ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Berlin, Moscow Eye Quick U.N. Move on Iran Sanctions  [Jun 5]
“The leaders of Germany and Russia said on Saturday that world powers were on the verge of approving a new round of sanctions against Iran for its nuclear work.  World powers are at loggerheads with Iran over its uranium enrichment program, which they believe is a cover to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its nuclear work is for the peaceful generation of electricity.  Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — have been discussing a fourth round of sanctions for months and Washington has said a vote is likely next week.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev north of Berlin, described the consensus among world powers on the issue as a “major diplomatic advance” and said she expected the U.N. to move quickly.  “It is possible that in the near future the sanctions can be approved by the U.N. Security Council,” Merkel said..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Jams Documentary of Iranian Protester Neda  [Jun 5]
“The Voice of America’s Persian News Network says Iran tried to jam a television documentary about a woman shot dead during post-election protests last year.  PNN says it received many complaints from Iranian viewers that their signal was jammed soon after the network began airing the documentary about Neda Agha-Soltan Wednesday.  The network says viewers in different parts of Iran also informed VOA that their electricity went out shortly after the documentary went on air.  However, the documentary is also available on the Internet and has been downloaded tens of thousands of times.  VOA plans to re-broadcast the documentary on June 12, the anniversary of Iran’s disputed presidential election, and on June 20, the anniversary of Neda Agha-Soltan’s death.  She was shot and killed in Tehran, apparently by Iranian security forces, during one of several violent anti-government protests that followed the Iranian election.  Mobile phone images and a video showing her dying moments were widely seen around the world, and her name became a rallying cry for those demonstrating for reform in Iran..”  [Complete Report]

Medvedev Calls on Iran to Stop ‘Irresponsible Behavior’ [Jun 5]
“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Iran to stop what he termed its “irresponsible behavior” and urged the Iranian govnernment to listen to the international community.  Medvedev, speaking to reporters today after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Meseberg, Germany, said that an agreement on a new set of international sanctions aimed at Iran is “almost there.”..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran’s Leaders Warn Dissidents Who Have Strayed From Khomeini Legacy  [Jun 4]
” Iran’s leaders warned political dissidents Friday that they have strayed from the Islamic Republic’s path, the latest threats in a purge of politicians who once followed the Islamic revolutionary leadership but who are now aligned with the country’s vocal opposition.  In key speeches, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, also condemned Israel’s deadly raid early Monday on a pro-Palestinian aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip. Khamenei predicted the end of the Jewish nation, telling millions of worshipers that Israel is “falling into the valley of death” because of strategic blunders. Speaking during the 21st anniversary of the death of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the two leaders said politicians with more moderate interpretations of Khomeini’s will and edicts have betrayed his legacy..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Disputes IAEA Assertion on Nuclear Equipment  [Jun 4]
“Iran yesterday challenged the International Atomic Energy Agency’s assertion in a report issued this week that a Tehran laboratory in recent months housed sensitive equipment that could aid in separating weapon-usable nuclear material.. ..Experiments conducted at the Jabr Ibn Jayan Multipurpose Research Laboratory were aimed at producing uranium metal from spent nuclear fuel to serve as radiation shielding, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Ali Akbar Salehi said, adding without providing details that his country possessed a large quantity of depleted uranium. The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s statement that the facility had carried out pyroprocessing work was a “misinterpretation,” he said.  “The experiments have no relation to pyroprocessing,” state media quoted Salehi as saying. “We believe the agency used this false report about a process that has not yet taken place, with the purpose of influencing public opinion.”..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Issues Bonds for South Pars Gas Field [Jun 4]
“Iran issued a series of bonds to help finance developments of its South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, Iranian banks said. Branches of the Iranian Bank Mellat in foreign countries began issuing bonds for the development of the giant gas complex in the Persian Gulf, the semiofficial Mehr News Agency reports.  Four tiers of bonds worth a total of $1.2 billion would fund South Pars development, the bank announced.  Iran is eager to bring foreign revenue into the country as Western countries push for tighter sanctions as punishment for a controversial nuclear program..”  [Complete Report]

Formalities of Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Completed: Qamar  [Jun 4]
“The formalities of the Pak-Iran gas pipeline have been completed and physical work on the project would start after a survey on the pipeline is completed, Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Syed Naveed Qamar Shah said on Thursday.  The minister made these remarks while answering a question in the National Assembly. Qamar said that Iran would provide 750 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and the project would help in power generation of 5,000 MW. Replying to a supplementary question, the minister said that the existing gas fields in the country were sufficient to meet the requirements for the next 25 years. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that 22 oil and gas exploration licences were issued during the last four months. He informed the House that more than one trillion tonnes of salt reserves were present in the country. Qamar said that the country produced 4.7 metric tonnes of gold, 6.4 metric tonnes of silver and 54,543 metric tonnes of copper during the last three years..”  [Complete Report]

Iran-Backed Shi’ites are Back on Patrol in Yemen [Jun 4]
“Yemeni sources said fighters from the Iranian-backed Believing Youth, which agreed to a ceasefire in February 2010, were restoring positions and renewing patrols in the Saada province near the border with Saudi Arabia. They said the renewed rebel operations have generated friction with Yemeni security forces.  We could quickly return to the same situation as that of a few months ago,” a Yemeni source said.. ..”The Houthis [Believing Youth] have sought to regain control of positions it lost in the war,” the source said.  The Believing Youth has acknowledged the bloody clash in Bani Awair, in which six others were also injured. But the Shi’ites said the tribes, equipped and trained by the regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, was violating the ceasefire by taking over schools and ambushing rebels..”  [Complete Report]
 

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Nobel Winners Join Call for Release of US Hikers in Iran  [Jun 3]
” A group of rights activists, including Nobel laureates and US actress Mia Farrow, have called for the release of three US hikers held in Iran on the occasion of Iranian Mother’s Day.  The activists, all mothers, signed a statement calling on Iranian authorities to release Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd, who were arrested in July 2009 after straying over the Iraqi border into Iran. “On the occasion of Mother’s Day in Iran, we urge the Iranian authorities to use this happy occasion to demonstrate the values of mercy and compassion and release Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd on humanitarian grounds,” said the statement.  “These three young people have been denied their freedom for too long. It is high time they came home to their families,” it added. “Individual citizens should not pay the price of tensions between nations or be used as bargaining chips.”  Among the signatories to the statement are Louise Arbor, the former United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees and Mairead Maguire and Betty Williams, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their work fostering peace in Northern Ireland..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Court Confirms Jail, Lashes for Film Maker  [Jun 3]
“An Iranian court has confirmed a sentence of three-and-a-half years in jail and 50 lashes for a journalist and film maker found guilty of anti-state propaganda and insulting the supreme leader, media reported.  Mohammad Nourizad was arrested late last year after he published on his blog letters deemed disrespectful to Iran’s highest authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials.  Opposition blogs say he has been beaten while in detention in Tehran’s Evin jail where he has begun a hunger strike. The confirmation of his sentence comes as authorities prepare for the first anniversary, on June 12, of the disputed presidential election which brought millions of people to the streets in protest amid concerns about vote rigging.  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government says the vote was fair and blamed foreign powers for stirring unrest..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Eyes Chinese LNG Deal [Jun 3]
“China is exploring a $1.2 billion deal with Iran to build six tankers in the coming years to transport liquefied natural gas, Iranian officials said.  Mohammad Souri, president of the National Iranian Tanker Co., said each LNG tanker was worth around $200 million. The project, he said, would likely be carried out within three years, the semiofficial Fars News Agency reports.  Iran is looking for export routes for its rich natural gas reserves in the face of tighter sanctions over its controversial nuclear program. LNG shipments are less politically sensitive than conventional natural gas pipelines.  Souri added that if Tehran comes through with the necessary credit for the Chinese LNG tankers, Iran could begin preparations for LNG exports as early as 2012..”  [Complete Report]

Nokia-Siemens Rues Iran Crackdown Role  [Jun 3]
“Nokia-Siemens Networks on Wednesday (2 June) admitted its share of the blame for Iran’s brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrators last year after selling mobile phone surveillance to the authoritarian regime.  “We absolutely do find ourselves in a tricky situation and need the help of people in this room to help us navigate in these challenging times,” Barry French, head of marketing and corporate affairs with Nokia-Siemens Networks, a joint venture of Nokia (NOK) and Siemens (SI), told MEPs during a hearing on human rights and new information technologies.  The Finnish-German telecoms joint venture was at the centre of an ethics controversy last year when it emerged that it had supplied surveillance technology to two Iranian mobile phone operators. The technology was used to track down dissidents amid the mass protests following the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009..”  [Complete Report]

Contraband Trade in Iran Worth $19 Billion [Jun 3]
“Iranian contraband trade is worth 19 billion dollars a year, according to estimates by the head of Iran’s anti-smuggling department, cited by a local newspaper on Thursday.  “Some 16 billion dollars worth of goods have been smuggled into Iran, while three billion dollars worth have been exported illegally during the last Iranian year,” that ended in March 2010, Saeed Mortazavi was quoted as saying in Donya-e Eqtesad newspaper.  Smuggled imports represent one third of what Iran imports legally, which amounted to around 50 billion dollars during the same period, another official from the same department, Samad Marashi, was reported as saying by the Mehr news agency.  Mortazavi, who was Tehran’s hardline prosecutor prior to his recent appointment, gave no further details of the goods being smuggled into and out of the country.  “Only three percent of smuggled goods are identified and seized by the police,” he said, adding that the large majority of contraband is smuggled “by powerful organised gangs that we must identify.” Much of the illegal trafficking takes place between Iran and its number one trade partner the United Arab Emirates, with around one hundred speedboats smuggling goods daily across the Gulf, an official at the Iranian chamber of commerce Hamid Hosseini said last year..”  [Complete Report]

 
Gold Falls as Higher Equity Markets May Curb Investment Demand  [Jun 3]
“Gold fell in New York on speculation gains in equity markets will curb investor demand for the metal.  Futures on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index of shares jumped 0.3 percent after the gauge rose 2.6 percent yesterday. Through the end of May, gold climbed 11 percent as investors sought an alternative to falling equities and currency values.  “In the short term, strength in equities could suppress gold prices,” said Bayram Dincer, a commodity analyst at LGT Capital Management in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland. “If risk aversion is declining, this will not attract new buyers in gold.”  Gold futures for delivery in August dropped $3.10, or 0.3 percent, to $1,219.50 an ounce at 8:39 a.m. on the Comex in New York.  The precious metal has gained in all major currencies this year, led by a 30 percent increase in gold priced in euros, on speculation Europe’s debts will slow economic growth..”  [Complete Report]

Time Not Right for Closer Relations with Iran: MOFA  [Jun 3]
“The time is not right for Taiwan and Iran to develop closer relations, despite a strong desire by both sides to do so, a Taiwan foreign ministry official said Thursday.  Taiwan and Iran both intend to boost their already strong trade relationship but “the time is not right” to take the bilateral relations to the next level, said Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of the Department of West Asian Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), at a press briefing.  As the international community has been contemplating sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear energy policies, “it’s not appropriate at this moment to step up exchanges (with Iran) , ” Lin said.  On May 21, the Associated Press reported that Taiwan had turned down a request by Iran to open a “diplomatic mission” in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang rebutted the report May 25, saying that his ministry has not received any request from Iran to open a trade office in Taiwan.  According to Lin, Iran is Taiwan’s third largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait..”  [Complete Report]

Cosmetics Flood Iran’s Markets  [Jun 3]
“Make-up was banned in Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution, but cosmetics have become so popular now that Iran is the second-largest market in the Middle East for cosmetics.  Following the revolution, the morality police patrolled the streets, fining or even arresting women who did not follow the strict rules in place until they were eased after the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Many women were quick to catch on after a decision to allow imports in the mid-1990s and it became increasingly common to see a chicly dressed urban woman wearing make-up.  According to a recent survey Iranians spend about $2 billion a year on cosmetics and this country of 74 million accounts for 29 per cent of the Middle East market, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Says Nation Will Oppose, But Respect, Any New Iran Sanctions  [Jun 2]
“Brazil’s foreign minister said Tuesday that despite the nation’s strong opposition to any new sanctions on Iran, it would respect them if they are approved.  Foreign Minister Celso Amorim spoke before a Senate committee to explain Brazil’s role in an Iranian nuclear fuel-swap deal it helped broker with Turkey. “Brazil meticulously respects the sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council against Iran,” he said. “If there are sanctions, even if Brazil is not in favor, we’re going to respect them.”  Both Amorim and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have been outspoken in their opposition to potential new sanctions.  Iran insists its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the West fears it is geared toward nuclear weapons.  Last month, Silva and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan finalized a fuel-swap deal with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that was similar to an agreement the U.S. and the International Atomic Energy Agency had pushed for last October, but which Iran at the time rejected..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Cenbank to Sell 45 bln Euros  [Jun 2]
” Iran’s central bank will sell 45 billion euros from its reserves to buy dollars and gold ingots, a report on the website of state-owned Press TV said on Wednesday.  There was no announcement of the sale on the bank’s website and officials at the bank declined comment.  Following the report, the euro eased slightly versus the dollar from around $1.2227 to $1.2213.  Traders said the news was having limited impact on the euro, and some in the market were sceptical about whether Tehran would be able to buy significant amounts of dollars, given that U.S. depository institutions are banned from processing transfers involving the country.  Last month Iran’s central bank governor hinted at a move away from the euro, reversing several years of Tehran publicly shunning the U.S. currency in keeping with its political hostility towards Washington..” [Complete Report]

Iran Rejects US Accusation it is Training Taliban  [Jun 2]
“Iran dismissed on Wednesday accusations by the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal that Tehran has helped train and arm Taliban insurgents.  “Those kinds of lies are designed to conceal the failures of the (NATO forces) in Afghanistan,” Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.  On Sunday, McChrystal told reporters in Kabul that Iran _ Afghanistan’s western neighbor _ has generally assisted the Afghan government in fighting the insurgent group.  “There is, however, clear evidence of Iranian activity _ in some cases providing weaponry and training to the Taliban _ that is inappropriate,” he said. McChrystal did not provide details on how many fighters allegedly were trained in Iran.  Speaking in Brussels, where he met with EU officials and European lawmakers, Mottaki said that “in Afghanistan, Iran has always been part of the solution,” and that Tehran was cooperating with the government in Kabul to stabilize the war-torn nation..” [Complete Report]

No Uniform View With India on Iran: US  [Jun 2]
“US has acknowledged that there are differences with India on the issue of Iran, but praised New Delhi’s view point on the controversial nuclear issue and appreciated its implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions with regard to sanctions against Tehran.  “On Iran, we don’t necessarily have a uniform view of the issue, although on the nuclear question, India has made quite clear its opposition to a nuclear-armed Iran.  It has an admirable record of implementing previous security council resolutions,” the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, said in response to a question at a think-tank here.  “As I mentioned in my remarks, it’s been quite straightforward in holding India accountable at the IAEA board of governors when its failed to meet its obligations, and so that’s an issue on which it’s also important for us to continue to stay in close touch,” Burns said..”  [Complete Report]

Iranian Authorities Step Up Arrests of Women For ‘Immodest’ Dress  [Jun 2]
“Iranian authorities have begun police patrols in the capital to arrest women wearing clothes deemed improper. The campaign against loose-fitting veils and other signs of modernism comes as government opponents are calling for rallies to mark the anniversary of the disputed presidential election, and critics of the crackdown say it is stoking feelings of discontent.  But hard-liners say that improper veiling is a “security issue” and that “loose morality” threatens the core of the Islamic republic.  Iran’s interior minister has promised a “chastity plan” to promote the proper covering “from kindergarten to families,” though the details are unclear. Tehran police have been arresting women for wearing short coats or improper veils and even for being too suntanned. Witnesses report fines up to $800 for dress considered immodest..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Arrests Two Reporters Ahead of Poll Anniversary  [Jun 1]
“Iran has arrested two female journalists working for reformist newspapers ahead of the first anniversary of a disputed presidential election, an opposition website reported on Tuesday.  “Azam Veisameh and Mahbubeh Khansari were arrested by intelligence agents around midnight,” the Rahesabz website said, adding that agents had also searched the pair’s homes and seized computers.  Veisameh has been a parliament reporter for several top-selling reformist newspapers and magazines. Khansari was a city reporter for now-banned reformist dailies.  Iran has cracked down heavily on the pro-reform opposition, jailing scores of prominent reformist leaders, journalists and rights campaigners following last June’s re-election of the hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad..”  [Complete Report]

France Urges Rapid Adoption of Iran Sanctions  [Jun 1]
“A report by a U.N. watchdog saying Iran is stepping up uranium enrichment measures leaves world powers no alternative but to push for new sanctions, France’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.  “In light of the report, the Six (five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany) have no choice but to seek the rapid adoption of a new sanctions resolution,” ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters at a regular news briefing.  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report on Monday that Iran was preparing extra equipment to enrich uranium to higher levels and continues to stockpile nuclear material.  The findings follow a deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey earlier this month under which Iran agreed to ship 1.2 tonnes of its low-enriched uranium stockpile abroad in return for fuel for a medical research reactor..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Forces Not in Iraq, Kurdish Region Official Says  [Jun 1]
“The Kurdistan Regional Government of oil-rich northern Iraq denied a report by al-Arabiya television that Iranian forces had penetrated 5 kilometers (3 miles) inside Iraqi territory.  “These reports about an Iranian incursion into Kurdistan are totally false,” Kawa Mahmoud, a spokesman for the regional government, said today in a telephone interview. “There may be Iranian activity near the border, but there is no incursion.”  Iranian forces have carried out operations in the border region to eliminate suspected militants from the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, or PJAK. Turkey has targeted Kurdish opponents of its government the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, along its border with Iraq. PJAK and the PKK both advocate the formation of an independent Kurdistan in the region.  The KRG last month called for an immediate end to military operations in the border area, saying they violate Iraqi sovereignty..” [Complete Report]

Iran Wants Netanyahu to Face Trial for Gaza Raid  [Jun 1]
“Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister to face trial for the deadly raid on a Gaza aid flotilla in the eastern Mediterranean.  The United States, Britain and France must also be held accountable for Monday’s Israeli raid on the aid ships, said Khamenei, who is all-powerful in the Islamic republic.  “The Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference must not be satisfied with anything less than a full lifting of the Gaza blockade,” he said in a statement.  Khamenei also called for “an end to the grabbing of Palestinian land in the West Bank and a trial of criminals such as (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and (Defence Minister Ehud) Barak.”  He said the “criminal attack … should have convinced everyone that Zionism is the new and more violent face of fascism which is backed by those states which advocate freedom and human rights, above all the US government.”  Washington, London and Paris should also be held accountable, he said..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

U.N. Report Says Iran Has Fuel for 2 Nuclear Weapons  [May 31]
” In their last report before the United Nations Security Council takes up sanctions against Iran, international nuclear inspectors declared on Monday that Iran has now produced a stockpile of nuclear fuel that experts say would be sufficient to make two nuclear weapons.  The report, by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a branch of the United Nations, appears likely to bolster the Obama’s administration’s case for a fourth round of economic sanctions against Iran, and further diminish its interest in a deal, recently revived by Turkey and Brazil, in which Iran would send a portion of its nuclear stockpile out of the country.  When Iran tentatively agreed eight months ago to ship some of its nuclear material out of the country, the White House said the deal would temporarily deprive Iran of enough fuel to make even a single weapon..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Opposition Asks for Anniversary Rally Permit  [May 31]
“An Iranian reformist website says the country’s opposition has formally asked authorities for permission to hold a rally on the anniversary of the disputed June 12 presidential election.  The request indicates the opposition plans to go ahead with the gathering despite earlier warnings by police they will confront any illegal demonstration on that date.  Website Sahamanews on Monday said opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi sent a joint letter to the Tehran provincial governor asking for the permit.  The two ran in the 2009 balloting, which the opposition says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won through fraud and that Mousavi was the rightful winner. It says 80 demonstrators have died so far in the government crackdown on opposition protests..”  [Complete  Report]

Iranian Ambassador: No Deal on US Hikers  [May 31]
“The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad said the recent release of two Iranians from Iraqi custody is not an indication of any impeding deal to free three Americans held by Tehran on spying charges.  Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi told The Associated Press the fate of the Americans, who have been held since July, is in the hands of the Iranian judiciary and has no connection to the release of two Iranians earlier this month.  “There were no deals,” Qomi said. “They (Americans) are in the custody of the judiciary system.”  The detained Americans — Sarah Shourd, 31; her boyfriend, Shane Bauer, 27; and their friend Josh Fattal, 27 — were arrested along the Iraqi border. Iran has accused them of espionage, but their families say the three were hiking in northern Iraq’s mountainous Kurdish region and if they strayed into Iran, it was unintentional.  In a goodwill gesture by Iran, their mothers were allowed to visit them earlier in May — for the first time since they were taken into Iranian custody..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Seizes on Gaza Ship Raid for New Israel Tirade  [May 31]
“Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship on Monday was an “inhuman” act that brought Tehran’s archfoe “closer than ever to its end.”  The Iranian foreign ministry called on Arab and Muslim nations to stand united in protesting against the raid.  “The inhuman action of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and preventing the humanitarian aid from reaching Gazans does not show this regime’s strength, but is a sign of its weakness, and all this brings this sinister and fake regime closer than ever to its end,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.  The hardliner, who has previously sparked anger around the world for saying that Israel was “doomed to be wiped off the map,” said Monday’s attack was an “insult to human dignity.”  “Today, it is clearly evident that the Palestinian issue is not an Arab or Islamic one, but a world issue. Today, the reason for creating and imposing of the Zionist regime has become evident to all,” he said..” [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Says U.S. Not Yet Ready for Nuclear Disarmament  [May 30]
“Iranian Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Ali Larijani criticizes the United States for its refusal to commit to a definite timetable for complete nuclear disarmament at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference which wrapped up in New York on Friday.  “They (U.S.) were not ready to have a timetable for disarmament and the treaty has been changed into a proposal,” the speaker said in a Saturday press conference held in Tehran.  The 189 signatories to the NPT adopted a detailed plan of nuclear disarmament after a month of negotiations. Under its action plan, the five recognized nuclear-weapon countries — the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China — commit to speeding up arms reductions and taking other steps to diminish the importance of atomic weapons.  The final document also calls for convening a conference in 2012 “on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.”..”  [Complete Report]

General McChrystal Says Afghan Insurgents Trained in Iran [May 30]
“Afghan insurgents are being trained inside Iran and given weapons to fight security forces, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces said on Sunday, joining a rising drumbeat of criticism of Iran’s role in the country.  General Stanley McChrystal said coalition forces were working to stop Iran from giving material help to the Taliban who have stepped up the campaign to force foreign forces out of Afghanistan in a nine-year conflict.  “The training that we have seen occurs inside Iran with fighters moving inside Iran,” he said at a news conference in response to a question on Iran’s influence. “The weapons that we have received come from Iran into Afghanistan.”  The United States, battling a Taliban insurgency at its worst, has frequently accused Iran of providing some assistance to insurgents in Afghanistan, although Washington says it has not been nearly as important a factor as in Iraq, Iran’s other neighbor, where U.S. troops are waging war..”  [Complete Report]

China Offers Billion-Euro Loan for Iran Projects [May 30]
“Beijing has offered a loan of one billion euros (1.2 billion dollars) to fund projects in Tehran, a report said on Sunday, in a sign of increased Chinese participation in the Iranian economy.  Iran’s Fars news agency, quoting a senior official from Tehran municipality, said the loan would have a repayment period of three to four years.  “The one-billion-euro Chinese funding is materialising,” Hossein Mohammad Pourzarandi said, adding that the loan would be used for several construction projects, including road networks, undertaken by the municipality.  In recent years China has emerged as Iran’s main trading partner, with increased exposures in key economic sectors of the Islamic republic, including oil.  Several Western energy companies have left Iran amid the increasing possibility of a new round of UN sanctions against Tehran for pursuing its controversial nuclear programme of uranium enrichment..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Opposition Not Dead, Mousavi Says Before Vote Anniversary  [May 30]
” Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said the country’s opposition movement is not dead and will continue its “fight for freedom and justice,” as Iran nears the one-year anniversary of the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  “The Green Movement is a current that will neither be stopped by jailing and threatening nor by killing people,” Mousavi said in a statement late yesterday on his website, Kaleme, referring to the broad coalition born out of the protests that followed the June 12 election, which it claims was rigged.  “This movement takes over the four seasons, it renews and expresses itself in various ways,” said Mousavi, a former prime minister who ran against Ahmadinejad. Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi, another former presidential candidate and opposition leader, have called on supporters to attend a protest rally on the anniversary should the government grant permission for it..” [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Uranium Enrichment Not Discussed in Iran Deal: Brazil  [May 29]
” Iran’s decision to enrich 20 percent its stock of uranium was never part of the negotiations behind the nuclear fuel swap deal Brazil and Turkey struck with Tehran last week, Brazil’s foreign minister said.  “That was not part — for many good reasons — because that had not happened,” Celso Amorim told reporters asking how Iran’s recent decision would influence world powers seeking more sanctions to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.  “The 20-percent enrichment was not part of the original proposal of the 5+1 (the permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany) and specially the Vienna Group to Iran, which was meant to build confidence,” Amorim said.  “Iran, actually, had asked the agency (UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA) to get the 20 percent enriched uranium under the form of fuel rods. It?s a right, assured by the NPT,” he added, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty..”  [Complete Report]

Turkish PM Says West Unfair, Insincere in Iran Row: Report  [May 29]
” Turkey’s prime minister Saturday accused Western powers of lacking a “fair and sincere” approach on Iran in a mounting row over a nuclear swap deal with Tehran, Anatolia news agency reported.  Speaking to Turkish journalists during a visit to Brazil, Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated criticism of the West for staying mum on Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, Anatolia reported.  Without naming the Jewish state, he said: “You do not show the same approach here but you stir up the world concerning Iran. I do not see this as a fair, honest and sincere approach.”  Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, have been in a deepening confrontation with the United States over its dismissal of a nuclear swap deal the two hammered out with Tehran on May 17.  Washington insists the Security Council should press ahead with fresh sanctions against the Islamic republic, which the West suspects of seeking to develop an atomic bomb under the guise of nuclear energy production..”  [Complete Report]

Pakistan, Iran in Gas Pipeline Agreement  [May 29]
“Pakistan and Iran signed an agreement to supply Iranian gas to Pakistan through a $7.5 billion pipeline to be completed in 2014, officials said.  Under the 25-year supply agreement, Pakistan will import 750 million cubic feet a day with a provision to increase that to 1 billion cubic feet a day, the Dawn newspaper reported.  The imported gas will account for about 20 percent of Pakistan’s current gas production and will be used by the country’s power sector to generate about 5,000 megawatts of electricity, Dawn said.  Pakistan’s section of the pipeline project is estimated to cost $1.65 billion.  Construction of the pipeline would create jobs, vocational training and development for the impoverished Balochistan and Sindh areas, Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar said..”  [Complete Report]

Rafsanjani Boosts Pressure on Iran Regime Before Anniversary  [May 29]
“Opposition sympathiser and powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has ratcheted up the pressure on the Iranian regime ahead of the first anniversary of the disputed presidential election.  The former president’s website has again posted scathing pro-opposition remarks he made last year that criticised both the regime and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself.  The reappearance of Rafsanjani’s comments comes just days before the June 12 anniversary of the presidential poll that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power and sparked one of the worst internal crises in the Islamic republic’s history.  Iran was rocked by widespread and deadly street unrest immediately after Ahmadinejad’s re-election — a result his opponents said had been rigged.  Thousands of people were jailed amid a crackdown aimed at stifling the opposition protests. The authorities said 36 people were killed in the weeks after the vote, but the opposition said that at least 72 died..”  [Complete Report]

Khamenei to Lead Prayers One Year After Iran Poll  [May 29]
“Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is to lead Muslim prayers next Friday, a year after his decisive sermon in support of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election.  Khamenei’s address will also mark the 21st anniversary of the death of the Islamic republic’s revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.  “This week’s Friday prayer on 14th of Khordad (June 4) which marks the divine departure of the founder of the Islamic republic will be led by the guardian of all Muslims (Khamenei) in the shrine of the late imam” Khomeini, the official IRNA news agency reported.  It said Ahmadinejad and Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the US-backed shah, would also give addresses.  The June 4 address by Khamenei, who succeeded Khomeini as Iran’s supreme guide, will be his first Friday sermon since a June 19 sermon at Tehran University in which he openly defended Ahmadinejad’s re-election..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Hardliners Attack News Corp’s Soaps in Farsi  [May 29]
“News Corp’s Persian-language channel has infuriated Iran hardliners who accuse the broadcaster of promoting “corruption” in the conservative Islamic society, media reports said on Saturday.  News Corp-owned Star broadcaster launched the Farsi1 satellite television channel last summer, airing soaps and sitcoms dubbed into Farsi and targeting a potential 100-million-strong audience in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.  “Opinion polls show many viewers of Farsi1 admit that its programmes are corrupting,” the head of Iran’s state-run television Ezatollah Zarghami was quoted as saying by several Tehran newspapers.  “However, why people watch this channel is another question,” he added.  The leading hardline daily Kayhan on Saturday accused Farsi1 of “promoting dysfunctional families and adultery and portraying unmarried relationships and abortion as normal.”  Many Iranians watch satellite television despite it being banned in the Islamic republic, where private TV and radio stations are also forbidden.  Dozens of Persian-language satellite channels based abroad beam a daily dose of politics and entertainment to Iran..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Senate Panel Votes New Iran Constraints [May 28]
“The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to require Pentagon contractors to certify that they are not doing any banned business with Iran.  The panel, in its version of a defense spending bill for fiscal 2011, also ordered a semi-annual government report on commercial activity in Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors.  The legislation continues a push in Congress to tighten U.S. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear work, suspected by the West of being aimed at bomb-making. Iran says its goal is electricity.  The panel voted to require companies to certify for all Defense Department contracts valued above $1 million “that they are not engaging in any activity for which sanctions may be imposed under the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996.”..”  [Complete Report]

As Sanctions Loom, is Tehran Sending Peace Signals to the US? [May 28]
“Iran’s triumphant anti-American rhetoric may have hardly changed.  Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei declared on Monday that countries around the world “thirst” for Iran’s message of “values, humanity and deliverance of nations from the grip of domineering powers.”  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently announced, “Iran is the world’s most powerful country, and they [Western powers] themselves admit this.” He routinely proclaims that the US, West, and its capitalist ways have “collapsed.”  But behind the usual high-pitched pokes from Tehran, analysts say several Iranian actions signal a serious desire to resolve the nuclear standoff — and perhaps even to find a limited rapprochement with arch-enemy America..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Supported Syria-Israel Indirect Peace Talks, Assad Says  [May 28]
“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Iran supported his country’s decision to pursue indirect peace talks with Israel two years ago, adding that he’s ready to re-start the negotiations.  “Iran supported our efforts to achieve, to get back our land through the peace negotiations in 2008 when we had indirect negotiations in Turkey,” Assad said in an interview in Damascus on “The Charlie Rose Show,” broadcast last night.  ndirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, mediated by Turkey, broke down in December 2008 when Israel began a three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip that it said was aimed at stopping militants from firing rockets into southern Israel. The previous round of talks had collapsed in 2000 over the terms for Israel to return the Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967. Assad said he is willing to resume the talks with Turkish aid to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, though he doesn’t see a comparable readiness in Israel..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Signs Agreements on South Pars Field Development  [May 28]
“Iran has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Revolutionary Guards’ construction wing for the development of phases 22 to 24 of the South Pars natural-gas field, the state-run Mehr news agency reported, citing Pars Oil & Gas Co. Managing Director Ali Vakili.  The contract for the development of phases 13 and 14 has been awarded to a consortium of the Guards and some domestic firms, he said..” [Complete Report]

Tbilisi Woos Iran While Washington Watches [May 28]
“After years of jostling among the regional giants, the United States and Russia, officials in Georgia seem intent on recruiting a new player for the regional geopolitical game — Iran.  Georgian and Iranian officials announced a flurry of initiatives in mid-May. Aside from the cancellation of visa requirements for Iranian citizens traveling to Georgia, Tehran has offered investment in a hydropower plant and electricity imports; Tbilisi is also seeking wind-power cooperation. The proposals are currently under discussion with Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri. In addition, Tbilisi extended an invitation to Washington’s bête noire, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to visit Georgia. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki may visit Georgia in June to work out specifics of the new cooperation framework..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Russia Bowing to US Pressure — Iran  [May 27]
“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday Russia’s support for new UN sanctions against Iran was unacceptable and called on President Dmitry Medvedev to rethink his backing for the US-led move.  Iran was snubbed by Russia and China last week when, just hours after it offered to ship some of its enriched uranium abroad, Washington announced that all five members of the UN Security Council backed a new sanctions draft.  In an unusually strong criticism of the Russian government, Ahmadinejad used a televised outdoor speech to directly address Medvedev who, he said, had bowed to US pressure to support the squeeze on Iran over its nuclear programme.  “If I were the Russian president, when making decisions about subjects related to a great nation [Iran] … I would act more cautiously, I would think more,” Ahmadinejad said.  “The Iranian nation doesn’t know: are they [the Russians] our friends and neighbours? Are they with us or are they looking for something else?”..”  [Complete Report]

U.N.’s Ban Urges Iran Talks With Security Council [May 27]
“United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged Iran to do more to dispel international suspicion that it is trying to build atomic weapons, saying that the Islamic Republic’s enrichment of uranium is sowing mistrust.  Speaking at an event in Rio de Janeiro, Ban also reiterated that a fuel swap deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey could help defuse tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.  But he stressed that Iran must do more to assure the world that it is only enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, as Tehran insists.  “At the heart of this crisis there appears to be a serious lack of trust and confidence in Iran,” Ban told a news conference in Rio, where he was attending the Third Forum of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations.  “Iran has at the same time declared it will continue the enrichment process … That has caused some serious concerns of the international community,” Ban added..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Film Ban Latest Chapter in Cannes-Tehran Row  [May 27]
“A rumbling censorship row between the Cannes film festival and Iran flared anew Thursday when Tehran banned celebrated director Abbas Kiarostami’s new movie due to star Juliet Binoche’s “attire”.  Already an Oscar-winner, she picked up Cannes’ best actress award last weekend for her role in “Certified Copy”, a tortuous tete-a-tete about love and marriage in which she remains determinedly fully clothed throughout.  “If Juliette Binoche were better clad it could have been screened but due to her attire there will not be a general screening,” Deputy Culture Minister Javad Shamaqdari was quoted as saying by local newspapers, without describing the offensive attire.  Kiarostami’s first film shot outside his country, where his work is rarely seen, features Binoche in western dress, at one point with plunging neckline and at another slapping on make-up and ear-rings.  She does recount how she took off her bra in a church because she felt uncomfortable but that scene is not on screen..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Calls for Immediate Disarmament of Nuclear States  [May 27]
“Iran on Thursday urged all countries to take serious steps to dismantle all nuclear weapons and called for setting a deadline in this regard by the international community.  “We believe that nuclear disarmament and non—proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are a necessity in today’s world. So a time limit is needed to be set for the elimination of nuclear weapons and this issue has to be incorporated in the final declaration of the Nuclear Non—proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference,” Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.  Mr. Khazaee said Iran, as one of the first countries to have signed the NPT and which floated the idea of a nuke—free Middle East in 1974, supports global denuclearisation as well as free access to peaceful nuclear technology.  He said Iran calls for removal of all WMD from across the globe..”  [Complete Report]

Merkel Urges Iran to ‘Carefully Consider’ Nuclear Deal  {May 27]
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday called on Iran to “carefully consider” an international offer on its nuclear programme, and also expressed concern over instability in Yemen.  “Iran must carefully consider the offer of the international community” on its programme of uranium enrichment, Merkel said in a speech at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.  Merkel, who was in the Qatari capital as part of a four-nation Gulf tour, said that “the dispute with Iran must be resolved diplomatically and peacefully, and Germany will contribute to such a settlement.”  “But we believe that Iran will not show the necessary transparency to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is why we are working to strengthen sanctions in the (UN) Security Council,” Merkel said..”  [Complete Report]

Government Sees “Multiple Means to Isolate Iran, North Korea  [May 27]
“The United States will pursue “multiple means” to isolate Iran and North Korea ifthey ignore their international obligations over their nuclear programs, according to President Barack Obama’s national security strategy unveiled on Thursday.  The wide-ranging document, which is required by law of every president, also stated that Washington was seeking engagement with Iran “without illusion,” a reference to Iranian defiance in response to Obama’s earlier diplomatic outreach..”  [Complete Report]

Pakistan, Iran to Sign Pipeline Deal [May 27]
“Two months after Pakistan and Iran signed a deal for the construction of a pipeline that would allow Iranian gas to be pumped into Balochistan and Sindh, the two countries will sign a sovereign guarantee on Friday for constructing the much delayed project that was envisaged as a “peace pipeline” extending right into India.  The sovereign guarantee for the $ 7.6 billion project will be signed by representatives of the National Iranian Oil Company and Pakistan’s Petroleum Ministry. The two countries had inked the deal on March 17 this year in Turkey as per which a pipeline will connect Iran’s South Pars gas field with Pakistan’s southern Balochistan and Sindh provinces.  As part of the project, gas will be pumped directly into “energy-hungry” Pakistan daily from Iran by the middle of the next decade..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Ahmadinejad Slams Russia’s Stance Against Iran  [May 26]
” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday criticized Russia for backing the United States in pushing for a new round of sanctions against Tehran, the local satellite Press TV reported.  Interpreting Russia’s behavior “has become more and more difficult for us,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.  “Our people don’t know if they (Russians) are our friends, on our side or after something different,” the semi-official Fars news agency quoted him as saying. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday in a Senate hearing that the U.S. and its Western allies had reached an agreement with Russia and China over a draft UN Security Council resolution that would expand sanctions against Iran for its failure to halt its controversial nuclear program.  With the coordination of Brazil and Turkey, Iran agreed earlier this month to deposit 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent (low-enriched) uranium in Turkey, 120 kg of 20 percent uranium for the need of the Tehran Research Reactor will return to Iran within one year. However, Iran announced later that uranium enrichment will be continued within the country..”  [Complete Report]

Clinton Praises China on Iran Issue  [May 26]
“The United States is pleased with China’s cooperation in the U.N. Security Council on the Iranian nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.  Speaking to reporters Tuesday in Beijing at the end of the two-day China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues, Clinton responded to a question on the resolution on Iran by the five Security Council members plus Germany, or P-5+1.  China had agreed to participate in the talks while maintaining its stand on resolving the issue through diplomacy. Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes but Western allies say it is designed to make nuclear weapons and are urging tougher U.N. sanctions against Tehran.  “With respect to Iran, we are pleased with the cooperation that we’ve received..” [Complete Report]

Iran’s President Calls Tehran Declaration on Fuel Swap “Last Chance  [May 26]
” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Tehran’s trilateral nuclear fuel swap declaration is the last opportunity for the West to resolve Iran’s nuclear case, the local satellite Press TV reported.  “There are no excuses left as Tehran declaration is the best opportunity. We have taken important steps,” President Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying as he addressed a crowd in Iran’s central city of Kerman on Wednesday.  Iran, Turkey and Brazil signed an agreement earlier this month in Tehran under which the Iranian low enriched uranium would be shipped to Turkey in exchange for the 20 percent uranium fuel needed for Iran’s Tehran reactor.  U.S. President Barack Obama “should bear in mind that if he does not use this opportunity, Iranians are unlikely to give him a new chance,” said Ahmadinejad.  Tehran is already under three sets of UN sanctions for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program. Washington states that it has reached an agreement with its Western allies as well as Russia and China for the new round of sanctions on Iran..” [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Film Director Freed on Bail  [May 25]
“Jailed Iranian film director Jafar Panahi, who has been on hunger strike for more than a week, was released on bail of 2 billion rials (about $200,000) on Tuesday, the official Irna news agency reported.  Panahi, winner of many international awards and a supporter of opposition leader Mirhussain Mousavi in last year’s disputed presidential election, was arrested in March along with his wife and daughter. His family was later freed.  Despite his release, the office of Tehran’s prosecutor said his case and the indictment against him would be submitted to the capital’s Revolutionary Court, Irna said, suggesting he may still face trial. It did not give further details.  Panahi’s wife Tahereh Saeedi earlier said the bail had been deposited and that he was expected to be freed on Tuesday evening. He has been held at Tehran’s Evin jail, where human rights groups say many political prisoners are detained..”  [Complete Report]

Iran Police to Confront “Illegal” June Protests [May 25]
” Iranian security forces will confront any “illegal” demonstrations on the June 12 anniversary of last year’s disputed election, Tehran’s police chief was quoted as saying on Tuesday.  Opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi have called on supporters to take part in peaceful protests to mark the first anniversary of a presidential poll they say was rigged, a reformist website reported in April.  Any anti-government rallies could raise the prospect of new clashes with the security forces, which quelled mass protests that erupted after the vote won by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Hossein Sajedi, the capital’s police chief, said “some media” had called for rallies on June 12, the ILNA news agency reported.  “Police will confront any illegal gatherings … police are vigilant and in charge of public order and security,” he said..”  [Complete Report]

U.S. Bill Takes Aim at Iran Oil Partners [May 25]
“A U.S. House committee has proposed barring the Pentagon from buying fuel from companies that do business with Iran’s energy industry—a stance that is a long shot for becoming law but that underscores U.S. lawmakers’ continuing dissatisfaction with international efforts to slap tough sanctions on Tehran.  An amendment to a defense-spending bill, co-sponsored by a Republican and a Democrat and passed with full support in the House Armed Services Committee, would cost some European oil firms billions of dollars in Pentagon contracts if they buy Iranian oil. It would also dramatically escalate U.S. sanctions against Tehran. “The Secretary of Defense may not enter into any contract with an entity that engages in commercial activity in the energy sector of Iran,” the amendment says, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal..” [Complete Report]

India, Iran Discuss Building Underwater Gas Pipeline [May 25]
“India and Iran are discussing building a gas pipeline between the two countries along the bed of the Arabian Sea to bypass Pakistan, a board director of the company developing the project said on Tuesday.  “The carrying capacity of the gas pipeline’s first leg will total 31 billion cu m annually, with the cost of construction estimated at $4 billion,” T.H.P. Pao, a member of the board of directors and head of the supervisory board of South Asia Gas Enterprise Private Ltd. (SAGE), said.  The statement came ahead of a visit by Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to India.  Pao said India and Iran were discussing the delivery of natural gas produced in Turkmenistan with Indian assistance to north Iran while the Islamic Republic will send natural gas from its southern deposits to Indian consumers.  A diplomatic source confirmed to RIA Novosti that Delhi had discussed the project with Teheran and Ashgabat and received their backing.  Under the project being worked on by SAGE, the gas pipeline will be 1,100 km (684 miles) long. The submersible part of the pipeline will start from the Iranian port city of Chabahar and will deliver gas to consumers in the Indian state of Gujarat..”  [Complete Report]

Clinton: Iran Nuclear Fuel Swap Offer is ‘Ploy’ [May 25]
” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says an Iranian plan to swap some of its enriched uranium for reactor fuel is a “transparent ploy” to try to avoid new U.N. Security Council sanctions over its suspect nuclear program.  Speaking in the Chinese capital of Beijing, Clinton said Tuesday the swap offer submitted to the U.N. nuclear watchdog has a number of deficiencies and does not address international concerns about Iran’s atomic ambitions.  She said the U.S.-led push for fresh Security Council penalties on Iran would continue.  The U.S. and other Western countries accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian atomic energy program. Iran denies the charge but has repeatedly refused to prove that its program is peaceful..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Holy City Ups Fine for Unveiled Women  [May 24]
“Iran’s second biggest city has massively increased the amount it fines for women who fail to observe the Islamic dress code and don’t cover their hair properly, media reported.  Morality police around Iran are beginning their annual spring crackdown on women wearing too much makeup, daring to show their hair or dressing in a way that shows their body contours too clearly.  In the holy city of Masshad, the public prosecutor has increased the fine to 1.3 million tomans, roughly $1,300 – a hefty sum in a country where a teacher’s monthly salary is around $500.  “In the past the penalty for not observing the Islamic dress code was 50,000 tomans along with two months’ imprisonment,” Mashhad’s public and revolutionary prosecutor Mahmoud Zoghi told the semi-official Fars news agency..” [Complete Report]

Iran Submits Nuclear Deal With Turkey to IAEA  [May 24]
“Iran has formally submitted a plan to swap nuclear material in Turkey for reactor fuel to the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.  It has urged world leaders to agree to their deal.  But the proposal, brokered by Brazil and Turkey a week ago, was followed by a US announcement of a “strong draft” emerging on new sanctions on Iran.  So the plan appears unlikely to deter the US and its allies who believe Iran is trying to obtain a nuclear weapon.  The deal, brokered by Brazil, would see Iran hand over 1,200 kg of low-enriched nuclear material in Turkey.  They would then receive fuel rods for a research reactor in return..”  [Complete Report]

Iranians Shout For Jobs During Ahmadinejad Speech  [May 24]
“Hecklers at an outdoor speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday shouted their concerns about unemployment, in a rare display of dissent in front of the hardline leader.  While Ahmadinejad addressed a crowd in the port city of Khorramshahr, in a speech marking the anniversary of a key battle in the Iran-Iraq war, several members of the crowd could be heard chanting: “Unemployment! Unemployment!”  The president’s speeches are regularly carried live on Iranian TV where crowds more usually respond with slogans such as “God is Greatest” and “Death to America”.  Ahmadinejad won a second term last June in an election the reformist opposition said was rigged — sparking the biggest anti-government protests since the 1979 Islamic revolution.  The government denied any vote rigging and accused foreign powers of fomenting unrest.  Opposition leaders have applied for permission to hold a rally on the first anniversary of the election, on June 12 where they plan to call for human rights and the release of political prisoners..” [Complete Report]

Iran Executes Brother of Sunni Rebel Leader Rigi  [May 24]
“Iran on Monday executed a brother of the detained leader of a Sunni Muslim rebel group behind the deadliest bomb attack in the Islamic Republic in years, official media reported.  Abdolhamid Rigi, a convicted member of Jundollah (God’s Soldiers), was hanged in a prison in the southeastern city of Zahedan, after his execution was postponed last July and again in December in order to get more information from him.  Predominantly Shi’ite Muslim Iran seized his brother, Jundollah leader Abdolmalek Rigi, in February — four months after the group claimed a bombing which killed dozens of people, including senior officers of the elite Revolutionary Guards.  Iranian officials say Jundollah has links to Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and support from Pakistan, Britain and the United States. London, Washington and Islamabad deny backing it..”  [Complete Report]

Sri Lanka Says Iran May Lend $1.5 Billion to Expand Refinery  [May 24]
“Sri Lanka, which imports all its oil, may get a $1.5 billion loan from Iran to fully fund a project to double capacity at the South Asian island’s only refinery, the petroleum minister said.  “The earlier understanding was for us to come up with 30 percent, but Iran may come in to completely finance the expansion,” Susil Premajayantha said in an interview in the capital Colombo.  Sri Lanka plans to start the two-year construction to increase state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp. refinery’s processing capacity to 100,000 barrels a day by early 2011, Premajayantha said May 21. China Huanqiu Contracting and Engineering Corp. has submitted a proposal to set up a refinery in Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota district that would export products, he said.  The end of Sri Lanka’s three-decade civil war last year is attracting overseas aid and investment, stoking an economic recovery..”  [Complete Report]

Iran To Boost Non-Oil Exports To Iraq  [May 24]
“Iran plans to increase its non-oil exports to Iraq to US$7.5 billion annually from the current US$4.8 billion, the secretary-general of Iran-Iraq economic development centre said here Sunday.  “Iran mainly exports foodstuff and construction materials to Iraq,” Mehr News Agency (MNA) quoted Hassan Danaiifar as saying Sunday.  “Currently, over 8,000 tonnes of cement is being exported to Iraq daily,” he added..”  [Complete Report]

ARABIALINK Daily News – IRAN – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Iran Takes Up Visa Denial Row With US at UN [May 23]
“Iran has accused the United States of abusing its position as the host of the United Nations by denying a visa to the Islamic Republic’s deputy foreign minister, according to a letter released on Friday. Iran’s letter to the UN Committee on Relations with the Host Country said deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Mohammad Mahdi Akhondzadeh Basti was repeatedly denied a visa by US authorities. In the letter, Iran’s UN ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said Washington’s refusal to issue an entry visa to Tehran’s top official overseeing its relations with the United Nations kept him from attending events like the review conference held from May 3 to 28 on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, where Iran’s atomic programme is a key topic of discussion..” [Complete Report]

Iran speaker: Will Ditch Fuel Plan if New Sanctions [May 23]
“Iran will abandon an atomic fuel swap plan brokered by Turkey and Brazil if the United States imposes new sanctions on the Islamic state, Iran’s parliament speaker said on Sunday. In remarks broadcast on state-owned IRIB, Ali Larijani said Tehran could also review its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “If the Americans want to seek adventure, whether in the U.N Security Council or in (the U.S.) Congress, all the efforts of Turkey and Brazil will be in vain and this path will be abandoned,” said Larijani, an influential conservative. “In this situation parliament will make a different decision over Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA.” Parliament has the power to oblige the government to change its cooperation with the IAEA, as it did in 2006 after the Vienna-based agency voted to report Iran to the Security Council..” [Complete Report]

As Tensions Rise, Israel Launches Air Raid Drill [May 23]
“Israel launched its biggest air raid exercise Sunday to test its preparedness against possible missile strikes from Iranian-sponsored militant groups as international tensions rose over Tehran’s nuclear program. Israel has called for strong economic sanctions against Iran over its nuclear plans but, in a hint of possible military action, has said all options were on the table should diplomacy fail to resolve the dispute. Israeli officials said the exercise, which will include sounding air raid sirens Wednesday, would focus on municipal authorities’ responses to a scenario in which missiles were launched from the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas Islamists, and by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Both are allies of Iran. In public remarks at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel’s biggest civil defense exercise as a routine, protective move and said the government sought only “quiet, stability and peace.”..” [Complete Report]

Iran Aims to Become Gasoline Exporter – official [May 23]
“Iran seeks to become self-sufficient in gasoline in two years’ time and then to start exporting the fuel, an official said on Sunday, as some traders and international oil firms cease sales to the Islamic state. The world’s fifth-largest crude exporter imports at least 30 percent of its gasoline needs but says the construction of new refineries will boost domestic output and make it less vulnerable to any future sanctions targeting such trade. “By building new refineries we will become a gasoline exporter,” ISNA news agency quoted Ali Reza Zeighami, managing director of the National Iranian Refining and Oil Products Distribution Company, as saying. “The plan is to become self-sufficient in two years’ time … by implementing the scheme to increase gasoline production in refineries,” Zeighami said..” [Complete Report]