Iran

Source : AP | 30 Oct 2012

Iran has images of sensitive Israeli military bases taken by a drone that was launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and downed by Israel earlier this month, a senior Iranian lawmaker claimed yesterday in the latest boast from Tehran about purported advances in the capabilities of its unmanned aircraft.

By Ayşe Sozen | 13 Oct 2012

Five civil Turkish citizens were murdered in the small town of Akcakale adjacent to Syrian border by the shelling from Syrian side on October,3. Turkey has promptly launched retaliatory shelling over Syria on the same day and called The Turkish Parliament for an urgent session, on the next day, to authorize the Turkish troops for cross border operations in Syria.

“Where is Turkey heading” has become all the more important question since the last week then? Will Turkey battle with Syria? Or is she only intimidating the Syrian regime?

Source : AFP | 04 Oct 2012

A protest and scuffles with police occurred in central Tehran on Wednesday in the first sign of public unrest over Iran’s plunging currency, which this week has lost more than half of its value.

Hundreds of police in anti-riot gear stormed the capital’s currency exchange district of Ferdowsi, arresting illegal money changers and ordering licenced bureaux and other shops closed, witnesses told AFP.

Several arrests were seen, carried out by uniformed police or plain-clothes security officers.

Smoke was seen in two places in the area.

Source : Agencies | 03 Oct 2012

Azerbaijan slammed Wednesday media reports that it would allow Israeli forces to deploy at Azeri military bases for a possible attack on Iran.

A spokesperson with the Azeri Foreign Ministry rejected the news reports on US and Israeli media outlets as "baseless" and "provocation," saying that Azerbaijan "respects territorial integrity and independence of all its neighbors."

Source : Agencies | 22 Sep 2012

Iran warned Israel and the United States against any aggression, as it proudly paraded its troops and military hardware yesterday under the gaze of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and top brass.

The Tehran parade, involving thousands of military personnel, dozens of tanks and missiles borne on trucks, marked the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

By Nawal Ksar | Arab News | 15 Sep 2012

With the announcement almost three years ago about the production of a film portraying the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Iranian director Majeed Majeedi sparked a controversy all over the Islamic world. Now, as the film is ready for viewing, the temperature is rising.

Source : Agencies | 11 Sep 2012

Officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran will meet in Cairo on Monday to discuss the Syrian crisis.

Iran is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while the three other countries have all called for him to quit power.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said the meeting of the quartet, under an initiative proposed by Egypt, would gather senior Foreign Ministry officials from the four nations to prepare for higher-ranking talks.

Sarah El Deeb | AP | 04 Sept 2012

Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi’s international debut made its biggest splash at home. After he publicly denounced Syria’s regime while being hosted by Damascus’ top ally Iran, Egyptian supporters and even some critics are lauding him as a new Arab leader that speaks truth to power.

That may have been precisely the point. The drama of his Tehran speech boosts Mursi as he works to entrench his authority in Egypt.

Source : Al Arabiya | 27 Aug 2012

By Thalif Deen | IPS | 24 Aug 2012
Brushing aside a warning by the Israeli government and rebuffing a campaign by pro-Israeli lobbying groups in the United States, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has decided to visit Iran next week to participate in the summit meeting of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), described as the world’s largest single political coalition.