Iran news

US: Robert Gates rejects Israel’s call for Iran

November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The United States has rejected statement by Israel’s prime minister calling for a military threat against Iran to make certain it doesn’t get nuclear weapons.

On Monday, United States defence secretary Robert Gates said during a visit to Australia for security talks, “We know that they are concerned about the impact of the sanctions. The sanctions are biting more deeply than they anticipated and we are working very hard at this”.

“So I would disagree that only a credible military threat can get Iran to take the actions it needs to end its nuclear weapons programme”

“We are prepared to do what is necessary but at this point we continue to believe that the political-economic approach that we taking is in fact having an impact in Iran.” he said

On Sunday, the Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu, told US Vice President Joe Biden that only a “credible” military threat can prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, Israeli political sources said.

Iran: Earthquake in western Iran injures 100

November 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

On Saturday, a hundred people have been injured in western Iran by an earthquake of magnitude 4.9, Iranian state TV reported.

Earthquake caused damage to residential buildings in the town of Dorood.

The report says twenty-five of those wounded had to remain hospitalised, others were discharged after treatment for minor injuries.

The earthquake caused fright & residents fearing aftershocks left their homes.

On average Iran sees at least 1 small earthquake a day because Iran is located on seismic fault lines.

In 2003 a magnitude 6.6 earthquake destroyed the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.

Iran: 4 ‘UK-linked terrorists’ arrested

November 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

On Thursday state-run Press TV reported that AM Iranian authorities have caught 4 people they say were paid off by a Kurdish militant based in Britain to carry out assassinations.

The English language TV channel said on its website, “Iran’s Intelligence Ministry says it has arrested four Britain-linked terrorists in the western city of Marivan, who carried out five assassinations in the last two years”.

It said the men were all members of Komala (an Iranian Kurdish group — described as a “terrorist” organisation) and received weapons and money on the Iran-Iraq border to accomplish their tasks. It didn’t say who were their target.

The news came out on the day Iranians memorialise the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran after the 1979 revolution.

The Press TV report, saying that Britain “funded and supported certain terrorist groups against the Islamic Republic”.

United Kingdom still has diplomatic relations with Iran, unlike the US.

Iran warns nationals against France travel

November 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As the European country’s national unrest caused by economic and social crises gets to a “serious level” Iran warns its citizens against travelling to France.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, “We think the crisis in France has reached a serious level, and we advise all our nationals who plan to travel to this country to take necessary precautions.”

“Our compatriots have been informed of the travel warning via the Foreign Ministry website and the Iranian Embassy in Paris.” he said

Countrywide strikes took fire in France in protest against French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reform bill.

Furthermore French aviation unions have planned a 5-day strike staring from November 4.

Iran admits sanctions driving up costs

October 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Iranian officials are admitting that international sanctions enforced on the Iran over its nuclear program have dramatically raised the cost of living, but they say the penalties will prove futile in the end.

Iran is under 4 sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions as well as other penalties by the United States and the European Union because of its refusal to halt a key aspect of its nuclear program.

On Saturday, Commerce Minister Mahdi Ghazanfari said that if the sanctions were really having an affect, then the U.N. would not have had to enforce 4 sets of penalties.

Mohammad Nahavandian Chamber of Commerce President did say the sanctions have driven up the cost of imports by thirty percent.

US blacklists 37 Iran-linked companies

October 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The US has blacklisted thirty-seven shipping companies in Germany, Malta and Cyprus that US says are linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Treasury Department said the “front companies” were helping Iran’s use of its national maritime carrier to advance its unlawful programme for developing weapons of mass destruction and for shipping military cargo.

Treasury action on Wednesday forbids the designated 37 companies, as well as 5 Iranian individuals, from doing business with the US and is planned to prevent other countries from doing business with them.

The State Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Stuart Levey said, “We will continue to expose the elaborate structures and tactics Iran uses to shield its shipping line from international scrutiny so that it can continue to facilitate illicit commerce.”

“This pattern of obfuscation is leading the private sector around the world to refuse business with Iran rather than risk becoming involved in its nuclear and missile programs.”