Free Iran:  Everyone has their own hero,  for me there is no one greater than Mr. George Soros.  Holding governments accountable for their actions is the greatest good we can do for the greatest number of people.  That’s what he has done all his life.  He has a talent for seeing financial trends and a greater talent for giving his profits away and for advocating the correct and just policies – even if they are unpopular.

NEW YORK — Billionaire philanthropist George Soros is putting up $100 million, one of the largest donations of its kind, to expand Human Rights Watch and help it court more international support.

The financier and major donor to liberal causes said Tuesday that it’s become a disadvantage for the group to be primarily funded by Americans because the U.S. has lost the “moral high ground” when it comes to fighting abuses.

The gift, to be distributed over 10 years, is meant as a dramatic start toward major growth for the group, which documents abuses and advocates for human rights in about 90 countries.

…Soros’ pledge Tuesday is his largest-ever single donation to a human-rights group, though his Open Society Foundations give about $100 million each year to human-rights-related organizations around the world, including some with a legal or criminal-justice focus.

Soros has donated more than $8 billion during his lifetime. His Open Societies Foundations are on pace to give away about $800 million this year on causes ranging from education to helping Pakistan recover from its recent floods.

…Soros, who is of Jewish descent but an atheist, said he sees the group’s work on Israel as proof of objectivity, not bias.

“I think the important thing about human rights, if it is to be a universal priniciple, that it should apply to ‘us’ as well as ‘them,’” Soros said. “And that is why I’ve been stressing my concern with the behavior of the United States, and the same applies to Israel. One needs to apply the same standards to Israel as one does to others.”

Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran is prepared to sell weapons to Lebanon if Beirut asks for help in equipping its military, Iran’s defense minister said Wednesday.

Gen. Ahmad Vahidi’s comments come a day after the leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah group, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, called on the Lebanese government to formally seek military assistance from Iran. Go to AP.

Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani said the nation should limit imports to “necessary goods” to help lift domestic production and reduce the amount of hard currency exiting the country, the state-run daily newspaper Iran reported Tuesday.

…But analysts note that the sanctions have pressured the country by limiting foreign investment and restricting its ability, for example, to tap into the kind of funds needed to revamp its dilapidated oil sector. The country’s annual import bill, overall, tops $50 billion. Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian state-owned newspaper quotes the country’s Central Bank governor as saying imports should be decreased in response to the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program.

Mahmoud Bahmani was quoted by the Iran daily on Tuesday as saying the focus should be on importing “necessary goods,” and that the sanctions would help boost domestic production.

Iran’s economy has been hard hit because of years of sanctions. Its annual import bill tops $50 billion, and Bahmani’s call appears aimed at cutting expenses. Go to AP.

MANAMA, Bahrain — Bahrain’s top Shiite politician said last week’s crackdown on Shiite protesters has destroyed a decade of stable sectarian relations as the country heads into parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has experienced daily clashes for the past week between Shiite protesters and Sunni-dominated security forces because of a series of arrests of leading activists.

Shiites make up as much as 70 percent of Bahrain’s population, according to a 2008 State Department report. But the country is governed by a small Sunni elite headed by the ruling Khalifa family. Go to AP.

Free Iran:  the best way to stop nuclear proliferation is to help Iran become democratic.

WASHINGTON — The CIA is opening a counterproliferation center to combat the spread of dangerous weapons and technology, a move that comes as Iran is on the verge of fueling up a new nuclear power plant.

CIA Director Leon Panetta said Wednesday that the new unit would place CIA operators side by side with the agency’s analysts to brainstorm plans to “confront the threat of weapons of mass destruction — nuclear, chemical and biological.” Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Monday it will begin building a new site to enrich uranium by March, moving ahead with a plan that defies international efforts to curb its nuclear development.

Uranium enrichment factories are used to create fuel for nuclear power plants but can also, if taken to extremes, produce the material for weapons.

The planned plant is among 10 new sites that Iran approved last year in what would be a dramatic expansion of its controversial enrichment program. The announcement on state TV said the locations for the sites have been determined but gave no details.

“Construction of a new uranium enrichment site will begin by the end of (the Iranian calendar) year (March 2011) or early next year,” Salehi said. Go to AP.

BERLIN — A German lawmaker says Iranian officials he met in Tehran fear a severe blow to the country’s international trade from the latest round of U.N. sanctions. Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran announced plans Monday to get rid of its dollar and euro reserves in response to the latest U.N. sanctions over its contested nuclear program. Go to AP.

Free Iran:  Khamenei would be defeated first by the Iranian people and his regime would collapse before he gives up the pursuit of nuclear weapons.  If only the Obama administration would share this assumption then they would pursue the right policies.

DAMASCUS, Syria — An Iranian official says Americans “must be dreaming” if they think they can intimidate Tehran into giving up its nuclear program.

Ali Akbar Velayati is an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Velayati said Monday during a trip to Syria that American threats will not deter Iran. Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s state media say the country’s navy has taken charge of four new Iranian-built submarines as part of Tehran’s efforts to upgrade its defense capabilities. Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has obtained four S-300 surface-to-air missile systems despite Russia’s refusal to deliver them to Tehran under a valid contract, a semiofficial Iranian news agency claimed Wednesday.

The Fars news agency, which has ties to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s most powerful military force, said Iran received two S-300s from Belarus and two others from another unspecified source. Fars didn’t elaborate, and there was no official confirmation of the report.

Russia signed a 2007 contract to sell the S-300s, but so far has not delivered. The powerful, long-range missiles would significantly boost Iran’s defense capability, and Israel and the United States have strongly objected to the deal. Go to AP.

Iran reiterated on Sunday that three Americans jailed a year ago should stand trial on charges of illegally crossing the country’s borders.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran is also considering other possible charges against Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal including intentionally acting against Iranian security, according to a state media report. There has been no indication from Iran so far that formal charges against the three have been filed. Go to AP.

ADELAIDE, Australia — Australia will impose new sanctions against Iran, including restrictions for the first time on business dealings with that country’s oil and gas sector, the country’s foreign minister said Thursday. Go to AP.

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that talks with the major powers over Iran’s disputed nuclear program will start in early September regardless of the conditions he set earlier last month.

The interview, aired late Monday night by the state-owned English language Press TV, is the latest in a series of announcements by Iran of its willingness to talk about nuclear issues, most likely in an effort to deflect pressure and international sanctions. Go to AP.