The New Nation - Internet Edition

Agencies, Kolkata

The government in Iraq has told the US Military it will not tolerate Israel over-flying the country in an attack on Iran.

The government has asked the United States to prevent Israel from using Iraqi airspace in any possible military event.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari conveyed a message to the US ambassador in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker.

He said the American forces, being responsible for preserving the sovereignty of Iraq's airspace, should not allow any violation by Israeli warplanes.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have been increasing over the past few weeks with Tel Aviv threatening to carry out attacks to stop Tehran's nuclear program.

Responding to the renewed threats of a U.S./Israeli attack on Iran before President Bush leaves office, United for Peace and Justice calls for coordinated Days of Action across the United States on July 19-21. Now is the time to speak out against any U.S./Israeli military attack on Iran.

U.S. officials say Israel is mounting a "full court press" to get the Bush administration to strike Iran's nuclear complex, CBS News reports. In The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh reports that congressional leaders agreed last year to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran. New York Newsday and the Seattle-Post Intelligencer warn that Congress is considering a resolution promoted by AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) that would effectively endorse a naval blockade of Iran, an act of war.

Voices in the U.S. calling for real diplomacy and negotiations with Iran are being silenced. Few people in this country know Iran has an offer on the table for comprehensive negotiations with the United States that could resolve the nuclear stand-off and other issues. Nor do they know that talks with Iran without preconditions are supported by independent experts like Thomas Pickering, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN during the first Bush administration.

To counter the renewed threats of military action, we are calling for National Days of Coordinated Action against war with Iran on July 19-21, including:

Meanwhile, Condoleezza Rice has said the US wants to reach out to Iranian people

The US has refused to deny reports that it will establish a US diplomatic presence in Iran in the next month.

The UK's Guardian newspaper reports the US plans to open an interests section in Tehran, its first diplomatic presence in the country for 30 years.

The state department said its policy towards Iran was unchanged, but that it wanted to reach out to Iranians.

It comes as the US announced that a top diplomat would attend talks in Geneva with the Iranians on Saturday.

The talks will be the first time in 30 years that such a high-ranking US diplomat - the third-most senior in the US - has met Iranian officials.

US officials said recently that the idea of a diplomatic presence in Iran was being discussed, but that it was not being actively worked on.

The unsourced Guardian report said that the interests section - a step towards setting up an embassy - would be similar to the one in Cuba.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, centre, visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facility on 8 April 2008