Tuesday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 11.8.2005:

Blair Slams Iran for Backing 'Terrorism'

Aljazeera:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iran of supporting terrorism which was preventing political progress being made in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Blair, addressing a monthly news conference Monday, said: "We know Iran supports terrorism around the Middle East it should stop it; until it stops it, there will be a deep dismay about the Iranian regime right 'round the world. They've just got to accept that," Blair said.

"What they do with this terrorism is that they prevent political progress being made whether it's in the Middle East or elsewhere." ...

He said the international community must present a unified stance and find ways of letting Iran know the strength of opposition to their actions.

"This is not aimed at Iran, or the Iranian people or even the regime except to the extent that the regime is doing things that are completely unacceptable in the international community - like supporting terrorism, like meddling in Iraq, like trying to have a nuclear weapons program when you are not supposed to have one." READ MORE

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

• Iran Press News reported that during the recent soccer protests, the regimes forces were overwhelmed and said to have been unable to control the crowds and stop the protest.
• Iran Press News reported that the US, in addition to closing down Iranian broadcasts into the US, the U.S. has limited the activities of the Islamic regime's journalists in New York..
• Iran Press News reported that the government of Turkey has expressed fear and anxiety over the Islamic regime's production of a new class of the Shahab series, the Shahab 4 and 5.
• Iran Press News reported on recent protests in Tehran and Dezfool.
• Iran Press News reported that the Australian government deported 43-year-old Mansour Laghaii, back to Iran, because he posed a threat to the security of Australia.
• Iran Press News reported that Mullah Mehdi Karoubi exposed that Ahmadinejad's main cabinet posts are so far only being awarded to his friends and family members of friends.
  
• Bloomberg reported that UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said Syria and Iran are helping insurgents in Iraq because they fear a stable and democratic neighbor would destabilize their own regimes.
• Khaleej Times reported that India said it has reached a broad understanding with China and Russia that Iran should not be referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
• Reuters reported that Iranian officials will submit a proposal to the United Nations for a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Hint: it's a referendum.
• Bloomberg reported on Bush's Iran policy and recent efforts in Congress to weaken the Iranian government.
• AME Info reported that Iran's Ahmadinejad has fired the directors of six state-owned banks.
• The Associated Press reported that as many as 1,800 demonstrators rallied in LA outside a federal building to protest a statement by Iran's president about Israel.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran's top nuclear negotiator called for a renewal of nuclear negotiations.
• Agence France-Presse reported that a European Union diplomat said an Iranian request to resume nuclear talks with the EU was unacceptable since Iran refuses to suspend fuel work.
• And finally, Shervin Omidar, Rooz Online reported that Ahmadinejad has appointed Mohammad Reza Naghdi, former intelligence commander of police forces as head of the committee to fight smuggling into the country. 70% of Iran's imports come into the country through the invisible and illegal ports which are under the control of former military-security officials, supporters of Ahmadinejad. This is the same commander that once said: the country would be cleared out of reformers if 100 of them were shot overnight.