Reuters, 

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen denied an accusation by Iran that coalition jets targeted the Islamic republic's embassy in Sanaa on Wednesday night, coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said.

An investigation found that "the allegations are false and that no operations were carried out around the embassy or near to it," a coalition statement said.

Iran said on Thursday that Saudi warplanes had attacked its embassy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

Coalition jets carried out heavy strikes in Sanaa on Wednesday night to target missile launchers used by the Houthi militia to fire at Saudi Arabia, Asseri said, adding that the group has used civilian facilities including abandoned embassies.

Asseri said the coalition had requested all countries to supply it with coordinates of the location of their diplomatic missions and that accusations made on the basis of information provided by the Houthis "have no credibility".
  

No war with Iran, says Saudi deputy crown prince

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said a war between his country and Iran would be the beginning of a catastrophe, and Riyadh will not allow it, British magazine The Economist reported on Thursday.

"It is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind," it quoted him as saying in an interview. “It will reflect very strongly on the rest of the world. For sure we will not allow any such thing.”

Salman’s comments were made during a five-hour conversation with The Economist, marking his first on-the-record interview.
 

Iran president decries U.S. ‘terrorism’ after Trump remarks

AFP, Tehran
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani has accused the United States of having “created terrorism” as he reacted to presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the country.

During a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Rowhani said “Islam is the religion of goodness and peace”.

“Unfortunately certain people around the world claim that Muslims should be barred from entry in order to fight terrorism,” he said.

“These are particularly bizarre remarks because they (the United States) themselves created terrorism... with their money and their men, and plant the seeds of terrorism in the region.”

On Monday, Republican frontrunner Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States, saying the ban should remain in place “until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.”

“We have no choice,” Trump said, speaking days after the massacre in California of 14 people by a Muslim couple believed to have been radicalized by extremists.

Iran’s health minister: Swine flu kills 42 across country

Tehran, Iran, AP
Iran’s health minister says an outbreak of swine flu has killed at least 42 people in the country over the past month.

Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi says 33 of the deaths from the H1N1 virus occurred in southeastern Kerman province. He says 600 people who contracted the virus there have been hospitalized, but that the outbreak is now under control.

He says other fatalities occurred in southeastern and southwestern Iran and one person died in Karaj, 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of the capital, Tehran.

Last year, swine flu claimed at least 89 lives in Iran.

The 2009 H1N1 outbreak started a global pandemic that killed as many as half a million people. The strain has been lethal mostly to those with complicating circumstances and is now considered a seasonal flu.

Iran sends 'warning to Israel via US officials'

Tehran said it sent a warning to Israel through the United States over the recent killing of an Iranian general in an Israeli air strike in Syria, the official IRNA news agency reports.

"We told the Americans that the leaders of the Zionist regime should await the consequences of their act,'' IRNA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying. Israel has "crossed our red lines'', he added.

Amirabdollahian said Iran had sent the message on Tuesday through diplomatic channels to US officials, to hand over to Israel. He did not elaborate.

The January 18 strike in the Syrian-controlled part of the disputed Golan Heights killed Iranian General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi, a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guards, along with six Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.

Allahdadi was one of the highest ranking Iranian officers known to have been killed abroad in decades. 

Amirabdollahian spoke during a commemoration on Tuesday for the Iranian general. The Guards' acting commander, General Hossein Salami, said Iran will soon retaliate for his death.

"We tell them [Israelis to] await retaliation but we will decide about its timing, place and the strength,'' Salami said at the ceremony.

US disregards threat

Both Iran and Hezbollah, close allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, blamed Israel, which is believed to have been behind a number of air strikes in Syria in recent years. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the air strike.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would not comment on private diplomatic talks with Iran, beyond saying that no threat to Israel was delivered in the latest round of nuclear talks between US and Iranian officials.

"We absolutely condemn any such threats that come in any form," Psaki told reporters.

Iran and the US have had no diplomatic relations since Iranian armed students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and held Americans there hostage for 444 days in 1979.

The two nations normally exchange diplomatic messages through the Swiss embassy, which looks after US interests in Iran.

Diplomats from both countries also meet directly on other occasions, such as the current negotiations to limit the scope of the Iranian nuclear programme in exchange for easing harsh international sanctions against Tehran.

Source: Associated Press

Final Stage of N-Talks Leads to Removal of All Sanctions

The Iranian Foreign Ministry says Tehran regards the removal of all sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic as the final stage of the nuclear negotiations with world powers.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said that according to a plan proposed by Iran, the final stage of the negotiations would lead to the removal of all unilateral, multilateral and UN Security Council sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Photo courtesy of ISNA

Afkham dismissed reports about the US Congress’ efforts to impose new sanctions against Iran in six months as an attempt to create hype against the negotiations.

Afkham also said Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai sealed a “comprehensive friendship pact” during their meeting on Sunday in Tehran.

The Iranian official added that according to the agreement, the foreign ministers of the two countries will begin the process of preparing the text of the pact, which will include political, security, economic, social and cultural aspects.

Afkham expressed hope that the cooperation pact would strengthen the expansive relations between Iran and Afghanistan.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman rejected US President Barack Obama’s recent claim about secret talks between Tehran and Washington.

Afkham added that all talks between Iran and the US were within the framework of the negotiations with the six world powers and over the country’s nuclear energy program.

Commenting on an upcoming visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Iran, Afkham said the Russian diplomat will hold talks with senior Iranian officials, including Zarif and Rouhani.

“The two countries regularly discuss bilateral, regional and international issues,” Afkham said, adding that Lavrov’s visit is aimed at holding talks over the latest bilateral developments.

Israeli PM urges world not to 'trust' Rouhani

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his country's position that the only way to peacefully stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons is to combine tough sanctions with a credible military threat, asserting that Israel would present that threat alone if need be.

"Don't let up the pressure [on Iran]," Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, adding that the only deal that could be made with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was one that "fully dismantles Iran's nuclear weapons programme".

Describing Rouhani as "a wolf in sheep's clothing", Netanyahu argued that the Iranian president, who has been at the forefront of softening rhetoric and historic increasing engagement with the United States, was not being forthright.

"I wish we could believe Rouhani's words, but we must focus on Iran's action," Netanyahu said, while asserting that the real power in Iran remained the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

He outlined a four-point plan for resolving the dispute of Iran's nuclear programme diplomatically, warning that if it was not adhered to the threat of military action must remain on the table.

'Unfounded accusations'

Iran has consistently denied that it has a nuclear weapons programme, saying that its nuclear programme is for civilian use in the energy and medical sectors only.

Khodadad Seifi, a deputy ambassador at Iran's UN mission, responded to Netanyahu's speech by terming it "extremely inflammatory" and categorically rejected all of his "unfounded accusations".

Seifi asserted Iran's "sovereign right" to a peaceful nuclear programme.

Netanyahu pointed to the impact of tough international sanctions on the Iranian economy, and urged world powers to keep up the pressure.

"We all want to give diplomacy [...] a chance to succeed. But when it comes to Iran, the greater the pressure, the greater the chance," he said.

He also warned that Israel was prepared to present a military threat to Iran on the issue of its alleged nuclear weapons programme alone, if need be.

"I want there to be no confusion on this point. Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone."

The Israeli prime minister, whose government has recently re-entered negotiations with Palestinians, also said that his government remained committed to "a demilitarised Palestinian state that recognises the Jewish state of Israel" and its "security needs"

IRAN'S PRESIDENT-ELECT: NATION VOTED FOR CHANGE

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's president-elect called his win in national elections this month a vote for change and vowed Saturday to remain committed to his campaign promises of moderation and constructive interaction with the outside world.

Hasan Rouhani's promises of outreach could lower the political temperature between Iran and the West and perhaps nudge the country's ruling Islamic establishment toward a more flexible approach in its standoff over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Rouhani has already promised greater openness on the nuclear issue while at the same time siding with the hard-liner establishment that refuses to halt uranium enrichment. He believes it's possible to strike a deal that would allow the Islamic Republic to keep enriching uranium while assuring the West it will not produce a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and its allies fear Iran may ultimately be able to develop nuclear arms. Tehran has denied the charges, saying its program is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity and producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients.

The reformist-backed Rouhani won a landslide majority in June 14 presidential election, defeating his conservative and hardline rivals. He will succeed hardline outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad early August.

"People chose a new path ... People said in this election: We want change," Rouhani told a conference in Tehran Saturday. "The best language of the people is the ballot box. The people's vote is very obvious. There is no ambiguity."

Rouhani's election has revived hopes for a mutually acceptable deal over Iran's disputed nuclear program, as it was seen in part as a referendum on Iran's nuclear diplomacy. The country's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, a hard-liner who supported a policy of resistance, finished third in the vote, which was widely seen as rejection of his tough stance on the nuclear issue.

Rouhani said he will keep his promise of following a path of moderation in domestic and foreign policy.

"Moderation in foreign policy is neither surrender nor conflict, neither passivity nor confrontation. Moderation is effective and constructive interaction with the world," he said.

The final word on all state matters, particularly on the nuclear issue, lies with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but a strong president can influence decision-making.

Rouhani has vowed that he will seek to have the stinging economic sanctions against Iran lifted and work with international powers to settle the nuclear issue through active diplomacy and dialogue.

The president-elect also said that the ruling system needs to allow more freedom for Iran's relatively young population.

"Happiness is people's right," he said. "I thank police for increasing the threshold of their tolerance." He was referring to wild street celebrations after he was declared winner of the election.

Iran's anti-vice police sporadically detain youths on vague charges of not observing Islamic codes. During Ahmadinejad's presidency, many detainees claimed to be mistreated while in detention.

"We should talk to girls and boys in the same way we talk to our own children. People's dignity must be preserved. Humiliating people is not acceptable but giving (polite) notice (of a morality offense) is fine," Rouhani said.

IRANIAN-AMERICANS AND EXPATRIATES VOTE IN ELECTION

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Iranian-Americans and expatriates cast ballots Friday in polling places across the United States, joining their countrymen half a world away in selecting the next Iranian president.

In Tampa, Fla., people from as far as North Carolina cast ballots in a hotel conference room, said Abbas Hashemy, a 56-year-old business owner who was overseeing the polling place.

The mood was festive as voters pressed their right index finger on an ink pad, showed their passports and, finally, slipped a paper ballot into a box. A few children in the room snacked on apples and pears that were set out in large bowls.

Behza Khajavi took photos of his friends voting and asked them to take a photo of him as he grinned and submitted his ballot.

"I hope we take a step toward democracy," said the 29-year-old Ph.D. candidate in physics from Boca Raton, Fla. He cast his ballot for Hasan Rowhani, the only relative moderate left in the race.

At a hotel in Brookfield, Wis., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate student Reihaneh Hamidi was among those voting. She, too, chose Rowhani, saying she preferred him because he criticized the current Iranian administration for its foreign policy and nuclear program and seems to have a greater focus on economic development.

The five other presidential candidates are: Mohsen Rezai, Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Gharazi, Mohammad Qalibaf and Ali Akbar Velayati.

During Iran's last election, in 2009, record numbers of Iranians voted in 41 locations throughout the U.S. This year, there are half as many voting locations, and turnout is expected to be lower.

Some analysts attribute the expected drop to the controversy surrounding Iran's election four years ago, when droves of Iranians took to the streets in support of the reformist candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and protested President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Large numbers of young people gathered in major cities, some carrying signs that read "Where is my vote?" Clashes erupted between activists and police.

"Both in the diaspora and in Iran itself, people lost confidence in the worth of their vote," said Reza Aslan, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Another impediment to turnout this year was confusion over the location of polling places. The addresses were only announced Thursday, and changes were being made into the evening.

U.S. Census figures show about 414,000 Iranians live in the U.S. California has the most, and six of the 20 polling places around the country are located there. Besides the Los Angeles area, San Diego and San Francisco, cities where balloting will be held include New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Anyone with a valid Iranian passport can vote at the polling locations, most of which are held in hotels and mosques and are run by volunteers.

Iranian authorities arrest opposition leader's daughters

Iranian authorities on Monday detained two daughters of leading opposition figure Mirhossein Mousavi, a former presidential candidate held under house arrest for nearly two years, an opposition-linked website reported.


The Islamic Republic is gearing up for another presidential vote in June and hardline figures have accused opposition forces of plotting a second "sedition" - referring to the last protests that were crushed by security forces.Mousavi stood in presidential elections in 2009 and was a figurehead of the big street protests over allegations of vote rigging that followed. He is held under house arrest with his wife Zahra Rahnavard.
Security forces went to the home of the couple's daughters Narges and Zahra on Monday morning and detained them, according to Kaleme, an opposition website close to Mousavi. It did not say where they were taken.
The couple have one other daughter and the three sisters wrote in a statement last month that authorities had denied Mousavi and Rahnavard contact with their children for weeks.
Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, another opposition figure, were detained after they called their supporters onto the streets for a rally in support of uprisings in the Arab world in February 2011. Hardliners have asked the judiciary to execute both men, but authorities have so far chosen to isolate rather than officially arrest them.
Mousavi, 70, Iran's prime minister in the 1980s, was treated for a heart problem in hospital in August, one of his former senior advisors told Reuters.

Iran successfully sends monkey into space: Minister

Iran on Monday successfully sent a monkey into orbit, paving the way for a manned space flight, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi told state television.

Arabic-language channel Al-Alam and other Iranian news agencies said the monkey returned alive after travelling in a capsule to an altitude of 120 kilometres (75 miles) for a sub-orbital flight.
"This success is the first step towards man conquering the space and it paves the way for other moves," General Vahidi said, but added that the process of putting a human into space would be a lengthy one.
"Today's successful launch follows previous successes we had in launching (space) probes with other living creatures (on board)," he added.
"The monkey which was sent in this launch landed safely and alive and this is a big step for our experts and scientists."
Iranian state television showed still pictures of the capsule and of a monkey being fitted with a vest and then placed in a device similar to a child's car-seat.
A previous attempt in 2011 by the Islamic republic to put a monkey into space failed. No official explanation was ever given.
A defence ministry statement quoted by Iranian media said earlier Iran had "successfully launched a capsule, codenamed Pishgam (Pioneer), containing a monkey and recovered the shipment on the ground intact".
Iran announced in mid-January its intention to launch a monkey into orbit as part of "preparations for sending a man into space," which is scheduled for 2020.
Iran's space programme deeply unsettles Western nations, which fear it could be used to develop ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads they suspect are being developed in secret.
The same technology used in space launch rockets can also be used in ballistic missiles.
The Security Council has imposed on Iran an almost total embargo on nuclear and space technologies since 2007.
Tehran has repeatedly denied that its nuclear and scientific programmes mask military ambitions.
Iran's previous satellite launches were met by condemnation from the West who accused Tehran of "provocation."
The Islamic republic has previously sent a rat, turtles and worms into space. It has also successfully launched three satellites -- Omid in February 2009, Rassad in June 2011 and Navid in February 2012.
In mid-May last year, Tehran announced plans to launch an experimental observation satellite Fajr (Dawn) within a week but it did not happen and Iran gave no explanation for the delay.
The Fajr satellite was presented by Iranian officials as "an observation and measurement" satellite weighing 50 kilos (110 pounds), built by Sa-Iran, a company affiliated to the defence ministry.

Tehran suggests Cairo for nuclear talks with P5+1 powers

Iran has suggested that the next round of nuclear talks with world powers should take place in Cairo, the ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Islamic state's foreign minister.
"When I was in Egypt ... it was suggested that the next meeting be held in Cairo," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by ISNA on Wednesday.
"This issue was welcomed by our dear friends in Egypt and Egypt will consult with the P5+1 for hosting this meeting."
The last round of negotiations between Iran and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had ended last Friday in the capital Tehran with no deal, awaiting a second meeting on 12 February.
The IAEA conducts regular inspections of Iran's unveiled nuclear sites, seeking access to other facilities where it believes are sites for undeclared activities at developing nuclear weapons took place since 2003.
According to AFP, it was unclear what went wrong this time but in the past Iran has insisted that the agreement include clauses that could infringe on the IAEA's ability to conduct proper inspections.
Iran incessantly denies having worked on devoting nuclear energy for military purposes.
At their last meeting, held in Moscow in June, Tehran rejected P5+1 calls for it to scale back its nuclear enrichment activities, while asking for substantial sanctions relief.
The Islamic republic's economy is currently struggling to survive with punitive measures adopted by the US and the EU targeting its key oil sector and access to international financial markets.
 Salehi, for his part, told Al-Ahram newspaper in August that Tehran is keen on establishing relations of "friendship and brotherhood" with Egypt, adding that Iran hoped to restore "normal" ties after relations were terminated in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Such statement came ahead of his meeting with Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi on 9 January to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo.

IRAN PARLIAMENT SEEKS FULL PROBE IN BLOGGER DEATH

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's parliament is urging the judiciary to thoroughly investigate the death of a blogger in custody and monitor police stations to prevent further abuses.

A parliamentary committee statement read during a Sunday session of the legislature called for a "special" investigation into the November death of Sattar Beheshti.

It is not clear what that means legally, as prosecutors are already investigating the case. But the statement reflects widespread outrage. Arrests of activists and claims of abuse in detention are commonplace in Iran, but deaths behind bars are much rarer.

Parliament also urged police to monitor all detention centers through closed circuit cameras, and suggested prosecutors visit regularly.

In December, Iran fired its head of cyber-security over the case. It also detained seven police officers, three of whom remain in detention.

Turkey urges Iran to ‘send clear message’ for Syria to end violence

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu urged Tehran on Tuesday to “send a clear message” to Syria’s embattled regime to stop the violence against its own people.

“Instead of criticizing the (Patriot) system, Iran should say stop to the Syrian regime that has been continuously oppressing its own people and provoking Turkey through border violations,” AFP reported Davutoglu as saying. “It is time to send clear messages to the Syrian regime.”

Iran is still resilient in its support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime. Like Russia, Iran has been a staunch ally of Assad throughout the 21-month uprising against his rule.

On Tuesday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said he does not believe that Assad and his government are about to fall.

Asked after talks in Moscow about Western suggestions that Assad and his government might soon be ousted, he told Reuters through a translator: “We have serious doubts about that. The Syrian army and the state machine are working smoothly.”

The minister dismissed suggestions that Moscow had altered its stance on Syria, despite remarks by a senior Russian diplomat last week acknowledging that Assad’s opponents could win the conflict.

“During our talks with our Russian partners, we have found there has been no change in the Russian position on Syria,” he told a news conference.

Russia has shielded Assad’s government from U.N. Security Council censure and sanctions, resisting Western pressure to join efforts to push him from power.

IAEA says 'progress' in Iran nuclear talks

The UN nuclear agency expects to reach a deal with Iran enabling it to resume a stalled probe into the country's disputed nuclear programme by next month, the chief UN inspector has said after returning from Tehran.

Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) failed to gain access to the Parchin military complex during Thursday's visit to the Iranian capital, as it had requested, Herman Nackaerts, the head of the delegation, said progress had been made.

"We had good meetings," Nackaerts, the deputy director general of the UN watchdog, told reporters at Vienna airport.

According to Iranian state media on Thursday, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, also said the talks were constructive and good progress had been made.

"Intensive negotiations were held ... There was good progress made. The two sides agreed to hold the next round of talks on January 16 in Tehran," the IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

The agency believes Iran has conducted explosives tests with possible nuclear applications at Parchin, a sprawling facility southeast of Tehran, and has repeatedly asked for access.

The IAEA wanted an agreement that would enable its inspectors to visit Parchin and other sites that it suspects may be linked to what it has called the "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran says Parchin is a conventional military site and has dismissed allegations that it has tried to clean up the site before any visit.

Western diplomats say Iran has carried out extensive work at Parchin over the past year - including demolition of buildings and removal of soil - to cleanse it of any traces of illicit activity. The IAEA said a visit to Parchin would still be "useful".

The latest talks were the first between the UN agency and Iran since August, and the outcome could give some indication whether Iran, which denies it wants to develop nuclear weapons, is any more willing to address international concerns over its nuclear programme after US President Barack Obama's re-election last month.

Additional US sanctions

On Thursday, the US imposed more sanctions on seven Iranian companies and five individuals that it said were providing support to Iran's nuclear programme.

The US Treasury Department said the action would bar those companies and individuals from doing business with US firms or citizens, and freeze any assets that they have in the United States.

The IAEA's meetings with Iran are separate from but closely linked to broader efforts by six world powers to resolve the decade-long nuclear dispute.

On Wednesday, senior European Union and Iranian diplomats discussed the timing of possible new talks between Iran and Britain, France, Germany, United States, Russia and China.

The powers want Iran to curb its uranium enrichment program - work which can have both military and civilian purposes - and cooperate fully with the IAEA.

Iran wants sanctions that are severely hurting its oil-dependent economy lifted.

Iranian warships returning to Sudan: military

Iranian warships will return to Sudan on Friday, the armed forces said, one month after a similar port call followed Khartoum's accusation that Israel bombed a military factory.

Sudan's links to Iran have come under scrutiny after Khartoum accused Israel of the October 23 strike against the Yarmouk compound, which led to speculation that Iranian weapons were stored or manufactured at the factory in Khartoum.

"Two Iranian warships would also visit Port Sudan harbor on November 30 and would stay at the harbor for three days within the military maritime cooperation," said Sawarmi Khaled Saad, Sudan's army spokesman quoted by the official SUNA news agency.

A Pakistani naval vessel would also stop at the Red Sea port, for two days beginning on Thursday, Saad said.

During their visit the three ships would get "fuel and other logistic materials", he added.

A pair of Iranian warships spent about two days in Port Sudan late last month in a visit which Saad said supported "strong political, security and diplomatic relations between the two states".

The Saudi Arabian press criticized the port call by the supply ship Kharg and corvette Admiral Naghdi, which carried Iranian Special Forces.

Relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been tense for years over many political and security issues.

Iran's Press TV reported that the Kharg and Admiral Naghdi had been sent to the Djibouti area in September "to convey Iran's message of peace to the regional countries and maintain the security of shipping corridors against maritime terrorism."

Israel refused all comment on Sudan's allegations about the Khartoum factory blast.

But a top Israeli defense official, Amos Gilad, said Sudan "serves as a route for the transfer, via Egyptian territory, of Iranian weapons to Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists."

Eight days of fighting between Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Palestinian territory, ended on November 21 with an Egyptian-mediated truce after 166 Palestinians and six Israelis died.

The Jewish state has accused Iran of supplying Hamas with its Fajr 5 missile, used to target Tel Aviv during the conflict.

Khaled Meshaal, exiled chief of the Hamas movement, is a frequent visitor to Sudan, most recently on November 15 when he spoke at a meeting of Sudanese Islamists.

Meshaal said Sudan is "on the top" among supporters for the Hamas armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Khartoum has accused Israel of spreading "fabricated information" about links between the Yarmouk military factory, Hamas and Iran.

Sudan's foreign ministry denied Iran had any involvement in the Yarmouk factory.

Iran to unveil, test its advanced drone next year: news report

Iran has built an advanced drone that can take off vertically and without a runway, Iranian media reported.

Iran’s military regularly announces defense and engineering developments, though some analysts are skeptical of the reliability of such reports.

Abbas Jam, researcher on a project for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone, said on Saturday that the drone would be tested that day and “unveiled” next year, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

The unmanned aircraft “enjoys ultra-advanced technology and has been built for the first time in the world,” Jam said, according to Mehr.

In October, Israel shot down a drone after it flew 25 miles (55 km) into the Jewish state. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the aircraft, saying its parts had been manufactured in Iran and assembled in Lebanon.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said last month that the downed drone did not use his country’s latest technological know-how, and that Iran possessed drones that are far more advanced.

An Iranian legislator said last month that Iran holds pictures of Israeli bases and other restricted areas obtained from the drone, although a senior Israeli military officer said to the best of their knowledge the drone had not been equipped with a camera capable of transmitting photographs.

Iran temporarily put nuclear bomb ambitions on hold: Israel’s defense ministe

Iran averted a showdown over its nuclear program by putting a third of its medium-enriched uranium to civilian use, but the respite may be short-lived, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Tuesday.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph while on a visit to London, Barak said it was “probable” that a tipping point in Israel’s standoff with Iran over its nuclear program would have been reached before the U.S. presidential election next month had Iran not diverted the fuel in August.

The decision put back any immediate plans Iran had for acquiring a nuclear bomb, but Barak told the British newspaper the “moment of truth” had only been delayed by “eight to 10 months.”

Israel has engaged in much sabre-rattling over Iran’s nuclear program in recent months, with several politicians proposing a preemptive military strike to avoid any possibility of Tehran acquiring an atomic weapon.

Barak explained that Tehran had amassed 189 kilograms (417 pounds) of 20-percent pure uranium -- a key step in the development of weapons-grade material -- but that 38 percent of this was converted into fuel rods for a civilian research reactor.

In comments published on the Telegraph’s website, Barak argued there were three possible reasons for this.

“One is the public discourse about a possible Israeli or American operation deterred them from trying to come closer,” he reasoned.

“It could probably be a diplomatic gambit that they have launched in order to avoid this issue culminating before the American election, just to gain some time.”

“It could be a way of telling the International Atomic Energy Agency ‘oh we comply with our commitments’,” he added, according to AFP.

Several rounds of negotiations between world powers and Tehran have failed to produce much progress on increasing the transparency of Tehran’s nuclear program, which the West suspects is a front for developing nuclear weapons.

Tehran denies the charge and insists it has a right to enrich uranium -- despite four rounds of U.N. sanctions over its refusal to cooperate with nuclear agency inspectors.

Analysts say Iran already has enough low-enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs if it were refined to a high degree, but may still be a few years away from being able to assemble a missile if it decided to go down that path.

Western diplomats say Iran appears to have nearly finished installing centrifuges at an underground nuclear plant, potentially boosting its capacity to make weapons-grade uranium if it chose to do so.

Iran and the United States have recently both denied reaching a deal for one-on-one nuclear talks, as The New York Times had reported -- even though the White House said it was open to such dialogue.

Barak said he doubted that sanctions and diplomacy would resolve the crisis and predicted Israel would probably face a decision over whether to launch strikes in 2013.

He insisted that Israel had the right to act alone and that a preemptive strike would be less risky than waiting until Iran had acquired a nuclear weapon.

IRAN LOOKS TO SILK ROAD TIES IN TIME OF SANCTIONS

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- In back-to-back Asian summits this month, Iran's president made sure to carve out special time to look east.

At one gathering in Azerbaijan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reminded the president of Kazakhstan about the vision of a railway linking the heart of Central Asia with Iran's warm ports. At another meeting in Kuwait, he held talks with Tajikistan's leader about their growing trade ties.

Even as U.S. and European sanctions tighten around Iran's economy, officials in Tehran are busy reaching out to Asian markets as a critical lifeline. For months, Iran's oil sales to energy-hungry nations such as China and India have been the focus of intense Western efforts to reduce the flow as part of pressure over Iran's disputed nuclear program.

Yet lesser - but not insignificant - economic pathways for Iran also run along the ancient Silk Road connecting China and the Middle East. While Iranian trade and projects in Central Asia are tiny compared with oil sales to the continent's economic powerhouses, the outreach represents another way for Tehran to seek economic buffers from sanctions in a region where Washington holds relatively limited sway.

It also displays some of Iran's first steps at trying to diversify its economy away from oil - which still represents 80 percent of foreign currency revenue - and develop backyard markets for its construction and technology industries.

"The Iranian economy is so strong that it could live without oil revenues," said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a pan-Asian summit last week in Kuwait. "Our people could get accustomed to that and I think that things will change in the near future."

On Tuesday, Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi told an energy conference in Dubai that Iran has contingency plans to run the country without the critical oil revenue, including investments in solar and other renewable sources.

While Iran is a long way off from functioning without its oil income - and may never reach that stage - the remarks reflect real ambitions to turn Central Asia into a key market for Iranian goods and technological expertise while offering the landlocked former Soviet republics access to the sea.

In August, carmaker Iran Khodro announced plans to boost exports to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. In Tajikistan, Iranian construction firms are major builders with projects such as hydroelectric power stations and a $39 million tunnel that connects the capital Dushanbe to northern Tajikistan.

But the centerpiece of the Islamic Republic's outreach - an uninterrupted rail link through Central Asia - remains caught up in disputes and competing ventures more than 15 years after the first leg was opened between Iran and neighboring Turkmenistan.

Last month, Turkmenistan's president, Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov, abruptly canceled a reported $700 million contract with Iran's Pars Energy to continue the rail line to Kazakhstan along the Caspian Sea coast. The reasons were unclear, but Turkmenistan has been reviewing its deep trade ties with Iran as Western sanctions widen.

Meanwhile, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have expressed interest in joining a rail project running from Azerbaijan's Caspian Coast to the eastern Turkish area of Kars. Such a railway would bypass Iran and still provide the sea access coveted by the Central Asian states.

"Iran has no choice but to turn to Asia for trade" because of the Western sanctions, said Sasan Fayazmanesh, an economic affairs expert and head of the Middle East Studies Program at California State University, Fresno. "But that, of course, will not solve Iran's problem of selling its oil since the Central Asian countries, for the most part, do not need Iran's oil."

But for Tehran, its overtures to Central Asia mean more than just a price tag.

Iran has been a cultural point of reference for centuries across the ex-Soviet states through books, films and traditions dating back to Persia's pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith. Iran's main Central Asian foothold, Tajikistan, also shares linguistic ties that give Iran an important commercial edge over China and Russia.

A weak link for Iran, however, is the rifts within Islam. Much of Central Asia is Sunni Muslim and governments are cautious about any moves that could stir sectarian tensions with Shiite minorities. These same divides, in turn, help cement the influence of Shiite Iran in Iraq and parts of Afghanistan.

"Iran's future in Central Asia and most of Afghanistan is constrained by the fact that its government is officially Shiite and nearly all the populations of these countries are Sunni," said Frederick Starr, chairman of our Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

"Both sides worked out a practical understanding of this issue shortly after the collapse of the USSR, which effectively keeps Iran from advancing its religious cause in the region," he added.

At the same time, Iran is increasingly fearful that Washington could seek to build stronger ties in Central Asia following the planned withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Central Asia has been a stop for top U.S. envoys in the past year. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Uzbekistan a year ago and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta traveled in March to Kyrgyzstan, where the U.S. already has an air base used for airborne refueling missions and as a transit point for troops in Afghanistan.

"Iran's ruling elites are practically unanimous in their belief that the announced departure (from Afghanistan) is nothing but a cover for a strategic regrouping," wrote Nikolay Kozhanov, a regional affairs analyst at the Institute of the Middle East in Moscow.

He also noted that the growing attention to the region has given Central Asian leaders more options.

"These countries have undergone drastic changes in self-perception over the past decade," he wrote in an August essay for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "No longer do they see themselves as living in a landlocked, isolated region whose relations with the external world depend completely on Russia or Iran."

Ahmadinejad’s cameraman seeks asylum in U.S. during U.N. visit: report

Iran has suffered an embarrassing security setback after a cameraman, who accompanied President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to New York for the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly defected and applied for asylum, according to a report published by the Telegraph on Monday.

It is likely that Hassan Gol Khanban has planned his defection in advance of his trip to the U.S. his lawyer, Paul O'Dwyer, was quoted as saying by the Telegraph, adding that he took steps to have his family flee Iran in the hope that they too can gain asylum.

O’Dwyer said that Khanban’s wife and two children had left Iran while he was in New York and that efforts were being made to bring them to the United States.

Khanban had worked for the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB for several years. He has accompanied Ahmadinejad to New York once before. He was clearly trusted by the regime.

According to O’Dwyer, Khanban’s application for asylum had already been submitted to the department of Homeland Security and that applications would be made on behalf of his wife and children at a later date.

Khanban “was due to leave the U.S. last Thursday. He was part of the U.N. delegation. They left and he just did not go to the airport. There are obvious security concerns about revealing his location,” the Telegraph quoted the lawyer as saying.

O’Dwyer declined to comment on Kanbhan’s whereabouts, but said he was awaiting an asylum interview with U.S. authorities that could take months.

Iranian opposition websites said Khanban had worked on a number of television programs about military and defense issues; however, according to the Telegraph report, it was unclear whether he had sensitive information that he could offer the U.S. authorities in exchange for asylum.

O’Dwyer was quoted as saying that that Khanban had been in touch with the U.S. government to allay any fears they may have about his defection.

“If you have a diplomatic delegation and someone does not leave, particularly from a state perceived to have such an antagonistic relationship with the U.S. as Iran does, the government may be concerned about those people who have not left,” he said.

O’Dwyer told CNN on Monday that Hassan Kanbhan feared persecution over his opposition to the Iranian government.

“He’s afraid to return to Iran... He’s perceived as not being a supporter, or being an opponent of the Iranian regime,” O’Dwyer said. “Somebody who has betrayed the regime and who can no longer be trusted by them.”

The lawyer said suspicions about Kanbhan’s political views had arisen during the trip.

“There were things that he was expected to do that he was uncomfortable with doing,” O’Dwyer said, without providing further details. “While he was here... his position on certain things became known to the Iranian government.”

The United States and its allies have ramped up sanctions in recent years to try to halt Iran’s nuclear program, which Western nations and Israel view as part of a secret effort to develop a nuclear weapon.

Israel -- the sole if undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East -- has hinted it may take military action if Iran crosses a “red line” in its uranium enrichment.

Iran insists its program is entirely peaceful and has vowed massive retaliation for any attack on its territory.