Iran

15 May 2007 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for Iran to release an Iranian-American academic accused of "crimes against national security."

Ms. Rice told reporters in Moscow that the detainment of scholar Haleh Esfandiari "underscores the nature of the Iranian regime." She said Ms. Esfandiari ought to be released immediately.

Earlier Tuesday, a spokesman for Iran's judiciary, Ali Reza Jamshidi, said Ms. Esfandiari has been detained under the authority of the Intelligence Ministry.    » read more »

13 May 2007 -- Iran says it will hold talks with the United States next week on security in Iraq.

Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini Sunday as saying Tehran agreed to the talks in order to lessen the pain of the Iraqi people, support the Iraqi government and establish security and peace in Iraq.

The report said Iran received a request for the talks through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which often acts as an intermediary for the U.S. in the country.    » read more »

Arbitrary Arrest of Haleh Esfandiari Coincides With a Week of Crackdowns

Washington, DC, May 12, 2007 – Iran should immediately release Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari and allow her to return to the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch expressed concern that Iranian authorities have subjected Esfandiari to arbitrary detention and coercive interrogation.    » read more »

May 11, 2007 -- "I am deeply concerned about the inexplicable detention of renowned scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari by the Iranian government. Dr. Esfandiari currently serves as director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, and has made significant contributions to the body of research on international women's issues, contemporary Iranian politics, and democratic developments in the Middle East.    » read more »

Treasury’s Kimmitt cites drop in export credits, investment by Europe, Japan

11 May 2007 -- Washington -- Targeted economic sanctions against Iran for pursuing nuclear and missile programs are showing results as the international community begins to grasp the risks of dealing with Iranian companies, according to a U.S. Treasury official.    » read more »

05 May 2007 -- An international conference on Iraq ended Friday without top-level meetings between the United States and Iran.

Iraqi officials had hoped senior diplomats from Iran and the U.S. would meet on the sidelines of the conference. There was instead an ambassador-level meeting.

The White House said Friday the U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker met for a few minutes with an Iranian deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.    » read more »

Repressive regimes trying to silence writers on World Wide Web

04 May 2007 -- United Nations -- The Internet is a key component of press freedom in the 21st century, yet Internet journalists and bloggers increasingly are coming under attack by repressive regimes trying to block the free flow of information and expression, say journalists and activists.    » read more »

Internet Fast Becoming Only Refuge

Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 -- As press freedom in Iran continued to deteriorate in 2006, a striking contrast emerged between government efforts to restrict information and the public’s attempts to access it, according to a report released today by Freedom House.    » read more »