A Daily Briefing on Iran: Monday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 5.15.2006:

Iran preemptively says NO! to EU3.

Reuters reported that EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to agree initiatives on Iran's nuclear program.
Chron.com reported that Iran's president said Sunday that any European proposal that demanded an end to his country's uranium enrichment activities would be unacceptable.

Pressure builds for direct talks with Iran.

CNN News reported that Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said Sunday that the United States should open direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
Rooz Online reported that "reformist" analysts believe the US will likely be pressured to change its current posture and hold direct talks with Iran over the nuclear issue, but would do it multi-laterally and sit across Iran at a table which would also include the three European countries on its side and even seriously consider security guarantees for Iran in exchange for an end to its nuclear enrichment program.
Yahoo News reported that White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley on Sunday responded to calls for direct talks with Iran saying: "We think the framework we have is even better, we have a number of countries that are engaged with Iran on this issue, we are supportive of those discussions."

US strategists visit Iran?

Rooz Online reported that Dr Hassan Rowhani, the former chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and current advisor to ayatollah Khamenei, recently "met a group of American strategists who can convince the American government of their views. They are the same strategists who succeeded in resolving the 1986 nuclear crises between the US and the Soviet Union.”

Iranians told American agree with Ahmadinejad and other nonsense.

Rooz Online reported that Iranian Press reaction to Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush. The conservative Keyhan newspaper claimed that “90 percent of people of America” agreed with the words of Ahmadinejad’s letter.

Chavez converts to Islam?

Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Venezuela's visiting President Hugo Chavez said "We pray to `Allah' that no war would be launched against Iran!"

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

Pravda provided a Russian perspective on the coming Iran Oil Exchange, the fifth Stock Exchange of its kind in the world. The Iranian Exchange will be unique, as all trading will be conducted in Euros. How will the opening of the Oil Exchange affect the rate of the dollar?
Petition Online published the English text of the Call for Solidarity with the imprisoned Iranian philosopher and writer Ramin Jahanbegloo.
Fouad Ajami, US News & World Report argued that Iran's "revolution" is not in a "final phase" but has instead entered an "apocalyptic phase," as Bernard Lewis, the great historian of Islam, recently warned.
Reuters reported that Afghanistan has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.