Monday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 5.23.2005:

Is Iran helping Venezuela going nuclear?

Douglas Mackinnon, The Houston Chronicle:

To the minute number of people who understand the threat Chavez poses to the United States, his recent hosting in Caracas of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami was disturbing enough.

But a high-ranking official for a Latin American government has disclosed to me details about that visit that should send shock waves throughout our government.

During a private meeting between Chavez and Khatami, I was told, Chavez made it known to the Iranian leader that he would like to "introduce nuclear elements into Venezuela." My contact said "nuclear elements" meant "nuclear weapons." READ MORE

When will the mainstream media investigate this?

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Reuters reports that Iran's hardline legislative watchdog cleared only six out of 1,014 hopefuls to stand for president on June 17, including poll frontrunner Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and four other conservative loyalists.
• Hoder believes Khamanie has lost his grip on some radical factions of conservatives and they've started to publicly challenge him.
• Iran Press Service published excerpts of imprisoned Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji's manifesto calling for a boycott of the June 17 elections. A Must Read!
• The Financial Times reports that Iran is considering a proposal under which Tehran would ship uranium gas to Russia to be enriched for its nuclear programme.
• The Globe and Mail reports that Iran told Canada to back off over the case of Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
• Tehran Times reports that the Iranian parliament is considering banning Canadian nationals from visiting Iran, over the Kazemi dispute.
• And finally, CNN.com reports that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw appealed to Iran to compromise on the nuclear dispute.