Iran successfully launches Kavosh-2 rocket; Iran takes steps to close border with Afghanistan to stem the flow of drugs; British envoy called to register protest over Miliband’s remarks
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    • Reports noted that Iran successfully launched the 'Kavosh-2' (Explorer) rocket into space, carrying a space lab, a data monitoring and a processing unit. The launch was another indication of developments being made in Iran's strategic space program1.

    The country’s police chief Brig. Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghaddam stated that Iran was attempting to close all its borders to drug traffickers to tackle the rising problem of increased drug flow into the country from Afghanistan. Reports noted that the police seize about two tons of illicit drugs every day. Moghaddam called on Germany and countries of the Mini-Dublin Group (consisting of a number of European and other countries) to constructively cooperate in the campaign against illicit drugs2.

    In continuing controversy over its nuclear programme, British Ambassador to Tehran Geoffrey Adams was summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry in protest against Foreign Secretary David Miliband’s remarks over the status of Iran’s nuclear programme. Miliband had urged the Arab Gulf states to step up pressure on Tehran over its nuclear plans by imposing financial restrictions and by tightening export controls3.

    Iran meanwhile objected to the IAEA over the leakage of confidential information from the entity. Iran's Ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, in a letter to the IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, voiced his country's serious concern about the attitude of the organization regarding safeguarding of the confidential information. The letter referred to the publication of materials by The New York Times about certain faked documents at the disposal of the IAEA and noted that the leakage of information from the agency will lead to member states' mistrust in the working of the UN body. Soltanieh urged ElBaradei to adopt strong and effective measures to prevent a repetition of such events4.

    The Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Gholamreza Aqazadeh on his part announced that Tehran plans to install 50,000 centrifuges within the next five years to produce 30,000 tons of nuclear fuel per year. Aqazadeh noted that Iran currently had more than 5,000 centrifuges processing uranium at the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant. Stating that Iran was cooperating with the IAEA based on its legal commitments, he warned the IAEA and the Western countries that they should not expect Tehran to sign the Additional Protocol while the country was under several rounds of economic sanctions5.

    IAEA Chief ElBaradei, at the opening meeting of the 35-member Board of Governors at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, underlined the need for adoption of transparent policies to tackle contentious issues. Reports noted that he was referring to the refusal of the US to submit a laptop which allegedly contains information proving that Iran has carried studies to produce a nuclear bomb. He added that it was the legitimate right of Iran to protect its classified documents and activities and IAEA can give required assurances to Iran to enjoy its right. ElBaradei once again called on Iran to continue with its confidence-building measures and expressed the hope that direct talks among countries would help build trust and restore stability to the region as soon as possible6.

    In other developments, the commander of Iran’s Navy, Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari stated that the Navy was powerful enough to block the Hormuz Straits in the Persian Gulf in case of an attack against its nuclear installations7.

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