Pentagon says Patriot shield will deter strike on American allies in the Gulf Tension between the US and Iran heightened dramatically today with the disclosure that Barack Obama is deploying a missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf from attack by Tehran.
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US raises stakes on Iran by sending in ships and missiles
• Thousands flock to mourn 87-year-old ayatollah • Threat of a security ‘nightmare’ for authorities Thousands of mourners are gathering in the Iranian city of Qom following the death of leading reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, offering protesters a fresh rallying point for confrontation with the government. Montazeri, who died early this morning aged 87, is due to be buried at the Ma’asoumeh shrine, one of the holiest in Shia Islam, tomorrow. The event threatened to turn into a security nightmare for the authorities amid reports that thousands were travelling from as far away as Isfahan and Najafabad, Montazeri’s birthplace. Reformist websites reported that the road between Tehran and Qom was clogged with motorists heading to the funeral. Riot police were deployed throughout Qom in preparation for a mass turnout of anti-government demonstrators, while security forces surrounded Montazeri’s house. The reformist website Rah-e Sabz reported that some political activists had been contacted by intelligence agents and warned that they would face arrest if they tried to attend the funeral. Montazeri, who had long been banished from Iran’s theocratic hierarchy, had emerged as a spiritual leader for the opposition Green Movement after denouncing last June’s re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as fraudulent and the subsequent crackdown as un-Islamic
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Iran regime on alert following death of dissident cleric
Senior cleric revered by country’s reformists and once in line to succeed Ayatollah Khomeini died in his sleep overnight Iran’s most senior dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was seen as the spiritual father of Iran’s reformists has died aged 87. Nasser Montazeri said today that his grandfather died in his sleep overnight. Montazeri had been designated to succeed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, but the two fell out a few months before Khomeini died of cancer in 1989. Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, succeeded Khomeini instead and has been the target of escalating criticism by Iran’s opposition movement since June’s disputed presidential vote. Montazeri had repeatedly accused the country’s ruling Islamic establishment of imposing dictatorship in the name of Islam. In 1997, Montazeri was place under house arrest in Qom, 130km (80m) south of Tehran, after saying Khamenei wasn’t qualified to rule.
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Iran’s dissident Grand Ayatollah Montazeri dies aged 87
• Sajjil-2 said to be immune to anti-missile systems • Pressure to impose further sanctions on Tehran grows The US and its allies today branded as provocative Iran’s test-firing of an upgraded version of its most advanced missile, one claimed to be capable of hitting parts of Europe. The Iranian defence minister, General Ahmad Vahidi, said the Sajjil-2 missile, shown on television being launched from a desert location, would act as “a strong deterrent” against possible foreign attack. Israel has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iranian nuclear plants to prevent it acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.
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US condemns ‘provocative actions’ as Iran test-fires missile
Israel condemns London court’s move against former foreign minister over Gaza Britain is reviewing procedures for issuing arrest warrants in war crimes cases after a diplomatic row with Israel over allegations against its former foreign minister. David Miliband, the foreign secretary, said tonight the government was “looking urgently” at ways the legal system might be changed following action against Tzipi Livni, Israel’s opposition leader, over her role in the Gaza war. The dispute erupted after Westminster magistrates court in London issued an unprecedented arrest warrant for Livni on Sunday – a move described by Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, as an “absurdity.” Miliband said Israeli leaders “must be able to visit and have a proper dialogue with the British government.” Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, said after talks with Miliband: “The British government must take a firm stand to prevent British courts becoming a playground for anti-Israel extremists. “The current situation is absurd and unacceptable in equal measure. Israelis cannot continually be held hostage by fringe groups of anti-Israel extremists, preventing politicians, businessmen and officers from visiting the UK.” The warrant for Livni’s arrest was withdrawn amid embarrassment in the Foreign Office when it was discovered that she was not in the UK. But the fact that it was issued in error – at the request of lawyers acting for Palestinian victims of the Gaza war – did nothing to quell Israeli anger. The Israeli foreign ministry condemned what it called it a “cynical” move. Livni had been due to attend a conference in London, but her office said she had cancelled two weeks ago. Palestinian sources claimed to have seen her at the event and alerted the lawyers. Palestinians and an Israeli human rights organisation say about 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Gaza offensive
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UK to review war crimes warrants after Livni arrest row
Early reports claim at least five killed on coach en route to Shia shrine in Damascus At least five people have been killed and several injured after an explosion on a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims in the Syrian capital, Damascus, today. The blast occurred at about 7.30am (GMT) on a coach in the Saydah Zeinab area of the city, according to the Arab broadcaster al-Jazeera. There are conflicting reports about casualties as the Syrian authorities have tried to play down the incident and have denied it was a terrorist attack. Al-Jazeera said initial reports were that five people had been killed and dozens injured. Reuters said six people had been killed, including at least one Iranian. “Body parts are still scattered around the bus,” a witness told Reuters. The agency reported that the back of the bus had been ripped open and that nearby buildings were damaged. Iranian state television also reported six people had been killed, including two Iranian bus drivers.
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Syria bus blast kills Iranian pilgrims
BRASILIA, Brazil – The world must engage, not isolate Iran in the push for Middle East peace and Iranian leaders should negotiate with Western nations for a “just and…
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Brazil: World must engage, not isolate Iran
Engaging, not isolating Iran is the way to push for peace and stability in the Middle East, said Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva as he headed into private talks Monday with his increasingly alienated Iranian counterpart.
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Brazilian President Urges World to Engage, Not Isolate Iran
A Kuwaiti firm with 8.5 billion US dollars in contracts to supply food to US troops in the Middle East has been indicted on charges of defrauding the Pentagon, US authorities said.
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Kuwaiti firm charged with defrauding US military
Israeli ministers warned the Palestinians on Sunday against taking one-sided steps towards statehood as US-backed efforts to revive the Middle East peace efforts flounder.
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Israeli ministers warn Palestinians against unilateral steps
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