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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 3:03
Sunrise: 4:49
Noon: 12:03
Evening: 19:39
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Weather Guide
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TUE |
WED |
Tehran: |
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High: |
30oC |
31oC |
Low: |
21oC |
21oC |
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Athens |
27 |
28 |
Ankara |
29 |
27 |
Paris |
21 |
22 |
New Delhi |
37 |
40 |
Rome |
19 |
21 |
Riyadh |
43 |
42 |
Frankfurt |
16 |
17 |
Cairo |
36 |
35 |
Kuwait City |
43 |
43 |
Karachi |
32 |
33 |
Copenhagen |
16 |
17 |
London |
21 |
23 |
Moscow |
16 |
17 |
Madrid |
33 |
35 |
Vienna |
17 |
18 |
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Identification
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Published by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Address:
Iran Cultural & Press Institute, #212 Khorramshahr Avenue Tehran/Iran
Managing Director: Mohammad T. Roghaniha
Executive Editor: Amin Sabooni
Editorial Dept. Tel: 88755761-2
Editorial Dept. Fax: 88761869
Advertising Dept. Tel: 88501499, 88737250
Internet Address:
www.iran-daily.com
E-mail Address:
iran-daily@iran-daily.com
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Bush Regime Cannot Talk of Human Rights
President: Legal Issues Beyond Negotiations
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Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei (inset) addresses a large gathering at Imam KhomeiniÕs Mausoleum in Tehran, June 4. (Mehr Photo)
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TEHRAN, June 5--Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday the American claims of promoting human rights and opposing terrorism, with a dark track record including Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib prisons and Haditha and other crimes, are baseless.
Addressing a public gathering at Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum, the leader referred to the US boasts about ensuring the Persian Gulf’s energy security and said, “If the Americans make a mistake about Iran, the region’s energy security would be seriously disrupted and the US won’t be able to do anything about it.“
Ayatollah Khamenei outlined Iran’s stances regarding global developments, including the nuclear impasse.
“The united nation of Iran will secure a global status in light of the invaluable assets left behind by the Imam as a legacy. In this glorious process, the nation will not allow anybody to pose the least threat against the Iranian national interests,“ he said.
The leader noted that the Zionist-controlled western media is claiming that the US has forged global consensus against Iran and alleges that Iran is threatening global security and making the atomic bomb.
“The claim that an anti-Iran consensus exists is a blatant lie by the US and a few other countries, because 116 Non-Alignment Movement member-states have voiced support for Iran’s gallant move in gaining access to peaceful nuclear technology. Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Conference and independent countries as well as countries pressured by America also endorse this move. Many countries whole-heartedly back Iran’s nuclear cause and the consensus of a few hegemonic powers is of no value,“ he said.
Describing Iran’s relations with other countries as cordial, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Iran does not pose any threat to other countries, including its neighbors, and shares the same stance with Arab countries regarding the most important Islamic-Arabic issue of concern, namely Palestine.“
The leader reiterated that Iran does not need the atomic bomb and is not seeking hegemony over the world like the US.
“We do not want to impose unwanted costs on our nation and using the atomic bomb contradicts Islamic teachings,“ he said.
Speaking at the same gathering, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the Iranian nation has decided to follow the path of Imam Khomeini, which comprises monotheism, glory and dignity.
“The world must realize that we have pledged allegiance to our Imam and will continue on his glorious path,“ he said.
Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran legally has the right to access nuclear fuel cycle and does not hold negotiations with anybody regarding its legal rights.
“It would be like allowing others to negotiate with us about our independence. We will never hold talks with anybody about our independence É However, we welcome fair and just negotiations,“ he said.
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50 Abducted In Baghdad
11 Students
Gunned Down
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
June 5--Gunmen wearing commando uniforms snatched at least 50 people from travel agencies in central Baghdad on Monday in an apparent kidnapping as 11 students were shot dead elsewhere in the capital.
The commander of the police commandos in Baghdad, Major General Rashid Fulayah, strongly contradicted earlier reports that the operation was officially sanctioned, AFP reported.
“The ministry of interior has nothing to do with this arrest and especially not the commando forces and the forces of public order brigades who are not authorized to do such operations,“ Major General Rashid Fulayah told AFP.
Two Syrians were among those taken.
“They took people away randomly,“ said one store owner on Salhiya street, convinced it was criminal elements. “They grabbed a father and his two children but left the mother on the street shouting.“
The raid took about ten minutes and the police who came afterwards to investigate professed no knowledge of the operation.
The confusion over whether the raid was officially sanctioned or a criminal operation is a reflection of the widespread suspicion people in Baghdad have of security forces, some of whom are believed to be infiltrated by militias.
A number of other violent operations have been carried out by people in uniforms, which can be easily purchased in the city’s markets.
In separate violence, at least 26 people died in Iraq on Monday, including 15 in Baghdad alone, while more than 80 people died in the previous two days around the country.
Eleven students were killed in southern Baghdad when gunmen in two cars stopped their bus and riddled it with bullets, said an official with the defense ministry.
The attack took place in the southern neighborhood of Dura, scene of numerous attacks. The students were returning from a local technical college when they were attacked.
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Forex Reserves
Over $13b
Unemployment
Near 12%
TEHRAN, June 5--Iran’s foreign exchange reserves during the last Iranian year (ended March 20) increased to $13.57 billion, Fars News Agency quoted Central Bank of Iran’s (CBI) Office for Economic Studies as reporting.
Based on the report, Iran’s forex reserves reached $10.51 billion during the first nine months of last year, increasing by $5.27 billion in the first half of the same year and by $2.85 billion during the first quarter of the year.
CBI also announced that the official unemployment rate at the end of last year stood at 12.1 percent.
The report added that the country’s population at the end of last year was 68.6 million people--some 45.9 million pertain to urban population and the rest to rural population.
The population growth rate last year was 1.4 percent and population density was 41.6 people in every square kilometer.
CBI also announced that Iran’s trade balance reached $19.43 billion last year, marking a 236-percent increase compared to the previous year ($5.653 billion).
Based on the report, Iran’s trade balance reached $16.186 billion during the first nine months of the last year, $9.57 billion during the first half of the same year and $4.24 billion during the first quarter of the year.
Last year some $40.96 billion worth of products were imported while some $60.01 billion worth of products were exported. Of the exports figure, some $48.82 billion pertains to the oil and gas sector and $11.18 billion pertains to non-oil products.
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Serbia Declares Own Independence
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia, June 5--Serbia declared its own independence Monday after Montenegro, its last ally, abandoned its formal 88-year association with Belgrade, the final act of Yugoslavia’s turbulent history.
After an extraordinary session of parliament, officials lowered the flag of the defunct federation of Serbia and Montenegro from the building in Belgrade and raised the Serbian standard in its place, AFP reported.
Lawmakers proclaimed independence before transferring solely onto Belgrade the international status of the federation, including its seat on bodies such as the United Nations.
Serbia effectively became a sovereign state after all 126 deputies present in the 250-seat assembly backed an order to the government and state bodies to complete all formalities about the succession and resolve all disputed issues with Montenegro within next 45 days.
It follows Montenegro’s own formal independence declaration Saturday after the tiny Balkan state voted on May 21 to secede from the union that had bound together the last remnants of the former Yugoslavia.
Neither Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who has been reluctant to accept Montenegro’s decision, nor President Boris Tadic was present as the deputies gathered in gloomy mood.
Serbia’s neighbor, sandwiched between the mountains and the Adriatic Sea and with a population of just 650,000, declared independence after its May 21 referendum led to 55.5 percent voting in favor of going it alone. The move also ended the painful, 15-year dissolution of former communist Yugoslavia, after Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia went their separate ways in the early 1990s.
Yugoslavia has existed in three separate forms during the 20th century.
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, created in 1918, was renamed as Yugoslavia in 1929 and existed in that form until it was invaded in 1941.
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China Boosts Crude Import From Iran
SINGAPORE, June 5--China has boosted imports of Iranian crude by a quarter so far this year, making up for oil shipments cut by refiners in Japan and South Korea due in part to fears over Tehran’s standoff with the West, national data shows.
US stocks also tumbled in early trading Monday as crude futures raced higher on Iran’s threat to cut its oil exports.
The official figures suggest Iran, which has started to hint it might use its oil as a tool in the row with the United States and other countries over its nuclear program, has a ready buyer in China, which has been hesitant to confront Tehran, Reuters reported.
China’s crude imports from Iran are up 74,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first four months of the year, according to official data released last week.
Data from Japan show a 14 percent or 97,000 bpd drop in Iranian imports, at least a quarter of that attributable to top refiner Nippon Oil’s decision in March to curb purchases due to the rising risks.
That decision was the first outward sign that customers were moving to limit their dependence on Iranian supplies.
South Korean imports of Iranian crude in January-April were down about 7 percent or 16,000 bpd.
While monthly data tend to be volatile, the trend of the first four months of 2006 may indicate a broader-than-expected reaction by anxious refiners to the risks attached to Iranian crude.
A shift in Iran’s sales to China could serve many interests.
Public refiners in North Asia would reduce their exposure to riskier supplies; China’s state-owned refiners would avoid raiding edgy spot markets by securing more long-term contracts; and Iran would tighten economic ties with a key UN Security Council member.
Oil rose more than $1 to above $73 on Monday after Iran’s warning.
US crude traded $1.17 higher at $73.49 by 1244 GMT, after gains of $1.99 on Friday. London Brent rose $1.33 to $72.36.
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Not New
By M. Yousef
Small wonder that American rulers are doing overtime to complicate the sociopolitical climate inside our country, especially at a time when the nuclear issue has reached a sensitive phase.
It is obvious that the Bush White House wants to see chaotic developments move in a direction that, among other things, help ensure its long-term interests in Iran and/or confrontation with the ruling establishment in Tehran.
The undeniable fact is that when supporters of the self-righteous superpower become more powerful in the country or if we display any sort of fatigue in challenging the omnipresent US hostilities, Uncle Sam will continue to play the bully and move ahead with its dangerous designs in the Middle East.
If one assumes that George Bush is pursuing two main objectives in the volatile region, namely access to cheap oil and security of the Zionist regime, then the plot becomes clearer.
As if the free world is unaware of covert US designs in spreading its hegemony in the strategic Muslim region, Washington has now changed tact. For some time it is trying to feign “concern“ over human rights, freedom and democracy in Muslim and Arab countries.
How successful it will be in its new nauseating venture is anybody’s guess. After all American protˇgˇs and despots have for long been at the helm of power in many Arab states in which elections and representative rule are cardinal sins.
Currently American troops are deployed in several parts of the Islamic world and the Pentagon has sold (normally through coercion and commissions) billions of dollars of weapons to the regional countries.
The US propaganda machine, or rather the pro-Zionist western print media churning out official political press releases, regularly performs in a way to help fulfill the Tel Aviv-Washington agenda.
Americans of different stripes have also concentrated on the so-called orange, velvet, green... revolutions in a fresh bid to speedily meet their own insatiable interests and pull the rug from under their adversaries.
However, the plain truth is that the Americans have failed miserably in Lebanon and Iraq, to name only two countries.
The recent orange-like revolution in Lebanon suddenly turned into a puppet show without even theatrical effect when strong supporters of an Islamic revolution showed up on the streets of the important Middle East nation in large numbers.
And in Iraq, despite the costly White House ’strategy’ and forecasts by ill-advised neocons and military planners, a popular and broad-based Muslim government has taken over in Baghdad which rightly is of the opinion that it is in no way indebted to the Bush gang.
Seeing its Middle East ’strategy’ go down the drain with more speed, Washington has refocused on the Islamic Republic this time with the aim of spreading discord and ethnic differences, and provoke students to rise up against the Islamic state. This is indeed no new ploy for creating instability and social tension in Iran. The Bush regime has officially announced a $75 million fund to pay for anti-Tehran programs and covert operations not to mention the dirty money its spies pay to terrorists, mercenaries and enemies of the state to create new problems for the establishment in Tehran.
It is not that our relevant organizations do not have an effective plan of action to deal with unwanted problems and eventualities and reverse the situation to the detriment of the Americans or their paid agents. The question is why the programs are not implemented on time and in a way that reduces the costs and increases the benefit to the nation at large.
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