Anti-Terrorism News

http://counterterrorismblog.org/ February 16, 2007

Treasury Hits Iran With Another Proliferation Freeze By Jonathan Winer

Today, the U.S. Treasury designated three more Iranian companies as proliferators, prohibiting transactions by U.S. persons with the firms. Each of the three firms -- the Kalaye Electric Company, Kavoshyar Company, and Pioneer Energy Industries Company -- were cited by Treasury as being Iranian state-owned entities that were directly supporting Iranian nuclear acquisition efforts. Iran acknowledged in 2003 that a workshop of the Kalaye Electric Company in Tehran had manufacturered centrifuge components, but denied they related to nuclear material.

But the Iranians refused access to elements of the site during an IAEA inspection that year, which did not enhance Iran's credibility on the issue. Kavoshyar Company has been characterized in the past as a front company for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and was identified by the British government in February 1998 as having procured goods and/or technology for weapons of mass destruction programs, in addition to non-proliferation related activities. Pioneer Energy has in the past been cited as involved in building uranium processing plants for the AEOI.

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Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatens Secretary Rice and the US By Olivier Guitta After the 5 million dollars reward offered by the US State Department for the capture of Abdallah Ramadane Challah, secretary general of Palestinian Islamic Jihad , the radical movement threatens to attack some American leaders: “Rice for Challah”.

In an interview to the site Elaph.com, Abu Dajana, one of the military commanders of the PIJ “Al-Quds Brigades”, affirmed that “orders were given to the active cells abroad, in particular in the Arab and Islamic countries, to put American personalities under surveillance and to be ready to respond to any hostile action from the US”. Abu Dajana affirms that “the answer of Islamic Jihad to the remarks of the State Department should occur in the next few days”.

He denounced “the reward for the head of Abdallah Challah, and threatens to attack Americans and their interests, including on American soil”. He went on “if the Americans were to target Challah, the response will aim at Condoleezaa Rice, which is right now under surveillance”.

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Iranian hands all over armed rebellion in Yemen By Olivier Guitta

The rebellion of Badreddine Al-Huthi, in the area of Saada, in the north of Sanaa, is reportedly supported and armed by Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been implicated in the destabilization of this border area with Saudi Arabia.

According to daily newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi, the Yemeni authorities declared the area of Saada “closed military zone”. Violent fighting has erupted there in the past few days and killed at least 91 among the ranks of the Yemeni army, of which very many officers.

Yemeni sources explain the fact that a majority of victims are officers by “the refusal of the soldiers to fight in light of the intensity of the confrontations”.

The Al-Huthi militants, supported and armed by Iran, are also very mobile and resort to ambushes. According to sources of the Iranian opposition, the Al-Huthi rebels recently received modern weapons including anti-tank missiles which had been used by Hezbollah against Israel during the July war.