Latest Developments
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June 7, 2006
U.S., Iran see 'positive steps'
The diplomatic package backed by Washington and formally presented to Iran on Tuesday leaves open the possibility that Tehran will be able to enrich uranium on its own soil, U.S. and European officials said. That concession, along with a promise of U.S. assistance for an Iranian civilian nuclear energy program, is conditioned on Tehran suspending its current nuclear work until the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency determines that the program is peaceful.
» Read article from Houston Chronicle (external link)
June 1, 2006
Last diplomatic throw of dice?
The American offer to join direct talks with Iran represents a major shift of US policy but does not in itself clear the way for a solution.
» Read article at BBCNews.com (external link)
May 24, 2006
Iran repeats readiness to hold talks with U.S.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said on Wednesday that Tehran had repeatedly announced readiness to hold talks with the United States unconditionally over Iran's nuclear program, the official IRNA news agency reported.
» Read article at Xinhuanet.com (external link)
May 24, 2006
U.S. seeks antimissile shield to block Iran
As tensions grow over Iran's nuclear program, the Bush administration is moving to establish a new antimissile site in Europe that would be designed to stop attacks from the Middle East.
The Pentagon has asked Congress for $56 million to begin work on the site. The final cost, including the interceptors themselves, is estimated at $1.6 billion.
» Read article at IHT.com (external link)
May 19, 2006
US, Europeans split over offer to Iran
The United States and Europe are divided over negotiations with Iran, with the Bush administration resisting a new European offer that includes a proposal for a Middle East security "framework" for Iran if it gives up its nuclear activities, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
» Read article at WashingtonPost.com (external link)
May 14, 2006
White House dismisses calls for direct Iran talks
The White House on Sunday dismissed calls for direct talks with Iran to resolve the stand-off over its nuclear program, saying the United Nations was the best forum for those discussions.
» Read article at WashingtonPost.com (external link)
May 11, 2006
Bush, GOP Congress Losing Core Supporters
Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data.
Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy.
» Read article at WashingtonPost.com (external
link)
May 11, 2006
Iran leader says he is open to talks
Iran's president says he is ready to negotiate with the US and other countries over his country's nuclear programme but warns that threats against his country will make talks more difficult. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his comments on Thursday after key UN Security Council members agreed to present Tehran with a choice of incentives or sanctions in deciding whether to suspend uranium enrichment.
» Read article at AlJazeera.net (external link)
May 9, 2006
Would an attack on
Iran be legal?
As diplomatic attempts continue in the UN Security Council to get Iran
to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities, the question has been
raised about an American attack on Iran and whether it would be legal
under international law.
» Read article at BBCNews.com (external
link)
May 6, 2006
Criticism of UN
Iran draft mounts
Russia and China have criticised a UN Security Council draft resolution
on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Russia says the draft needs rewriting with
stronger emphasis put on building confidence between Iran and the UN.
China says it is worried that the draft's Western sponsors have based
it on UN rules that could open the way for the use of military force
against Iran. The draft demands that Iran stop nuclear enrichment and
threatens further measures if it does not do so.
» Read article at BBCNews.com (external
link)
April 25, 2006
Iran threatens to keep nuke program hidden
Iran threatened Tuesday to begin hiding its nuclear program if the West
takes any “harsh measures” against it, in the
country’s sharpest rebuttal yet to a U.N. Security Council
deadline to suspend uranium enrichment or face possible sanctions.
Iran’s supreme leader, meanwhile, said in a meeting with the
president of wartorn Sudan that Tehran was ready to transfer its
nuclear technology to other countries.
» Read article at MSNBC.com (external
link)
April 18, 2006
Bush: ‘All options’ possible in dealing with Iran
President Bush said Tuesday that “all options are on the
table” to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons, but Russia
maintained its opposition to sanctions as it hosted a meeting on next
steps. Bush was asked if his administration was planning for the
possibility of a nuclear strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.“All options are on the table,” he said.
» Read article at MSNBC.com (external
link)
April 8, 2006
Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?
The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order
to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine
activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major
air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence
officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of
targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into
Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact
with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The officials say that
President Bush is determined to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity
to begin a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich uranium.
» Read article at NewYorker.com (external
link)