Thursday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 7.13.2006:

Iran behind Hezbollah's war on Israel.

• Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that President Bush is blaming Iran and Syria for Hezbollah's killing of eight Israeli soldiers and kidnapping of two more.
• Meir Javedanfar, Meepas reported Israel's government fears that the kidnapped Israeli soldiers may be on their way to Iran.
• MEMRI.org published excerpts from articles and statements in the Iranian, Syrian, and Lebanese media on the on the emerging conflict between Israel and Hizbullah.

Iran took too long and is referred to UN Security Council.

• Yahoo News reported that world powers said they would refer Iran back to the United Nations Security Council after Tehran failed to respond.
• The Washington Post reported that Russia and China had promised they would back at least some limited U.N. measures against Iran. The Iranians appear to have misjudged.

Ganji calls for the release of all Iranian prisoners.

• Belfast Telegraph reported Akbar Ganji, who will launch a campaign in London on Friday for the release of all Iranian political prisoners.

The Hojjatieh: Iran's secret society.

• Bill Samii, Radio Free Europe reported that a banned and clandestine religio-political group in Iran, the secretive Hojjatieh Society, is making a comeback and the public might never know just how pervasive the Hojjatieh Society's activities really are.

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

• Iran Focus reported on the most recent of 98 executions reported in the state media since the start of 2006.
• Michael Ledeen, The Corner published an excerpt of Ambassador Khalilzad's speech on Iraq in which he starts by talking about "Syria and Iran" and then only discusses Iran, since Iran is the master in the relationship.