The current U.S. standoff against Iran, like the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, was instigated by the neoconservatives of the Bush Administration based on their doctrine of “maintaining U.S. pre-eminence, thwarting rival powers and shaping the global security system according to U.S. interests”. In the case of Saddam’s regime, its fictitious Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and its alleged links to Al-Qaida were used in the U.S. propaganda war to first impose U.N. sanctions and eventually invade Iraq. We now have a déjà vu situation in which the U.S. and its allies, prodded by Israel, demonize Iran as a threat to world security and accuse it of having a program to develop nuclear weapons. As with Iraq, the real aim is a regime change in Iran to set up a U.S. puppet government in this oil- and gas-rich country in the key strategic Persian Gulf region. This has also happened before in the 1953 U.S.-British coup in Iran. The same forces in U.S., U.K., Israel and allies today distort the truth and engage in deceit, coercion and aggression to achieve their goals. We will briefly examine some of the key facts in the standoff. ››read more

BlairBack in the public eye with the release of his memoirs, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair might lead one to believe it is 2003 all over again. Praising George W. Bush as a great leader and one of the most decisive men he had ever met, Blair also lauds the Iraq War. ››read more

MottakiIn the lead up to a likely resumption of Western “diplomacy” with Iran, conducting an interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, with questions designed to elicit substantive and revealing responses, could potentially yield real benefits for the international community. The prominent German newsmagazine Der Spiegel had an opportunity to conduct such an interview today. But Der Spiegel opted, instead, to engage in an egregious exercise of agenda-driven, ideologically-loaded journalism ››read more

In a SPIEGEL interview, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, 57, discusses the stoning of adulterers, the consequences of Western sanctions against Iran and the risk of a military strike against his country. ››read more

US Nuclear Posture Report (April 2010) Amid strained relations between Tehran and Washington, Iran says it will enter talks with the US only under "equal and respectful conditions" and without any prejudice. "If the US seriously seeks to revive relations with Iran, it should make changes in its attitude. Washington should prove that it will never repeat previous mistakes and will not pursue misguided and hostile policies towards the Iranian nation," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said. ››read more

As the US expresses optimism about future talks on Iran's nuclear program, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says Tehran has never refused nuclear talks. ››read more

America's march to a disastrous war in Iraq began in the media, where an unprovoked U.S. invasion of an Arab country was introduced as a legitimate policy option, then debated as a prudent and necessary one. Now, a similarly flawed media conversation on Iran is gaining momentum. ››read more

On August 21, 2010, a long awaited launch of the first unit of Iran's first nuclear power plant Bushehr was held. The first stage of Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has been completed and we can congratulate the Iranian people with such a significant achievement. ››read more

The drums for war on Iran have been banging louder than ever lately, with a spate of articles by political commentators either directly encouraging the bombing of the Islamic Republic or otherwise offering a narrative in which this is effectively portrayed as the only option to prevent Iran from waging a nuclear holocaust against Israel. ››read more

Central Bank of Iran governor Bahmani A top Iranian official says Tehran has withdrawn its assets from European banks to counter new financial sanctions imposed on the country over its nuclear program. The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) said on Friday that the preemptive measure was a precautionary response to a potential European decision to freeze Iranian asset. ››read more

Iran's proposal to jointly produce fuel with Russia for the Bushehr nuclear power plant is bound to raise even more opposition to its nuclear pursuits. ››read more

Centrifuges

Ending decades of waiting and underlining Iran's long-standing nuclear ambitions, the opening of the Bushehr reactor is a giant leap forward for the country's nuclear programme ››read more

Bushehr ReactorThe launch of the Bushehr nuclear plant will enhance the peaceful nature and legitimacy of Iran’s nuclear program at the level of international public opinion and this will give Iran the upper hand in any future talks with the 5+1 group. With Bushehr’s launching, Russia has practically conceded that Iran is a nuclear state and this will bring Moscow closer to Tehran in its effort to reap future rewards by means of bilateral nuclear cooperation. This will create a new political atmosphere which gives Iran greater bargaining power in future nuclear talks. ››read more

This CIA "Red Cell" report from February 2, 2010, looks at what will happen if it is internationally understood that the United States is an exporter of terrorism; 'Contrary to common belief, the American export of terrorism or terrorists is not a recent phenomenon, nor has it been associated only with Islamic radicals or people of Middle Eastern, African or South Asian ethnic origin. ››read more

Dr SalehiTehran, Aug 26, IRNA – Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi announced the country’s proposal to Russia to establish a nuclear fuel consortium to supply fuel to Bushehr plant and the others to be set up in future. ››read more

He [Obama] must stand up before the American people and state simply and unequivocally that Washington opposes any new military action in the Middle East and that the United States is not threatened by Iran and will take no part in any military action directed against it. He might add that the US will further consider anyone staging such an attack as an aggressor nation and will immediately break off relations before demanding a UN Security Council vote to condemn the action. Will that happen? Fat chance.

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Israel's Dimona nuclear facilityPeres, whose position in Israel is largely ceremonial, demanded that Amano and the rest of the world “acknowledge the danger” Iran poses to Israel and the rest of the world, adding that Iran “threatens to use nuclear weapons.” ››read more

Iran, anxious to break out of the latest round of U.N. sanctions, is broadening its foreign contacts to expand its energy resources. ››read more

Bushehr Nuclear ReactorIn recent days, a good deal of attention has been focused on Iran’s first nuclear power plant at Bushehr, still in its final stages of development. We believe that there are some important lessons to be learned from the Bushehr experiences that could help move U.S. policy on the Iranian nuclear issue in a much more positive and productive direction—if the Obama Administration is sufficiently interested in successful nuclear diplomacy with Tehran that it is willing to take these lessons on board. ››read more

The White House issued a statement saying that Iran's nuclear programme has slowed down due to unforeseen problems and that it would take at least a year for Iran to be in a position to "break out" and develop a bomb. According to the New York Times,the administration believes their new assessment "has dimmed the prospect that Israel would preemptively strike against the country's nuclear facilities within the next year, as Israeli officials have suggested in thinly veiled threats".
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