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Prayer Time (Tehran)
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Dawn: 4:12
Sunrise: 5:41
Noon: 12:03
Evening: 18:41
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Weather Guide
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THU |
FRI |
Tehran: |
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High: |
33 oC |
33 oC |
Low: |
22 oC |
22 oC |
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Athens |
29 |
29 |
Ankara |
22 |
27 |
Cairo |
33 |
36 |
Copenhagen |
20 |
17 |
Frankfurt |
24 |
21 |
Karachi |
32 |
30 |
Kuwait City |
42 |
45 |
London |
26 |
20 |
Madrid |
32 |
30 |
Moscow |
16 |
17 |
New Delhi |
35 |
35 |
Paris |
30 |
22 |
Riyadh |
41 |
41 |
Rome |
29 |
28 |
Vienna |
26 |
23 |
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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
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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Speaker:
We Are Ready For Talks
Yemen Supports Iranian Rights
TEHRAN, Sept. 6--Majlis Speaker Gholamali Haddad-Adel said on Tuesday Iran is ready for talks on its peaceful nuclear program, the support for which was reiterated by Yemen.
“We are prepared for talks, based on goodwill, with all those who claim Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful. And we stress that we do not wish to use nuclear energy for making weapons,“ said Haddad-Adel in a meeting with Yemeni Ambassador in Tehran Jamal Abdullah Al-Salal, IRNA reported.
Haddad-Adel stressed that defending the right to nuclear energy should not be taken as the defense of the Iranian nation’s right; rather it is to defend the right of all Muslim states which, based on international regulations, are entitled to peaceful nuclear energy.
Referring to ties between Iran and Yemen as “good and historical“, the speaker noted that cultural and religious commonalities shared by the Iranian and Yemeni nations will help the two sides have stronger ties.
He called for further Muslim unity in view of the big powers’ threats against the whole Muslim world, which instances were observed in Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Haddad-Adel also said the Muslim world is presently in pressing need of unity and solidarity.
Al-Salal, for his part, called for closer ties and cooperation between his country and Iran, and said Yemeni officials are supporting Iran’s nuclear stances.
“By adopting principled stances regarding different issues, including Iran’s nuclear issue, Yemen announces its support for Iran’s nuclear stances at all levels and stresses Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology and energy,“ he said.
Al-Salal stressed that his country will continue its principled stances in future “at whatever cost“.
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Felicitations
“And We desired to bestow favor upon those who were oppressed on earth and to make them leaders and to make them inheritors.“ (Holy Qur’an 26:5).
Saturday (Sept. 9) coincides with the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (AS), the 12th infallible Imam of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) household. The infallible Imam, now in occultation, is the promised savior of all nations, irrespective of race, sex and religion. He will establish justice and restore peace worldwide upon his joyous reappearance. May God hasten his reappearance.
Iran Daily congratulates the Iranian nation and its readers on this auspicious occasion.
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Ahmadinejad Blasts Injustice, Hegemony
TEHRAN, Sept. 6--President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday Tehran is against injustice and hegemony practiced by certain oppressor countries.
Addressing the Second International Conference on Mahdaviyat, Ahmadinejad stressed that the Iranian government and nation seek dialogue and logic, IRNA reported.
“We offered debate to prove that the era of oppression has passed and the era of thought, logic and culture has arrived. But the so-called supporters of democracy rejected the opportunity to debate,“ he said, adding that those who reject exchange of ideas on world issues cannot gain the respect of their own people.
“Some corrupt regimes are trying to promulgate their expansionist policies,“ he said, noting that the debate would have been an opportunity to exchange ideas and settle problems facing countries today.
President Ahmadinejad last week challenged US President George W Bush to a live televised debate which the White House which turned it down.
The two-day conference on Mahdaviyat aims to promote the culture and thoughts of the last Imam of the Age and the 12th Imam from Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Infallible Household, Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance).
Over 110 representatives from 45 states are attending the conference.
Some 193 articles written by Iranians and 40 by foreign researchers have been received by the secretariat of the conference.
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First-Ever 2,000-Pound Smart Bomb Tested
TABRIZ, East Azarbaijan, Sept. 6--Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army Ataollah Salehi said on Wednesday a first-ever 2,000-pound precision-guided bomb and the `Saeqeh’ fighter plane were tested in the ongoing `Zarbat-e Zolfaqar’ wargames in northwestern Iran.
“The Saeqeh or Thunderbolt fighter plane carried out a mission to bomb a hypothetical enemy target on Wednesday in northwestern Iran,“ the commander told IRNA.
He added that the plane, which is similar to the US F-18 fighters, was remodeled and improved by Iranian experts at the army’s Sattari Airbase, adding that Iran did not receive outside help to modify the plane.
Salehi noted that the technology needed for manufacturing Saeqeh came from the US, Russia, China and India and was modified by Iranian experts.
Also on Wednesday, Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said Iran has, for the first time, designed and produced a 2,000-pound precision-guided bomb named `Qased’.
Referring to the bomb, he said, “Iran tested one of the best achievements of the Defense Ministry in the wargames.“
“This remarkable achievement, one of the most important of the defense industry in this Iranian calendar year, will add to Iran’s defensive potential and consolidate its deterrent principle,“ he said.
Mohammad-Najjar said Iran now joins the few countries that possess precision-guided missile technology.
The wargames, being carried out on land, sea and air in different parts of Iran since August 19, are aimed at ensuring the army’s combat readiness and defense capabilities as well as testing new weapons.
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Political Rifts Affect Voter Turnout
TEHRAN, Sept. 6--The sine qua non for enhanced public participation in the upcoming elections is reducing political rifts and consolidating national solidarity, deputy interior minister for political affairs said on Wednesday.
Addressing the one-day meeting of deputy governors-generals for security and political affairs nationwide, Ali Jannati added that the most important issue in the next elections of the Experts Assembly as well as city and village councils is to increase public participation, IRNA reported.
“Through proper campaigning schemes and pragmatic policies, we must boost the level of public participation in the two vital electoral races,“ he said.
Stressing the significance of using past experiences effectively, he said, “We must study previous elections and examine their strong and weak points during the implementation phase so that weaknesses would be minimized this time around.“
Jannati also gave word of the amendment of bylaws for council and assembly elections and said, “We gave the amended bylaws regarding the council elections to the government while the assembly bylaws have been amended and ratified by the Guardians Council.“
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Mottaki: Opposition to Nuclear Program ’Calculated’
TEHRAN, Sept. 6--Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday the current opposition to Iran’s peaceful nuclear program has been ’calculated’, expressing hope that the US will not repeat what it has been through in the past.
Speaking to reporters after meeting his Gambian counterpart Lamine Kaba Bajo in a joint press conference, Mottaki said the illegal and improper means pursued by the United Nations Security Council and other bodies to solve the problem will get nowhere, IRNA reported.
Mottaki declared that the era of threats has long ended and American officials should set aside their outdated strategies.
“Transparent and straightforward negotiation is the most appropriate way to solve any issue,“ he said.
In response to a question whether the venue and time of the meeting between Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana had already been fixed, he said these will be decided by the two officials who are constantly in touch with each other. Commenting on the remarks of US President George W Bush that as a hardliner Iran should not access nuclear technology, he said, “Countries possessing nuclear arsenals are not authorized to speak about the right of other countries to nuclear technology.“
The Iranian minister added that if they respected world public opinion and other nations, they would have never spoken in such a manner.
“Of course, Bush’s remarks mean that some countries are entitled to access nuclear weapons, but others do not even have the right to use nuclear energy,“ he said.
Mottaki wondered if nuclear technology is bad, why do they possess it?
“On the contrary, if according to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad it is good, why should others be denied the right to access it?“ he said.
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Solana-Larijani Negotiations Postponed
China Dismisses Sanctions
VIENNA, Austria,
Sept. 6--EU-Iran talks to kickstart negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program to avoid UN sanctions were postponed at the last minute Wednesday, a senior Iranian official said.
“We will not have the meeting today (Wednesday) in Vienna, but it will be held in a couple of days“ in Vienna, Iranian ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh told AFP.
“It is more appropriate for both sides to meet later,“ he said, adding there was “no particular reason“ for the delay, but refusing to give a specific date.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani had tentatively planned to meet in Vienna on Wednesday, ahead of talks in Berlin on Thursday between six nations trying to reach a deal with Iran over its suspect nuclear program.
Washington has led international concerns that Iran is covertly trying to develop nuclear weapons, something Tehran denies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Russia was considering support for Security Council economic sanctions against Iran.
“We will consider this from all points of view, in totality, based on our goal of not allowing the spread of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and technology that is linked with this,“ state-run RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
However, Lavrov said Russia still had reservations about imposing sanctions on Iran and he underlined Moscow’s opposition to military action.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Wednesday also urged the two sides to keep talking.
“We cannot accept a war of civilizations“ between a western bloc and a Muslim bloc, he told Radio Monte-Carlo commenting on Bush’s remarks.
Meanwhile, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Wednesday rejected US calls for imposing sanctions on Iran, calling them ’counter-productive’.
“Imposing sanctions will not necessarily lead us to our goal, and may even prove counter-productive. The parties involved should be cautious about moving towards sanctions,“ Wen said in a rare interview with DPA joined by a select group of four other media outlets.
In another development, Vladimir Trofimov, deputy head of the foreign ministry’s Middle East department, said on Wednesday that the US used Israel’s attack on the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon as a prelude to “settling accounts“ with Iran.
“If we look at Israeli and US plans, they aim at removing the Hezbollah factor ahead of the forthcoming US settling of accounts with Iran,“ Interfax quoted Trofimov as saying.
“This was a US-Israeli conflict with the Islamic world, in which Iran has become a de-facto leader,“ he added.
Trofimov, who has a record of making off-the-cuff remarks, was speaking at an informal roundtable discussion in Moscow.
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Newly Assertive
By Nawab Khan, Brussels
After beating around the BUSH for nearly three years, EU leaders are now realizing the futility and danger of backing the ill conceived and largely destabilizing US policy in the Middle East.
The wise and independent in European power circles got some relief on Wednesday. A new survey found that for the first time most Americans Ð 58 percent, up from 48 percent in 2005 Ð disagree with Bush’s foreign policy. In Europe the 2006 disapproval rate was steady at a whooping 75 percent, the German Marshall Fund of the US reported.
The rare survey released interesting thinking patterns on Iran in the two continents. It found out that 84 percent of Europeans and 79 percent of Americans want diplomacy to continue to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.
Western media sources carried the survey. On one front, the Americans and Europeans are in increasing agreement: opposition to George Bush’s global vision.
So it is hardly surprising that recent decisions and statements by European leaders suggest a new pragmatism is setting in on Brussels shifting away from the extremist neocon stance in Washington that has made the world much less safer.
The decision by EU foreign ministers last week to continue negotiations with the Islamic Republic to resolve the nuclear issue is a sign that the 25-member bloc is aware that the stakes are high and wants to assert its independent role.
Of course this does not mean things will turn around overnight. For instance, Germany’s Angela Merkel on Wednesday sought to show a tougher position against Tehran. “We won’t close the doors to negotiations but the international community won’t stand by and watch as Iran harms the rules of the UN nuclear authorities,“ she said in a speech.
Somebody needs to remind the chancellor that her close friend in Downing Street had the strange habit of regularly talking on behalf of the ’international community’ when criticizing Iranian policies. Today some of the closest aides to Tony Blair see him as a liability Labour cannot afford and want him out sooner rather than later.
Till now EU policies were closely “coordinated“ with US positions thus depriving the other major players from playing roles worthy of their status.
EU officials have shown a willingness to keep negotiations open with Iran. “We do not close the door to discussions,“ said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana who is expected to meet Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani this week.
The majority of EU states are against imposing sanctions on Iran leaving the rabidly pro-Israel Bush team almost alone howling along the UN corridors for boycott and sanctions.
In Lebanon too the EU is playing an important role by pledging close to 7,000 troops for the UN peacekeeping forces. Brussels played an important role in containing the recent crisis in Lebanon.
The heroic resistance by the Islamic group Hezbollah against the Israeli onslaught and the shocking crimes by the occupying power against innocent civilians seems to have changed the ground realities and forced EU decision makers to revise their position on the future of the Middle East.
Finland, which holds the current EU Presidency, has already called for opening talks - a taboo - with Hamas, albeit under conditions.
Iran’s message to the world on its legitimate right to civilian nuclear technology, its insistence to play according to the international rules, and Tehran’s policy not to give in to western intimidation has paid dividends.
US’ catalog of failures in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan and its unwavering support to Israel during the Lebanon war have further damaged American credibility in Europe.
Washington is bound to resist a more assertive EU in the Mideast and might push other countries to impose sanctions on Iran outside the Security Council framework.
President Jacques Chirac of France remarked in a recent speech: Europe needs to rid itself of its inhibitions and be a player able to contribute to a constructive dialogue with the major world powers. The future of the European project is today predicated on Europe’s ability to be a leading political player.
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