Iran
After Talks Falter, Iran Says It Won’t Halt Uranium Work
Thomas Erdbrink, New York Times – May 27, 2012
Iran’s nuclear chief, reversing the country’s previous statements, said on state television on Sunday that the country would not halt its production of higher-grade uranium, suggesting that the Iranian government was veering back to a much harder line after talks in Baghdad with the West last week ended badly.
Iran says sanctions threat jeopardises nuclear talks
Marcus George, Reuters – May 29, 2012
Iran on Tuesday warned Western countries that pressuring Tehran with sanctions while engaging in nuclear talks would jeopardise chances of reaching an agreement.
U.S. officials among the targets of Iran-linked assassination plots
Joby Warrick, Washington Post – May 27, 2012
In November, the tide of daily cable traffic to the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan brought a chilling message for Ambassador Matthew Bryza, then the top U.S. diplomat to the small Central Asian country. A plot to kill Americans had been uncovered, the message read, and embassy officials were on the target list.
Cyber Security
Meet ‘Flame’, The Massive Spy Malware Infiltrating Iranian Computers
Kim Zetter, Wired – May 28, 2012
A massive, highly sophisticated piece of malware has been newly found infecting systems in Iran and elsewhere and is believed to be part of a well-coordinated, ongoing, state-run cyberespionage operation. The malware, discovered by Russia-based anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab, is an espionage toolkit that has been infecting targeted systems in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, the Israeli Occupied Territories and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa for at least two years.
China
Taiwan ‘deploys anti-China missiles’
Taiwan has for the first time deployed cruise missiles capable of striking key military bases along the southeast coast of the Chinese mainland, local media reported on Monday. Taiwanese experts estimate that China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, has more than 1,600 missiles aimed at the island. “To some extent, the weaponry can serve as a deterrent,” Kevin Cheng, the editor-in-chief of the Taipei-based Asia-Pacific Defense Magazine, told AFP. “In case of war in the Taiwan Strait, the missiles could be used to attack the airports and other military bases of the People’s Liberation Army.”
Afghanistan
NATO kills senior al-Qaida leader in Afghanistan
Sebastian Abbot, Associated Press – May 29, 2012
The U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan killed al-Qaida’s second-highest leader in the country in an airstrike in eastern Kunar province, the coalition said Tuesday. Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Mushtaq and Nasim, was responsible for commanding foreign insurgents in Afghanistan and directing attacks against NATO and Afghan forces, the alliance said. He frequently traveled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al-Qaida leadership and ferrying in weapons and fighters.
