Iran's state media says the country has successfully test launched a mid-range surface-to-surface missile that can reach Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.

In mid-April, Iran convicted Roxana Saberi, a 32-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen and journalist of espionage, and sentenced her to 8 years in prison. However, on Monday, her lawyer said that an appeals court has reduced her sentence to two years, suspended, and she will be freed today and can leave the country immediately.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States will keep its allies in the Middle East informed as it pursues the possibility of improved relations with Iran, and discounted concerns in the region about a U.S.-Iran deal that could hurt the interests of longstanding American friends such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Secretary Gates spoke in Cairo after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

A Look at the President’s Engagement of Iran, and the Shaking of Chavez's Hand

Roxana Saberi, a 31-year-old dual American-Iranian citizen and journalist, has been convicted in Iran of espionage, and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Armenian Public Radio reports that close to 20,000 vacationers from neighboring Iran have traveled to Armenia to celebrate Novruz, the Iranian New Year in Armenia due to liberties, affordability and warm weather.

Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, recently held a modest role with a humanitarian organization working to improve child and maternal health in Iran. Her work and life were interrupted on June 26, 2008 when she was detained by Iranian authorities and charged with participating in an effort to overthrow the Iranian government through a ''soft revolution.'' On January 19, 2009, she was sentenced to three years in jail.

Iran state media say Tehran has launched its first homemade satellite into orbit. Iran launches its first domestically made satellite, describing it as "another achievement under sanctions".

It is hard to imagine how much worse the situation could get, but the confrontation in Gaza could see a dangerous escalation in the coming days as Iran threatens to break the Israeli blockade and deliver urgently needed medical supplies and other aid to the coastal strip.

On the sixth-month anniversary of Iran’s detention of Dr. Arash Alaei and Dr. Kamiar Alaei—Iranian brothers who are known worldwide as HIV/AIDS physicians—international NGOs, academic institutions, and medical leaders from across the globe are asking Iran to free them immediately.

In arid and semiarid regions, the increasing demands upon groundwater resources due to expanding metropolitan and agricultural areas present a serious challenge.

Al-Siyassa Kuwaiti daily quoted sources in Washington as saying that the date of an Israeli and American attack on Lebanon and Iran is approaching.