Selected Headlines

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Iranian press, and excerpts where the source is in English. The link to the news organization or blog is provided at the top of each item. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the story in perspective.

Iran widens journalist crackdown before demonstrations

CSM | Feb. 10, 2010

An Iran military official condemned all Iranian journalists working for foreign media as "spies" and called for them to be "dealt with in the harshest way possible" in the run-up to expected mass demonstrations on Thursday.

Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri said that working with foreign media should be declared a crime, according to the ISNA news agency. He said the foreign press is "acting as a control room for a soft coup d'etat."

Gen. Jazayeri's comments were the latest in a series of measures taken to stifle dissent and public communications about Iran's political situation as the country turns towards the anniversary of the 1979 revolution on Thursday. Supporters of the opposition Green Movement have promised to be out in force on Thursday. On Wednesday, the Iranian police said a number of protest organizers have been arrested.

An Iran military official condemned all Iranian journalists working for foreign media as "spies" and called for them to be "dealt with in the harshest way possible" in the runup to expected mass demonstrations on Thursday.

Iran arrests revolution day 'plotters'

BBC | Feb. 10, 2010

Iranian police say they have arrested a number of opposition supporters planning demonstrations during the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam did not give any details of the arrests, the Fars news agency said.

Nation's unity will surprise hegemonic powers on Feb. 11: Leader

Tehran Times | Feb. 9, 2010

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the Iranian nation's unity will surprise the hegemonistic powers on the 31st anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

"On the 22nd of Bahman (February 11), the Iranian nation will surprise the hegemonistic powers, including the United States, Britain, and the Zionists, with their unity and solidarity," he said in a meeting with a group of Air Force commanders here on Monday.

The Supreme Leader stated that the nation has made great advances since the victory of the Islamic Revolution despite the extensive sanctions and the propaganda campaign of the Western media.

"The Islamic system will continue to stand in the face of the pressure, and the United States, Zionism, and the hegemonistic and domineering powers of the world will not be able to undermine the revolution through political and economic means or threats," he noted.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the nation's faith is the main support of the system, and the people always enter the stage whenever they think the system is in danger.

The enemies do not understand this fact, and imagine that they can undermine the nation with trickery about the human rights and democracy issues, he noted.

The Supreme Leader added that those who are chanting slogans about democracy and human rights do not respect even the rudiments of human rights in their prisons and across the globe.

Iranian Intifada starts early from the Southern city of Lar

Elaph | Feb. 9, 2010

An Iranian opposition source confirmed that the popular manifestations and demonstrations against the system that the Iranians are planning on organizing next Thursday for the commemoration day of the Iranian revolution in 1979, have had an early start from the city of Lar in the South, which has been witnessing growing disturbances for the past two days as the demonstrators attacked the premises of the security guards in addition to governmental buildings and banks, at a time where the sit-in of the parents of the Evin prison detainees is expanding.

The source ensured that the citizens of the Southern Iranian city of Lar in the Fars governorate, which is inhabited by half a million persons, launched their Intifada against the authorities some days ago. [The Intifada] has expanded in the past two days in such a way that the Guards Militias and the Basij were unable to confront them since the [demonstrators] staged objection marches for kilometers and rallied afterwards in front of the city [Mosque] all while shouting anti-regime slogans such as "we all stand together" and "concerned officials you must step down" and "death to the compromisers.

Iran rewards Basij militia with political clout

AP | Feb. 10, 2010

During an Iranian government meeting late last month, a top adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brought a proposal to expand the political voice of a
group more known for its street muscle: the civilian militia corps called the Basij.

The motion passed easily, according to pro-government Web sites.

The Revolutionary Guard has always been a centerpiece of Iran's Islamic establishment. But the latest door opened to its militia wing suggests a deepening policy role by Iran's most hard-line groups as opposition forces grow bolder in their demands and the West considers tighter sanctions over its nuclear impasse with Tehran.

What's perhaps less noticed -- but with even deeper significance -- is the evolving role of the huge Basij force from loosely organized Islamic vigilantes to a more cohesive force with increasing channels to Iran's leadership and security apparatus.

"It's clear that the Revolutionary Guard has been increasingly inserted in Iran's decision-making equation during the crisis," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "Expanding the role of the Basij is a natural extension of this."

The Basij's big brother, the Revolutionary Guard, has long been a pillar of Iran's regime as a force separate from the ordinary armed forces. The Guard now has a hand in every critical area including missile development, oil resources, dam building, road construction, telecommunications and nuclear technology.

It also has absorbed the paramilitary Basij as a full-fledged part of its command structure -- giving the militia greater funding and a stronger presence in Iran's internal politics.

The chief of the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, often accuses dissidents of waging a "soft revolution" against the Islamic system and says forces such as the Basij are needed more than ever to quash internal threats.

On Monday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to deliver a "punch in the mouth" to opposition groups if they follow through with calls for marches on Thursday during state-run celebrations of the Islamic Revolution.

He said the Basij would be deployed to provide "order and security."

It was the latest nod by the ruling clerics that the Basij is moving deeper into the fold.

At the late January Cabinet meeting, one of Ahmadinejad's top advisers, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, made a speech praising the Basij before the vote to give the group an open invitation to get involved with decisions and policies in every ministry, according to Rajanews.com, a pro-Ahmadinejad Web site.

Basij leaders also are reportedly asking for another budget increase for the next Iranian year that starts in late March. Last year, the Basij funding was boosted a staggering 200 percent to more than $500 million, according to Sobh-e Sadegh, a publication controlled by the Revolutionary Guard.

No one in the embattled government wants to risk ruffling groups such as the Basij, which has remained among the strongest supporters of Ahmadinejad.

"They can serve almost as Ahmadinejad's private army," said William O. Beeman, a University of Minnesota professor who has written on Iranian affairs.

The higher political profile for the Basij also appears to fit into efforts to expand hard-line oversight in schools and universities. The Basij have been increasingly active in recruitment as the political tensions grow.

"If they acquire more power as a body, they will be able to recruit more forces who will see this as an instant route toward social mobility and power," said Beeman.

Ebadi presses for UN rights stand on Iran

AFP | Feb. 10, 2010

Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi will head a debate on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, Amnesty International said, after she pressed the Council to take a stand on a violent crackdown in Iran.

The 47-nation council in Geneva is due to publicly debate Iran's overall human rights record on February 15 under a regular review process, just days after Iran marks the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution on Thursday.

Ebadi, who has called on Iranians to take to the streets during the anniversary, said in an open letter to the council and the UN human rights chief that Iranians would continue to resort to peaceful protests in defence of their rights.

US wants UN debate on Iran's human rights

AP Feb. 10, 2010

The United States hopes a U.N. debate next week on Iran will shine a light on Tehran's mistreatment of prisoners, its repression of protesters and its imprisonment of journalists and intellectuals, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.

John Limbert, who was among dozens of Americans held captive in Iran in 1979-1980, said he wants to hear honest credible discussions about Iran's human rights situation even if the U.N. Human Rights Council holding the debate has a spotty record in that regard.

The four-year-old U.N. body has been criticized for failing to address some of the world's most serious rights violations, but Limbert, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Iran, said Monday's hearing offers the world a valuable forum.

Malaysia replaces UN envoy after Iran nuclear vote

AP | Feb. 10, 2010

Malaysia said Wednesday it will appoint a new envoy to the U.N. atomic agency in Vienna, but denied he was being penalized for voting against a resolution censuring Iran over its nuclear program.

Mohamad Arshad Hussain's two-year contract as ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency will not be renewed when it expires next month, Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay said.

Mohamad Arshad was also elected chairman of the IAEA's board of governors in September.

Pillay denied the decision was based on Mohamad Arshad's controversial vote at an IAEA meeting Nov. 27, saying it was part of government efforts to cultivate "new talents" for diplomatic posts.

Malaysia together with Cuba and Venezuela voted against a resolution demanding Iran freeze uranium enrichment. The IAEA passed the resolution.

The Foreign Ministry recalled Mohamad Arshad after the vote, ordering him to return to Malaysia "for consultation" because "the voting was not in accordance with the procedures of the government." He has since returned to Vienna.

Ministry officials have declined to say how Mohamad Arshad should have voted.

Iran court cuts jail term for U.S.-Iranian scholar

Reuters | Feb. 10, 2010

An Iranian appeal court has reduced to five years the jail sentence for an Iranian-American scholar detained after last year's disputed election, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.

In October, official media said Kian Tajbakhsh was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail.

"The appeal court sentenced my client to five years in jail," said lawyer Houshang Azhari, Fars reported. "It was a very good reduction (of the sentence)," he said.

US: Iran enrichment plan hurts cancer patients

WaPo | Feb. 10, 2010

A senior U.S. envoy accused Iranian leaders of hypocrisy Wednesday for opting to pursue "ever more dangerous nuclear technology" instead of accepting an international plan to make sure that medical isotopes get to needy Iranian cancer patients.

The sharp criticism from Glyn Davies, the chief U.S. delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency, came a day after Iran began enriching its uranium to a higher level, increasing international concerns about its nuclear aims.

Alireza Beheshti to be released from Evin prison

Tabnak | Fararu | Feb. 9, 2010

The son of the martyred Dr. Mohammad Beheshti, Alireza is to be reportedly released from prison on Tuesday.

Mehr News Agency quoted an informed source with the prosecutor's office as saying that Alireza Beheshti would be released from Evin Prison today.

Elham accuses Mousavi of blackmailing Imam Khomeini

Fararu | Feb. 9, 2010

Gholam-Hossein Elham, a legislator with the Guardian Council, accused opposition Leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi of trying to blackmail the late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini.

"Unfortunately in the last year of Imam's life we witnessed the prime minister - Mir Hossein Mousavi - blackmail him... by unexpectedly tendering his resignation and going into hiding at the height of the problems caused by accepting the ceasefire and resolution [during the Iran-Iraq war], he [Mousavi] to gain special powers to appoint the cabinet without the intervention of the president... but the Imam firmly said "the people have seen such things a lot and they are not afraid" and he refused to retreat one step from the moderate norms."

Ayatollah Safi: I have objections, 22 Bahman belongs to everyone

Tabnak | Ayande News | Feb. 9, 2010

Shia Source of Emulation Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi-Golpayegani issued a statement urging Iranians to show their loyalty to the establishment on 22 Bahman as this day does not belong to any single party, individual or faction.

"22 Bahman belongs to the great Iranian nation. Every one must, on this day, announce their existence and announce their adherence to Islam and the sacred ideals of the Revolution and disappoint the enemy with a show of unity."

"This day does not belong to a particular individual, front or party and no one has the right to confiscate this day as his own. The important issue is the Islamic establishment, Islamic values, Islamic laws, Islamic Identity and Islamic Independence that we must all safeguard."

"It is true that some have objections as I too have objections about certain things but we must all realize that God is present and witnessing us and we must all refrain from actions that cause disunity."

He went on to urge Iranians to refrain from chanting "insulting slogans" and "slogans that incite sedition"

U.S. Sanctions Four Iranian Firms

WSJ | Feb. 10, 2010

The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday froze the assets of an individual and four companies affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard General Rostam Qasemi was among those sanctioned. He is also the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the engineering arm of the IRGC that helps fund IRGC operations. The parties sanctioned are considered supporters of IRGC, which has been designated a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction by the U.S.

"As the IRGC consolidates control over broad swaths of the Iranian economy, displacing ordinary Iranian businessmen in favor of a select group of insiders, it is hiding behind companies like Khatam al-Anbiya and its affiliates to maintain vital ties to the outside world," Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
Stuart Levey said.

The companies sanctioned include: Fater Engineering Instituten Imensazen Consultant Engineers Institute, Makin Institute and Rahab Institute. These firms are owned or controlled by Khatam, or have acted on behalf of Khatam. Khatam al-Anbiya is owned or controlled by the IRGC and is involved in the construction of streets, highways, tunnels, pipelines, among other infrastructure projects.

"The profits from these activities are available to support the full range of the IRGC's illicit activities, including (weapons of mass destruction)proliferation and support for terrorism," the Treasury said

Tehran Has Little Reason to Fear Sanctions

Spiegel | Feb. 10, 2010

Iranian President Ahmadinejad has little reason to fear the impact of Western sanctions. Instead he is pushing ahead with uranium enrichment efforts.

The West is sharpening the tone of its threats against Iran, but Tehran so far remains unimpressed and has even begun enriching uranium to 20 percent. Any new sanctions imposed against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's regime are likely to be just as ineffective as existing ones. Western tensions with Iran are escalating once again, but will the West take action this time?

The United States, France, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, are all demanding that the "pressure" on Iran be ratcheted up. It's time for new sanctions, they say, to force Iran to come around in the dispute over its nuclear program. If forced, they say they are even prepared to take action independently of the United Nations Security Council, where China has been hard-nosed in its refusal to agree to further punitive measures against the regime in Tehran.

The threats, though, have left Iran cold. Indeed, Tehran hasn't even bothered to respond. Instead the country is starting to enrich its own uranium.

Iranian indifference to the possibility of sanctions has long been a pattern. Last year, the international community set a deadline for Iran to come to the table for serious negotiations over its nuclear program. But the regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad allowed every ultimatum to expire, and each time he came away without so much as a scratch.

The Iranians' tactics are always the same. First, they give the impression they are going to make concessions. But then they just continue as before. Without a military option, which the West has repeatedly ruled out, Iran feels safe. And the Islamic Republic is likewise not at all concerned about economic sanctions -- a sentiment, say Iran observers, that is not only justified, but backed by decades of experience.

Suspect arrested in post-vote murder case

Asr Iran | Tabnak | Feb. 9, 2010

Tehran chief homicide inspector Judge Mohammad Hossein Shamlou said a suspect has been detained in connection with the murder of a teenager in Tehran on June 14.

The victim, Meysam Ebadi, 17, was shot dead with a 9mm caliber colt on June 14 near the Tajrish district of Tehran. The detained suspect is one Mohammad, 23.

"In the course of investigations regarding the murder of a citizen during the post-election unrest, one suspect has been arrested through police efforts," ISNA quoted Shamlou as saying.

"Initial investigations and inquiries found that the suspect had not been dispatched on a mission by any of the civil, military or security organizations during the post-vote unrest."

"The suspect has not made a confession yet but evidence and his contradictory statements during interrogation strengthen the case against him."

Taeb: 50 million Iranians will demonstrate on 22 Bahman
Ayande News | Feb. 9, 2010

Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Taeb predicted the participation of 50 million Iranians in the 22 Bahaman state-sponsored demonstrations.

"The enemies of the Islamic Revolution are making every effort to prevent the mass participation of the people in the 22 Bahman demonstrations this year," he told Fars news Agency.

"It appears that the sedition atmosphere has raised the awareness of the Iranian nation about the atmosphere inside and outside the country and will lead to the participation of 50 million Iranians in the 22 Bahman demonstrations."

Iran's president to hold news conference on 16 February

ILNA | Feb. 9, 2010

President Ahmadinejad will attend a press conference next Tuesday [16 February] and answer foreign and domestic press.

Dorri-Najafabadi's chief of staff arrested in Tehran

Ayande News | Feb. 9, 2010

Mohammad-Saleh Noqrehkar, Zahra Rahnavard's nephew and Ayatollah Qorban-Ali Dorri-Najafabadi's chief of staff, was arrested in Tehran on Monday.

Noqrehkar, who was the Prosecutors' Office head of public relations until a few weeks ago, was replaced by former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi's public relations officer.

Noqrehkar headed Mir-Hossein Mousavi's legal campaign during the election era. He is the chief of staff of Ayatollah Dorri-Najafabadi-- a former Prosecutor-General and current Friday Prayers leader and Leader's representative in Arak.

Kermanshah MP: Beware of heads of sedition on 22 Bahman
Khabaron | Feb. 9, 2010

Kermanshah representative in Parliament Mohammad Karamirad said the heads of sedition's biggest oversight was disregard for the decrees of the Just Jurisprudent (Leader).

"This is not the first time the heads of sedition wage a soft war and it is not the first time that the faced defeat."

Karamirad said that 22 bahman was no place for seditionists and enemies, warning the opposition leaders that "if you try anything on that day [22 Bahman] you will be faced with a crushing response from the people."

He went on to voice discontent over the lack of follow-through by the government regarding the bills passed in provincial tours for his constituency and said, "Mr. [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad what has your government done that is befitting of the people of Kermanshah Province."

IRGC wants Mashai gone

Asr Iran | Feb. 9, 2010

IRGC Commander Yadollah Javani said Esfandyar Rahim Mashai's involvement in the country's affairs is not in the interest of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government.

Speaking at a gathering in the Ahlolbeit Mosque of Qom on Monday, Javani pointed to the scandals created in connection with Mashai and said, "We believe that the involvement of this gentleman [Mashai] not favorable to the cabinet and when the Supreme Leader said in his short letter to the honorable president that he does not deem it appropriate to appoint him [Mashai] to such positions, it would have been better for him [Ahmadinejad] to heed the Leader's advice."

In response to a question about Hadi Ghaffari, Javani said, "He made some claims that the 98 weapons found in the storage of his mosque belonged to the Basij and we are investigating the matter."

The head of the IRIGC political bureau went on to say that the Leader's wisdom had defused the enemy plots during the post-election era had foiled the enemy-hatched plots against the country.

He went on to say that some of the murders in Tehran were suspicious adding, "Neda and Mr. Mousavi's nephew are among such cases [of suspicious deaths], those who carry out such acts need death tolls in order to make themselves famous on an international level and portray the revolution as the murderer."

"What we know is that these individuals were killed with non-military weapons but it is still unknown who committed these crimes and how they obtained the murder weapons."

Ali Motahari: People tolerate one another on 22 Bahman

Asriran | Feb. 9, 2010

Principlist lawmaker Ali Motahari said he is optimistic that the 22 Bahamn demonstrations will be held with due fervor and the chanting of slogans that will disappoint the enemy.

"I believe that the way has been paved for the participation of different groups of people in the 22 Bahman demonstrations; my message [to the people] is that do not draw lines between yourselves and tolerate one another because this demonstration does not belong to a certain party," said the Tehran representative in Majlis.

In my opinion we must first prepare the people to be able to tolerate one another, and even if opposition supporters participate in this demonstration they [the people] should treat them [opposition] with kindness and in a brotherly fashion and try not to prevent any
altercation," Motahari told ISNA.

"Participating in the 22 Bahman demonstration means approving the Islamic Revolution and if anyone has criticism they can come forth with it in its own time, but this day [22 Bhaman] does not belong to any specific group."

"Up to know the top leaders have urged all to unity and solidarity, especially on this day, and even though some people in the lower levels may have committed acts of extremism but the criteria is the words of the Leader of the Revolution and high-ranking officials in
the establishment."

"I believe that even if some individuals participate in this demonstrations with green symbols, the people should treat them in a friendly and kind manner so that God willing this demonstration can become an ending point for the current crisis in the country."

Appeals court confirms Nabavi sentence

Khabar | Feb. 09, 2010

The appeals court confirmed Behzad Nabavi's five-year prison sentence.

According to ILNA, the verdicts for 35 of the post-vote detainees were confirmed by the appeals court and referred to the Revolution Court for implementation.

The detainees have been found guilty of gathering and colluding against national security, propagating against the establishment, assaulting police officers, vandalism and arson.

Behzad Nabavi is among the detainees whose five-year prison sentence was confirmed.

On eve of Iran anniversary, talk of compromise

Christian Science Monitor | Feb. 9, 2010

Traditionally, Iran's Islamic republic celebrates its birthday Feb. 11 with a massive rally, chants of "Death to America," the burning of US flags, and even an effigy contest.

But as Iranians now brace for the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution, they know that eight months of pro-democracy protest and the regime's violent reaction have transformed the relationship between rulers and ruled.

Analysts say that Iran's legitimacy crisis has now come to a head, with both sides incapable of defeating or intimidating the other - a paralysis that could continue, or yield compromise.

Opposition protesters are ready to rally when Iran's Islamic republic celebrates its 31st birthday on Thursday. Observers say both sides may be prepared to compromise after eight months of unrest.

Iranian opposition kept off guard ahead of 1979 celebrations

VOA | Feb. 9, 2010

With two days to go before the anniversary celebration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, authorities are slowing the internet and disrupting mobile phone service in what is believed to be an effort to disrupt opposition protests. A top religious leader is also urging Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei to release prisoners.

Observers inside Iran say the government is disrupting vital communications links, including the internet and mobile-phone service in an effort to keep the opposition off guard. Opposition activists sometimes rely on text messages and the internet to coordinate demonstrations.

Iran sentences another activist to death

AP | Feb. 10, 2010

An Iranian court has convicted another opposition activist on charges related to the country's post-election turmoil and sentenced him to death, the judiciary said Tuesday.

The sentencing brings to at least 10 the number of those facing the death penalty in a mass trial over the unrest following Iran's disputed June presidential elections.

The Web site of the country's judiciary said the activist was convicted of Moharebeh, or defiance of God, and handed the capital punishment. The report also said that eight more people were sentenced to unspecified prison terms.

Embassies stoned by militia in protest over 'interference'

Times Online | Feb. 10, 2010

Supporters of the Iranian regime tried to attack the Italian Embassy and staged demonstrations outside other European missions in Tehran yesterday in apparent protest at Europe's stance towards the Islamic Republic and its nuclear program.

Franco Frattini, the Italian Foreign Minister, said that about a hundred members of the Basij militia threw stones at the embassy and shouted "Death to Italy" and "Death to Berlusconi", before police intervened.

Government supporters also gathered and chanted slogans outside the French Embassy and there were unconfirmed reports of protests outside the German and Dutch missions. Mr Frattini said that Italy was contacting other members of the European Union to send a "signal of strong concern" to the regime, and would boycott tomorrow's ceremonies in Tehran marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Obama says world moving quickly on Iran sanctions

NYT | Feb. 9, 2010

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the international community was moving "fairly quickly" toward imposing broader sanctions on Iran, as the Islamic Republic defiantly expanded its nuclear program.

Obama said Iran's refusal to accept a U.N.-brokered atomic fuel swap deal suggested it was intent on trying to build nuclear weapons, despite its insistence that its nuclear program was only for the peaceful generation of electricity.

Obama came into office vowing to break with the Bush administration's policy of seeking to isolate Iran. But he has taken a tougher stance since disputed elections there last June and the passing of his December deadline for Tehran to accept the deal proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Iran says nuclear fuel deal "still on the table"

Reuters | Feb. 10, 2010

Iran believes a nuclear fuel exchange with the West is still possible, state television said on Wednesday, a day after the Islamic Republic's expansion of uranium enrichment drew a U.S. warning of more sanctions soon.

"The deal is still on the table," Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said on English-language Press TV.

But he appeared to reiterate Iran's demand for a simultaneous fuel swap on its soil -- a likely non-starter for Western powers who want Tehran to send most of its low-enriched uranium abroad before it gets higher-grade material in return.

Salehi said Iran's uranium could be sealed and under the "custody" of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the country, until it receives the fuel it needs for a medical research reactor.

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday the international community was moving "fairly quickly" toward imposing broader sanctions on Iran, after Tehran said it had started making uranium enriched to 20 percent.

Salehi said Iran would halt production of 20 percent fuel if it received it from abroad.

But he made clear Tehran was not backing down on its demand for a simultaneous exchange, a condition unlikely to be accepted by the major powers involved in efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the long-running dispute.

"The uranium can be under the custody of the agency (IAEA) in Iran and it could be sealed ... until the time we receive the 20 percent enriched fuel from outside," Salehi said.

"If they come forward and supply the fuel then we will stop this process of 20 percent enrichment," he added.

Press TV, Iran's English-language satellite television, quoted Salehi as saying Iran had decided to produce higher-grade uranium because Western nations refused to supply the fuel Iran needs for its medical reactor.

It said the reactor produces isotopes "crucial for life saving medical care to more than 850,000 Iranian patients."

Centrifuges would need to be recalibrated for 20 percent production -- preparatory work that would normally take a month or two. A diplomat close to the IAEA said inspectors had noticed no such preparations before Monday.

Although a bomb requires about 90 percent purity, getting to 20 percent is a big step because low-level enrichment is the most time-consuming and difficult stage of the process.

Possible targets for any new sanctions include Iran's central bank, the Revolutionary Guards, who Western powers say are key to Iran's nuclear program, shipping firms and its energy sector, Western diplomats say.

Iran ready for gas export to Switzerland

Press TV | Feb. 10, 2010

A senior Iranian oil official says Iran is ready to provide Switzerland with about one million cubic metres of natural gas per day.

"Already Iran is ready to start to its gas exports to this European country based on the contract," the managing director of National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC), Seyfollah Jashnsaz, told Mehr news agency.

The National Iranian Gas Export Company and Switzerland's Elektrizitaetsgesellschaft Laufenburg signed a 25-year deal in March 2008 for the delivery of over 5 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

The deal was aimed at reducing Bern's dependency on Russian gas.

Jashnsaz added that Switzerland and Turkey are in talks to pave the way for the delivery of Iranian gas.

"There is a possibility for exports of one million cubic metres of natural gas per day to Switzerland," the official said.

In the first phase, Iran will export 1.5 billion cubic metres per year to Switzerland. The amount would be increased to an annual 4 billion cubic metres by 2012, Jashnsaz said

China's CNPC Gets Nod For Iran South Pars Gas Project

Reuters | Feb. 10, 2010

China's CNPC has clinched a deal to develop Phase 11 of Iran's South Pars gas project, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing an unidentified industry executive.

CNPC will start drillings in the gas field as early as March, the report said.

The company won Iranian government for the project, valued at $4.7 billion, at the end of 2009, the report said.

"The real work will start as soon as after the Chinese New Year holiday," said the official, according to Reuters.

Russia security chief: West's Iran concern is valid

Reuters | Feb. 9, 2010

Western concerns about Iran's nuclear intentions are well-founded, Russia's national security chief said on Tuesday, and suggested that more than diplomacy might be needed to end Tehran's defiance.

The remarks from the hawkish secretary of the presidential Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, strengthened indications that Russia could agree to new U.N. sanctions against Iran.

The threat of Al-Qa'idah is a gift to Iran

An-Nahar | Feb. 9, 2010

Israel's anger will probably flare up while Iran will feel calm and confident in the aftermath of Hillary Clinton's statement that the Iranian threat is "real" but Al-Qa'idah's threat is bigger...The conclusion reached by the Secretary of State is not a slip of the tongue or a side answer to a non-important question during a regular TV interview. This conclusion is the result of a political and cultural minded effort of the American elite as Washington asked itself -in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks - the big question: Which is more dangerous for the West and for democracy, [is it] the stringent Shi'i system of the ayatollahs in Tehran and its revolutionary extensions in some countries, or [is it] the Sunni fundamentalism inciting jihad and accusing [people] of infidelity, especially represented by Al-Qa'idah and its supporting sources, be it religious or political ones?

The answer to that question was that Salafi Sunni militancy was the most dangerous. Thus came the international war against terrorism represented by Al-Qa'idah and its sisters along with the Invasion of Afghanistan, the liquidation of the "Taliban" and the pursuit of their "outgrowths" in Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia and lately in Yemen. The reconfirmation of the same answer specifically at this moment where the world's eyes are turning into the fierce confrontation between the West and Iran, means that the main threat remains unchanged, that the enemy is still the same and that the secondary enemies, no matter how dangerous they are, must not blur out the main target...Therefore, the door of diplomacy with Iran has not been closed. The direct blow, or the [blow] that is to be dealt through Israel and that some are expecting is not yet present on the agenda despite all the fuss that is made about it.