Tag Archive for Iran

| March 20, 2012
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Israelis reach out to Iranians on Facebook

One Iranian writes: “We are 2 civilizations with more than 2,500 years of friendship. Why should I hate Israel?”

Man holding Israeli flag sends message to Iran

Israelis send Iranians messages of peace (Facebook)

With the war drums between Israel and Iran beating at a fevered pace, an Israeli couple has launched an online campaign with the hope of reaching out on a personal level to the people of Iran.

Israelis send Iranians messages of peace (Facebook)

Israelis send Iranians messages of peace (Facebook)

Ronny Edry, 41, said that he and his partner Michal Tamir, 35, both graduates of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, created the poster campaign last Thursday on something of a lark, with no idea that within days it would take on a life of its own.

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Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 18, 2012
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Iran rebukes Azeri envoy over terror plot

Azeri ambassador summoned to Iranian Foreign Ministry following arrest of 22 suspects allegedly connected to Revolutionary Guards: ‘Zionist agents attempt to incriminate Iran’

Azeri Ambassador to Iran, Avanshir Akhundov, was summoned to Iranian Foreign Ministry offices on Saturday for a reprimand over the Azeris’ arrest of 22 people allegedly hired by Iran to carry out terrorist attacks against US and Israeli embassies. The suspects were trained in Iran by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, an Azeri announcement said.

According to a report by Iran’s IRNA news agency, it was suggested in the meeting that agents of the Zionist regime were trying to incriminate Iranians. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 17, 2012
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Fatah accuses Iran of trying to block Palestinian unity

Following Hamas visits to Iran, Fatah says the Islamic Republic is paying Hamas leaders in Gaza to block reconciliation efforts; attempts to implement unity agreement at an impasse.

Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh arrives in Tehran - Photo By REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh arrives in Tehran - Photo By REUTERS/Mortez

Iran is funding some Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip to encourage them to thwart efforts to achieve reconciliation with Fatah, Azzam al-Ahmed, member of the Fatah Central Committee, said Saturday.

Ahmed’s charges came in response to the visit of two top Hamas leaders, Mahmoud Zahar and Ismail Haniyeh, to Iran in the past few weeks.

“Iran does not want the Palestinians to end their divisions,” Ahmed told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Mustaqbal. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| March 15, 2012
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Speaking during tour of southern Lebanon, Ahmadinejad’s press adviser says possible Iranian counterstrike would reach beyond ‘Zionist regime,’ include U.S. bases.

 

Israel is too weak to fulfill its threats against Iran, an adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a visit to southern Lebanon on Wednesday, adding that Iran’s counter attack in case of an assault against it would include U.S. targets.

iran missile - AP - April 18 2011

A Yasser missile is displayed during Iranian army parade, marking national Army Day, in front of the mausoleum of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khamenei near Tehran, Iran, April 18, 2011. Photo by AP

The Iranian official’s remarks came after, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an apparent reference to the possibility of an attack of Iran’s nuclear facilities, said that Israel didn’t always heed to U.S.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 14, 2012
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Report: Iran officials told Assad to focus on Israel to divert attention from Syria crisis

Emails said to have been intercepted by Syria opposition and released by the Guardian show advisers indicated Syrian President should verbally attack Israel, center on Palestinian cause in a planned speech.

Syrian President Bashar Assad was advised by Iranian officials to divert attention toward Israel and the Palestinian cause in an effort to deflect criticism of his brutal crackdown, emails said to have been intercepted by Syrian opposition and released by the U.K.’s the Guardian indicated on Wednesday.

Bashar Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Syria President Bashar Assad and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Photo: AP

According to the Guardian, the messages were said to have been intercepted by the opposition’s Supreme Council of the Revolution between June of 2011 and February 2012, and include missives from Assad’s private account as well as that belonging to his wife, Asma.

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| March 14, 2012
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Azerbaijan arrests 22 suspects in plot to attack Israeli, U.S. targets

Azerbaijan’s national security ministry says Iran’s Revolutionary Guards is behind plot to carry out attacks against Israeli, U.S. embassies in Baku.

Azerbaijan authorities have arrested 22 people suspected of plotting to attack the Israeli and American embassies in the capital Baku, AFP reported on Wednesday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was reportedly behind the plan to attack Israeli and U.S. targets in the country, according to Azerbaijan’s national security ministry.

A month ago, the national security ministry said it had arrested several activists belonging to the Iranian intelligence service and Hezbollah. The operatives were suspected of planning terrorist attacks against foreigners in Baku.

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Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 11, 2012
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Iran: Israel’s Gaza raids ‘war crimes’

Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry urges rights groups to condemn Israel’s ‘abhorrent violation of human rights’

 

Iran on Sunday called Israel’s deadly air strikes on Gaza “war crimes” against “the defenseless Palestinian people,” calling for an international outcry against the attacks.

“Iran strongly condemns the savage crimes of the Zionist regime against the innocent and defenseless Palestinian people in Gaza,” the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran's Ahmadinejad Photo: AFP

Iran's Ahmadinejad - Photo: AFP

“The recent, repeated aggressions and invasions… are condemned as war crimes and inhumane,” it said.

International organizations and rights groups should speak out “about this abhorrent violation of human rights,” it added. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 10, 2012
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U.S. senator calls for naval blockade of Iran

Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee says blockade should precede military action, in bid to pressure Iran to cease its drive for nuclear weapons.

An international naval blockade of Iranian oil exports should be considered before any resort to air strikes against the country’s disputed nuclear program, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Friday.

Iran Navy Jan. 3, 2012 (Reuters)

Iranian naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, Jan. 3, 2012. - Photo by: Reuters

“That’s, I think, one option that needs to be considered” to boost pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear program in line with UN Security Council resolutions, Democratic Senator Carl Levin said in an interview taped for C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. Continue Reading »

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| March 8, 2012
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Senior Hamas Leader Undecided on Attacking Israel Over Iran

Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar sends different signals when asked whether Hamas will attack Israel if it attacks Iran.

 

A senior leader in the Hamas terrorist organization sent two different signals on Wednesday, when he was asked whether the group would attack Israel if it launches a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

First, Mahmoud al-Zahar denied the group would get involved and told the BBC, “We are not part of any political axis. If Israel attacks us we will respond. If they don’t, we will not get involved in any other regional conflict.”

Mahmoud al-Zahar

Mahmoud al-Zahar - Photo by Reuters

He also questioned Hamas’ ability to offer support to Iran from Gaza, if it wanted to. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 7, 2012
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Israel, Kurdish fighters destroyed Iran nuclear facility, email released by WikiLeaks claims

In exchange released by website, worker at Stratfor intelligence firm doubts validity of a source claiming an Israeli ground force had already wiped out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

The mega-leaks website, WikiLeaks, has partnered with the hackers cooperative Anonymous, to publish internal emails of the American strategic intelligence company Stratfor. In one of the hacked emails, Stratfor officials discuss information obtained from one of their sources who reports that Israeli commandos, in cooperation with Kurdish fighters, have destroyed Iranian nuclear installations.

WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, will hold a press conference today in London where he plans to reveal new details from the Stratfor emails, including details on the company’s dealings with the American government and major corporations, and its network of paid sources.

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Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| March 7, 2012
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Rare Video of Israeli Rabbi in Iran

A rare video shows last year’s visit to the tomb of Queen Esther and Mordechai in Iran. Tehran airport officials asked him, “Pray for us.”

Rabbi Yisroel Gabbai’s self-appointed mission is saving Jewish graves all over the world. A rare video shows his visit last year to Iran and the tomb of Queen Esther and Mordechai, the central Jewish figures iin the story of Purim, which Jews celebrate this week.

A member of the Breslov stream of Chassidism and now living in Israel, Rabbi Gabbai travels with a passport from France, where he was born and married. He has visited Gaza and Lebanon during wars and also has been to Damascus. Continue Reading »

Category: Jewish News, Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 7, 2012
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Gingrich Vows to Replace Iran’s Regime

GOP contender Newt Gingrich all but declared war on Iran’s Mullahs during the AIPAC conference saying he would do away with their regime.

GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich sought to upstage his fellow Republican contenders on Tuesday by saying he would “undermine and replace the Iranian dictatorship.”

Gingrich made his pledge at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on Tuesday, where would-be Republican presidential candidates are seeking to score Jewish votes.

Newt Gingirch

Newt Gingirch - photo by Reuter

“[I will] undermine and replace the Iranian dictatorship by every available method short of war,” Gingrich said via satellite to AIPAC attendees. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 7, 2012
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Obama: There’ll be a price to pay for premature Iran strike

There will be consequences for both US and Israel for such a move, the US president says, warns against “casualness” of talk by American politicians “beating the drums of war.”

 

WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday that there would be consequences for the United States as well as Israel if a premature strike is launched on Iran.

“This is not just an issue of Israeli interests. This is an issue of American interests,” he said at a last-minute press conference. “It’s also not just an issue of consequences for Israel if action is taken prematurely. There are consequences for the United States as well.” Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| March 4, 2012
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Obama: All options remain on the table to prevent a nuclear Iran

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses AIPAC conference in Washington; staunchly defends his administration’s record on Israel, citing strong security and diplomatic assistance.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday that the entire world has an interest in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and that all options remain on the table to keep Iran from going nuclear.

Barack Obama March 4, 2012 (AFP)

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses AIPAC conference in Washington, March 4, 2012. Photo by: AFP

“We all prefer to resolve this issue diplomatically,” Obama said in an address at the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC’s policy conference in Washington. “Having said that, Iran’s leaders should have no doubt about the resolve of the United States, just as they should not doubt Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs.

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Category: Israel News, Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| March 4, 2012
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Assad Threatens Israel With Missiles if Syria is Attacked

Report: Assad has ordered his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered the heads of his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria, a Jordanian news website reported on Saturday.

According to the site, Our Country’s News, Assad gave the order in a secret meeting with the heads of the Syrian army last Thursday, in light of his fear of a U.S. military strike in Syria.

The report said that Assad ordered that if any military action is started against Syria, the Syrian army should respond by firing missiles in Israel, with a particular emphasis on Israeli military airports. Continue Reading »

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