Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Iran wants strong ties with Russia: Ahmadinejad



President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran faces no hindrance in its efforts to expand relations with Russia and seeks durable, effective, and strong ties with the country. A strong and independent Iran is in the best interests of Russia, and vise versa, Ahmadinejad said in an interview with the Russian news agency Itar-Tass on Thursday. Iran and Russia are natural allies, he asserted. Despite their history, the two countries are determined to strengthen and broaden their relations, he said.

Iran-Russia cooperation will have a positive impact on the region and the entire world, he pointed out. The two sides enjoy ample economic potential to meet each other’s requirements, he said. Iran and Russia are major powers that play an important role in regional and global equations, he added. On his latest speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Ahmadinejad said the UN is an international forum for exchanging views and expressing ideas, and Iran did just that and it was welcomed by the whole world. All countries in the world, including Russia, put the seal of approval on Iran’s viewpoints about freedom and justice, he added.

“Another positive result of the trip to New York was that the strong barrier of censorship in that country was broken and the American people listened directly to our real points of view on various global issues and welcomed them,” he said. Iran’s nuclear activities are being conducted within the framework of IAEA regulations and are of a peaceful nature, he noted, adding that the reports released by the IAEA have proven that Iran has not deviated from peaceful nuclear activities.

Since Western countries have adopted a hostile policy toward Iran, their judgment on the country’s nuclear activities is not acceptable, he observed. The issue of Iran’s nuclear activities has been politicized by those Western countries which suffered a loss as a result of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the president said. The U.S. tries to sow seeds of discord in various parts of the world to achieve its goals, and its plan to set up a missile system in Europe is a good example of this, he stated. On the upcoming Caspian Sea conference, he said the Caspian Sea littoral countries have many commonalties and should live together in peace.

“We hope the upcoming summit of Caspian Sea littoral states in Tehran will bear fruit and help maintain the peace and wellbeing of their people,” he noted.

He went on to say that foreign powers’ interference is the root cause of the current unrest in the Middle East. Ahmadinejad stated that Western countries have rushed to the Middle East region to plunder its oil and gas reserves, and the Zionist regime is the main cause of the insecurity in the region. However, regional nations are vigilant and never allow the enemies to implement their plots in the Middle East, he noted. “We call for the restoration of peace and security in the Middle East and believe that the issue should be resolved by regional nations,” he said.

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=154824

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Gazprom interested in Russia-Armenia-Iran oil refinery



Gazprom said it is still positive about joint project between Russia, Iran, and Armenia to construct an oil refinery in Armenia. Gazprom Neft — the oil arm of Russian energy company Gazprom — is reportedly considering an investment of $1.7 billion to build the joint oil refinery, which would process oil pumped from Tabriz in northern Iran, “The Messenger” reported. Gazprom officials say it will process 5–6 million tons of oil annually. Some would be used by Armenia; most would be shipped back to Iran. Valery Golubev, head of Gazprom’s Investment and Construction Department, commented that the project is still in the offing but an appropriate 400 hectare site for the refinery has not yet been found. Some Russian commentators suggest the project is motivated by political rather than financial interests, as usually the most economically productive location for an oil refinery is near a major pipeline route or at a seaport. However, Gazprom replies that with effective management, the refinery could be economically profitable and may offer competition for Azerbaijan, the main oil exporter in the South Caucasus. However, Regnum reports Gobulev as saying, “Building an oil refinery in Armenia is interesting for Gazprom from the geopolitical point of view.”

Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=154756

In related news:

Armenia and Iran construct hydropower plan on the Aras

Armenia’s attempts to diversify its energy sources took a step forward on October 4 when the parliament in Yerevan ratified an agreement with Iran to jointly construct a hydroelectric power station on the Aras River. An agreement was signed between the presidents of the two countries on March 19 in Megri. The project envisages the construction of two hydroelectric power plants—one in Armenian territory, the other in Iran—over a six year period. Each station will have a capacity of 130–140 megawatts, according to the news agency Regnum. Iran also has plans to develop a further two hydroelectric power plants with Azerbaijan.

Source: http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1...co_1459_3.html

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Putin to visit embattled Iran



RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin's trip to Iran this week, the first by a Kremlin leader in three decades, comes at a vital moment for the Islamic republic's controversial Russian-backed nuclear program.

Mr Putin will be attending a summit of Caspian Sea countries on Tuesday, joined by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan for talks focusing on how to divide the landlocked and energy-rich Caspian. But his visit also throws a potential diplomatic lifeline to Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who faces international isolation and massive US-led pressure against his nuclear power project. His critics in the West allege it has a secret military component.

"This is crucial against the background of tensions around the Iranian nuclear program," said Alexander Shumilin, a specialist on Middle Eastern issues.

The last Kremlin leader to visit Iran was Soviet chief Leonid Brezhnev, 32 years ago. Since the Soviet collapse Russia has emerged as one of Iran's most important partners and a bulwark against Western and Israeli diplomatic pressure. For Mr Putin the regional meeting provides a handy opportunity to sit down with Mr Ahmadinejad in bilateral talks without actually going as far as a formal summit.

"Mr Putin has been invited numerous times to make an official visit to Iran, but that kind of visit would have been considered a challenge to the West," said Radzhab Safarov, at the Centre for Studies on Modern Iran.

Mr Ahamadinejad could certainly use some powerful friends and Russia, which is building Iran's first nuclear power station in the Bushehr, is the most crucial ally of all. The International Atomic Energy Agency and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana are due to report to the UN Security Council and the major powers next month on Iran's level of cooperation with nuclear inspectors.

This comes amid growing pressure from Washington and its allies against Iran, which they claim is deceiving inspectors in order to hide a bomb-making project behind a civilian electricity generating program. Yet Russia has so far resisted calls for new, tougher sanctions to punish Iran. On Wednesday, Mr Putin rejected Western claims, saying he sees no threat from the Islamic republic.

"We do not have information that Iran is trying to create a nuclear weapon. We operate on the principle that Iran does not have those plans," he told French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Moscow. Russia is also ignoring US complaints by selling Iran sophisticated weapons, not least $US700 million ($A779.03 million) worth of Tor-M1 ground-to-air missiles this year - a system Iran says would be used to protect nuclear sites from air attack.

But as constant delays to the completion of Bushehr indicate, the Iranian-Russian partnership is far from smooth. Russia has angered Tehran by inviting the US military to use a radar station in the Caucasus region to monitor Iran as part of a proposed anti-missile shield, said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor at the journal Russia in Global Politics. The result is that Moscow "has bad relations with the West because of Iran, but at the same time a worsening relationship with Iran itself," Mr Lukyanov said.

The best Russia can hope for, analysts say, is to carve out a unique role as mediator within the six-nation group - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - in charge of the Iran dossier. Russia is "practically the only partner that Iran wants to see as a mediator," Alexander Shumilin said. But events may escape Moscow's control, warned Anton Khlopkov, at the PIR think tank in Moscow.

"Europe and the United States stress the importance of unity among the six, but they are on the side of unilateral sanctions and even military action. Russia risks seeing a decision taken without consensus."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sto...005961,00.html

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Plot to assassinate Putin' in Iran



The Russian president has been warned of a plot to assassinate him during a planned visit to Iran next week, according to Russia's Interfax news agency. But Tehran has described as "totally baseless" the report, which said Russian security services had been told suicide bombers and kidnappers were training to kill or capture Vladimir Putin.

"Reports published by some media are totally baseless and are in line with the psychological war launched by enemies who want to harm Iran and Russia's relationship," Mohammad Ali Hosseini, foreign ministry spokesman, said on Sunday. The Russian president is travelling to Tehran to attend a meeting a summit of the five states that surround the Caspian Sea, and Hosseini said this would go ahead as planned. Putin is the first Kremlin leader to travel to Iran since Josef Stalin, the former Soviet leader, attended a wartime summit with Winston Churchill, former British prime minister, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, former US president, in 1943.

'Bombers preparing'

The Interfax report said that: "a reliable source in one of the Russian special services, has received information from several sources outside Russia, that during the president of Russia's visit to Tehran an assassination attempt is being plotted. The news agency quoted Kremlin sources as saying they had no comment on the report, but that the president had been informed. Fred Weir, Moscow correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor newspaper, told Al Jazeera that assassination plots against the Russian leader had previously been discovered in Ukraine and Azerbaijan, both reportedly connected to the separatist movement in Chechnya.

"It could be some international scheme, perhaps connected with Russia's enemies like the Chechens," he said.

"Or it could be some elaborate rumour, in Russia we have this transitional phase, we are not sure if Putin is leaving his job or changing his job next year. All of this sort of thing excites power struggles and rumours are a major weapon in that."

Putin's second term as president ends next year and the constitution prevents him standing for a third consecutive term. He has said he will stand for parliament and could become prime minister.

Nuclear standoff

Putin is expected to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president during his visit, giving him a chance to attempt to find a peaceful solution to the standoff over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Although Russia has backed two rounds of punitive UN sanctions against Iran, Moscow says engagement is a more effective way of tackling the situation. It has sold weapons to Iran, in defiance of US concerns, and is building a nuclear power station at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. Putin was visiting Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on Sunday before travelling to the Iranian capital on Monday.

Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...BADEA49A52.htm

[skhara]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=27089&sectionid=351020101

Iran denies murder plot against Putin
Sun, 14 Oct 2007 23:19:52
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini
Iran dismisses the reports of a possible assassination plot against President Putin, during his planned visit to Tehran, as 'baseless'.

"Such reports are in line with the psychological war launched by the enemies who want to undermine Iran-Russia ties," Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Sunday.

Hosseini added that such baseless reports will not have any effect on the schedule of the Russian president.

Interfax reported earlier on Sunday that the Russian Security Service was notified of suicide bombers planning to assassinate the Russian president during his visit to Tehran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to arrive in Tehran on Tuesday, to attend a summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states.

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Armenian analyst: Iran is the last country where a plot against Putin is possible

Reports on a plot against Russian President Vladimir Putin is a well-considered canard and nothing else, Armenian political analyst Levon Melik-Shakhnazaryan said talking to a REGNUM correspondent. According to him, such information actions are connected with unwillingness of some Western political circles let the process of rapprochement between Russia and Iran continue. Melik-Shakhnazaryan noted that theoretically, there is a danger of a plot against the president all over the world, in Russia as well, because many in the West do not like his policy, especially in the economy. However, he believes, Iran is seemingly one of the last countries where it can take place.

Overall, he believes, the problem of Iran is blown up artificially. An analogy suddenly comes to mind with the situation around Iraq, the analyst said. “Then, members of the IAEA and other organizations were searching for a nuclear bomb and any voices saying that Iraq was incapable of either technically or technologically of producing mass destruction weapons were suppressed. They needed to find the weapons, they were searching for it and when they failed, they started doing it in another way – with the help of the army,” Melik-Shakhnazaryan reminded. He supposed that the same situation would be unveiled around Iran.

According to the political analyst, the problem of the Iranian nuclear weapons is closely connected with the country’s ideology. Had Iran been a pro-Western country and fulfilled all demands of the West, like, for instance, other countries in the region do, nobody would be looking for a nuclear bomb there, he noted. “Things come to absurd today: the IAEA says that it has no data that Iran plans to start production of nuclear weapons, other major powers, including Russia, say that they are not concerned with the fact, as there is no evidence that Iran plans to start producing nuclear weapons, however, the United States, the UK and a pair of other states, including Israel, ensures in the opposite,” Melik-Shakhnazaryan adding that the situation is “political risks of non-existing weapons.”

Source: http://www.regnum.ru/english/899568.html

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Iran may join Caspian naval force if sea status clarified



Iran will join a Russian-proposed joint naval task force in the Caspian region only after the legal status of the Caspian Sea has been determined, an Iranian analyst said on Monday. Moscow proposed setting up a joint naval force of Caspian Sea countries, to be named CasFor, in October 2005. According to the proposal, the five littoral states - Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - will join efforts to prevent terrorism and trafficking in arms, narcotics and weapons of mass destruction in the Caspian Sea.

"It is necessary to determine the legal status of the Caspian Sea before successfully implementing the CasFor project," said Abbas Maleki, head of the International Institute for Caspian Studies in Tehran. Leaders of the five Caspian states are expected to gather on October 16 for a summit in the Iranian capital to discuss how best to divide the resource-rich sea bed.

"If the [Caspian] sea is divided between the five coastal countries, Iran will no longer share a border with Russia and participation in a joint military grouping would be senseless for Tehran," the analyst said.

"However, if the sides agree to continue the joint exploration of the Caspian Sea, Tehran would support creating CasFor to combat terrorism, drug-trafficking, and smuggling, and to conduct joint sea rescue operations," Maliki said.

The Iranian expert ruled out the participation of other countries, including the United States or Europe, in the proposed security grouping, but said cooperation under the project could be coordinated within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) or other existing security structures in Central Asia. The International Institute for Caspian Studies is a non-governmental research and consultancy institute based in Tehran, which focuses on undertaking and promoting studies on political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and legal issues of the Caspian region.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/world/20071015/83957021.html

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Putin warns of Caspian Sea 'interference'



Leaders of Russia and Iran spoke out strongly today against outside interference in Caspian Sea affairs. The warning came during a summit of the five nations bordering the inland sea that focused on ways to divide the region's substantial energy resources. Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose trip to Tehran is the first by a Kremlin leader since the Second World War, warned that projects of energy pipelines crossing the Caspian could only be implemented if all five nations support them. Mr Putin did not name any specific country, but his statement underlined Moscow's strong opposition to US-backed efforts to build pipelines to deliver Central Asian and Caspian hydrocarbons to the West bypassing Russia.

"Projects that may inflict serious environmental damage to the region cannot be implemented without prior discussion by all five Caspian nations," he said. Mr Putin also emphasised the need for all Caspian nations to prohibit the use of their territory by any outside countries for use of military force against any nation in the region - a clear reference to long-standing rumours that the US might be planning to use Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic, as a staging ground for any possible military action against Iran.

"We are saying that no Caspian nation should offer its territory to third powers for use of force or military aggression against any Caspian state," Mr Putin said. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also underlined the need to keep outsiders away from the Caspian. "All Caspian nations agree on the main issue - that all aspects related to this sea must be settled exclusively by littoral nations," he said. "The Caspian Sea is an inland sea and it only belongs to the Caspian states, therefore only they are entitled to have their ships and military forces here."

The legal status of the Caspian - believed to contain the world's third-largest energy reserves - has been in limbo since the 1991 Soviet collapse, leading to tension and conflicting claims to seabed oil deposits. Iran, which shared the Caspian's resources equally with the Soviet Union, insists that each coastal nation receive an equal portion of the seabed. Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan want the division based on the length of each nation's shoreline, which would give Iran a smaller share.

[...]

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...cle3065113.ece

Caspian states back Iran’s right to nuclear energy

Caspian states agreed on Tuesday not to let a third country use their soil for an attack on any of them, an apparent response the US refusal to rule out the use of force in its nuclear dispute with Iran. Leaders of the five states, including Russia, stressed at the end of their meeting in Tehran that ”under no circumstances will they allow (the use of their) territories by third countries to launch aggression or other military action against any of the member states”.

Azerbaijan has a partnership deal with NATO, which has led to speculation that the US could use Azeri airfields for a possible strike on Iran. In their summit statement, the leaders also said they acknowledged the rights of all signatories to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop peaceful atomic energy. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the declaration at a news conference as ”very strong”.

After the summit, Mr Putin was set to have bilateral meetings with the Iranian president, and with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Officially, the regional summit, the first in five years, was being held to discuss a new legal convention for the Caspian Sea which, until the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, was administered by Moscow and Tehran.

Caspian leaders were set to discuss long-running disputes about offshore pipelines and the ownership of oilfields in the south Caspian Sea that have blocked foreign investment. Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have already signed treaties dividing the north Caspian seabed with median lines and agreed to share oilfields straddling offshore boundaries. But a pan-Caspian agreement on ownership of the seabed has proved elusive, with Iran and Turkmenistan laying separate claims to oil reserves off the Azeri coast.

Iran claims the Caspian should be sliced into five equal sectors rather than divided with median lines which would allocate it just 13 per cent of the offshore. BP halted work at the Alov field off Azerbaijan in 2001 after an Iranian gunship threatened explorers. Turkmenistan disputes Azerbaijan’s ownership of various Caspian fields, including part of Azeri where a BP-led group is producing over 700,000 barrels of oil.

Iran is not in a hurry to compromise on offshore boundaries because most of its vast oil reserves lie in the south near the Persian gulf. But Turkmenistan has opened talks with foreign oil investors since Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov became president following the death last year of Saparmurat Niyazov, the former leader. President Berdymukhammedov has restored relations with Azerbaijan, broken during the Niyazov era and launched negotiations about offshore boundaries.

Berdymukhammedov has professed interest in a project, backed by the US and Europe, to build a gas pipeline across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan to diversify Central Asian gas export routes away from Russia and deflect interest in the construction of pipelines across Iran.

Untapped fields offshore Turkmenistan could theoretically be linked to Azeri deposits already feeding new oil and gas pipelines across the Caucasus to Turkey. Russia has proposed that the Caspian convention should include a provision banning offshore pipelines on environmental grounds. The Caspian convention will also regulate shipping, fishing and defence in the area.

Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3a1575b0-7...0779fd2ac.html

Caspian states, in Iran, oppose military attack

Leaders from Caspian Sea states, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, agreed in Iran on Tuesday to never allow their territory to be used for an attack on a fellow littoral state. "The parties emphasise that in no circumstances will they allow their territory to be used by a third country to commit aggression or other military action against one of the parties," according to the text of the declaration handed to journalists by Russian officials.

The statement was signed by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan in a ceremony after their summit in Tehran. Putin at the opening of the summit had strongly argued the territory of a Caspian Sea country should not be used as a launch-pad for any military strike against a fellow littoral nation. "The Caspian Sea should unite us rather than divide us," he added.

The statement from the five states also backed the right of a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to "research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful ends without discrimination within the framework of this treaty and the mechanisms of the UN nuclear watchdog". Iran is currently locked in a standoff with the international community over its nuclear drive, which the United States and European allies claim could be a cover for a weapons programme.

Putin, on the first visit to Iran by a Kremlin chief since World War II despite reports of an assassination plot, has pledged to talk to Iranian leaders about Tehran's atomic activities. Russia has been a strong proponent of solving the crisis diplomatically and has vehemently opposed the use of military action although this has never been ruled out by Washington.

Source: http://www.africasia.com/services/ne...5.0yk66yui.php

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Indeed a historic event for Iran, for Russia and for the entire Caspian sea region. Needless to say, the West is increasing finding itself isolated.

Armenian

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Iran hails Putin's landmark visit



Iran on Tuesday hailed the visit of Russian president. "The landmark visit to Tehran of Vladimir Putin is a major event itself but more importantly is the failure of a US-Zionist scenario organized to make the Russian president cancel his trip," the official news agency IRNA said in an editorial. President Putin is the first Russian president who visits Iran after about 65 years when the then president of Russia, Josef Stalin, visited the country in 1943 along with his British and US counterparts. Iran claims Israel tried to prevent this historic visit. "About 24 hours prior to President Putin's visit to Iran, certain Zionist sources started a new bid and a psychological warfare to prevent his visit claiming that there was an imminent "assassination plot" against the Russian president during his Tehran visit," the editorial added. During his stay in Iran, Putin stressed that Moscow would not allow other countries to use its soil for attacking the Caspian Sea littoral states. He made the remarks in his speech at the second summit of the Caspian Sea littoral states. The Russian president arrived in Iran Tuesday morning at the head of a high-ranking delegation to attend the summit.

Source: http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Iran/217641

Putin Warns Against Use of Force on Landmark Visit to Iran



Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned against the use of military force in the Caspian region. The Russian leader is in Iran for a summit of the five Caspian Sea nations. VOA's Challis McDonough has more in this report. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, 16 Oct 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, 16 Oct 2007 Speaking on a landmark visit to Tehran, President Putin said no Caspian nation should let its territory be used to attack another Caspian state. The Russian leader's comments are seen as a reference to rumors that the United States is considering military action against Iran, because of its nuclear program. Mr. Putin spoke at the opening session of a summit of the five nations bordering the Caspian Sea. This is the first time a Kremlin leader has visited Iran since World War Two. Mr. Putin's trip is being watched closely for signs of movement in the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West. Russia has been a key mediator in the crisis. The Iranian and Russian presidents are scheduled to hold direct talks focusing on the nuclear issue. Mr. Putin went to Tehran despite a warning by Russian security services of a possible plot to assassinate him there.

Source: http://voanews.com/english/2007-10-16-voa8.cfm

Putin reaffirms commitment to Bushehr [Nuclear Power Plant] completion



Russia will complete the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. Russian nuclear equipment export monopoly Atomstroyexport has been building Iran's first nuclear power plant despite opposition from Western countries and amid international concerns that the Islamic Republic is pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program. "Russia said from the start that it would not only sign a contract but see it though," Putin, who is on a two-day official visit to Iran, told a news conference in the capital, Tehran. "We are not going to go back on our commitment," he said. The completion of the plant, being constructed under a 1995 contract, came under threat in February 2007 after Russia complained of funding shortfalls. Moscow said Tehran had only covered 60% of the required funds by the fourth quarter of 2006, and completely stopped payments in mid-January. Iran denied any payment problems, and accused Russia of delaying tactics. The Russian leader said the delays were mainly caused by certain technical and legal difficulties dating back to the initial 1975 construction contract between Iran and Germany, which has never been implemented. "At the start of the construction we received German equipment, which is obviously outdated," Putin said, adding that some other subcontractors, including South Korea, failed to provide equipment under relevant contracts with Iran. "In addition, there are certain legal provisions in the [Russian-Iranian] contract that have to be revised and amended," the president said. Putin also said Russia would start supplying fuel to Bushehr when a commissioning date is set, and contract obligations are amended. "Under International Atomic Energy Agency rules, nuclear fuel will be supplied several months before a nuclear reactor is commissioned," he said.

Source: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20071016/84182133.html

[Armenian]

Re: Consequences Of Attacking Iran And Why Tehran Is Not Worried

Just listen to this moron talk. Honestly, just how mentally retarded is the population in the United States? Who in their right minds would take this dangerous clown seriously? Oh, I forgot - At least half the population in the United States actually think they are making the world a better place by turning the Middle East upside down. Incidentally, are there any Armenians on this discussion board that believes the pure bullkaka flowing out of Washington DC? Are there any Armenians here that believe any of it? Just curious. Iran has never said it is going to destroy Israel. Iran knows that Israel possess several hundred nuclear warheads and it could incinerate Iran if it had to. Nonetheless, even if Tehran wanted to destroy Israel, and God knows there are ample reasons to want to, why should Americans waste thousands of more American lives and trillions of more American Dollars in defense of a nation of parasites? If Israel truly feels threatened, I think Israel is militarily strong enough to stand up to Iran without US support.

Armenian

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Bush warns nuclear-armed Iran could mean 'World War III'

]


Washington - US President George W Bush warned Wednesday that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to a third world war because of the Islamic state's determination to destroy Israel. "We have got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel," Bush said, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"So I have told people that, if you are interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Bush's comments came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ahmadinejad in Tehran and stated there was no evidence to support western accusations that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Bush said he was eager to hear from Putin about his conversations with Ahmadinejad and whether the Russian leader remained determined to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Bush said he wanted Putin to "clarify" his remarks.

"He understands that it's in the world's interests to make sure that Iran does not have the capacity to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

"If he wasn't concerned about it, then why do we have such good progress at the United Nations?" Bush said.

Putin has backed two UN Security Council resolutions imposing limited sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment, but has been reluctant to come down too hard on Tehran over concerns it would undermine the diplomatic effort to keep Iran from developing atomic weapons. Iran maintains the process is solely for producing civilian energy.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/125948.html#