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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


June 2005 Iran Special Weapons News



  • Bush Orders Sanctions Against Weapons Proliferators Washington File 29 Jun 2005 -- President Bush issued an executive order June 29 to freeze the assets of individuals or companies in the United States that are doing business with entities in Iran, North Korea and Syria believed to be involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
  • Iran's Nuclear Weapons Ambitions Key International Issue VOA 30 Jun 2005 -- Iran's suspected nuclear-weapons program remains a key problem for the international community. But delegates to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference last month in New York failed to address that issue.
  • US Probes Charges Iranian President-Elect Was Embassy Hostage-Taker VOA 30 Jun 2005 -- The United States is looking into whether Iranian president-elect Mahmood Ahmadinejad was involved in the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The State Department says Iran needs to make a definitive statement on the issue.
  • Pres. Khatami: I would reveal documents on unethical moves in election IRNA 30 Jun 2005 -- Outgoing President Mohammad Khatami said here Wednesday, "Based on authentic evidence, I would reveal documents on unethical moves taken place in (recent presidential) election.
  • Bush reserves judgment on Iran's president-elect IRNA 30 Jun 2005 -- US President George Bush indicated Thursday that he was reserving judgment of his views on the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new president.
  • EU 'aiming to blame Iran' for expected nuclear talks breakdown IRNA 30 Jun 2005 -- European diplomats were reported Thursday to be aiming to blame Iran in preparing for a likely breakdown in their negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme.
  • Iran: Do The Presidential Vote Numbers Really Add Up? RFE/RL 30 Jun 2005 -- The Guardians Council, the body tasked with supervising Iranian elections, announced on 29 June its endorsement of the second round of the Iranian presidential election five days earlier, the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.
  • GC confirms authenticity of presidential elections IRNA 29 Jun 2005 -- Guardian Council (GC) on Wednesday confirmed authenticity of 9th presidential runoff elections in Iran.
  • EU proposals within framework of Iran agreements, says Straw IRNA 29 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Wednesday declined to outline what type of detailed proposals the EU was considering to present to Iran next month but said that they would be within the terms of previous agreements reached with Tehran.
  • Iran: Europe Says It Will Not Prejudge President-Elect, But Will Maintain Pressure RFE/RL 28 Jun 2005 -- The European Union is calling for continuity in its relations with Tehran following the election of a candidate to Iran's presidency many see as a hard-liner. However, EU leaders say they will keep up pressure on Iran over the country's controversial nuclear activities and its poor human rights record.
  • Iran: What Does Ahmadinejad's Victory Mean For U.S.-Iranian Relations? RFE/RL 28 Jun 2005 -- The United States is ending eight years of often difficult relations with Iran under President Mohammad Khatami, who portrays himself as a reformer. Now, it must contend with President-elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who is seen as a hard- liner.
  • Bush Calls for Tough Stand on Iran's Nuclear Program VOA 27 Jun 2005 -- President Bush is urging European nations negotiating with Iran to stand firm on Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
  • Blair hopes Ahmadinejad will be 'willing partner' in nuclear deal IRNA 27 Jun 2005 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday expressed hope that Iran's new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be a "willing partner" in the continuing EU negotiations to reach long term arrangements on his country's nuclear programme.
  • Solana: EU will continue engagement with Iran IRNA 27 Jun 2005 -- European Union High Representative for a Common foreign and security policy, Javier Solana, said Monday that the 25-European bloc will continue its engagement With Iran on the basis of last year's Paris agreement.
  • Ahmadinejad's election 'another UK intelligence failure' IRNA 27 Jun 2005 -- The election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new president is the latest in a long line of intelligence failures by British Foreign Office, according to the Guardian newspaper.
  • Iran: Ahmadinejad Professes Moderation In Domestic Policies, But Reformists Unconvinced RFE/RL 27 Jun 2005 -- Iran's President-elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad is pledging moderation and says his government will serve all Iranians. Ahmadinejad easily won the 24 June second-round ballot over former President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
  • Bush Firm On Iranian Nuclear Program RFE/RL 27 Jun 2005 -- U.S. President George W. Bush said today that the recent Iranian presidential election has not changed his view that it would be "unacceptable" for Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon or the ability to make one.
  • Schroeder Urges New EU Offer To Iran In Nuclear Talks RFE/RL 27 Jun 2005 -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has called for the European Union to put forward new proposals to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.
  • EU Official Says No Change To EU's Iran Policy RFE/RL 27 Jun 2005 -- European Union High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana today said that he sees no reason to immediately change the EU's policies regarding Iran.
  • Iran: Election Of Ahmadinejad Unlikely To Affect Nuclear Negotiations RFE/RL 27 Jun 2005 -- One of the biggest questions surrounding Iran's 24 June election of a new, ultraconservative president is how that might affect international negotiations over Iran's nuclear activities. In his first press conference as president-elect on 26 June, Mahmud Ahmadinejad spoke of the negotiations only in general terms and showed no difference from Tehran's existing position.
  • RFE/RL Iran Report, Volume 8, Number 25 27 Jun 2005 -- A NEW PARADIGM AND NEW MATH / KHATAMI ENCOURAGES VOTERS... / ...BUT EBADI WILL NOT VOTE / HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI BACKED BY FIVE DEFEATED CANDIDATES / HARD-LINE IRANIAN CANDIDATE LEADS IN VOTER SURVEYS / ALARMED POLITICIANS URGE VOTERS TO CHOOSE HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI / TEHRAN GETS A NEW PARLIAMENTARIAN / ETHNICITY AND REGIONAL INTERESTS PLAY OUT IN FIRST-ROUND VOTE / A NEW GENERATION AND THE DRIFT TO THE RIGHT / GUARDS CORPS TO CONTINUE ELECTION INVOLVEMENT / ELECTION INVESTIGATION LEADS TO ARRESTS / LEBANESE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT VISITS IRAN / IRAN PARTICIPATES IN IRAQI DONOR CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS
  • Rumsfeld Criticizes Iran's President-elect as 'No Friend of Democracy' VOA 26 Jun 2006 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has criticized Iran's president-elect, who won a strong victory in run-off elections Friday. Meanwhile, in Tehran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to pursue moderation, not extremism.
  • Iran's Ahmadinejad To Have Government Of Moderation RFE/RL 26 Jun 2006 -- Iranian President-elect Mahmud Ahmadinejad said at his first news conference today that his government will be one of "peace and moderation."
  • Iran Says New President Won't Change Foreign Policy RFE/RL 26 Jun 2006 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry said today that Tehran's nuclear policies will not change under newly elected President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. The announcement came a day after Britain, France, and several other countries called on Ahmadinejad to address international concerns about Iran's nuclear activities.
  • Iran: New President Represents Second Generation Of Islamic Revolutionaries RFE/RL 26 Jun 2006 -- Iran's new president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, is 48 years old and a generation younger than his defeated presidential rival Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, age 70.
  • Iran: A New Paradigm And New Math RFE/RL 26 Jun 2006 -- The victory of Mahmud Ahmadinejad in Iran's 24 June presidential election represents the ascendance of the country's second postrevolution generation and the return of the common man to the country's politics.
  • Worldwide Apprehension Greets Election of Hardliner in Iran VOA 25 Jun 2005 -- Some European nations are citing what they say were shortcomings in the Iranian election process, and are calling on Iran's president-elect to address international concerns about its nuclear program. Russia offered congratulations.
  • Victory for Hard-line Presidential Candidate Shocks Iranian Reform Movement VOA 25 Jun 2005 -- In Iran, the conservative mayor of the capital has won a decisive victory in Friday's runoff presidential election. The president-elect is calling for reconciliation, after an especially bitter political contest.
  • Tehran Mayor Scores Upset Presidential Win VOA 25 Jun 2005 -- The mayor of Tehran, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, has pulled off the biggest political upset in Iran's post-revolutionary history. He beat his older, better-known, and far more politically experienced opponent, former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Friday's runoff election.
  • FM Spokesman: US should respect Iranians' votes IRNA 25 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid reza Asefi said here Saturday that the American administration which claims to be an advocate of democracy should respect the Iranian nation's choice and stop intervening in Iran's internal affairs.
  • Supreme Leader thanks Iranians for strong presence in elections IRNA 25 Jun 2005 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday thanked the Iranian people for their strong presence in the 9th presidential polls and its runoff election, held nationwide on June 17 and June 24 respectively.
  • Khatami: President-elect expected to respect democracy IRNA 25 Jun 2005 -- President Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday that the president-elect is expected to respect democracy as great achievement of the Islamic Revolution.
  • Rafsanjani blames 'ruthless' smear campaign on his defeat IRNA 25 Jun 2005 -- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani mounted a blistering attack Saturday after his surprise presidential defeat which he blamed on a 'ruthless' smear campaign and an organized interference in the polls.
  • Tehran Mayor Wins Landslide In Iran RFE/RL 25 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Interior Ministry has confirmed that the ultraconservative mayor of Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, has won Iran's presidential election, Radio Farda reports.
  • Britain Urges Iran To Address Nuclear Issue RFE/RL 25 Jun 2005 -- Britain, which will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union on 1 July, today urged Iran's president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to quickly address mounting concerns over Tehran's suspected nuclear program.
  • Iranian Leader Calls for National Unity After Election RFE/RL 25 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today called on Iranians to put aside their differences after the country's closely fought presidential election.
  • Iranians Choose Hard-Liner As President RFE/RL 25 Jun 2005 -- Iranians have chosen a new president: the hard-line mayor of Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who won an easy victory in yesterday's presidential runoff with nearly 62 percent of the vote, way ahead of his rival, former President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who won 35.9 percent, Radio Farda reported.
  • Russia: NATO Chief In Moscow For Talks With Putin RFE/RL 24 Jun 2005 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks today in Moscow with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Discussions focused on joint efforts in fighting terrorism and the drug trade, as well as regional issues, particularly Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Balkans.
  • US 'very supportive' of EU seeking Iran nuclear deal, says Rice IRNA 24 Jun 2005 -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that Iran should take advantages of the negotiations led by Britain, France and Germany to reach long-term arrangements on its nuclear programme.
  • Showdown Comes In Iranian Presidential Contest VOA 24 Jun 2005 -- Friday's runoff presidential election in Iran is (was) a contest between Tehran's mayor and a national political figure.
  • Iran: Voting Under Way In Close Presidential Runoff RFE/RL 24 Jun 2005 -- Iranians began voting today in the country's first presidential runoff since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranians are choosing their future president between two candidates -- former President Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and Tehran Mayor Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
  • US Says Iranians Denied Free Choice in Presidential Vote VOA 23 Jun 2005 -- The United States said Thursday Iranians are being denied a free choice in the country's presidential run-off election, since most candidates were eliminated by decree before the voting process began.
  • Iranians To Vote Again for President VOA 23 Jun 2005 -- Iranians vote yet again Friday in a runoff presidential election. A political novice is pitted against an establishment veteran.
  • Iran: Hashemi-Rafsanjani Says Vote For Him Is Vote Against Extremism RFE/RL 23 Jun 2005 -- Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani will compete in Iran's presidential runoff tomorrow against the hard-line mayor of Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Rafsanjani is considered a pragmatic conservative.
  • Iran: Ethnicity And Regional Interests Play Out In Vote RFE/RL 23 Jun 2005 -- Close attention to ethnic interests during the current presidential campaign paid off for at least one candidate during the 17 June first-round voting. Mustafa Moin, despite ending up in fifth place overall, topped the list in a province predominantly inhabited by a religious minority.
  • Arrests Reported In Iranian Election Violations RFE/RL 23 Jun 2005 -- Iran's official news agency says 104 cases of alleged violations during Iran's presidential election on 17 June are being reviewed and that suspects were detained in 26 of the cases.
  • US not against good Iran-Iraq ties IRNA 22 Jun 2005 -- US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said Wednesday that it is a "good thing" that Iran and Iraq have good relations.
  • Tehran Mayor Seeks Upset Win in Iran Presidential Runoff VOA 22 Jun 2005 -- The campaign in Iran's runoff presidential campaign ended Wednesday (midnight local time). The campaign has been heated, with charges flying back and forth between the two camps.
  • Iran-Russian nuclear deal 'consistent' with NPT, says Straw IRNA 22 Jun 2005 -- British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Tuesday rejected a call to raise concerns with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov or other G8 foreign ministers over Moscow's nuclear agreement with Iran, saying that it was "consistent" with the Non-proliferation Treaty.
  • US reconfirms support to EU efforts on Iran IRNA 21 Jun 2005 -- Leaders of the European Union and United States on Monday said they remain united in their determination to "see the proliferation implications of Iran's advanced nuclear program resolved."
  • Iran: Interior Ministry Warns Of Vote Fraud Ahead Of Presidential Runoff RFE/RL 21 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Interior Ministry is warning about possible fraud ahead of the 24 June presidential runoff. The warning follows last night's validation of the vote in the 17 June first round by Iran's powerful Guardians Council.
  • Iran: A New Generation And The Drift To The Right RFE/RL 21 Jun 2005 -- The 24 June second round of the Iranian presidential election pits two individuals with very different backgrounds against one another -- Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani versus Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
  • Iranian Hard-Line Group Endorses Candidate RFE/RL 21 Jun 2005 -- A statement from the Ansar-i Hizbullah in Isfahan has endorsed the candidacy of Tehran Mayor Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Radio Farda reported
  • Iranian Political Watchdog Says No Electoral Fraud RFE/RL 21 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Guardians Council has announced that it has found no evidence of fraud in last week's presidential election.
  • US Calls Iran Election "Highly Unrepresentative" VOA 20 Jun 2005 -- The United States Monday labeled the Iranian presidential election "highly unrepresentative" and said it fell far short of minimum democratic standards. Officials downplayed conciliatory statements toward the United States by Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of two candidates in the run-off election June 24th.
  • Iran: Recount Ordered After Rigging Allegations In Presidential Vote RFE/RL 20 Jun 2005 -- Election officials in Iran have ordered a random recount of 100 ballot boxes from the 17 June presidential vote after several reformist candidates alleged the vote had been rigged.
  • RFE/RL Iran Report, Volume 8, Number 24 20 Jun 2005 -- AS WINNERS HEAD FOR RUNOFF, LOSERS COMPLAIN OF FRAUD / WHITE HOUSE COMMENTS ON IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION / IRANIANS GET 'NONVIOLENT-CONFLICT' TRAINING / RICE SAYS ELECTION NO HARBINGER OF REFORM / CLERICS ENCOURAGE VOTERS / MILITARY PREPARES FOR ITS ELECTION ROLE / SECURITY PROBLEMS IN TEHRAN AHEAD OF ELECTION / WOMEN CALL FOR RIGHTS AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION / EXCESS OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WORRIED HARD-LINERS / CENTER-LEFT CLERIC GETS ANOTHER ENDORSEMENT / PROFILE: THE MAN BEHIND MOIN / IRREDENTISTS CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR IRAN BOMBINGS / TEHRAN-BAGHDAD FLIGHTS IN THE WORKS / IRAN TO CONTRIBUTE $180 MILLION TO HYDROPOWER PROJECT IN TAJIKISTAN
  • Iran Reform Leader Urges Support for Rafsanjani in Second Vote Round VOA 19 Jun 2005 -- A leading reformer in Iran has called on those voters who boycotted Friday's election to vote in the runoff race. The runoff pits a moderate former president against a hard-line conservative.
  • Rice Criticizes Iran Elections VOA 19 Jun 2005 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the presidential election in Iran does not fit democratic norms, in large part because unelected clerics decided who would run.
  • Kharrazi: Iran to continue cooperation with IAEA IRNA 19 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi stressed here Sunday that Iran will continue cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to get the remaining issues settled.
  • Iran: As Winners Head For Runoff, Losers Complain Of Fraud RFE/RL 19 Jun 2005 -- Two of the losing candidates in Iran's ninth presidential election on 17 June have complained of military interference in the election, with one calling on the country's supreme leader to intervene and another warning of a fascistic trend in the country's politics.
  • Iran Presidential Election Goes to Run-Off VOA 18 Jun 2005 -- Voters in Iran will have to go to the polls for a runoff election to determine, which of the top two finishers in Friday's election will be president.
  • EU welcomes resumption of negotiations with Iran IRNA 18 Jun 2005 -- European Union leaders have welcomed the resumption of negotiations with Iran on a trade and cooperation agreement and expressed the European bloc's readiness to further develop ties with the Islamic Republic.
  • Supreme Leader hails people's massive turnout in presidential polls IRNA 18 Jun 2005 -- The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday thanked the Iranian nation for its "wise, strong and extensive" turnout in the 9th presidential elections held on Friday, June 17th.
  • Final election results announced IRNA 18 Jun 2005 -- Iran Election Headquarters released Saturday the official result for the 9th Presidential Elections.
  • Iran Appears Bound For Presidential Runoff RFE/RL 18 Jun 2005 -- Counting continues today to determine who will be Iran's next president, with early results suggesting a tight race that will be require a second-round runoff for the first time since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979, according to Radio Farda and other Iranian media.
  • Ex-President, Hard-Liner Win Spots In Iran Runoff RFE/RL 18 Jun 2005 -- Iran's presidential election will require an unprecedented second round pitting a pragmatic former president against the hard-line mayor of Tehran after no clear winner emerged from yesterday's voting, Radio Farda and other media reported today.
  • Iranians Vote in Close Presidential Poll VOA 17 Jun 2005 -- Ballot counting is underway in Iran following Friday's presidential elections. Seven candidates were permitted to run, but two top contenders, pragmatic cleric Akbar Hashemi and reformer candidate Mostafa Moin are expected to advance to the second round of voting. Iran's interior minister said that the runoff is likely with no candidate winning more than 50 percent of Friday's vote.
  • Sensitive Nuclear Data Leaked to Media - Iran Protests IRNA 17 Jun 2005 -- Speaking at a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials here Friday, Ali Asghar Soltani, deputy head of political and international affairs at the Foreign Ministry, expressed Iran's strong objection over the recent leakage of sensitive information on its nuclear dossier to the Western press and media, IRNA reported.
  • UN atomic watchdog urges speedy Iranian cooperation on nuclear programme UN News Centre 17 Jun 2005 -- The head of the United Nations agency entrusted with curbing the spread of nuclear weapons today called for an extra effort and speedier cooperation by Iran to build the necessary confidence that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
  • Iran Votes for New President VOA 17 Jun 2005 -- Polls have opened in Iran, where seven candidates are on the ballot to succeed outgoing President Mohammad Khatami.
  • Iran: Rice Says Presidential Vote No Harbinger Of Reform RFE/RL 17 Jun 2005 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has questioned the legitimacy of the 17 June presidential poll in Iran, saying the country's reform effort has gone backwards.
  • IAEA Says Iran Nuclear Declaration Inconsistent VOA 16 Jun 2005 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again found discrepancies in Iran's nuclear declaration, this time in details of experiments on the separation of plutonium, which could be a sign of a bomb program.
  • Rice Says Iranian Politics Moving Backwards VOA 16 Jun 2005 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she thinks the Iranian political system is regressing in terms of openness and reform. She said whatever leaders emerge from Friday's presidential elections will have to change Iranian behavior if they want to be more in step with the rest of the region.
  • Iranians Head for Polls in Presidential Vote VOA 16 Jun 2005 -- Iranians vote Friday to elect a new president. Eight candidates are on the ballot to succeed outgoing president Mohammad Khatami.
  • Analysts Expect No Major Policy Changes in Iran after Presidential Ballot VOA 16 Jun 2005 -- The polls will open (have opened) in Iran (today / Friday) for voters to elect a successor to president Mohammad Khatami, although many analysts say none of the candidates is likely to win an outright majority and therefore a runoff election is likely.
  • Iran protests IAEA report on safeguards agreement IRNA 16 Jun 2005 -- Iran on Thursday protested to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against a report the agency has provided on Iranian undertakings concerning safeguards agreement.
  • Iran rules out Chirac-Blair objection to uranium enrichment IRNA 16 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said on Thursday Iran will never overlook its rights of applying nuclear energy for civilian utility.
  • Asefi dismisses Iranian cooperation with Pakistani scientist IRNA 16 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi on Thursday dismissed press reports that Iran had close cooperation with Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadir for procurement of nuclear equipment.
  • Khatami receives head of SCIRI IRNA 16 Jun 2005 -- Head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) Abdel Aziz Hakim met with President Khatami here on Wednesday.
  • U.S. Says Iran Deceiving UN About Its Nuclear Program RFE/RL 16 Jun 2005 -- The U.S. today accused Iran of deceiving the UN's nuclear watchdog about its nuclear program and threatened that Washington would not tolerate an Iran with nuclear weapons.
  • Bush Says Iranian People Deserve Genuinely Democratic System Washington File 16 Jun 2005 -- President Bush says the tide of freedom sweeping over the Middle East eventually will reach Iran, which is holding a controlled presidential election June 17.
  • Iran Not Forthcoming on Past, Present Nuclear Efforts, U.S. Says Washington File 16 Jun 2005 -- A senior U.S. official, expressing the United States' frustration with Iran's refusal to provide information on its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has listed repeated instances in which Iran has not been forthcoming.
  • Bush Critical of Iran Elections VOA 16 Jun 2005 -- President Bush says presidential elections in Iran are designed to keep power in the hands of rulers who he says suppress liberty at home and spread terror across the world.
  • Iran: The Reformist And The Ideologue RFE/RL 16 Jun 2005 -- Former Minister of Science, Research, and Technology Mustafa Moin's ranking in recent polls in the run-up to the 17 June Iranian presidential election is improving, although he usually trails behind Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and former national police chief Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
  • Iran: IAEA Says Tehran Admits To Undisclosed Plutonium Experiments RFE/RL 16 Jun 2005 -- According to a new UN report, Iran has reportedly admitted that it carried out experiments on plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear arms, up until 1998 -- that is, for five years longer that it had previously acknowledged.
  • Iran: Officials Urge Voters To Turn Out For Presidential Poll RFE/RL 15 Jun 2005 -- On 17 June, Iran is set to hold its ninth presidential election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The elections will be held to replace outgoing President Mohammad Khatami, who constitutionally cannot seek a third term.
  • Iran: Abundance Of Candidates Worries Hard-Liners RFE/RL 15 Jun 2005 -- Conservatives in Iran are worried that they have too many horses in the 17 June presidential race.
  • Iran: What Will Election Mean For Tehran's Foreign Policy? RFE/RL 15 Jun 2005 -- The runup to Iran's presidential election on 17 June is being closely watched in Western capitals. It could augur for some changes in Iranian foreign policy over the next four-year presidential term.
  • Iraq's SCIRI leader in Tehran IRNA 14 Jun 2005 -- Leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) Seyed Abdul Aziz al Hakim arrived here Tuesday morning.
  • Tehran, Baghdad flights to start in two month: Iraqi tranportation minister IRNA 14 Jun 2005 -- Iraqi transportation minister said here Tuesday hat Tehran-Baghdad flight will be established in the next two month.
  • Kharrazi: NAM should oppose limiting nuclear technology for members IRNA 14 Jun 2005 -- Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi called here Monday for Non-Aligned Movement's (NAM) opposition to efforts aimed at setting arbitrary and biased limitation on the right of member states to acquire peaceful nuclear technology.
  • Iran's FM underlines adoption of UN reforms IRNA 14 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi Monday in Doha underlined the need for adoption of reforms in the United Nations.
  • Lawmakers Propose Gasoline Embargo on Iran VOA 14 Jun 2005 -- Two members of Congress say the United States needs to take stronger steps, along with with European allies, to pressure Iran to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program. Their proposals, including a potential ban on gasoline shipments to Iran, are contained in a resolution they are introducing in the House of Representatives
  • IAEA Wants Access to Iran Military VOA 14 Jun 2005 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is making progress in tracking down the sources of contamination found on equipment in Iran. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog is calling for Iran to allow inspection of key sites to verify whether the Islamic republic's nuclear program is purely peaceful, as Tehran claims.
  • RFE/RL Iran Report, Volume 8, Number 23 14 Jun 2005 -- BOMBINGS IN IRAN MAY BE CONNECTED WITH MINORITIES AND ELECTION / DISSIDENT JOURNALIST DISAPPEARS / JAILED LAWYER BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE / NATIONALIST-RELIGIOUS FORCES ENCOURAGE VOTERS / VIOLENCE MARS ELECTION CAMPAIGNING / HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI LEADS IN PRESIDENTIAL POLLS, GETS IMPORTANT ENDORSEMENT / NEW WORRIES OVER MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN ELECTION / REZAI CAMPAIGNS ENTHUSIASTICALLY BUT INEFFECTIVELY / QALIBAF DISCUSSES FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINORITIES / AHMADINEJAD CRITICIZES NATIONAL MANAGEMENT / KARRUBI CONTINUES CAMPAIGNING / REFORMIST CANDIDATE PROMOTES 'WELFARE ADMINISTRATION.' / IRANIAN OFFICIAL CRITICIZES STATE ECONOMIC POLICIES / IRAN RECEIVES OBSERVER STATUS WITH SHANGHAI GROUP / TEHRAN REJECTS TERROR ACCUSATIONS / TEHRAN AND DUSHANBE SIGN HYDROELECTRIC POWER DEAL / TEHRAN ENCOURAGES WASHINGTON TO TAKE DIPLOMATIC STEP / TEHRAN INVITED TO JOIN EU, U.S. AT IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION MEETING
  • Elbaradei: Iran's dossier to be closed when all remaining issues resolved IRNA 13 Jun 2005 -- Chief Mohamed Elbaradei said here in an interview with IRNA, "Iran's nuclear dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be closed once all remaining questions would be promptly answered."
  • Iran: Bombings May Be Connected With Minorities, Election RFE/RL 13 Jun 2005 -- On the morning of 12 June, four explosions occurred within 20 minutes of each other in Ahvaz, the capital of Iran's southwestern Khuzestan Province. This is only the most recent violent incident in a region inhabited by ethnic Arabs who are angry about discrimination
  • Iran: Leading Presidential Candidate Gets Important Endorsement RFE/RL 13 Jun 2005 -- Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who served as president for two terms from 1989-97, has emerged as the most popular candidate for the 17 June presidential election in several polls, and late last week he received the endorsement of the country's oldest political organization for clerics.
  • Iranian Authorities Look Into Bomb Blasts RFE/RL 13 Jun 2005 -- It is still unclear who was behind yesterday's bombings in Iran that killed at least 10 people and injured 75 more.
  • IAEA Board Set To Debate Iran's Nuclear Program, Other Issues VOA 12 Jun 2005 -- The International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors starts a closed session Monday to review Iran's nuclear program. The discussions are expected to last all week and also to extend to North Korea's program, as well as other items relating to nuclear proliferation and security.
  • Eight Reported Killed In Iranian Blasts RFERL 12 Jun 2005 -- Authorities say several bombs exploded today in Ahvaz, the provincial capital of Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province. Iranian state television said eight people were killed.
  • One Reported Killed In Tehran Bomb Blast RFERL 12 Jun 2005 -- Iranian officials say a bomb exploded in a busy square in the east of Tehran today, killing one person and injuring at least three others.
  • EU confirms Iran invited to Iraq conference IRNA 11 Jun 2005 -- The European Union has confirmed that both Iran and Syria have been invited to an international conference on Iraq to be held in Brussels on June 22.
  • Rowhani stresses Iran's peaceful nuclear right IRNA 08 Jun 2005 -- Iran's Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Hassan Rowhani here Tuesday stressed the Islamic Republic's legal right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
  • Experts call for transatlantic effort to promote democratic change in Iran VOA 09 Jun 2005 -- A panel of experts has told Congress the United States should work with Europe to try to achieve democratic change in Iran the same way it is working with its European allies to try to end Tehran's nuclear program.
  • Iran: New Worries Arise Over Military Involvement In Election RFE/RL 09 Jun 2005 -- Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said on 7 June that there was no doubt that there was military interference in the election process and this was "dangerous," IRNA reported.
  • Rice to Discuss New Term for IAEA Chief ElBaradei VOA 08 Jun 2005 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets today (Thursday) with International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei following news reports the Bush administration is dropping its opposition to a third term for the IAEA chief. Ms. Rice discussed Mr. ElBaradei's future and related issues, including Iran's nuclear program, Wednesday with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
  • Interview with Ahmadinejad IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, June 8 Nuclear energy is the scientific achievement of the Iranian nation. Our youth have crowned themselves with this achievement, via domestic technology and by reliance on their own knowledge. The energy belongs to the Iranian nation. Definitely, the progress of a nation can not be obstructed.
  • Iran: Reformist Campaigning Could Yield An Upset In Presidential Race RFE/RL 08 Jun 2005 -- The two reformist Iranian presidential candidates -- Mustafa Moin and Mohsen Mehralizadeh -- who were initially disqualified by the Guardians Council and then reinstated on the orders of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are campaigning in earnest.
  • Kuwaiti Speaker: Kuwait not worried about Iran's nuclear program IRNA 07 Jun 2005 -- Kuwait's Parliament Speaker Jassem Muhammad al-Kharafi said Iran's peaceful nuclear program was no source of concern for his country.
  • Iran: Clerics Face A Presidential Dilemma RFE/RL 07 Jun 2005 -- The Iranian constitution requires that the president be a "religious-political individual" (rejal-i mazhabi-siasi), but this does not mean the president must be a cleric.
  • RFE/RL Iran Report, Volume 8, Number 22 06 Jun 2005 -- SUPREME LEADER WARNS AGAINST POLITICAL DISCORD / GUARDIANS COUNCIL WANTS ELECTION LAW REWRITTEN / STUDENTS WONDER WHETHER THEY SHOULD VOTE / CLERICS FACE PRESIDENTIAL DILEMMA / HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI DESCRIBES PRESIDENTIAL PLATFORM / QALIBAF MAKES POPULIST APPEAL / LARIJANI CALLS FOR INDIGENOUS NUCLEAR CAPABILITY / REFORMIST CAMPAIGNING COULD YIELD AN UPSET / KARRUBI GETS PRO-REFORM GROUP'S BACKING / REJECTED CANDIDATES EXPRESS ANGER / AZERI IRREDENTIST CALLS FOR ELECTION BOYCOTT / COURT CLEARS CHRISTIAN EVANGELIST ON APOSTASY CHARGE / PARLIAMENT WANTS URANIUM ENRICHMENT TO RESUME / TEHRAN ACCUSES U.S. OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE / SWEDISH-IRANIAN VIRUS RESEARCH UNDER SCRUTINY / IRAN INCREASES MISSILE'S RANGE / DESPITE JAIL TIME, JOURNALIST REMAINS DEFIANT... / ...AND CALLS FOR ELECTION BOYCOTT IN RADIO FARDA INTERVIEW
  • Armed forces banned from electoral activities; says senior officer IRNA 05 Jun 2005 -- Brigadier General Alireza Afshar, deputy commander of the Armed Forces Main Headquarters (AFMH) for cultural affairs and defensive promotions, stressed here Sunday that no armed force will participate in executive and supervisory affairs of the upcoming elections.
  • Tehran raises conditional agreement to EU3 offer IRNA 05 Jun 2005 -- An Iranian official said Tehran has conditionally welcomed European offer for continued implementation of Paris agreement by end of July.
  • Iran: Tehran Invited To Join EU, U.S. At Iraqi Reconstruction Meeting RFE/RL 03 Jun 2005 -- Iran might join officials from the United States, European Union, and Iraq at a meeting later in June on Iraqi reconstruction. Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU Presidency, said yesterday that Tehran has been formally invited to attend the 22 June meeting in Brussels.
  • Iran: Students Wonder Whether They Should Vote RFE/RL 03 Jun 2005 -- As candidates for Iran's 17 June presidential election begin campaigning, some student activists are advocating an election boycott. This is not an irrelevant matter -- some two-thirds of Iran's population is under the age of 30 (46 million out of a total population of 69 million) and the voting age is 15.
  • Rice Hopes Iran Ready to Support Stable, Democratic Iraq VOA 02 Jun 2005 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who may meet Iranian representatives at a Brussels meeting on Iraq later this month, says she hopes Iran is ready to support stability and democracy in Iraq rather than interfering in its affairs. Ms. Rice discussed the upcoming meeting Thursday with European Union officials.
  • Iranian Dissident Journalist Calls For Election Boycott RFE/RL 02 Jun 2005 -- Akbar Ganji, Iran's most prominent investigative journalist, has called for a boycott of the 17 June presidential election in an exclusive interview with Radio Farda.



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