Ahmadinejad's strategic guru captured in Iraq: DBI

Friday's Daily Briefing on Iran.
Ahmadinejad's strategic guru captured in Iraq?

• Reuters reported that U.S. forces stormed an Iranian government representative's office in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil early on Thursday and arrested five people, including diplomats and staff.
• Iran Press News reported that based on unconfirmed received reports from reliable sources in Iraq, Hassan Abbasi was among those who was arrested in the Thursday, January 11th early-morning raid in the Iraqi town of Arbil.
• DoctorZin, Regime Change Iran - If confirmed, Hassan Abbasi's capture would be a major blow to the Iranian effort to support the insurgency in Iraq . He is believed to have been organizing the various insurgency groups under a common umbrella. Abbasi is perhaps best known as the Iranian leader who claimed: “There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them."

Bush Warns Iranians.

• Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that President Bush says we are effectively at war with Iran.
• Andrew C. McCarthy, The National Review Online reported that at a background briefing before the president’s speech, administration officials, quite appropriately, refused to get into what the new strategy for dealing with Iran and Syria precisely entails. But it was fairly clear that military steps outside Iraq are highly unlikely.

Rice: Dialogue with Iran is surrender to blackmail.

• YNet News reported that Condoleezza Rice defended in a Congress hearing Thursday the Bush administration's opposition to maintaining contacts with Iran and Syria in an effort to recruit their help in Iraq , in opposition to the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Report.
• Yahoo News reported that Condoleezza Rice warned Iran that the United States won't "stand idly by" if Tehran tries to disrupt Washington 's renewed effort to stabilize Iraq.

Explosions hit southern Iran.

• AlJazeera reported three explosions have occurred in the south of Iran.

Intelligence Services Believe the Natanz Site is a Front.

• USA Today reported that some intelligence services believe the uranium enrichment site in the Iranian city of Natanz is only a front.

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Forbes reported that China warned the United States on Thursday not to meddle in its trade relations with Iran.
• Spero News reported that Iran is planning to execute seven Arabs sentenced to death after a secret summary trial, this according to three United Nations human rights investigators.
• Reporters without Borders called for Iranian authorities to put an end to a wave of arbitrary arrests and harassment of media personnel that is taking place throughout the country.
• Amnesty International fears for the safety of Iranian blogger Kianoosh Sanjari who has been accused of "acting against state security" and "propaganda against the system."
• Azarmehr published photos of what happens in the Islamic Republic in broad day light, the kidnapping of citizens by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Thank you, Doctor Zin and Team, for your continued support of the Iranian people and bringing us the news they desparately want to get out the world. Keep up the great work!