Iran

June 12, 2008 -- According to reports, one of John McCain's top economic surrogates-- Republican National Committee Victory Fund Chair Carly Fiorina--was head of Hewlett-Packard at a time when the company was actively working to circumvent export controls established as part of a trade boycott of Iran. This report makes Fiorina the second senior McCain advisor in as many weeks to be linked to companies doing business in Iran.    » read more »

09 June 2008 .-- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the presence of the U.S. military is Iraq's main problem.

Iranian state media report the two leaders met Monday in Tehran as part of Mr. Maliki's visit to Iran, his third since he became prime minister.

The Iranian reports quote the ayatollah as saying he is certain the Iraqi people will get through these difficult times and that the American dreams for Iraq will not materialize.

U.S. and Iraqi officials are negotiating a security deal that would allow American forces to remain in Iraq beyond December 31, when their U.N. mandate expires.    » read more »

29 May 2008 -- Iran's foreign minister has blamed the United States and its allies for the grave security situation in Iraq, which he says has "cast a shadow" on the lives of Iraqis.

Manouchehr Mottaki told a United Nations conference in Stockholm that Iraq's security problems are a result of what he called the "mistaken policies" of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq.

He stressed Iran's commitment to rebuilding its war-torn neighbor. U.S officials have accused Iran of arming and training Shi'ite insurgents in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki opened the conference Thursday by urging the international community to cancel his country's debt.

Mr. Maliki also called for an end to compensation that Iraq is required to pay due to Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 - Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today questioned Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing on the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2009 budget request. Senator Specter used the opportunity to question Secretary Gates on the issue of talks with Iran.

During his opening remarks, Senator Specter also spoke in regards to the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 U.S. sailors. Many of the terrorists convicted in the attack have since escaped from prison or been freed by Yemeni officials. “I’d like to explore the reasons for that and whether we couldn’t have some leverage to see to it that those terrorists are brought to justice,” said Senator Specter.    » read more »

20 May 2008 -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates faced tough questions from lawmakers Tuesday about the Bush administration's refusal to hold talks with Iran unless Tehran first halts its uranium enrichment program. Gates told a Senate panel that it is an open question whether such talks would succeed while President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is in power.

At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on next year's Pentagon budget request, two lawmakers suggested the time has come for the United States to open wide-ranging talks with Iran - without preconditions.    » read more »

5 May 2008 -- Iran says it will not hold a fourth round of talks with the U.S. on security in Iraq, as long as U.S. forces continue what it called "open bombings" in Iraq.

Speaking in Tehran today Monday Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Hosseini said under the current circumstances, any new talks would be meaningless.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Reese and his military working dog Grek: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Reese and his military working dog Grek wait at a safe house before conducting an assault against insurgents in Buhriz, Iraq, April 10, 2007. U.S.Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall    » read more »

28 March 2008 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry says European governments should move to stop the showing of a film by a far-right Dutch lawmaker that says the Koran incites violence.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammed Ali Hosseini, called the film anti-Islamic and anti-cultural.

The filmmaker, Geert Wilders, posted the film on his political party's Internet site on Thursday after Dutch television refused to broadcast it.

The film, called "Fitna," alternates pictures of terrorist attacks - including the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 - with quotations from the Muslim holy book.

Wilders says one of his main points in making the film was a belief that rising Muslim immigration threatens democratic values in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe.    » read more »

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Coast Guard alerted the maritime community today that Iran has been placed on the port security advisory list.

The Coast Guard determined that Iran has not maintained effective anti-terrorism measures. The determination was made in accordance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, which authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into account several factors, including whether a foreign port poses a high risk of introducing terrorism to international maritime commerce.    » read more »

Chicago, IL | March 04, 2008 -- "I welcome the UN Security Council's decision to increase international pressure on Iran because of its continued defiance of the international community and its illicit nuclear program. However, like its two predecessors, this resolution represents a lowest common denominator because Russia and China did not agree to tougher sanctions.    » read more »

03 March 2008 -- Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has called for U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq, saying there can be no peace in the region as long as foreign troops are there.

In a live broadcast on Iraqi television, the Iranian leader said Iraqis hated the presence of foreign troops. He said foreign forces needed to respect people in the region by leaving and allowing them to run their own affairs.    » read more »

03 March 2008 -- Two car bomb attacks have claimed multiple lives in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, despite increased security for the Iranian president's just-completed two-day visit.

Iraqi police say the deadliest attack occurred Monday in central Baghdad's Bab al-Mudham neighborhood when a car bomb detonated, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 40 others.

In eastern Baghdad, Iraqi security officials say a suicide car bomber rammed an Iraqi army checkpoint, killing at least two police officers and wounding five others.    » read more »

02 March 2008 -- The presidents of Iraq and Iran have declared a new chapter in friendly relations, despite accusations of Iran interfering in Iraq. During the Iranian president's first visit to Iraq, the neighboring country leaders have said their renewed ties were an example for other nations in the region to follow.

Iraq's President Jalal Talabani welcomed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and both leaders hailed the visit as a new chapter in relations.

After a red carpet welcoming ceremony the two leaders held a meeting to discuss cooperation between Iran and Iraq.    » read more »

22 January 2008 -- Foreign ministers of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany said Tuesday they have agreed on the contents of a new sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program. U.S. officials say it will toughen travel bans and asset freezes against Iranian leaders.

The agreement, which breaks a months-long stalemate over terms of a resolution, was announced by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a brief statement capping a two-hour meeting in Berlin.    » read more »

Jan. 22, 2008 -- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, state lawmakers, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Public Employees' Retirement Association of Colorado today announced a new divestment policy toward companies that have a significant financial stake in Iran.    » read more »

14 January 2008 -- The Bush administration officially notified Congress Monday of its intention to sell sophisticated precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. The action, coinciding with President Bush's visit to Saudi Arabia, is part of a broader U.S. effort to bolster Gulf allies in the face of a more assertive Iran.

The Bush administration has already briefed Congress on its arms sales plans for Saudi Arabia. Monday's announcement sets in motion a 30-day period in which the House and Senate can block the plan with a joint resolution - action that appears highly unlikely.    » read more »