Haley Barbour's Lobby Shop Had Ties To Iranian Nuclear Efforts. UPDATE: April 9, 11:10 a.m. -- The New York Post reports Monday on another prominent American working with Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman, who has ties to a controversial Iranian nuclear power plant. In this case, the American is Jack Rosen, real estate developer, chair of the American Jewish Congress and head of the Council of the World's Jewry. The Post says it told Rosen that Fridman's Alfa Bank helped fund Atomstroyexport, the company that completed the nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Rosen says that he then reached out to Fridman -- and that Fridman's explanation was good enough for him.
"If [Fridman] knew he directly funded a nuclear facility in Iran, I would express my disappointment," Rosen told The Post. "He told me that Alfa never directly funded nuclear projects. " .... Many banks, Rosen said, have no idea how the money they lend is used. According to the Post, Fridman and Rosen teamed up to invest $1 billion in U.S. real estate. Special Report: Chinese firm helps Iran spy on citizens.
Sanctions. Ahmadinejad's sister loses in Iran vote. The president's sister was defeated by a conservativeAli Larijani, the parliament's speaker, won re-electionConservatives fared well in the race (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's sister lost her bid for a seat in the nation's parliamentary elections, a result seen as a blow to the controversial leader and, according to one analyst, a "possible sign of fraud.
" Parvin Ahmadinejad, running in her family's hometown of Garmsar, was defeated by a conservative rival in Friday's elections for the Majlis, Iran's parliament, the country's news outlets said Saturday. More than 64 percent of eligible voters streamed to the polls in large numbers, and election officials praised the exercise, in which about 3,400 candidates vied for Majlis seats. It's first time Iranians are voting since allegations of rigging in the 2009 elections triggered mass street protests against President Ahmadinejad's re-election. Iran elections and tensions with Israel Iranians vote, nuke program goes on. UN inspectors arrive in Tehran for nuclear talks | World news. Iran and al Qaeda’s Shadowy Relationship Could Firm Up This Spring.
He's that guy you know from, well, everything. Chris Messina on 'Mindy' fanatics, his directorial debut, and when he dropped out of college and quit acting to work on a lobster boat. Before you ask, yes, you do know the guy pictured above from…somewhere. Chris Messina plays dreamy Dr. Danny Castellano on Fox’s Mindy Kaling-helmed comedy The Mindy Project, he's the hardass, numbers-driven network president Reese Lansing in The Newsroom, and he just made his directorial debut with Alex of Venice, a heartbreaking indie drama which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He’s had roles in two Nora Ephron-penned films (You’ve Got Mail and Julie & Julia), Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Ben Affleck’s Argo and guest arcs on Six Feet Under and Damages.
Messina’s earned a reputation as “that guy you see in everything” —yet somehow, people have had a hard time placing him. Now, not only do people recognize Messina, they stop him on the street and demand that he answer for his characters. Iran threatens to cut some oil exports to Europe, touts nuclear advances. The offer followed fiery speeches and TV appearances by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who condemned the recent assassinations of Iranian scientists and promised retaliation against European countries that cooperated in a threatened oil embargo. Six E.U. countries were warned of a possible cutoff in Iranian oil deliveries, but hours later the country’s Oil Ministry appeared to back away from the threats.
The Obama administration dismissed the latest threats from Iran and said the apparent turmoil within the country’s senior leadership was further evidence that the West’s strategy of political and economic pressure is working. “What we see is provocative acts, defiant acts, statements that are designed to distract attention from the demonstrated impact that the sanctions are having,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “We are very confident that the sanctions have put enormous pressure on the Iranian economy and on the Iranian regime.”
Iran to launch nuclear work in bunker in near future. Iran nuke work at bunker is confirmed. VIENNA (AP) — Diplomats on Monday confirmed a report that Iran has begun uranium enrichment at an underground bunker and said the news is particularly worrying because the site is being used to make material that can be upgraded more quickly for use in a nuclear weapon than the nation's main enriched stockpile. The diplomats said that centrifuges at the Fordo site near Iran's holy city of Qom are churning out uranium enriched to 20 percent. That level is higher than the 3.5 percent being made at Iran's main enrichment plant and can be turned into fissile warhead material faster and with less work. The move was expected, with Tehran announcing months ago that it would use the Fordo facility for 20 percent production. Iran recently threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, an important transit route for almost one-fifth of the oil traded globally.
Fordo's location increases concerns. View gallery It was impossible to reconcile the two reports. Iran charges that as a former U.S. Iran sentences U.S.-Iranian man to death for spying. US Navy rescues Iranians held hostage by pirates. 6 January 2012Last updated at 18:48 The Iranian vessel is believed to have been boarded by pirates several weeks ago The US Navy has rescued 13 Iranian fishermen being held by pirates in the Arabian Sea, the Pentagon says. The 13 were rescued on Thursday after a distress call was received from an Iranian fishing vessel which had been boarded by pirates over a month ago. Fifteen suspected pirates were detained and are being held by the US Navy.
The rescue comes days after Iranian officials warned the US to keep the carrier group involved in the operation out of the Gulf. The Iranians had been kept in harsh conditions and are thought to have been forced to assist the pirates in their operations, according to the Pentagon. 'Kindness and respect' The freed hostages are now on their way back home, the US Navy said. The hostages "had been through a lot", said Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent Josh Schminky. "We went out of our way to treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect," he said. Palestinian Cars Burned, Hebrew Graffiti at Scene. Iran test-fires missiles in Gulf exercise.
Iran’s Dangerous Game of Chicken on the Straits of Hormuz, Sanctions. On a day meant to symbolize wage discrepancies between women and men, Mitch McConnell slammed the Democrats’ bill—and provided yet more fodder for the ‘war on women’ meme. Not everyone is aware that Tuesday was Equal Pay Day, marking how much extra time women would have to work into 2014 to earn as much as men. It’s an important day for Democratic activists seeking to highlight the discrepancy in wages. Women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and equal pay for equal work, a slogan that dates back to the early suffragists, is enjoying renewed resonance.
Democrats dusted off their Paycheck Fairness Act for a vote Wednesday, the third attempt for the legislation, which failed in 2010 and 2012. Sponsored by Sen. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to couple his criticism of the pay equity bill with his fury at Majority Leader Harry Reid’s attacks on the conservative Koch brothers. The reaction was instantaneous. Iran Threatens to Block Oil in Reply to Sanctions. The declaration by ’s first vice president, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, came as prepares to sign legislation that, if fully implemented, could substantially reduce Iran’s oil revenue in a bid to deter it from pursuing a program. Prior to the latest move, the administration had been laying the groundwork to attempt to cut off Iran from global energy markets without raising the price of gasoline or alienating some of Washington’s closest allies. Apparently fearful of the expanded sanctions’ possible impact on the already-stressed economy of Iran, the world’s third-largest energy exporter, Mr.
Rahimi said, “If they impose sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, then even one drop of oil cannot flow from the Strait of Hormuz,” according to Iran’s official news agency. Iran just began a 10-day naval exercise in the area. In recent interviews, Obama administration officials have said that the United States has developed a plan to keep the strait open in the event of a crisis. Iran steps up threats to shutter Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Two Iranian lawmakers on Monday stepped up threats their country would shutter the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude flows, in retaliation for oil sanctions on Tehran. The warnings came as EU nations agreed in Brussels on an oil embargo against Iran as part of sanctions over the country's controversial nuclear program. The measure includes an immediate embargo on new contracts for Iranian crude and petroleum products while existing ones are allowed to run until July. Iran has repeatedly warned it would choke off the strait if sanctions affect its oil sales, and two lawmakers ratcheted up the rhetoric on Monday. Lawmaker Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, deputy head of Iran's influential committee on national security, said the strait "would definitely be closed if the sale of Iranian oil is violated in any way.
" "In case of threat, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is one of Iran's rights," Falahatpisheh said. First Iranian-made fuel rods loaded in Tehran reactor. NEW: The State Department dismisses Iran's announcements as blusterIran says it has developed advanced centrifuges and will start yellowcake productionAhmadinejad says Iran is willing to share its knowledge with other nationsThe developments are hailed as major achievements (CNN) -- Iran flaunted a new generation of centrifuges and mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle Wednesday as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, clad in a white lab coat, was on hand to load domestically made fuel rods into the core of a Tehran reactor.
Also announced was an intent to start production of yellowcake, a chemically treated form of uranium ore used for making enriched uranium. United Nations sanctions ban Iran from importing yellowcake. Domestic production would further Iran's nuclear self-sufficiency. In a speech outlining the latest developments, Ahmadinejad said Iran was willing to share its nuclear knowledge with other nations that subscribe to the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The U.S. Iran to Announce Advances in Nuclear Program. The announcement appeared timed to convey the defiant message that the increasingly harsh Western economic sanctions imposed on Iran were having no effect on the government’s determination to proceed with its nuclear program.
The United States, Europe and Israel have all called the program a cover for Iranian efforts to develop capability, an accusation that Iran denies. The new uranium enrichment plant, known as Fordo, has raised Western concerns because it is buried deep underground, making it more impervious to scrutiny. The Fordo plant also has elevated distrust of Iran because the plant’s construction had been kept a secret until Western intelligence confirmation of its existence forced the Iranians to acknowledge the plant in September 2009, just as President Obama and European allies were announcing it.
The Iranians said at the time that they had always intended to reveal the plant’s existence. Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency said that Mr. Iran Blocks Facebook and Twitter, Prepares Its Own Internet. Iran is testing a domestic Internet, a "Halal" network that will restrict citizens from penetrating foreign sites. Internet users this week reported delays in their network connections, which is believed to be connected to the new network's trial run. The Wall Street Journal says the domestic Internet replacement aims to restrict the influence of non-Islamic culture and western ideology.
The network — technically an Intranet — should be ready to go live within a few weeks, Iranian media reported. Internet users in Iran have reported slower network connections, access to political sites restricted and blocked VPNs. They have been unable to access sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, in the last week. The country announced its plans (link in Farsi) to build the Intranet in March 2011, motivated by social media fueled protests during its 2009 election and inspired by China's domestic controls. SEE ALSO: Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos.