US State Department admits that Bushehr nuclear power plant is for civil nuclear energy

The Obama administration does not link the nuclear power plant built by Russia in Bushehr with Iran's own nuclear enrichment projects, reports ITAR-TASS, referring to the deputy head of the State Department Press Office, Mark Toner.According to Toner, the plant at Bushehr is clearly a civil complex, proving that Iran does not need its own enrichment plants for production of electricity.

Iran is ready for negotiations with world powers

Iran is ready to start negotiations with the USA, Russia and France about uranium exchange, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency claimed today, reports the Svoboda radio station. He pointed out that Tehran's nuclear programme has peaceful aims. Negotiations are currently on hold and new international sanctions are being introduced against Iran.

Great Britain reminds Iran of sanctions' consequences

 

Iran may ban its citizens from visiting UAE

Iran has threatened to ban its citizens from visiting the United Arab Emirates, in response to the statement by the?UAE ambassador to the USA on Iran's nuclear program, RIA Novosti reports."The UAE authorities should clarify whether the disgusting comments of the country's ambassador reflect its policy," a representative of the committee on national security and foreign policy of Iran, Kazem Djalali, said.

US to keep up pressure on Iran

The US will continue pressurizing Iran to fulfill its internationalobligations, President Barack Obama said at a meeting with IsraeliPremier Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, ITAR-TASS reports. Healso noted that it is necessary for Iran to halt its "provocativebehaviour."Netanyahu thanked the president for the commitment to prevent Iranfrom obtaining nuclear arms. He added that the world should take evenharsher actions against Tehran, mainly in the energy sector.

US president approves new sanctions against Iran

USPresident Barack Obama has approved a new package of sanctionsagainst Iran, the BBC reports.The sanctions involve the international isolation of Iran and limitson fuel imports. The White House says that the sanctions are aimed athindering the development of the Iranian nuclear program and thecreation of ballistic missiles.Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful.

Iran forces Israel to open up

A new wave of confrontation around Iran is the result of relationsbetween Russia and the USA. Obama's administration managed to findcommon ground with the Kremlin. Russia agrees more with the USapproach to solving the Iranian nuclear issue.

Iran Six to meet in Brussels

A session of the six international mediators on the Iranian nuclearprogram will be held on July 2 in Brussels, an official spokesman ofthe Russian Foreign Ministry, Andrey Nesterenko, said at a newsbriefing in Moscow, Interfax reports.

Erdogan speaks on new program

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech on the PBS TV channel about Turkish policy. He spoke about the renewal of Syrian-Israeli negotiations under the mediatorship of Turkey, so that both sides can make the corresponding demand and have Israel act according to the norms of international law, TRT reports.Erdogan gave his assessment of events in northern Iraq and the terrorist attacks in the region and the process of Turkey becoming a member of the EU.

Iran plans to minimize repercussions of international sanctions

Iran has established a headquarters for special economic actions to be taken against the international sanctions, ITAR-TASS reports, citing Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki.He said that they had taken measures against the sanctions in the past. These measures had helped the country save $180 billion in the past 5 years. Mottaki believes that sanctions are an ineffective method that have never lead to the desired result.

Turkey calls on Iran to resume nuclear talks

Turkey has called on Iran to reopen negotiations with Western powers as soon as possible over the nuclear-fuel swap deal, ILNA repports.Ankara had argued that the sanctions proposed by the United Nations Security Council would scupper an agreement that Turkey and Brazil had secured with Iran, under which Tehran would swap part of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium for higher-grade fuel rods.

Iran should concede to international community's demands - Lavrov

Iran should concede to the demands of the international community and prove the peaceful character of its nuclear program, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said during talks with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni, Interfax reports.He also added that Iran should act strictly according to the UN's resolution and IAEA decisions. Meanwhile, Moscow is against unilateral sanctions against Iran.

Ahmadinejad sets out conditions for further negotiations on Iran's nuclear program

Iran is ready to reopen talks on its nuclear program if all the sides follow three conditions, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a news conference in Tehran, Interfax reports."We want all sides to announce their attitudes to Israeli nuclear weapons. Iran will employ a different strategy in holding talks with states which support Israel as a nuclear state and with those that don't" Ahmadinejad said.

Iran freezes negotiations on its nuclear program

Iran is ready to recommence the negotiations on its nuclear program with the "group of six" but is postponing them to the end of August as a "punishment" to the western countries for their new sanctions against Iran, RIA Novosti reports. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noted on the 24th of July that the following week he would announce his conditions for continuing the negotiation process.

Tehran accuses US spy chief of "anti-Iranian propaganda"

Tehran on Monday rejected US Central Intelligence Agency director Leon Panetta's claim that Iran could have nuclear weapons within two years, Trend reported."These remarks are baseless and just another scenario of anti-Iran propaganda by the US," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told the state television network IRIB.Panetta told a US broadcaster that international nuclear experts believe Iran has enough low-enriched uranium for two weapons, but it would have to be further enriched "to get there." 

OSCE chairman reminds about uncertainty of Caspian legal status

The issue of the Caspian Sea's legal status is expected to be resolvedsoon, chairman of the OSCE Kanat Saudabayev said at the internationalconference on disarmament of Central Asian and Caspian states, Trendreports.There are 5 states on the coasts of the Caspian - Azerbaijan, Russia,Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran. The world’s largest lake hasbiological resources, oil and gas fields. Construction of theTranscaspian pipeline project would give Europe access to thehydrocarbonic potential of Central Asia.

Iran says it has enriched 17 kg uranium to 20 percent purity

Iran started refining uranium to 20 percent purity in February, up from around 5 percent, saying it aimed to produce fuel for a medical research reactor.The move alarmed the West, as it was seen as a significant step towards making 90 percent enriched weapons-grade uranium. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, primarily electricity generation.

EU approves US sanctions against Iran

The heads of EU countries participated in a summit in Brussels andapproved the new sanctions against Iran, France Press reports.The UN Security Council passed a new resolution on June 9th,introducing new sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop uraniumenrichment. This was the fourth resolution of the Security Council dueto Tehran’s refusal to follow international regulations on its nuclearprogram, RIA Novosti reports.

Iran ready to reopen talks on its nuclear program

Iran is ready to reopen talks with the international community on itsnuclear program after its demands, which have not been announced yet,have been met, Reuters reports.Earlier Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organizationof Iran, said that Iran has plans for the construction of a morepowerful nuclear research reactor than the one in Tehran. Salehididn't give any further details about the capacity of the new nuclearfacility.

Iran 'must continue to enrich uranium to 20%' - Speaker

Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani called on the government tocontinue to enrich uranium to 20%, Trend reports.Larijani said that the new UN resolution contradicts the IAEAConvention Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He saidthat the West did not provide a research reactor in Tehran with fuel,and so Iran needs to continue the independent process of uraniumenrichment.He also noted that if Iranian ships are inspected in neutral waters,Iran will inspect all ships in the Persian Gulf.

Nuclear exchange deal remains in force

The nuclear exchange deal made by Iran, Turkey and Brazil remains inforce. This was announced at a meeting of the Iranian presidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad and the chairman of the Turkish parliament, MehmetAli Shahin, ITAR-TASS reports.According to the Iranian president this initiative is "a new model ofresolving international issues in terms of justice and logic".

Iran to tip its hand on its nuclear projects in the near future

The authorities of Iran are going to tell the world about their nuclear achievements in the coming months, RIA Novosti reports, citing Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation. Iran insists that its nuclear program deals only with peaceful nuclear power and has nothing to do with weapons, despite the opinions of many other countries.

Sanctions against Iran prevent it from joining SCO - Lavrov

Iran cannot join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as longas international sanctions against it are in force, Russian ForeignMinistry Sergei Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reports. However, he alsosaid that there was nothing stopping Iran gaining observer status.

UN sanctions against Iran will not hit Russian economic interests - Lavrov

Russian interests will not be hurt when new United Nations sanctionsagainst Iran come into force, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovsaid, RIA Novosti reports.The resolution does not imply any restrictions on trade-economicrelations between Russia and Iran, including the nuclear project'Bushehr' or the construction of any other light water reactor. Lavrovconfirmed that the 'Bushehr' nuclear plant in south Iran will belaunched in August of this year.

Armenia calls for diplomatic solution to Iranian issue

Yerevan believes that all controversial issues over the Iraniannuclear program should be solved through negotiations, thepress-secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Tigran Balayan,said, commenting on the new United Nation's Security Councilresolution on Iran, RIA Novosti reports.

Russia, US, France concerned over Iranian uranium exchange deal

Russia, US and France have expressed worries in a message delivered toIAEA on the trilateral uranium exchange deal between Iran, Brazil andTurkey.The Iranian, Brazilian, and Turkish foreign ministers agreed on May 17that Iran will swap in Turkey most of its 3.5%-enriched uranium for20%-enriched fuel for use in its Tehran scientific research reactor.During the meeting with the IAEA head, Russian Premier Vladimir Putinsaid that the control of the international community over the Iraniannuclear program is necessary, but a recourse to force is unacceptable.He

Iran threatens to break off relations with IAEA

The Iranian government will consider freezing relations with the IAEA,if the UN Security Council imposes new sanctions against Iran. Thechairman of the national security committee Alaeddin Borujerdiexpressed hope that Russia and China will not "yield to US pressure",Interfax reports.On Tuesday, the UN Security Council continued talks behind closeddoors on the Iranian nuclear program, on the initiative of Brazil andTurkey, which recently reached a uranium exchange deal with Iran.The

New UN Security Council sanctions against Iran toughest yet - Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the fourth set ofsanctions to be imposed on Iran over its controversial nuclear programwill be "the most significant sanctions that Iran has ever faced."The Council is expected to vote on the resolutions on Wednesday,ITAR-TASS reports.

Putin to discuss Iranian nuclear problem with Ahmadinejad in Istanbul

Russian Premier Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with Iranian PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad within the framework of the CICA summit inIstanbul if his counterpart finds it necessary, ITAR-TASS reports."President Ahmadinejad is here and we will probably see each otherduring the session," Putin said.Meanwhile, the Russian premier pointed out again that any newsanctions against Iran should not be excessive.

Iran to freeze nuclear talks if new sanctions imposed

Iran will not continue negotiations on its nuclear program if the UNSecurity Council imposes new sanctions against Tehran, RIA Novostireports, citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."I've already said that it is a big mistake by the US administrationand its allies if they think that at the same time they can threatenus with UN sanctions and sit with us at the negotiating table. Thiswon't work," Ahmadinejad said during a CICA summit in Turkey.He also said that May's Brazil-Turkey-Iran deal on uranium exchange