A young blogger arrested in Iran for allegedly insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Internet posting has died in prison, his attorney said Friday. Attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said Omid Mir Sayafi, reported to be in his 20s, died in Evin prison, which is located in Tehran and known for its wing that holds political prisoners. Dadkhah said a fellow inmate, Dr. Hessam Firouzi, called him Wednesday night with the news -- and said he believed Sayafi would ...

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to believe that only desperate measures on the economy can save his presidency when Iranians go to the polls in June, but he suffered a shocking setback on Monday when the legislature dominated by like-minded conservatives blocked his key initiative. Ahmadinejad had proposed legislation in the Majlis, Iran's parliament, that would have summarily withdrawn government subsidies on oil, gasoline and electricity, freeing up about $20 billion in government ...

Findings in a recent U.N. report that Iran's nuclear program "has military dimensions" are "troubling," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Tuesday. "Iran also still refuses to respond constructively to IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] questions about its past work to develop a nuclear weapons capability," the ambassador, Susan Rice, told a U.N. Security Council subcommittee that deals with ensuring sanctions against Iran are being enforced. "The United States urges its fellow Security Council members not only to ...

The practice of dealing with your enemy has a name; it's called realism. And for the Obama administration -- in the Middle East and around the world -- it rules the day. Villains, axis of evil and isolation are out. "Constructive actors," axis of engagement and "let's make a deal" are in. Syria's extended isolation isn't over because of some grand new attitude from Damascus, but in spite of it. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appeared to patiently wait ...

An American journalist detained in Iran has received a visit from an attorney, her father said on Monday. "We're relieved" at news of the attorney's visit to Roxana Saberi, said her father, Reza Saberi, from his Fargo, North Dakota, home. He said he spoke with the attorney shortly after the visit Sunday. "He [the attorney] said initially her spirits were not good and she was not feeling well. When she started to talk, she cried. But her spirits changed when ...

For years Ahmad has been unable to find true love. So the 27 year-old bachelor who lives in Tehran is turning to a professional matchmaker. "I'm searching for a love that lasts," Ahmad said. What's unusual is Ahmad's matchmaker wears a turban, a robe and could be the first-ever Iranian cleric who plays cupid. "First they say 'wow'," Jafar Ardabili said, "then they take a closer look and say 'since he's a cleric we have faith in him.'" Ardabili made ...

Iran poses a threat to Europe and Russia, both from Tehran's direct efforts and its support of terrorist groups, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday. The Tehran government is intent on interfering in the Middle East, she told reporters aboard her flight to Brussels from the region. "There is a great deal of concern about Iran from the entire region," she said. "I heard it over and over and over again in Sharm el Sheikh, in Israel, in Ramallah. ...

An American journalist reported by her father as being detained in Iran had been working there without a permit, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Monday. "In fact, her press card was revoked," said Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hassan Qashqavi. "Without a permit, she should not have been engaged in news and information gathering in Iran." Qashqavi did not confirm whether Roxana Saberi was in custody or provide details of her alleged arrest. In his weekly news conference, he said the matter ...

The Obama administration will work to stop any "illicit" nuclear aspirations by Iran, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. Rice spoke briefly about Iran in her speech, which was primarily focused on the Obama administration's approach to Iraq and its people. She called on the international community to provide greater support to the millions of Iraqi refugees who have been displaced because of the war. Her comments on Iran came toward ...

Iran tested its first nuclear power plant Wednesday, a stride that prompted one Iranian technician to declare it was "independence day" for the Islamic republic. Tests were carried out at the Bushehr nuclear power plant using "dummy" fuel rods, loaded with lead in place of enriched uranium to simulate nuclear fuel. In a news release distributed to reporters at the scene, officials said the test measured the "pressure, temperature and flow rate" of the facility to make sure they were ...