The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that Iran either resumed work on making a nuclear warhead — or had never stopped, as the U.S. concluded in 2003. Citing intelligence from the U.S., Israel and other countries, the U.N. agency said the new information “raises concerns.” France and Germany have threatened new sanctions against Iran, while the Islamic Republic said that the report “verified the peaceful, non-military nature” of its nuclear activities.

In recent months, Iran has been strongly criticized for its growing crackdown on dissent. Among those in the forefront of repression are the Basij paramilitary forces known for their brutal tactics. For more on where Iran is headed, Daljit Dhaliwal interviews Karim Sadjadpour, a leading researcher on Iran at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The attack on Marja is meant to prepare Americans to accept negotiations with Taliban

The arrest of the de facto Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in Pakistan’s Karachi city in a joint secret CIA-Pakistan raid was another major blow for the brutal insurgency in the region. Just few days before that, on February 13, a massive onslaught in the restive south of Afghanistan attacked the hardcore militants’ longtime stronghold. Sporadic fighting is reported from the area, and there is resistance in some places, yet both Afghan and NATO officials claimed to have seized the town and termed the operation as ‘successful.’ Although the forces were ordered to be extremely careful in targeting noncombatants, two incidents of killing civilians still occurred, yet displaced people from the conflict-hit town welcomed the operation.

In Pakistan, the insurgents saw their second and more vindictive leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, died in a drone attack probably days after he appeared in a video with the Jordanian suicide bomber and claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 7 CIA experts in Khost. Analysts in the region say that his murder had led to cause a split between other Taliban leaders in the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan and that had significant negative impacts on activities of the terrorist outfit.

The arrest of Mullah Baradar is similarly the most important achievement in the counterinsurgency efforts since the US-led international troops invaded Afghanistan to oust his Al-Qaeda-linked government. Though at that time the spiritual leader of the movement was the one-eyed former jihadi commander Mullah Omar, and he still enjoys his position as the Supreme Leader, it was Mullah Baradar who emerged as a de facto leader of the Taliban and commanded the powerful Quetta Shura the existence of which the government of Pakistan constantly denied but reports said ISI had helped it in shifting to Karachi from Quetta after there was a discussion to whether kill the top Quetta Taliban leaders in drone attacks. Read the rest of this entry »

CBS News Consultant, Jere Van Dyk talks about the significance of captured Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar caught earlier this month in a joint raid between US and Pakistan intelligence agencies.