Bomb Defused on Iranian Airliner

(NEWSER) - A violent and chaotic day in Iran left dozens of protesters injured, with reports ranging from 13 to 19 deaths, reports the New York Times. The government's feared militia, the Basij, cracked down with water cannons, electric rounds, and live bullets against thousands of protesters in Tehran. The developments came on a day when challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi declared he is "ready for martyrdom" and President Obama criticized the government action as "unjust and violent" and warned that the "whole world is watching." More»

Voting runs extra 3 hours to accommodate volume

(NEWSER) - Both leading candidates for Iran’s presidency are trumpeting victory after Iranians swarmed the polls, forcing them to remain open an extra 3 hours, Reuters reports. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad each claimed some 60% of the vote. Meanwhile, President Obama applauded the election, which he said heralded “robust debate” and a “possibility of change” in Iran, the AP reports. “You’re seeing people looking at new possibilities.” More»

Norman Podhoretz on Ahmadinejad, Hitler, and the case for war with Iran

(NEWSER) - The only way to protect the West from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to bomb Iran now, writes Norman Podhoretz in Commentary. The irascible neocon blasts left-wingers who downplay the threat of a nuclear Iran, and argues that deterrence won’t stop the Iranian leader once he’s armed. More»

Country reveals latest nuclear advancements

(NEWSER) - Following yesterday's display of its nuclear prowess , Iran says it's ready to resume talks over its nuclear program. In a letter to the European Union obtained by CNN , Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed re-starting the talks as soon as possible. Yesterday, the country showed off new centrifuges, with the president visiting a Tehran reactor to install fuel rods. Iran announced it would start making its own yellowcake, which the UN has banned it from importing; it also said it would share its nuclear knowledge with other countries overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency. More»

Ahmadinejad expected to show off new facilities later today

(NEWSER) - Iran today decided it was time to reveal its "key" nuclear achievements, with state TV touting new uranium enrichment centrifuges and reactor fuel made domestically. The Telegraph reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will verify the news later today, in a move intended to "demonstrate the scientific capabilities of Iranian scientists to world nations." The TV report confirmed, by way of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, that the country has completed work on "the fourth generation of domestically made centrifuges" that are "speedier, produce less waste, and occupy less space." It also cited progress in 20% uranium enrichment at the Natanz site. More»