UANI

AP reported that "Iran's hard-line president criticized as 'disgraceful' a 2003 deal his predecessor reached with Europe to freeze the country's nuclear program, saying his own decision to stand up to the West restored Iran's dignity. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been touting Iran's nuclear achievements ahead of the June presidential election, hoping to offset criticism from his opponents that he has spent too much time slamming the West and not enough focused on the country's faltering economy." (http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/world/iraq/bal-te.briefs220may22,0,5391...)

AFP reported that "Iran's judiciary has charged an aide to Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi with 'propagating' against the nation's Islamic system, the official IRNA news agency reported on Friday." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifmGucOYBn4Xy3lkSBGjA...)

AFP reported that "The Canadian government expressed 'deep concern' Thursday over Iran's test-firing of a medium-range missile, saying it only served to fuel international mistrust of Tehran." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iL5o4DOWcUOK2bTSWspaF...)

AP reported that "An official says an American journalist who spent four months in an Iranian prison is on her way to the United States. Robert Hugins, public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Austria, says Roxana Saberi left Vienna Friday morning on a flight bound for Washington, D.C." (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i2b8TMq8ehrorIc49V0Z6O...)

Reuters reported that "Tehran and Islamabad started a fresh round of talks on Friday over a deal to export Iranian gas to Pakistan, Iran's students news agency ISNA reported." (http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-39812120090522)

Reuters reported that "Indonesia's largest telecommunications firm, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (TLKM.JK), said on Friday it was still interested in buying a stake in state-owned Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI)." (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSJAK276164200...)

Cal Thomas wrote in the Salt Lake Tribune that "President Obama invoked an end-of-the-year timeline for diplomacy with Iran to work. This would seem to give Iran a green light to pursue its nuclear bomb for the next seven months. At the end of December when we in the West learn that Iran has been stringing us along and using diplomacy as a delaying tactic, what then? Will it be Israel that bombs the nuclear sites, or will it be one or more of those Arab nations supposedly of one mind in opposition to a nuclear Iran?" (http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_12422567)

Con Coughlin wrote in the Telegraph that "Has President Obama inadvertently given Iran the green light to develop an atom bomb? I only ask because it appears to be the logical conclusion to be drawn from his announcement this week that he is giving Iran until the end of the year to decide whether or not to co-operate with the West over its controversial nuclear programme." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/concoughlin/5363486/Barack...)