UN reports finds country may already have enough for bomb
Financial Times (UK) Nov 20, 08 2:42 AM CST
(Newser)
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Iran is rapidly moving forward with its nuclear program and may already have enriched enough uranium to take the next step toward building a nuclear bomb, the Financial Times reports. The uranium will need more enrichment to reach weapons-grade levels, say UN experts, who believe the country will wait until it has amassed more nuclear material before attempting the "breakthrough."
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OPINION
Limited refining capacity is chink in Tehran's armor—and opportunity for US
Wall Street Journal Nov 13, 08 12:47 PM CST
(Newser)
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Could Barack Obama petro-blackmail Iran on its nuclear ambitions? Former State Department official Orde Kittrie thinks so. Despite abundant crude oil, limited refining capacity forces Iran to import 40% of its gasoline, Kittrie explains in the Wall Street Journal . And though none of its main suppliers are based in the US, four of the five companies are European; perhaps the new president should test his diplomatic skills on persuading them to boycott.
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Offer to talk merely signals shift from 'hard conflict to a soft attack,' commander says
Washington Post Nov 13, 08 10:34 AM CST
(Newser)
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Facing a US president-elect willing to negotiate, just as they’ve asked for, Iran’s leaders have adopted a more hostile tone toward Barack Obama, the Washington Post reports. “People who put on a mask of friendship, but with the objective of betrayal, and who enter from the angle of negotiations without preconditions, are more dangerous,” one military official said yesterday.
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Sejil has the capability to reach Israel, Tehran says
Times (UK) Nov 12, 08 3:54 PM CST
(Newser)
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The Iranian government said today it test-fired a new model of missile capable of reaching Israel or US bases in the Middle East, although it insisted its intentions were peaceful, the Times of London reports. Tehran released photos of a test of what it said were Sejil missiles, which it said can be upgraded to have a range of 1,200 miles.
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Key Ahmadinejad ally misspelled words on 'honorary doctorate'
Daily Telegraph (UK) Nov 4, 08 3:08 PM CST
(Newser)
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It turns out lying on your resume is frowned upon in Tehran, too. Iran’s parliament gave Interior Minister Ali Kordan the boot today, for posing as an honorary Oxford law graduate, the Daily Telegraph reports. Kordan’s bogus diploma is riddled with typos and misspellings, declaring Kordan “intitled” to an honorary doctorate “in order to be benefitted from its scientific privileges.”
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OPINION
Suddenly negotiating is starting to look pretty smart, says Friedman
New York Times Oct 29, 08 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama's promise to negotiate with Iran once seemed like a dubious idea to Thomas Friedman—pre-conditions or not, the US had no leverage. But everything's changed now that the price of oil is at $57 and falling, writes the New York Times columnist. Once the mullahs went on a "domestic subsidy binge" to quell dissent, but now galloping inflation and high unemployment can't be swept under the Persian carpet.
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Rumors to contrary are just political 'ploy'
CNN Oct 26, 08 11:01 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The irrepressible Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is suffering from exhaustion, but it won’t keep him down for long, an MP told an Iranian news agency. Rumors that the Iranian president is very sick are “psychological warfare,” “an old ploy” designed to undermine him among fundamentalists before next June’s elections, the president’s ally said. The agency said Ahmadinejad’s condition had forced him to miss recent events, CNN reports.
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OPINION
Next president must prevent proliferation,
no matter the cost
Washington Post Oct 23, 08 12:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The US must prevent Iran from going nuclear, even if it means military intervention, write Daniel Coats and Charles Robb, heads of a bipartisan think tank on the issue. “An Islamic Republic of Iran with nuclear weapons capability would be strategically untenable,” they argue. Even if Iran doesn’t use its arsenal, simply having one would magnify its influence in the region.
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ANALYSIS
Iranian collusion may be behind the success of the surge in Iraq
Daily Beast Oct 7, 08 2:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Secret cooperation between Iran and the Bush administration may be behind the success of the Iraq surge, which has played heavily in "John McCain’s rise from the ashes," writes Salameh Nematt in the Daily Beast. Arab intelligence sources say such a “Grand Bargain” has been reached and is the reason for the Iranian restraint in Iraq that, along with the Anbar Awakening and Gen. Petraeus’ counterinsurgency tactics, has helped stabilize Iraq.
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Ahmadinejad, speaking at UN, vows to resists 'bullying powers'
Reuters Sep 23, 08 5:12 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that the days of America asserting its influence over the world are numbered, Reuters reports. At the UN, Ahmadinejad blamed a "few bullying powers" for the world's troubles and for trying to rein in his nation's peaceful nuclear ambitions. Ahmadinejad, who earlier made a thumbs-down gesture during President Bush’s address, criticized the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and said the US was being manipulated by "Zionist powers."
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Cost of interventions is bringing down the world, he claims
Los Angeles Times Sep 23, 08 3:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
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American intervention abroad is the root cause of today's financial crisis, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the Los Angeles Times yesterday. "The US government has made a series of mistakes," he said. "The imposition on the US economy of heavy military engagement and involvement around the world are heavy costs. The world economy can no longer tolerate the budget deficit and financial pressure from markets in the US and by the government."
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...but Ahmadinejad adds that Israel is illegitimate
New York Times Sep 19, 08 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that he harbors no hostility to Israelis themselves even as he refuses to recognize Israel as a legitimate state, the New York Times reports. "We have no problem with people and nations,” said the Iranian president, whose comments caused at least some analysts to see a policy shift in the works. “Of course, we do not recognize a government or a nation for the Zionist regime."
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Hillary calls off appearance at Jewish rally outside UN
Associated Press Sep 17, 08 11:07 AM CDT
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Hillary Clinton has canceled an appearance at a New York rally next week after organizers blindsided her by also inviting Sarah Palin. Several American Jewish groups are planning a major demonstration outside the United Nations on Sept. 22 to protest against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Clinton aides were furious that Palin had also been invited—a fact they first learned when informed by reporters.
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