Iran

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Ayatollah: Aide Has 'Bewitched' Ahmadinejad

Cleric says president's 'unnatural' behavior is due to spells, charms

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad’s feud with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei isn't his fault: He’s under a magic spell. At least, that’s the theory one influential cleric is peddling. In an interview with an Iranian magazine, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a former Ahmadinejad supporter, says he believes...

Gunmen Kill Saudi Diplomat in Pakistan

Karachi shooting tied to recent grenade attack on consulate

(Newser) - Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan's largest city today, just days after two hand grenades were tossed at the Saudi consulate, police in Karachi said. The diplomat, who was a member of the security staff at the consulate, was...

North Korea, Iran Swapping Missile Tech: UN Report

Report angers China for claims it helps facilitate illegal transfers

(Newser) - Iran and North Korea have been illegally swapping missile technology, apparently with the help of China, according to a confidential UN report acquired by Reuters yesterday. It found that "p rohibited ballistic missile-related item" are suspected of being transferred via Air Koryo or Iran Air flights; North Korea prefers...

Iran Postpones Court-Ordered Blinding

Acid attacker sentenced to have acid dropped in eyes

(Newser) - Iran has postponed a literal eye-for-an-eye punishment it was due to carry out today. A court had ordered a man who threw a bucket of acid in the face of a woman who refused to marry him to have acid dropped in both eyes. Human rights groups including Amnesty International...

UN: Iran Skirting Nuke Sanctions

But they are at least slowing it down

(Newser) - International sanctions have managed to slow down Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but that’s about it, according to a new UN report obtained by the AP . “Iran’s circumvention of sanctions across all areas … is willful and continuing,” the report concludes. The regime has...

Final Tests Under Way at Iran's Nuclear Power Plant

Bushehr expected to generate electricity in the next two months

(Newser) - Iran's first nuclear power plant is expected to begin generating electricity within two months, according to Iranian media. Final tests are being conducted at the Russian-built Bushehr complex, following a series of missed deadlines, Reuters reports. After fuel was first loaded into Bushehr last August, officials predicted the plant...

Ahmadinejad Allies Busted for Sorcery

Genies, 'Hidden Imam,' and US outreach raising tensions in Iran

(Newser) - The power struggle between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is getting more intense—and a lot weirder. Several people close to Ahmadinejad and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being magicians and summoning genies, reports...

US Hiker Suffering PTSD, Depression

Sarah Shourd won't return to Iran for trial

(Newser) - The hiker Iran released last fall says she won't be returning to stand trial for espionage with her two companions. Sarah Shourd is due in court May 11, along with her fiance Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal, who have both been in a Tehran prison for 21 months....

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Is AWOL From Job

He's in a power tiff with Iran's supreme leader

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is waging a personal strike of sorts. He hasn't been in his office, on TV, or at a Cabinet meeting for more than a week, reports AFP . The reason is a tense feud with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—one that doesn't bode well for Ahmadinejad'...

Egypt Bolsters Relations With Iran, Hamas

Government will end Gaza blockade

(Newser) - As Egypt regroups after Hosni Mubarak’s exit, it is realigning its diplomatic ties: Officials plan to end the Gaza border blockade and forge closer ties with Iran and Hamas. As elections approach, officials say they’re working toward policies that better fit public opinion; meanwhile, they hope to regain...

Iran Pushing to Ban Dogs as Pets

It could soon be illegal to keep 'impure' animals as pets

(Newser) - Dogs are unclean in the eyes of Islam, but man's best friend in Iran has until now avoided being outlawed. That could all change if a new bill recently proposed in parliament passes: It would make "the walking and keeping" of "impure and dangerous animals" illegal, subjecting...

Secret Hand in Syria Crackdown: Iran

And it may soon help protesters in Bahrain, Yemen

(Newser) - Iran has a hand in the revolutions currently sweeping the rest of the Arab world. In Syria, Iran is secretly assisting President Bashar al-Assad to quell the pro-democracy demonstrations, US officials say. But in Bahrain and Yemen, Iran is looking to aid Shiite protesters, thus destabilizing the countries—both US...

Biden's Old 'Impeach Bush' Speech Turned Against Him

... and toward his new boss

(Newser) - Churn through enough news sites today, and you're bound to come across a 2007 clip of Joe Biden promising to lead an impeachment of President Bush if he attacks Iran without getting the approval of Congress, notes Mediaite . It's leading to charges of Libya hypocrisy along these lines from Ed...

Bahrain: Foreign Plot Has Failed

Manama, Tehran trade diplomatic expulsions

(Newser) - Following an aggressive crackdown on protesters last week, Bahrain’s king has announced the “failure” of a foreign plot against his country, and thanked Sunni allies for sending troops into Bahrain. “An external plot has been fomented for 20 to 30 years until the ground was ripe for...

Muhammad Ali to Iran: Free the Hikers!

Says he's willing to make a trip there to secure their release

(Newser) - Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer have an intriguing ally in their corner: Muhammad Ali. The Greatest quietly sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last month asking him to release the captive American hikers, and now he's going public with it. "Please show the world the compassion I know...

Years After Vanishing in Iran, Proof Florida Man Is Alive

Robert Levinson has been missing for 4 years

(Newser) - This much we know: A 63-year-old retired FBI agent from Florida who disappeared in Iran four years ago is still alive, reports AP . Beyond that, it's a guessing game. It's still uncertain who is holding Robert Levinson, or where, or even why. The best guess is that Iranian government agents...

Iran Willing to 'Slaughter' Rebels: Defector

Regime would be brutal in efforts to hold onto power: former vice consul

(Newser) - Iranians have been inspired by the successful revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, but a diplomat who defected last month warns that Iran's regime is a much more brutal one. Iran would "slaughter" rebels rather than cede control, says Ahmed Maleki, who served as vice consul in Iran's Milan consulate...

Iran Threatens Olympic Boycott Over 'Racist' Logo

2012 logo spells out 'Zion,' Iranians complain

(Newser) - When the logo for London's 2012 Olympics was unveiled a few years ago, its many critics said it looked like anything from a swastika to a Simpsons character performing a sexual act. Iran has now joined them, saying the jagged logo looks like the word "Zion" and threatening to...

Iran Jails Opposition Leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karoubi
 Iran Reportedly Jails Mousavi 
Feb 28, 2011 3:02 PM CST

Iran Reportedly Jails Mousavi

Tehran formally detains opposition leaders, wives

(Newser) - Iran is cracking down on its opposition today, jailing prominent leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, reports the AP. The pair and their wives were arrested and taken to Tehran's Heshmatiyeh jail, according to reformist website Kaleme.com. The two have been under house arrest for two weeks for...

Iran Sending Warships Through Suez Canal

Israel views first passage since '79 as provocation

(Newser) - Iran is sending warships through the Suez Canal for the first time since its Islamic revolution in 1979. Passage for the two ships, which are believed to be bound for a training session in Syria, was approved by the Egyptian military, USA Today reports. Sources in Egypt say the ships...

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