Friday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 8.12.2005:

Iran Rejects Agency's Call to Suspend Nuclear Work

The Washington Post:

The governing board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog unanimously called on Iran on Thursday to halt sensitive atomic work it resumed this week in defiance of the West, a demand that Tehran rejected as unacceptable and illegal. READ MORE

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

• Reporters Without Borders condemned the current crackdown on Iran's Kurdish journalists.
• Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post delivered sobering evidence that the U.S. is retreating in the war on terror.
• BBC News reported that the situation with Iran is more a case of crisis delayed rather than crisis averted.
• MemriTV.org reported that the Chief Iranian negotiator said, The negotiations with Europe bought us time to complete the Esfahan UCF Project.
• SMCCDI reported a heavy explosion rocked parts of southern Tehran.
• Iranian blogger, Mehrdad Sheibani, Rooz Online reported that the Iranian Parliament has a constitution reform bill to consolidate power in a few appointed centers.
• Politics.co.uk reported the British Foreign Office has once again urged Iran to suspend its uranium conversion activity and return to the negotiating table.
• Reuters reported French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Friday that negotiations were still possible with Iran.
• The Guardian reported that the IAEA Resolution is a poor outcome for EU diplomacy toward.
• Ilan Berman, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine's government is heading into dangerous diplomatic waters in a deal with Iran.
• The Telegraph UK reported that Israel is preparing to deal with Iran's N-plants, if need be.
• Patrick Devenny, FrontPageMagazine applauds the mainstream media have finally begun to highlight the role played by Iran in fueling the insurgency in Iraq.
• SMCCDI reported tens of inmates have been injured during a riot at the Abadan penitentiary located in southwest Iran.
• IranMania published the text of resolution by IAEA on Iran's nuclear plan.
• SMCCDI reported scattered and violent clashes rocked, today, several areas of the northwestern City of Oroomiah.
• Iran Focus reported on clashes in Iran’s holy city of Qom.
• Reuters reported that around 250 supporters of Akbar Ganji, the Iranian dissident journalist who has been on hunger strike for 63 days, held a peaceful protest at the hospital.
• Stefania Lapenna, Tech Central Station writes that Iran is ripe for revolution, but the regime has so far succeeded in diverting the world's attention from this.
• Petition to President George W. Bush: Denouncing Ahmadinejad's U.N. Visit.
• BBC News reported that US President George W Bush said he still has not ruled out the option of using force against Iran, after it resumed work on its nuclear program.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Friday dismissed the resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran's peaceful nuclear program as very tyrannical.
• The Guardian UK reported Britain yesterday described as "unacceptable" the smuggling of weapons from Iran into Iraq.
• And finally, Amir Taheri, The NY Post takes a serious look at Ayman al-Zawahiri's latest message.