Search Result in All

Mansour Arbabsiar, an Iranian-American used car salesman, was arrested at New York\'s John F. Kennedy International Airport on September 29, 2011. He was charged with planning to assassinate Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir in a bomb attack on a restaurant in Washington. He signed a plea bargain offered to him by Preet Bharara, U-S Attorney for the Southern District of New York. After this one-sided out of court deal, which benefited the District Attorney, Arbabsiar was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. He was represented by Sabrina Shroff, a federal public defender appointed by the court. Arbabsiar\'s family says that Shroff used unethical means to make her client sign the plea bargain.

[13 Oct 2013] Security deal with Kabul will not be signed without immunity for US troops - English

The chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin has met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to hammer out a security deal between the two countries. Levin told the Afghan leader that the US would not provide any further military support until a deal is signed. The two sides also discussed security agreement between Kabul and Washington. The issue over the agreement is related to America\'s drone attacks across Afghanistan, with many innocent civilians being wrongly targeted by US air-force drones. Karzai and US Secretary of State John Kerry earlier this month said that the two sides have agreed on the terms of bilateral security agreement.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he\'s willing to delay the signing of a deal with the US, known as the Bilateral Security Agreement, or BSA. Karzai told Afghanistan\'s assembly of elders, called Loya Jirga, that the deal will not be signed by the president until after next year\'s presidential election. This, as the Jirga has met today to discuss the BSA. Under the pact, American troops would be allowed to remain in Afghanistan beyond a 2014 deadline. Kabul has agreed to US military operations under special circumstances and American troops\' immunity from prosecution in Afghanistan. But, ordinary Afghans are angry over raids by American and other foreign troops. And they have held protests against the security deal with the US.

The U-S will be pulling out all its troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year if Washington and Kabul fail to sign a bilateral security agreement. The US president has asked the Pentagon to make preparations for the withdrawal in case the deal with Afghanistan is not signed. Barack Obama has also spoken to his Afghan counterpart about the withdrawal plan, and said that Washington is still open to finalizing the agreement. Hamid Karzai has so far refused to sign the controversial deal over major differences with Washington. The two sides are still at odds on some of the terms, including immunity for American troops and their attacks on Afghan villages and homes.

[17 March 2015] Iran lawmakers demand all sanctions be lifted before nuclear deal signed - English

Corruption in Iran-UAE Gas Agreement. What is today known as Crescent case was an agreement signed in 2001 between National Iranian Oil Company, NIOC and United Arab Emirates oil and gas company Crescent to sell the company gas. The case is now in International Hague Arbitration Tribunal for corruption. According to the signed contract, Iran was obligated to export sour gas from joint Iran-UAE oil and gas field, Salman to UAE for twenty five years. Iranian officials say that the incentive to sign the contract was signed not national interest but corruption and bribe. According to Iranian Judiciary some of the officials involved in this case have already been convicted of taking bribe in Iran\'s criminal court.

Iran has agreed to a nuclear swap deal to ship some of its enriched Uranium to Turkey for further processing. The UN-backed agreement was signed following talks with Turkish Prime Minister Erduan and Brazil's President Lula da Silva in the Iranian capital Tehran.

Ecuador\'s President Rafael Correa is on an official visit to Russia where he signed agreements to boost trade and energy cooperation. Correa also met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Weeks after Iran signed a landmark deal with the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, more signs emerge that some members of the Congress are already preparing to torpedo it. Several key senators have asked intelligence officials to examine whether a new set of sanctions would derail the nuclear talks with Iran. The request was made by the chairmen of the Senate\'s banking, intelligence, and armed services committees, and the reply should be ready in less than a week. The senators have also asked intelligence officials to provide briefings to the chamber -- once every 45 days starting on February first -- on whether Iran is complying with the deal. Some members of Congress are pushing for a new list of sanctions against Iran. But the White House is calling on senators to hold off. It says new sanctions against Iran would make Washington appear to be acting in bad faith in its nuclear outreach to Tehran.

Signed on 23 Dhul Hijja 1434 / 28 October 2013 At a meeting convened by the Universal Justice Network This is the link to the UJN Press Release on the declaration. It contains the links to: The text of the declaration Scans of the signed copies The photos of the signing and the video of the signing http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Universal Justice Network (UJN) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28 October 2013 Press Release: Pakistani leaders sign historic anti-sectarianism declaration Muslim scholars from Pakistan have signed a historic agreement condemning sectarianism and vowing to remove it as a cause of conflict in the violence-stricken country. Meeting in the Turkish seaside resort of Bodrum under the auspices of the UJN the scholars, who represent all of Pakistan\\\'s major Islamic sects and tendencies, agreed to come together to tackle religious intolerance in the interests of Muslim unity. The signatories include Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Allama Syed Niaz Hussain Shah of Hoza Ilmia Jamia Al Muntazar. The 11-point UJN Pakistan Unity Declaration commits the signatories and the UJN to sign statements in the upcoming Islamic month of Muharram denouncing the killing of fellow human beings on the basis of colour, creed, ethnicity or religion as haram. The statements will also declare excommunication or takfir against fellow Muslims and abusing the Prophet Muhammad\\\'s family and companions as against the Shariah. Also party to the accord were Allama Mohammad Sadiq Qureshi (Minhaj ul Quran International), Maulana Syed Ali Murtaza Zaidi (Jamay Imamia), Liaqat Baloch, MP (Jamaat-e-Islami) and Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri (Pakistan Sunni Tahreek). The accord is based on Charter 3:103, initiated by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997 and now a UJN core project, and since adopted by scores of Muslim organisations, which calls for Muslims to be united in accordance with the 103rd verse of the third chapter of the Holy Quran. It also addresses the challenging problem of madrasas in Pakistan, believed to be a breeding ground of intolerance, recommending that syllabuses and curriculums under the signatories\\\' respective spheres of influence address the need for respect, harmony and peace between all members of Pakistani society. Chair of IHRC, and UJN co-ordinator, Massoud Shadjareh said: \\\"The signing of the declaration is a detrmined step out of the quagmire of murder and fear that has come to characterise the landscape in Pakistan. The situation of sectarian killings and intimidation that has worsened year on year has been dealt a blow by the unity shown today.\\\" Director of Citizens International and UJN Co-ordinator Mohideen Abdul Kader said: \\\"The dream for many that the inception of Pakistan once was had become a nightmare. Today\\\'s events bring back hope that one day Pakistan can put the internecine strife of the current era behind it.\\\" Photos of the signing ceremony can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihrc/sets/72157637054317024/ The full text of the document and images of the signed copy canbe found here http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration Please contact the IHRC Press Officer on [email protected] or +447958522196.

This is the link to the UJN Press Release on the declaration. It contains the links to: The text of the declaration Scans of the signed copies The photos of the signing and the video of the signing http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Universal Justice Network (UJN) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28 October 2013 Press Release: Pakistani leaders sign historic anti-sectarianism declaration Muslim scholars from Pakistan have signed a historic agreement condemning sectarianism and vowing to remove it as a cause of conflict in the violence-stricken country. Meeting in the Turkish seaside resort of Bodrum under the auspices of the UJN the scholars, who represent all of Pakistan\\\'s major Islamic sects and tendencies, agreed to come together to tackle religious intolerance in the interests of Muslim unity. The signatories include Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Allama Syed Niaz Hussain Shah of Hoza Ilmia Jamia Al Muntazar. The 11-point UJN Pakistan Unity Declaration commits the signatories and the UJN to sign statements in the upcoming Islamic month of Muharram denouncing the killing of fellow human beings on the basis of colour, creed, ethnicity or religion as haram. The statements will also declare excommunication or takfir against fellow Muslims and abusing the Prophet Muhammad\\\'s family and companions as against the Shariah. Also party to the accord were Allama Mohammad Sadiq Qureshi (Minhaj ul Quran International), Maulana Syed Ali Murtaza Zaidi (Jamay Imamia), Liaqat Baloch, MP (Jamaat-e-Islami) and Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri (Pakistan Sunni Tahreek). The accord is based on Charter 3:103, initiated by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997 and now a UJN core project, and since adopted by scores of Muslim organisations, which calls for Muslims to be united in accordance with the 103rd verse of the third chapter of the Holy Quran. It also addresses the challenging problem of madrasas in Pakistan, believed to be a breeding ground of intolerance, recommending that syllabuses and curriculums under the signatories\\\' respective spheres of influence address the need for respect, harmony and peace between all members of Pakistani society. Chair of IHRC, and UJN co-ordinator, Massoud Shadjareh said: \\\"The signing of the declaration is a detrmined step out of the quagmire of murder and fear that has come to characterise the landscape in Pakistan. The situation of sectarian killings and intimidation that has worsened year on year has been dealt a blow by the unity shown today.\\\" Director of Citizens International and UJN Co-ordinator Mohideen Abdul Kader said: \\\"The dream for many that the inception of Pakistan once was had become a nightmare. Today\\\'s events bring back hope that one day Pakistan can put the internecine strife of the current era behind it.\\\" Photos of the signing ceremony can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihrc/sets/72157637054317024/ The full text of the document and images of the signed copy canbe found here http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration Please contact the IHRC Press Officer on [email protected] or +447958522196.

Obama urges diplomacy on Iran US President Barack Obama has called for a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear issue, despite Washington's disregard for Tehran's diplomatic initiatives. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Obama said, "Let me be clear once more: the United States and the international community seek a resolution to our differences with Iran, and the door remains open to diplomacy should Iran choose to walk through it." "But the Iranian government must demonstrate a clear and credible commitment and confirm to the world the peaceful intent of its nuclear program," AFP quoted him as saying. Obama's comments come while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has in different reports confirmed the non-diversion of Iran's nuclear program. Iran signed a nuclear declaration with Turkey and Brazil in May as a diplomatic effort to solve the standoff with the West over its nuclear program. Foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Brazil signed the declaration in the Iranian capital Tehran on May 17, according to which the Islamic Republic would ship 1200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel rods to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment. The US and its allies, however, disregarded the declaration by imposing a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. Iran has criticized the US-engineered UN sanctions, arguing that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and an IAEA member, it has the right to pursue and benefit from nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Tehran announced in September that it was ready to resume talks on its nuclear program, but stressed that any negotiations must be conducted within the framework of the Tehran declaration. Obama's call for diplomacy on Iran comes as major world powers have also urged resumption of talks with Iran over its nuclear program. Foreign ministers of the P5+1 — China, France, Russia, Britain and the US plus Germany — said in a statement on Wednesday that they seek a "long-term negotiated solution" to Iran's nuclear issue.

A young Bahraini pro-democracy poetess just released from jail and placed under house arrest says she was mentally and physically tortured by male and female officers while in jail. “They beat me [for] nine days, morning and afternoon and at night… they beat me a lot, a lot, a lot. More than one person beat me at the same time, man and woman,” said Ayat al-Qurmezi in an exclusive phone interview with Press TV on Friday. Recounting her bitter experience while jailed by the Saudi-backed Bahraini regime, Qurmezi, hailed as 'freedom poet,' told Press TV that her interrogator and prison guards did not allow her to use a bathroom and used very offensive and derogatory language against herself and her parents. She confirmed that her jailers also threatened to kill her and to hurt her family, adding that she was forced to make confessions, as the only way for “the king to forgive me” and to be saved from the beatings, verbal abuse and other forms of torture. Qurmezi, however, stated that despite repeated threats by Bahraini authorities that she would be returned to jail if she speaks to any media outlets, she was not afraid and would continue to speak the words of the Bahraini people. Al-Qurmezi was arrested on March 30 for reciting anti-government poetry in the capital of Manama's Pearl Square. She was then charged with incitement and insulting members of the royal family and handed a one-year jail term. On Thursday, the 20-year-old said she had faced house arrest in exchange for freedom, but vowed to continue her freedom-seeking campaign. “And I won't be afraid because of a paper I signed,” Qurmezi said, referring to a pledge she had signed not to violate the terms of her arrest, join protests and speak to the media. Further, her family says she was forced by her jailors to clean filthy lavatories with her bare hands. In a popular uprising, tens of thousands of Bahraini protesters have been holding peaceful anti-regime rallies throughout the country since February, demanding an end to the rule of the Al Khalifa family. The royals have governed the oil-rich Persian Gulf island for over 40 years with major backing from the United States, Britain and the neighboring Saudi Arabia. Scores of people have been killed and many more arrested and tortured in prisons as part of the clampdown in the country -- a longtime US ally and home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

[23 June 2012] Iranian president in Venezuela to boost bilateral ties - English Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warmly greeted his close ally Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the presidential palace in Caracas. The Iranian leader arrived in Venezuela's capital from stops in Brazil, where he attended the United Nations Rio+20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, and Bolivia.Chavez and Ahmadinejad vowed to keep building closer ties. The Venezuelan president has expressed solidarity with Iran on its nuclear energy program which Iran insists it's for peaceful purposes. Caracas and Tehran have signed an estimated five billion dollars worth of trade deals and accords since 2001 including construction projects, car factories and most recently an agreement for Caracas to manufacture unmanned aerial aircrafts better known as drones.The United States has looked at these accords with disapproval and last year put sanctions on Venezuela's state oil company for making deals with Iran's energy sector.Chavez criticized the sanctions against Iran and pledged to continue being Tehran's key ally in Latin America.This is President Ahmadinejad second visit to Venezuela this year. According to Hugo Chavez there have been more than 300 bilateral accords signed by both countries.

[12 July 2012] Moscow to resume supply of S 300 to Iran - English The contract to supply Iran with air defense S-300 was signed in late 2007. Despite the advance payments in 2010, former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a decree on measures to implement the fourth sanctions resolution in the UN Security Council against Iran, which called for a ban on the transfer of S-300 to Iran. Margarita Bogdanova, Press TV, Moscow

The Afghan government is to hold a Loya Jirga or grand assembly in the coming days to decide whether or not a security deal should be signed with the US. This deal-- if signed, will allow American forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014. But opposition to the pact is mounting. Political and religious parties are holding gatherings to voice their dissatisfaction with the presence of US troops.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says its inspectors have been allowed to visit the Arak heavy water production plant on December 8. Under the IAEA Safeguards Agreement, Iran is not obliged to allow inspections. IAEA Chief Yukia Amano says Tehran has invited the agency to visit the heavy water production plant for the first time since August 2011. Under a new deal signed between Iran and the IAEA, Tehran will, on a voluntary basis, allow IAEA inspectors to visit the Arak heavy water plant and the Gachin uranium mine in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Head of Iran\'s Atomic organization Ali Akbar Salehi and IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano have signed an agreement for more cooperation on outstanding issues.

A group of US lawmakers have warned the Afghan president against a failure to sign a bilateral security deal. After a meeting with Hamid Karzai in Kabul, a group of American senators, including John McCain and Lindsay Graham, said they expect the agreement to be signed soon. They have also noted that such a failure would pose a threat to Afghanistan and the region. Karzai has so far delayed signing the accord with the United States. The Afghan president says he won\'t sign any agreement that allows continued raids on Afghan homes. Without a signed deal, all U-S and NATO forces would have to withdraw from Afghanistan. The US-led foreign forces are blamed for many civilian deaths in the country. The senators have also warned Karzai about the release of 88 Bagram prisoners in north Kabul. Afghanistan says it\'s found insufficient evidence to continue their detention. But, Washington says the prisoners pose a serious security threat.

After a meeting with Hamid Karzai in Kabul, a group of American senators, including John McCain and Lindsay Graham, said they expect the agreement to be signed soon. They have also noted that such a failure would pose a threat to Afghanistan and the region. Karzai has so far delayed signing the accord with the United States. The Afghan president says he won\\\'t sign any agreement that allows continued raids on Afghan homes. Without a signed deal, all U-S and NATO forces would have to withdraw from Afghanistan. The U-S-led foreign forces are blamed for many civilian deaths in the country. The senators have also warned Karzai about the release of 88 Bagram prisoners in north Kabul. Afghanistan says it\\\'s found insufficient evidence to continue their detention. But, Washington says the prisoners pose a serious security threa

Latest News: 15th May 2008 Saudi-Israeli plot against Hezbollah Thu, 15 May 2008 16:36:28 Prince Bandar bin Sultan (L), Ehud Olmert Former Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Bandar bin Sultan asks Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to move against Hezbollah. Saudi's Prince Bandar bin Sultan has formally requested Olmert to move the Zionist regime's military forces in the north of the Occupied Lands on the border with Lebanon as a threat against Hezbollah if the latter did not stop attacking government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Filkka - Israel website revealed Wednesday. Bandar bin Sultan arrived in the Occupied Territories in his private plane directly from Jeddah airport to Lod Airport in Tel Aviv. Bin Sultan asked Olmert to do what is necessary to support PM Siniora, offering to bear all the financial costs of any Israeli war against Hezbollah. Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert who is under investigation in a bribe case, said that he could not do so now, assuring his guest that he could not wage a war on behalf of Saudi Arabia, but he will discuss the issue with the Israeli officials in order to carry out military maneuvers in the south of Lebanon. Old News UK bribery disgrace in trade with Saudi Arabia: Former Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan received hundreds of millions of pounds in secret payments from Britain's top defence manufacturer with the knowledge of Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, according to the BBC. The payments made by BAE Systems were actually a conduit to Bandar for his role in the multi-billion al-Yamamah arms agreement, Britain's biggest ever export deal signed in 1985, the state-funded broadcaster said it had learned Thursday. The alleged bribes were said to have been discovered during a year-long inquiry conducted by Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO), but which was abruptly halted last December after Blair said the investigation was a threat to national security. The dropping of the investigation also came amid concerns that it might jeopardize a new multi-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia to supply Eurofighters. The BBC said that the payments, believed to total more than Pnds one billion (Dlrs 1.9 bn), were sent to two Saudi embassy accounts in Washington, were written into the government-to-government arms deal contract in secret annexes. Allegations previously made in the British press have also suggested that Mark Thatcher, son of the British prime minister at the time, was also involved in the deal. The al-Yamamah deal included the supply of more than 100 Tornado aircraft and is estimated to have been worth over Pnds 40 billion (Dlrs 78 bn) over more than a decade. The new claims, to be made in the BBC's current affairs Panorama programme next Monday prompted the head of parliament's committee which investigates strategic exports, Labour MP Roger Berry, to call for a proper investigation into the allegations. Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable said that if ministers in either the present or previous governments were involved there should be a "major parliamentary inquiry". "It is one thing for a company to have engaged in alleged corruption overseas. It is another thing if British government ministers have approved it," Cable said

UN official Enough evidence to prosecute Rumsfeld - English. Monday, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak told CNN's Rick Sanchez that the US has an "obligation" to investigate whether Bush administration officials ordered torture, adding that he believes that there is already enough evidence to prosecute former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "We have clear evidence," he said. "In our report that we sent to the United Nat More..ions, we made it clear that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld clearly authorized torture methods and he was told at that time by Alberto Mora, the legal council of the Navy, 'Mr. Secretary, what you are actual ordering here amounts to torture.' So, there we have the clear evidence that Mr. Rumsfeld knew what he was doing but, nevertheless, he ordered torture." Asked during an interview with Germany's ZDF television on Jan. 20, Nowak said: "I think the evidence is on the table." At issue, however, is whether "American law will recognize these forms of torture." A bipartisan Senate report released last month found Rumsfeld and other top administration officials responsible for abuse of Guantanamo detainees in US custody. It said Rumsfeld authorized harsh interrogation techniques on December 2, 2002 at the Guantanamo prison, although he ruled them out a month later. The coercive measures were based on a document signed by Bush in February, 2002.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=7402099&page=1 http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=92354&sectionid=351020205 Exclusive Torture Tape Implicates UAE A senior member of the UAE royal family has been caught, literary red-handed, in a torture scandal after a videotape was released showing a man being severely assaulted by the prince. The videotape smuggled out of the country by Bassam Nabulsi, a businessman from Houston, Texas, depicts Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE Crown Prince's brother, savagely torturing a man. The victim was beaten with wooden planks with nails protruding from them and then the prince poured salt on his bleeding wounds. The video also shows the prince setting fire to parts of the victim's body, giving him electric shocks with a cattle prod, ramming desert sand into his mouth, and firing bullets around him with an automatic rifle. The gruesome footage released by ABC News also shows Sheikh Issa driving over the victim repeatedly with his luxury Mercedes SUV. The sound of breaking bones is clearly audible in this scene. On the video, the victim identified as Afghan grain dealer Mohammed Shah Poor, screams and asks for mercy but the UAE prince sadistically orders the cameraman to come closer to get a better record of the man's suffering. A UAE police officer in uniform can also be seen helping Issa and his men torturing the Afghan man. The Sheikh accused Shah Poor "of short changing on a grain delivery to his royal ranch on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi". The UAE Interior Ministry has admitted that Sheikh Issa had been involved in the torture but claimed that "The incidents depicted in the video tapes were not part of a pattern of behavior." The government also insisted that "all rules, policies and procedures were followed correctly by the Police Department." Sheikh Issa is one of UAE's 22 “Royal Sheikhs” and a son of the country's one and only president, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who died in 2004. Nablusi, who smuggled the 45-minute tape out of the Arab country, says he too was tortured by the UAE police to force him to hand over the tape to them. He is now filing a lawsuit against the Sheikh in a US federal court in Houston. The video was allegedly recorded by Nablusi's brother because the Sheikh took pleasure in watching torture scenes later. Nabulsi who was Sheikh Issa's former business partner, was allegedly arrested and charged by UAE police over narcotics trafficking after he refused to turn over the video. After spending time in a UAE prison, Nablusi was finally deported from the country and his passport was stamped with "Not Allowed to Return to the UAE." The businessman says the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi was aware of the torture tapes but did nothing and only advised him to leave the country. UAE is one of the closest allies of the US in the Middle East and the US Navy operates out of a major base near Dubai. It is also one of the biggest customers for US weapons, having signed a $6.9 billion arms deal with Washington in 2008. The UAE is seen by the US as a critical ally in its self-styled “war on terror

Yemen's Houthi fighters have accused Saudi Arabia of helping the Yemeni army in its deadly offensive against them in the north-western province of Saada. Zaidi Shia fighters, known as Houthis, issued a statement on Friday saying that at least two Saudi warplanes have bombed their positions in the al-Malahid district. The fighters' statement has been dismissed by the Yemeni army as a baseless allegation. Fighting between Yemeni troops backed by fighter aircraft and Shia fighters has killed dozens, mostly fighters, since the government launched a wide offensive against Shia tribes earlier in the month. The Shia fighters have been engaged in on and off fighting with Yemen's army since 2004. Press TV correspondent in Yemen, Akram Al-Hindi, says the military's campaign against Houthi fighters is expected to intensify in the coming days -- despite the growing civilian death toll. "We have heard that there was a short truce between the government and the Houthi fighters but shortly after that the fighting erupted again," Al-Hindi said. "The treaty which was signed based on Qatar agreement and Doha agreement has been declared dead from the Yemeni government side," he added. According to the correspondent, the Houthi fighters claim that the government is intensifying its military offences and this calls for the end of the truce between the two sides. "This shows that the violence will continue," Al-Hindi concluded. The Houthis say they are defending themselves against religious oppression. The government says it is fighting an armed insurgency seeking to reinstate imamate rule, which ended in a 1962 coup. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 119,000 people from the northwest Yemeni town of Saada are currently displaced.

Attorneys general from 13 states sued the federal government Tuesday claiming the landmark health care overhaul is unconstitutional just seven minutes after President Barack Obama signed it into law

It must have been realised that the letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed by nearly 300 members of the US Congress affirming their commitment to Israel would be widely publicised and fall into the hands of that illegal Apartheid State so the writing and signing of that letter should be considered an act of treason

Iran Unveils Iranian "S-300" on Army Day During the military parade on Army Day in Iran, what looks very much like an Iranian variant of the Russian S-300 air defense system was on display. In 2007, Tehran announced that it signed a contract to buy S-300 from Russia, but Moscow, lobbied by Washington and Tel Aviv, has not delivered, citing "technical problems." From Moscow's point of view, S-300, as long as it remains in contract but undelivered, is, like the Bushehr nuclear reactor, a great bargaining chip vis-à-vis the West, which Tehran can see. In February this year, it was reported that Air Force commander Heshmatollah Kassiri said "a new domestically-made air defense system" would be unveiled "in the near future." What is seen in the video and the photograph above is probably just that. The question is whether Iran can make it "as powerful as the S-300 system," as Mr. Kassiri asserted it would be.

Iran to build system similar to S-300 Iran says the construction of a missile defense system similar to the sophisticated Russian S-300 anti-aircraft system is still on the country's agenda. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi told reporters on Wednesday that Iran still plans to construct the system. His remarks come after Moscow decided to suspend a much-delayed deal to deliver the system to Iran. "A decision has been taken not to supply the S-300 to Iran, they undoubtedly fall under sanctions," chief of the Russian General Staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov said on Wednesday. "The authorities decided to suspend the process of supplies," ITAR-TASS News Agency quoted Makarov as saying. Under a contract signed in 2005, Russia was required to provide Iran with at least five S-300 air-defense systems. However, Moscow's continuous delays in delivering the defense system drew criticism from Tehran on several occasions. Following the adoption of Resolution 1929 by UN Security Council (UNSC) against Iran, Russian authorities began making conflicting statements about how the new sanctions would affect the contract. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in June that Moscow would "freeze the delivery of the S-300 missiles" to Iran as it runs counter to the new round of UN Security Council sanctions on the country. Putin's remarks came as Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had earlier said UN sanctions would not affect the S-300 contract with Iran, as these missiles are "defensive weapons" and do not fall under the terms of the sanctions. Iran has been trying to obtain the sophisticated defense system to improve its deterrence power in reaction to Israeli war rhetoric. Experts believe the S-300 missile defense system can shield Iranian nuclear sites from any Israeli airstrike. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/143576.html