US BLACKLISTS FIVE IRANIAN ENTITIES CITING NUCLEAR, MISSILE TIES

The Post
Agence France Presse
August 12, 2008
Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The US Treasury said Tuesday that it had imposed sanctions
on five Iranian entities for alleged ties to the country’s nuclear
and missile programs.

Washington has already blacklisted Iranian entities and banks for
their apparent links and support of Iran’s nuclear programs. Tehran
has steadfastly denied it is pursuing nuclear arms, and says its
nuclear ambitions are peaceful.

"Responsible financial institutions and businesses worldwide are
taking steps to avoid doing business with Iranian nuclear and missile
entities, as well as with the front companies and cut-outs the Iranian
regime uses to disguise its activities," said Stuart Levey, a senior
Treasury official.

The five entities were identified as the Nuclear Research Center for
Agriculture and Medicine, the Esfahan National Fuel Research and
Production Center, Jabber Ibn Hayan, Safety Equipment Procurement
Company and Joza Industrial Company. "These five nuclear and missile
entities have been used by Iran to hide its illicit conduct and further
its dangerous nuclear ambitions," Levey charged. The sanctions bar
any US citizen from business dealings with the Iranian groups and
also freezes any assets the groups may have under US jurisdiction.

Iran builds new, smart sub: Iranian state radio is quoting the
country’s defense minister as saying Iran’s military capabilities
"increased remarkably" after the construction of a new submarine.

General Mostafa Mohammadnajjar says the submarine is "smart," unmanned
and has radar-evading capabilities. Tuesday’s report did not elaborate
on its size and technical specifics, and did not say whether the
submarine had been tested. Iran occasionally announces production of
advanced weapons. Since 1992, it has been active in producing military
tanks, missiles, torpedoes, as well as guided bombs and airplanes.

But little is known about Iranian submarines, beyond announcements
years ago that Tehran bought some Russian subs and was to produce
its own, smaller-sized ones.

Resistance pays off, says Iran’s Khamenei: Iran’s supreme leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that resistance by nations against
major world powers pays off, state television reported. "People and
their government’s resistance and their demanding their rights will
bear fruit," Khamenei said during a meeting with visiting Algerian
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the report said.

The meeting was held on the last day of a three-day visit by the
Algerian leader to Tehran.

"The Iranian nation and government achieved all the progress they have
despite pressures, sanctions, and threats by the domineering powers,"
Khamenei said. Tehran has been at loggerheads with the West for the
past five years over its controversial nuclear programme. During
Bouteflika’s visit, Tehran and Algiers inked separate agreements
on avoiding double taxation and customs cooperation as well as a
memorandum of understanding for banking cooperation, the television
said. On Monday, Bouteflika met with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who said Tehran would press on with its nuclear programme
despite the risk of fresh sanctions. Iran is facing a possible fourth
round of UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt
enrichment, a process which makes nuclear fuel but also the core of
an atomic bomb.

Turkey awaits Nejad’s visit

ANKARA: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will pay a two-day visit
to Turkey this week for talks expected to focus on bilateral ties and
Tehran’s nuclear programme, a government official said Tuesday. The
trip was planned well in advance of the conflict in Georgia, which
— bordering as it does on Turkey and separated from Iran only
by small landlocked Armenia — is a geopolitical concern for both
nations. Ahmadinejad, who arrives Thursday in Istanbul, will meet in
the metropolis with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, said the official, who requested anonymity and gave no
details. Israel last week voiced misgivings over Ahmadinejad’s visit,
saying it was "not the appropriate time" for Turkey, its main regional
ally, to host the Iranian president. "It is not a good idea to give
legitimacy" to a leader who has called for the destruction of Israel
and denies the Holocaust, moreover at a time when Western powers are
mulling fresh sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear
programme, an Israeli diplomat based in Ankara said. Ankara, which
had in the past complained of Iranian attempts to undermine Turkey’s
secular order, has in recent years significantly improved relations
with its eastern neighbour. – AFP