Washington  - Since her youth, Shirin Nariman has been going to demonstrations.

But while with 16, the Iranian woman was sent to prison because of her political activism, today, more than 20 years later, she can speak freely. Her concerns have remained the same: the overthrow of the Iranian government in favour of a secular democracy.

On Friday, she attended a small rally in front of the White House in Washington, with a few dozen others to protest the planned closure of a refugee camp in Iraq for refugees of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

For the Iranians in exile, it was a shock when in January Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki announced he intended to close Camp Ashraf within two months.

Cairo  - Although the announced intention behind the visit of Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to Iraq was strengthening economic ties, the timing of the visit this week can also reveal unannounced reasons.

"Now, Iran is trying to open a new dialogue with the US, and the situation in Iraq is one of the related topics to be discussed," said Gamal Abdul-Gawad, a researcher at Al-Ahram Strategic Centre for Political Studies.

Tehran - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said Wednesday that political changes were needed to avoid further harm to Iran's international image, the ISNA news agency reported.

"The political status quo is not suitable and should be changed and amended; otherwise, Iran's international image would further be harmed and tarnished," said Khatami in his first remarks since his official nomination Sunday to run against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election.

Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Tuesday the United States could "reconsider" placing a missile-defence system in Eastern Europe if Iran dropped its pursuit of nuclear weapons, but cautioned that the Islamic state is a "long way" from showing a desire to change.

Clinton met with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country has agreed to host the radar site for the system.

Tehran, Feb. 10 : Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that his government is ready to hold talks with the Barack Obama administration, but added that they must be based on mutual respect and in a fair atmosphere.

Ahmadinejad spoke Tuesday at celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.

Fox News quoted Ahmadinejad as saying the Obama administration was willing to "bring about a number of changes."

The hardline Iranian leader, however, said that he hoped the changes are "fundamental and not just tactical."

Tehran- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Iran would be ready to talk to the new US administration of President Barack Obama but some fundamental changes were needed to make the talks fruitful.

"We are ready for talks, but these talks should be held in an atmosphere of equality and justice," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Tehran on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.