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

DoctorZin reports, 9.16.2oo6

Pakistan releases 2500 Al Qaeda and Taliban.

The Telegrah reported that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's government had authorized the release from jail of 2,500 Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters caught fighting coalition forces in Afghanistan.

Krauthammer: Bush preparing for war with Iran.

Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post reported that President Bush said "It's very important for the American people to see the president try to solve problems diplomatically before resorting to military force." "Before" implies that the one follows the other. The signal is unmistakable.
The Washington Post asked President Bush what he would say to the Iranian people if he had a chance. He answered.
Reuters reported that Bush, who will travel to New York next week for meetings at the United Nations, said he would insist on the need to stay firm in the bid to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Poll: Majority of American support military action on Iran of necessary.

Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 54% say U.S. should strike militarily if necessary to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran forges new alliance with rogue states.

Reuters reported that Iran, Venezuela and other states opposed to U.S. policy sought to forge a common front on Friday at a Non-Aligned summit in Cuba.
ABC News reported that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez pledged that Venezuela will support Iran if it is invaded.

Santorum: End the phony negotiations.

Kenneth R. Timmerman, NewsMax reported that Senator Santorum said the United States and its European partners "should end phony negotiations" with Iran over its nuclear program.

Former head of Israeli NSC: It's already too late.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Giora Eiland, the recently retired head of Israel's National Security Council, "The political process vis-a-vis Iran has more or less exhausted itself," and "In the end, Iran will attain a nuclear capability. The international opportunities of a few years ago were not exploited, and today it's too late."

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

Reporters Without Borders reported that Iran is doing its utmost to isolate its citizens from the rest of the world by purging the Internet of independent content, noting that the authorities even brag about the success of their censorship. "We are filtering more than 10 million websites." They have made a special focus on censoring all political opposition and all information about the rights or the condition of women.
Reuters reported that the United States took Iran to task for its "harsh and oppressive treatment" of religious minorities in its annual "Report on International Religious Freedom".
National Post reported the biggest threat to U.S. interests in Iraq comes not from al-Qaeda insurgents but Iran.
Market Watch reported that China's Sinopec Group is close to signing a deal with Iran for a 51% stake to develop the Yadavaran oil field in the southern area of the Middle Eastern country.
Stratfor considered the political fallout from the Pope's speech in which he quoted 14th Century Byzantine Christian Emperor Manuel Paleologos II regarding the issue of jihad: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."