The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman says the recent remarks made by some Arab officials on the three Iranian Persian Gulf islands are interference in the Islamic Republic’s internal affairs.

The negative pulses which have been received within two weeks of the upcoming round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany) in Iraq’s capital city of Baghdad in addition to the establishment of a national unity government in Israel have raised two important questions.

The upcoming round of talks between Iran and Western powers in Baghdad is critical as it could lead to "an interim agreement" between Tehran and the West, an analyst says.

As a key member of the P5+1 group of world powers, France recently held a significant presidential election. While there have arisen heated debates over the new “French” government’s future foreign policies, some ask the question whether this victory will exert any specific impact upon the results of the upcoming nuclear meeting between Iran and the P5+1 group in Baghdad.

Russia is currently trying to avail itself of tense relations between Iran and the West and gain acclaim by proving itself as a mediator and, as such, prove its position as an effective element in international equations. Therefore, he knows that if such an agreement is reached in reality, it would greatly restrict Russia’s maneuvering room. It is apparently for this reason that Russia has been trying to reserve a certain space for fluctuation with regard to Iran's nuclear issue. As a result, when taking position on the nuclear issue, he concurrently chides or lauds both Tehran and the West (by opposing sanctions and warning against military action against Iran, on the one hand, while emphasizing on the existence of ambiguities in Iran's nuclear program, on the other hand), so that, if the atmosphere changed, it would be able to change sides in short notice.

As we move closer to the Baghdad meeting between Iran and the world powers, scheduled for May 23, it is vitally important for both sides to maintain the positive environment generated at the Istanbul round in early April.

Never in the contemporary American history has military technology, particularly unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, been used on such a large scale as it was by the Obama administration to target and eliminate anti-US elements. This represents, in one way or another, a continuity of former US president George W. Bush’s military policies, which will most probably be pursued by any other future president in the United States. On the whole, the American foreign policy has been intertwined with militarism and the two are not separable from each other.

May 15 is annually celebrated by Iranians as Fedowsi Day. Many art and cultural festivals are held across the country to commemorate the great Iranian epic poet. Ferdowsi's magnum opus the Shahnameh, or 'The Book of Kings' is considered one of the masterpieces of Persian literature, and has had considerable influence on subsequent literary works.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin officially commences his third tenure of presidency on 6 May 2012 (17 Ordibehesht 1391 in Persian calendar), the examination of his plans and policies in the areas of domestic politics and foreign relations over the coming six years may prove noteworthy and interesting for politicians and policy-makers. So, this article seeks to analyze relations between the Islamic Republic and Russia during Putin’s third term as president.

The possibility of recognizing nuclear rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran according to the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been a subject for discussions by international legal experts after Iran's nuclear case was referred to the UN Security Council and a number of resolutions (especially resolutions Nos. 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, and 1929) were adopted on it.