Iran's FM questions UN resolution

Manouchehr Mottaki has urged major world powers to exercise restraint over a new UN resolution aimed at tightening sanctions against Iran.
The Iranian foreign minister said the timing of the request that the UN Security Council consider a new draft resolution was "strange".
Mr Mottaki was speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
He said the push for the new resolution looked like an exercise in influencing public opinion.

Mr Mottaki was no more encouraging on the prospects of improved relations with the United states.
"Definitely, if we see correction of their position, the reaction and the answer from the Iranian side also will be positive," he said. "But we do not see yet such positive and constructive approach from American side."
The Davos Economic Forum is often used by global leaders to lobby for international support.

Iran is still tring to get support of other supper powers to get to UN to not tightening sanctions against Iran. The Irannians only have Russia right now and are not expecting to gain suppport from the USA.

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Radioactive Cargo on Train to Iran Investigated

Authorities in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan are investigating why a train traveling from Kyrgyzstan to Iran was carrying radioactive cargo.
The amount of radioactive material was not enough to make a weapon.
But the Kyrgyz government says it still doesn't know how or when the material was placed on board the train. On Dec. 31, 2007, emergency workers gathered at Belovodskaya station in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to greet a train that was turned back after it set off radiation detectors in Uzbekistan en route to Iran.

Specialists pinpointed one car, which was emitting radiation at levels 1,000 times higher than normal.Emergency workers say the source lay in a pile of dirt and garbage beneath 50 tons of scrap metal.Kyrgyz newspapers report that this is the third time in three years authorities have intercepted trains leaving Kyrgyzstan with radioactive cargo.

In this case, Kyrgyz officials say the radioactive substance consisted of several grams of cesium-137, which is often used in medical and industrial instruments.
Alexander Melikishvili, of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, says that in powder form, cesium-137 could also be used to make a dirty bomb.
"From the perspective of a terrorist, the ideal device would entail cesium-137, with some sort of conventional explosive," he says.There wasn't enough cesium-137 aboard this train for a weapon, prompting some to conclude it accidentally got mixed in with the scrap metal.

At this time the last thing Iran needs is a threat of a bomb. Eventhough this may be a false alarm this hurts the ligitmacy of the Irannians at a time where they are finilizing work on a nuclear power plant.


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Iran's Interests in Afghanistan Questionable

KABUL (AFP) — The US ambassador questioned Wednesday Iranian policy towards Afghanistan, also saying there was no doubt insurgents here had received weapons from Iran.


William Wood, addressing Afghan MPs and diplomats, described the relationship between Afghanistan and its western neighbour as complicated.

"It is not clear to me what Iran's policy towards Afghanistan is.

"There are from time to time difficulties and certainly there is no question that elements of insurgency have received weapons from Iran," he said.

US and British officials have made similar allegations although some have said it is not clear if Tehran is directly involved in arming insurgents.

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U.S. ambassador William Wood states that Iran's relationship with Afghanistan is highly suspicious. Wood and others feel that Iran is providing insurgents with weapons. American disbelief in Iran's intentions will escalate conflict between the two countries.

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Iran claims nuclear power triumph

In his speech, Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran had overcome the bullying of the West and changed the political climate of the world.Mr Ahmadinejad invited the West to come forward and join Iran in building new nuclear power plants. Otherwise, he said that Iran would push ahead on its own.

"Don't come back to us in four years with new proposals", he said, "because by then it'll be too late."

Elsewhere in the speech he warned that those who supported Israel shared responsibility for genocide and would be put on trial.
To western leaders he warned "your mighty palaces will fall through the grace of God".

This article shows how Iran is going to continue with its nuclear program with or without the help of the Western world. Ahmadinejad also make a bold statement that :"your mighty palaces will fall through the grace of God." This could be considered a threat to the Westerners.

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Iran to limit execution in public

"The head of Iran's judiciary has issued an order that no executions be carried out in public without his permission.

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi also banned the publication of photographs or films of executions.

Human rights groups say Iran executed nearly 300 people in 2007 as it tries to improve security and reduce what it calls immoral behaviour.

Correspondents say it appears Ayatollah Shahrudi wants to lower the profile of executions as Iran has been widely criticised by Western countries and international organisations.

Capital offences in Iran include murder, rape, armed robbery, serious drug trafficking, apostasy, adultery and male homosexuality."

Western criticism has forced Iran to be careful about publicizing its executions for capital offenses. Steps toward being more cautious have been taken by Ayatollah Shahrudi. Shahrudi plans to not to allow any public executions without his permission with no filming or photography. This move by Shahrudi will help lower Iran's profile of executions.

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U.S. Will Not Back Down

US President George W Bush says the United States will not back down from Iranian-backed extremism in the Middle East.

In his annual State of the Union speech, Bush vowed to protect US interests and allies in the region against the Islamic state's growing influence.

Bush accused Iran of financing terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and vowed to continue isolating Iran until it complies with UN Security Council demands to halt uranium enrichment.

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Bush refuses to let up on the conflict with Iran. He accused Iran of "financing terrorist groups." Bush's accusation, whether accurate or not, will more than likely increase tension between the U.S. and Iran.

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Iran jails Bahai 'propagandists'

"Iran has sentenced three members of the Bahai faith to four years in jail for security offences and 51 others to suspended prison terms.

They were convicted for propaganda against the system in the southern city of Shiraz, a judiciary spokesman said, without giving details.

The spokesman said the 51 suspended sentences were conditional on attending courses by state propaganda officials.

Bahaism is a branch of Islam viewed as heresy by Iran's religious authorities.

Iran's constitution recognises only Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism as legitimate religions."

This article shows that Iran is not a tolerant country when it comes to religion. With so few accpted religions, Iran may not be a good place to live for people who worship the many other religions of the world.

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U.S. Warns Turkey of Iranian Banks

A U.S. Treasury Department official urged Turkey on Monday to be vigilant in its financial dealings with Iran, which Washington accuses of bankrolling terror and seeking nuclear missiles.

Stuart A. Levey, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, called on Turkey to scrutinize actions by three Turkish branches of Iran's state-owned Bank Mellat.

U.S. officials say Bank Mellat serves Iran's state Atomic Energy Organization, which they allege is attempting to build nuclear weapons.

"Iran uses its banks for its missile programs in particular," he said in reference to Iran's nuclear program.

Turkey's proximity to Iran, shared history and ties between their people make Turkey a place where "there is need for vigilance," Levey said.

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This article teaches that the lack of trust in Iran is spreading. Not only is the United States wary of the nuclear threat that Iran poses, but U.S. leaders are also warning other countries of this threat, thus leading to global skepticism of Iranian intentions.

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Russia tried

Russia said Wednesday that a new draft UN resolution on Iran's disputed nuclear program doesn't call for any harsh sanctions.
At the same time, the Iranian president said new measures would not deter Iran in its pursuit of nuclear technology. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana planned to meet with Iran's senior nuclear negotiator in talks that probably would address the new draft resolution as well as the standoff in general, European Union officials said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the draft encourages countries to be vigilant in their dealings with Iran to prevent the illegal transfer of nuclear material, but it does not foresee harsh sanctions.

"It calls for countries to be vigilant while maintaining trade and economic and transport and other ties with Iran so that they are not used for the transfer of forbidden nuclear material," he told a news conference."

Russia tried its best to keep Iran's nuclear program running. I believe Russia is only trying to keep Iran's program going because they have a big deal with shipping uranium to Iran. Also in December The two agreed to finish building the nuclear power plant in Bushehr,Iran.

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Israel to Boycott Iran

DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) — Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appealed to the global political and business elite gathered in Davos on Thursday to make the personal decision to pull out of Iran and isolate the Islamic republic.

"Iran is a global threat. And Iran can be stopped by you. You can make the change," Livni told the corporate chiefs and politicians attending the World Economic Forum...

Arguing that Iran's nuclear ambitions threatened "the entire global community," she appealed to the delegates' personal sense of responsibility.

Widely considered to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of its nuclear programme -- a charge that Tehran denies.

Israel considers the Islamic republic its arch-enemy following repeated calls by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for it to be wiped off the map.

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According to this article, Israel has decided to boycott Iran as a result of tension and distrust. Israel views Iran as a "global threat."

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UN Draft Resolution Tough on Iran

A draft U.N. Security Council resolution calls for tough penalties against Iran over its nuclear activities, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday, rejecting Russia's claim that the document did not include harsh sanctions.

Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, said there would be several weeks of debate before the 15-member Security Council votes on the resolution. But the council's five permanent members — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China — approved the draft Tuesday, and Burns said he was confident it would pass. Burns said he hoped the new resolution would demonstrate to Iran that the world was determined to enforce its policies.

"The Iranians have been kind of crowing publicly that the Security Council is not going to act, the Security Council is not unified, and I think they saw that the five leading members, the five permanent members, are united," he said. "Iran should now understand that it remains in isolation."

Burns said the U.S. intelligence report about Iran's suspending its weapons program did not change the fact that Iran is violating previous Security Council resolutions, which focus on processing uranium, not weapons production.

The Israeli and U.S. administrations agree Iran poses a serious threat to regional stability because of its nuclear program. Despite a recent U.S. intelligence report that Iran has suspended its nuclear weapons program, Israel believes Iran is still trying to acquire atomic bombs. Iran insists its intentions are peaceful.


Iran is finally getting punished for their nuclear program. Even though Iran still insists that their intentions are good the permanent members agreed that they needed to be punished. The Russians tryied to persuade the Other members that Iran ment no harm but just Russia is not enough.

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More tension between the U.S an Iran

The back-and-forth between Iran and the United States over an encounter between their naval forces intensified this week when Tehran rejected a message from Washington because it did not use the term "Persian Gulf," Iran's news agency said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry wouldn't acknowledge the message because it twice used the word Gulf instead of Persian Gulf when referring to the January 6 incident between U.S. warships and Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz, a ministry official told the state-run news agency, IRNA, on Wednesday

The United States sent the message to Iran via the Swiss Embassy four days after the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf where much of the region's oil shipping originates.

The United States contends its warships received a threatening radio transmission telling the U.S fleet they would "explode." The Pentagon released a four-minute, 20-second videotape that showed five boats racing back and forth near the convoy.
Iran, which also released video footage of the incident, maintains it was a routine communication. The Islamic republic accuses the United States of faking the video and exaggerating the matter for political purposes.

This is important because Iran is trying not communicate with the U.S. Many events have worked to contrributed from the insident in which five Iran ships tretened a U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf, to President Bush saying that Iran is threatening the security of the world, and that the United States and Arab allies must join together to confront the danger before it's too late.

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Iran denounces Bush's new accusations against Tehran

"Iran on Tuesday brushed off the new warnings from U.S. President George W. Bush, saying his words were nothing new, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The U.S. president's anti-Iran remarks lacked new points... unfortunately, Iranians have heard repetition of such baseless allegations over the past seven years and it is quite evident that the U.S. people and their representatives have got tired of listening to such allegations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying in a statement.

Bush is now in the last year of his presidency and "he has made no remarkable achievements during the two consecutive terms at domestic or international level," and "he is unlikely to make good on its failures and defeats through putting the blames on others in order to cover up its weaknesses," Hosseini added.

"We advise the U.S. president in the remaining time to heed concerns of the American people which could be the damaging economic recession, violation of human rights through adopting undemocratic commands, severe nervous breakdown from which the U.S. servicemen suffering owing to loss of their hope in occupation of Iraq," said the Iranian official.

Bush warned in his final State of the Union address on Monday night that the United States "will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf." '

This rebuttal from Tehran towards president Bush's warnings was aimed at undermining all of President Bush's accomplishments during his second term. The rebuttal basically stated that George Bush is an ineffective leader and has made little improvement in international relations.

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UN Iran sanctions draft 'agreed'

"A draft UN resolution on new sanctions against Iran will include curbs on trade and a travel ban for Iranian nuclear scientists, diplomats say.

Two sets of UN sanctions have already been imposed on Iran, to punish it for continuing to enrich uranium.

The proposed sanctions include restrictions on government backed trade with Iran, and also cargo controls to ensure countries are not selling anything to Iran which is on the banned list.

Previous sanctions on Iran included a ban on the sale of any material which might help Iran develop an atomic weapon, and a freeze on the financial assets of people and banks thought to be involved in Iran's nuclear work.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian energy, not military purposes.

But it continues to enrich uranium, a process which can lead to the development of a nuclear bomb."

These sanctions by the U.N. further its insecurity about Iran's uranium enrichment program. Though Iran says that it is using the uranium for energy, the U.N. speculates that Iran might have other intentions with the uranium; specifically the using of the material to produce a nuclear bomb.

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Iran receives Russian nuclear fuel

"TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran received a third shipment of nuclear fuel from Russia on Friday for a power plant being constructed in the southern port of Bushehr, state radio reported.

The 11-ton consignment arrived at the Bushehr power plant on Friday morning, and the remainder of the fuel will arrive in five separate shipments in coming months, the radio report said.


Iran received the first two shipments of nuclear fuel from Russia on December 17 and December 28 after months of dispute between the two countries, allegedly over delayed construction payments for the reactor.


Iran has said Bushehr, the country's first nuclear reactor, will begin operating in the summer of 2008, producing half its 1,000-megawatt capacity of electricity.

Tehran heralded the first shipment as a victory, saying it proved its nuclear program was peaceful, not a cover for weapons development as claimed by the U.S. and some of its allies.


The U.S. initially opposed Russian participation in building the Bushehr reactor and supplying it with fuel, but reversed its position about a year ago to obtain Moscow's support for the first set of U.N. sanctions against Iran.


The United States and Russia have said the supply of nuclear fuel meant Iran had no need to continue its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can provide fuel for a reactor or fissile material for a bomb. Iran has agreed with Russia to return the spent fuel to ensure it doesn't extract plutonium to build a bomb."


This move to import nuclear fuel for for electricity is going to pave the road for a more energy-efficient Iran. Although, the U.S. is conconcerned as to whether Iran will use the fuel to produce electricity or use the fuel to produce nuclear weapons. Also, the U.S. and Russia both agree that by importing nuclear fuel, Iran no longer needs to continue its uranium enrichment program; a program that the U.S. believes involves the production of bombs instead of fuel for a reactor.

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Iran blocks reformist candidates

"Reformists in Iran says the government has barred thousands of their candidates from standing in forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Most are opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The interior ministry's chief electoral officer said candidates could challenge their disqualification by legal means.

But reformists fear most candidates will not be able to re-enter the fray.

Committees from the interior ministry have been looking into the backgrounds of the 7,168 hopefuls by gathering information from the police, intelligence and the judiciary.

The reformists' coalition spokesman, Abdollah Naseri, said he was surprised by the numbers disqualified.

The coalition, inspired by former President Mohammad Khatami, is made up of 21 pro-reform groups, including Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) and Islamic Revolution Mojaheddin organisation (IMRO).

One of the main reformist parties said all but seven or eight of its 200 candidates had been barred.

"Conservatives are scared of a reformist victory because of the government's failed economic policies," Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former deputy interior minister, told AFP."

This article article shows President Ahmadinejad's insecurity about the effectiveness of his government. Because the government has not done its duties correctly Ahmadinejad is trying to remove all opposition especially from the reformist party which is trying gain power inorder to fix Iran's government.

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Petrochemical Revenue on the Rise

According to Iran Petrochemical Commercial Co. (IPCC), liquefied gas had the lion’s share among export-bound products in terms of weight as its volume stood at 1.879 million tons.

Based on predictions, the value of export-bound petrochemical goods will soar to five billion dollars by mid-March 2008.

Iran exported 6.48 million tons of petrochemical products from March 21 to Dec. 21.

The exports fetched the country 3.84 billion dollars...

Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), Assaluyeh, southern Iran, exported 3.058 million tons of petrochemical products to the world markets in the nine month period...

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As the article shows, countries worldwide depend on Iran to produce and export large amounts of oil and liquefied gas annually. The article also predicts that the money Iran earns from oil exports will continue to increase. It is predicted that annual revenue from the petrochemical industry will reach 8.3 billion dollars by mid-March 2008.

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Ahmadinejad scorns US and Israel

Mr. Ahmadinejad said Mr Bush had brought a "message of confrontation" during his tour, during which he warned Arab allies that Iran posed a threat. In an interview with al-Jazeera TV, the Iranian leader also said Israel "would not dare" attack Iran. He spoke as Israel announced it had test-fired a ballistic missile.

Reports in the Israeli media said the long-range missile was aimed at intercepting aerial threats against the Jewish state.

This shows how there is a conflict with Iran and Israel . This also shows that there is tension between the United States and Iran. In this time in Iran it seems they are making many enemy's.

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JERUSALEM (AP) — A court sentenced a major in Israel's army reserves to five years in prison Thursday for offering secret information to Iran and the Islamic militant group Hamas, according to court documents.
David Shamir, a psychiatrist, was convicted of contact with a foreign agent and possession of information with the intent of endangering state security. He never managed to deliver any secret information.

The three-judge panel of the Tel Aviv District Court wondered how anyone could undertake such a crime.............
Israeli law forbids contact with Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist group by Israel, the U.S. and Europe. Hamas is now in control of Gaza.

When Iran was caucht spying on another middle eastern country (Isreal) their external ligitimacy probaly went down . Anything lowering Iran's legitimacy would not be good expecualy at this time where they are being chalanged on thier production of atomic weapons.

War Between US and Iran?

Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Bush Thursday of sending "a message of confrontation" during his trip to the region. It was a sharp response to Bush's tough rhetoric that Iran remains a serious threat.


The war of words had eased a bit since late last year, when a U.S. intelligence report concluded Iran had halted a nuclear weapons program four years ago. But Bush went out of his way while visiting Gulf countries to reiterate that "all options" against Iran remain on the table.


Pointedly, he also warned of "serious consequences" if Iran attacked a U.S. ship in the Gulf, even if it had not been ordered by the Tehran government but was the result of a rash decision by an Iranian boat captain.


Adm. William J. Fallon, the top U.S. military commander in the Mideast, told The Associated Press last week that Iran runs the risk of triggering an unintended conflict if its boats continue to harass U.S. warships in the strategic Gulf.


Key details of the Jan. 6 incident — when five small Iranian boats swarmed three U.S. warships in the Gulf's narrow Strait of Hormuz — remain unclear, including the source of an accented voice heard warning in English: "I am coming to you ... You will explode after ... minutes."

Verbal conflicts between President Bush and President Ahmadinejad could possibly ignite a war between the U.S. and Iran. The recent Gulf incident, in which "five small Iranian boats swarmed three U.S. warships...", and Bush's latest warnings to Iran have several people believing that a disagreement could grow into "a real fight."

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Iran Develops Missiles at Increased Rate

The head of the United States' missile defense program sought Wednesday to bolster Washington's argument for anti-missile sites in Europe by warning that Iran has sped up development of long-range missiles.


Facing tough opposition from Russia and increased skepticism from Poland, where the U.S. wants to place part of the missile defense system, U.S. officials are trying to convince the Europeans that program is crucial to guarding against an emerging threat from Iran.


They are developing missiles today in an
accelerated pace," Lt. Gen. Henry Obering said at the Foreign Ministry in the Czech Republic, one of the two European sites Washington has in mind.

Iran recently announced that it has manufactured a new missile — the Ashoura —with a range of 1,200 miles, capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East.

The United States' missile defense program, in fear of Iran's most recent developments, is arguing for European anti-missile sights. This article provides yet another example of the hostility that exists between Iran and the United States; due to the increasing tension, the U.S. is now trying to involve European countries in the strict surveillance of Iran.

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Turkmenistan warns Iran over gas

"Turkmenistan has insisted it cut gas to Iran 12 days ago because of a technical fault with the export pipeline and Iran's failure to pay for supplies.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that Turkmenistan had hampered his country's ability to cope with the recent severe cold and heavy snow that has caused at least 28 deaths, including eight from the cold.

In a statement, the Turkmen foreign ministry reiterated that natural gas shipments to Iran had been suspended since 1 January because of the need to perform repairs on the 200km (125 mile) export pipeline.

Earlier on Sunday, the Iranian state-owned Press TV station had reported that one of the reasons for the cut was a dispute between the two countries on the price of gas.

It said Turkmenistan had proposed almost doubling the price agreed last year, from $75 (£38) per 1,000 cubic metres of gas to $140 (£71) per 1,000 cubic metres.

Despite its massive oil and gas reserves, Iran imports about 5% of its natural gas supply from Turkmenistan.

The Iranian Oil Minister, Gholamhossein Nozari, told the Fars news agency that Tehran would not discuss prices until Turkmenistan resumed its gas supplies."

This move by Iran will not be detrimental for its economy since it only imports 5% of its natural gas. Though doubling gas prices might be detrimental for Turkmenistan. Even though a customer like Iran imports so little gas, other countries that receive large amounts gas from Turkmenistan might not be able to purchase the gas anymore with such high prices.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7186402.stm

Iran and Egypt

TEHRAN (IRAN) -- The Islamic world has pinned hope on Iran and Egypt as two major Muslim states that can restore dignity of the Islamic Ummah, Majlis speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said on Tuesday.


The speaker made the remarks in a meeting with head of the Egypt’s interest section in Tehran, Amr al-Zyat.

“As two ancient countries enjoying rich history and civilization, Iran and Egypt are major pioneers of seeking freedom,” the speaker said referring to the latest developments in Tehran-Cairo relations.

Al-Zyat expressed hope that participation of powerful Muslim states including Iran in the meeting would help resolve problems facing the world Islamic nations.

Referring to the growing trend of Tehran-Cairo relations in recent months, the diplomat said that exchange of delegations between the two capitals as well as the upcoming visit to Egypt of the Iranian Majlis speaker will pave the way for a bright future for mutual ties.

Iran and Egypt currently have interest sections in their respective countries after Tehran cut ties with Cairo in 1980 in protest to Cairo’s recognition of Israel.

The two countries are now set up to reestablish diplomatic ties.


This article shows how Iran and Egypt have the common goal of restoring belief in the Islamic religion. Iran seems to want to restor legitimacy in its national religion.

High Oil Prices

In a stern warning to Iran days after a January 6 confrontation with U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, Bush put Tehran on notice that it needs to be careful. The president said it would not matter to him whether an attack against an American vessel resulted from an order by the government in Iran or a rash decision by an Iranian boat captain.





"It's not going to matter to me one way or another," Bush said. If the Iranians hit a U.S. ship, "there are going to be serious consequences," he said.






U.S. officials claim Iranian speedboats swarmed three Navy warships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that is the only entry and exit to the Persian Gulf. They said U.S. Navy commanders were considering firing warning shots, before the retreat of the five Iranian speedboats, which the Pentagon said were operated by the elite Revolutionary Guards.

This article is important because it discusses the rising tension between the United States and Iran concerning oil. Oil prices have risen to $100 per barrel, and the United States is "feeling the pain" of the price increase. The incident in the Persian Gulf further escalated the tension.

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Ahmadinejad scorns US and Israel

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accused US President George W Bush of "sowing the seeds of division" during his recent Middle East visit.

Israel says Tehran could have a nuclear bomb by 2010 and has warned an Iranian nuclear weapon would threaten the Jewish state's existence.

Mr Bush told Gulf state leaders during his eight-day tour, which also took in Israel and the West Bank, that Iran was the world's top sponsor of terrorism.

But Mr Ahmadinejad hit back on al-Jazeera, saying: "President George Bush sent a message... of rift, a message of sowing the seeds of division. It is a message of confrontation."

Israel, the US and key allies accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons but Tehran says it is enriching uranium to generate electricity.

This article is another example of Western skepticism over Iran's nuclear program. Even though Iran says that it will use uranium to generate electricity, the U.S. and Israel are fearful that Iran might produce nuclear weapons by the year 2010. President Ahmadinejad belives that the skepticism has been caused by President Bush's visit to the Middle East and his move to label Iran as the "world's top sponsor of terrorism."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7195240.stm

Iran nuclear answers 'in a month'

"Iran has agreed to clarify all outstanding questions over its past nuclear activities within a month, the UN nuclear watchdog has announced.

Western countries fear Iran is refusing to suspend uranium enrichment because it wants to produce a nuclear weapon.

Tehran denies this, insisting the programme is solely to generate electricity.

The announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) came after Mohamed ElBaradei's two-day visit to Iran, during which he met top officials including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The deputy head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Mohammed Saeedi, said his country would "respond within the space of four weeks to the remaining questions so that the IAEA can make a transparent report on the Iranian nuclear programme."

This article discusses Iran's openness about its nuclear program's intentions. Even though Iran is going to clarify all questions about its nuclear activites, Western countries still fear Iran's enrichment of uranium; fearing that it may be used to create weapons of mass destruction. Nonetheless, Iran's willingness to answer questions about its nuclear program, brings Western countries a step closer to discovering Iran's true nuclear intentions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7185985.stm