World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (February, 24 2012)

The Associated Press reports that British businessman Christopher Tappin accused of conspiring to sell components for Iranian missiles could face 35 years in jail. The retired businessman after losing a two-year battle against extradition has said he is "philosophical" about his chances of never returning to his home country. He has arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport for transfer to US custody.

According to the Washington Post, formerly secret telexes reveal Iran’s early use of deceit in nuclear program. The author states that the abovementioned document is part a trove of 1,600formerly secret telexes obtained by nuclear researchers seeking to unearth the early history of Iran’s clandestine pursuit of nuclear technology. While nearly two decades old, the records offer an unusually detailed glimpse into Iran’s alleged efforts to defy sanctions to obtain sensitive technology — tactics that intelligence officials say continue even now. Experts who studied the documents say they were struck by patterns of behavior that began early in the program and involved some of the same individuals who run the country’s nuclear efforts today, under the oversight of the same supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who came to power in 1989. The telexes and other records show Iranians using subterfuge and deception to obtain the parts they needed, and afterward issuing vigorous denials to U.N. nuclear officials, even when confronted with evidence.

The same agency informs its readers about the pro-Putin rally that took place yesterday in Moscow. According to the agency, “in a show of strength that demonstrated his intention to win the presidency by a landslide, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put his political machine into top gear Thursday as it assembled tens of thousands of people for a meticulously organized, and heavily patriotic, pre-election rally”. The author suggested that, using the considerable means at his disposal, Putin showed why even the opposition hereexpects him to come out on top in the March 4 election. He freely deployed government resources, and marshaled as participants those who rely on a government paycheck — or a paycheck from a company that enjoys government largesse. The police said the turnout reached 130,000.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the latest U.S. intelligence report indicates Iran is pursuing research that could enable it to build a nuclear weapon, but that it has not sought to do so. As U.S. and Israeli officials talk publicly about the prospect of a military strike againstIran's nuclear program, one fact is often overlooked: U.S. intelligence agencies don't believe Iran is actively trying to build an atomic bomb. A highly classified U.S. intelligence assessment circulated to policymakers early last year largely affirms that view, originally made in 2007. Both reports, known as national intelligence estimates, conclude that Tehran halted efforts to develop and build a nuclear warhead in 2003.

According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the Second meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group will be held in Turkey, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlusaid during a press conference in London. The first meeting of the group will be held on Friday in Tunisia. Davutoğlu said Turkey expressed its request for the group to take concrete measures regarding the situation in Syria.