IRAN: Nuclear Crisis – No Progress at Shanghai

Tehran’s defiant position on its nuclear programme has precluded any significant progress at talks among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany on how to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis.

POLITICS-ASIA: Talking Peace, Preparing for War

Northeast Asia heaved a sigh of relief at the latest news of a breakthrough in the nuclear negotiations with North Korea. The prospects of integrating North Korea into the international community and constructing a peace and security structure for the region have never been rosier.

US/IRAN: Tough New Sanctions Could Backfire, Experts Warn

In the more than five years since the George W. Bush administration's misdirected adventurism in Iraq, the fundamental balance of power in the Middle East has shifted.

POLITICS: Iran’s Engineered Elections

The results of Iran's eighth parliamentary elections were never meant to be a cliffhanger - the hard-line camp of fiery President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came out on top; moderate conservatives maintained their stake; reformists were demoralised.

POLITICS: Iranian Public Sees Reduced U.S. Threat

While still distrustful of U.S. intentions, the Iranian public believes that the threat posed by Washington has diminished over the past year and favours increased exchanges between the two countries, including direct talks on stabilising Iraq and other issues, according to a major new survey released here Monday by WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO).

POLITICS-US: North Korean Nuclear Deal at Risk?

Growing tensions between North Korea and the new, more hawkish South Korean government are spurring concern among U.S. experts that already halting progress toward implementation of a denuclearisation deal with Pyongyang could unravel.

ENERGY-EUROPE: Nuclear Power Debate Heats Up

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are about to agree on a new generation of nuclear power plants in London this week, and plan to export the technology to the rest of the world, according to unconfirmed reports.

INDIA/US: New Deal in Nuclear Poker

As the political window of opportunity to conclude the United States-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal during George W. Bush’s presidency further narrows, the "now-it’s-off, now-it’s-on" game of political poker over the agreement has taken another turn in New Delhi.

POLITICS-IRAN: "The Government Suffers From Delusions"

If your grandfather was the founder of the first Islamic Republic of Iran, you would probably expect to have a very comfortable life in the land of Ayatollahs, where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is president and Khomeini&#39s successor has absolute power. But you would be wrong.

IRAN: Int’l Support Ebbs for West’s Nuclear Hard Line

Public support for stronger measures, including possible military strikes, to curb or destroy Iran's nuclear programme has declined significantly in most countries around the world compared to 18 months ago, according to a new survey of public opinion released Tuesday by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

POLITICS-US: Fallon’s “No Iran War” Line Angered White House

A new article on CENTCOM commander Adm. William Fallon confirms that his public statements last fall ruling out war against Iran last fall were not coordinated with the White House and landed him in trouble more than once with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

INDIA/US: Now or Never For Nuclear Deal

Is the Indian government heading for a showdown with the domestic opposition on the controversial issue of the nuclear cooperation deal with the United States before the presidential election timetable closes that opportunity?

POLITICS: Security Council Passes New Sanctions on Iran

After several weeks of closed door negotiations, the 15-member U.N. Security Council decided Monday to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran to pressure Tehran to halt its ongoing nuclear power programme.

POLITICS: Iran Nuke Laptop Data Came from Terror Group

The George W. Bush administration has long pushed the "laptop documents" - 1,000 pages of technical documents supposedly from a stolen Iranian laptop - as hard evidence of Iranian intentions to build a nuclear weapon. Now charges based on those documents pose the only remaining obstacles to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declaring that Iran has resolved all unanswered questions about its nuclear programme.

AUSTRALIA/INDIA: Uranium Export Policy Not Set In Stone – Analysts

Despite Australia’s recently confirming that it will not be exporting uranium to India - reversing an agreement made by the previous government - analysts argue that a deal could yet be struck.

POLITICS-US: Neo-cons Fine-Tune Iran Angle

A new report published by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) think-tank purports to show the reach and scope of Iranian influence across the Middle East, but stops short of drawing conclusions about Tehran's intentions or grand strategy.

INDIA/US: Last Ditch Push For Nuclear Deal

With the presidential race gathering momentum in the United States, a last ditch effort is being mounted to push through the controversial U.S.-India nuclear cooperation deal, before the window of political opportunity slams shut in Washington.

U.S./IRAN: A History of Violence

By his own admission, U.S. Ambassador John W. Limbert's ordeal as a captive during the Iranian hostage crisis began with a monumental failure of negotiation.

IRAN: Fishing In Troubled Caspian Waters

The unresolved issue of dividing the Caspian Sea among its five littoral states has become a sensitive one for many Iranians who allege a concession to Russia may be in the making by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government, in return for supporting Iran’s nuclear policies.

POLITICS-INDIA: Paying a Price For Launching Israeli Spy Satellite

India's traditionally friendly relations with Iran have come under unprecedented strain because of the launching of an Israeli spy satellite by an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket a fortnight ago.

POLITICS: Accept Iran’s Regional Role, Says French Envoy

In a sharp departure from U.S. policy, a leading French diplomat has called on the international coalition sponsoring U.N. sanctions against Iran to support a larger Iranian role in the Middle East.