Gholamreza Aqazadeh, chief of Iran's nuclear energy agency, (r) shakes hands with the interim head of Russia's Security Council, Valentin Sobolev, prior to a meeting in Tehran on April 28.

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said on Monday Iran is a nuclear country with broad potentials that are in the service of the world.
Gholamreza Aqazadeh, who was speaking after a joint press conference with Valentin Sobolev, acting secretary of the Russian National Security Council, added, “We are a nuclear country today and our nuclear activities are in various fields, thanks to Iran’s capabilities. We are, therefore, not an ordinary country, since we are now among the few countries that have such broad nuclear potentials,“ IRNA reported.
He added that Iran also enjoys the great advantage since its activities in the field of nuclear fuel cycle are indigenous and the country is independent.
Aqazadeh reiterated that Iran has achieved a status where the country’s nuclear program is non-negotiable, but a deserved right of the Iranian nation.
“We do not negotiate Iran’s rights with anyone,“ he said.
Asked whether Iran’s proposal package is in any way related to the West’s claims regarding Iran’s nuclear programs, he said, “Our proposal package has a very precise framework. The general spirit of this proposal is that we do not pose any threat to other countries, but one that always stands by the side of others.“
Aqazadeh said Iran’s potentials in the region and the world, both in the nuclear field and in political and economic fields, can help solve the problem in many cases.
“Very precise frameworks have been defined in Iran’s proposal package that would in the near future be handed over to countries. And it has potentials for other countries’ cooperation,“ he said.
Stressed that this is a very important step, the official said, “In this package, we have corrected the western thought trend, by which I mean, we have clarified that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not after getting concessions or benefits. We are rather a responsible country, ready to use its potentials for solving problems of others.“
Sobolev added that Russia will study this proposal article by article and would exchange views regarding it with the Iranian side.
A reporter asked the Russian official, “Is Russia going to act with lots of long delays in Iran’s future nuclear projects, as your country did in the case of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant?“
He replied, “Tehran and Moscow are both emphasizing the need for putting Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant to use at the scheduled time.“
Sobolev explained that the issue was also related to both sides’ meeting their commitments, providing the required facilities and making timely payments.
“The other important factor that can determine Iran’s future nuclear cooperation with Russia is the strategies that each side would pursue,“ he said.
On Tuesday, Sobolev conferred again with Saeed Jalili, secretary of Supreme National Security Council, on strengthening nuclear ties and underlined the importance of allaying concerns of other countries about their civilian nuclear cooperation.

Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi

Iran’s deputy ambassador to the UN has strongly dismissed baseless American allegations suggesting that Tehran is playing a destabilizing role in neighboring Iraq.
In a letter sent to the South African presidency of the Security Council, Mehdi Danesh-Yazdi responded to US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad who earlier said recent clashes between Iraqi government forces and “criminal militia elements“ in Baghdad and Basra pointed to “Iran’s destabilizing influence and actions“.
The claim came as Iran made efforts to mediate between a prominent Iraqi Shiite resistance group and the Iraqi government to reach a truce after deadly clashes, AFP reported.
The Iranian envoy said it was not the first time Washington used “baseless allegations and even fabrication of evidence against other nations, in order to pursue certain ill-intended and politically-motivated national goals“.
Dismissing the allegations as “totally unfounded“, Danesh-Yazdi said Tehran “has, time and again, condemned all acts of violence and terrorism in Iraq“.
The letter noted that Iran had taken “significant steps at the highest level“ to boost partnership and cooperation with Iraq.
“Instead of scapegoating others for US policy failures in Iraq, the US government should address its own wrong policies and practices in the country in an honest and sincere manner, and desist from deceiving its own public opinion and that of the international community,“ the Iranian envoy said.
Earlier, Khalilzad told the 15-member council that the bulk of weapons used by armed militias in Iraq were “made in Iran and supplied by Iran, including mortars, rockets and explosively-formed penetrators“.

Iran says the 1980 siege of the Iranian Embassy in London was masterminded by the UK government to serve American interests.
Brigadier General Seyyed Massoud Jazayeri, deputy head of Iran’s Armed Forces Headquarters, described the siege laid by a six-man terrorist team to Iran’s embassy on April 30, 1980, as a politically-motivated operation directed by the then British government, Presstv reported.
“Subsequent investigations into the matter revealed that the terrorist operation had been led by the British government as part of an effort to assist the US government over the seizure of the US embassy in Tehran in November 1979,“ he said.
Jazayeri noted that according to the international law, the UK government is obliged to compensate for the mental scars left by the incident even if it is presumed that it did not have a hand in the incident.
The Iranian commander urged further investigations into the open case, adding that the matter calls for an official apology from the British government to the Islamic Republic.
On the morning of Wednesday April 30, 1980, six gunmen attacked the Iranian Embassy in London and held 26 people hostage. After a six-day standoff, the Special Air Service launched a dramatic attack on the hostage-takers, bringing the siege to an end with 19 hostages freed, seven dead and many injured.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal reaffirmed that Riyadh favors diplomatic solutions to Iran’s nuclear issue.
The Saudi minister made the statement in a join press conference after a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store on Monday, IRNA reported.
“All regional countries are entitled to the right to take advantage of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes within the international regulations and standards,“ he said, stressing that no regional country should be allowed to act outside the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and “there should be absolutely no exception to this rule“.
Referring to certain Arab countries’ expressed will to mediate between Riyadh and Damascus, Faisal said, “I believe there is no need for such a mediation, as the two countries already have full diplomatic ties and our officials have direct contacts.“
The Saudi minister noted that he was surprised to hear such a proposal from some Arab countries. Referring to the status quo in Iraq, Faisal said, “Safeguarding the national unity of that country, under the umbrella of solidarity and independence, is possible.“
The Norwegian foreign minister arrived in Riyadh at the head of a political-economic delegation late Monday.

A senior judicial official said statistics show a 13-percent decline in the number of prisoners across the country.
Head of Iran’s Prisons Organization Ali Akbar Yaseqi said on Monday in Hamedan city that his organization plans to not imprison addicts, fight with high-risk prisoners and boost security of prisons in the current Iranian year (started March 20), Mehr News Agency reported.
Yaseqi noted that the country has 130 prisons, six of which are located in Hamedan province with some 3,000 inmates.
In 2000, Iran had approximately 180,000 inmates, which declined to 150,000 prisoners in 2007.

Iranians shout slogans during a protest marking "National Persian Gulf Day" in front of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Tehran on April 29.

By Behnam Saremi

A large number of people from all walks of life gathered on Tuesday in front of the United Arab Emirates’ Embassy in Tehran to protest against some Arab states, especially the tiny sheikhdom’s move to rename the Persian Gulf.
The protests were held on the occasion of the National Persian Gulf Day, which is celebrated by Iranians throughout the country.
Blocked by the police and security forces, protestors also condemned the claims of the UAE over the three Iranian islands, namely the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, and called on the Iranian officials to give a proper response to the impudent assertions.
Protestors shouted slogans such as “Persian Gulf Will Remain Persian Forever“ and “The Three Islands Are Inseparable Parts of Iran“.
An elderly woman, who called herself Nikzad, said, “We have gathered here to manifest our solidarity to the ill-wishers and enemies of our beloved homeland.“
“The Emirati king must remember that the Iranian people, even women and children, are ready to defend their sovereignty at any cost,“ she added.
A university student, who introduced himself by his first name Peyman, complained about what he called “the silence and inertia of the Islamic Republic officials“.
“We ask the government, parliamentary members and the Supreme National Security Council to giver an appropriate response to the evil moves of the Arab dictators,“ he said.
After the morning demonstration, a number of university students from Tehran, Arak, Ahvaz, Kermanshah and other cities also gathered separately in front of the UAE embassy.
The students carried placards reading “The UAE, 53rd State of America, This is Persian Gulf“ and “Iran’s Persian Gulf Is The Grave of Satan“, demanding that the Foreign Ministry expel the UAE ambassador.
The protestors warned the UAE to learn from the fate of the executed Iraqi dictator Saddam and not follow the divisive policies of Zionists and certain western countries.
Protestors in their final communiquŽ said, “The UAE whose age is less than half a century has shamelessly made baseless claims over our three islands. But the newly-established sheikhdom must bear in mind that Iran, which is the land of brave men and women and people who fought for eight years against the greed of enemies, will never let aliens grab even an inch of their ancient homeland.“
Students called on the tiny emirate to respect international and historical documents that explicitly proves Iran’s sovereignty over the three islands and the historicity of the name “Persian Gulf“.
They warned that if the Arab country paid no attention to the peaceful protests of the Iranians held across the world, it should watch out for the consequences.
A few students were arrested by the police and security forces who asked the protestors to disperse.
Some regional countries in recent years have tried to attribute a false name to this ancient and strategic waterway by creating an international debate. While all reputable and indisputable documents contain the name of Persian Gulf, Pars Sea and Fars Sea, regional Arab states have been spending huge sums of money to promote a fake name.

The progress made by Iranian specialists in the field of civilian nuclear program has been acclaimed by scientists.
Most importantly, the pictures give the first public glimpse of the new centrifuge, known as the IR-2, for Iranian second generation, the International Herald Tribune said on Tuesday.
There were no captions with the photos, so analysts around the globe are scrutinizing the visual evidence to size up the new machine, its efficiency and its readiness for the tough job of uranium enrichment, IRNA reported.
They see the photos as an intelligence boon.
“This is intel to die for,“ said Andreas Persbo, an analyst in London at the Verification Research, Training and Information Center, a private group that promotes arms control. His comment came on the blog site Arms Control Wonk.
“I don’t see anything to suggest this is propaganda,“ said Houston Wood, a centrifuge expert at the University of Virginia.
“They seem to be working on an advanced machine.“
Such judgments rest not only on the photographic clues but also on the Iranian record of successful, if limited, enrichment and the reports of international inspectors, who have tracked Iran’s bid to develop the new centrifuges.
Engineers use centrifuges for many applications, not just for enriching uranium. In general, the devices spin fast to separate all kinds of objects of differing mass and density. To that end, centrifuges exploit simple laws of physics, doing so in ways that echo common experience.
Iran is separating U-235 from U-238. Rare in nature, U-235 easily splits in two to produce bursts of atomic energy. It also has three fewer neutrons than its cousin, making it slightly lighter and thus a candidate for centrifuge separation.
First, engineers turn the natural mix of uranium (0.7 and 99.3 percent, respectively) into a gas. Then, the centrifuge throws the heavier U-238 atoms toward the wall, letting the rare U-235 ones accumulate near the center.
The results get scooped up continually. Rows of centrifuges repeat the process to slowly raise the rare isotope’s concentration.
It seems easy. But the centrifuges spin at about the speed of sound, must work day and night for months or years on end and can easily lose their balance, tearing themselves apart.

Iraqi government in a statement on Tuesday rejected claims by certain officials of this occupied country that Iran allegedly supplied arm to Iraq.
The statement said that “only statements by Iraq’s government spokesman and Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s office constitute the official stance of the Iraqi leadership“, IRNA quoted.
In echoing the Pentagon’s latest accusations, Iraq’s national security advisor, Mowaffak Rubaie, and Defense Ministry Spokesman Mohammed Askari claimed an arm caches found in Basra included Iran-made arms with markings showing they were manufactured in 2008.
Rubaie claimed the government was preparing to present the evidence to the Iranians soon, but he did not say when.

Chairman of State Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called for paying attention to prevailing global conditions and avoiding sloganeering for upholding the nation’s rights on the international scene.
According to Fars News Agency, Rafsanjani made the remark in his meeting with coalition members of Persian Gulf Watch on the occasion of National Persian Gulf Day on Tuesday.
Rafsanjani, who also heads the Experts Assembly, added that the country has powerful lines of reasoning regarding the name of Persian Gulf as well as (our ownership of) the Greater and Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa islands.
“The important consideration is that our logic is properly introduced to the world. Given the powerful documentations about the Persian Gulf in religious and historical books, especially the Holy Qu’ran, no man or country has the right to use fake names (for the Persian Gulf),“ he said.
The senior official also stressed the importance of adopting correct policies and avoiding making enemies.
“After the end of the Iraq-imposed war (1980-88), we managed to introduce Iraq as the aggressor at the United Nations in light of a correct policy. This was a great privilege for us. Furthermore, in the process of reconstruction and in our drive for gaining more international credibility, we also adopted the correct policy,“ he said.
Rafsanjani emphasized that the Islamic Republic does not see its might and glory in military abilities. “The source of power in the Islamic system is Islam and people’s dedication,“ he said.

The 2nd Iran-Saudi Security Committee opened in Tehran to study implementation of the agreements reached in the first session.
The first joint security committee of the two countries was held in Riyadh in October 2001, during which a security agreement was signed between the two sides, Presstv reported. The second round is aimed at making the agreement operational.
The current meeting is headed by Abbas Mohtaj, Iran’s deputy interior minister for security and political affairs, and his Saudi counterpart, Ahmed bin Mohamed Al-Salem. The talks opened on Monday and the Saudi delegation is expected to hold a meeting with Iran’s Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi on security issues on Tuesday.
During the committee’s second session, the two sides are set to discuss a range of issues, including the training of forces and measures aimed at curbing drug trafficking and boosting border security.
The Saudi delegation, headed by the country’s deputy interior minister, arrived in Iran on Monday.