranian twins brought the world together
For a short time, the Iranian conjoined twins, Ladan and Laleh Bijani, grabbed the world’s attention and brought people from across the planet earth together in praying for them and in wishing a successful outcome for their separation surgery. - 7/9/03
Kharrazi, ElBaradei discuss IAEA technical assistance to Iran
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei on Wednesday held talks about technical assistance of the agency to Iran and ways to build confidence between the two parties - 7/9/03
Sadness, mourning over Iranian twins' death
For about 90 minutes on Tuesday, Ladan and Laleh Bijani, fused at the head since birth, lay on separate beds. But they never got their wish to look at each other face to face, without a mirror. - 7/9/03
Iran’s Exchange Rate Freeze: Is it Appropriate? Is it sustainable?
The Iranian government has managed to keep the exchange rate stable at around 8000 rials per U.S. dollar ever since March 2000. Looking at the history of exchange rate behavior this stability is a great success. This is by far the longest period of exchange rate stability after the Islamic revolution. -Nader Habibi - 7/9/03
Rallies Mark Iranian Uprising
Factions seek to show unity on the fourth anniversary of demonstrations in their homeland. -Los Angeles Times - 7/9/03
Iranian student leaders arrested on riots anniversary after blasting regime
Three leading Iranian student activists were arrested minutes after holding a press conference to blast the Islamic regime for banning events marking the fourth anniversary of bloody student clashes with security forces. -AFP - 7/9/03
Iran plunged into mourning over death of twins
Iran was plunged into mourning following the death in Singapore of conjoined Iranian twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani, whose daring bid to lead separate lives had caught the imagination of the nation. -AFP - 7/8/03
Iran acts to stop anniversary student protest
The Iranian government is taking action to pre-empt possible unrest tonight on the eve of the anniversary of a crackdown on student protests by banning rallies and jamming satellite broadcasts from exiles in the US. -Guardian - 7/8/03
Iran plunged into mourning over death of twins
Iran was plunged into mourning following the death in Singapore of conjoined Iranian twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani, whose daring bid to lead separate lives had caught the imagination of the nation. -AFP - 7/8/03
Iran sends Iraqis home to preach
Shi'ites in the Iranian holy city of Qom are offering payments of up to $300 to Iraqi religious students, many of whom fled Saddam Hussein's rule, if they return to their hometowns and preach Islam for six to nine weeks. -Washington Times - 7/8/03
New US priority: finding Hussein
As opposition in Iraq rallies around the symbol of the former ruler, US attempts to calm region are being stifled. -Christian Science Monitor - 7/8/03
Saving Iran From Itself
According to "realist" international-relations theory, nations will act in their own self-interest. Iranian leaders who are pushing to provide their country with the option to "go nuclear" don't seem to get the idea. -Heritage Foundation - 7/8/03
ArteEast Announces Middle East Arts and Culture Website
Arts advocates and supporters have a new vehicle to find out about innovative arts and cultural programs covering the various viewpoints of Middle East experiences and perspectives in the United States. - 7/8/03
CFS and FEUQ denounce the repression suffered by Iranian students
Further to the recent demonstrations in Iran, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and la Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) revolt against the violent acts perpetrated by the government on students from Tehran University and the arrest of 4,000 demonstrators. - 7/8/03
Iranian cyclist snatches gold, qualifies for Athens Olympics
Alireza Haqi, a cyclist from Eslamshahr, a northwestern Tehran suburb, stood top in the individual four km race on Swiss track Monday as he clocked 04.33 minutes, qualifying for 2004 Athens Olympic Games - 7/8/03
Asylum seeker sews up eyes
An Iranian asylum seeker has sewn up his eyes, ears and mouth in protest at his imminent deportation from Britain. -BBC - 7/8/03
Junior Iranian volleyballers to fight Russia July 9
Iran defeated Morocco, the Netherlands, and Italy respectively to stand at the head of the group. - 7/8/03
US working with allies to defuse Iran missile threat
The United States worries that Iran's missile and alleged unconventional arms programs threaten global stability and security, and is working with allies to defuse the danger, the White House said. -AFP - 7/8/03
Japan envoy in Tehran to 'consult' on nuclear non-proliferation
Japan is sending a Foreign Ministry delegation to Tehran to discuss with Iranian officials a host of issues, mainly on nuclear non-proliferation, Embassy of Japan said in Tehran on Monday - 7/8/03
Time for Citizen Diplomacy: What Should Progressives Make of Iran?
We must take with a grain of salt the recent sensational reports of thousands of students demonstrating in Teheran. -Simon Jones, CounterPunch - 7/8/03
Arsenal Of The Axis
North Korea already supplies missiles to rogue states. Now it poses a new threat: nuclear proliferation -TIME - 7/8/03
The 18th of Tir Anniversary and Remembrance
The name of the young man who was killed in student demonstrations of the 18th of Tir in 1999 is "Ezzat Ebrahimnezhad." -Fareed Marjaee - 7/8/03
The Anti-Mullah Mujahedeen: Iraq’s Iranian opposition
Massoud Rajavi's next objective: to persuade the U.S. State Department and the European Union to remove the undoubtedly terror-based group's name from their lists of terrorist organizations, a designation it richly deserves. -National Review - 7/8/03
Boucher Says Iranians Demonstrating for Positive Changes
US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters that the kinds of changes called for by Iranians demonstrating against their government "would be good for Iran and good for Iran's place in the world." - 7/8/03
Annual Awards in memory of Kaveh Golestan announced
The Golestan Family, in memory of Kaveh Golestan and his efforts towards photography in Iran, will be giving three awards, annually. - 7/8/03
ElBaradei due in Iran in bid to secure tougher nuclear inspections
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog was due in Iran on a mission he hopes will pave the way for a rigorous probe of the Islamic republic's suspect nuclear programme, but is likely to face a tough task bridging fundamental differences over the issue. -AFP - 7/8/03
Economic Ills Fuel Iranian Dissent
Official statistics put 15 percent of the population below the poverty line, though some economists put the actual figure closer to 40 percent. Over the last three years, inflation has averaged 15 percent. Unemployment is officially 13 percent, but independent economists say the rate is more like 25 percent. -Afshin Molavi, Washington Post - 7/8/03
Iranian twins die in surgery
Both the conjoined Iranian twins have died during a marathon operation to separate them. -BBC - 7/8/03
Iran Report: Commemoration of 1999 unrest comes at sensitive time
The fourth anniversary of the day in July 1999 (൚ Tir" or 9 July) when Iranian security forces and vigilantes stormed the Tehran University campus will be marked this week. -RFE - 7/8/03
Millionaire Mullahs
A nuclear threat to the rest of the world, Iran is robbing its own people of prosperity. But the men at the top are getting extremely rich. -Forbes - 7/8/03
4.9 Quake jolts southern province of Kerman in Iran
An earthquake measuring 4.9 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale shook the southern province of Kerman Sunday evening - 7/7/03
Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami to receive two French honorary plaques
According to the French Embassy in Tehran Monday, the French minister of culture and communications will award the director with the `Commander' plaque, France's highest in the arts and literature. - 7/7/03
Iran missile test alarms Israel
Israel has said it is "very concerned" after Iran confirmed it had conducted a final test of a missile capable of hitting its territory. -BBC - 7/7/03
Al Qaeda said to have migrated to Iran
Pakistan's intelligence community believes that the operational base of al Qaeda has shifted to Iran from Pakistan after the arrest of the network's military operations chief, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. -Washington Times - 7/7/03
Complications in second day of surgery to separate Iranian twins: doctors
Doctors have encountered complications during the most critical stage of a highly risky operation to separate the conjoined heads of Iranian twins Laleh and Ladan Bijani, hospital authorities said. -AFP - 7/7/03
Surgery to separate Iranian twins enters second day
Doctors said they were cautiously optimistic their highly risky attempt to separate Iranian sisters Ladan and Laleh Bijani after 29 years joined at the head would succeed, as the marathon operation entered its most crucial stage. -AFP - 7/7/03
Lawrence Iranians reflect on troubled homeland
When she was a teenager in the late 1970s, Nadereh Nasseri faced a choice: stay in Iran and live with the fundamentalist Muslim revolution brewing there, or leave. She left. -Lawrence Journal World, Kansas - 7/7/03
Iranian passenger plane makes emergency landing in Zahedan
A Boeing 727 passenger plane from the national flag carrier airliner Iran Air (HOMA) on Sunday made an emergency landing in the southeastern city of Zahedan due to technical failure - 7/7/03
Iran expects ElBaradei's visit to help build trust
"We assess the nature of the visit as important and hope that Mr ElBaradei and our officials will achieve some kind of confidence building in order to continue their future negotiations with better prospects," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters. - 7/7/03
Isfahan Sana'ati University team of Iran shines in "Robocup 2003"
The Iranian team, called Persia and consisting of four robots from Isfahan's Sana'ati University, defeated the Japanese team and the 2002 runner-up team in the small-size soccer contest 4-1. - 7/7/03
Formidable Iran crushes world volleyball runner-up Italy
Iranian volleyball team proved formidable Monday as it demolished runner-up Italy in the world juniors event in Thailand - 7/7/03
Iran brings Israel within missile range
Iran has conducted a final test of its Shahab-3 ballistic missile, with the Iranian foreign ministry confirming that arch-enemy Israel was now well within range of the Islamic republic's armed forces. -AFP - 7/7/03
Iran President lashes out at political rivals misportraying situation
President Khatami said that his political rivals are "the opponents of freedom of expression, but at the same time are taking advantage of the freedom to voice bitter criticism against" his government. - 7/7/03
Iranian editors jailed for photo of exiled leader
An Iranian press court jailed two editors on Sunday after their newspaper published a photograph of an exiled Iranian opposition leader -MSNBC - 7/7/03
Let Reason Chart the Course of Change in Iran, as Passion Gives it Life
All human endeavors reach their conclusion through the interplay between cool-headed pragmatism and unmitigated passion. The success or failure of any movement depends on how intelligently these two necessary forces are utilized to achieve the desired objectives. -Kam Zarrabi - 7/7/03
In Iraq's Disorder, the Ayatollahs May Save the Day
Men in turbans have seldom fit the profile of rescuers of American foreign policy. But the day may come in Iraq when the majority Shiites save the victory that President Bush is seeking to preserve against a rain of reversals. -New York Times - 7/6/03
Iran demolishes Dutch in world volleyball event
The win gave Iran a berth in the second round of the prestigious volleyball meet. Iran handed the Dutch players a 3-0 humiliating defeat as it won 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 in three straight games. - 7/6/03
Iran needs time, negotiations before allowing tougher UN nuclear probes
Iran's government again rejected demands to immediately and unconditionally allow tougher UN inspections of its nuclear programme, asserting a decision on the matter needed more time and negotiations. -AFP - 7/6/03
Iran needs explicit negotiations about additional protocol to NPT
Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said on Sunday that Iran has honored all its obligations in the context of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), but, Iran has lost trust in the developed states because they failed to observe the treaty's provision to supply technology to other member states. - 7/6/03
Iran to become self-sufficient in wheat production in next 4 year
Iran's wheat imports dropped to two million tons last year from 5.5 million tons thanks to successful wheat production project and a further 500,000 tons cut in import is predicted this year - 7/6/03
Iraq: the human toll
As news reporters tracked troops on the road to Baghdad, much of the suffering and loss of ordinary Iraqi civilians was left untold. Until now. Here, in a compelling dispatch, award-winning foreign correspondent Ed Vulliamy goes in search of their stories -Guardian - 7/6/03
Earthquakes damage 218 housing units in Khorasan province of Iran
The earthquakes which hit the the northeastern part of the Khorasan on Thursday and Friday has damaged 218 housing units in 19 villages in the area - 7/6/03
'If God wants us to live as two separate individuals, we will ...'
Iranian conjoined twins risk separation surgery despite having only 50/50 chance of surviving -Guardian - 7/6/03
US TV stirs up Iran's young rebels
'People feel powerless, but when they hear someone swearing against the regime, it's a kind of ventilation,' said one Tehran journalist. -Guardian - 7/6/03
Kuwaiti liberals face election defeat
Islamists and pro-government conservatives have performed well in Saturday's parliamentary elections and are set to dominate the new assembly -BBC - 7/6/03
130 U.S. Communities Saying No to Repression
More than 130 communities with a combined population of more than 16 million people in 26 states have passed resolutions directing local police to refrain from using racial profiling, enforcing immigration laws, or participating in federal investigations that violate civil liberties -Common Dreams - 7/6/03
Doctors happy with start of surgery to separate Iranian twins in Singapore
A potentially fatal operation to separate Iranian twin sisters Ladan and Laleh Bijani, joined at the head for 29 years, began with doctors reporting positive early progress. -AFP - 7/6/03
Iranian daily halts publishing voluntarily for printing Rajavi's photo
An economic daily in Tehran on Saturday evening announced it would not be publishing on Sunday due to "mistaken publication of a news item on Page 1" of its Saturday edition - 7/6/03
Conjoined Iranian Twins Joke Before Surgery
Adult Iranian twin sisters laughed and joked with friends as they were wheeled into an operating theater on Sunday for unprecedented, high-risk surgery to separate them at the head. -Reuters - 7/6/03
IMF predicts a bright prospect for Iran's economy
International Monetary Fund says Iran's economy faces a bright prospect in the years 2003-2004 due to its successful economic reforms package - 7/6/03
Crackdown Urged for Iranian Group on U.S. Terrorist List
For a group officially designated by both the Bush and Clinton administrations as a "foreign terrorist organization," the People's Mujaheddin of Iran has been remarkably active in the United States. -Washington Post - 7/6/03
Iranian MP says arrested student's confessions baseless
MP Fatemeh Haqiqatjou, who was reacting to the confessions made Peyman Aref, that were published in Kayhan and Resalat dailies, in a message faxed to IRNA said, "The publication of such confessions is a stage of a pre-planned scenario, designed by the strategists of despotism and aggression against the university students." - 7/5/03
U.N.: Iran Must Reassure World on Nukes
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Saturday he was hopeful Iran would give his inspectors greater access to its nuclear facilities because Tehran has to reassure the world it is not building atomic bombs. -AP - 7/5/03
Profile: Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani
Once considered a progressive force, he is widely seen to have moved closer to the conservative camp since the election of the reformist President, Mohammad Khatami. -BBC - 7/5/03
Expert comments on anti-money laundering law to be enforced in Iran
An Iranian academic said on Friday the law on oney-laundering would facilitate the sound economic activity and hence would contribute to the national economy's growth - 7/5/03
Iran's foe now France's woe
Protests continue as authorities press ahead with terrorism charges against exile leader Maryam Rajavi. -Baltimore Sun - 7/5/03
Stage one to separate Laleh and Ladan conjoined twins begins
The first stage of the historic operation to separate conjoined Iranian twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani began Saturday with doctors carrying out final radiologic tests to map out the pattern of blood flow in their brain - 7/5/03
Turkish fury at US Iraq 'arrests'
Turkey has demanded the immediate release of 11 of its soldiers it says have been detained by the US military in northern Iraq. -BBC - 7/5/03
Heat and violence hits US troops
The recent spate of attacks on American troops in Iraq has had a profound effect on the morale of the US troops stationed here. -BBC - 7/5/03
Iranian twins to undergo final tests ahead of separation surgery
Iranian twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani will undergo a final round of tests before doctors go ahead with an operation to separate them after 29 years of being joined at the head, the Raffles Hospital said. -AFP - 7/5/03
Iraqis wait for US troops to leave
Jonathan Steele takes the temperature in Balad, an impoverished outpost 50 miles north of Baghdad -Guardian - 7/5/03
A lesson from Iran on regime change
In his memoirs, Helms wrote that the shah ''had always been well impressed by the quality of CIA people he had met through the years.'' Since he owed his throne to the CIA, this is not surprising. -Boston Globe - 7/4/03
Whoever can play the US card in Iran wins the game
The real question is whether to strike a deal with the Tehran regime -Guardian - 7/4/03
Iran FM: Signs of accepting reality seen in Powell's remarks
Of course, the stances adopted by the Americans are not stable and its reason is that they do not have precise knowledge about the Iranian society and are easily influenced by this or that, Kharrazi said. - 7/4/03
Symposium: Whither Iran?
As young Iranians take to the streets to protest against tyranny and to fight for freedom, it has become clear that a revolutionary situation might be developing in the country. How much power do the ruling mullahs really have? Is it possible that the Iranian people might actually overthrow the despotic clerics in the near future? What policy should the U.S. government pursue toward this boiling situation? -Frontpage - 7/4/03
Change will come, says son of Shah
From his exile near Washington, DC, Reza Pahlavi is confident he smells revolution in the Iranian air. It may be a long way from suburban Maryland to the streets of Tehran, but then, he has been here before. -Age, Australia - 7/4/03
Several Iranian students on hunger strike over arrests
A number of students from Tehran and provincial universities have gone on hunger strike to demand the release of classmates arrested during recent anti-regime protests, press reports said Thursday -ABC News - 7/4/03
Iran: Pressure Building To Increase Nuclear Transparency
This week has seen an almost daily ratcheting up of pressure on Iran to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conduct more intrusive inspections of its nuclear program. -RFE - 7/4/03
BBG Launches new television program for Iran
Voice of America (VOA) debuts a new, nightly, Persian-language TV program, News & Views, on July 6, aimed at reaching millions of Iranians who watch satellite television. - 7/4/03
Portraits of young artist as a freedom-loving Iranian
Shadi Yousefian doesn't feel like one person. "I find different Shadis in me." And they show themselves in the 24-year-old Iranian immigrant's intensely personal and sometimes pointedly political art. -San Francisco Chronicle - 7/4/03
Iran Hopes U.S. Will Stay Out Iran 'Family Fight'
Iran on Friday welcomed remarks by Secretary of State Colin Powell saying Washington should stay out of an Iranian "family fight" and hoped the United States had learned its lesson not to interfere in Iran's affairs. -Reuters - 7/4/03
Iran targets banned satellite TV owners
Iranian security forces carry out series of dish seizures in Tehran districts that were theatre of recent unrest. -Middle East Online - 7/4/03
Report: Iranian Missile Can Reach Isreal
Iran has successfully tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach Israel, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday -AP - 7/4/03
US slaps sanctions on Chinese, NKorean firms for arms sales to Iran
The United States has imposed sanctions on five Chinese firms and a North Korean company for arms sales to Iran that it said could "make a material contribution to weapons of mass destruction or missiles." -AFP - 7/4/03
Major cleric urges youth not to allow enemies to infiltrate into Iran universities
Addressing thousands of worshipers gathered at the Tehran University campus for the weekly congregational prayers, Ayatollah Kashani said anyone who acts in a way that provides grounds for the enemies to realize their aims and goals in Iran would make a treason to the martyr's blood. - 7/4/03
Iranians in Singapore volunteer for blood donation to Laleh and Ladan
A large number of Iranian citizens residing in Singapore have volunteered to donate blood that might be needed during the historic separation surgery of the Iranian conjoined twins, Laleh and Ladan - 7/4/03
Putin Assures Bush on Iran Nuke Program
Vladimir Putin had more than pleasant birthday greetings to extend to President Bush when they talked on the telephone Wednesday. The Russian leader volunteered fresh assurances about Iran's nuclear program. -AP - 7/4/03
New Iraqi Attacks Kill U.S. Soldier, Injure 18 Others
U.S. troops today killed 11 Iraqis who ambushed a convoy on a highway north of Baghdad, only hours after mortar rounds slammed into a U.S. base in the same area, injuring 18 American soldiers, the military said. -Common Dreams - 7/4/03
5.2 Quake jolts Khorassan province of Iran
An earthquake measuring 5.2 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale jolted the town of Salehabad in the northeastern province of Khorassan on Thursday - 7/4/03
Iranian opposition leader slams Tehran after release from French jail
People's Mujahedeen leader Maryam Rajavi walked free from a French jail, accusing Iran of misleading French intelligence about the activities of her exiled armed opposition group. -AFP - 7/4/03
Where the Shah Went Alone: Meditations on a life under tyranny
When I was 5 years old and growing up in Iran, I once spent an entire weekend trying to decide whether the Shah went to the toilet. I sat at my small wooden desk, fist under chin, summoning all I knew about human anatomy and royalty, about God and the prophets. -Iraj Isaac Rahmim, Reason Online - 7/4/03
Powell counsels against direct US role in Iranian protests
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the United States should avoid a direct role in anti-regime protests in Iran, arguing that US interests would be best served by stepping back and waiting to see if the demonstrations have any effect. -AFP - 7/3/03
Iranians pray for conjoined twin sisters
The 29-year-old craniopagus twins - fused at their heads - have made the world sit up and take notice by defying doctors' warnings about the risks of surgery and remaining very firm about their desire for separation. - 7/3/03
Iran welcomes signing additional protocol to NPT: Aqazadeh
Tehran welcomes the signing of an additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh said in Moscow on Wednesday. - 7/3/03
Iran's stocks shrug off worries with 48% increase
US threats against Iran's clerical establishment, international pressure over the nuclear programme and recent anti-regime protests might have rattled the Islamic Republic. But one corner of the country - the Tehran stock exchange - is shrugging off all worries. -Financial Times - 7/3/03
Economist says Iranian economy feared to face 3 main challenges
An outspoken economist on Wednesday gave a gloomy picture on prospect of Iranian economy, saying based on studies available economy of the state is expected to face three main challenges in future, including unemployment, inflation and a weak economy compared to that of other countries - 7/3/03
Iranian dissident seeks ethnic Azeri entity on Iran soil
A dissident representing Iran's ethnic Azeri minority called for the creation of an Azeri political entity inside Iran, saying many in his community were warming to the idea of an autonomous or independent Southern Azerbaijan. -AFP - 7/3/03
Iraq: Pentagon Reassessing Violence As Shi'a Leaders, Iran Deny Roles
Recent comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld indicate the factors contributing to violence in Iraq may be more complicated than the U.S. previously thought. -RFE - 7/3/03
Iranian, Russian officials stress on transparency of nuke cooperation
Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Gholamreza Aqazadeh and Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev, speaking in Moscow on Wednesday at the end of the second round of their talks, stressed on the transparent nature of the Moscow-Tehran nuclear cooperation - 7/3/03
The Future of Iranian Nationalism
The twists and turns of domestic Iranian politics can be tracked by examining the evolution of Iranian nationalism throughout the 20th century, and how nationalism has shaped modern day Iran. -Pejman Yousefzadeh, TCS - 7/3/03
U.S. to Beam TV Show to Iran From Washington
The U.S. government plans to launch a Persian-language television newscast in Iran on Sunday as the Bush administration continues to encourage internal dissent against the ruling clerics, administration officials said yesterday. -Washington Post - 7/3/03
Persian language conference to be held in New Delhi
A three-day conference titled "Promotion of Persian Language in India: Prospect and Scope" is to be held by Iran in New Delhi on Saturday - 7/3/03
Bush, Putin Discuss Iran, North Korea
Bush spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for 15 minutes. Bush told reporters Iran and North Korea were two key subjects. -Reuters - 7/3/03
Iran exiles' leader freed on bail
Mrs Rajavi leads the political arm of the Iranian People's Mujahideen (MKO) - a left-wing organisation designated a terrorist group by the US, the European Union and by Iran's clerical rulers. -BBC - 7/3/03
US Support for War Fades as Casualties Mount
A Gallup poll conducted for USA Today and CNN yesterday showed 42 per cent of Americans now think things are going badly in Iraq, up from just 13 per cent in early May. Only 56 per cent now believe it was worth going to war in Iraq, down from 73 per cent in April. -Common Dreams - 7/3/03
'Bring Them On' Bush Says as Iraqi Attackers Prolong War
President Bush yesterday taunted the Iraqi groups waging a guerrilla war against US and British troops, saying "bring them on" and vowing that the coalition would not be forced into an early departure. -Common Dreams - 7/3/03
Iran Judiciary says less than 100 students arrested in recent unrest
Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham, speaking in Tehran on Tuesday, put the number of students arrested during the recent unrest in Iran at below 100, adding that about 50 of them have been arrested in Tehran - 7/2/03
Iranian weightlifters to compete in US in August
Iranian weightlifters will take part an an international contest in the United States. No fingerprint will take place upon entry into the US, Iran's Weightlifting Federation Chief Ali Moradi said on Wednesday. - 7/2/03
Iranian conjoined twins to undergo separation surgery on Sunday
In a letter released by the hospital, the twins said, "We have been praying every day for our operation. We are excited about it, as we've waited 29 years for it!" - 7/2/03
COPIA celebrate Persian and Ancient Iranian culture all summer in Napa, California
Join us at COPIA as we explore and celebrate Persian and Ancient Iranian culture all summer. "Wit & Wine: A New Look at Ancient Iranian Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation," our exhibition on view through September 1, presents a delightful collection of vessels illustrating the 5,000-year ceramic tradition that flourished in ancient Iran until 100 BCE. - 7/2/03
Nukes, Israel and Iran: The Weapon of Choice
The accusation of possessing "weapons of mass destruction" (WMD) has become the US government's weapon of choice in its attempts to overthrow independent governments in the Middle East. -Sasan Fayazmanesh, CounterPunch - 7/2/03
The jackals at Tehran's gates: The quest for democracy in Iran against a century of imperialist terror
Despite all the setbacks and interruptions, Iran is now the biggest indigenous developing democracy in the Middle East. Iranian democracy if allowed to develop and mature could help to transform and stabilize the region. -Saeed Vaseghi, London - 7/2/03
Iran offers Russia chance to build more nuclear reactors
Iran offered Russia a chance to build more nuclear power stations in the Islamic state amid global fears that Moscow's ongoing projects are already helping Tehran develop atomic weapons. -AFP - 7/2/03
Recent Clashes Open New Fault Lines in Iran
Reformist leaders are divided over political strategy. Some, including the five-member Students’ Caucus in parliament, want to closely align with the students’ cause. Another faction, led by Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karrubi, maintains that too much solidarity with students could hamper reformists’ overall efforts to gain concessions on free speech and independent media from the conservatives. -Eurasianet - 7/2/03
Iran President dismisses White House charge over interference in Iraq
President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday that the White House allegations about Iranian interference in Iraqi domestic affairs emanates from Washington's failures in Iraq - 7/2/03
Iranian experts to receive training for nuclear plant in Russia
First deputy managing director of Atom Stroy Export, Igor Prikhidko, here on Wednesday, said that over 700 Iranian experts will be trained in Russia on running the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. - 7/2/03
Iran Cracks Down on Banned Web Sites
Iran is blocking access to Web sites containing pornographic material and opposition-driven dissent against the country's Islamic establishment, an official said Tuesday. -AP - 7/2/03
Iran Foreign Minister says Tehran should continue talks with London
Kharrazi told a press conference after a weekly cabinet meeting that Iran has been engaged in political talks with Britain to outline and clarify its stances and prepare the ground for expansion of ties in line with mutual interests. - 7/2/03
Japan hangs fire on Iran oil deal
Japan is holding back from concluding a giant oil deal with Iran amid concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. -BBC - 7/2/03
Iran Says Japan May Lose Out on Oil Deal
Iran said on Wednesday that Japan may lose a $2 billion deal to develop one of the world's largest untapped oilfields after Tokyo decided to delay finalizing the contract over concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions. -Reuters - 7/2/03
UK rejects 17 percent of exports licences for Iran
According to the Foreign Office's latest annual report on strategic exports, 16 out of 92 Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL) applications made by British companies for Iran were refused in 2002. - 7/2/03
Shia cleric challenges Bush plan for Iraq
Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's leading Shia cleric, has condemned as "fundamentally unacceptable" US plans to appoint rather than elect the Iraqis who will begin drafting a new constitution. -Guardian - 7/2/03
Court: Iran Hostages Can't Sue Captors
Iran is immune from lawsuits arising from the taking of 52 American hostages more than two decades ago despite congressional efforts to change that, an appeals court ruled Tuesday. -AP - 7/2/03
Bush Delivers Unprecedented Snub to Mandela in Africa Visit
when Mr Bush lands in South Africa next week on his first visit to Africa, the world's most powerful leader will not meet the world's most famous statesman. -Common Dreams - 7/2/03
Intel vs. Kenneth Hamidi: E-mail barrage is legal, court says
The state Supreme Court boosted free speech over property rights in cyberspace Monday, denying Intel's attempt to stop an angry ex-employee from using the company's e-mail system to send messages to thousands of workers. -San Francisco Chronicle - 7/2/03
French court orders release of two members of armed Iran opposition group: lawyer
An appeal court in Paris ordered the release of two female members of the People's Mujahedeen, an armed Iranian opposition group, according to one of the women's lawyers. -AFP - 7/2/03
Iranian-American defeats incumbent mayor to take seat in Beverly Hills City Council
Iranian-American philanthropist and businessman Jimmy Delshad recently won a major up set in the City Council elections in Beverly Hills. By defeating the two-time incumbent mayor, Mr. Delshad became one of the first Iranian-Americans to hold public office in America. -NIAC - 7/2/03
Iran MPs end sit-in protest
Four members of the Iranian parliament have abandoned a sit-in they staged at the parliament building to protest against the arrest of students during and after anti-government demonstrations. -BBC - 7/1/03
U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief to Visit Iran on July 9
Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, will visit Iran on July 9 amid mounting pressure on the Islamic Republic to accept tougher inspections of its nuclear sites. -Reuters - 7/1/03
Paris raid reveals Washington's fractured Iran policy
When masked French police swooped in to arrest 150 members of the People's Mujahedeen recently, they did more than deal a crippling blow to the armed Iranian opposition group. From distant Paris suburbs, the raid shed a light on Washington's confusion about what to do about Iran's inconvenient clerical regime. -The Athens, Ohio - 7/1/03
Iranian cleric denounces terrorism
An influential Iranian cleric has denounced terrorism and hinted at recognition of the state of Israel, a report said Monday. -UPI - 7/1/03
Rafsanjani invites all Iran's political parties to convergence
Speaking at a meeting of Moderation and Development Party members, he referred to last month's student demonstrations in the country and criticized familiar elements both in and outside the country for statements in support of rioters that fueled their passions. - 7/1/03
Dutch Iranian saved from death penalty
The Dutch government has succeeded in saving a Dutch terrorist of Iranian descent from the death penalty in the Islamic Republic. -Expatica News - 7/1/03
Japan responds to pressure over Iranian oil deal
Japan will take into consideration international concern about Iran's nuclear activities when it signs an oil deal with Tehran, a top government official said on Tuesday in a bid to counter mounting US criticism.-Financial Times - 7/1/03
Iraq cleric condemns US plans
Iraq's most senior Shia cleric has issued a religious ruling, or fatwa, opposing US plans to set up a council of Iraqis to draft a new constitution. -BBC - 7/1/03
US Forces Nations to Help Its Citizens Avoid International Court
Forty-three of the world's poorest nations have caved in to American pressure and signed agreements not to send US citizens for trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was set up last year to hear allegations of crimes against humanity. -Common Dreams - 7/1/03
Amnesty International: U.S. Iraqi Detentions Violate Law
Amnesty International said Monday it has gathered evidence that points to U.S. violations of international law by subjecting Iraqi prisoners to "cruel, inhuman or degrading" conditions at its detention centers here. -Common Dreams - 7/1/03
US-based missiles to have global reach
Allies to become less important as new generation of weapons enables America to strike anywhere from its own territory -Guardian - 7/1/03
Russia calls for expansion of nuclear cooperation with Iran
Secretary General of Russian National Security Council Vladimir Rushailo in a meeting in Moscow on Monday with Iranian Vice President and Head of Iran Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh said that Russia attaches great importance to cooperation with Iran in peaceful use of nuclear energy - 7/1/03
Conciliatory Tehran agrees to talks on UN nuclear inspections
Iran appeared to soften its stance yesterday on allowing snap inspections of its nuclear programme, under growing international pressure. It invited the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss Tehran's cooperation. -Guardian - 7/1/03
Force Against Iran Nuke Program Unlikely
There are no signs the United States is about to use force to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. And even if the Bush administration were so inclined, its closest allies might not go along. -AP - 7/1/03
Iran, Russia to set timing for delivery of fuel to Bushehr plant
Russia and Iran will fix a date for the delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran shortly, the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy announced on Monday - 7/1/03
Iran's detained students to be handed over to information ministry
Official in charge of Ministry of Higher Education's Security Department Ali Akbar Mohseni said in Tehran on Monday that students detained in recent unrest would be handed over to the ministry of information on Monday - 7/1/03
Iran official: Unemployment rampant among youth, women
Deputy Labor Minister for Planning and Policy Affairs Sadeq Bakhtiari said in Tehran on Monday that the unemployment rate among the youth 15-29 years of age is close to 28.4 percent - 7/1/03
Iranian cupid uses Net to make love
In the Islamic nation of Iran where young men and women have limited opportunities to meet members of opposite sex, a marriage brokerage Web site set up by a Islamic jurist is rapidly gaining popularity. -Yomiuri , Japan - 7/1/03
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