Iran Explosion

INVESTIGATIONS

Iran

Iranian TV Reports Explosion Near Deylam

Iranian state television reported Wednesday that an explosion near the southwestern town of Deylam, about 110 miles from a nuclear facility, may have been caused by a fuel tank dropping from an Iranian plane. A government spokesman said the blast may have been caused by friendly fire. (AP)

Iran, Syria 'Form Common Front'

Iran and Syria say they are to form a common front to face challenges and threats from overseas. (BBC)

Iran: U.S. Spy Drones Fly Over Nuke Sites

Iran's intelligence chief on Wednesday accused the United States of flying spy drones over its nuclear sites and threatened to shoot down the unmanned surveillance crafts. (AP)

IAEA Head Disputes Claims on Iran Arms

The head of the U.N. agency responsible for investigating Iran's nuclear program said Tuesday that there had been no discoveries in the last six months to substantiate claims that the Islamic state is secretly working toward building a nuclear bomb. (Washington Post)

U.S.

U.S. Recalls Ambassador From Syria

Lebanese mourned their slain ex-premier yesterday with noisy street processions while the shocked country's government came under mounting internal and international pressure to bring Rafik Hariri's assassins to justice. (Arab News)

U.S. Freezes Assets of Kuwaiti Linked to Al Qaeda

The U.S. government on Tuesday ordered banks to freeze any assets of a Kuwaiti man U.S. authorities believe is a senior al Qaeda operative. (Reuters)

Judges Order 2 Reporters to Testify on Leak

Journalists at the New York Times and Time magazine may be jailed if they continue to refuse to answer questions regarding the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. (Washington Post)

C.I.A. Is Seen as Seeking New Role on Detainees

The Central Intelligence Agency is seeking to scale back its role as interrogator and custodian of terrorist leaders who are being held without charges in secret sites around the world, current and former intelligence officials said. (NY Times)

Yemen

Yemen Arrests Five Al Qaeda Suspects

Yemeni security forces have detained five people, including a woman, suspected of belonging to al Qaeda and plotting attacks on embassies and Western targets in the country, security sources said. (AFP)

Afghanistan

Four Senior Taliban Leaders Accept Amnesty

Former Officials Who Had Fled to Pakistan Recognize Karzai's Government to Avoid Arrest. (Washington Post)

Russia

Mystery Still Shrouds Beslan Six Months On

Theories and rumours fuel relatives' doubt and anger. (The Guardian)

N. Korea

U.S. Official Says North Korea Could Be Bluffing on Nuclear Arms

Robert B. Zoellick made the remarks during his Senate confirmation hearing for deputy secretary of state. (NY Times)

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS

U.K.

Singer Wins Suit Over Tie to Terror

Yusuf Islam, the pop singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, said Tuesday that he had won substantial damages from two British newspapers that had alleged he supported terrorism. (Reuters)

Kuwait

Kuwait's Justice Ministry Plans New Department To Deal With Terror CasesKuwait will soon establish a special department to speed up terror cases without affecting the rights of those already in custody, the Minister of Justice Ahmad Baquer said. (Gulfnews)

IRAQ NEWS

Italy Hostage Shown In Video Plea

Kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena has been shown begging for help and urging US-led troops to leave Iraq in a new videotape. (BBC)

Iraq Poll Winners 'Nominate PM'

The Shia Muslim coalition that won Iraq's election has chosen Ibrahim Jaafari as its prime ministerial candidate, sources have said. (BBC)

A Place Apart in Iraq

Kurdistan offers jobs in a nation hungry for them. For migrants from the Arab south, the prosperous region is like a different country. (LA Times)

ANALYSIS & OPINION

Murder in Beirut

Who engineered the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri on Monday may never be known. (Washington Post)

Whither Lebanon

It may take weeks, if not years, before we know who killed Rafik Hariri. Whoever was behind the dastardly deed clearly wanted to achieve two objectives. (Arab News)

From Baghdad to Beirut

What many had feared - the "Lebanonization" of Iraq, bringing back the tragic memories of the Lebanese civil war of 1975-90 — might be forced, with the assassination of Rafik Hariri, to happen in reverse: the Iraqification of Lebanon. (Asia Times)

Team Predicts A Rise In Qaeda Terror Attacks

A UN team monitoring sanctions on Al Qaeda predicted yesterday there will be an escalation in the brutality of terrorist attacks, saying the network remains determined to strike around the world. (AP)

N. Korea's Nuclear Claim

Pyongyang must stop making threats and talk seriously. (Asahi Shimbun)

No Lack of Good Intelligence

Last week's revelation of 50 pre-September11,al Qaeda-related warnings to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the publication of an early 2001 National Security Council memo warning of the Osama bin Laden threat, point to the utter failure of the Goss-Graham and Kean-Hamilton commissions. (Washington Times)

What Passes for Normal in Iraq

Iraqis are in charge of their country now and, so far, they're beating expectations. (CS Monitor)

The Insider Daily Investigative Report (DIR) is a summary of major news articles and broadcasts relating to investigative news, including international terrorism and developments in Iraq. The DIR is edited daily from foreign and U.S. sources by Chris Isham, Hoda Osman and Brinda Adhikari of the ABC News Investigative Unit. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ABCNEWS.