Proposed by foreign minister and approved by president Ahmadinejad, Seyed Javad Ghavam Shahidi was assigned as Iran’s ambassador to Hanoi.

Iran’s Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar is due to pay a visit to Tajikistan at the head of a high-ranking delegation in the near future.

Director of Iran’s Aviation Organization Khanlari in a meeting with Thailand’s Transportation Minister Thira Haocharoen voiced Tehran’s inclination for using Bangkok’s experiences in airport services.

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Friday, welcomed bolstering of economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the United States seeks to keep the region insecure and under critical conditions through sowing discord between Iran and Arab states and forging a fear from Iran.

The top EU foreign policy official urged the United States to engage Iran in direct negotiations about its nuclear program and other issues to try to stabilize the Middle East.

Iran is deporting around 5,000 refugees a day back to Afghanistan, an Afghan official said.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said a possible US attack on Iran would be a “terrible mistake.”

Iran proved to be the sole flashpoint in an otherwise muted debate between US Democratic presidential hopefuls, as contenders weighed what Washington’s response should be to an Iranian nuclear weapons program.

 Brent crude oil slipped further below $68 a barrel on Friday after tension eased between the European Union and Iran over the OPEC member’s nuclear program.