Russia 'Very Alarmed' by Iran Nuclear Report
THE TELEGRAPH: Iran was driven deeper into international isolation yesterday after Russia said it was "very alarmed" by a leaked UN report which directly accused the country of building a nuclear weapon for the first time.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said Moscow had lost patience with the regime after UN weapons inspectors declared for the first time on Thursday that it was seeking to "weaponise" its nuclear stocks.

"We are very alarmed and we cannot accept this, that Iran is refusing to co-operate with the IAEA," Mr Lavrov said. "Some questions remain on the table and Iran has so far not reacted to them but they are rather serious and we need to understand how several documents concerning military nuclear technology found their way to Iran.

"Clear explanations are needed."

The strong denunciation was a departure for Russia, which has been a brake on efforts to censure Iran until recently.

Iran suffered a double blow on Thursday when a G20 report on money laundering identified the Islamic Republic as the worst violator of laws against funding terrorism and the proliferation of weapons. The report also hinted at concerns that banks in Syria and Turkey, two other nations cited for involvement in terrorism financing, were acting as an axis to help Iran evade UN financial sanctions. >>> Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Friday, February 19, 2010

Ahmadinejad Declares End to Debate Over Iran's Nuclear Ambitions
TIMES ONLINE: Barack Obama’s hopes of persuading Iran to renounce its nuclear ambitions were dashed today as the United Nations watchdog admitted it had reached a “stalemate” with Tehran and President Ahmadinejad declared the nuclear debate “over”.

Mr Ahmadinejad’s show of defiance came as the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gathered in Vienna to discuss Iran’s continuing failure to answer lingering questions about an alleged military dimension to its nuclear programme.

The Iranian leader vowed to forge ahead with uranium enrichment even as the clock ticked down to an end of September deadline set by Mr Obama for Tehran to resume negotiations with representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the so-called five-plus-one.

While Iran would be willing to engage with the world on issues of global concern, the nuclear issue was off the table. “From our point of view, Iran’s nuclear issue is over,” Mr Ahmadinejad declared. >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Monday, September 07, 2009

Israelis ‘Rehearse Iran Attack’
BBC: Israel has carried out an exercise that appears to have been a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, US officials have told the New York Times.

More than 100 Israeli fighter jets took part in manoeuvres over the eastern Mediterranean and over Greece in the first week of June, US officials said.

Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but Israel sees Iran's development of the technology as a serious threat. Israelis ‘Rehearse Iran Attack’ >>> | June 20, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Time to Get Tough but US and UK Still Pussyfooting on Iran Problem: Warning Still Toothless
President Bush warns Iran that "all options" are on the table >>>
BBC: Gordon Brown and President George Bush have warned Iran to accept their "offers of partnership" or face tough sanctions and international isolation.

The UK prime minister said he wanted to maintain a dialogue with Tehran, but if Iran ignores UN resolutions then sanctions would be intensified.

Europe would freeze overseas assets of Iran's biggest bank and impose new oil and gas sanctions, he said.

But the EU foreign policy chief said no new sanctions had so far been agreed.

Javier Solana was speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Bush and Brown's warning to Iran >>> | June 16, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

Sarkozy Issues a Warning on Iran

Photo of the pro-American President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, courtesy of The Telegraph

THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy gave warning yesterday that unless the West redoubled its efforts to curb Teheran's nuclear ambitions it could lead to "an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran".

The French president, in his first major speech on foreign policy, made it clear he intends to apply the same energetic approach to French diplomacy as he has to domestic policy since taking office in May. 

From the Middle East to relations with Russia, the president promised a break with France's traditional Gaullist position of "splendid isolation", particularly towards the United States.

Speaking to 180 French ambassadors, Mr Sarkozy said a nuclear-armed Iran would be "unacceptable" and that the only response was to tighten sanctions while being open to talks if Iran suspended nuclear activities.

"This initiative is the only one that can enable us to escape an alternative that I say is catastrophic: the Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran," he said, adding that it was the worst crisis facing the world. Nicolas Sarkozy warns of Iran's nuclear crisis (more) By Henry Samuel in Paris

TIMESONLINE:
Sarkozy gets tough on Iran; but goes soft on Turkey

Mark Alexander