Tensions Mount in Middle East
USANN Correspondent Richard Bealman
January 22, 2002
Washington
Iranian Revolutionary Guards carry the coffin
of Ali Yunesi
As up to 3 US carrier fleets steams toward the
Middle East, tempers continue to boil
throughout the region.
On January 21st, Ali Yunesi, Iran’s Intelligence
and Security Minister, was gunned down and
killed in broad daylight at a traffic light in
Tehran. Within hours of the assassination,
Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister issued a
statement pointing fingers directly at Israel and
its famed Mossad intelligence agency.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, in his
strongest remarks to-date stated, “if we wanted
to assassinate Iranian leadership, we would
target much bigger fish.”
Syria joined the saber-rattling by continuing it’s
declaration of a holy war against the State of
Israel, despite the desperate “Powell Initiative”
peace plan taking place in Cairo. After 2 weeks
of negotiations, sources within the UN state
that the talks are, “near collapse.”
USANN - National News
Defense Tech Sales Passes House and Senate
On January 15th, two defense technology contracts were
approved to Mexico and Canada for the development of
advanced artillery production.
“This is a good first step in bolstering the defense of
North America and our regional strategic partners,”
replied Pentagon Spokesperson Warren Hathaway.
Energy and Ore Resources at All-Time Low
January DOE reports indicate that despite the growing
economy, the nation’s energy and ore processing
capabilities have not kept pace. As of mid-January, the
US continues to operate in an energy and ore deficit. In
response, the White issued a statement that a large
portion of the Federal research budget will go towards,
“re-building our natural resource infrastructure in 2002.”
USANN - International News
Violence Flares in
Liberia
Rebels continue to shell
the capital city of
Monrovia in an attempt
to overthrow President
Taylor’s tenuous control
over the country. Over
the past 24 hours, over 40
civilians have been killed
in the shelling, including
30 deaths after a shell struck a hospital.
“We are watching the situation closely, including
increasing violence in other developing nations such as
Haiti and a growing concern over rebel activity in
Guatemala,” replied a White House Spokesperson.
