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

DoctorZin reports, 6.2.2006:

Perm-5 + Germany agree on Iran.

Yahoo News reported that the six world powers agreed on a "significant" package of incentives to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Becket said. "I am pleased to say we have agreed (on) a set of far-reaching proposals."

Iran now on the defense?

The Financial Times reported that pressure has mounted on Iran to consider carefully the US offer of conditional talks as world powers met in Vienna.
Times Online considered the question: How should we read the Iranian Foreign Minister's declaration, is he rejecting the American offer out of hand?

US offer of talks with Iran: a strategic error?

Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that Iran's democratic opposition and the key Republican senator who has supported them are alarmed at yesterday's about-turn by Secretary of State Rice on engaging Iran in negotiations over its enrichment of uranium.
Michael Rubin, National Review Online criticized the US offer of nuclear talks with Iran saying: "Not only did Rice provide Ahmadinejad with an opportunity to humiliate the “arrogant power” to his domestic audience, but she also undercut what little international credibility the U.S. retains."
Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice threw down the gauntlet when offering the Iranian regime a clear choice between confrontation and accommodation with the West. He argued, when Iran makes its refusal known officially, it will not be time to unleash the dogs of war, but instead to help the Iranian people to achieve their freedom.

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

Reuters reported that a group of 75 European Union lawmakers called for Iranian President Ahmadinejad to be banned from entering the bloc until he renounces inflammatory statements on Israel and the Holocaust.
The New York Times reported that members of the Bahai religious minority in Iran said that the government had recently intensified a campaign of arrests, raids and propaganda that was aimed at eradicating their religion in Iran.
SMCCDI reported that several women and their male supporters were beaten or rounded up, yesterday, at the occasion of a soccer game.
Reuters reported that Canada has asked Iran to either charge or release prominent philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo.