Ahmadinejad predicts failure of Mideast talks, Israel - Summary

Fri, 03 Sep 2010

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Friday that this week's Mideast peace talks as well as Israel itself were "doomed to collapse" as millions of Iranians were expected to turn out for state-organized anti-Israel rallies.

Iran marks the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan as Quds (Jerusalem) Day, during which the nationwide rallies are held. This year's rallies coincided with the first direct Middle East peace talks in almost two years, which were held in Washington.

The highlight of Quds Day was Friday prayers at Tehran University, where Ahmadinejad held the first sermon.

The president told the worshippers that the future of the Palestinian territories would be determined by the Palestinians themselves "and not in Washington, London or Paris."

"These talks are doomed to fail as the agenda of the talks is irrelevant and not focusing on the main issue, which is the withdrawal of Zionists from Palestinian lands," Ahmadinejad said.

"But more important is that the Zionist regime itself is doomed to collapse anyway," said the president, who in the past has provoked international condemnation for calling for Israel to be eradicated from the Middle East map and questioning the Holocaust.

Iran does not recognize Israel's sovereignty and said the only pragmatic option to resolve the Middle East conflict would be a referendum for all Palestinians, including the millions of refugees, to determine their fate.

According to Iranian state media, millions of people were expected to attend Friday's rallies.
During the demonstrations, the pro-government Basij militia group was to distribute two videogames to reach out to the younger generation and expose "Zionists' crimes and atrocities in Palestine," state television reported.

One of the games was based on the May 31 Israeli commando raid on an aid flotilla trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. It killed nine activists.

The Quds Day rallies were held after US President Barack Obama hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday for peace talks.

Abbas and Netanyahu pledged to reach a peace agreement in a year's time, hold a second round of talks September 14-15 in the Middle East and meet every two weeks thereafter.

Iranian leaders, however, downplayed the importance of the negotiations.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Friday described the Washington meeting as "futile compromise talks" and told the ISNA news agency that "the Palestinians were smarter than being deceived by this kind of theatre."

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told state television Friday that "the dilemma could not be settled by theatrics staged in Washington as the Palestinian issue was not a toy but a very serious matter which solely had one solution: giving Palestinians back their rights."

At prayers, Ahmadinejad called on the West to drop its support of Israel to gain more trust in the Middle East.

"If you do not stop supporting the Zionists, then you would be regarded as accomplices of the Zionist crimes and forced to face the consequences accordingly," Ahmadinejad warned at the university, which was the object of a heavy security deployment Friday.

In a change from last year's rallies, no opposition protests were observed by journalists or reported on opposition websites.

The opposition accused the government of fraud in last year's presidential vote, which led to Ahmadinejad's re-election. It organized a series of demonstrations, and the government responded with deadly crackdowns. There have been no street protests since December.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/342498,talks-israel-summary.html.

Nuclear talks with EU futile, Iran's chief of staff says

Wed, 04 Aug 2010

Berlin - Iran's chief of staff said Wednesday that nuclear talks with the European Union would be a waste of time, ISNA news agency reported.

"We have realized that holding nuclear talks with the EU is futile as the Europeans have nothing to say (in world politics)," Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, widely regarded as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's closest advisor, said.

Tehran insists that the main players in the nuclear dispute are the United States, Russia and China - and that the EU's presence in the negotiations has no major impact.

Ahmadinejad's also insists on direct contact with US President Barack Obama, and on Monday repeated a challenge to debate at the UN general assembly in New York in September, analysts said.

"The Americans should know that for solving the dilemmas in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, first they have to settle the nuclear dispute with Iran," Mashaei said.

Ahmadinejad's chief aide also said the US should start talking with Iran, and know that sanctions will not stop Tehran from pursuing its nuclear projects.

The UN has ordered economic sanctions against Iran for its uranium enrichment drive, and suspicions that it is secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

Ahmadinejad said Iran was ready to resume nuclear talks with world powers in September, and also hold technical talks with the US, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency for a uranium swap.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/337902,irans-chief-staff-says.html.

Iran stages anti-Israel rallies amid peace talks in Washington

Fri, 03 Sep 2010

Tehran - Iran on Friday staged anti-Israeli rallies nationwide while direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians were under way in Washington.

The late supreme leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, grand ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, declared the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan as Quds (Jerusalem) Day and called for mass rallies against Israel and in support of the Palestinians.

The rallies this year coincided with the first direct Middle East peace talks in almost two years, in Washington, where US President Barack Obama was hosting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Iranian state media, millions of people were expected to attend the state-run rallies throughout the country and voice their support for Palestinians and the "liberation of their lands from the Zionist regime's (Israel's) occupation."

"Today millions of people will shout out their will for liberation of the holy Quds from the devil's claw of Zionists," the Fars news agency reported.

Iran does not recognize Israel's sovereignty and said the only pragmatic option to resolve the Middle East conflict would be a referendum for all Palestinians, including the millions of refugees, to determine their fate.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday predicted that the talks in Washington would once again fail because the main demand of the Palestinian people, which is an end to the Israeli occupation, was once again not being considered.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Friday described the Washington meeting as "futile compromise talks" and told ISNA news agency that "the Palestinians were smarter than being deceived by this kind of theatre."

Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told state television Friday that "the dilemma could not be settled by theatrics staged in Washington as the Palestinian issue was not a toy but a very serious matter which solely had one solution: giving Palestinians back their rights."

During the rallies, the pro-government Basij militia group was to distribute two video games as an effort to reach the younger generation and expose "Zionists' crimes and atrocities in Palestine," state TV reported.

The highlight of the Quds Day was scheduled to be the Friday prayers at Tehran University where Ahmadinejad planned to hold the first sermon and the hardline Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami the main sermon.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/342467,rallies-peace-talks-washington.html.

Iran says Middle East peace talks futile

Tue, 24 Aug 2010

Tehran - Iran on Tuesday said that the forthcoming Middle East peace talks between Israel and Palestine would be futile.

"As long as the main root of the problem is not solved, no peace talks will have any tangible results and be futile," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in a press briefing in Tehran.

The upcoming negotiations are to be the first direct peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians in nearly two years.

The last round of direct negotiations was suspended in late 2008, as Israel entered the election campaign which ultimately brought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power.
"There can be no real settlement as long as Palestinians are forced out of their country and live as refugees while invaders from other countries live in their homeland," the Iranian spokesman said.

Iran does not recognise Israel's sovereignty and says the only pragmatic option would be a referendum for all Palestinians, including the millions of refugees, to determine their future fate.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/340726,east-peace-talks-futile.html.

MIT honors Iranian-born inventors

Two Iranian scientists are among the under 35 innovators of 2009 chosen by the MIT published Technology Review.

According to Technology Review Shahram Izadi (33) and Ali Javey (29) are selected for their innovations believed to be able to change the world.

Microsoft researcher, Shahram Izadi, has improved Microsoft's already impressive touch table, Surface, to present information in a completely new way.

The intuitive 3-D interface known as SecondLight is believed to help individuals manage layers of data through adding another physical layer in a second hidden image above the first one.

The assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Ali Javey, was elected for “painting” nanowires into high-quality electronic circuits.

Javey has so far used the technique to print transistors based on germanium, silicon, and indium arsenide nanowires as well as arrays of light-sensing cadmium selenide nanowires.

MIT magazine has also selected Kevin Fu (33), a software engineer and assistant professor of computer science, as innovator of the year because of his invaluable research in innovating hacker-protected radio frequency chips for objects ranging from credit cards to pacemakers.

José Gomez-Marquez (32) was also honored as the Humanitarian of the Year due to the invention of practical medical devices for impoverished countries.

Among the inventors on the list is Jeffrey Bigham (28) from the University of Rochester, who has created a free screen reader that can be used with practically any Web browser on any operating system to help the blind navigate the Web.

Since 1999, the editors of Technology Review have been honoring young innovators, all under the age of 35, whose inventions and research in different fields of medicine, computing, communications, electronics, and nanotechnology has changed the world.

Pakistan to help Iran root out Jundallah

Pakistan says it will help the Tehran government locate and arrest the masterminds behind a deadly terrorist attack that killed scores of people in southeastern Iran.

In remarks published on Wednesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that an Iranian delegation will soon arrive in Islamabad for talks on the matter.

"We will help them and support them in unearthing the people responsible …We will sort this thing out on a government-to-government basis," Reuters quoted Qureshi as saying.

He said terrorism was a regional problem and Iran and Pakistan should join forces in rooting out extremism and radicalism.

"What we are asking is that we as neighbors, as friends, as brotherly friendly countries, have to adopt a cooperative regional approach to deal with this menace," he continued. "Pakistan is suffering, Pakistan is a victim of terrorism."

At least 42 people, including senior commanders from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Nour-Ali Shoushtari and Rajab-Ali Mohammadzadeh, were killed in a Sunday morning bombing during a gathering of Shia and Sunni tribal leaders in the borderline region of Pishin.

The Pakistan-based Jundallah terrorist group, which is closely affiliated with the notorious al-Qaeda organization, has claimed responsibility for the bomb blast.

Led by Abdulmalek Rigi, Jundallah terrorists have staged a tidal wave of bombings and terrorist attacks in Iran, one of which left at least 25 Iranians dead in early June.

The Asia Times reported in May, that al-Qaeda militants had sought to establish an alliance with the exiled Jundallah to fulfill longstanding plans of creating a strategic corridor in the region and lay the foundation for joint regional operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Abdulhamid Rigi, the apprehended brother of the Jundallah point-man, told Press TV in a recent interview that Abdulmalek had held several "confidential" meetings with FBI and CIA agents in Karachi and Islamabad.

He added that during one of the meetings, two female US agents had offered weapons, safe bases in Afghanistan and professional trainers and had attempted to recruit volunteers.

Abdulhamid's remarks comes two years after The Sunday Telegraph declared Jundallah to be a CIA brainchild engineered to achieve the Bush-era goal of "regime change in Iran."

Iran 'steadfast' on nuclear deal with West

Iran says it is determined to cooperate on a deal to provide a research reactor with nuclear fuel in line with its rights and national interest.

On the third and final day of a nuclear sit-down in Vienna, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Ali-Asghar Soltaniyeh, said Iran laid down its terms and conditions during the meeting "through logic and reason."

"The onus is now on Western countries to review their options and respond as to whether they agree to our proposals," he added on Wednesday.

Speaking exclusively to Press TV, Soltaniyeh described the Vienna talks as “three days of intensive technical discussions on all aspects of an agreement for the supply of the nuclear fuel for Tehran research reactor.”

He also mentioned that the Vienna talks were stalled on Monday and consecutively on Tuesday due to lack of concurrence and harmony among Western diplomats.

"Contrary to the Western delegation's discordant and inharmonious stance, the Iranian diplomats began the negotiations with stamina and endurance," said Soltaniyeh, who led a high-level delegation of nuclear experts to the meeting.

His remarks come only hours after IAEA Director-General Mohammed ElBaradei, proposed and sent a draft nuclear agreement to the governments of Iran, Russia, the United States and France.

"I have circulated a draft agreement that in my judgment reflects a balanced approach to how to move forward," said ElBaradei after the meeting broke up around 1 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) in Vienna.

"I very much hope that people see the big picture - that this agreement could pave the way for a complete normalization of relations between Iran and the international community," he added.

Details of the deal have not been confirmed, but the plan is believed to involve Iran trading its low-level uranium with higher level. Iran has repeatedly maintained that it prefers to buy the fuel rather than exchanging it.

ElBaradei said the countries have until Friday, October 23, to inform the UN nuclear body whether they accept the compromise.

Diplomats from Iran, France, Russia and the United States gathered in Vienna on Monday for three days of talks on a deal to supply highly-enriched uranium for Tehran's research reactor.

Tehran's research reactor, which supplies medical isotopes for treating cancer to more than 200 hospitals in Iran, requires uranium enriched up to 20 percent.

Iranian musicians enthrall people in Kashmir

Tuesday 20th October, 2009

Srinagar, Oct 20 : Residents of Kashmir were treated to Iranian music during a Sufi music event held in Srinagar.

The five-member group enthralled the music lovers during 'Jahan-e-Khusrau', a show dedicated to Sufi music, which was organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), India's foreign affairs ministry, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department and the Rumi Foundation.

For the singers from Iran, the experience of performing in Kashmir was quite good.

Though many singers performed at the event, it was the Iranian group that stole the hearts of the people.

"It seemed as if it was a gathering of Sufi musicians. We had Iranian musicians, group from Awadh and then there were Kashmiri singers, " said Tabrez Ahmed, a resident.

Central Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Farooq Abdullah, elt such events would help in facilitating friendship between the people.

"Such events could help in increasing friendship between us. It would help in lessening the distances," said Farooq Abdullah.

The event was held to keep alive the tradition of Sufi music in the valley.

Iran to open int'l oil bourse

Iran plans to launch an oil bourse at Kish Island in the Persian Gulf to offer crude and petrochemical products.

"Next week the international exchange hall of crude, oil products and petrochemical goods of Iran's Mercantile Exchange will be inaugurated" to help develop "national economy," said Ali Akbar Hashemian, director general of Iran's Mercantile Exchange Company.

Hashemian expressed hope the bourse would increase trade of oil products and encourage investment in the energy sector.

The Tehran-based Iran Mercantile Exchange is using 'spot' rather than futures trading, requiring immediate payment and delivery of the physical product.

The first phase of the bourse kicked off in 2008.

Iran, holder of the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, is trying to play a more active role in oil and petrochemical transactions in international markets.

The Islamic Republic also wants to encourage local investors to participate in the oil market as it tries to reduce the state's role in the country's energy industry.

Iran swine flue death toll hits 16

Iran's Health Ministry's latest updates confirm that swine flu has claimed the lives of 16 people across the country as new infected cases push the tally to 1194.

"The number of swine flu deaths in Iran has reached 16. The country's central cities of Qom and Arak as well as some cities in southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan have the highest rate," said Deputy Health Minister Hassan Emami-Razavi.

He added that 1194 confirmed A/H1N1 cases have so far been identified in the country.

Emami-Razavi has warned families about the high risk of contracting swine flu in the flu season especially with schools increasing children's interaction.

“Precautionary measures must be taken seriously in schools to prevent epidemic spread of the disease. Classes must be closed in case of pandemic,” the Iranian health official said. “However, one case in a class must not be mistaken by a pandemic and classes must not close for one case.”

According to the country's officials, adopting simple precautionary measures such as washing hands frequently, using a tissue at the time of coughing and sneezing and avoiding kissing can help contain the virus.

Iranian authorities had earlier canceled the Umrah (the minor pilgrimage) in the holy month of Ramadan with the aim of containing the A/H1N1 virus.

Iran's first swine flu case was a 16-year-old Iranian-American boy, who tested positive for the disease on June 22, upon his arrival in Tehran.

Hunt for Jundallah may cross into Pakistan: Iran MP

October 19, 2009

TEHRAN: An Iranian member of parliament on Monday raised the prospect of a possible cross-border military operation into Pakistan against the terrorist group blamed for a deadly attack on the elite Revolutionary Guards. Iran has in the past alleged that members of the Jundallah group, which state media said claimed Sunday’s suicide bombing in Iran, have been operating from Pakistan.

"There is unanimity about the Revolutionary Guards and the security forces engaging in operations in any place they would deem necessary," ISNA news agency quoted MP Payman Forouzesh as saying, appearing to refer to agreement on the issue among lawmakers.

Mottaki: US behind abduction of Iran nationals

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said the United States is involved in the abduction of several Iranian nationals in Europe and the Middle East.

“The US should be accountable as it is directly and indirectly responsible for causing problems for Shahram Amiri, Alireza Asgari and Ardebili,” Mottaki said on Wednesday.

Amiri was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia, Asgari went missing in Turkey and Ardebili was abducted in Georgia, the foreign minister said.

Amiri, a researcher at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, went missing after he traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Umrah Hajj (a shortened version of the major hajj pilgrimage) in June.

According to his wife, the missing pilgrim has not contacted his family except for a few phone calls he made at the beginning of his trip.

Former deputy defense minister Alireza Asgari, 45, retired from office two years ago. He was on a business trip to Syria and then Turkey, where he checked in at the Hotel Ceyran in Istanbul on December 7, 2007. He disappeared two days later.

Mottaki further referred to the illegal detention of Iranian diplomats in Iraq by the US for a lengthy period of time.

“The United States has a very bad and indefensible record in its relations with Iran,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

In January 2007, US troops stormed the Iranian consulate in the northern Kurdish city of Arbil, seizing the consulate's computers, documents and staff, including five diplomats.

Two diplomats were later released. The three remaining diplomats were released in July 2009 after two and a half years in prison, in line with the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the US and Iraq.

Iranian MP calls for freeze in aid to Pakistan

An Iranian MP has called on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to freeze all financial aid to Pakistan.

"The Pakistani Intelligence Agency (ISI) is the main supporter of terrorism in the region," said Heshmatollah Falahat-Pishe, a member of Iran's Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy.

The lawmaker from the western city of Eslamabad-e Gharb said on Monday that "until Islamabad demonstrates its sincerity in controlling its borders, the country should be considered exempt from any Iranian aid."

Pakistan was due to receive about $300 million in aid from Iran, most of which was to be in the form of counter-terrorism assistance.

Iran has announced that the group which carried out Sunday's suicide strike on its Revolutionary Guard Corps was based in Pakistan and had links with the country's intelligence service.

Tehran has also demanded the extradition of Abdolmalek Rigi, the head of the terrorist Jundallah group, adding that a high-level team would travel to Islamabad to submit proof of the group's involvement in the attack that killed at least 43 people.

Jundullah, which operates in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan's Balochistan provinces, has carried out a number of attacks against high profile Iranian targets, especially the government and security officials.

An ABC News report in 2007 reported that the Jundallah terrorist group "has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials" to destabilize the government in Iran.

In another report in July, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed that US Congressional leaders secretly agreed to George W. Bush's $400-million funding request last year for a major escalation of covert operations against Iran.

It is through such covert funding that under the US arms and fund terrorist groups such as the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) and Jundullah. Other US intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, have their own secret and separate budgets to fund destabilizing operations against Iran and other nations that do not submit to America's will.

The group's ringleader, Abdolmalek Rigi describes his terrorist cell as a 'nationalist movement' and denies any links to Washington. However, many Sunni Baluchis were among those killed in the recent terrorist attack by Rigi's followers.

'Jundallah terrorists trained in Pakistan'

A senior Iranian military official says the terrorists who recently carried out a deadly bombing in southeast Iran were trained in Pakistan.

The terrorist group Jundallah has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 41 people, including a number of senior commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, in Sistan-Baluchestan Province on Sunday.

"Undoubtedly, the leader of the terrorist group, Abdulmalek Rigi, is in Pakistan, and the members of the group have been trained by some arrogant countries, such as the US and Britain, on Pakistani territory," the commander of the IRGC Ground Forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, said.

Pakpour stated that some of the detained members of the terrorist group have confessed that Jundallah is receiving foreign support, the Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

He criticized Pakistani officials for not taking serious measures against the terrorists and called for permission to be granted so that the IRGC can confront the terrorists in Pakistan.

"The [Iranian] Foreign Ministry should be more sensitive to the issue because the terrorists are based in another country. The Foreign Ministry should negotiate with the [Pakistani] officials so that they will arrest the terrorists and return them to Iran or let us confront them ourselves," Pakpour stated.

Iranian-American academic gets 12 years for unrest

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – A special court formed after Iran's post-election unrest has convicted an Iranian-American academic and sentenced him to more than 12 years in prison, state media said Tuesday.

Kian Tajbakhsh was the only American in an ongoing mass trial of alleged Iranian opposition members and reportedly faced charges including espionage, contacting foreign agents and acting against Iran's national security.

Tajbakhsh was arrested July 9 during a crackdown on protesters and Iranian political figures rallying against the disputed presidential elections, which critics claimed were rigged in favor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Washington has repeatedly denounced Tajbaksh's arrest. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appealed in August for Tajbakhsh's release, and he was specially named in a call by the British rock star Sting to free all political prisoners in Iran.

In 2007, Tajbakhsh, a social scientist and urban planner, spent four months in prison on charges of endangering national security. He denied the charges at the time, and has also denied the post-election allegations against him.

His lawyer, Houshang Azhari, was quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency as confirming Tuesday he received the verdict. The attorney said Tajbakhsh's sentence was "more than 12 years," but that the law prohibits him from divulging further details.

The report came as more than a third of Iran's parliament asked judicial authorities to prosecute opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. According to IRNA, 100 deputies in the 290-member parliament supported the demand in a letter to State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi.

The letter, delivered by lawmaker Hamid Rasai, a staunch Ahmadinejad supporter, said Mousavi should be put on trial because his statements and actions had damaged "reputation of the Islamic system."

It's unclear whether authorities would bring charges against Mousavi, who declared himself the rightful winner in June's election. But he has vowed to press ahead with opposition to the government.

Last week, Iranian authorities opened an investigation into another former presidential candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, in a possible first step toward bringing charges.

Besides Tajbakhsh, Iranian authorities hold retired Iranian-American businessman Reza Taghavi and three American hikers: Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd. Another American, former FBI agent Robert Levinson, is also believed missing in Iran since March 2007.

An Iranian-Canadian journalist for Newsweek Maziar Bahari, who was detained after the election, was released based on a bail last week. Of those held, only the cases of Tajbakhsh and Bahari were linked to the post-election turmoil.

Iranian investigators are still questioning the three American hikers, detained in late July after straying across the border and their fate rests with judicial authorities, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Tuesday in a wide-ranging news conference.

Mottaki gave no other details of the probe or a possible timeframe on the case. But his comments suggested that formal charges could still be possible against the Americans, although Ahmadinejad had recently pledged he would request "maximum leniency" for them.

They three have been visited by Swiss diplomats, who oversee U.S. interests in Iran, and earlier this month, their relatives presented a petition to Iran's mission at the United Nations in New York asking for their release.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Ahmadinejad said he would ask the country's judiciary to expedite the process and "look at the case with maximum leniency."

The case of the hikers could be complicated by suspicions over the disappearance of an Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri in June while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Mottaki repeated accusations of a U.S. role in Amiri's disappearance and said the United States "must be held accountable" for information on him, but made no direct connection with the hikers' case.

Amiri reportedly worked at a university linked to the Revolutionary Guard and his wife has said he was researching medical uses of nuclear technology, but was not involved in the country's broader nuclear program.

Mottaki claimed Amiri was "kidnapped" in a plot masterminded by Washington and assisted by Saudi officials.

Saudi officials have made no public comments on the accusations. Earlier this month, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said he had no information about the reported disappearance, adding that "the case is not familiar to us."

Amiri traveled to Saudi Arabia on May 31 for omra, an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, his wife told the semi-official news agency ISNA. The last she heard from him was on June 3, when he called her from the holy city of Medina.

Mottaki also increased pressure on Pakistan to crackdown on Sunni militants after Sunday's suicide attack in the border region that killed 42 people, including top commanders of the powerful Revolutionary Guard. Iran's state television on Tuesday raised the number of Guard members killed in the blast to 15.

Mottaki demanded Pakistan arrest and extradite suspected members of the Jundallah, or Soldiers of God, which claimed responsibility for Sunday's suicide attack. He said the bombing had foreign roots and said the group is based in Pakistan and has "links with intelligence services and foreign forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

The Fars news agency reported three arrests linked to the bombing, but gave no other details.

An Iranian delegation was scheduled to go to Pakistan to discuss the case with officials.

Iran claims Pakistan aids and shelters the group, which purports to be fighting for the rights of minority Sunni tribes in southeastern Iran. On Monday, Iranian officials said the United States and Britain also have links to Jundallah — charges denied by both nations.

On Tuesday, IRNA also quoted intelligence minister Heidar Moslehi as saying Tehran has "good evidences in the hand which show Pakistan's intelligence apparatus has a link with the group."

The Guard's acting commandeer, Gen. Hossein Slamai, said the Guards would hunt down the attackers "in any place of the world," signaling possible Iranian plans to raid bases of the group abroad, including in Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities have promised to help Iran fight the militants, but insist there is no high-level backing for the group.

Police say more than 600 foreigners have been detained over the past two days for illegal entrance into Sistan-Baluchistan province, where Sunday's suicide bombing took place. It's unclear if the detentions are related to extra security after the bombing or part of frequent Iranian sweeps against human trafficking and drug smuggling.

Iran arrests three linked to terrorist attack

Iran has arrested three suspects in connection with a terrorist attack in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, Fars News Agency reports.

The provincial governor was quoted as saying by Fars that he could not disclose the identity of the detained individuals 'for security reasons'.

The three suspects were the first to be arrested after Sunday's bombing, which occurred in Pishin, a borderline region in southeastern Iran. The attack left at least 42 people including two senior military commanders dead.

Pakistan-based Jundullah terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Provincial officials said on Tuesday that gunmen killed two police officers in separate attacks in the city of Iranshahr, Mehr News Agency reported.

It is not yet clear whether the killings were in connection with Sunday's suicide attack.

Iran to launch sports channel

Iran's Physical Education Organization (PEO) is in talks with the country's state broadcaster to launch a sports channel.

PEO head Ali Saeidlou said that once the organization reaches an agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), efforts would begin to launch the sports channel.

He made the remarks in a Tuesday meeting with the managers and players of Iran's national futsal team.

Saeidlou said the opening of the channel, which is scheduled to air sports matches and sports-related programs round-the-clock, is expected to initially cost about $100 million.

Tchogha Zanbil burial ritual to be revived

Iranian cultural officials have planned to renovate an ancient Elamite tomb in a bid to introduce the traditional royal burial ritual in the country.

Located in world recognized heritage Tchogha Zanbil, the renovated tomb belongs to the Elamite era, whose emergence of written records goes back to around 3000 BC also parallels Mesopotamian history.

“A ten-year management program has been planned for restoration and preservation of the site and clay artifacts in the property,” said Mohammad Hassan Talebian, Director of the World Heritage property of Tchogha Zanbil.

“The program aims to make people familiar with the ancient architectural structures of the site. Such initiatives are a part of a plan to preserve a world recognized property,” Talebian added.

Tchogha Zanbil was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The ruins of the holy city of the Kingdom of Elam, surrounded by three huge concentric walls, are found at Tchogha Zanbil.

Founded in 1250 BC, the city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site.

Belarus registers new Iranian bank

The National Bank of Belarus (NBB) has registered a second bank in the country with Iranian capital, an official at NBB says.

The new Iranian bank, which was registered last week as "Honor Bank", will provide financial services for foreign trade relations between Iran and Belarus, said the head of banking supervision at NBB, Sergei Dubkov.
He was speaking at a conference on cross-border cooperation, organized by the International Reserve Bank.

Dubkov added that the authorized capital of the new banking institution is 11.5 million euros.

According to another informed source, the new bank will not only focus on Iran-Belarus joint investments, but also act as mediator between Belarus and the Arab market.

Last year, Iran's Tejarat bank and Belarus' Lada OMS Holding set up a new bank in Belarus with an authorized fund of more than 5 million euros, with Tejarat owning more than 96 percent of the shares.

Iran urges Europe to revise past policies

Iran says Europe can establish better ties with the Islamic Republic by revising past approaches and adopting an independent strategy.

"Europe can revise its past attitudes (toward Iran) and adopt foreign policy independent (of the United States) to witness different relations (with Tehran) in the coming four years," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

Mottaki says fair and constructive talks with Europe are in the best interests of both sides.

The Iranian foreign minister added that chilly relations between Iran and Europe have only served to the disadvantage of Europe, because Iran cut back on its trade volume with the continent.

Europe's alignment with US foreign policy has no future for the European Union, "because Iran reduced its trade volume with Europe and made great progress in its peaceful nuclear industry," he said.