Iran nuclear program

By Reuters | Tehran/Jerusalem | 20 Jan 2012

An ally of Iran’s supreme leader called on Friday for Israel to be “punished” for killing a nuclear scientist and the top US general urged his Israeli ally to coordinate with Washington as crisis builds in the Middle East.

By Chris Buckley | Reuters | Beijing | 20 Jan 2012

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defended his country’s extensive oil imports from Iran against Western pressure to consider sanctions in comments published on Thursday, and yet forthrightly warned Tehran against any effort to acquire nuclear weapons.

By Ibon Villelabeitia : Reuters | Ankara | 19 Jan 2012

Iran's foreign minister warned Arab neighbors on Thursday not to put themselves in a "dangerous position" by aligning themselves too closely with the United States in the escalating dispute over Tehran's nuclear activity.

Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, used for a third of the world's seaborne oil trade, if pending Western moves to ban Iranian crude exports cripple its lifeblood energy sector, fanning fears of a descent into wider Middle East war.

By Agencies | Jerusalem/Tehran | 17 Jan 2012

A senior Israeli military official says a nuclear Iran could make it tougher for Israel to act against enemies closer to home.

Military planning division chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel says a nuclear-armed Tehran could constrain Israel from striking Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon and Gaza — Hezbollah and Hamas respectively.

By Alexei Anishchuk | Reuters | Moscow | 18 Jan 2012

Russia warned on Wednesday that an attack on Iran would cause a catastrophe and said US and European Union sanctions against Tehran were aimed at triggering popular discontent by “strangling” the economy.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western sanctions against Iran and talk of a potential attack undermine efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ensuring it does not develop nuclear weapons.

Source : AFP | 16 Jan 2012

Israel and the United States have agreed to postpone a major military defence exercise scheduled for spring, a senior security official said Sunday, amid rising regional tension over Iran's nuclear programme.

"Israel and the United States have agreed to postpone the manoeuvre planned for spring," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"The exercises will take place between now and the end of 2012," the official added, without elaborating.

Source : News Agencies | 13 Jan 2012

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said on Thursday that only the United Nations’ decision regarding to Iran were binding for Turkey.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Yildiz said that "there is news that the United States and European Union (EU) have taken certain decisions against Iran and will apply sanctions on Iranian oil. Only the United Nations’ decisions on Iran are binding for Turkey. Any decision taken out of the U.N. is not binding for Turkey".

By AFP | Tehran |13 Jan 2012

Iran's supreme leader has accused the US and Israeli intelligence services of being behind the "abominable" assassination in Tehran this week of a nuclear scientist who was to be buried on Friday.

The "cowardly murder" on Wednesday of Moustafa Ahmadi Roshan, a deputy director of Iran's main uranium enrichment plant, was committed "with the planning or support of the intelligence services of the CIA and Mossad," said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

By Ramin Mostafavi | Reuters | Tehran | 11 Jan 2012

An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a bomb placed on his car by a motorcyclist in Tehran on Wednesday, and a city official blamed Israel for the attack, similar to attacks on nuclear scientists just over a year ago.

Fars news agency identified the victim as Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, a 32-year-old graduate of an oil industry university. It said he had supervised a department at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Iran’s atomic energy organization said it would issue a statement shortly.

Source : CNN | 03 Jan 2012

Iran warned the United States Tuesday not to return a U.S. aircraft carrier "to the Persian Gulf region."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not repeat its warning," said Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi, commander of Iran's Army, according to the state-run news agency IRNA.

Salehi "said the country will not adopt any irrational move but it is ready to severely react against any threat," the report added.

The commander spoke at the Port of Chabahar in southern Iran, as forces held a military parade, IRNA reported.