STANDING OPPOSITE TO REALITY?

Today there are various disputes and controversies found in the World, which are not only dangerous to global peace but also dividing the World Community in various blocks. How two nations deal with each other to resolve disputes largely depends upon the specific circumstances prevailing in their region but there are some “global issues” which involve United Nations and World Super Powers against single country hence dragging other “weak” or “dependent” nations to formulate their foreign policies to “fit” the demands and desires of those super powers to corner that victim country. The demands or desires of super powers are usually nothing but the mistrust or fear or confliction of interest or historic brawl or any other future fear from that particular victim nation. How the reality is derived from one dispute or issue is not universal constant but the reflection of super power’s interests. Reality goes that way where absolute power exists. That’s why one oppressed country’s stance (truth) is not listened and recognized by the other nations, as balance of power is not there. We can count number of disputes and controversies around us where “Reality” is the name of the military supremacy or economical viability.
Who will determine the “Reality” within Iran vs. US led Western Block conflict? Will Iran drop atom bomb on Israel or whether Iranian missiles can hit the Europe are only assumptions today but from US led Western powers to curb Iran from nuclear technology is very meaningful as Iran has denied for preparing atom bomb and clearly announced its policy against the any sort of preparations for making atom bomb but despite that, for West, “Reality” is only what they are claiming. Atom bombs are used only when war is on. Iran alone is not in a position to start war in Middle East against Israel or any other country. The only left-power in region is Israel with bad past record. Is it not in the knowledge of USA and European countries that Israel has a secret plan to start war in Middle East to complete US old agenda of forming “New Middle East” and as a precautionary measure Iran is pressed hard to stop Uranium Enrichments? It’s a well-known reality that Israel has the intentions to expand its borders up to Iraq, Jordan and Hijaz (Saudi Arabia) and it is possible only when there is an anarchy in the region and Israel involves in war with neighbor countries. Every country knows that Israel is an un-declared nuclear power and has nuclear warheads in its arsenal.
Apparently USA supports a Palestinian State but its over all ME policies are full of contradictions. It fully supports Israel with economical and military aids and assures its safety and solidarity but on the other hand strictly opposes the any sort of aids for Palestinians particularly in Gaza, which is besieged by Israel since several months. USA does not take notice and talk about nukes of Israel but opposes Iran with full force. USA teaches the lesson of democracy to whole World but opposes Iran’s elected governments and supports Arab monarchies.
India had already signed an agreement with USA for Civil Nuclear Cooperation and recently inked the same sort of agreement with Canada whereas agreements with Russia, France and Japan are under process. Under the blessings of USA, India is enjoying all the nuclear supports and cooperation with Western countries despite the fact that India has not yet signed NPT. India and Canada or USA are independent countries – they can enter into any sort of agreements but the agreements concerning nuclear issues are not ordinary agreements and should be processed under IAEA and should be available to all other countries following the precautionary requisites set by the IAEA. No country asks the clarification either from Canada or India but when the matter comes to other countries, do India or any other country has a right to ask clarification over the nuclear treaty between two proven nuke capable countries?
Nuclear Technology and International Politics are now two sides of the same coin of Super Powers. On Nuclear Technology, Super Powers want to keep their monopoly and do not want to give the right to any other nation for gaining expertise on nuclear technology. All of their efforts are based on the name of non-proliferation of atomic weapons but practically their efforts are biased and do not reflect what they say to the World as Super Powers are only interested in selling arms as a major source of income.

Iran invites world powers to visit nuclear sites

Updated on : Tuesday, January 04, 2011

TEHRAN: Iran said on Tuesday it has invited envoys of world powers and European Union states to visit its nuclear facilities ahead of talks in Istanbul on its controversial atomic programme.

The invitation to ambassadors of the countries represented in the UN atomic watchdog comes as Tehran works to garner support for its atomic drive in the run-up to talks with six world powers in Turkey at the end of January.

"The representatives of some European Union countries, NAM (Non-Aligned Movement), and some representatives of the five-plus-one (six world powers) have been invited to visit our nuclear sites," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.

He said the invitation was part of the Islamic republic's attempt to demonstrate "cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)." The "visit to our nuclear sites once more shows the goodwill of our country and the peaceful and cooperative nature of our (nuclear) activities," Mehmanparast said.

Such visits to Iran's atomic facilities are rare and the last trip which Tehran arranged for members of the IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, dates back to February 2007.

The proposed new visit to nuclear facilities, Mehmanparast said, "will take place before the Istanbul meeting," for which a final date has yet to be determined.

Iran and the six powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- are to meet for another round of talks on Tehran's atomic programme. The previous round of talks, which took place after a hiatus of 14 months, was held in Geneva on December 6 and 7.

But Mehmanparast did not specify whether Iran's arch-foe, the United States, one of the six world powers negotiating with Tehran over its nuclear programme, was among those invited. Asked specifically whether a US representative would be invited, Mehmanparast replied: "The list of the countries invited for the visit will be unveiled when it is finalised."

Washington has been spearheading a campaign of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, which world powers suspect is masking a drive for atomic weapons. It has also not ruled out a military strike to stop the growing nuclear programme under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Tehran has been slapped with four sets of UN sanctions.

The latest UN sanctions were imposed on June 9, followed by unilateral punitive measures by the United States, the EU and several other countries.

Why has Russia changed its stance on Iran's Nuclear Program ?

Updated on : Saturday, July 24, 2010

After 4th round of Russia’s backed sanctions against Iran, the differences are rising between Moscow and Tehran. Russia was considered as a great supporter of Iran against US led alliance campaign for its nuclear program.

How did the Moscow change its stance about Iran’s nuclear program that "….. In a meeting with his ambassadors, Medvedev said we have knowledge that Iran is moving towards the bomb," – the answer may be somewhere in a series of the meetings of Russian President and US President on different occasions and most probably reaching to an understanding and later on “deal” with Washington on various strategic issues regarding Central Asia and Middle East.

Russia is fervently interested in seeking a big share in World Politics likewise in past and Washington-Tehran conflict is giving it that opportunity for the time being. That’s why, Iranian President said in the footage filmed at a gathering in Tehran on July 23, 2010, "We regret that Medvedev has become the mouthpiece for the plans of Iran's enemies,".

Ahmadinejad says U.N. veto power "satanic"

Updated on : Tuesday, April 27, 2010

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday labeled as "satanic" the U.N. Security Council and the right of veto held by its five permanent members, Iran's news agency reported.

Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West, said the power of veto held by the United States, China, Britain, France and Russia was aimed at "oppressing and destroying the true nature of mankind and are satanic tools," agency said.

His comments came amid escalating tension in the Islamic Republic's long-running dispute with the West over Tehran's nuclear program, with the United States pushing for new U.N. sanctions against the major oil producer.

Washington and its allies suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear bombs. Tehran denies the charge and says its nuclear work is aimed at generating electricity.

A U.S. draft for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions proposes more curbs on Iranian banking, an arms embargo, tougher measures against Iranian shipping, moves against Revolutionary Guards members and a ban on new investments in Iran's energy sector.

Tehran has remained defiant, saying it is prepared to swap its low-level enriched uranium for higher-grade fuel enriched abroad, a move which would help address fears about Iran's enrichment activities, but insists this happen on Iranian soil.

In October Iran agreed in principle to send low-enriched uranium abroad for more processing, but then said the swap should "take place inside its territory and simultaneously."

US military option against Iran still on table: Pentagon

Updated on : Thursday, April 22, 2010

WASHINGTON: US military action against Iran has not been ruled out, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, after a top official said such an option was off the table in the "near term."

The Defense Department faced questions about US policy on Iran after Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, reportedly said during a visit to Singapore that a strike against Iran would be a "last resort."

"It is not on the table in the near term," Flournoy was quoted as saying.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said US strategy over Iran's nuclear program remained unchanged, with Washington focused on diplomatic efforts to persuade Tehran to abandon uranium enrichment.

"I don't think that's anything new," Morrell said of Flournoy's remarks.

"It clearly is not our preference to go to war with Iran, to engage militarily with Iran.

"Nobody wishes to do that, but she also makes it clear it's not off the table."

He said the US preference for diplomacy over military action held true for the current administration as well as former president George W. Bush's White House.

He acknowledged that nearly 200,000 troops deployed in countries bordering Iran -- Afghanistan and Iraq -- could face attacks from Tehran in the event of a possible US strike against Tehran.

"And we have troops in close proximity to Iran that are potentially targets of retaliation should action be taken," he said.

Given Iran's arsenal of short and medium-range missiles, the US military has missile defense systems in the region that "we think will protect our forces against such a threat," he added.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen have warned of the limits and risks of any military action against Iran, saying it would likely only delay Tehran's program by a few years.

Israel on way to collapse: Iran's Ahmadinejad

Updated on : Sunday, April 18, 2010

TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that Israel, the "main instigator of conflict" in the Middle East, was on its way to collapse and that regional powers wanted it uprooted.

In a speech marking annual Army Day, the president also reiterated his view that the presence of foreign forces is causing conflict in the region.

"The Zionist regime is on its way to collapse," Ahmadinejad, known for his strong anti-Israel rhetoric, said in an address delivered near the shrine of Imam Khomeini, Iran's revolutionary leader.

"This is the will of the regional nations that after 60 odd years, the root of this corrupt microbe and the main reason for insecurity in the region be pulled out."

Ahmadinejad, who previously has angered Israel and Western countries for asserting that the Holocaust is a "myth", said that the "murderess" Jewish state was behind turmoil in the region.

"This regime is the main instigator of sedition and conflict in the region," the hardliner, flanked by Iran's top military brass, said from the podium.

"I want its supporters and creators to stop backing it and allow the regional nations and the Palestinians to settle things with them," he said without elaborating.

Ahmadinejad also demanded foreign forces quit the region.

"The presence of foreign forces is the cause of conflict in our region. They must leave," he said, adding that Iran's military might was enough of a "deterrent" for any "enemy" of the Islamic republic.

Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have regularly blamed the presence of US forces in neighbouring Iraq and Afghanistan for instability in the region.

Iran wants 'atomic criminal' US suspended from IAEA

Updated on : Saturday, April 17, 2010

TEHRAN: Top Iranian officials slammed "atomic criminal" the United States on Saturday and called for its suspension from the UN atomic watchdog as Tehran hosted a two-day nuclear disarmament conference.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a message to the conference, said the use of nuclear weapons was "haram", meaning religiously prohibited, and branded Washington as the world's "only atomic criminal."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went a step further and called for Washington's suspension from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) along with all other nations who possess nuclear arms.

"Only the US government has committed an atomic crime. The world's only atomic criminal lies and presents itself as being against nuclear weapons proliferation, while it has not taken any serious measures in this regard," Khamenei said in his message which was read out at the start of the meeting.

Ahmadinejad, under whose presidency Iran has pushed ahead with its controversial nuclear programme, called for a global supervision of nuclear disarmament.

"An independent international group which plans and oversees nuclear disarmament and prevents proliferation should be set up," the hardliner said as he opened the conference attended by several foreign ministers and officials from the United Nations.

He said those who "possess, have used or threatened to use nuclear weapons be suspended from the IAEA and its board of governors, especially the US which has used a weapon made of atomic waste in the Iraq war."

Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on that charge.

Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have been infuriated in recent days with Washington over its new nuclear policy, which limits the countries against which it might use its nuclear arsenal, but singles out Iran and North Korea as exceptions.

Ahmadinejad even called for the review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of which Iran is a member and so considers its right to enrich uranium despite three sets of UN sanctions.

"The review of the NPT must be done by independent countries who do not possess nuclear arms," he said.

The Tehran conference, which comes just days after Washington held its high-profile nuclear summit, aims to "discuss nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, which are the bases of the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying on Friday.

Salehi has also said in recent days that the conference would serve as preparation for the next NPT review meeting in New York early next month, which Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki plans to attend.

Iran criticised the 47-nation nuclear disarmament summit in Washington hosted by US President Barack Obama, on the grounds that the United States holds one of the world's largest stocks of nuclear weapons.

At the summit, Obama pressed China and other UN Security Council skeptics to back a fourth set of sanctions against Iran for its controversial uranium enrichment programme that Western states say masks a drive for atomic arms.

Foreign ministers from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, the Central African Republic, Oman, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Swaziland are participating in the Tehran conference, while Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are represented by their deputy foreign ministers, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

Mehmanparast said a special aide of the Chinese foreign minister, representatives of the United Nations and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the chief of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) will also be present.

"Due to the eruption of the volcano (in Iceland), some foreign ministers from South America and Africa who had connecting flights may come later or tomorrow. Among them are also some experts of weapons of mass destructions and nuclear weapons," he added.

Iran is world's seventh largest cosmetic consumer

Updated on : Monday, April 12, 2010

TEHRAN: Iran has emerged as the world's seventh largest consumer of cosmetics, spending 2.1 billion dollars annually on various beauty products, a local newspaper said on Sunday.

The report quoting a survey conducted by TMBA, a private economic research body, said that Iran accounts for 29 percent of the cosmetics market in the Middle East.

Around 14 million Iranian women aged between 15 and 45 years and living in major cities spend around seven dollars a month per capita on cosmetics, the survey said, without giving a complete breakdown on the nation's spending.

The average monthly salary in Iran is around 600 to 700 dollars.

The survey indicates that the high spending is primarily due to the fact that about half of Iran's around 74 million population is under the age of 30.

The survey, however, is based on estimates and not on precise figures of cosmetics purchased in Iran, the report added.

Iran produces cosmetics, but imports a significant portion of its consumption.

Iran's defensive drones worry Gates

Updated on : Saturday, March 27, 2010

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced his interest in exporting offensive US drones across the world, while expressing concern about Iran's defensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

Speaking before a Senate hearing on March 25, Gates claimed that it was in the interests of the United States to export deadly drones to what he termed "friendly" nations, despite limitations placed on such exports by US international treaty obligations, reported Reuters.

"There are other countries that are very interested in this capability and frankly it is, in my view, in our interest to see what we can do to accommodate them," Gates said.

UAVs are used mostly for surveillance purposes. However, in recent years, the US military has fielded a range of armed UAVs - or drones - which can attack designated targets with guided missiles, typically Hellfire.

One of these - the Predator - has been used extensively in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as other areas, for assassinations of those the US describes as hostile elements. The Predators are fairly slow and low flying aircraft, which can be used only against targets that lack any anti-aircraft protection.

Car bomb kills 4 Iranian pilgrims before Iraq poll

Updated on : Saturday, March 6, 2010

NAJAF: A car bomb exploded in Iraq's holy city of Najaf on Saturday, killing four Iranian pilgrims a day before a national election, officials said.

The explosion gutted at least two tour buses parked at a garage near the revered Imam Ali shrine, which draws millions of Shi'ite Muslim faithful from Iraq and Iran each year.

Louay al-Yassiri, a member of the local provincial council, said that in addition to the Iranian pilgrims killed, the blast wounded seven people, including three Iraqi police.

At least 45 people have been killed over the past few days as the election campaign drew to a close, some of them members of the security forces who were voting early.

Hillary Clinton appears to extend timeline for Iran sanctions

Updated on : Tuesday, March 02, 2010

BUENOS AIRES: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday it could take months to secure a UN Security Council sanctions resolution on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

Speaking on the plane to Buenos Aires, the chief US diplomat appeared to back away from her contention before the US Senate last week that a new resolution could be obtained in the "next 30 to 60 days."

"We are moving expeditiously and thoroughly in the Security Council. I can't give you an exact date, but I would assume sometime in the next several months," she said before landing for talks with President Cristina Kirchner.

Clinton told reporters traveling with her that she expected to discuss Iran with Kirchner, whose tough stand on Iran she praised.

Meanwhile, a senior US diplomat in Washington dismissed Iranian reports that a Sunni militant, arrested in Iran, said his group Jundallah had received American help.

"I'm highly skeptical of those claims," the diplomatic source said, asking to remain anonymous, referring to the claims said to be made by Abdolmalek Rigi.

"There was a report over the weekend that he was moving to meet Richard Holbrooke somewhere, that's utter nonsense," the source added.

Hillary Clinton hopes for Iran sanctions soon

Updated on : Thursday, February 25, 2010

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she hoped the UN Security Council would endorse new sanctions against Iran in the "next 30 to 60 days" over its nuclear program.

"We hope that the next 30 to 60 days will see a sanctions resolution emerge," Clinton told a Senate hearing.

Early this week, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said Washington has been pushing for the toughest sanctions in the framework of the UN Security Council since last year's Resolution 1874 targeting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Accusing Tehran of refusing to live up to its international responsibility, Clinton said "Iran has left the international community little choice but to impose greater costs for its provocative steps."

Similar remarks have been made by the top U.S. diplomat at a previous Senate hearing on Wednesday morning.

She told the lawmakers that the Obama administration has been working actively with partners to "prepare and implement new measures to pressure Iran to change its course."

The international community worries Tehran may obtain the uranium fuel needed for nuclear weapons by the same process to purify uranium, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose.

The Obama administration, avoiding from sending war threat to Tehran, has been trying the so called dual-track, namely engagement and sanction, to bring the international community together to make Iranian leaders realize the "importance of changing their actions and decisions concerning their nuclear program."

Ahmadinejad vows to cut off hands of Iran attackers

Updated on : Tuesday, February 23, 2010

TEHRAN: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Tuesday Iran would "cut off the hands" of anyone who attacked the country.

"No power can harm Iran ... The Iranian nation will chop off the hands from the arm of any attacker from any part of the world," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in eastern Khorasan-e Jonubi province.

The United States and its allies are seeking to intensify U.N. sanctions on Iran over the country's disputed nuclear programme, which the West fears is intended to build nuclear weapons. Iran has denied this.

Iran has repeatedly condemned the military presence of the U.S. and its allies in neighbouring countries. Washington and Israel do not rule out military action against Iran over the nuclear issue.

Iran strike won't be decisive: Mullen

Updated on : Tuesday, February 23, 2010

WASHINGTON: The top US military officer warned on Monday that any strike against Iran would not be 'decisive' in countering Teheran's nuclear program.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he supported using diplomatic and economic pressure against Iran and repeated his view that military action could carry 'unintended consequences.' 'No strike, however effective, will be in and of itself decisive,' Adm. Mullen told a press conference after recently returning from a visit to the Middle East.

But he said the US military stood ready with plans for possible action if necessary. 'Let me be clear: We owe the (defense) secretary and the president a range of options for this threat. We owe the American people our readiness.'

Adm. Mullen's comments came as the United States pushed for fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program and before Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak visits Washington this week.

The admiral said he believed Iran was 'on a path to achieve nuclear weaponisation' and that the effort 'further destabilizes the region.' He said there was widespread concern in the Middle East about Iran's role and its nuclear ambitions.

Islam opposes nuclear weapons : Khamenei

Updated on : Saturday, February 20, 2010

TEHRAN: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reiterating a previous claim that Islam is "opposed to nuclear weapons," insisting that Tehran is not trying to build them. Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also calling a leaked report that Tehran is working to build a nuclear warhead "baseless."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei christened a new, Iranian-built warship, as a military band honored him on the ship's deck. Addressing a crowd of military commanders after the ceremony, he told them "Islam is opposed to nuclear weapons and that Tehran is not working to build them."

Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna indicated earlier Friday that Tehran had informed the new IAEA director Yukiya Amano that it had started enriching 20 percent grade uranium for its medical research reactor in Tehran.

"Even if the nuclear agency would continue for ten more years, the result would be the same," he said. "If a new director general comes, again, [he] will report the same, because we are absolutely sure and we have assured the international community that all are activities are exclusively for peaceful purposes."

Ambassador Soltaniyah added that a leaked report claiming Tehran was trying to build a nuclear warhead is "baseless," because the documents have "no confidential or secret stamps." The West, he argued, is trying to distort the nature of Iran's nuclear program for political purposes.

"Our advice is, in fact, to stop [these] political challenges and debates in the IAEA. Let the IAEA begin new director general to focus on their purely technical and professional work," he said.

US, France join hands for new sanctions against Iran

Updated on : Tuesday, February 9, 2010

PARIS: The United States and France are vowing to push for fresh United Nations sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

Iran has announced it is going to enrich uranium to a higher level, which in theory means it is moving closer to being able to produce nuclear weapons.

Western nations have condemned the move, although Iran says it is meant only to provide fuel for its research reactor.

After talks between the US and France, the two countries have announced they will pursue new sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council.

Iran has defied five UN Security Council resolutions and several sets of UN sanctions aimed at freezing its nuclear program.

Obama's 1st yr marked by diplomacy, but few results

Updated on : Sunday, January 17, 2010

WASHINGTON: A year after coming to office, President Barack Obama has reopened diplomatic lines of communication, but still has little to show for his efforts on the toughest US foreign policy questions.

While former president George W. Bush's foreign policy was driven by the necessities of the "war on terror," Obama's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared the new administration would begin "a new era of engagement."

Whether dealing with the global economic crisis or the climate change summit in Copenhagen, Obama has demonstrated his conviction that the United States cannot solve international problems alone.

He has also worked to repair relations with Russia, engage in "strategic dialogue" with China and pledged the United States will no longer engage in torture and will respect the United Nations.

Obama's personal popularity has bolstered the impact of key international speeches, including his address to the Muslim world delivered in Cairo and his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo.

But the US president has also risked the wrath of critics by extending a hand to US adversaries including Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.

"He has put Washington back in the international negotiating business," wrote Leslie Gelb, the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, in The American Interest magazine.

"Obama has also cleared the international air of a lot of anti-Americanism," he added.

"His words have prepared the ground for the subsequent application of real American power. The problem is that the power shoe still hasn't dropped."

Three foreign policy issues have dominated Obama's agenda: the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Iran's nuclear program and the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The first of the three remains deadlocked as a result of Israeli government intransigence and Palestinian divisions. After a long year of futile efforts, Washington has reportedly offered its own peace plan for consideration.

But it has failed to convince Israel to halt settlement construction, and has seen little progress towards creating a strong or unified Palestinian side able to pursue negotiations.

On the issue of Iran's nuclear program, Obama made good on a promise to pursue dialogue with Tehran, only to see his overture rebuffed.

Iran's intransigence in the face of US engagement has ultimately strengthened international support for new sanctions against Iran, experts said.

Tehran has not only refused to negotiate, but even announced it would build more nuclear sites.

In dealing with the war in Afghanistan, Obama eventually announced he would boost the number of US troops in the country and has also sought to strengthen relations with Pakistan, even as he ordered an increase in the number of US airstrikes against militants in the country.

He faces rising US casualties in the war, and the difficult task of dealing with an Afghan government that came to power after fraud-tainted elections.

On all three policy questions, Obama has weakened the impact of his new approach by maintaining more-or-less similar tactics to his predecessor George W. Bush, said Amjad Atallah, a policy expert at the New America Foundation.

"Even in Afghanistan, where you see the most difference (because) the neo-cons never cared about Afghanistan, the policy is very similar to the Bush administration's strategy for Iraq: surge and withdraw," he said.

Writing in Foreign Affairs magazine, former president Jimmy Carter's diplomacy guru Zbigniew Brzezinski praised Obama for having "completely reconceptualized US foreign policy with respect to several centrally important geopolitical issues."

He cited Obama's commitment to nuclear disarmament, his decision to treat China as a "geopolitical partner" and his desire to be a "fair-minded and assertive mediator" in the Middle East peace process.

But he noted that Obama's efforts have so far "generated more expectations than strategic breakthroughs."

Ultimately, he added, "how Obama handles these three urgent and interrelated issues -- the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the Iranian dilemma and the Afghan-Pakistani conflict -- will determine the United States' global role for the foreseeable future."

Iran's nuke facilities can be bombed: Petraeus

Updated on : Sunday, January 10, 2010

WASHINGTON: A top US military commander responsible for the Middle East and the Gulf region said the United States has developed contingency plans to deal with Iran's nuclear facilities, insisting that they "can be bombed."

"Well, they certainly can be bombed," General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, told an American television as he commented on suggestions that Iranian nuclear facilities were heavily fortified.

"The level of effect would vary with who it is that carries it out, what ordnance they have, and what capability they can bring to bear," he added.

The network plans to air the interview later Sunday, but has released some excerpts.

Petraeus did not elaborate on the plans, but he said the military has considered the impacts of any action taken there.

"It would be almost literally irresponsible if Centcom were not to have been thinking about the various 'what ifs' and to make plans for a whole variety of different contingencies," Petraeus said.

Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the United States and other Western nations fear Tehran wants to acquire nuclear weapons.

Mullen warns against attack on Iran

Updated on : Friday, January 8, 2010

WASHINGTON: US Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warns that any military attack on Iran will be "very, very destabilizing" and will have unintended consequences for the Middle East.

Admiral Mullen accused Tehran of being "on a path that has strategic intent to develop nuclear weapons and have been for some time."

"I think that outcome is potentially a very, very destabilizing outcome on the other hand, when asked about striking Iran, specifically, that also has a very, very destabilizing outcome," Adm. Mullen told a gathering at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

He underlined that diplomacy is crucial in resolving the standoff over Iran's nuclear energy program. However, Mullen says the US military is prepared for any eventuality in Iran, despite being stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Adm. Mullen said he worried about "unintended consequences" of either scenario, adding "that part of the world could become much more unstable, which is a dangerous global outcome."

Iran releases Five British Marines

Updated on : Thursday, December 4, 2009

Tehran: Irani officials have released 5 British Marines who entered in Irani Sea by mistake last week. After necessary investigationby Irani officials, all marines were released and they have arrived London safely today.