RECENT NEWSBRIEFS

North Korea tested Missile Systems for Iran.

Middle East News Line reported that North Korea completed a series of missile launches that some analysts believe was meant to test a nuclear command and control system for Iran.

US Policy on Iran.

R. Nicholas Burns, Council on Foreign Relations discussed US policy on Iran and said: "I think the hallmark of our policy over the last six months has been Secretary Rice’s attempt to sit down herself with the Iranians on the nuclear issue."

Iran to Pursue Atomic Work Despite Pressure.

Reuters reported that Iran's president said Tehran would keep up its nuclear activities despite Western countries' mounting threats and pressures.

Iran threatens to limit nuclear inspection if sanctioned.

Khaleej Times reported that Alaeddin Borujerdi, head of the parliamentary national security commission warned Sunday Teheran would limit inspections by the UN of its nuclear sites if slapped with sanctions over its atomic program.

Iran, Syria Continue To Help Insurgents.

Middle East Newsline reported that the U.S. military has determined that Iran and Syria continue to help insurgents in Iraq. Officials said Sunni insurgents have been training in Syria for operations in Iraq. They said Sunni insurgents recruited throughout the Middle East and Europe were entering Iraq from Syria.

DEBKAfile published the powerful spectacle of Iran’s be-turbaned supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clutching an automatic rifle. Photo.

The National Review Online reported that Hezbollah does not have a military strategy; it has a media strategy that so far has been chillingly effective.

An International call against the Islamic Republic’s: Al Quds day.

Gegen-al-quds-tag.de announced an international campaign against the international Al Quds Day of the Iranian regime next weekend. Al Quds Day calls for the "liberation" of Jerusalem and the destruction of Israel.

Germany: No Prospect of Talks with Iran.

The Washington Post reported that Germany's foreign minister on Saturday said there is currently no prospect of successful nuclear talks with Iran.

Report: N. Korea gave Iran missile technology.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Foreign Ministry sources said Saturday that North Korea was transferring equipment and technology to Iran that can be used to produce missiles, Israel Radio reported.

The Khomeini letter: Is Rafsanjani warning the hardliners?

Iran Press Service reported that a written correspondence between the late Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini and the then commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Mohsen Reza’i and the correspondence has caused much debate and speculation inside and outside Iran.

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

Sunday Times South Africa reported that Iran has refused to grant conditional freedom to a French and a German citizen who were jailed for 18 months in January for entering waters claimed by Iran.

The Wall Street Journal reviewed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards role in the business of Iran.

Why the Islamic Republic is so scared of Ayatollah Borujerdi and those like him.

Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat reported on rebel Ayatollah Borujerdi and that the Islamic Republic's leadership is particularly annoyed at Borujerdi because he attracts the same type of people who swept the late Ayatollah Khomeini to power in 1979 and one thing is certain: not a single prominent Shiite cleric today is prepared to endorse the Khomeinist doctrine publicly and unequivocally.

Rooz Online published an update on Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeni Boroujerdi, a dissident cleric who has captured the imagination of many in Iran and who was arrested by the Islamic Republic.

EU to formally end negotiations with the Islamic Republic.

The Australian reported that EU foreign ministers are to formally end negotiations with Tehran over Iran's nuclear ambitions at talks in Luxembourg next week because of a "lack of results."

UNSC has broad agreement on measures against Iran.

Monsters & Critics reported that French foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said the six nations dealing with Iran's refusal to stop its uranium enrichment program have reached a 'broad agreement' on what measures to take against Tehran.

Ahmadinejad's other major crisis: inflation.

Rooz Online reported that the Islamic Republic's parliament came out strongly against Ahmadinejad's economic policies, demanding action to control rising inflation.

US Intel: Iran is using UK banks to channel funds to terrorists.

The Guardian reported that American intelligence indicated that suspicious Iranian funds were being funneled through the City of London and other financial centers.

The Islamic Republic prepares to train and equip Hamas, as it did Hezbollah.

DEBKAfile reported that Iranian sources report Tehran has committed to training Hamas’ rapid deployment force of 6,500 men in Hezbollah combat tactics, with the accent on missiles, especially the anti-tank variety.

US offers Persian Gulf States protection from an Iranian missile attack.

Bloomberg reported that the U.S. is sending a high-level delegation to the oil-rich Persian Gulf next week to discuss how the U.S. might better protect Arab allies from an Iranian missile attack.

Will Turkey force Iranian dissident Manuchehr Mohammadi back into Iran?

Radio Free Europe reported that Iranian student activist Manuchehr Mohammadi, who recently fled his home country to seek refuge abroad, has been kept in a Turkish detention center since October 7.

Rooz Online reported on the Islamic Republic's role in the closing of its largest bank.

Bloomberg reported that Statoil ASA, Norway's largest oil producer, agreed to a $21 million fine for paying bribes to try to win influence in Iran in violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

US State Department published Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs response to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Amir Taheri, Gulf News reported on the growinf trend in the west towards "pre-emptive obedience" or self censorship of anything that could offend "the sensibilities of the Muslim community."