Tuesday, August 1, 2006.
Iranian student leader dies of torture while on hunger strike in prison.

Iran Press News reported that a beloved student leader, Akbar Mohammadi, died as a result of brutal torture by Islamic regimes' judiciary at the infamous Evin Prison. Mohammadi had just been returned to his cell in ward 350 after a brutal torture session. He was on his 9th day of a hunger strike. He gave his life for freedom. Photos.

UNSC passes a resolution giving Iran until the end of the month.

• The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.N. Security Council passed a weakened resolution Monday giving Iran until Aug. 31 to suspend uranium enrichment or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that President George W. Bush applauded the United Nations Security Council resolution saying: "It's a strong resolution."

Iran calls the UNSC action "illegal."

Reuters reported that Iranian U.N. Ambassador Javad Zarif rejected as illegal the Security Council demand that it suspend its nuclear activities.

Kissinger: Why an initiative like his to China is not in the cards with Iran.

Henry A. Kissinger, The Washington Post argued that while many assert that what is needed in relation to Iran is a diplomacy comparable to that which, in the 1970s, moved China, the challenge of the Iranian negotiation is far more complex.

Hezbollah's human shields.

• The Washington Times reported on Hezbollah's use of human shields.
• Michael Ledeen, The Corner found an interesting post on Hezbollah's "Civilian Shields."

What planet is the French FM on?

The Jerusalem Post reported that French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said of Iran: "In the region there is of course a country such as Iran - a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region." One diplomat asked, "What planet is he on?"

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Rachel Ehrenfeld, The Washington Times argued that Israel is now fighting two of radical Islam's most virulent versions -- the Shi'ite Hezbollah and the Sunni Hamas and its ability to defeat them, will determine the survival of the United States and all Western-style democracies.
• Daniel Hannan, The Telegraph argued that the Iranian Revolution of 1979 will one day be seen as an epochal event, as significant as the French Revolution of 1789 or the Russian Revolution of 1917. We must first recognize the magnitude of what we are up against.
• Michael Ledeen, National Review Online argued that we are witnessing a repeat of the same mistakes that the world made in the 1930's that led to WWII.

To view the entire list of articles, please click on the day of the week. I would also like to thank Doctor Zin and his team for all the hard work and life-taking chances they take to bring us this news from behind the "wall of silence."

Category: The Daily Briefing on Iran.
- posted by Rosemary Welch@9:07 AM