Cartoon In Rooz: Ahmadinejad Wins Oscar For Best Liar

Source: Rooz, Iran, March 8, 2010

Iran Stops Khatami From Going Abroad

The Iranian news agency Fars reports that Iranian authorities have barred former president Mohammad Khatami from leaving the country.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 9, 2010

Turkish PM Speaks Out Against Iran's Nuclear Program In Region, Favors Diplomatic Solution

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Saudi daily Al-Watan that he opposed any military nuclear program in the region...

Ahmadinejad's Kabul Visit On Schedule

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to visit Kabul tomorrow on an official invitation from his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai.

Commander Lauds IRGC's Key Role In Defending Islamic Revolution

A senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) highlighted the significant role played by the IRGC in defending the Islamic Revolution and values.

"Today, the IRGC is confronting the enemies of the Islamic Revolution in a multi-dimensional battle," IRGC Lieutenant Commander Brig.-Gen. Hossein Salami said.

He further reiterated that enemies have resorted to various measures, such as pushing Iran into political isolation, imposing sanctions and launching cultural and security attacks against Iran in a bid to derail the country's Islamic Revolution, but to no avail.

Salami reminded the prominent role of the IRGC in defending the country against enemies' soft threats, and underlined the necessity for resistance against arrogant powers with all possible means.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 8, 2010

Iranian Regime Prevented Karroubi's Son From Going Abroad

Iranian authorities have prevented lecturer Mohammad Taqi Karroubi, the son of Green (protest) leader Mehdi Karroubi, from departing for London for academic research, and have taken away his passport.

Source: Sahamnews, Iran, March 5, 2010

Mousavi's Wife On Int’l Women’s Day: Women Lead Green Movement

In a communiqué marking International Women's Day, Dr. Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Iranian protest leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, said that women were the pioneer corps of the Green (protest) movement.

She praised some of the main events in the country in the past two centuries, and complained of laws discriminating against women, stressing that the regime's repression was not deterring Iranian women.

Source: Kalame, March 6, 2010

Iran Tells Germany: Hand Over PJAK Leader

Iranian Majlis speaker Ali Larijani said that Iran has demanded that Germany extradite to it Abdolrahman Hajj Ahmadi, leader of the Kurdish separatist organization Party for Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), who was arrested March 5 in Germany by local police, at Belgium's request.

PJAK threatened that if Hajj Ahmadi was not freed, it would change its policy towards German and European security forces.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 7-8, 20910; PJAK website, March 6, 2010

Hamas Leader Mash'al: The Resistance Breathes Thanks To Iranian Leader Khamenei

In an interview, Hamas political bureau head Khaled Mash'al told the Iranian news agency Qodsna that the resistance existed thanks to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who defended it unconditionally.

He stressed that the recent meeting between the heads of the Palestinian factions and Khamenei was of vital importance to the future of the resistance, in light of developments in the region.

Source: Qodsna, Iran, March 2, 2010

Iranian Daily: Mubarak Regime 'Breathing Its Last'

The Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami assessed that the Egyptian people will take advantage of the ill health of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose regime is 'breathing its last,' and will settle account with his repressive policy, leading to a political explosion.

It added that Mubarak met with U.S. President Obama in order to assure that his son Gamal Mubarak would inherit the presidential seat.

Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, March 8, 2010

Russian Ambassador to Jordan: We Oppose A Nuclear Iran At Our Border

In an interview with the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour, Russian Ambassador to Jordan Alexander Kalugin said that Moscow was opposed to Iran, with whom it shares its southern border, obtaining nuclear weapons.

He said that there was no proof that Iran had obtained military nuclear capability, but complained that Tehran was refusing to cooperate with the IAEA and stop obfuscating on the issue.

He added that Moscow absolutely supported "smart sanctions" on Iran, and opposed military action, because the latter move would have potentially disastrous consequences for the entire region.

Source: Al-Dustour, Jordan, March 7, 2010 obfuscate

Ahmadinejad Kabul Visit, Scheduled For Today, Reported Postponed

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has postponed a trip to Afghanistan, scheduled for today, that is to be devoted to providing "solutions for settling the problems" in Iran's eastern neighbor.

"President Ahmadinejad won't be coming to Kabul," an informed source at Afghanistan President Karzai's office said.

The source added that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Afghanistan on Monday morning on an unannounced visit.

The source did not pinpoint a next date for the meeting between the two presidents.

Source: Press TV, Iran, March 8, 2010

Iran: Sanctions Will Hinder Us from Signing Uranium Exchange Deal

Iran's representative to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh, warned that sanctions would prompt his country to reject the uranium exchange deal, and called on the West to carry out the deal as proposed by Iran, namely to perform the exchange on Iranian soil.

Source: Kayhan (Iran), March 6, 2010

Ahmadinejad to Visit Afghanistan

On March 8, 2010, Iranian President Ahmadinejad will pay a one-day visit to Afghanistan, where he will meet with his counterpart, Hamid Karzai, to discuss the resolution of Afghanistan's problems and the tightening of relations between the two countries.

At a meeting with the heads of Iran's Intelligence Ministry, Ahmadinejad said that the 9/11 attacks were "a blatant lie", and that they were planned by the U.S. in order to provide it with a pretext to attack Afghanistan under the guise of combating terror.

Sources: Mehr (Iran), March 7, 2010; ILNA (Iran), March 6, 2010

Iran Ousts Russian Pilots

Iran has ordered the Russian pilots employed in its territory to leave the country within two months. This, against the backdrop of growing tension between Iran and Russia due to Moscow's apparent inclination to support further sanctions against Iran.

Source: Fars (Iran), March 6, 2010

Gul, Ahmadinejad Strengthen Relations

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart that the two countries would defend each other's positions at international forums, and emphasized the importance of tightening the relations between them and of consulting on regional and security matters.

Ahmadinejad praised Turkey's policy, expressed satisfaction about the strong ties between the countries, and said that the direction of change in the world favored their position and afforded an opportunity to establish global justice.

Source: Fars (Iran), March 6, 2010

Iranian Defense Minister: We Have Signed Non-Aggression Pacts with Gulf States

Iranian defense minister Ahmad Vahidi said that his country has signed bilateral mutual defense agreements with Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, which stipulate that the territory of each country will not be used to harm the other.

Kuwaiti sources denied this statement, but said that Kuwait has signed non-aggression pacts with friendly countries in the past, and is committed to this principle.

Source: Al-Rai (Kuwait), March 6, 2010; www.aljazeera.net, March 5, 2010

Iran Launches New Cruise Missile Production Line

At a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, Iran launched a production line of new cruise missiles: the Nasr 1. According to Vahidi, this is a short-range missile launched from the ground, but it is capable of destroying a sea vessel of up to three tons. He added that, in the near future, the missile will also be adapted for launching from helicopters and submarines.

Source: ILNA (Iran), March 7, 2010

Image from Iranian TV (Iran), March 7, 2010

Sedighi in Iran Friday Sermon: Jundallah Leader Rigi's Arrest – Fatal Blow To U.S., U.K.; Obama Won Majority With Promise Of Change, But Continued To Support Assassins, Terrorists; Islamic Countries Must Speak With United Voice

Tehran prayer leader Hojjatoleslam Kazem Sedighi spoke in his sermon today of the February 23 arrest of Jundallah leader Abdolmalek Rigi as divine assistance.

Sedighi said that the arrest was made through close military and security forces cooperation, and that it constituted a fatal below to America, Britain, and their affiliated intelligence services in the region.

He told worshippers that the precisely coordinated, highly professional and successful arrest of Rigi by Iran's security and intelligence officers showed that claims that Western intelligence services have complete dominance are hollow, and that Iranian security and intelligence forces can "break" this so-called Western mastery of intelligence.

Mottaki To Visit Uganda, Kenya

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has left Tehran for Kampala, for a two-day visit to Uganda, to be followed by a visit to Kenya.

In Uganda, which is a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, the visit will focus on the violent civil conflict in Somalia.

The Kenya visit will focus on Kenya-Iran relations.

Source: Press TV, Iran, March 4, 2010

Former Australian Mufti: Zionism Is A Disease Spreading In The Islamic World, Muslims Must Unite To Stop It

Former Australian mufti Taj Al-Din Hamed Al-Halali, who participated in the International Conference on Islamic Unity in Tehran held March 2-4, told the Iranian news agency Qodsna that Zionism is a disease that is spreading in the Islamic world, and that the Muslims must unite against the Zionist enemy to prevent this disease from infiltrating the Islamic world.

He praised Iran for holding the conference, and said that the Islamic countries must see it as a model for emulation.

Source: Qodsna, Iran, March 4, 2010

Karroubi's Wife: Iranian Regime Mentally Fixated And Totalitarian

Fatemeh Karroubi, wife of Iranian protest movement leader Mehdi Karroubi, has said that in a phone conversation with her, Deputy Culture Minister Mohammad Ali Ramin had implied a threat to her husband's life.

The phone call took place shortly before the closure of the Irandokht weekly, which belongs to her son Hossein (see Ahmadinejad Gov't Shuts Down Opposition Newspapers).

She said that the closure of the weekly was due to the regime's mental fixation and totalitarianism.

Source: Salaamnews, Iran, March 3, 2010

Khamenei: Islamic World Negligent In Defending Palestine

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attacked the Islamic world, which, he says, is negligent in defending Palestine from occupation by "the dangerous cancerous growth" Israel.

He said that an Islamic awakening and Muslims drawing closer to each other would yield solutions to most of the Islamic world's problems, including the Palestinian issue.

Source: ILNA, Iran, March 4, 2010

Iranian-Printed, Anti-Al-Maliki Posters Appear in Basra

Security authorities in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, have arrested a group of youngsters pasting on walls in the city anti-Al-Maliki posters, believed to have been printed in Iran.

The posters call on voters to refrain from voting for Al-Maliki's State of Law slate, and to support the Shi'a-based, pro-Iranian Iraqi National Coalition.

The posters also carry a statement allegedly attributed to Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, with his photo on the poster, indicating his opposition to Al-Maliki.

[Al-Sistani is on record as saying that he does not support any slate or party in the elections.]

Source: www.uragency.net, March 3, 2010

Iranian Website: Europe Pays Less Than Asia For Iranian Oil

'Kayhan': Islamic Middle East – Within A Decade Or Two

The Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, assessed that soon the region will experience violent clashes and that within a decade or two, the entire Middle East, from Iran to Egypt, will be Islamic, despite the U.S..

The paper added that the Saudi, Egyptian, and Jordanian governments understand that liberating Palestine will put in place Islamic rule across the Middle East, and that therefore they support Israel.

(See also Khamenei Calls to Form an Islamic New Middle East; Mash'al: Israel Will Pass from the World)

Source: Kayhan, Iran, March 3, 2010

Tabnak: Iranian Director Arrested For Anti-Regime Film

'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat': French Ships To Russia In Exchange For Russian Support For Sanctions On Iran

Ahwazi Organization: Iran Equipped Missiles With Chemical Warheads

The Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa stated, citing a Sunni Ahwazi organization opposed to the Iranian regime, that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has equipped Russian SS-4 missiles with chemical warheads – mustard gas, sarin, and cyanide – and that they are aimed at the Gulf countries and other Arab countries.

The SS-4 has a range of about 2,000 km.

According to the report, the IRGC has stepped up research of biological weapons research, and Iran has a plan to occupy Jordan via Iraq.

The organization said that Iran is acting to uproot millions of Arab residents from western Ahwaz in order to secure its border with Iraq, and in order to defend its oil and gas fields in the region.

Source: Al-Siyassa, Kuwait, March 3, 2010

Ahmadinejad: Capitalist Greed Behind Global Crisis

At a meeting yesterday with representatives of the Developing Eight countries (D8), Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated that Western-style capitalism is the main reason behind the endless wave of problems plaguing global financial organizations, particularly in the U.S.

He added that Western countries should face up to the fact that the greed of capitalism has pushed it to the brink of collapse.

"The whole idea of capitalism is based on emptying the pockets of world's nations to secure the interests of a selected few," he emphasized.

IRGC Stages Guerrilla Wargames

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has staged a series of guerrilla and anti-guerrilla wargames.

According to a report issued by the IRGC Navy today, the IRGC naval forces used the latest equipment and tactics in the wargames.

Commenting on the goals of the wargames, commander of IRGC's third naval zone said, "We intend to exercise different forms of defense and assault in various conditions and prepare our forces for different situations which may arise."

Source: Fars, Iran, March 2, 2010

Conflicting Versions Of Jundallah Leader Rigi's Capture

Metransparent.com stated that Jundallah leader Abdolmalek Rigi was extradited to Iran in a deal with Saudi intelligence, in exchange for Iran ceasing its support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

A ceasefire has been in effect there for the past two weeks, supported by Iran.

Kyrgyz authorities rejected reports that Rigi was captured on a Kyrgyz plane that took off from Dubai.

'Kayhan': A Third Intifada In Israel

The Iranian daily Kayhan, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, assessed that a third intifada was taking shape in Israel, in light of developments at home and abroad.

It said that the liberation of Palestine will be achieved by resistance, and by popular struggle.

Source: Kayhan, Iran, March 2, 2010

Cartoon In Omani Paper: Arabs, Israel, Iran Mock Obama's Muscle-Flexing

Source: Al-Watan, Oman, March 2, 2010

Ahmadinejad Gov't Shuts Down Opposition Newspapers

The Iranian government has shut down the Etemaad daily, which opposes Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and has revoked the license of the Irandokht weekly, which is owned by Hossein Karroubi, the son of protest movement leader Mehdi Karroubi.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 1, 2010

Cartoon In Saudi Daily: Iran’s Repression Of Minorities Brings It Close To Eruption

Cartoonist: Jihad Awartani

Source: Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, March 1, 2010

Cartoon In Qatari Daily: Ahmadinejad Poking Nose Into Syria Frightens Israel

Cartoonist: Fares Qarabeat

Source: Al-Raya, Qatar, March 1, 2010

Iranian Daily: Right Now Is Calm Before The Storm In Egypt

An article in the Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami stated that the failure of Egypt's "Camp David regime" to hand down the regime to Gamal Mubarak stems from society's opposition to the move, and that right now is the "calm before the storm" in the country.

Source: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, March 1, 2010

Iran to Test-Fire Optimized Smart Bombs

A senior Iranian military commander today announced that the Iranian Army is due to test-fire an optimized version of the country's 2,000-pound smart bomb, the Qassed (Messenger), in the near future.

Iranian Air Force Commander Brig.-Gen. Hassan Shahsafi told the Fars news agency that early samples of the new version, called Qassed 2, will be tested in the near future.

He reiterated the capabilities of the Iran-made smart bombs, including high-precision and destruction power, and said that Qassed 2 has a longer range than its primary version.

He also said that Qassed 1 has already been mass-produced and delivered to the Iranian Air Force.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 1, 2010

Participants In Tehran Conference: Prosecute Israeli Leaders

Participants in a Tehran conference on Palestine have called on the international community to prosecute the leaders of Israel's Zionist regime for their crimes against the Palestinian people.

The two-day conference on National and Islamic Solidarity for the Future of Palestine concluded in Tehran yesterday, issuing a 13-paragraph final statement.

The conference was attended by a officials from a number of Palestinian groups, including Hamas political bureau head Khaled Mash'al, Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ramadan Abdallah Shelah, and others.

Source: Fars, Iran, March 1, 2010

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