Wednesday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 8.10.2005:

Iran dissident Ganji still on hunger strike -paper

Reuters:

Dissident Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji is still on hunger strike, a hospital official was quoted as saying on Wednesday, contradicting an official from the conservative judiciary who said he was eating again.

Judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimirad said on Tuesday Ganji had ended his eight-week hunger strike after calls from his family and friends, who were concerned that he could die.

But Sirus Tabesh, head of public relations at Tehran's Milad hospital, said this was incorrect.

"Ganji is not consuming any food," he told the Sharq daily newspaper. "Ganji's condition would become critical if his situation goes on as it is now." READ MORE

Wednesday, marks the 60th day of his hunger strike.

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

• The Telegraph UK reported that Britain formally protested to Iran over the smuggling of sophisticated explosives into Iraq.
• Chicago Sun Times reported that the White House won't seek sanctions for Iran -- yet.
• Reuters reported on Iran's unsealing of parts of an uranium processing plant.
• The Financial Times reported that Iran and the main western powers stepped back from an immediate confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear program.
• The Times UK reported on the response by the U.S. and EU3 to Iran's hardline position on the nuclear deal.
• Rooz Online reported that Ansar-e Hezbollah called for a slaughter the Iranian opposition.
• The Washington Post in an editorial said, Now there is no further room for obfuscation, and no further reason to give Iranians the benefit of the doubt: The real aim of the Iranian nuclear program is nuclear weapons, not electric power.
• Max Boot, LA Times said Ganji deserves to become as famous as Nelson Mandela, Andrei Sakharov, Vaclav Havel, Aung San Suu Kyi and other dissidents who put their lives on the line against injustice.
• Reuters reported that dissident Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji has broken his eight-week-old hunger strike. Later denied by other new reports.
  
• CNN News reported that Donald Rumsfeld said the weapons recently confiscated in Iraq were clearly, unambiguously from Iran.
• And finally, Photos from Farsnews: Iranian workers gathered in front of Majles to voice their anger on mistreatment of workers and low salaries.

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