Ex-CIA officer accused of leaks about Iran seeks dismissal of most counts

The Republic

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A former CIA officer charged with leaking classified documents about agency programs in Iran to a reporter is asking a judge to toss out the bulk of the charges.

A hearing is scheduled Friday in federal court in Alexandria, Va., in the case against Jeffrey Sterling of O'Fallon, Mo.

Sterling was an officer from 1993 to 2002 and spent part of that time on the CIA's Iran Task Force.

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Iran to create new air defense bases at border

Trend

Iran will create new air defense bases at the borders to ensure security and improve air control in the near future, the Iranian Mehr news agency quoted the country’s Border Guard Commander, General Hussein Zulfugari, as saying.

Last year, electronic technologies were used at the border, Zulfugari said. "In order to strengthen security measures at the country’s borders a master plan has been prepared, and it will be approved in the coming days," Zulfugari said.

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Ahwaz protests condemn Iran at Cairo embassy

Al Arabiya

More than 40 people of different nationalities demonstrated on Saturday in front of the Iranian embassy in Cairo to protest and condemn alleged discrimination against Iran's ethnic Arab minority in al-Ahwaz (Khuzestan) province.

Europeans, Egyptians, and Iraqi members of the National Organization for the Liberation of Ahwaz rallied with Ahwazis at the Iranian embassy in Cairo to condemn “Iranian massacres” committed against the Arab-Iranian minority, the electronic version of the Egyptian newspaper al-Wafd reported Saturday.

A group of Ahwazis residing in Europe came to Egypt to protest the Iranian regime’s perceived injustice against its people, said Adel al-Sweidan, head of the media bureau of the Hazm organization for Ahwazi rights. 

“We were taken by surprise when employees at the Iranian embassy assaulted us and took all the banners and books we had to expose the brutality of the Iran against the Sunni Ahwaz minority,” he said.

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Sarkozy And The Revived Neocon War Agenda

Sarkozy could also spark military intervention in Iran. With France advocating such intervention, which could also attract some of Iran's enemies in the Arab League, it might be difficult for Obama to resist, given the precedent set in Libya, and especially since the neocons and some liberal interventionists will be pushing him in that direction.

Stephen Sniegoski

French President Nicolas Sarkozy not only took the lead in bringing about the military attack on Libya but now has stated that all rulers face Libya-style intervention if they violently suppress anti-government protesters. He focused on Arab rulers but did not exclude others.

 

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Iran Launches Fighter Jet Squadron

Xinhuanet

TEHRAN, March 19 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian commander said Saturday that Iran's Air Force has launched a squadron of domestically- built Saeqheh (Thunderbolt) fighter jets, the English language satellite Press TV reported.

"The production of this kind of aircraft has been developing at high speed, and a squadron of these fighter jets has been launched," Deputy Commander for Operations of Iran's Air Force General Mohammad Alavi was quoted as saying.

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China to help Iran build world's tallest dam

Independent Online

China signed a $2 billion contract with Iran to build the world's tallest dam in the Islamic state, the Iranian energy minister was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Monday. 

“One of the major events in the water sector of the country is to sign the finance contract with China for execution of Bakhtiari dam. This is the world's tallest dam,” Majid Namjoo told IRNA. 

“The $2 billion contract ... was signed between Iran and China today and construction of the dam will start in next Iranian year.” Iranian new year starts on March 21. 

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Building Artificial Islands Darkens Iran-UAE Ties

FARS News Agency

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior military aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader called on the United Arab Emirates to immediately stop construction of man-made islands in the Persian Gulf, and cautioned that such moves would tarnish the relations between Tehran and Abu Dhabi. 

"Building such islands will further complicate the existing differences between the Emiratis and the Iranians and also will cause further divergence and darkening of relations between the two countries," Major General Yahya Rahim-Safavi stressed on Monday.

He also reiterated that due to the presence of the trans-regional powers in the Persian Gulf, any decision by the littoral states to make major changes in the Southern coasts of the Persian Gulf to attain political, security and economic goals will have unpleasant consequences for the region's ecosystem, politics, security and economy.

"Another theory is that the Persian Gulf region will be a center of tensions for a long period of time and such tensions will lead to the long-term presence of the trans-regional powers and their possible interference in the internal affairs of the regional countries," Rahim-Safavi warned. 

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Iran To Build High-Tech Fighter Jet

Press TV

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force has launched a project to design and build the country's most advanced fighter jet.

Brigadier General Mohammadreza Karshki told Fars news agency on Saturday that the Iranian Air Force is cooperating with the Defense Ministry in the project.

He further pointed out that the project is now in the initial phases. 

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