Security official urges U.S. to try to influence Iran public opinion

A high-ranking Israeli security official has called on the United States and its allies to expand efforts to influence public opinion in Iran and to transfer messages to the public against the current Iranian regime.

During a meeting held recently with members of the U.S. intelligence and security establishment, the official said he does not believe the U.S. is doing enough to initiate dialogue or pass messages to the varied ethnic groups and dissidents in Iran.

The officials argued that greater investment in influencing Iranian public opinion could bring domestic turmoil that could topple the current regime.

The Iranian population is only around 50 percent Persian, with Azeris making up 25 percent of the population, while Kurds, Arabs and various other ethnic groups constitute the rest.

These groups' interests do not always coincide with the policies of the current regime and the official argued that concerted efforts influence domestic politics in Iran could bring regime change.

Fourth Russian shipment of nuclear fuel arrives in IranA fourth Russian shipment of nuclear fuel arrived in Iran on Sunday, destined for a power plant being constructed in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

The report said 11 tons of fuel arrived at the Bushehr power plant, just two days after Iran received its third Russian shipment on Friday.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said earlier this month that Israel is concerned the Russian fuel deliveries might help Tehran in achieving nuclear weapons, which Israel accuses Iran of developing covertly.

Tehran, however, says its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

Russia has reportedly pledged to give Iran a total of 85 tons of nuclear fuel for the plant.

The remainder of the fuel, about 40 tons, was scheduled to arrive in four separate shipments in the coming months, the report said.

Iran received its first two shipments of nuclear fuel from Russia in December - after months of disputes between the two countries, allegedly over delayed construction payments for the reactor.

Iran has said Bushehr, the country's first nuclear reactor, will begin operating in the summer of 2008, producing half of its 1,000 megawatt capacity of electricity.

Tehran heralded the first shipment as a victory, saying it proved its nuclear program was peaceful and not a cover for weapons development as the United States has claimed.

The U.S. and Russia have said the supply of nuclear fuel meant Iran had no need to continue its uranium enrichment program - a process that can provide fuel for a reactor or fissile material for a bomb. Iran has agreed with Russia to return the spent fuel to ensure it doesn't extract plutonium to build a bomb.

Iran insisted it would continue enriching uranium because it needed to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor it was building in the southwestern town of Darkhovin.

Iranian officials have said they plan to generate 20,000 megawatts of electricity through nuclear energy in the next two decades.

Russia's decision to begin shipping nuclear fuel to Iran followed a U.S. intelligence report released last month that concluded Tehran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and had not resumed it since.

	Iran's nuclear power plant at Bushehr, photographed in 2005. (AP)