Iran: On Ground Updates - March 11, 2009

On Ground Updates: Iran
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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* TheMediaLine.org brings us this report this morning and it starts off like this… Russia is rethinking selling Iran sophisticated aircraft, in a move that could signal improved relations between Russia and the United States, news reports suggest… Russia is considering freezing the sale of its S-300 anti-missile system to Iran, a Russian source told the Interfax news agency on Tuesday… The source said such a decision could not be ruled out and it should be made at the political level… “The contract has moved outside the purely commercial framework,” the source said… The timing of this comment might not be coincidental…
Read the full report at link below…
Reports: Russia to Stem Support for Nuclear Iran
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* NYDailynews.com has this report that starts off like this… Iran doesn't have a nuke and won't have the means to make or launch one for awhile, the nation's top spy said Tuesday…
Read the rest of this short report at link below…
National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair: Iran still years away from nukes
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* RTTNews.com reports it this way… Top U.S. intelligence officials testifying Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee said that Iran was yet to decide whether to build a nuclear bomb or not, but at present lacked the weapons-grade highly-enriched uranium needed to build one, media reports say… National Intelligence director Admiral Dennis Blair told U.S. law-makers that Tehran had only low-enriched uranium, which would need processing to be used for weapons. However, he said, Tehran was enriching uranium in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and was "mastering" the know-how to build long-range missiles that could carry nuclear warheads to targets oceans away…
Read the full report at link below…
Iran Lacks Bomb-Grade Uranium: U.S. Intel Officials
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* IsraelNationalNews.com has this report today and it starts off like this… A United Nations Security Council committee confirmed on Tuesday that Iran violated U.N. sanctions by trying to send a ship with weapons to Syria. The high-explosive shells, including those than can pierce armor, and anti-tank explosives may have been destined for Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Hizbullah in Iran or Syrian-backed Iraqis, Council diplomats told the Associated Press… The U.N. has banned Iran from exporting weapons or materials for the manufacture of arms…
Read the full report at link below…
UN Confirms Iran Caught Red-Handed in Ship Loaded with Weapons

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AubreyJ………