Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Sunday, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, stated that Iran is going to offer to build joint light-water nuclear power plants with its Arab neighbors. These states have been historically suspicious of Persian military might–suspicions that have been aroused anew with the development of Tehran’s nuclear program. [...]
OPEC countries convened for a second emergency meeting to discuss falling oil prices. Prices fell again Thursday after the publication of another rise in United States crude oil reserves, marking the ninth consecutive week of rising supplies. Iran and Venezuela joined forces during the meeting, calling for another cut in oil production amounting to a [...]
Amid rising international tensions over Iran’s continued nuclear programs, Russia has stated that it will have Iran’s first nuclear plant completed by 2009. The plant, named Bushehr, is being built in Southwest Iran along the Gulf coast. Russia has already given Iran nuclear fuel under a $1 billion contract to complete the project, which has [...]
The spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Corporation, Mohsen Delaviz, stated that their first nuclear plant will open sometime in 2009. Russia agreed to build the plant in 1995, but it has continuously been delayed due to payment problems. The Bushehr plant is, interestingly enough, located on the same site as the plant that was planned [...]
On Monday, the U.S. Navy confirmed that Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star, owned by Aramco, the Saudi oil company. The ship, carrying a crew of 25, was boarded by the pirates while it was near the Kenyan coast. It was located by the Navy after the pirates had taken it about 450 nautical miles [...]
Since 2003, the Libyan government has developed friendly relations with the rest of the world, and with this the prospect of trade has vastly increased for the North African country. In particular, Libya is seeking a supplier for modern weapons from many European countries. During the Soviet era, Libya received aircraft, small arms and missiles [...]
According to early reports by JTA news service, Lebanon and Russia have arranged an arms deal by which the Lebanese army will be supplied with tanks and artillery. On Monday, Saad Hariri, Lebanon’s majority leader, met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the plan. Hariri later reported that [...]
The great deal of hyperbole surrounding the recent American elections has spread around the world. Now Syria is expressing hope that the new administration will improve relations.
The endless complexity of international relations is expressed by a Syrian official who is reported to have complained also about relations between Cuba and the United States. Obama’s administration [...]
Egypt will host a meeting of Middle East peace mediators in November in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to try to keep peace talks moving, a spokesman for President Hosni Mubarak said on Monday. The so-called Quartet (United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations) has been trying to breathe life into the stalled [...]
In a new development, Russia has stated that it would back the US keeping troops in Iraq if the currently proposed deal falls though. The Russians have inserted another specific in their statement, though, in that they would support this, if it is what the Iraqi people want. This leaves the door wide open for [...]
