Friday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 10.14.2005:

Iran's hard-lines admit defeat in Iraq

Iran Press News: Translation by Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi

The regime-run web site, BAZTAB, in a report admitted to the regime's political defeat in soliciting the support of the people of Iraq and the region where dozens of Arab-language media, backed by the regime, including Al Alam TV are being broadcast. BAZTAB wrote: "The Al Alam news channel was supposed to be the mouthpiece for the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Arab-speaking countries and was meant to compete with some of these immoral western TV networks, in order to restore the popularity of the Islamic Republic among Arabs; however, unfortunately not only has it failed to find a place among the Arabs, it has completely failed in satisfying the supporters of the Islamic regime."

This regime-run site in this report explicitly demanded that the Islamic Republic cease and desist from further meddling in the internal issues of Iraq and wrote: "To establish our aims in Iraq is a very difficult and labor-intensive process; we should not act in a way such that in a few years from now we would end up regretting those choices and be left wondering how we lost Iraq as well."

You won't read this in the mainstream media.

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

• Iran Press News reported that the Commander of the Area Basiji Resistance of greater Tehran have equipped the ASHURA Battalions with semi-heavy and heavy artillery.
  
• Iran Press News reported that Mohammad El Baradei said: The regime in Tehran must know that the international community's patience where their nuclear program is concerned has run out.
• TechWeb News reported that Secure Computing said that it is taking steps to prevent Iran from illegally downloading its software the regime is using to restrict Internet access by the Iranian people.
• Bill Gertz, The Washington Times reported new worries about Iranian military forces' deploying new specialty weapons that threaten oil supplies.
• Gareth Smyth, The Financial Times reported Mohammad Atrianfar, editor-in-chief of Shargh newspaper questioned whether Iran should have a comprehensive nuclear program saying radicals are using the nuclear issue for domestic reasons.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Germany's Social Democrats chose a close associate of departing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as the country's next foreign minister. Schroeder hopes this will maintain Germany's "independent" foreign policy.
• CNN.com reported that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly encouraged Iran to restart dialogue with the European Union to avoid being referred to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.
• Arabic News reported that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz renewed his warning to Iran of becoming "a bulwark in the path of peace and security in Iraq."
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Britain's main opposition Conservative Party challenged Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to clarify whether he had authorized UK troops in Iraq to cross the border into Iran.
• News From Russia reported that Iran's foreign minister said Friday that he won Beijing's support for his nation's efforts to develop nuclear energy.
• People's Daily reported that Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong urged the Iranian's to take active action for unfreezing the current stalemate and resume its negotiations with the European Union at an early date.
• Mehr News reported that Iranian and French auto part manufacturers have recently signed a number of joint venture contracts.
• And finally, Reuters reported that Iran reiterated that despite global concerns about its nuclear program it welcomes foreign investment in the sector.