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

DoctorZin reports, 8.24.2006:

Iran to make a major announcement on its nuclear program, soon.

Hemscott reported that Iran will soon announce an atomic breakthrough.
Mehr News reported that the regime’s news agencies have just reported in its Farsi section (but not in English) that within the next few days the regime will announce a major breakthrough in its nuclear activities. The breakthrough is of huge importance.
MEMRI.org reported that the Iranian news service Al-Borz predicted that on the first anniversary of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's government, in late August 2006, Ahmadinejad is expected to announce what the news service called Iran's "nuclear birth."

The US and France: no negotiations without suspension...

Yahoo News reported that the State Department said: Yesterday the Iranian government conveyed its response to the package of incentives... we will review it. The response, however, falls short of the conditions set by the Security Council.
FOX News reported that France's foreign minister said that Iran must suspend uranium enrichment if it wants to return to the negotiating table.
The Jerusalem Post argued that Ahmadinejad and associates have perfected the "Art of Foot-Dragging."

Russia and China: negotiate anyway...

Canadian Press reported that Russia and China backed Iran's call for negotiations to end the standoff with the UNSC.
Bronwen Maddox, The Times Online reported that Iran scored one clear success in the long-running wrangle over its nuclear ambitions when Russia made clear that the US and Britain will struggle to get its support for sanctions, even if Tehran continues to offend.

The day after: August 22nd.

Robert Spencer, FrontPageMagazine.com who wrote extensively about the dangerous implications of Ahmadinejad's choice of August 22nd to respond to the West's nuclear proposal, produced this followup report saying: August 22 has come and gone. But the threat of Iran continues to hang over the world.

Important new reports.

U.S. House of Represenatives announced the release of a committee report on the strategic and intelligence challenges posed by Iran. The complete unclassified report can be read here.
Chatham House released a major new report which seeks to shed light on the Iranian nuclear dispute.

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

Ann Leslie, The Daily Mail argued why Ahmadinejad should give us all nightmares.
Amir Taheri, New York Post argued that Iran is trying to redefine the Palestinian cause from a political issue into a messianic cause.
The New York Times reported that some senior Bush administration officials and top Republican lawmakers are voicing anger that American spy agencies have not issued more ominous warnings about the threats that they say Iran presents to the United States.
Yahoo News reported that Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero said: the Iranian government is training and equipping much of the Shiite insurgency in Iraq.
A. Yasmine Rassam, Los Angeles Times argued that if the antiwar crowd and Democrats have their way, the United States will be Iran's hostage once again.
Bloomberg reported that the Iranian military forces handed back control of an oil rig seized yesterday in the Persian Gulf to its Romanian owners.
FrontPageMagazine.com in an interview with Regnar Rasmussen discussed: How the Soviets gave the Mullahs the bomb.
Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat reviewed the book, The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci who argues that Europe is facing a great conspiracy to destroy its civilization, enslave its peoples, and use it as a base for the conquest of the world.
Cox & Forkum published another cartoon: Carrot and Stick.