WASHINGTON - The United States Tuesday said an Iranian offer to trade its low-enriched uranium for more highly-processed fuel for a research reactor is unacceptable. The State Department said U.S. diplomats are aggressively pursuing the idea of additional sanctions against Tehran because of its non-cooperation on the nuclear issue.
The Iranian offer, in a letter to […]

MOSCOW - Russia is delaying delivery of its S-300 air-defense system to Iran and is also calling for Tehran to adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines for enrichment of nuclear fuel.  The moves follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s two-day visit to Moscow.
The Interfax News Agency quotes the deputy director of Russia’s Federal […]

TEHRAN - Iranian authorities clashed with opposition supporters Thursday as huge crowds rallied in Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic.
Iranian opposition Web sites say security forces fired tear gas to disperse opposition supporters gathering in central Tehran.
There are reports that leading reformist politicians Mehdi Karroubi and former President […]

WASHINGTON - Iran says it has begun enriching uranium to a higher level, defying international efforts to curb its nuclear activity.
Iranian state television quoted officials who said the process started Tuesday at Iran’s Natanz facility in the presence of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors.
Iran told the IAEA Monday of its plans to enrich uranium to […]

TEHRAN - Iran’s president has ordered his country’s atomic agency to begin producing higher-enriched uranium, a move that casts doubt on the prospects of a nuclear exchange deal with the West.
In comments broadcast Sunday on state-run television, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he has asked the head of the atomic energy agency Ali Akbar Salehi to begin […]

TEHRAN - Iran says it has test fired a new satellite rocket and has made other advances in civilian space technology.  Wednesday’s announcement is likely to further raise concerns in the West about the potential to apply the technology to military use.
Iranian officials announced the launch of a satellite booster rocket, as well as a […]

TEHRAN - Iran is starting 11 days of celebrations to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.   Around the country, Iranians paused at 9:33 in the morning to remember the day that the revolution’s leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, returned from a long exile in France. 
Iranian TV showed images of men ringing bells, trains blowing […]

WASHINGTON - Iran is accusing U.S. President Barack Obama of double standards for supporting the building of nuclear power plants in the United States while threatening Tehran for pursuing a similar goal.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency made the comment in response to Mr. Obama’s State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
In […]

TEHRAN - Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is once again calling on government security forces and the judiciary to act decisively against anti-government demonstrators. The call echos similar pleas by other regime officials in recent days.
The pro-government audience shouted out the name of Ayatollah Khamenei in addition to the usual chants of “death to […]

TEHRAN - Eyewitnesses are reporting that crowds clashed with Iranian security forces in parts of Tehran and several provincial cities, Saturday.  Police reportedly swung batons at protesters, smashing car-windows and fired teargas and pepper spray to try and disperse crowds.
Bitter clashes broke out in the Iranian capital Tehran Saturday between thousands of protesters and security […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. officials say time is running out for Iran to accept a deal designed to ease concern about its nuclear ambitions, and there are strong signs Tehran may let the end-of-year deadline slip by.  The White House is warning of real consequences if Iran refuses to comply.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has, in […]

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration says Iran will face consequences from an increasingly-united global community if it continues to rebuff multilateral efforts to ensure the peaceful application of its nuclear program.
In recent weeks, Iran has rejected a plan to process nuclear material outside the country and tested an upgraded medium range missile believed to be […]

TEHRAN - Iranian media say senior Iranian dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri has died.
The outspoken ayatollah is reported to have died at his home in the holy Shi’ite city of Qom overnight.  Ayatollah Montazeri was 87. 
He was a leader of the Islamic revolution in 1979, and was once expected to succeed Ayatollah Ruhollah […]

TEHRAN - Iran has test-fired an improved version of one of the country’s long-range missiles.
State television showed video of the Sejil 2 missile launch Wednesday, calling the test a success.
The Sejil 2 has a range of about 2,000 kilometers, making it capable of hitting Israel and U.S. bases in southeastern Europe.
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said […]

TEHRAN - Iran’s supreme leader has accused the pro-reform opposition of trying to undermine the Islamic system and insulting the Islamic Republic’s founder.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday the opposition’s relentless protests were disrespectful.  State television had broadcast footage of what it said were opposition supporters destroying photos of both Ayatollah Khamenei and the Islamic Republic’s […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he expects “significant” new sanctions to be imposed on Iran for its nuclear program.
The remarks Friday, made as Gates visits Iraq, come as other Western leaders are also warning of possible sanctions.
Gates said the sanctions were likely unless Iran “change[s] course” and follows through on agreements made […]

TEHRAN - Iranian riot police were deployed in the capital Monday as opposition supporters gathered for anti-government protests on Iran’s National Student Day.
Witnesses say hundreds of police armed with batons and tear gas clashed with protesters in the streets of central Tehran Monday. Other police were reported to be blocking streets leading to Tehran University.
National […]

TEHRAN - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad struck a defiant tone in a televised speech. Speaking in the shrine city of Isfahan, he said Tehran would defy world powers even further by producing high-grade uranium, enriched to 20 percent, for its nuclear program.
Mr. Ahmedinejad thumped his fists on the podium lectern as he drove home his […]

TEHRAN - The British government says five Britons have been detained in Iran after their racing yacht may have inadvertently strayed into Iranian waters.
The Foreign Office in London says Iranian naval vessels stopped the yacht on November 25 in the Persian Gulf.  In a Monday statement, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband says the crew was […]

TEHRAN - Iran’s government says it plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants, upping the stakes in its tense standoff with international powers over its nuclear program. 
Iranian media reported Sunday that the Cabinet approved the construction of 10 new uranium enrichment plants just two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for […]

VIENNA - Members of the United Nations nuclear regulatory agency voted Friday to censure Iran’s nuclear activities, amid Western suspicions the country is developing atomic weapons.
Iran says the resolution “jeopardizes” the environment needed for productive international talks on its nuclear program.
The resolution, drafted by diplomats from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, […]

TEHRAN - Iran has begun military exercises simulating a defense against any attack on its nuclear facilities.  The United States and Israel have not ruled out a military option should negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program fail. 
A top official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps downplayed the threat of any Israeli attack.
Speaking Sunday on the first […]

MOSCOW - Russia says the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant it is helping build in Iran will not go into service by the end of the year as planned. The announcement comes a day after President Dmitri Medvedev said his country is not completely satisfied with the pace of Iran’s international dialogue about its nuclear […]

TEHRAN - Iranian police have clashed with opposition demonstrators who tried to take over a government sanctioned protest organized to mark the 30th anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. A government crackdown on the anti-government demonstrators turned violent in some places.

An officially sponsored government rally devolved into rival protests Wednesday as […]