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Iranian commando arrested at Baghdad airport: US
Iraqi security forces have arrested an alleged "senior" Iranian commando from the elite Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force at Baghdad International Airport, the US military said Wednesday. The military said they suspected the man of "involvement in facilitating Iranian weapons shipments into Iraq" under the cover of working for an organisation involved in the restoration of Iraqi religious sites. The man is alleged to have used the organisation as a front in order to bring weapons into Iraq concealed in shipments of building materials, the military said in a statement released late Tuesday.
Nov 18, 2008, 19:35

Region
Iraqi Prime Minister: No secret clause in US pact
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki says a US-Iraqi security pact, which is pending parliament's approval, does not include secret provisions. "Political leaders in Iraq were aware of all talks on the agreement, but I'm sorry for those who reject it without seeing or studying it," Maliki was quoted by the Voices of Iraq as saying on Tuesday. The Premier's comments come as the parliament is debating the US-Iraqi security pact, which would allow US forces to stay in Iraq until January 2011.
Nov 18, 2008, 18:47

Region
Proposed Iraq security pact calms Iran's concerns, too
Next door to Iraq, Iranians, who had opposed an agreement to withdraw American forces from Iraq by the end of 2011, now are assured that Iraq will not be used to attack them. Even though Iraq is not a Shiite theocracy like Iran, the Iraqi Cabinet's decision was significantly affected when Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, signed off on the deal. [ Learn More ]
Nov 18, 2008, 18:16

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U.S.-Iraq Pact Getting Mixed Reviews in Iran
Conservative Iranian politicians and newspapers expressed opposition Tuesday to the new Iraqi-American security agreement and urged Iraq’s Parliament to reject it, but that view was not unanimous; at least one prominent figure, a senior judicial official, said Iraqi negotiators had done well. [ Learn More ]
Nov 18, 2008, 18:04

Region
Pakistan denies secret attack deal with US
Pakistan denies a US media report that it had given a tacit approval to Washington to carry out drone attacks inside Pakistan soil. The Washington Post on Sunday said that the two countries agreed in September that US' spy planes could target al-Qaeda and Taliban linked militants in the Pakistani tribal region along the Afghan border. However, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman denied the deal on Monday and told the lower house of the Pakistani Parliament that there have been no tacit understanding with the US over drone attacks on its soil.
Nov 17, 2008, 17:26

Region
Iran Changing Tune on the U.S.-Iraqi SOFA
So why is the Iranian leadership making a sudden change on this act? Nothing has changed substantially; U.S. forces will not be immediately withdrawing from Iraq, and from all appearances, the changes in the draft after Maliki sent the agreement back to the United States are minor. At first glance, it appears Iran is looking to save face for its failure to sabotage the deal. [ Learn More ]
Nov 17, 2008, 17:19

Region
Barack Obama looks to Iran to help bring peace to Afghanistan
Aides said the incoming Democratic president wants to explore a more regional strategy in Afghanistan, including the possibility of negotiations with Tehran. During the campaign, Mr Obama described Afghanistan as the central front in the war on terror. He also said he was open to unconditional talks with Iran, later adjusting his position to say that proper groundwork would have to be in place first.
Nov 12, 2008, 19:59

Region
Israel worrys about Obama-Iran
Obama has vowed to begin direct and unconditional talks with top Iranian officials on the country's nuclear program. Israel is also leery of a possible US decision to open an interests section in Tehran in the final two months of the Bush administration. "Most of what we know comes solely from fragments of information and hints," Haaretz quoted an Israeli official as saying on condition of anonymity.
Nov 7, 2008, 21:03

Region
Afghanistan in "dire situation"
The review is likely to say the U.S. doesn't have forces for an Iraq-style "surge." The review, under way since September 20 and led by Lt. Gen. Douglas E. Lute, the senior National Security Council official responsible for Afghanistan and Iraq, has yet to reach any definitive conclusions. But according to one of the participants in the review there was no disagreement among the 24 government agencies that participated that Afghanistan is in a "dire situation."
Nov 7, 2008, 20:22

Region
Israel Warns Obama About Iran Talks
Israel's foreign minister says any U.S. talks with Iran may be seen as a sign of weakness. Speaking on Israeli radio Thursday, Tzipi Livni offered her government's first official note of caution over Barack Obama's election as U.S. president. Mr. Obama said during the campaign he would be willing to hold talks with Iranian leaders. Livni argues that dialogue at a time when, she says, Iran thinks the world has given up on sanctions, could be "problematic." She says she thinks President-elect Obama will not accept a nuclear Iran.
Nov 7, 2008, 20:15

Region
Iran, Hamas welcome Obama presidency
Leaders of Iran and Hamas expressed hope that Barack Obama would usher in a new era of relations between the United States and the Islamic world. In Gaza, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar sounded a hopeful note. "We hope, we hope, that Obama opens a new page with the world, including the Muslim world," Zahar said, according to Ha’aretz. Zahar added that Israeli influence on U.S. policy made it unlikely Obama would talk to Hamas, at least initially. [ Learn More ]
Nov 7, 2008, 20:02

Region
Jerusalem worried about effect of Obama win on U.S. relations with Iran
Israel is worried about what the outcome of America's presidential election may portend for Washington's policy on Iran. On most Israel-related issues, Jerusalem foresees no dramatic changes in U.S. policy, regardless of who is elected. On Iran, however, it is worried that Democratic candidate Barack Obama will take a significantly softer line than the outgoing administration has. During his campaign, Obama repeatedly said that if elected, he would begin a dialogue with the Iranian regime. [ Learn More ]
Nov 4, 2008, 21:03

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