Monday, February 13, 2012

Iran

Russia Calls For Continued Diplomacy With Iran

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov (file photo) (epa)

5 February 2006 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has called for continued diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program, and said it would be "a very bad sign" if international inspectors were expelled from the country.

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February 05, 2006

Ivanov was speaking at a security conference in Munich after Iran's Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki confirmed that Iran has ended all voluntary cooperation with the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The move came one day after the board of the IAEA voted to report Iran to the UN Security Council, a move that could lead to sanctions.

A senior U.S. official at the Munich conference, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, said Washington is determined to build a wide global coalition to put pressure on Iran.

(AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Security Guarantees For Iran?

Hans Blix (CTK)

SECURITY GUARANTEES On January 26, RFE/RL Radio Farda correspondent Fatemeh Aman spoke with former UN chief weapons inspector HANS BLIX about the confrontation between Iran and the international community over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Blix urged the United States to participate in direct negotiations with Tehran and to offer Iran security guarantees that are similar to those being discussed with North Korea...(more)

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Listen to the complete interview (about five minutes):

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THE COMPLETE STORY: RFE/RL's complete coverage of controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program.

CHRONOLOGY

An annotated timeline of Iran's nuclear program.

Many Iranians have been claiming that their access to social networks and Internet-based e-mail sites has been blocked in recent days.

Iran Tightens Internet Control

Iranians are reporting that their access to Facebook and Internet-based e-mail sites like Gmail has been blocked, without any explanation from the government. Not even the strongest antifiltering programs have penetrated the firewall, they say. Some speculate the move is related to Iran's plan to launch a national internet, which might sever Iranians' ability to access the World Wide Web. More

Web-savvy Iranian oppositionists are renowned for their ability to use proxies and other means to circumvent Tehran

Explainer: Iran's National Internet

Reports that Iran has stepped up its Internet censorship in recent days -- as evidenced by a general slowdown of the web, Internet blackouts, and the blocking of sites such as Google -- has raised speculation that the country might be testing its controversial "national Internet." More

A cardboard Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini arrives in Tehran to mark the 33rd anniversary of his triumphant return to Iran following the Islamic Revolution.

Iran's 'Cardboard Khomeini' Faces Criticism, Condemnation

Iran's "Cardboard Khomeini" is fueling a firestorm of criticism in the Middle Eastern country after cutouts of the Islamic republic's founder appeared at a number of events, and photos mocking the mock-up went viral. More