17 March, 2009

Iran calls sanctions ineffective, ‘rusty’
United Press International – USA
TEHRAN, March 17 (UPI) — Iran’s foreign minister Tuesday dismissed sanctions against his country as a “rusty approach” that has failed to curb uranium …
www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/17/Iran_calls_
sanctions_ineffective_rusty/UPI-88051237309087/

Iran FM calls oil price ‘unjust’: report
AFP
ABU DHABI (AFP) — Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called the current price of oil both unrealistic and unjust on Tuesday, the official Iranian …
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5hXqdtW950ROll9TGgiCpEJutjqkg

Iran in Nicaragua. Nobody’s Interested. – Michael Ledeen – The …
By Michael Ledeen
Iran in Nicaragua. Nobody’s Interested. [Michael Ledeen]. Just down the block from us. More than a hundred “diplomats” at their embassy in Managua. Easy entry to the United States. But nobody cares. Shhhhhhhhhh. (Might get in the way of …
corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZDBlYTc5NDRm
Y2NiYWJjMTQ2NjgyMDhiODIwNWVhYjc=

Iran Ramps up Drone Production | Danger Room from Wired.com
By Nathan Hodge
The US military confirmed yesterday that it shot down an Iranian drone inside Iraq’s airspace. But that probably won’t be the last we see of Tehran’s unmanned air force. Iran.
blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/iran-ramps-up-d.html

Brown: Iran must talk to the Americans | Iran news | Jerusalem Post
British Prime Minister says if Islamic republic doesn’t take up Obama’s offer, it will face tougher sanctions.
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost
/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1237114848353

Pajamas Media “ Iran’s Push Into Nicaragua: Why Is No One Concerned?
By Todd Bensman
I am pretty sure that I remain the only American reporter to have traveled to leftist President Daniel Ortega’s Nicaragua to find out what the Iranian.
pajamasmedia.com/blog/irans-push-into
-nicaragua-why-is-no-one-concerned/

Reform Candidate Withdraws in Iran – Democratic Underground
TEHRAN — Reversing a decision made five weeks ago, Mohammad Khatami, Iran’s reformist former president, has decided to withdraw from the June presidential race to support a political ally, the country’s semiofficial news agency reported …
www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/
duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3786561

‘Iran to double gas production’
Daily Times – Lahore,Pakistan
GENEVA: Iran’s oil minister Ghozam Hossein Nozari said Monday that the country planned to double its gas production to 400 billion cubic metres a year by …
www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=200
9%5C03%5C17%5Cstory_17-3-2009_pg5_38

46 mln can vote in Iran presidential poll
AFP
“According to birth registration figures, about 46.2 million people will be eligible to vote” among Iran’s 70-million population, said Kamran Daneshjoo, …
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5h4q3jIddAYZ3FxkleoyUF6PyYPrA

UK PM issues Iran sanctions warning
CNN International – USA
LONDON, England (CNN) — Iran faces a “clear choice” between between international cooperation over its plans to develop nuclear energy or tougher sanctions …
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/17/uk.brown.iran/

US says it downed Iran drone last month
International Herald Tribune – France
By Rod Nordland and Alissa J. Rubin BAGHDAD: The American military confirmed that it shot down an Iranian drone over Iraqi territory last month, …
www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/17/mideast/iraq.php

Iran says knows nothing on drone US shot down
International Herald Tribune – France
AP TEHRAN, Iran: Iran says it has no information about an Iranian unmanned surveillance aircraft the US has reported it shot down last month over Iraq. …
www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/17/news/ML-Iran-US-Iraq.php

Syria says relations with Iran will remain strong | Iran news …
Comments follow Saudi attempt to persuade Damascus to distance itself from Teheran.
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=
JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1237114846906

Mohammad Khatami withdraws from Iranian presidential race
guardian.co.uk – UK
The former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami, the country’s leading reformist politician, has confirmed speculation and dashed the hopes of his supporters …
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/
17/mohammad-khatami-iran-elections

Global Voices Online “ Iran: Khatami abandoned presidential race
By Hamid Tehrani
Iran: Khatami abandoned presidential race. Monday, March 16th, 2009 @ 21:12
UTC … Full Category List. Elections · Governance · Iran · Middle East& North Africa · Politics · Roundups. Excerpt.
globalvoicesonline.org/2009/03/16/
iran-khatami-abandoned-presidential-race/

Counterterrorism Blog: U.S. Arrests Man For Shipment to Iran of …
By Andrew Cochran
A multi-agency task force today announced an arrest and indictment of a suspected arms trafficker who sought to ship helicopter engines and advanced aerial cameras to Iran. The mastermind of the sale allegedly intended to use companies …
counterterrorismblog.org/2009/03/
attempted_sale_to_iran_of_heli.php

Armenian Activist Innocently Jailed in Iran For Politics
By admin_huliq
Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, recently held a modest role with a humanitarian organization working to improve child and maternal health in Iran. Her work and life were interrupted on June 26, 2008 when she …
www.huliq.com/1/78531/armenian-
activist-innocently-jailed-iran-politics

Iran Issue No. 1 “ Tribuna Libre
By jose
We are democracy activists who are passionate about our home country, Iran. One of us, Mariam, immigrated to the United States at age 7, during the 1979 revolution. The other, Akbar, arrived here in 2005 after a decade of leadership in …
www.almendron.com/tribuna/24274/iran-issue-no-1/

China beats IOC to get Iran project
By Support@ndtvprofit.com (Raj Kumar Sahu)
The business of oil and gas is obviously about money but off late diplomacy has played a bigger role in oil and gas deals.
profit.ndtv.com/2009/03/16231053/
China-beats-IOC-to-get-Iran-pr.html

The Raw Story | Reformist Khatami quits Iran presidential race
Iran’s former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi are the other two candidates in the race, while incumbent hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is yet to formally announce his candidacy. …
rawstory.com/news/afp/Reformist_Kha
tami_quits_Iran_presid_03162009.html

Energy Roundup: Iran’s Booming Business, Green Job Hype, and More …
By Kirsten Korosec
BNET Energy provides daily news coverage for managers and executives in the energy industry, with coverage on major utilities, oil companies, and clean tech and renewable energy businesses.
industry.bnet.com/energy/1000834/energy-roun
dup-irans-booming-business-green-job-hype-and-more/

Brown in new Iran nuclear warning
BBC News – UK
The prime minister is to warn Iran it faces a “clear choice” over its nuclear programme, with tougher sanctions for defying the international community. …
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7947285.stm

US charges Iran businessman with illegal exports
Reuters – USA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Iranian businessman and his Tehran-based company were charged with illegally exporting to Iran helicopter engines and advanced …
www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE52F7EB20090316

British PM: Iran must take up Obama’s offer of dialogue
Ha’aretz – Tel Aviv,Israel
By AP Iran must take up President Barack Obama’s offer of new dialogue on its disputed nuclear program or face tougher sanctions, British Prime Minister …
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071689.html

16 March, 2009

Panel Calls on US and Russia to Repair Strained Relations
Voice of America – USA
“Iran came up in all the issues – the seriousness of the Iranian nuclear threat, where they are on this, was very clear to the Russians,” said Chuck Hagel. …
www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-16-voa88.cfm

Forward Observer: Obama’s Iran Strategy (3/16/09)
By webmaster@govexec.com (George C. Wilson,…
President Obama, the country’s chief basketball enthusiast, has opted for a full-court diplomatic press on Iran to freeze its nuclear weapons development rather than use any of the Pentagon’s Strangelovian, bottom-drawer schemes, …
www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0309/031609cdam2.htm

JPost.com | BlogCentral | Rosner’s Domain | No Khatami, Iran talks …
By Shmuel Rosner
So now it is quite clear: Ahmadinejad will be winning in Iran (in June). By the way, Israeli officials have been saying this for quite a while and never really believed that a “reformist” victory is in the making. …
cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/rosner/entry/no_khatami_iran_talks_can

Much can go wrong for Obama on Iran and Iraq | The Middle East …
Likewise, regarding Iran, excessive attention has been accorded renewed interest in US-Iranian engagement and questions like the possible adverse impact of the appointment of Dennis Ross on that process, while neglecting other important …
www.mideasti.org/commentary/much-can-go-wrong-obama-iran-and-iraq

Free Speech in Iran? – Winds of Change.NET
By Charles Chuman
Myriad voices with diverse and varying opinions exist in Iran.
Unfortunately, the diversity of their opinions is not heard in the public sphere. When an opinion differs from that of the ruling regime, the voice is silenced, …
www.windsofchange.net/archives/free_speech_in_iran.html

US Officials Confirm Shooting Down Iranian Drone Over Iraq
Washington Post – United States
By Anthony Shadid BAGHDAD, March 16 — American warplanes shot down an unmanned Iranian aircraft last month as it flew over Iraqi territory, …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2009/03/16/AR2009031601228.html

Reports question US shield of Europe
USA Today – USA
President Obama recently suggested he would consider scrapping the Europe system in exchange for Russia’s help in thwarting Iran’s nuclear ambitions.…
www.usatoday.com/news/military/2009-03-15-missile_N.htm

Counterterrorism Blog: Playing the Russian card against Iran?
By Olivier Guitta
In light of this, the revelation that Obama had sent a ‘secret’ letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to incite Russia to be tougher on Iran against the promise of the United States giving up its missile defense system in Eastern …
counterterrorismblog.org/2009/03/playing_the_russian_card_again.php

Middle East News | Iran’s Khatami withdraws from presidential vote
Iran’s moderate former president Muhammad Khatami on Monday withdrew his candidacy from the country’s June presidential election, a close ally said.“He has decided to withdraw … but he will back another moderate candidate who will be …
www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/03/16/68547.html

AFP: Iran’s Ebadi says aide freed on bail | Persecution of Baha’is …
By admin
TEHRAN (AFP) – An aide of Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi who was arrested in January for links with the banned Bahai faith has been freed on bail by the Iranian.
iran.bahai.us/2009/03/16/afp-irans-ebadi-says-aide-freed-on-bail/

China Confidential: Self-Hating Jew Defends Iran on Times Op-Ed Page
By Confidential Reporter
Roger Cohen, a British-born, self-loathing Jewish columnist for The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune—best known as one of America’s leading intellectual advocates of appeasing nuclear-arming Iran—has penned a …
chinaconfidential.blogspot.com/2009/
03/jewish-traitor-defends-iran-on-times-op.html

Iranian Businessman Charged
Washington Post – United States
As the Iranian citizen arrived in the country early Saturday, Commerce
Department investigators were waiting to take him into custody. …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/
2009/03/16/AR2009031601727.html?hpid=topnews

Iraqi Forces Blockading Iranian Opposition Camp
Voice of America – USA
By VOA News An Iranian opposition group based in Iraq said Iraqi forces are preventing passage of basic supplies to its compound north of Baghdad. …
www.voanews.com/english/2009-03-16-voa57.cfm