During a live interview broadcast today into Iran, on KRSI Radio "Radio Sedaye Iran," Reza Pahlavi of Iran said, "It is heartening to learn that the world has finally come to realize the clear distinction between the people of Iran and its ruling repressive regime." The 41-year-old leader said, "President George W. Bush, during his State of the Union address, was accurate in describing the repression of the Iranian people's quest for freedom by an unelected few who are in pursuit of terror, both inside and outside of Iran. ... more

President Bush warned nations that might seek to terrorise the United States they had 'better get their house in order' or face the consequences as he stepped up harsh rhetoric yesterday against Iraq, Iran and North Korea. ... more

ATLANTA -- Facing criticism over his warning that an "axis of evil" threatens world peace, President Bush said Thursday that nations other than the United States could be targets of mass terror. And he put terrorist nations on notice, saying, "They better get their house in order." ... more

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati has said that US President George Bush was going "mad". In his Tehran Friday prayer sermons delivered today at Ayatollah Khomeyni's mausoleum, Jannati, a member of the Guardian Council criticized Bush for the comments about Iran made during his State of the Union address. Jannati said, contrary to claims by USA, Iran has not provided sanctuary to Al-Qa'idah members. The following is an excerpt from the recording of the sermons broadcast from Iranian radio on 1 February; subheadings are editorially inserted. ... more

Tehran, Jan 31, IRNA -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei here Thursday denounced US President George W Bush's calling Iran a part of the 'axis of evil', and said that Washington itself was 'the greatest evil'. ... more

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian clerics and politicians blasted President Bush on Friday for his "axis of evil" comments against their country and urged rival reformists and conservatives to close ranks against the United States. ... more

NEW YORK -- NATO would not automatically support U.S. efforts to expand the war on terrorism to Iraq, Iran or North Korea, the military alliance's chief said. ... more

Paris, Feb 1, IRNA -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani here Thursday met with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and discussed with him a range of issues, including Afghanistan's reconstruction as well as the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. ... more

The application of power and intimidation has returned to the forefront of American foreign policy. That was the unmistakable message delivered by President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address when he labeled Iran, Iraq and North Korea an "axis of evil"... ... more

WASHINGTON -- King Abdullah II of Jordan praised President Bush's campaign to counter terrorism today and said other countries ``better make up their minds pretty quickly'' to join. ... more

These days, everyone is writing Yasser Arafat's political obituary. But the conversation generally stops short when the topic turns to who--or what--could replace him. ... more

A row has broken out between the American network CNN and the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera over the broadcasting of an interview with Osama bin Laden. ... more

TEHRAN, Jan. 31 — The country's supreme religious leader reacted angrily today to President Bush's characterization of Iran as part of an "axis of evil," and called Mr. Bush's tone in his State of the Union speech that of a man "thirsty for human blood." ... more

KIRYAT SHMONA (February 1) - Hizbullah fired anti-aircraft shells over Upper Galilee for the third time in as many weeks yesterday, further increasing tension along the northern border. ... more

HAIFA (February 1) - Hizbullah, reportedly rapped over the knuckles by Syria for its attack on IDF outposts in the Mount Dov region last week, charged yesterday that Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's call to Damascus for unconditional peace talks was an empty gesture. ... more

London, 1 February: The British government Friday [1 February] denied Israeli reports that Iran had finally approved the appointment of David Reddaway as the new UK ambassador to Tehran after a two month delay. ... more

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Calling U.S. President George W. Bush "ungrateful" for Iran's help in establishing the new government in Afghanistan, a Iranian government official rejected Bush's State of the Union allegation linking Tehran to terrorism. "We are used to this type of cliché statements by the United States, and also the arrogance that is associated with the statement," said Javad Zarif, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister on Thursday. ... more

An informed source has reported from Afghanistan that the Taleban leader, Mola Mohammad Omar, was seen together with five of his bodyguards in Baghran District of Helmand Province [southern Afghanistan] a few days ago. ... more

Hamid Karzai, the interim Afghan leader, left Downing Street empty-handed yesterday after Tony Blair rejected his appeals for a longer-term commitment of British troops to Afghanistan. ... more

NEW DELHI: India has expressed disagreement, albeit mild, with the US characterisation of Iran as an axis partner of terror. US President George Bush had in his state of the Union address said: ``Iran aggressively pursues these weapons (of mass destruction) and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom.'' ... more

KUWAIT (AP) An explosion at a Kuwaiti state oil field that killed four workers and injured 17 was caused by an oil leak, Kuwait's oil minister said Friday. Adel al-Subaih said the blast destroyed part of a facility that produces 280,000 barrels a day. ... more

When Mustafa Kemal Ataturk laid the foundations of modern Turkey in 1923, he did so under the famous slogan: "Happy is he who calls himself a Turk." His objective was to found a nation-state that only recognized one nationality: Turkish. He thus unwittingly institutionalized the major defect in the body of the Turkish state that was destined to plague it until the present day: its denial of the existence of other, non-Turkish ethnic groups ­ Arabs, Kurds, Circassians, Armenians and others ­ within Turkey. No group has been affected by this policy of denial as much as the Kurds, of whom there are some 12 million in present-day Turkey ­ one-fifth of the population. ... more

Israel's armed forces are struggling to contain the most serious internal challenge of the 16-month Palestinian intifada after more than 100 combat reservist soldiers signed a petition saying they would not serve in the occupied territories. At least four of the signatories have been stripped of their command positions, and the army's chief of staff, Lt-Gen Shaul Mofaz, declared that "there is no place in Israel's military forces for such occurrences". The petition, which by last night had attracted 104 signatures, has prompted a national debate, and a backlash within the army. Another group of several hundred reservists has signed a counter-petition accusing the petitioners of "lies, distortions and unbridled defamation of the army". The issue erupted when a group of reservists, led by two young lieutenants, published an indictment of Israel's 35-year occupation in the newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, saying that it was "corrupting the entire Israeli society". Some of the signatories are officers and others are from frontline units – the paratroops, infantry and armoured and artillery corps. The petition said soldiers had been issued commands while serving in the occupied territories that "had nothing to do with the security of our country", and had "the sole purpose of perpetuating our control" over the Palestinians. "We shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people," it stated. ... more