POLITICS: U.N. Arms Embargo on Iran Hits Roadblock

When the U.N. Security Council decides to punish a member state - be it Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia or Iraq - one of its cherished prerogatives is the power to impose mandatory military sanctions crippling a country's armed services.

POLITICS: Israel, Iran, U.S. Least Liked Countries

A majority of people from around the world hold predominantly negative views of Israel, Iran, and the United States, according to a survey of more than 28,000 respondents in 27 countries.

POLITICS: Rice Picks Neo-Con Champion of Iraq War as Counselor

In a move that has surprised many foreign policy analysts here, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has appointed a prominent neo-conservative hawk and leading champion of the Iraq war to the post of State Department Counselor.

POLITICS: Pentagon Meet Discussed Escalating Pressure on Iran

Two weeks ago, Pentagon officials discussed a strategy to escalate U.S. pressure on Iran with the intention of creating the impression that the U.S. is ready to go to war, according to an account by one of the participants.

POLITICS-US/IRAQ: Ready to Talk With Iran, Syria

Two weeks after making major concessions for a nuclear accord with North Korea, the administration of President George W. Bush said Tuesday it was prepared to sit down with Iran and Syria as part of a regional conference to stabilise Iraq.

POLITICS: Will Surge Hurt US More Than Sanctions Hurt Iran?

The winds of fortune in the Iranian nuclear stand-off seem to have shifted, judging by the U.S.'s new confidence. But in Washington's apparent quest to get an upper hand, misreading the causes of the backlash against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran may cause the U.S. to lose rather than gain leverage.

IRAN: Defiant as Sanctions Begin to Bite

While President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has chosen to defy Western plans to deepen sanctions against his country for its hugely contentious nuclear programme, criticism is growing louder at home for exposing Iran to avoidable risks and hardship.

POLITICS-US: Rove Said to Have Received 2003 Iranian Proposal

Karl Rove, then White House senior political advisor for President George W. Bush, received a copy of the secret Iranian proposal for negotiations with the United States from former Republican Congressman Bob Ney in early May 2003, according to an Iranian-American scholar who was then on his Congressional staff.

POLITICS-US: The Neo-Con Dog That Isn’t Barking

For several weeks now, Washington has been abuzz with rumours that U.S. President George W. Bush is preparing to attack nuclear and other sites in Iran this spring - rumours deemed sufficiently credible that lawmakers from both parties are hastily preparing legislation precisely to prevent such an eventuality.

POLITICS: U.S. Religious Leaders to Visit Iran

Amid rising tensions between their two countries, a group of U.S. religious leaders will leave Saturday for meetings with Iranian clergy and political leaders, including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Tehran next week.

IRAN: Field Day for Militarists as Standoff with U.S. Continues

Whether or not the military posturing by the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman actually results in armed hostilities, militarists in this country are having a field day.

LATIN AMERICA: Celebrating 40 Nuclear-Weapon-Free Years

Latin America and the Caribbean celebrated Wednesday the 40th anniversary of the pact that declared this region free of nuclear weapons and made it a leader in nuclear disarmament in the world.

NORTH KOREA: Nuclear Roulette Spins – No Regime Change

Perhaps more than anything else, the deal on denuclearising North Korea, drafted by China and agreed to by all six parties in Beijing, has scuttled the United States’ intentions of engineering a ‘regime change’ in the ‘Hermit Kingdom’.

POLITICS-US: Korea Deal Marks Big Victory for Realists

Tuesday's deal between North Korea and five other nations, including the United States, to take the first concrete steps toward nuclear disarmament in exchange for aid and normalised relations marks a long-awaited diplomatic breakthrough for U.S. President George W. Bush and a clear victory for "realists" in his administration.

NORTH KOREA: Nuclear Talks – Who Blinks First?

Despite great expectations for a breakthrough deal on ending North Korea's nuclear crisis, four days of tough international negotiations sponsored by China have produced little hope of a quick resolution.

IRAN: Closeness to US Weakens Indian Diplomacy

As tension builds up in the Persian Gulf amidst the ongoing deployment of two United States aircraft carrier groups, India remains marginal to efforts for a diplomatic solution to the crisis over Iran's nuclear activities, despite New Delhi's long-standing friendly relations with Tehran.

POLITICS: Arabs Less Worried About Iran, Poll Finds

U.S. and Israeli hopes of forging of a Sunni Arab alliance to contain Iran and its regional allies may be misplaced, at least at the popular level, according to a major survey of six Arab countries released here Thursday.

POLITICS-US: Lawmakers Move to Restrain Bush on Iran

Increasingly concerned about the escalating rhetoric against Iran by senior U.S. officials, including President George W. Bush, members of Congress are trying to put limits on his ability to attack the Islamic Republic.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Hawks and Doves Clash over U.S. Base

The new right-wing government of the Czech Republic, eager to prove its "prestige" as a reliable ally of the United States, last week started negotiations for the setting up of a military base in the Czech Republic. It will not be easy.

POLITICS: Israeli Realism on Iran Belies Threat Rhetoric

When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared last week at the Herzliya conference that Israel could not risk another "existential threat" such as the Nazi holocaust, he was repeating what has become the dominant theme in Israel's campaign against Iran - that it cannot tolerate an Iran with the technology that could be used to make nuclear weapons, because Iran is fanatically committed to the physical destruction of Israel.

POLITICS: What if Iran Suspends? A Western Dilemma

As the Feb. 21 deadline for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment programme fast approaches, both Iran and the West are scrambling to prepare themselves for all possible moves by the other side.