The Latest news - If Americans Only Knew!

As President Bush prepares to travel to the Middle East, Lebanon's survival as a multi-ethnic, multi-denominational state is at stake. Hezbollah, the Shi'ite terrorist army "made in Iran," demonstrated its force by occupying the capital, Beirut. Fierce fighting is reported in Tripoli in the north of the country, and in the mountain districts of Shouf and Alei east of Beirut. Forty-four people were killed and 128 wounded in fierce fire fights, yet the Lebanese Army refused to intervene. Iran and Syria are quickly changing the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean, while the West and moderate Arab states appear almost paralyzed. By Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. >Read the Article

Flipping last week through the online itinerary of the German Near and Middle East Association (honorary chairman: Gerhard Schröder), I found the following entry: "April 16, 2008, Meeting with the Iranian Vice Foreign Minister S.E. Mehdi Safari in Berlin." I couldn't find anything in the German press about this visit. I turned to Iranian media. It reported that Mr. Safari was in Berlin for three days at the invitation of the German government. He met with officials at the foreign, interior and economics ministries, as well as with lawmakers and businessmen. By Matthias Küntzel >Read the Article

Not all is sweetness and light between Iran and Russia
MOSCOW -- Vladimir Putin's last-minute decision to fulfill U.N. Security Council Resolution 1803 on Iran before handing over power to Dmitry Medvedev surprised many. Has Russia decided to join the U.N. sanctions? Will the new president shift Russia's policy regarding Iran to the West?

EU to tighten screw on Tehran bank

May 15 2008 19:10Bank Melli, Iran's biggest commercial bank, is set to be banned from operating in the European Union under proposals in the final stages of discussion in Brussels Read more »

From Beirut to Teheran
Hizbullah's recent takeover in West Beirut and its in attacks in the central Lebanese mountains could lead to regional escalation and a broader confrontation with Iran if efforts to resolve the crisis are unsuccessful, a Lebanese expert told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

The Iranian Threat is Real
Today, the Israeli government considers fundamentalist-Islamic Iran the highest risk to its long-term existence. Iran has been providing every enemy of Israel with financial resources and active military assistance that has created a wall of thousands of missiles aimed at every major population center in Israel

Iran Says US-backed Group Planned Attack on Russian Consulate
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's state-owned newspaper says a group Tehran has accused of bombing a mosque in the country last month and of having ties to the U.S. and Britain also planned to attack a Russian consulate.

`Angry' Iran Sharpens Tone with Baghdad's Leaders
When a group of Iraqi envoys headed to Iran recently, they were fully prepared for some tense moments. But they also hoped to come away with something to show for it: pledges of cooperation on weakening Shiite militias in Iraq. Instead, they got a scolding from some of Iran's most powerful voices - accusing the Iraqi leadership of bowing to Washington and forgetting about Tehran's support for Shiites persecuted by Saddam Hussein.

Iranian-made Rocket Strikes Ashkelon
Fifteen people were wounded, including four seriously, by a Grad-model Katyusha rocket that scored a direct hit on a shopping center in Ashkelon on Wednesday - hours after US President George W. Bush arrived to celebrate the state's 60th anniversary.

Saudis Sends Sharp Warning to Iran
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Saudi Arabia sent Iran a sharp warning over Lebanon Tuesday, saying Tehran's support for Hezbollah will damage its relations with other Muslim and Arab countries.

Iran Shifts Attention to Brokering Peace in Iraq
ISTANBUL, Turkey; and BAGHDAD -- Iran's role in helping broker a cease-fire in Baghdad's Sadr City may be the first sign that it is acting to fulfill recent promises to stop arming Iraq's militias and help stem their attacks.

US Vctims of Attacks in Israel Sue Swiss Bank
American victims of bombings and rocket attacks in Israel have sued Swiss bank UBS AG for more than USD500 million (NZD656.42 million), accusing the bank of helping fund the militants behind the attacks through dealings with Iran.

Iran Crackdown on 'Indecent' Groups
Iranian police will launch a crackdown this week on "indecent Western-inspired movements" such as rappers and satanists, state radio said. The move signals a widening of a clampdown on "immoral" conduct launched last year against women flouting rules dictating that women cover their heads and disguise the shape of their bodies in public, in line with Iran's Islamic system.

US Alerts Banks to 'Legal Risk' of Iran Support
The Bush administration is seeking to broaden the scope of its enforcement tools to rein in Iran's nuclear programme, including greater scrutiny of global banks that may be violating US export control rules by financing prohibited transactions

Bush Says No to Syrian and Iranian "Control" of Lebanon
WASHINGTON -- US President George W. Bush said the United States and the international community will stand with the Lebanese people facing "the latest assault on their independence and security." "The international community will not allow the Iranian and Syrian regimes, via their proxies, to return Lebanon to foreign domination and control," said Bush in a statement released by the White House, late on Monday.

Tehran’s Asymmetrical War Against the U.S.
watchingamerica Wednesday, May 14, 2008 6:24:00 AM CEST
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Entities:Condoleezza Rice[1]; Ali Khamenei[1]; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad[1]; Mohammad al-Hosseini[1]; Mohammad Khatami[1]; Tom Casey[1]; George W Bush[1]; Conflict;
In recent days Tehran has continues to wage its asymmetrical war against the United States on several fronts. First, Tehran has launched its own public diplomacy campaign in time for American elections and to confront the next U.S. administration next January....

Australia Mulls Iran Court Action
Australia is considering launching a case in the International Court of Justice against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for inciting violence against Israel, prime minister Kevin Rudd said.

Gunmen Wound 3 Iranian Embassy Staff in Baghdad
Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying three Iranian embassy staff in Baghdad overnight, wounding them and their Iraqi driver, a spokesman for the Iranian embassy said.

Iran Arrests National Bahá'í Leaders
Washington, DC -- The Institute on Religion and Public Policy has learned that officers of Iran's Intelligence Ministry have arrested six of the seven members of the country's national Bahá'í leadership, the worst assault on Iran's Bahá'ís in almost 30 years. The seventh leader has been in detention since March 5.

Ahmadi-Nejad in Clash on Rates
Iran's president and its central bank governor have become locked in a power struggle over interest rates, with Mahmoud AhmadiNejad insisting the rate be lowered but the chief banker standing firm.

Afghanistan Protests to Iran Over Border Killings
KABUL -- Afghanistan has protested to neighbouring Iran over the killing of a number of its nationals by Iranian forces, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

A Kurdish Youth is Shot by Iranian Security Forces and is Left to Die Bleeding
A disturbing video has appeared on Youtube of Iranian Pasdarans of the Islamic Republic wrapping the body of an alive Kurdish teenager at a remote location in Piranshar in Iranian Kurdistan. Rostam, the 15-year-old Kurdish youth was killed by Iranian Pasdarans of Islamic Republic and the clip shows the youth still alive as Iranian Pasdarans wrap his body then make away with casual conversations.

Iran, Al-Qaeda & Liberal Denial
Liberals continue to slam Sen. John McCain for his supposed misstatement, back in March, that Iran is aiding al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq. In fact, there's plenty of evidence of just that.

The New Cold War
The next American president will inherit many foreign policy challenges, but surely one of the biggest will be the cold war. Yes, the next president is going to be a cold-war president — but this cold war is with Iran.