Friday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 2.3.2005:

The emergency IAEA Meeting: "new information" and more threats.

• CNN News reported that just hours ahead of an emergency meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, a U.S. official said a "troubling" briefing in Vienna has revealed new information that Iran might be pursuing atomic weapons.
• The Guardian reported that Iran's foreign minister threatened immediate retaliation over a move to refer its nuclear weapons activities to the UNSC.
• Yahoo News reported that Gregory L. Schulte, the chief U.S. delegate to the IAEA said: "There's a solid majority in favor of reporting," Iran to the U.N. Security Council.
• Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that three individuals and two pieces of information have been key to the refreshing burst of realism we are finally beginning to see from the IAEA board of governors.

Growing Support of Tehran's Striking Bus Drivers.

• International Confederation of Free Trade Unions reported that Iranian authorities have again targeted trade unionists at Sherkate Vahed, Teheran’s bus company and the government is determined not to let the press cover this news.
• Amnesty International called on the Iranian authorities to release immediately hundreds of Tehran bus workers, reminding us that Iran is bound by international law to permit unions.
• SMCCDI reported that tens more of employees of the "Tehran's Collective Bus Company" (TCBC) have been arrested, in the last two nights.

Iranians welcome Bush's SOTU Speech, but the BBC Persian censors it.

• SMCCDI reported that Iranians are welcoming President George W. Bush's State of Union Speech many asking for the e-mail listing or fax and phone numbers of the White House.
• Dr Etebar reported that the BBC Persian website censored President Bush’s state of the union speech and his message to the Iranians!
  

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

• Voice of America reported that the U.S. National Director of Intelligence, John Negroponte, said: "We judge that Tehran probably does not have a nuclear weapon and probably has not yet produced or acquired the necessary fissile material." Hmmm.
  
• Investor's Business Daily reported that the bad news is North Korea may try to supply Iran with plutonium for atomic weapons. The good news is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is already acting against it.
• Voice of America reported that Afghan officials say militants from Iran and Iraq are now joining the insurgency in Afghanistan.
• Ilan Berman, The American Foreign Policy Council published his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services in which he examined six trends the United States can expect to confront from Iran in the near future.
• Arnaud De Borchgrave, United Press International examined the ideology behind Iran's President and his belief that the world will end in two years.
• Michael Ledeen, National Review Online responded to a Washington Post article by Karl Vick, calling it "a fawning puff piece" in defense of Ahmadinejad.
• And finally, SMCCDI reported that a man accused of "murder" was executed, but was arrested following the clashes between protesters and Islamic regime's security forces.