Adm Mullen: Iran Has Enough Uranium To Build A Bomb -- Iran Holding An NPR Reporter For Buying A Bottle Of Wine
Sun, 03/01/2009 - 19:00 | by uaniadmin<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->The NY Times reported that "The United States now believes that Iran has amassed enough uranium that with further purification could be used to build an atomic bomb, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared Sunday. The statement by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, went further than previous, official judgments of the Iranian nuclear threat, and it essentially confirmed a new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, which found that Iran had enough nuclear material for a bomb." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/washington/02military.html?hp)
The NY Times reported that "Iran has arrested an Iranian-American reporter who worked for National Public Radio and other news organizations out of Iran, her father told N.P.R. on Sunday. The father, Reza Saberi, said that his daughter, Roxana Saberi, 31, who has worked as a freelancer in Iran for six years, was arrested Jan. 31 by the authorities after buying a bottle of wine. He said she called Feb. 10 and told him that she was in custody but that she could be released soon." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/02/world/middleeast/02iran.html?ref=middleeast)
Reuters reported that "[Sec] Gates said there has been 'a continuing focus on how do you get the Iranians to walk away from a nuclear weapons program' in the Obama and Bush administrations. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration favors diplomatic engagement with Tehran to defuse the dispute over its nuclear intentions, but has called Iran's nuclear program an 'urgent problem' the international community must address. The challenge, Gates said, is finding a balance between sanctions to pressure Iran and incentives for engagement with the United States and Europe. A sharp decline in oil prices since last year increases the chances for a resolution. 'There are economic costs to this program; they (the Iranians) do face economic challenges at home.'" (http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE5201Y920090301?sp=true)
AP reported that "Iran's Foreign Ministry has dismissed concerns about how much fissile material Iran has by saying the country does not plan to develop a nuclear weapon. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi's comments Monday come a day after the top U.S. military official said Iran has sufficient material for a nuclear weapon." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jG7bnyWWJfgaYD-JwcqmImlpRujwD96LRC480)
Time Magazine reported that "America received what appeared to be mixed messages on Sunday about Iran's nuclear status from two of the nation's top defense officials.... The distinction drawn by Mullen and Gates cuts to the heart of the current nuclear standoff with Iran, and is critical to the urgency with which the issue is placed on the desk of President Barack Obama. The U.S. intelligence community - and the International Atomic Energy Agency - do not suspect that Iran is currently developing a nuclear weapon: they're concerned that Iran is developing the means to build a nuclear weapon, by using a legitimate nuclear-energy program to assemble the key elements of a weapons program." (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1882481,00.html?iid=tsmodule)
Reuters reported that "A new U.S. readiness to engage Iran could help resolve suspicions about its nuclear work but Tehran must do more to 'unblock this stalemated situation,' the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief said on Monday. Mohamed ElBaradei made the remarks in an address kicking off a week-long meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board of governors in Vienna, the first since U.S. President Barack Obama took office on January 20." (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5212JJ20090302)
Bloomberg reported that "a new battle is emerging [in Gaza] over who will rebuild the roads, buildings and water lines wrecked during Israel's offensive: Hamas, the militant Islamic movement that rules Gaza and is backed by Iran, or Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah group, which controls the West Bank and is favored by the U.S., Israel and pro-U.S. Arab countries including Egypt and Saudi Arabia." (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWwLRuJDiqB4&refer=home)
The UK Times reported that "is supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan with surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying a helicopter, according to American intelligence sources. They believe the Taliban wants to use the SA-14 Gremlins missiles to launch a "spectacular" attack against coalition forces in Helmand, where insurgents claim to be gaining the upper hand." (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5822094.ece)
AFP reported that "Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused Washington of planning a 'long-term stay' in Iraq after US President Barrack Obama said up to 50,000 combat troops will remain until 2011." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g7Sh6h_1nimJwgBTmBC-BMJtHCBg)
AFP reported that "The art advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged a visiting Hollywood delegation to apologise for "insults and slanders" about Iranians in films, the ISNA news agency reported on Saturday." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHQ2sN7dEw1agMd8xqxYkbL2TkbQ)
Join us on
Search