(2000 pop. 2 million). Mashhad (Mashad, Meshed), a city in northeastern Iran in the province of Khorasan, is located in the Kashaf River valley near the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The city was always an important center for travelers from...

This article is about a Shiite holy city in Iran. For the Arab town in northern Israel, see Mashhad (Israel). Coordinates: 36°18′″N, 59°36′″E Mashhad (Persian: مشهد, literally the place of martyrdom) is the second...

Iran's supreme leader gave his backing Wednesday to U.S.-Iran talks about Iraq's security. But he took a tough line, insisting the meeting will deal only with fixing American policies in Iraq, not changing Iran's.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's harsh tone appeared aimed at quieting criticism by hard-liners...

A man convicted of adultery was stoned to death last week in a village in northern Iran, a judiciary spokesman said Tuesday, the first time in years that the country has confirmed such an execution.Jafar Kiani was stoned to death Thursday in Aghchekand, 124 miles...

Today is Saturday, Sept. 1, the 244th day of 2007. There are 121 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Sept. 1, 1939, World War II began as Nazi Germany invaded Poland.On this date:In 1807, 200 years ago, former Vice President Aaron Burr was...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a host of claims about Iran's domestic and foreign policy in his appearances in New York Monday. The Associated Press compares his claims to what is independently known about the situation there:___About the MediaAHMADINEJAD: "On a daily basis, we have...