Houthis join protests in north Yemen

Tue Feb 22, 2011

Large crowds of Houthis have joined pro-democracy protests in northern Yemen as a wave of demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh enters its 10th day.

The Shia Houthis have long been at odds with Sana'a, blaming the Sunni-dominated government for discrimination against the country's Shia minority.

The ongoing protests come less than two years after the Yemeni army launched a joint massive military operation in August 2009 with the Saudi military against Houthi fighters in the northern province of Sa'ada.

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who leads the Yemeni Shia community, has announced that Houthis would support pro-democracy protesters who demand change.

He said in a speech on the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that Houthis support the right of people to change the regime and praised popular revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.

On Monday, a number of opposition lawmakers along with groups of Yemeni students also joined a protest near a university campus in Sana'a.

The protesters are demanding that Saleh to step down, but the Yemeni head of state says he will quit only if defeated at polls.

Meanwhile, Yemeni police shot dead a protester and wounded four others in the southern port city of Aden.

At least 22 protesters have so far been killed by government loyalists in the unrest across Yemen.

Yemeni clerics have issued a statement prohibiting the use of force against protesters.

They called the violence a crime and called for a ban on arbitrary detention and torture.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/166419.html.

Iran opposition say one shot dead in Tehran demonstrations - Summary

Sun, 20 Feb 2011

Berlin - One person was killed in demonstrations on Sunday in Tehran, opposition websites reported.

The demonstrator was hit by shotgun fire in the Haft Tir square in central Tehran and died almost instantly, the websites said, as police used tear gas on the crowds in the capital.

Foreign media in Tehran were again prohibited from covering Sunday's protests, making it impossible to verify the reports by the opposition websites and witnesses.

Iran's police called the demonstrations were failed "efforts by counter-revolutionaries and agents of the United States and Britain to fuel tensions in the country".

By late Sunday police and anti-riot forces had reportedly succeeded in dispersing the crowd, with the demonstration ending.

Meanwhile, official news agency IRNA reported that Faezeh Hashemi, daughter of ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, was temporarily arrested at the demonstrations but later released.

The former legislator and women sports chief Hashemi is a high-profile opponent of the government and has several times been arrested since the outbreak of the so-called "Green" opposition movement protests in 2009.

Opposition demonstrators against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were met with tear gas fired by police, according to opposition websites.

Demonstrators had begun the day by gathering in at least four separate places in the capital and shouted Allah'o Akbar (God is Great).

Hundreds had reportedly also protested in front of the state-run television network IRIB in northern Tehran. IRIB is considered as the main propaganda outlet of the establishment.

The main site of the protests is the Vali-Asr square in central Tehran where anti-riot police forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The opposition websites reported that the square had been occupied by thousands of protesters during the day who sporadically were forced to flee into nearby sidestreets to escape the tear gas.

The demonstrators had also marked the death of two demonstrators killed during last week's protests, the websites said.

As the two main opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi are under de facto house arrest and all their communication means reportedly cut, the latest protests were arranged by their supporters.

More than 200 legislators, several clerical groups and government supporters have called for the arrest and execution of Moussavi and Karroubi for allegedly undermining the Islamic system and collaborating with foreigners.

The government and judiciary have distanced themselves from the calls - but in addition to putting the pair under house arrest have cut their their telephone and internet links to the outside world.

Moussavi's website reported that the government plans to build an "iron wall" around the former prime minister's residence in central Tehran.

Karroubi in the meantime wrote a letter to the country's judiciary power chief, saying he was ready to stand in an open trial.

The clergy told Sadeq Amli-Larijani in the letter that he would not leave the scene and stand besides the people until the end.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/368302,tehran-demonstrations-summary.html.

5 members of terrorist groups executed

Tehran's Public Prosecutor Office says five people have been executed in the country over their involvement in bomb attacks and links to terrorist groups.

The convicts were hanged in Tehran's Evin prison early Sunday.

Three of them were arrested in 2006, and convicted for their involvement in a failed bomb plot in the capital Tehran.

The attack was organized by the anti-Iranian terrorist group known as PJAK, which is the Iranian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The three were also in possession of weapons and explosives in their houses.

Another was captured after planting a bomb near a military base in Tehran, and later confessed to being a member of the same terrorist group.

The last of the five was convicted for complicity in a deadly bombing in the city of Shiraz in 2008.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125908§ionid=351020101.

The secret behind Iran's power

By Fatih Abdulsalam
Azzaman, May 6, 2010

Why is Iran seen as a fundamental power in the region stretching from Afghanistan to Lebanon and in between Iraq, its golden state?

There are some who think that Iran’s military maneuvers and revelations of new weapons, boats, frigates and missiles that can reach Israel and Europe are the source of this power.

People who entertain such opinions, I am sorry to say, are naïve. The U.S. and Europe have no fears of the display of Iranian armaments.

Strategy analysts and experts say Iranian weapons might be ineffective. The point is whether the weapons are operational and can be used.

The analysts believe if the U.S. attacks Iran, the first thing its forces will do is to render Iranian weapons systems ineffective.

Iran’s Western enemies will take the initiative and do not allow Iran to unleash its missiles and other weapons on their targets.

But still Iran is a powerful country. Iran’s strong muscles are not due to its weaponry.

Iran’s strength emanates from its diplomacy and the role it plays almost in all important files in the region. Arab states have almost no role to play here.

Therefore, it is so hard for Iran’s nemesis, the U.S., to embark on any negotiating or movements in the region without taking Tehran into account.

Tehran has proxies and agents throughout the region. They are the source of Iran’s power and not its weapons.

Source: Uruknet.
Link: http://www.uruknet.info/?fb=1&p=65750.

Aljazeera awards Press TV doc

A Press TV documentary production has received the Human Rights award of the 6th edition of the Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival.

Aliya Battalion directed by Rashed Radwan competed with 198 documentaries from 39 countries, which participated in the 2010 edition of the festival held on the theme of 'Freedom and Human Rights.'

Radwan's 60-minute film is about a small sniper army of former Soviet soldiers, who are used by Israel to terrorize Palestinian civilians in West Bank cities and villages.

“Ailiya Battalion has been the most popular Press TV documentary,” Fars News Agency quoted head of Press TV's international documentary department Mohsen Barmahani as saying.

The film includes interviews with the snipers and presents their training sessions and the killing of civilians in the West Bank.

Radwan is a Spanish filmmaker and writer of Iraqi descent, who has made numerous documentaries on the theme of war.

Tiarget: Heart of Iraq, Gaza Genocide, Human Market and Iraq at the Edge of Civil War are among his best known works.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125824§ionid=351020105.

Iran's naval drills go on in S. waters

Iran has launched the third phase of a major naval maneuver in the country's southern waters of the Straight of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman in a display of its military might.

During the fourth day of the drill on Saturday, hovercrafts strafed mock enemy targets while vessels, destroyers, and frigates blocked their advance towards Iran's territorial waters, a Press TV correspondent reported.

In another coordinated joint operation, Iran's navy speed boats, backed by the Air Force jet fighters, stopped an invading enemy vessel and captured commandos on board.

Certain tactical operations were also conducted in the third stage of the naval drills, including electronic countermeasures (ECM) as well as disabling enemy radars and communication systems.

The third phase of the drill is scheduled to continue with reconnaissance and drone aircrafts conducting interception operations.

The massive drill code-named Velayat 89 began last Wednesday. It will be carried out in six phases and is scheduled to last eight days.

Speaking before the commencement of the drills, Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that by holding the maneuvers, Iran sought to display its prowess in defending the country's territory while conveying a message of "peace and friendship" to the regional states.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125809&sectionid=351020101.

Six convicted drug traffickers hanged in Iran

Tehran - Six convicted drug traffickers were executed on Saturday in Iran, official news agency IRNA reported.

The six were hanged in a prison in the city of Karaj, west of the capital Tehran, after their initial death verdicts were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking of quantities in excess of 5 kilograms are among crimes punishable by death in Iran.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322605,six-convicted-drug-traffickers-hanged-in-iran.html.

Iran launches 1st bird-watching festival

Iran has launched its first national bird-watching festival in the capital of Tehran in an attempt to raise public awareness about native Persian birds.

The country's first bird-watching event was launched in Sa'd Abad cultural complex on Saturday, seeking to attract fans and encourage individuals to take part in different specialized areas of birding.

Organizers of the event are also holding Iran's ecotourism capacities exhibition and related digital photography competitions on the sideline of bird-watching festival.

Workshops have also been organized in order to help participants shape a better perception of bird-watching.

Participants and visitors will also be able to take part in the accompanying conferences on the role of the public in the development of the practice, the role birds play in the environment and international Ornithology experiences.

The one-day event has been organized through joint efforts by the country's National Committee of Ecotourism, the Tourism Department of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicraft and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) and Avayeh Tabi'at Institute.

According to an official at the Department of Environment, Iran has 517 species of endemic birds that can be introduced to the public in order to attract ecotourists.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125799§ionid=3510212.

Japan awards ex-Iranian envoy

A former Iranian ambassador to Japan is awarded with a Japanese order of merit for his efforts to promote cultural ties between the two ancient nations.

Abdul Rahim Govahi travelled to Japan upon a formal invitation from Tokyo officials on Thursday and was awarded with the Order of the Sacred Treasure on Friday, IRNA reported.

The award was presented to Govahi by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in a ceremony at the Imperial palace, which was also attended by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano and a number of Japan's cabinet members.

The Iranian diplomat and academician was among the five top foreign researchers who received the decoration along with 30 Japanese officials and elites.

After the ceremony, Govahi and a number of other decorated researchers met with Emperor Akihito.

Govahi served as the Islamic Republic's Ambassador to Tokyo in 1360-65. He also established the Iran-Japan friendship group and chaired the commission for a decade.

Govahi is the third Iranian researcher to receive the Order of the Sacred Treasure from Japan after Hashem Rajabzadeh in 2009 and Mohammad Naqizadeh in 2008.

Govahi has also written a book on Shinto tradition.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125723§ionid=3510212.

Iran's PG naval drills in phase 2

Iran has kicked off the second day of its naval maneuver in the Oman Sea to test its capabilities in securing the waterways in the area and fighting piracy.

The Iranian Army's ground and air forces are also involved in the 8-day drill. On Friday, they began to exercise patrolling the sea routes and escorting passenger and cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Passing ships were successfully checked by destroyers, frigates, special operation teams and naval commandos in line with the goal of establishing security and peace in transit routes bound for the Hormuz Strait and the Persian Gulf," ISNA quoted the drill's spokesman Rear Admiral Qasem Rostamabadi as saying on Friday.

Throughout the operation, he said, the vessels were backed by Air Force fighter jets and choppers as well as surveillance drones.

The second phase of the exercise involved the detection and subsequent destruction of marine and submarine targets as well as conducting rescue drills for chemical, biological and nuclear strikes, the spokesman said.

The third phase of the maneuvers, due to start later on Friday, will focus on tactical operations, test-firing of surface-to-surface, land-to-surface and undersurface missiles. Tens of destroyers, frigates and naval helicopters will participate in this part of the drill.

Iranian military officials have said the drills, which will be observed by official guests from three neighboring countries, is aimed to assure Middle East nations that security in the Persian Gulf can be achieved without a foreign military presence in the strategic waters.

The five-phase drill covers an estimated 250,000-square-kilometer area spanning from the strategic Hormuz Strait to the Indian Ocean.

The event comes after a similar practice staged by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps in the Persian Gulf.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125718&sectionid=351020101.

Iran, Turkey to discuss fuel swap deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will pay a surprise visit to Istanbul to discuss a proposed nuclear fuel exchange deal with his Turkish counterpart.

Mottaki, who was on a five-day trip to New York to attend the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, will briefly stop in Turkey before returning to Tehran on Friday.

Turkish media sources have confirmed the reports, adding that Mottaki will touch base with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and discuss recent developments in a deal to provide an Iranian research reactor with its required fuel.

A UN-brokered deal proposed that Iran ship a large proportion of its domestic low-enriched uranium (LEU) abroad for conversion into fuel rods for the Tehran medical research reactor.

Iran dismissed the deal, arguing that the West had failed to provide enough guarantees that the fuel would actually be delivered to Tehran, and instead proposed the simultaneous exchange of the shipment on its own soil.

Turkey has emerged as a key advocate of a diplomatic solution to the international deadlock over Iran's enrichment activities.

In a recent visit to Tehran, Davutoglu had reiterated that “diplomacy is needed to solve the problem [Since] military means, attacks, sanctions or embargoes will not be fruitful."

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125708§ionid=351020104.

Iran's exports to EU up by 10%

Iran's non-oil exports to EU member states rose by 10 percent in the Iranian year ending March 2010, the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) of Iran has said.

Iran exported more than $2 billion in non-oil products in the year 1388, which ended on March 21, 2010, up from $1.8 billion in the previous year, said Reza Tofiqi, an official for the TPO international affairs.

He added that Iranian imports from the European Union dropped to $14 billion last year from $16 billion the previous year, which showed a fall of 13 percent.

According to the European Commission statistics, the EU is Iran's largest trade partner and accounts for one-third of all Iranian exports.

Experts say Iran's trade with the EU has significant growth potential; however, its development has been hampered due to a standoff over Iran's nuclear issue.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125657§ionid=351020102.

Cobras join Iran's PG naval drills

Cobra choppers have joined the second day of Iran's military maneuvers in the Straight of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman, successfully carrying out tactical operations.

Cobra helicopters were flown to the south of Iran on Thursday, where they attacked and shot down surface and sub-surface mock enemy targets.

Iran's helicopter gunships were also dispatched to the area to act as covers for Cobra choppers during the tactical operation in Iranian territorial waters.

According to Fars news agency, Iranian Navy destroyers accompanied by frigates and submarines carried out reconnaissance missions during Thursday's maneuvers.

Admiral Qassem Rostam Abadi, the maneuvers' spokesperson, said the reconnaissance missions were aimed at securing Iran's shipping routes in the Sea of Oman.

The Iranian army is scheduled to carry out electronic and anti-electronic warfare later on Thursday and gather radar information in the region, the military official added.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Kiumars Ahadi -- another commander with Iran's Military -- said troops and military hardware will be dispatched to the area during the drill through special heliborne operations.

Iranian Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said earlier that by holding the maneuver, Tehran sought to send out a message of "peace and friendship" to regional states.

The military drill dubbed Velayat 89 is due to last eight days.

Around 40 percent of the world's crude passes through waterways in the south of Iran.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125618&sectionid=351020101.

Tehran Int'l Book Fair opened

Iran has launched the 23rd Tehran International Book Fair (TIBF) with more than 2000 publishers from 80 countries in the world participating in the event.

The annual cultural event -- believed to be the most prominent publishing event in Asia and the Middle East -- was inaugurated in the presence of the country's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi on Tuesday and opened to public on Wednesday.

The exhibitors have put on show an estimated 200,000 books of which 170,000 are foreign titles.

Some 2,000 publishers -- more than 1,100 local and 980 international -- have participated in the 2010 TIBF, where foreign e-books and e-journals are also put up for sale.

Publishing companies from China, Spain, France, Greece, the US, South Korea, Malaysia, Iraq, Russia and other countries are offering their publications during the ten-day exhibition held at the Iranian capital's Mosalla.

The fair also features special sections, including the House of Literati that honors prominent Iranian cultural figures from a variety of disciplines.

The international event opens a great window of opportunity for the country's publication sector and book dealers.

The public may find further information about the event on the fair's official website at: www.tibf.ir.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125614§ionid=3510212.

MPs hail Ahmadinejad's nuclear stance

Iranian MPs have signed a letter praising President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his “strong stance” at the UN conference on nuclear disarmament.

197 members of the Majlis, which is Iran's parliament, including some from the minority faction, presented the letter to the Majlis Presiding Board, the Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

The lawmakers lauded Ahmadinejad's speech at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, which is currently underway in New York.

On Monday, the delegates of the United States, Britain, and France walked out of the conference venue as Ahmadinejad was delivering his speech.

Ahmadinejad criticized the three Western nuclear powers for failing to fulfill their obligations as NPT signatories.

He stated that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation have not been realized, saying that the US is to blame for the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The Iranian president also said the US should dismantle its nuclear bases around the world as a first step for creating a nuclear weapons-free world.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125586§ionid=351020104.

Hezbollah to boycott Sunday's municipal elections in Beirut

Beirut - The Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah movement announced Wednesday that they will boycott the second phase of Lebanon's municipal elections in order to avoid any "sectarian strife."

Hezbollah and the western-backed opposition was suppose to run Sunday's election in one united list, but the two parties failed to reach an agreement.

A statement by the group said that Hezbollah had felt the current conciliatory atmosphere was an opportunity to form a united list, but that the party faced strong opposition from "the other side (the western-backed ruling majority)."

"To avoid an electoral battle to protect the capital from sectarian strife, a reference to forming a competing list to that of Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri's, the "Beirut Unity" list, a decision was taken to boycott the Beirut Municipal elections scheduled to take place on Sunday," the statement said.

The group called on their supporters to only participate in Sunday's mayoral elections and boycott the municipal councils.

Lebanese voters will continue to cast their ballots over three Sundays in May, during which some 963 local councils and nearly 2,800 mayors are due to be elected.

Lebanon's 4-million-strong population is divided between Christians, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims, with around a third each, as well as a number of other smaller religious groups.

Relations over the past few months have improved between the western-backed majority headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Syrian and Iranian backed Hezbollah opposition.

The mayors and councilors which are elected by voters every six years have no legislative powers, but deal with day-to-day affairs such as education.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322179,hezbollah-to-boycott-sundays-municipal-elections-in-beirut.html.

In NY, Ahmadinejad meets with rabbis

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Tehran will continue to “fight for the rights” of oppressed nations in the face of global tyranny.

In a Wednesday meeting with a group of anti-Zionist rabbis in New York, Ahmadinejad said the rights of religious minorities is of primary importance for Iran.

He further added that Zionist groups are taking advantage of Judaism to further their political gains in Israel and other parts of the world.

The Iranian President praised the Jewish leaders who had shown the dark side of Zionism to the world by distancing themselves from pro-Zionist policies.

For their part, the rabbis praised Ahmadinejad and presented him with a book as a token of their gratitude for Iran's efforts in maintaining the rights of the Jewish people of Iran.

Iran has the largest Jewish population in the Middle East next to Israel.

Like the country's other religious minorities, the Jewish people are free to practice their faith and have one reserved seat in the Iranian Parliament (Majlis).

Ahmadinejad is in New York to attend the month-long nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, which opened on May 3 at the UN headquarters.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125546§ionid=351020101.

'Iran must become Muslim role model'

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Iranian nation will press ahead on its path regardless of threats and pressure.

Addressing thousands of Iranian teachers on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the enemy's attempts to hinder the Iranian nation's progress are predictable.

"The experience of the Iranian nation has proven that threats and opposition cannot slow its progress and the Iranian nation will resolutely move forward on its path."

Pointing to the country's shortcomings in the past, the Leader said making up for such losses requires great action and stressed, "Iran and the Iranian nation must attain the standing that they deserve and become a comprehensive role model for the Muslim world.”

"To achieve this great objective, the Iranian nation's innate abilities, and intellectual and humanitarian capabilities and capacities must be drawn upon," the Leader added.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that once the Iranian nation achieves its true status, it can prepare the ground for changing the fate of the Muslim world, adding, "The result of a change in the fate of the Muslim world is a change in the situation of the world."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the moral condition of today's world as extremely dire and said, "This horrific fate of mankind can be changed but the first condition is initiating a major change in the country to become a moral and worldly role model.”

"The foundation of any change in the country requires education. Given the foundation laid over the past 30 years, although the road ahead is long and hard, the future ahead is bright," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125537§ionid=351020101.

Iranian Navy begins major drill

The Iranian Navy has started an eight day military exercise in the country's southern seas to display its strength in defending Iran's territorial waters.

The maneuver, called "Velayat 89," will be conducted in the Sea of Oman and the strategic waterway connecting it to the Persian Gulf.

The drill which started on Wednesday will cover a large area stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern Indian Ocean and has six phases.

The security of the Strait of Hormuz has global significance, as almost 40 percent of the world's crude passes through the waterway.

Iranian Navy commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says with the maneuver, Tehran seeks to send out a message of "peace and friendship" to regional states.

Other than its main defensive objectives, the Iranian Navy also aims to explore ways of dealing with piracy.

The drill comes just weeks after another large-scale Iranian maneuver in the Persian Gulf that also pursued the same goal of promoting regional security.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125531&sectionid=351020101.

Iran warms to Brazil as mediator for nuclear fuel deal

Tehran - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he agreed "in principle" with Brazil mediating a UN-backed uranium exchange deal, Fars news agency reported Wednesday.

A statement by the presidential office said that Ahmadinejad indicated his approval in a phone call to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday.

The statement said Ahmadinejad also agreed to discuss "further technical details" with Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva during his visit to Iran on May 15.

According to a plan brokered in October by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's low-enriched uranium was to be exported to Russia for further enrichment. and then to France for processing into fuel for a Tehran medical reactor.

Tehran has said it was prepared either to buy the highly enriched uranium or exchange its own if the swap took place on Iranian soil.

The world powers and the Vienna-based IAEA refused to have the handover take place in Iran.

The West is pushing for further sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council for its refusal to suspend enrichment and lack of cooperation with IAEA inspectors.

Brazil, which is a rotating member of the Security Council, has so far opposed sanctions and offered to help settle the dispute by mediating the uranium exchange deal.

Lula's preference for negotiations before imposing any punitive actions has been welcomed by Tehran.

Although the uranium exchange deal would not settle more than seven years of dispute over Iran's enrichment program, it is regarded by observers as a first step.

Tehran rejects accusations that it is working on a secret military program and nuclear weapons research.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322080,iran-warms-to-brazil-as-mediator-for-nuclear-fuel-deal.html.