Tehran Times http://www.tehrantimes.com/ Tue, 21 May 2013 06:22:30 GMT FeedCreator 1.8.0-dev (info@mypapit.net) America’s “long war”: pentagon tells U.S. senate wars will continue for decades http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107895-americas-long-war-pentagon-tells-us-senate-wars-will-continue-for-decades Testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services on Thursday, Pentagon officials claimed that “war on terror” legislation gives them sweeping powers to wage war anywhere in the world, including inside the United States, without Congressional authorization.
 
Assistant Defense Secretary Michael Sheehan argued that the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress after the September 11 attacks, constituted effective Congressional authorization for future wars waged under the rubric of the... Read more

]]> Alex Lantier Mon, 20 May 2013 17:15:54 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107895-americas-long-war-pentagon-tells-us-senate-wars-will-continue-for-decades Escaping Nigeria's cycle of violence http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107894-escaping-nigerias-cycle-of-violence Author: John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
 
Having cut short a trip to South Africa and annulled a planned state visit to Namibia, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria declared a "state of emergency" in three northeast states on May 14. In a speech to the nation, Jonathan acknowledged that there is an "insurrection" and that the government has lost control of certain areas to Boko Haram, a diffuse Islamist movement.
 
The security services... Read more

]]> World Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 17:14:55 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107894-escaping-nigerias-cycle-of-violence Arduous journey of Iran’s nuclear program will continue http://www.tehrantimes.com/opinion/107892-arduous-journey-of-irans-nuclear-program-will-continue The recent meeting between Iran’s main nuclear negotiator, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Istanbul did not bring about any major progress in the nuclear talks between Iran and the six major powers. However, the Westerners showed some signs of flexibility on the issue, since Ashton emphasized that the path of negotiations with the Iranian side has not reached an impasse yet and the two... Read more

]]> Hassan Hanizadeh Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:49 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/opinion/107892-arduous-journey-of-irans-nuclear-program-will-continue Powerful tornadoes strike in four central U.S. states http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107896-powerful-tornadoes-strike-in-four-central-us-states A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died.

The central United States braced for violent thunderstorms on Monday that could bring more hail, heavy rain and tornadoes to the region stricken by a deadly twister over the... Read more

]]> World Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:59:24 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/world/107896-powerful-tornadoes-strike-in-four-central-us-states Sanctions have disrupted transfer of funds for refugees in Iran: UNHCR representative http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107891-sanctions-have-disrupted-transfer-of-funds-for-refugees-in-iran-unhcr-representative- TEHRAN – The transfer of funds for refugees living in Iran has been disrupted by the sanctions imposed on the country, Bernard Doyle, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Iran, said in Tehran on Monday.
 
“The main difficulty is that we have problems with the banking system to transfer funds from our headquarters in Geneva to Iran,” Mr. Doyle said during a joint press conference with Mr. Aziz... Read more

]]> Elham Pourmohammadi Mon, 20 May 2013 16:52:10 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107891-sanctions-have-disrupted-transfer-of-funds-for-refugees-in-iran-unhcr-representative- Car bombs target Shias in Iraq, killing 60 http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107889-car-bombs-target-shias-in-iraq-killing-60 BAGHDAD (Reuters) More than 60 people were killed in a series of car bomb explosions targeting Shia Muslims across Iraq on Monday, police and medics said, part of the worst sectarian violence since December 2011.
The attacks brought the number killed in sectarian clashes in the past week to over 200.
 
No group claimed responsibility for the bombings. Iraq is home to a number of Sunni insurgent groups, including the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic... Read more

]]> Middle East Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:50:43 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107889-car-bombs-target-shias-in-iraq-killing-60 Militants from 29 countries fighting in Syria: Assad http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107890-militants-29-countries-fighting-in-syria-assad President Bashar al-Assad says militants from 29 different countries are now fighting against the Syrian government in different parts of the country.
 
Assad made the remarks in a lengthy interview with Argentina’s Clarin newspaper and the Argentine state news agency Telam on Saturday in Damascus, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported on Sunday. 
 
“Recent credible reports show that there are approximately 29 nationalities of foreign fighters engaged in terrorism activities within Syria’s borders,”... Read more

]]> Staff & Agencies Mon, 20 May 2013 16:48:39 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107890-militants-29-countries-fighting-in-syria-assad Intelligence Ministry captures two terrorist teams smuggling weapons into Iran http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107887-intelligence-ministry-captures-two-terrorist-teams-smuggling-weapons-into-iran TEHRAN - The public relations office of the Intelligence Ministry released a report late on Monday announcing that two terrorist teams which were trying to smuggle “light weapons” into the country have been busted. 
 
The terrorists were trying to smuggle weapons from the western province of Kermanshah and the eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.
The weapons, which included grenades and side arms, were destined for central Iran, the ministry said.
 
The terrorist were captured and handed... Read more

]]> Political Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:45:31 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107887-intelligence-ministry-captures-two-terrorist-teams-smuggling-weapons-into-iran Syrian troops launch offensive on strategic town http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107888-syria-forces-strategic-town Syrian soldiers backed by tanks and fighter aircraft have launched an offensive on the strategic town of Qusayr in the western governorate of Homs.
 
On Sunday, the Syrian military pounded the town, located near the Lebanese border, with airstrikes and artillery bombardment that killed dozens of foreign-backed militants. 
 
"We struck from several fronts south, east and northeast," a soldier told the Syrian state television from Qusayr. 
 
He added... Read more

]]> Middle East Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:40:36 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/middle-east/107888-syria-forces-strategic-town Four Iranian pilgrims killed in terrorist attack in Iraq http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107886-four-iranian-pilgrims-killed-in-terrorist-attack-in-iraq TEHRAN – At least four Iranian pilgrims were martyred and 17 others injured in a bomb explosion in the Iraqi city of Samarra on Monday, the director of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said. 
 
Masoud Akhavan said 13 of the pilgrims had suffered minor injuries and the other four had been hospitalized. 
 
However, he said that there was still no exact report about the number of deaths or injuries.
... Read more

]]> Political Desk Mon, 20 May 2013 16:40:34 GMT http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/107886-four-iranian-pilgrims-killed-in-terrorist-attack-in-iraq