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/ 2 June 2008

Ahmadinejad says Israel will ‘disappear’

Iran’s president said on Monday Israel would soon disappear off the map and that the ”satanic power” of the United States faced destruction, in his latest verbal attack on the Islamic Republic’s arch-foes. Opposition to Israel is a fundamental principle in Shi’ite Muslim Iran, which backs Palestinian militants opposed to peace.

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/ 4 February 2008

US riled as Iran opens first space centre

Iran on Monday fired a rocket into space to mark the opening of its first space centre, triggering swift condemnation from the United States amid continued tensions over the Iranian nuclear drive. The space centre, located in the remote desert of western Iran, will be used to launch Iran’s first home-produced satellite in May or June this year, officials said.

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/ 5 September 2007

Rafsanjani election ups political stakes in Iran

One of Iran’s most illustrious politicians, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, dramatically increased his influence on Tuesday by winning control of a powerful clerical body in a development that could change the course of the country’s leadership. Rafsanjani was elected head of the experts’ assembly after overcoming a determined right-wing effort to block him.