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

DoctorZin reports, 7.8.2006:

Ahmadinejad warns Jews in Israel to leave Israel.

JTA reported that Ahmadinejad said Israel is a "fabricated regime... I think the only solution would be for those who created it to wrap it up and take it away."

Iranian exiles are finally uniting on Iran.

Amir Taheri, Arab News reported that recently Iranian exiles have held a series of meetings, most recently in Berlin and London, to harmonize their activities. The emerging consensus within the opposition appears to be based on at least six points. A must read.

The EU/Iran "encouraged" before more talks next week.

Yahoo News reported that the European Union said talks with Iran late on Thursday on a package of incentives to end a nuclear standoff were constructive and laid the basis for a fuller response by Tehran at a second meeting due next week.
Reuters reported that Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said he had a "positive impression" of the proposal for Iran to halt nuclear enrichment.
BBC News reported that an EU official said that talks between the EU and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program have got off to a good start.

But Iran says it will not be held to a deadline.

Bloomberg reported that Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran won't be held to a deadline over an EU package of economic and political incentives to cease enriching uranium.

Why does Iran want to wait until August 22nd to give the world an answer?

Geostrategy-Direct reported that since Ahmadinejad has said Tehran would submit an answer by Aug. 22, the U.S. intelligence community thinks it may have figured out why Ahmadinejad chose that date.

But Bush is growing impatient.

The Southern reported that President Bush expressed frustration with the slow pace of diplomacy in dealing with North Korea and Iran.

And Condi sees no Iranian "response" to the P5 plus 1 proposal.

Yahoo News reported that Condoleezza Rice spoke with Solana after his meeting with Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani and that "no response to the P5 plus one proposal was given."

Arabs argues Iran may be making a grave mistake.

Khaleej Times Online argued that while the crucial talks between the European Union and Iran on Teheran’s nuclear program and incentives aimed at ending the stand-off have been postponed for a week, should Iran lose this opportunity and think that Baghdad and Pyongyang will take care of its problems, it would be making a grave mistake.

US forces capture Iranian commander smuggling sophisticated missiles into Iraq.

The New York Times reported that U.S.-led forces arrested a regional commander for a pro-government Shi'ite militia, Adnan al-Unaybi, suspected of smuggling SA-7 surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles and spying for Iran.

Iran to run out of gas next month?

Iranian.ws reported that Iran may run out of gasoline by the end of August, one month earlier than expected.

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

The Japan Times argued that Iran's decision to include Tehran's prosecutor general, Saeed Mortazavi, in that country's delegation to the new United Nations Human Rights Council sends a wrong message and demonstrates the need for a mechanism within the Human Rights Council to prevent a similar thing from happening in the future.
Mehran Riazaty pondered why some 60,888 Iranian tourists visited Lebanon in the first half of 2006.
The Jerusalem Post reported that among the missiles that North Korea test-fired this week were short-range Scud-C missiles and intermediate range Rodong missiles North Korea has sold to Iran.