I am pleased to send warm greetings to Iranian Americans observing Nowruz. ... more

In a Senate speech after the September 11 attacks, New Jersey Democrat Robert Torricelli suggested ways in which Congress might help the federal government fight terrorism. The first change he proposed was to abolish the five-year statute of limitations on prosecution of terrorists. ... more

The American military maintained official silence Monday, including to the Red Cross, about the reported detention of nine Iranians at the U.S. Army-run stockade in Kandahar. ... more

WASHINGTON - The chance that a missile with a nuclear, chemical, or biological warhead will be used against US forces or interests is greater today than during most of the Cold War, a senior US intelligence official said yesterday. ... more

ISFAHAN, IRAN - During the years leading up to the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iranians distributed bootlegged tapes of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's angry sermons against the Shah. These days, the speeches of a humbler figure have shown up on the pirated cassette circuit: Muhammad-Hussein Adib, a university professor. ... more

Tehran, March 12, IRNA -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said here Tuesday that the popular Intifada or uprising was the only way to liberate Palestinians from the racist Israeli regime's oppression. ... more

Defense lawyers asked a Los Angeles federal judge Monday to dismiss criminal charges against seven Iranian emigres accused of raising money for an organization on the State Department's roster of terrorist groups. ... more

TEHRAN, Iran, March 11 (UPI) -- A senior Iranian foreign ministry official issued a renewed call Monday to build better U.S.-Iranian relations through approaches to what he called liberal Americans. ... more

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) -- U.S. intelligence agencies have grown increasingly concerned about Iran's missile capabilities and now say U.S. territory will "most likely" face a long-range missile threat from Tehran by 2015, a U.S. intelligence official said on Monday. ... more

US Ambassador Vincent Battle said Monday that his country remained "deeply troubled" by Hizbullah's activities abroad and would continue its dialogue with the Lebanese government on the matter in a "focused and quiet way." He was speaking to reporters after calling on Public Works and Transport Minister Najib Mikati, one of many meetings he has been holding with Lebanese officials following his return from Washington. ... more

Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov has strongly denied any cooperation between Russia and Iran in producing and building nuclear missiles. As he headed for the USA yesterday, Ivanov said at an Irish airport [Shannon] that Russia had no cooperation with Iran in producing nuclear missiles or weapons. ... more

Iranian President Mohammed Khatami has condemned the description of his country as part of an "axis of evil" on a trip to Vienna, his first visit to Europe since the remarks were made by the US president in January. ... more

New Delhi, March 12, IRNA -- Iranian grandmaster Ehsan Gheam Maghami defeated bankmen N. Sudhakar Babu and Pravin Thipsay to reach 5.5 points in the seventh round of the International Grandmasters Chess Tournament. ... more

Vienna, 12 March: Iran's President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami gave an address at the dinner ceremony thrown in his honour by Austria's President Thomas Klestil here Monday night [11 March]. ... more

Tehran, March 12, IRNA -- Holding its first-ever meeting in Afghanistan, a group comprising the country's neighbours and other influential States Monday voiced its full backing for the Afghan peace process while urging other members of the international community to support ... ... more

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- Iran is believed to have been pooling its resources with its allies as well as rivals for the development of intermediate- and long-range missiles. U.S. intelligence sources said Iran is believed to be pooling efforts with such countries as Libya, North Korea, Pakistan ... ... more

VIENNA 11 Mar. (IPS) Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday termed as "ugly" US President George W. Bush's labeling the Islamic Republic as an "evil State" alongside Iraq and North Korea and reminded that he has suggested an "alliance for peace and dialogue" ... ... more

Brussels, March 12, IRNA -- The European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, will meet Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Vienna on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss EU-Iran ties ... ... more

Former education minister Dr Ali Mohammed Fakhro yesterday said "the future of the GCC and its stability would largely depend on the unity of its member countries and their achievements". "Currently, plans to achieve economic, political and military unity are moving very slowly. This is frustrating everyone and even creating an imbalance within the Gulf region ... ... more

The seventh formal session of the third term of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership Affairs opened in Tehran today. Reviewing domestic and foreign issues is on the agenda of the session. At the start of the session [assembly Speaker] Ayatollah [Ali] Mershkini made a speech...The Speaker of the Assembly of Experts referred to the current incidents in occupied Palestine ... ... more

Dariush, the phenomenal self-exiled Iranian singer, is in town to stage a concert tomorrow at Al Nasr Leisureland. The Los Angeles-based singer will perform numbers from his self-titled greatest-hits CD before a crowd of 3,000 with his eight-piece band. ... more

Beijing, 12 March: State Councillor Wu Yi will head a Chinese governmental delegation to pay a visit to Iran, Lebanon, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia from 16 March to 5 April. This was announced by Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi at a regular press conference here Tuesday [12 March]... ... more

Tehran, 12 March: Chairman of Assembly of Experts has reacted to America's recent threat. He said: Although American brutality is likely to take place, America should know that it could not reach its objectives through Iran. Ayatollah Ali Meshkini who was speaking at the opening session of the seventh round of the assembly at Imam Khomeyni Complex in Tehran on Tuesday [12 March], said: If America attacks Iran ... ... more

LONDON The Pentagon's new blueprint on nuclear forces has raised the question of whether the Bush administration is lowering the threshold for using nuclear arms. In its Nuclear Posture Review, the Pentagon cites the need for new nuclear arms that could have a lower yield and produce less nuclear fallout. ... more

Gerhard Schröder was the first world leader to meet President Bush after his "axis of evil" speech and in what German government sources called a "very frank" meeting spelt out Berlin's objections to unilateral action against Iraq. Mr Schröder's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, told the news magazine Der Spiegel that alliance partners were not to be treated as satellites, and that the international coalition against terrorism was no basis on which to attack another country, "least of all unilaterally". ... more