Middle Orient

Two earthquakes measuring 4.1 and 3.7 on the Richter scale jolted the town of Nahbandan in Iran’s northwestern province of Southern Khorassan on thursday.

US President George W Bush found himself battling another diplomatic challenge from congressional opponents as top Democratic lawmakers mulled a precedent-breaking visit to arch rival Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki stressed that the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) plays a crucial role in preserving and safeguarding the values of more than a billion Muslims living across the world.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mostafavi said the ground has been paved for his country’s cooperation with Sierra Leone, stressing that Tehran strives to help implement all agreements already endorsed by the two sides.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani voiced Tehran’s full preparedness to attend negotiations with the counterparty to reach an understanding over his country’s nuclear issue.

Afghanistan calls for the settlement of Iran’s nuclear case through dialogue and negotiations, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said here in Tehran on Wednesday.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel assured that his country’s nuclear activities do not pursue proliferation drives, reminding that Tehran has and will always remain loyal to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rules and regulations.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that development of relations with all the world states, including those in the Far East and Oceania, sets a definite policy for his country.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said his talks with EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana have been postponed to a future date.

We are opposed to fundamentalism and radicalism, Muslims should not be accused of following such approaches, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said.