Iran news headlines on Tuesday include Iran detaining former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi; U.S. military anti-mine exercise in the Middle East’s international waterways in May; Iranian ambassador to Lebanon criticizing Israel air strike on Syria; Iran and world powers talks in February; Iranian space agency official remarks over country sending astronauts into space by 2018 and Ahmadinejad historic visit to Egypt.
Iran arrests former Tehran prosecutor
Iranian police arrested former Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, an ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, official media reported without stating any reason for the move.

Mortazavi, Tehran’s notorious former prosecutor, was suspended in August 2010 along with two other judges over the death in prison of three anti-government protesters in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election.
U.S., allies ready more anti-mine drills as Iran tensions simmer
The U.S. military announced on Monday an anti-mine exercise in “the Middle East’s international waterways” in May with more than 20 nations participating, the latest show of global will to keep waterways open as tensions with Iran simmer.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon condemns Israeli action in Syria
Ghazanfar Ruknabadi, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, is keen on maintaining good relations with all Lebanese parties. He said: “Since the beginning of the crisis, we said that the majority of the people want reforms led by President Bashar al-Assad, and that Iran supports this demand. However, we also said that there is a US-Zionist project that aims to overthrow the regime in Syria, because it is a resistant and defiant regime in the face of the Israeli occupation. We have emphasized this position for two years.
Iran, world powers to hold nuclear talks on February 26 – IRNA
Iran and world powers will hold talks over Iran’s disputed nuclear programme on February 26 in Kazakhstan, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council announced the agreement had been made during a telephone conversation on Tuesday between Ali Bagheri, Iran’s deputy nuclear negotiator, and his European Union counterpart Helga Schmid.
Report: Iran to send astronauts into space by 2018
An Iranian semi-official news agency says the country plans to send its first astronauts into space by 2018. Tuesday’s report by Mehr quotes Mohammad Ebrahimi, a senior official in Iran’s space agency, as saying the flight of two trained Iranian astronauts has been slated for between 2016 and 2018.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad in Egypt on historic visit
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first trip by an Iranian head of state to Egypt since the 1979 revolution, underlining the more open ties that have developed since Egyptians elected an Islamist head of state.

President Mohamed Mursi kissed Ahmadinejad as he disembarked from his plane at Cairo airport, footage broadcast by Egyptian state television showed.

 

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