By: Robert Maginnis – Human Events

President Obama is expected to announce the results of a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) in his bid to win support for tougher sanctions for Iran at the United Nations Security Council next month. The new estimate will likely reverse the 2007 report, which concluded that the U.S. intelligence community had “high confidence” in information that Iran was not developing atomic weapons. The new estimate is expected to focus on whether Iran’s supreme leader has given the green light to produce the bomb.

Last week, Iran officially rejected the international proposal which would have committed it to export most of its enriched uranium and receive it back in the form of fuel rods for its Tehran research reactor, but not for atomic weapons. Iran’s rejection sets the stage for Obama to persuade the international community using evidence from the new NIE to impose tougher sanctions.

But the new NIE must first overcome the much-disputed 2007 estimate. That estimate mistakenly declared that Iran had ceased its secret nuclear weapons program in 2003 after the quick defeat of Iraq by U.S. forces. That explanation was camouflage and used by anti-Bush NIE bureaucrats who wanted to make certain then-President Bush had no excuse to attack Iran.

The waywardness of the politicized report became evident as significant and contradictory evidence surfaced and Democratic politicians like then-presidential candidate Sen. Obama cited the estimate to dangerously downplay the Iranian threat and to attack President Bush, who publicly disagreed with the findings.

The Wall Street Journal attacked the 2007 NIE authors’ credibility: “Our own ‘confidence’ is not heightened by the fact that the NIE’s main authors include three former State Department officials with previous reputations as ‘hyper-partisan anti-Bush officials.” The Journal named the politicized NIE authors: Tom Fingar, Vann Van Diepin and Kenneth Brill.

Two authors remain Obama administration officials. Van Diepen is the principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation and Brill heads the National Counterproliferation Center. Fingar is now a professor at Stanford University.

On June 4, 2008, Fingar, then-chairman of the National Intelligence Council, told the liberal New America Foundation that he wasn’t pleased with the early version of the 2007 NIE because it repeated earlier estimates that Iran was continuing to pursue nuclear weapons. “Then we got new information — significant new information,” said Fingar, that caused us to look at the issue differently.

Apparently Fingar’s “new information” didn’t convince key allies, Great Britain, Israel, Germany and France and/or their press, who subsequently contradicted the 2007 NIE conclusion that Iran stopped its weapons program in 2003.

The British press cited a British intelligence report that Iran has been secretly designing a nuclear warhead “since late 2004 or early 2005.” Last month, the London Times disclosed intelligence documents detailing Iran’s testing of a neutron initiator, the “trigger” mechanism of a workable nuclear weapon. David Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said, “This is a very strong indicator of weapons work.”

Last year, Israeli Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin, head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, told the Knesset that Iran had “crossed the technological threshold,” and that its attainment of nuclear military capability was only a matter of “incorporating the goal of producing an atomic bomb into its strategy.”

A German intelligence agency (Bundesnachrichtendienst) report “showed comprehensively” that “development work on nuclear weapons can be observed in Iran even after 2003.” This information, reported by the Wall Street Journal Europe, came from Germany’s highest state-security court in a case about illegal trading with Iran.

The judges in the German Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe declared that “Iran in 2007 worked on the development of nuclear weapons.” A year later, the same court said there are striking “…similarities between Iran’s acquisition efforts and those of countries with already known nuclear weapons programs, such as Pakistan and North Korea.”

The court’s decision states “The results of the investigation do in fact provide sufficient indications that the accused aided the development of nuclear weapons in Iran through business dealings.” The judges continued, the businessman sold Iran “… industrial machines, equipment and raw materials” for Iran’s nuclear weapons program which included “Geiger counters for radiation-resistant detectors constructed especially for protection against the effects of nuclear detonations” and “high-speed cameras needed to develop nuclear warheads.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy may be ready for action against Iran. Last week, Sarkozy told Lebanon’s prime minister that France had proof that Tehran was working to develop a nuclear bomb.

One of the most credible sources of Iranian atomic activities is a defector. Brig. Gen. Ali Reza Asghari, formerly with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reportedly provided key information about Tehran’s secret atomic weapons program. Asghari, according to Newsmax, was debriefed by the U.S. and French intelligence in 2007. He allegedly contradicted what Western intelligence had said about Iran’s nuclear programs.

Newsmax asked Asghari whether the CIA used his information in the 2007 NIE. “That’s not what I told the CIA,” he said. “I didn’t tell them that the nuclear weapons program had been shut down, but that it was ongoing.”

Asghari reportedly told U.S. intelligence about the Qom enrichment facility. Last September, the White House shocked the world with the revelation that Iran is building a secret military site near the city of Qom to enrich uranium and the U.S. has known about that facility since 2006.

The Qom facility is likely not the only such undisclosed atomic site. Remember, Iran kept secret the enrichment site at Natanz and the heavy-water plant at Arak for many years until exposed by ex-patriots.

Finally, the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran has all necessary components for a nuclear device. The usually hypercautious IAEA stated that Iran “…has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device.”

The U.S. intelligence community needs to redeem its tarnished reputation with the new NIE by providing credible information that Iran has an active atomic weapons program or not.

Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, still believes the key findings of the 2007 NIE. Two weeks ago, Burgess said, “We have not seen indication that the [Iranian] government has made the decision to move ahead with the program. But the fact still remains that we don’t know what we don’t know.”

But some of Obama’s top advisers apparently disagree with Burgess. The New York Times reports that unnamed Obama advisers say they believe Iran’s work on weapons design is continuing on a smaller scale. That explains the debate within the administration and perhaps why an unnamed Obama official told Reuters that the new NIE’s conclusions would be nuanced.

“Basically, we’re talking about research (resuming) — not about Iranians barreling full steam ahead on a bomb program,” the official told Reuters. “When you’re looking at the Iranian nuclear program, nuance matters.”

Expect Obama to tell the U.N. that Iran accelerated its atomic weapons research and is waiting for the country’s supreme leader to give orders for full-scale production of nuclear weapons. But expect China and Russia, both members of the Security Council, to oppose tough sanctions for Iran no matter how compelling Obama speaks and how strong his evidence.

We are now in a waiting game. We are waiting for Iran’s supreme leader to give the green light and for Obama to decide whether to accept a nuclear Iran or destroy Tehran’s atomic weapons facilities.

* ‘Iran to unveil new missiles in Feb.’ Just one day after a Der Spiegel report which claimed that new intelligence acquired by Germany’s BND offered conclusive proof that Iran’s nuclear program had a military angle, a Revolutionary Guards commander on Tuesday declared that the country planned to inaugurate “several new missiles and arms projects”.

* PM at Yad Vashem: Stop evil Prime minister says on eve of International Holocaust Memorial Day, ‘There is evil that can spread, which threatens security of Jews.

* ‘Israel could face earthquake similar to Haiti one’ Chairman of inter-ministerial committee for earthquake preparation says in special Knesset debate that Israel isn’t prepared for earthquakes due to ongoing building failures.

* Moscow mayor calls gay pride march ‘Satanic’ The mayor of Moscow, known for his overtly homophobic statements, said Monday that he would never allow a gay pride parade in the city, calling it “Satanic”.

* Barak: Biggest threat is Palestinians among us Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday explained his political-diplomatic doctrine in light of the situation in the Middle East.

* The search for aliens should start on Earth not outer space, says scientist Professor Paul Davies, a physicist at Arizona University will tell a meeting at the Royal Society that the best way of proving that extra-terrestrial life exists elsewhere in the universe is to use evidence from earth.

* China scientists lead world in research growth China has experienced the strongest growth in scientific research over the past three decades of any country.

* Israel accuses Turkish PM of inciting anti-Semitism Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s humiliation of the Turkish ambassador earlier this month seriously offended Turkey.

* EU unclear about next move on Iran European Union foreign ministers on Monday (25 January) left a Brussels meeting without a clear picture as to what should be the bloc’s next move.

* ‘Jews exploit Holocaust as propaganda’ The Holocaust only gets media coverage because of affluent Jews’ financial backing, military might and lobbying fronts, presenting a skewed version of events to the world.

* PM urges world to act against those who threaten Jewish state On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged the international community to fight anti-Semitism by warning that those who hate Jews and want to destroy Israel will eventually move on to the rest of the world, too.

* Assad, Gaddafi say Arab countries must unite against Israel Syrian president, Libyan leader meet ahead of Arab summit to discuss ‘oppressing siege impose on the Gaza Strip and the Israeli obstacle to peace’

* EU must push for Mideast talks within 1 year Foreign minister of EU president Spain says he feels both Israelis, Palestinians want to negotiate but need encouragement

* Signs of Oil in the Negev A joint venture near the Negev city of Arad has produced “preliminary indications” of an oil reserve, the drillers announced.

* Sea of Galilee Declared No-Fishing Zone for Two Years Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simchon has announced a ban on all fishing in the Sea of Galilee for two years.

* PA warns EU against legitimizing Hamas The Palestinian Authority over the weekend expressed concern over Hamas’s growing attempts to gain recognition from the international community and warned EU representatives against engaging in dialogue with the extreme Islamist movement.

* Turkey Belongs In Europe – EU President Spain European Union president Spain feels that Turkey belongs in the 27-country bloc, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said.

* Iraqi capital Baghdad rocked by deadly triple blast At least 36 people have died in three large explosions apparently targeting hotels in the heart of Iraq’s capital.

* Spain champions Turkish membership in EU ‘family’ The Spanish EU presidency has strongly advocated Turkey’s entry into the union, but most Europeans would say No if asked in a referendum.

* Greek deficit ‘endangers’ euro, EU commission says Soaring public deficits in euro countries such as Greece weaken the credibility and “endanger” the cohesion of the common currency, according to a leaked European Commission paper.

* ‘Sarkozy: Israel may act against Iran’ French President Nicolas Sarkozy assessed that Israel “would not stand by while Iran develops nuclear weapons.”

* Likud minister: Another conflict with Lebanon is ‘inevitable’ Another military conflict between Israel and Lebanon is “inevitable,” Minister-without-Portfolio Yossi Peled (Likud) Saturday at a Beersheba event. .

* Haiti quake victim rescue operation declared over Haiti’s government has made the “heartbreaking” decision to declare the search and rescue phase for survivors of the earthquake over, the UN says.

* ABC: Female bombers may target US Al-Qaeda is training female suicide bombers in Yemen, including at least two who do not look Arab and carry Western passports.

* Simulators Prepare Soldiers for Explosions of War A Humvee bumps along a dirt road fringed by mountains, their snowy peaks glinting in the sun.

* Russia: Arms talks with US to resume in February Russia and the US will resume stalled talks on a replacement nuclear arms reduction treaty in early February.

* With Mideast peace talks stalled, activists fear a new intifada US peace envoy George Mitchell met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday to try to break a diplomatic impasse that some say could give rise to a new Palestinian uprising, or intifada.

* Venezuela oil ‘may double Saudi Arabia’ A new US assessment of Venezuela’s oil reserves could give the country double the supplies of Saudi Arabia.

* US envoy George Mitchell continues Mid East peace push US Envoy George Mitchell has met Palestinian leaders a day after holding talks in Israel in his latest push to restart peace talks.

* Markets fall after Obama sets out new bank rules Stock markets have fallen sharply in response to far-reaching plans by US President Barack Obama to curb the activities of the biggest US banks.

By: Col. Bob Maginnis

President Obama is anxious to end our involvement in Iraq in order to shift resources to other efforts such as Afghanistan. But there is trouble on Iraq’s horizon and rushing to the exits could squander our investment and push that country back into civil war.

Last year Obama told an audience of Marines “how the war in Iraq will end.” The commander-in-chief said we’ll leave “…by August 31 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.” He didn’t preface that promise by saying it depended on conditions.

Even though Iraq has made significant progress the conditions are not yet right to begin withdrawing U.S. combat troops. But that day will come once Baghdad is capable of containing domestic violence and keeping its interfering neighbor Iran at bay. Those conditions are about to be tested.

Iraq’s March 7th parliamentary elections will test that nation’s ability to assume total sovereignty. This will be the first election since the 2003 invasion that will be totally under Iraqi security control. Optimistically, the election will take place with little violence and a new government will be quickly seated. But recent events indicate the fundamental issues that triggered the 2004-2007 civil war could cause that country to spiral back into chaos.

Consider four sources of pre-election tension that could thrust Iraq into civil war and what Obama must do to prevent it from happening.

First, the Kurds, a semi-autonomous ethnic group in northern Iraq, seek control of Kirkuk, an oil-rich city 156 miles north of Baghdad. Kurdish plans to reclaim Kirkuk are causing serious problems among Iraqi Arabs.

Former dictator Saddam Hussein “Arabized” Kirkuk by forcing ethnic Kurds out of the city and resettling Arabs from Iraq’s south. After the American invasion Kurds started returning home to Kirkuk, but Arab residents rejected the Kurds claim to property and citizenship.

The Iraqi government failed to reconcile this dispute which is mandated in the constitution. Now, under the election law approved in November 2009, all residents registered to vote in Kirkuk have the right to cast their votes to include returning Kurds, but the law set up a process to review eligibility after the election. That review and Baghdad’s constitutional neglect will create controversy among Kurds, Arabs and the Shia-controlled government in Baghdad. This explosive issue could tear at Iraq’s fragile cohesion and fuel Kurdish calls to break-away from Baghdad.

Second, Iraq’s Sunnis mostly sat out the 2005 elections but are now anxious to increase their role in government. But many Sunnis are being denied the opportunity to participate in the political process because of their former associations with Saddam Hussein’s Baath party.

Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government panel, the Accountability and Justice Commission, charged with de-Baathification, has banned as many as 500 potential candidates and 15 political parties from running in the March 7th elections because of their ties to the Baath party. The de-Baathification process began shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and has resulted in the firing of thousands of Iraqis, mostly Sunnis, from civil service and education professions.

Not surprisingly, most of those on the 500-member de-Baathification list are Sunni Muslims. Reidar Visser, an Iraqi commentator, refers to Baghdad’s “selective de-Baathification” process as singling out Sunni political opponents when Shias cooperated with the old regime as well. Understandably, Sunni candidates are outraged and charged the ban is an effort to disenfranchise Sunnis and some warned that it could lead them to a return to support for insurgents.

Further, the ban fuels the Sunnis’ already fractious relationship with their Shiite and Kurdish counterparts, which make it clear why political observers worry whether Sunnis will turn out on election day. A Sunni boycott would deprive the election of legitimacy, undermining efforts toward reconciliation in the country.

Third, Iran’s involvement in Iraqi politics has grown since 2003. Many Shia-Iraqi leaders spent years in exile in Iran and now serve throughout the Baghdad government. Iran taps these people to serve as their proxies, which make some Iraqis, especially Sunnis, fear their country will become a client state of Iran once the U.S. withdraws.

Iran is engaged in Iraq’s upcoming elections via its proxy, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), whose leaders spent years in Tehran. The ISCI, the former Badr Brigade, seeks to maintain influence in Iraq by forming a national front between its Iraqi National Alliance and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s new independent secular political coalition, the State of Law party. The ISCI is pressuring Maliki to join forces using Tehran’s ample Iraqi political, economic and security connections.

Iran also curries favor with the independence-minded Kurds to leverage Baghdad. Last month Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met with the Kurdistan regional government leaders to endorse regional solidarity. That endorsement creates tension with Baghdad which opposes the Kurdish independence movement and prefers to avoid the Kurds “Arabization” issue in Kirkuk.

Finally, a major source of pre-election tension is the surge in violence which is intended to undermine the election’s legitimacy.

Bombings near government buildings since August have killed more than 400, creating deep public skepticism about Baghdad’s ability to protect the people. Recently, sectarian attacks have increased public skepticism such as the anti-Shia suicide bombings in Hilla and Najaf which claimed 23 lives. A Sunni candidate for Iraq’s parliamentary elections was killed in Fallujah and several suicide attacks killed at least 31 in the Sunni Anbar Province.

Last week a wide-ranging plot to bomb Baghdad ministries and political assassinations was uncovered. The plot which involved sending suicide bombers in their vehicles packed with explosives to blow up government ministries and public places was blamed on Sunni elements of the Baath party and al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a Sunni extremist organization.

Even Iraqi election workers are targeted by those who want to unnerve voters. Recently, election workers were killed and kidnapped much like workers targeted by Sunni insurgents ahead of three nationwide votes in 2005. Those attacks were designed to intimidate Iraqis from taking part and Iraqi officials anticipate violence will increase ahead of the March 7th ballot as well.

Iranian inspired violence accompanies Tehran’s political maneuvering as well. Last month Iraqi security forces arrested seven suspected Hizbullah members in Iraq. Iran uses Lebanese Hizbullah forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to train and supply Iraqi Shia militia, which attack coalition forces and political rivals. Additionally, last month the IRGC seized an Iraqi oil field to intimidate the Baghdad government into cooperation.

These tensions could cause Iraq to spiral into another civil war. That’s why America’s security and strategic arrangements with Baghdad must be flexible, much like the agreements we had with Germany and Japan after defeating both in World War II. Our patience and flexibility in both cases led to stable long-term partners; Iraq deserves as much.

President Obama should help stabilize Iraq by working closely with the Baghdad government to keep it apolitical in order to give sectarian and ethnic differences time to heal. This includes keeping the Iraqi security forces non-partisan law enforcers.

Obama’s apparent design to leave Iraq hurriedly no matter the outcome of the March 7th election is a high risk strategy given that signs of long term stability are at best sketchy. Leaving too early endangers millions of Iraqis, American lives elsewhere in the region and encourages America’s enemies to attack our other interests at home and abroad.

* Mitchell holds talks with Abbas as hopes for ME peace fade The US envoy to the Middle East was holding talks with the Palestinian leader on Friday afternoon, even as hopes are fading that Washington could restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations anytime soon.

* Israel hopes NIE will pressure Iran Israel is anxiously awaiting the publication of an updated United States National Intelligence Estimate on Iran.

* More names on Iraq election ban Iraq’s election commission chief has said more candidates are likely to be banned from running in parliamentary elections on 7 March.

* Hezbollah on high alert for fear of Israeli attack Hezbollah has raised the alert level among its fighters due to maneuvers conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in northern Israel.

* US welcomes EU’s new foreign policy powers US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has welcomed the upgrading of EU foreign policy under the Lisbon Treaty at a meeting with the union’s recently-anointed foreign relations chief, Catherine Ashton.

* Clinton urges Internet freedom, condemns cyber attacks U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday called for an unfettered worldwide Internet and urged global condemnation of those who conduct cyber attacks.

* Obama Administration Lifts US Ban on Muslim Brotherhood Leader The Barack Obama administration has decided to lift a ban preventing Muslim Scholar Professor Tariq Ramadan from entering the United States.

* 4 Israeli women work tirelessly to save Dead Sea Scrolls For the past two and a half months, Tania Treiger, a conservator with the Israel Antiquities Authority, has been pouring over a piece of parchment about 20 centimeters square.

* EU mandarins drafting blueprint for diplomatic corps Senior figures in the EU Council and the European Commission have filled the majority of seats on a committee responsible for designing the EU’s diplomatic corps.

* New EU-Mediterranean club opens in Barcelona A new club of regional and local officials from European, North African and Middle Eastern countries – “Arlem” – was inaugurated on Thursday (21 January) in Barcelona.

* ‘No Israeli presence in our state’ Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on Thursday rejected a call by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for an Israeli presence in a future Palestinian state, calling the demand “absolutely unacceptable.”

* ‘Hamas accepts Israel’s right to exist’ Hamas has accepted Israel’s right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik.

* Pakistan snubs US over new Taliban offensive Pakistan’s army has said it will launch no new offensives on militants in 2010, as the US defence secretary arrived for talks on combating Taliban fighters.

* Russia responds to U.S. missile plans for Poland Russia will strengthen its Baltic fleet in response to U.S. plans to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland.

* Elon: Real Danger to Jerusalem as Israel’s Undivided Capital Leading PA and Norwegian diplomats met for a high-level meeting in Jerusalem on Monday.

* China economy sees strong growth China has said its economy expanded by 8.7% in 2009, exceeding even the government’s own initial expectations.

* Knesset Speaker Rivlin and MK Eldad to Be ‘Tried’ in Jordan The Jordanian prosecution authorities have given the green light to a criminal proceeding in Jordan’s courts against Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and MK Aryeh Eldad.

* Voice of Israel Angry at Radio Israel’s New Name A new local radio station that is supposed to serve the residents of Judea and Samaria – an area known in Hebrew by the acronym Yosh – has changed its name from Radio Yosh to Radio Israel.

* US to seek world cyber crackdown after Google China row The US is calling for tough action against people and states that carry out cyber attacks, following an alleged attack on search giant Google in China.

* Russia: Iran nuclear plant to start up this year The chief of Russia’s state nuclear corporation said on Thursday that the country would start up the reactor at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant by the end of this year.

* Time to get to work, says Sen.-elect Brown Republican Scott Brown says his Senate victory in Massachusetts sends a powerful message and he hopes to get to work right away.

* Iran to unveil three new home-built satellites Iran will unveil three new satellites in February, a report said Wednesday, amid Western concerns that Tehran is using its nuclear and space industries to develop atomic and ballistic weapons.

* Mitchell: Lebanon key to ME peace US Middle East envoy George Mitchell said Wednesday that Syria and Lebanon were key to achieving peace in the Middle East.

* Yadlin: Turkey moving towards Islamic radicals Iran has not been deterred from its march to the nuclear bomb, and one-time ally Turkey is drawing closer to the side of Islamic radicals and further from Israel and the West.

* Nigeria religious riots ‘kill 200’ in Jos At least 200 people have been killed in violence between Christians and Muslims in the Nigerian city of Jos, says the monitoring group.

* Vatican paper: ‘ME conflict driving Christians out’ A Vatican document released Tuesday blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the “occupying” of lands for fomenting most of the conflicts in the Middle East, driving Christians out and making life difficult for those who remain.

* Iran in billion-euro gas deal with Germany Iran has signed a one-billion-euro (1.44-billion-dollar) deal with a German firm to build 100 gas turbo-compressors.

* ‘Large number of Wahhabis’ streaming into Bosnia-Herzegovina Muslim terrorists in the Balkans have established a terrorist training camp in northeast Bosnia-Herzegovina.

* Obama’s lost senate seat is a victory for Netanyahu The Republican upset in the race for the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly half a century by liberal Edward M. Kennedy reflects a huge victory for opponents of U.S. President Barack Obama – and also for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

* Airport security tops EU and US home affairs meeting US home affairs chief Janet Napolitano will join EU interior ministers gathering in Toledo to discuss enhancing security in European airports.

By: Haaretz

A Saudi-based body organizing the world’s second Islamic Solidarity Games has cancelled the sports event planned for Iran amid a dispute over whether the Gulf waterway is “Arab” or “Persian.”

The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, an affiliate of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference based in Saudi Arabia, said after a meeting on Saturday it decided to scrap the games which had been set for April.

The federation said Iran had taken “unilateral measures concerning logos used on printed material and medals,” a statement sent to Reuters on Monday said. Secretary-General Muhammad Qazdar said that was in reference to Iran’s planned descriptions of the Gulf.

Designation of the key waterway for global oil and gas supplies has long been a touchy issue among the countries bordering it — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iraq and Iran.

Iran says it is the Persian Gulf, the Arab states say it is Arab. Foreign language descriptions can offend either party if they use one name or the other, or sometimes if they avoid an adjective altogether.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday the federation should reconsider its decision but insisted the waterway was Persian.

“The logo and naming should be done correctly, based on international norms and regulations and the naming by the United Nations,” he told reporters on Monday.

“So basically the board of directors did not have the right to just interfere in such a process… We hope they will reconsider,” he added.

The sports federation said a dispute over television rights and Iran’s failure to provide information over steps to contain H1N1 flu also contributed to the decision to cancel the event.

The dispute comes amid tensions between Sunni Muslim-led Arab countries and non-Arab, Shi’ite Iran over increased Iranian influence in the region through its allies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally which sees itself as the leading Sunni state, is trying to rally Arab countries to challenge Iran, who it fears wants to obtain nuclear weapons and win U.S. recognition as the region’s leading power.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are also at odds over a Shi’ite revolt in north Yemen. Riyadh has been fighting the rebels since a cross-border raid into Saudi territory in November, while Tehran says the fighting should be brought to an end through talks.

The Islamic Solidarity Games were first held in Saudi Arabia in 2005 with the participation of 55 countries, including Iran.
They were delayed from October last year over flu concerns.

* U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret ‘Jesus’ Bible Codes Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company.

* Israel resumes airlifts of Jewish Ethiopians Israel has restarted an immigration scheme for Ethiopians of Jewish descent after halting it for more than a year.

* Why America and China will clash Google’s clash with China is about much more than the fate of a single, powerful firm.

* ‘Iran ordered attack on Israeli convoy’ Last week’s failed attempt on the lives of Israeli diplomats in Jordan was apparently carried out on instructions from Teheran.

* Danon: Obama gets ‘F’ for Mideast policy On the eve of a four-day visit to the United States, hawkish Likud MK Danny Danon on Monday launched a blistering assault on President Barack Obama’s Middle East policies.

* Palestinians: Probe Hamas for war crimes Eleven Palestinian human rights groups have asked Hamas to conduct a credible internal investigation into allegations it committed war crimes during last winter’s war with Israel.

* Russia says population up for first year since 1995 Russia has registered the first population increase since the chaotic years which followed the fall of the Soviet Union.

* Israeli government convenes for 1st time in Berlin Israel’s government convened for the first time in Berlin, the former heart of the Nazi regime.

* MI chief: Iran won’t give up nukes without pressure Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin gave a security briefing to members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday and warned that Iran’s nuclear program continues to advance.

* Iran says may hit Western warships if attacked Iran’s defense minister warned on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic could strike back at Western warships in the Gulf if it were attacked over its nuclear program.