Iran nuclear program

By Adam Schreck | AP | Dubai | 16 Jul 2012

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday inaugurated a much-anticipated overland oil pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, giving the OPEC member insurance against Iranian threats to block the strategic waterway.

The 380-kilometer (236-mile) Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline snakes across western desert dunes and over the craggy Hajar mountains to the city of Fujairah on the UAE’s Indian Ocean coast, south of the strait.

Source : Agencies | 05 Jul 2012

Iran has threatened to destroy US military bases across the Middle East and target Israel within minutes of being attacked, Iranian media reported yesterday, as Revolutionary Guards extended test-firing of ballistic missiles into a third day.

Israel has hinted it may attack Iran if diplomacy fails to secure a halt to its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has mooted military action as a last-resort option but has frequently nudged the Israelis to give time for intensified economic sanctions to work against Iran.

By Marcus George | Reuters | Dubai | 03 Jul 2012

Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel in response to threats of military action against the country, Iranian media reported.

Israel says it could attack Iran if diplomacy fails to force it to halt its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has military force on the table as a last resort, but U.S. officials have repeatedly encouraged the Israelis to be patient while new sanctions against Iran take effect.

Source : Arab News | 01 Jul 2012

The White House praised the European Union for prohibiting Iranian crude oil imports into the 27-nation-bloc yesterday and said Tehran had an opportunity in talks this week to make progress on international concerns about its nuclear program.

Source : FNA | 24 Jun 2012

A deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces reiterated the country's capability to repel threats, and warned Israel that any military aggression against Iran would lead to an immediate end of the Zionist regime.

"The Islamic Revolution enjoys high capability, and if the Zionist regime wants to take an action against us, it will cause its imminent end," Major General Mostafa Izadi told FNA on Saturday.

The General further ensured that Israel lacks the courage and ability to harm Iran.

Source : Reuters | Moscow | 19 Jun 2012

Six world powers and Iran made little progress on Monday at the first of two days of talks on how to end a decade-long dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program and avert the threat of a new war in the Middle East.

“We had an intense and tough exchange of views,” said Michael Mann, spokesman for European Union foreign policy head Catherine Ashton who leads the delegation on behalf of the six powers: the United States, China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany.

By : Marcus George | Reuters | Dubai | 03 Jun 2012

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday accused the United States and its allies of lying about the threat of a nuclear Iran to cover up their own economic problems, state television reported.

In a fiery address marking the 23rd anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei also warned Israel against any attack on Iran, saying it would receive a “thunderous blow.”

Source : AFP | Tehran | 02 Jun 2012

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi yesterday expressed “high hopes” that a new round of nuclear talks in Moscow this month will succeed if world powers come with a “positive” approach.

Speaking during a visit to New Delhi, the foreign minister acknowledged that Iran and the P5+1 group will face “difficult negotiations” at the June 18-19 talks in Moscow, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported. But Salehi said the Islamic republic remains optimistic saying the “direction” of the talks so far has been good.

By Pierre Klochendler | IPS | Jerusalem | 01 Jun 2012

A new super-weapon has entered the Mideast cyber arena. First detected on Monday by a Moscow-based security company, ‘Worm.Win32.Flame’ – just call it ‘Flame’ – might be "the most sophisticated cyber weapon yet unleashed" on Iran’s secret nuclear networks.

Source : Middle East Online | Tehran | 24 May 2012

Islam forbids atomic weapons and other arms of mass destruction, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted on Wednesday ahead of his country's nuclear talks with world powers in Baghdad.

"Based on Islamic teachings and the clear fatwa (edict) of the supreme leader, the production and use of weapons of mass destruction is haram (forbidden) and have no place in the Islamic Republic of Iran's defence doctrine," he said.