DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Will Strongly Counter Intrusive Powers In Region: Lawmaker

Defense News: DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Will Strongly Counter Intrusive Powers In Region: Lawmaker
*Iran drill conveys message of sovereignty to world: Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 4, 2012:  A senior Iranian lawmaker says Iran has a policy to maintain security in the Persian Gulf and strongly counter any military intrusion in the region.

“The policy of the Islamic Republic is based on maintaining security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz for all ships and oil tankers,” Chairman of the Majlis Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy Alaeddin Boroujerdi told reporters on Tuesday. 

He added that Iran has the power to counter all elements behind regional insecurity. 

The senior legislator pointed to the ongoing missile drill by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in central Iran and stated that the military maneuvers display the country’s missile capability. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has entered a new phase of military might,” Boroujerdi pointed out, adding that such measures are not tantamount to any threats to the region and only denote that the Islamic Republic has the required capabilities to counter aggressions.

The three-day IRGC missile drill, entitled the Great Prophet 7, started in the central Iranian province of Semnan on Monday. 

The indigenous missiles, including Shahab (Meteor) 1, 2, 3, Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf), Tondar (Lightning), Fateh (Victor) and Zelzal (Quake) as well as Qiam (Uprising) were fired at mock targets during the drill. 

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. 

Iran has repeatedly assured other nations, especially regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to other countries, insisting that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

*Iran drill conveys message of sovereignty to world: Foreign Ministry Spokesman

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the ongoing Great Prophet 7 missile drill in the central sector of the country is intended to convey a message of sovereignty and full preparedness to establish security in the Persian Gulf as well as the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Mehmanparast said the drill aims to display Iran's might and attentiveness to establish safety in the Persian Gulf and secure the passage of oil cargos through Hormuz Strait. 

The senior Iranian official added that the Islamic Republic attaches great significance to the security of the Persian Gulf, stressing that Iran has both the capability and power to ensure the security and safe movement of energy supplies in the region. 

Deputy Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Salami said earlier on Tuesday that the Great Prophet 7 missile drill serves as a “firm response” to the threats of a military option against the Islamic Republic. 

“The main aim of this drill is to demonstrate the Iranian nation’s political resolve to defend [its] vital values and national interests,” he stated. 

The three-day IRGC missile war games, entitled the Great Prophet 7, started in the central Iranian province of Semnan on Monday. 

The indigenous missiles, including Shahab (Meteor) 1, 2, 3, Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf), Tondar (Lightning), Fateh (Victor) and Zelzal (Quake) as well as Qiam (Uprising) were fired at the mock targets during the drill. 

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and gained self-sufficiency in essential military hardware and defense systems. 

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS 

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Cites ‘Red Lines’ Iran Should Avoid

Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Panetta Cites ‘Red Lines’ Iran Should Avoid
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Elaine Sanchez - American Forces Press Service
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 16, 2012:  The nation is open to reaching diplomatic solutions with Iran, but is keeping all options on the table in case clear-cut “red lines” are crossed, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

Speaking to members of a House Appropriations subcommittee, Panetta said Iran is becoming increasingly isolated in the world.

“The international community has sent a very clear message,” he said. “We will not tolerate this. You’ve got to change your ways. You’ve got to come into the international community. You’ve got to abide by international laws, rules and regulations.”

The United States and the international community share the same concerns, Panetta noted. First, he said, “We will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.”

Panetta said intelligence reports clearly indicate that Iran continues to develop its enrichment capability; however, “intelligence does not show they’ve made the decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon.”

“That is the red line that would concern us and that would ensure the international community, hopefully together, would respond,” he said.

The international community also will not allow Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, the secretary said. The strait is the only sea passage to the open ocean for petroleum-producing nations in the Persian Gulf region. Iran recently threatened to cut off access to the strait if the United States continues to maintain an aircraft carrier presence there.

Other concerns include the spread of violence, the country’s support of terrorism and its attempts to undermine other nations, Panetta added.

“All of that has been made very clear,” he said.

The international community has implemented strong diplomatic and economic sanctions that are having “a very strong impact,” he said.

“We are open … to negotiations with them to try to find a diplomatic solution to these issues, but we do keep all options on the table in the event the red lines, I just made very clear, are crossed,” Panetta said.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Elaine Sanchez - American Forces Press Service
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS 

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Navy says Iran Prepares Suicide Bomb Boats In Gulf

Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. Navy says Iran Prepares Suicide Bomb Boats In Gulf

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources  By Warda Al-Jawahiry Manama  - Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 12, 2012: Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks, but the U.S. Navy can prevent it from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of U.S. naval forces in the region said on Sunday.

Iran has made a series of threats in recent weeks to disrupt shipping in the Gulf or strike U.S. forces in retaliation if its oil trade is shut down by sanctions, or if its disputed nuclear program comes under attack.

"They have increased the number of submarines ... they increased the number of fast attack craft," Vice Admiral Mark Fox told reporters. "Some of the small boats have been outfitted with a large warhead that could be used as a suicide explosive device. The Iranians have a large mine inventory."

"We have watched with interest their development of long range rockets and short, medium and long range ballistic missiles and of course ... the development of their nuclear program," Fox, who heads the U.S. Fifth Fleet, said at a briefing on the fleet's base in the Gulf state of Bahrain.

Iran now has 10 small submarines, he said.

Military experts say the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet patrolling the Gulf - which always has at least one giant supercarrier accompanied by scores of jets and a fleet of frigates and destroyers - is overwhelmingly more powerful than Iran's navy.

But ever since al Qaeda suicide bombers in a small boat killed 17 sailors on board the destroyer U.S.S. Cole in a port in Yemen in 1996, Washington has been wary of the vulnerability of its huge battleships to bomb attacks by small enemy craft.

Asked whether the U.S. Navy was prepared for an attack or other trouble in the Gulf, Fox said: "We are very vigilant, we have built a wide range of options to give the president and we are ready... What if it happened tonight? We are ready today."

Iranian officials have threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet to the Gulf through which nearly all of the Middle East's oil sails.

Asked if he took Iran's threats seriously, Fox Said: "Could they make like extremely difficult for us? Yes they could. If we did nothing and they were able to operate without being inhibited, yeah they could close it, but I can't see that we would ever be in that position."

He added that diplomacy should be given priority in resolving the tension.

"So when you hear discussion about all this overheated rhetoric from Iran we really believe that the best way to handle this is with diplomacy... I am absolutely convinced that is the way to go. It is our job to be prepared. We are vigilant."

Contacts between the U.S. Navy and Iranian craft in the Gulf region were routine, Fox said, referring to cases where his sailors helped Iranian ships that were in distress or threatened by pirates.

In addition to commanding the Fifth Fleet, Fox is also the commander of a multinational naval task force charged with ensuring Gulf shipping routes stay open. Although most of its firepower is American, the task force also includes other Western countries and the Gulf Arab states.

The European Union slapped an embargo on Iranian oil last month, which is due to kick in completely by July 1. The United States and EU have both imposed new sanctions on Iran's central bank which make it difficult for countries to pay Tehran for oil and for Iran to pay for the goods it imports.

(Editing by Firouz Sedarat and Peter Graff)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources  By Warda Al-Jawahiry Manama  - Reuters
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran To Equip Navy with New Flying Boats BAVAR 2 To Monitor Oil Tanker Traffic Through Straits Of Hormuz

Defense News: DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS:  Iran To Equip Navy with New Flying Boats BAVAR 2 To Monitor Oil Tanker Traffic Through Straits Of Hormuz
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith 
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 31, 2012: Iran has three squadrons of new flying boats, Iranian news agencies reported. The craft, dubbed the Bavar 2, is armed with a machine gun and carries surveillance cameras, according to a report from the Iranian Student News Agency

 

 "Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the few countries which managed to design, build and use flying boats in a short time," said Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who oversaw the delivering of the aircraft at the Bandar Abbas naval facility on the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. The delivery comes as Iran celebrates its Week of Sacred Defense, which commemorates its eight-year-long resistance to the 1980 Iraqi invasion, according to the Fars News Agency 

While there is little available information as to the performance characteristics of the flying boats, and the only known weapon system is a good old-fashioned machine gun (some reports say they can carry missiles, but certainly nothing heavy enough to sink a major warship), it would be a mistake to discount these new vessels. While they might not have much chance of ever winning a battle against Western warships or aircraft, they are well suited to a task believed to be the most likely response to Iran if war with America were to come — massed suicide attacks.

The danger is real, as shown by what happened to the USS Cole in 2000. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, equipped with a state-of-the-art AEGIS radar suite and a variety of formidable missiles and guns, was almost brought down by a raft. While the ship was docked in port, the raft pulled up alongside and its three-man crew detonated the explosives they’d stashed on board. The billion-dollar warship had an enormous hole blown in its side and nearly went down. It had to be carried — literally carried — home on top of an enormous transport ship, so severe was the damage done by three men in a raft.

The Persian Gulf is, by modern military standards, incredibly shallow and narrow. Access to the Gulf is obtained through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow choke point that Iran is fully capably of making a very dangerous place. Despite the Gulf’s small supply, roughly 40% of the world’s exported petroleum flows through the area. In a shooting war, while dozens of billion-dollar Western warships tried to maneuver in the shooting gallery that is the Gulf, Iran would unleash its shore-based cruise missiles (Some of which have wound up in the hands of Hezbollah, with devastating but illustrative results) and could flood the Gulf and its skies with swarms of these tiny boats.

It’s a threat the United States takes seriously. Two years ago, American warships came close to opening fire on Iranian boats that came out to challenge the warships, manuevering close by and explicitly threatening a suicide attack before veering away. Past history, such as during the Tanker War of the 1980s, has shown that small boats can approach large warships even in a hostile environment. Even though some orbiting airpower can make sure that most of them are destroyed before the surviving few reach their target, that is little consolation to those left to contend with those few.

All of this is, admittedly, hinged upon the unproven contention that these flying boats are indeed intended for suicide attacks, or at a more basic level, that Iranian pilots would be willing to carry out such attacks. To those points, I say this: Iran has announced its intention to mass produce vessels that serve virtually no conventional military purpose, that are too small and too lightly armed to be significant in a conventional battle and that will be controlled not by Iran’s Navy, but by a naval contingent of its fanatical Revolutionary Guards. And to those who question whether or not anyone would willingly sacrifice their lives to kill an enemy, recall that our experience over the last nine years, and Israel’s experience for two generations, shows that that region of the world is quite adept at producing angry, alienated young men happy to commit suicide as they wage war against the Crusaders and their Zionist masters. Recall also the Japanese kamikaze’s of the Second World War: If Japan could find 2,800 naval pilots willing to hurl their planes onto Allied ships, is there any reason to doubt that Iran can do the same?

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Defense News: DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran's Ahmadinejad Begins 4-Nation Latin American Tour In Venezuela, Seeking Allies’ Support

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP - WP
 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 8, 2012:  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a four-nation Latin American tour Sunday aiming to show off relationships with allies as tensions grow over Iran’s nuclear program.

It is the Iranian leader’s fifth visit to Venezuela. He will also travel to Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador.

Tensions have been rising in the Mideast as Iran has warned it could retaliate against newly tightened U.S. sanctions by blocking shipping lanes out of the Persian Gulf. A large share of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ahmadinejad smiled and waved but made no comments as he stepped off a plane Sunday evening at Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas. He was greeted by Vice President Elias Jaua and other Venezuelan officials.

The Iranian leader was scheduled to meet Monday with his longtime ally President Hugo Chavez, who was on a trip in eastern Venezuela on Sunday.

Several hours before Ahmadinejad’s arrival, Chavez rebuffed calls by U.S. officials for countries to insist that Iran stop defying international efforts to assess its nuclear program.

“What the empire does is make you laugh, in its desperation to do something they won’t be able to do: dominate this world,” Chavez said.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear energy program. France has been pressing the European Union to impose additional sanctions.

Chavez and his allies in the left-leaning Bolivarian Alliance, or ALBA bloc, have backed Iran in the dispute.

Chavez praised Iran’s military industry, noting that it has long-range missiles.

He suggested that is a major reason why the U.S. “empire is trying to put the brakes on them, using as an excuse the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”

He also dismissed speculation by some officials in Washington that Iran might eventually be able to use Latin American countries to stage attacks on U.S. interests.

“That must be looked at carefully because it’s a threat against us,” Chavez said. “We aren’t a threat to anyone. We just have rights and we’re sovereign.”

Ahmadinejad and Chavez both plan to travel to Nicaragua for Tuesday’s inauguration of newly re-elected President Daniel Ortega.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Related News;

AHMADINEJAD BEGINS VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA

Voice of America - ‎14 hours ago‎

January 08, 2012 Ahmadinejad Begins Visit to Latin America VOA News Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left Sunday on a five-day Latin American tour, which US officials have dubbed as a sign of desperation for the country heavily sanctioned over its ...

IRAN'S PRESIDENT LEAVES ON LATIN AMERICA TOUR

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - ‎17 hours ago‎

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (right) welcomes his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez to Iran in October 2010. Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (right) welcomes his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez to Iran in October 2010. ...

IRANIAN PRESIDENT TO TOUR US FOES IN LATIN AMERICA

AFP - ‎20 hours ago‎

CARACAS — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under growing pressure from debilitating Western economic sanctions, starts a Latin America tour Sunday aimed at shoring up ties with his few remaining allies. Ahmadinejad will meet fellow US foe and ...

IRAN'S PRESIDENT LOOKS TO LATIN AMERICA AS GLOBAL SANCTIONS GROW

CNN (blog) - ‎21 hours ago‎

Beef from Brazil is on Iranian dinner tables. An Iranian-built hospital treats patients near Bolivia's capital. Iranian-funded factories dot the Venezuelan countryside. Iran has forged hundreds of agreements with Latin American nations and pledged ...

IRANIAN LEADER SEEKS SUPPORT IN SOUTH AMERICA

Al Jazeera - ‎21 hours ago‎

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is beginning a tour of South American in Venezuela. Ahmadinejad's visit comes amid rising tensions between Iran, the European Union and the UN over sanctions placed on Tehran as a result of recent reports ...

AHMADINEJAD'S LATIN AMERICA “TOUR OF TYRANTS”

MiamiHerald.com - ‎22 hours ago‎

By Andres Oppenheimer Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad will be visiting Latin America this week for the fifth time since 2007 — as often as US presidents over the same period, and visiting more countries than them. He must have powerful reasons to ...

AHMADINEJAD SEEKS STRONGER LATIN AMERICAN TIES

San Francisco Chronicle - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

Under pressure at home and facing a fresh wave of economic sanctions, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is seeking the company of friends - in Latin America. Starting today, Ahmadinejad will be on a four-nation tour that includes US antagonists ...

IRAN'S LEADER LOOKS TO LATIN AMERICA FOR SUPPORT

Boston.com - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

By Ian James AP / January 7, 2012 CARACAS, Venezuela—Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is courting Latin America on a four-nation tour starting Sunday that will let him tout some of Iran's few friendships while tensions grow over the country's ...

AHMADINEJAD'S LATIN AMERICA TRIP KICKS SAND IN US EYES, BUT IS IT THREATENING?

Christian Science Monitor - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

Iran's President Ahmadinejad begins a tour of anti-American capitals in Latin America in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday. The trip seeks to counter perceptions of Iran's isolation over its nuclear program. By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / January 7, ...

UNDER SANCTIONS PRESSURE, IRAN'S LEADER LOOKS TO FRIENDS IN LATIN AMERICA FOR ...

Chicago Tribune - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is courting Latin America on a four-nation tour starting Sunday that will let him tout some of Iran's few friendships while tensions grow over the country's threats to block oil shipments ...

US CALLS AHMADINEJAD'S VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA "DESPERATE"

Fox News - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

The Obama administration said Friday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit to four Latin American countries is is a sign of desperation as the country becomes politically isolated due to sanctions and warned Latin American leaders ...

IRAN MULLING OVER RUSSIA'S REVISED 'STEP-BY-STEP' PLAN: ENVOY

Tehran Times - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

TEHRAN - The Iranian ambassador to Moscow has said that the Russian proposal for a “step-by-step” plan toward Iran's nuclear program has undergone a number of revisions. On July 13, 2011, Russia made a proposal for a step-by-step approach, according to ...

IRAN'S AHMADINEJAD TO SEEK LATIN AMERICAN SUPPORT

Reuters Africa - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

By Robin Pomeroy and Daniel Wallis TEHRAN/CARACAS (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will seek support from Latin America's leftist leaders on a tour starting Sunday after tough new Western sanctions targeted Iran's oil industry. ...

IRANIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT US FOES IN LATIN AMERICA

South Asian News Agency - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

TEHRAN, (SANA): Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, under increasing pressure from debilitating Western economic sanctions, will begin a tour of Latin America aimed at shoring up ties with his few remaining allies today (Sunday). ...

FACTBOX-VENEZUELA'S TIES WITH IRAN

Chicago Tribune - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

(Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to visit Venezuela and other Latin American countries from Sunday, seeking to shore up support as tougher Western sanctions threaten its oil exports and economy. Both fierce anti-US ideologues, ...

IRAN, RUSSIA REPLACE DOLLAR WITH RIAL, RUBLE IN TRADE, FARS SAYS

Bloomberg - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

Iran and Russia replaced the US dollar with their national currencies in bilateral trade, Iran's state-run Fars news agency reported, citing Seyed Reza Sajjadi, the Iranian ambassador in Moscow. The proposal to switch to the ruble and the rial was ...

TEHRAN SAYS RUSSIA PARTLY REPLACED DOLLAR WITH RUBLE IN IRAN TRADES -REPORT

Wall Street Journal (India) - ‎Jan 7, 2012‎

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Tehran has replaced dollars with rubles in some of its dealings with Russia, an Iranian official was quoted as saying Saturday, as the Islamic Republic take steps to mitigate the impact of sanctions on its central bank. ...

US: IRAN 'FLAILING' FOR FRIENDS IN LATIN AMERICA

Economic Times - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

WASHINGTON: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming four-nation tour of Latin America is a sign of desperation as sanctions increasingly isolate his country, the Obama administration said, as it warned the leader's hosts against expanding ties ...

INCREASINGLY ISOLATED, IRANIAN LEADER SET TO VISIT ALLIES IN LATIN AMERICA

New York Times - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran begins a four-nation tour of Latin America on Sunday, showcasing his support in the region against a backdrop of international tensions over his nation's nuclear program, he is set to visit some of the United ...

IRAN LEADER'S 'TOUR OF TYRANTS' RAISES CONCERN IN US

MiamiHerald.com - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

Facing a new round of international trade sanctions, Iran President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is kicking off a four-nation Latin America tour that is raising concerns in Washington. BY JIM WYSS Under pressure at home and facing a fresh wave of economic ...

AHMADINEJAD COURTS LATIN AMERICA

Irish Times - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

IRAN'S PRESIDENT, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is due to touch down in Venezuela tomorrow on the first leg of a Latin American tour designed to lift the regime out of international isolation and bolster its sanctions-hit economy. Ahmadinejad, who is facing ...

US WARNS LATIN AMERICA AGAINST TYING ITSELF TO IRAN

Haaretz - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

State Department spokeswoman says Iranian regime is reaching out for friends as it comes under increased international pressure over its nuclear program; Ahmadinejad to set out for five-day tour to Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. By DPA Tags: Iran nuclear ...

U.S SAYS IRAN 'DESPERATE FOR FRIENDS'

Politico - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

Iran is “flailing” for new friends in Latin America as sanctions squeeze the country's economy, the Obama administration said Friday. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tour of four Latin American countries next week is a sign the regime is ...

US URGES LATIN AMERICA NOT TO DEEPEN TIES WITH IRAN

AFP - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

WASHINGTON — The United States on Friday urged Latin American countries not to deepen ties with Iran as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepared to visit Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. "As the regime feels increasing pressure, ...

AHMADINEJAD LAUDS RUSSIA'S POSITION ON IRAN NUCLEAR ISSUE: KREMLIN

Tehran Times - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

TEHRAN – In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran supports Moscow's efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program diplomatically. ...

IRANIAN PRESIDENT TO TOUR LATIN AMERICA

The Guardian - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is due to touch down in Venezuela on Sunday on the first leg of a Latin American tour aimed at lifting his regime out of international isolation and bolstering its sanctions-hit economy. ...

TEHRAN, MOSCOW SEEK TO TRADE IN NATIONAL CURRENCIES

Tehran Times - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in a phone conversation on Thursday emphasized on using national currencies in bilateral trade in a bid to give a boost to their economic ties. ...

IRAN ACCUSED OF DIPLOMACY OFFENSIVE IN US BACKYARD

Sydney Morning Herald - ‎Jan 6, 2012‎

IRAN is quietly seeking to expand its ties with Latin America in what US officials and regional experts say is an effort to circumvent economic sanctions and gain access to much-needed markets and raw materials. The diplomatic offensive, which comes ...

RUSSIAN, IRANIAN LEADERS DISCUSS NUCLEAR ISSUES OVER PHONE

Xinhua - ‎Jan 5, 2012‎

MOSCOW, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had a telephone conversation on Thursday to discuss a series of regional issues including Iran's nuclear program. "Medvedev pointed out with ...

RUSSIA, IRAN BACK TALKS TO SOLVE SYRIAN CRISIS

Ynetnews - ‎Jan 5, 2012‎

Russian and Iranian presidents say the Syrian crisis and other Mideast problems can only be settled through dialogue. President Dmitry Medvedev's office said he and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad agreed in a telephone call Thursday that regional ...

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP - WP
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS