Front-page Iran

Iran may speak with America about Iraq

Ali Larijani said today that Iran is willing to talk with the U.S. about Iraq, but only if they were about Iraq and nothing else. Larijani also stated this point during a meeting at the Iranian parliament. The statement was due impart of Washington's longing for talks with Iran. Iraqi Shiite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim has pushed America to talk to Iran. Scott McClellan, a white house spokesman, said today, "Our ambassador is authorized to talk with leaders in Iran, but it's to reiterate to them and express our concerns that we have about their involvement inside Iraq." McClellan said Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, would have "a very narrow mandate dealing specifically with issues relating to Iraq" and would not be discussing such other matters as U.S. differences with Iran over its nuclear program. "That's a separate issue from this," he said. Concerns that Iran is trying to use a civilian nuclear power program to secretly develop nuclear weapons have prompted the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council.
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Hint, Hint

Bush reaffirmed his first strike policy, against terrorist and U.S. enemies, today. "The president's strategy affirms that the doctrine of pre-emption remains sound and must remain an integral part of our national security strategy. We do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur, even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack," said Stephen Hadley, the president's national security adviser. The report also spoke about North Korea's Nuclear problem, democratic reform in Russia, Syria's terrorism and China's censorship of human rights. "China's leaders must realize, however, that they cannot stay on this peaceful path while holding on to old ways of thinking and acting that exacerbate concerns throughout the region and the world," wrote Bush. On Iran Bush said "This diplomatic effort must succeed if confrontation is to be avoided."
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Possible Strike in a Month

America warned, through a secret channel that it would strike Iran in a month, after Iran is refereed to the UN Security Council, according to a Persian-language website run by associates of the former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami.
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1000 Arrests

1000 people were arrested in Tehran during Tuesday nightÂ’s annual fire festival. These people were "creating disorder and disruption". Any people that repented in writing were released, all others would be held until the end of the Persian New year period. Also any people caught giving out fireworks, would be kept in prison from 3 to 10 years, this is because the festival is justbarelyy tolerated by Iran, for it's "un-Islamicc".
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