Middle Orient

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday admired the country’s military might and proclaimed Iran as the most powerful nation in the world.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran is not considered a threat to the region, Russian Defense Attaché in Tehran Col. Viktor Lobanov said here on Tuesday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced Tehran’s readiness for negotiations on nuclear and other issues provided such talks do not violate the country’s rights.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Car bombs on crowded streets killed more than 50 people in Sunni Arab areas of Iraq on Tuesday, a sudden spasm of violence in regions which had been comparatively quiet while battles raged in the Shi’ite south.

Following are security developments in Iraq at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday.* denotes new or updated items. * BAQUBA – A car bomb killed 40 people and wounded 80 in the city of Baquba, 65 km (42 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

A U.S. soldier was killed in a roadside bomb attack on his vehicle in northeastern Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said.A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in northern Salahuddin province, the U.S. military said on Monday.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A car bomb killed 20 people and wounded 60 in the Iraqi city of Baquba on Tuesday, police said. Police said they expected the death toll to rise.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Economic and finance minister presided over the first meeting of the Supreme Council for Campaign against Money Laundering here Saturday.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki lashed out at the United States for continuing failed policies, saying the fact that the US renewed its contract with Blackwater signals Washington’s desire to pursue its ‘failed policies’ in Iraq.

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran recommended foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany to avoid following wrong strategies on Iran’s nuclear program.