TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran on Sunday accused U.S. and Israeli agents of tricking Iranian nuclear scientists abroad into giving away crucial information, newspapers reported.
The comments by Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi came days after an Iranian defector identified as Alireza Assar told the Iran Focus Web site Tehran was close to getting an atom bomb.
Tehran insists such assertions are lies and that it is making atomic fuel only for nuclear power stations. Washington argues the fuel is for warheads.
"America and Israel are trying to get close to (our scientists) by establishing emotional ties, then they put them into a situation where they are forced to give information," Yunesi was quoted as saying in the Sharq daily and on agencies.
Yunesi advised Iranian scientists abroad to be suspicious and vigilant, and not to be distracted from the purpose of their visit.
Iran has been rebuked for failing to disclose key parts of its nuclear programme, and many revelations on its technology have come from intelligence sources.
Hmmm and I thought the Iranians had nothing to hide.
The comments by Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi came days after an Iranian defector identified as Alireza Assar told the Iran Focus Web site Tehran was close to getting an atom bomb.
Tehran insists such assertions are lies and that it is making atomic fuel only for nuclear power stations. Washington argues the fuel is for warheads.
"America and Israel are trying to get close to (our scientists) by establishing emotional ties, then they put them into a situation where they are forced to give information," Yunesi was quoted as saying in the Sharq daily and on agencies.
Yunesi advised Iranian scientists abroad to be suspicious and vigilant, and not to be distracted from the purpose of their visit.
Iran has been rebuked for failing to disclose key parts of its nuclear programme, and many revelations on its technology have come from intelligence sources.
Hmmm and I thought the Iranians had nothing to hide.
US backs Iran civilian nuke program for first time
US backs Iran civilian nuke program for first time
By Saul Hudson
2 hours, 14 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday explicitly accepted for the first time that Iran can develop civilian nuclear programs, backing an EU proposal to allow Tehran to pursue atomic power in exchange for giving up fuel work.
In a compromise that completed a gradual shift in U.S. policy, Washington acquiesced because it believes the EU offer has enough safeguards to prevent Iran from diverting its civilian work into making nuclear bombs.
"We support the (Europeans') effort and the proposal they have put forward to find a diplomatic solution to this problem and to seek an end to Iran's nuclear weapons program," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.
The U.S. acquiescence is in contrast with its stance in talks with North Korea, which it insists cannot have any nuclear development for fear Pyongyang would build atomic bombs under the guise of a civilian power program.
The shift also comes despite long-held U.S. worries that allowing a civilian program could help Iran develop its nuclear technology and know-how so that, if it ever breaks any EU agreement, it would be closer to acquiring a bomb.
A U.S. official said the EU offer helped allay American fears.
"There's a certainty and an ability to ensure that none of the nuclear fuel that would be involved is diverted to an illicit nuclear weapons program," said the official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss details of the proposal.
The EU -- represented by Britain, France and Germany -- has held talks for two years to find a compromise between arch foes Iran and the United States.
Washington accuses Iran of trying to covertly build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its programs are peaceful and that it has the right to convert and enrich uranium, which can be used for power generation or to build bombs.
OPPOSITION ERODES
The U.S. opposition to nuclear power plants in Iran has eroded this year.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has increasingly pointed to a power plant deal between Russia and Iran as an example of how to limit the risk from a civilian program because Moscow controls the fuel.
But while the United States had accepted such an arrangement under that one deal, until Friday it had not explicitly agreed to the principle that Iran could have a civilian program.
Friday's compromise was in line with Washington's new approach this year on Iran.
Rice has dropped the U.S. skepticism toward the Europeans' negotiations and repeatedly said the United States wants to avoid being blamed for any failure of the talks.
To boost the Europeans' leverage, in March, Rice offered Iran economic incentives -- a start to World Trade Organization membership and access to civilian aircraft parts -- to abandon any nuclear weapons programs.
A senior State Department official said the Europeans could seek more incentives from the United States.
"If it looks as if this initial plan might have a chance of actually becoming part of an agreement, then there might be an opportunity for the EU to come back to the U.S. to ask for further engagement," the official, who could not be named under the department's ground rules, told reporters in a teleconference.
The EU offered to declare its "willingness to support Iran to develop a safe, economically viable and proliferation-proof civil nuclear power generation and research program."
The bloc offered to guarantee supplies of fuel for light-water nuclear power reactors but insisted Iran return to the supplier all spent fuel, which can also be used in atomic weaponry.
The State Department's No. 3 official, Nicholas Burns, told reporters, "We hope that Iran will look at this proposal seriously."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050805...ilZ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
US backs Iran civilian nuke program for first time
By Saul Hudson
2 hours, 14 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday explicitly accepted for the first time that Iran can develop civilian nuclear programs, backing an EU proposal to allow Tehran to pursue atomic power in exchange for giving up fuel work.
In a compromise that completed a gradual shift in U.S. policy, Washington acquiesced because it believes the EU offer has enough safeguards to prevent Iran from diverting its civilian work into making nuclear bombs.
"We support the (Europeans') effort and the proposal they have put forward to find a diplomatic solution to this problem and to seek an end to Iran's nuclear weapons program," State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.
The U.S. acquiescence is in contrast with its stance in talks with North Korea, which it insists cannot have any nuclear development for fear Pyongyang would build atomic bombs under the guise of a civilian power program.
The shift also comes despite long-held U.S. worries that allowing a civilian program could help Iran develop its nuclear technology and know-how so that, if it ever breaks any EU agreement, it would be closer to acquiring a bomb.
A U.S. official said the EU offer helped allay American fears.
"There's a certainty and an ability to ensure that none of the nuclear fuel that would be involved is diverted to an illicit nuclear weapons program," said the official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to discuss details of the proposal.
The EU -- represented by Britain, France and Germany -- has held talks for two years to find a compromise between arch foes Iran and the United States.
Washington accuses Iran of trying to covertly build a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its programs are peaceful and that it has the right to convert and enrich uranium, which can be used for power generation or to build bombs.
OPPOSITION ERODES
The U.S. opposition to nuclear power plants in Iran has eroded this year.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has increasingly pointed to a power plant deal between Russia and Iran as an example of how to limit the risk from a civilian program because Moscow controls the fuel.
But while the United States had accepted such an arrangement under that one deal, until Friday it had not explicitly agreed to the principle that Iran could have a civilian program.
Friday's compromise was in line with Washington's new approach this year on Iran.
Rice has dropped the U.S. skepticism toward the Europeans' negotiations and repeatedly said the United States wants to avoid being blamed for any failure of the talks.
To boost the Europeans' leverage, in March, Rice offered Iran economic incentives -- a start to World Trade Organization membership and access to civilian aircraft parts -- to abandon any nuclear weapons programs.
A senior State Department official said the Europeans could seek more incentives from the United States.
"If it looks as if this initial plan might have a chance of actually becoming part of an agreement, then there might be an opportunity for the EU to come back to the U.S. to ask for further engagement," the official, who could not be named under the department's ground rules, told reporters in a teleconference.
The EU offered to declare its "willingness to support Iran to develop a safe, economically viable and proliferation-proof civil nuclear power generation and research program."
The bloc offered to guarantee supplies of fuel for light-water nuclear power reactors but insisted Iran return to the supplier all spent fuel, which can also be used in atomic weaponry.
The State Department's No. 3 official, Nicholas Burns, told reporters, "We hope that Iran will look at this proposal seriously."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050805...ilZ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Re: US backs Iran civilian nuke program for first time
<font size="5"><center>Crisis looms as Iran resumes uranium enrichment</font size></center>
ISFAHAN: Iran put itself on a collision course with the West on Monday after it resumed ultra-sensitive nuclear fuel work at its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan.
"Iran has resumed the conversion of uranium under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency," declared Vice-President of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad Saidi. "It is a historic day. With the help of God the plant is back online today, just as the people wanted, who pushed the leaders to do this," Saidi told journalists.
The IAEA, which is to hold an emergency meeting of its 35-member board of governors on Tuesday (today) to discuss the standoff, confirmed that Tehran began sensitive fuel cycle work that it had suspended in order to negotiate with the European Union.
"IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei informed members of the (IAEA) board of governors that Iran today started to feed uranium ore concentrate into the first part of the process line at the uranium conversion facility," the UN agency said in a statement. "It should be noted that the sealed parts of the process line remain intact," it added.
On Monday, work at Isfahan resumed after IAEA inspectors installed cameras and other surveillance equipment at the plant to ensure no nuclear material is diverted. Iranian technicians in white protective suits and surgical masks rolled out barrels of yellowcake — raw uranium — to begin the conversion process.
The facility covers an area of over 150 acres, spread along a short range of mountains outside of the city, and parts of it have been built in tunnels inside the mountains to protect the equipment from air strikes. The facility is also surrounded by numerous radar stations and anti-aircraft batteries.
Iran learnt a lesson from the 1981 Israeli air strike against neighbouring Iraq’s main nuclear reactor at Osirak. Iran has spread out its facilities over several locations, each with sections built underground. The Isfahan facility and the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, also central Iran, house the heart of Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Isfahan Conversion Facility, 410 kms south of Tehran, carries out an early stage of the cycle for developing nuclear fuel, turning yellowcake into UF-6 gas, the feedstock for enrichment. In the next stage of the process, which Iran has said it will not resume for the time being, the gas is fed in centrifuges for enrichment. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce nuclear fuel and further enrichment makes it suitable for use in atomic bomb.
The IAEA said it has installed cameras at Isfahan to monitor Iran’s renewed activities at the plant. "This activity was commenced following the installation today by the IAEA of cameras ... but regrettably prior to completion of the testing of the cameras, which normally takes 24 hours following installation," the IAEA said.
Saidi said that work was resuming "stage by stage", starting with the unit that produces ammonium uranyl carbonate, or AUC, a component in the conversion process. The plant will soon start turning yellowcake into UF-4, a preliminary stage before UF-6, the state news agency reported.
The AUC unit had not been sealed by the UN watchdog agency. Within the next two days, IAEA inspectors will remove seals that were put in place on the unit where UF-4 is turned into UF-6, bringing the facility into full operation, Saidi said.
The seals are a voluntary measure, and the IAEA has no choice but to remove them when Iran requests it. Tehran says it is still abiding by IAEA inspections of its sites, so it allowed the installation of surveillance equipment to keep an eye on the process.
Before the suspension of work at the plant, Iran converted some 37 tons of yellowcake into UF-4. Experts say that amount could yield 100 kilograms of weapons-grade uranium, enough to make five crude nuclear weapons.
Saidi said Iran is willing to wait on starting uranium enrichment until a deal is reached with Europe. "We won’t restart work in Natanz for now. We hope we will reach a logical conclusion in talks with Europeans," he said.
The announcement drew a swift response from arch-enemy the United States and the EU. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran is provoking "grave crisis" that requires a united response from the international community. "The international community will react and will decide the response to give," he told AFP. "I hope it will be united in the face of this grave crisis deliberately provoked by Iran."
A US official said Iran’s move was "unfortunate. "We’ve said all along that should Iran break the seals and restart uranium enrichment at Isfahan or anywhere else, we would think an appropriate response would be a referral to the United Nations."
However, Iranian officials emphasised they were not worried about UN action, saying the Islamic republic’s right to the nuclear fuel cycle is enshrined in the NPT. "We are not concerned and are ready for everything," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. He called the threats "not effective. What interests us is cooperation. We advise Europe to withdraw its threats."
"The decision is irreversible even if the (IAEA) board decides tomorrow to send the Iran dossier to the Security Council because (the demand for a suspension) has no legal basis and is contrary to the NPT," Saidi said.
In Vienna, the headquarters of the IAEA, diplomats said the UN atomic agency is likely to hold off on taking Iran to the UN Security Council. "The threat (of referral) is being held for a second meeting," a diplomat close to the agency told AFP.
A second diplomat said the resumption of work at Isfahan had "taken things to a different level. I do not know what the (IAEA) board is going to do on Tuesday because things are moving very fast."
But another diplomat pointed out that Iran has still not cut IAEA surveillance seals at Isfahan and has support from non-aligned nations for peaceful use of nuclear energy. "They’ll find some way to get out of it," the diplomat said about the Iranian tactics.
The IAEA meeting had been postponed from a morning start until mid-afternoon, the agency said in a press statement, in what diplomats described as a sign of intense closed-door negotiations as the EU seeks a resolution that will be strong and have consensus support from the board.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-daily/09-08-2005/main/main2.htm
<font size="5"><center>Crisis looms as Iran resumes uranium enrichment</font size></center>
ISFAHAN: Iran put itself on a collision course with the West on Monday after it resumed ultra-sensitive nuclear fuel work at its uranium conversion plant in Isfahan.
"Iran has resumed the conversion of uranium under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency," declared Vice-President of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad Saidi. "It is a historic day. With the help of God the plant is back online today, just as the people wanted, who pushed the leaders to do this," Saidi told journalists.
The IAEA, which is to hold an emergency meeting of its 35-member board of governors on Tuesday (today) to discuss the standoff, confirmed that Tehran began sensitive fuel cycle work that it had suspended in order to negotiate with the European Union.
"IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei informed members of the (IAEA) board of governors that Iran today started to feed uranium ore concentrate into the first part of the process line at the uranium conversion facility," the UN agency said in a statement. "It should be noted that the sealed parts of the process line remain intact," it added.
On Monday, work at Isfahan resumed after IAEA inspectors installed cameras and other surveillance equipment at the plant to ensure no nuclear material is diverted. Iranian technicians in white protective suits and surgical masks rolled out barrels of yellowcake — raw uranium — to begin the conversion process.
The facility covers an area of over 150 acres, spread along a short range of mountains outside of the city, and parts of it have been built in tunnels inside the mountains to protect the equipment from air strikes. The facility is also surrounded by numerous radar stations and anti-aircraft batteries.
Iran learnt a lesson from the 1981 Israeli air strike against neighbouring Iraq’s main nuclear reactor at Osirak. Iran has spread out its facilities over several locations, each with sections built underground. The Isfahan facility and the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz, also central Iran, house the heart of Iran’s nuclear programme.
The Isfahan Conversion Facility, 410 kms south of Tehran, carries out an early stage of the cycle for developing nuclear fuel, turning yellowcake into UF-6 gas, the feedstock for enrichment. In the next stage of the process, which Iran has said it will not resume for the time being, the gas is fed in centrifuges for enrichment. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce nuclear fuel and further enrichment makes it suitable for use in atomic bomb.
The IAEA said it has installed cameras at Isfahan to monitor Iran’s renewed activities at the plant. "This activity was commenced following the installation today by the IAEA of cameras ... but regrettably prior to completion of the testing of the cameras, which normally takes 24 hours following installation," the IAEA said.
Saidi said that work was resuming "stage by stage", starting with the unit that produces ammonium uranyl carbonate, or AUC, a component in the conversion process. The plant will soon start turning yellowcake into UF-4, a preliminary stage before UF-6, the state news agency reported.
The AUC unit had not been sealed by the UN watchdog agency. Within the next two days, IAEA inspectors will remove seals that were put in place on the unit where UF-4 is turned into UF-6, bringing the facility into full operation, Saidi said.
The seals are a voluntary measure, and the IAEA has no choice but to remove them when Iran requests it. Tehran says it is still abiding by IAEA inspections of its sites, so it allowed the installation of surveillance equipment to keep an eye on the process.
Before the suspension of work at the plant, Iran converted some 37 tons of yellowcake into UF-4. Experts say that amount could yield 100 kilograms of weapons-grade uranium, enough to make five crude nuclear weapons.
Saidi said Iran is willing to wait on starting uranium enrichment until a deal is reached with Europe. "We won’t restart work in Natanz for now. We hope we will reach a logical conclusion in talks with Europeans," he said.
The announcement drew a swift response from arch-enemy the United States and the EU. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran is provoking "grave crisis" that requires a united response from the international community. "The international community will react and will decide the response to give," he told AFP. "I hope it will be united in the face of this grave crisis deliberately provoked by Iran."
A US official said Iran’s move was "unfortunate. "We’ve said all along that should Iran break the seals and restart uranium enrichment at Isfahan or anywhere else, we would think an appropriate response would be a referral to the United Nations."
However, Iranian officials emphasised they were not worried about UN action, saying the Islamic republic’s right to the nuclear fuel cycle is enshrined in the NPT. "We are not concerned and are ready for everything," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. He called the threats "not effective. What interests us is cooperation. We advise Europe to withdraw its threats."
"The decision is irreversible even if the (IAEA) board decides tomorrow to send the Iran dossier to the Security Council because (the demand for a suspension) has no legal basis and is contrary to the NPT," Saidi said.
In Vienna, the headquarters of the IAEA, diplomats said the UN atomic agency is likely to hold off on taking Iran to the UN Security Council. "The threat (of referral) is being held for a second meeting," a diplomat close to the agency told AFP.
A second diplomat said the resumption of work at Isfahan had "taken things to a different level. I do not know what the (IAEA) board is going to do on Tuesday because things are moving very fast."
But another diplomat pointed out that Iran has still not cut IAEA surveillance seals at Isfahan and has support from non-aligned nations for peaceful use of nuclear energy. "They’ll find some way to get out of it," the diplomat said about the Iranian tactics.
The IAEA meeting had been postponed from a morning start until mid-afternoon, the agency said in a press statement, in what diplomats described as a sign of intense closed-door negotiations as the EU seeks a resolution that will be strong and have consensus support from the board.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-daily/09-08-2005/main/main2.htm
Iran is 100% right; other countries would do well to follow its lead. You cannot be free without nukes. If Saddam Hussein had had nukes, Iraq qould not be under occupation. If North Korea had no nukes, it might well be under occupation; I am sure that this lesson has not been lost on Iran.
nittie said:
Iran has oil; it cannot be isolated. Even if Europe and America impose economic sanctions on Iran, China and Japan will not happily buy Iranian oil; they will also supply all of Iran's needs. The USA and Europe no longer have a monopoly on anything in the world.
And you may be right, but the facts don't quite support those conclusion.Nzinga said:
Neither Iran or North Korea were invaded, despite the differences both
had with the U.S. <u>PRIOR</u> to either having built facilities which
could produce nuclear weapons. On the other hand, while many thought
(rightfully or wrongfully) Iraq had some nuclear capability, it <u>was</u> invaded.
QueEx
QueEx said:
The facts do support me. North Korea was "invaded", or rather went to war with the USA in 1950. The USA actually did make practise runs to Nuke 26 Chinese cities after China turned the USA invasion of North Korea back. The only thing that deterred the USA from nuking China was the acquisition at about that time of nukes by the USSR. It was feared that the Soviets might nuke the USA if the US nuked China. The USA could not invade North Korea in the 1980s and 1990s as the country was under Chinese nuclear protection. Even now, the USA cannot just walk into North Korea. The nukes of North Korea and China give USA aggression pause for thought.
Iran was a vassal state of the USA till the Ayatollah overthrew the Shah in 1978. At that time, the USA loved Iran. There after, the bipolarity of world politics prevented the USA from invading anyone without the semblance of a just cause. Things changed when the Soviet Union went out existence, and within 2 years the USA had overrun Iraq. The invasion of Iraq in 1991 actually bought Iran sometime; the USA could not just walk into Iran without an excuse. The Iranians did realise that they were next and that is why they are undertaking the massive exercise of acquiring nukes. This is nothing but a race against time; if the US is able to pacify Iraq before Iran acquires nukes, the temptation to invade Iran will grow. As it is, Iran is standing on good ground; the insurgency in Iraq will not end anytime soon, and Iran should finish constructing its nukes shortly
Last edited:
Despite your historical inaccuracies, you actually made the case against you. If North Korea was protected by the Chinese Umbrella, then it wasn't its own acquisition of nuclear weapons that was required as a deterrent. Moreover, Vietnam followed the Korean war and your Chinese Umbrella theory didn't hold true there. I agree, however, with your "Just Cause" deterrence theory which, whether real or imagined, tends to govern most actions.Nzinga said:
Question: Are you convinced that Iran has no intentions of providing nuclear weapons/material to radical Islamists ???
QueEx
you cats need to read an issue of GQ magazine I think it was May's issue...
way before all of this talk about Iran....they said that the Bush administration has been planning this alll along....
way before all of this talk about Iran....they said that the Bush administration has been planning this alll along....
Very good points Nzinga.
This is funny, people still trying to keep folks from having what they had 60 fucking years ago. They would be insane not to arm themselves, as said before look at iraq and north korea, one actually threatened america BUT had nukes the other didnt and ot ran up in.
Nzinga said:
Yes they can be isolated, as the U.S. turns to alternative fuels the middle east countries will be increasingly isolated. Iran needs nuclear weapons to make sure that when that happens they won't be attacked by neighboring countries. I agree China and Japan even India and Pakistan will buy all of Iran's oil but by doing so they play into the U.S's hands because we are moving away from fossil fuels and when we are completely independant of them thats all she wrote for the rest of the world.
QueEx said:Damn. 2080. Hell, I thought you might have meant by next week. We'll see gas prices at a dollar six ninety eight before then.
QueEx
We'll see gas prices at a dollar six ninety eight before then.
You right gas prices will rise to that level that's why Bush put a tax write off for hybrid cars in his energy bill. The questions that worries me is how do Black people fit into this new economy? We already have a 10% unemployment rate if we lost the automotive jobs what would it do to us.
Just heard a radio coment bush made today.
Stupid fuck said he will use force if needed against iran.
And we wonder why muthafuckas want nukes.
Seriously though that korean mofo got to be laughing his ass off.
this muthafucka bush want WW3.
I still am of the mind nobody that can come into power will use nukes UNLESS attacked. Its a no win situation. If pakistan and india aint bomb themelves to shit yet anything is possible.
Stupid fuck said he will use force if needed against iran.
And we wonder why muthafuckas want nukes.
Seriously though that korean mofo got to be laughing his ass off.
this muthafucka bush want WW3.
I still am of the mind nobody that can come into power will use nukes UNLESS attacked. Its a no win situation. If pakistan and india aint bomb themelves to shit yet anything is possible.
gene cisco said:
What would you have Bush do? the Europeans negocations have failed and continue to fail, hes at least got to act tough, bowing down to the Iranians will just give them the upper hand. If the threat of being the next Iraq is on the table maybe they will reconsider their nuclear intentions.
The next iraq? hahahaha Hell 4 muthafucka troops just got blown up by roadside bombs.
WE[/b/] should be worried bout the next iraq type bullshit war.
All countries want is leverage, north korea got nukes and bush called them the axis of evil and they aint done shit and america aint done shit. People just want nukes so america stays off them, bottom line.
Besides bush aint gonna have enough troops 4 iraq, let alone iran, and if we engage another one china is just gonna laugh at us.
WE[/b/] should be worried bout the next iraq type bullshit war.
All countries want is leverage, north korea got nukes and bush called them the axis of evil and they aint done shit and america aint done shit. People just want nukes so america stays off them, bottom line.
Besides bush aint gonna have enough troops 4 iraq, let alone iran, and if we engage another one china is just gonna laugh at us.
Gods_Favorite said:
<font size="5"><center>Britain keeps distance from talk of strike on Iran</font size></center>
Sunday Times - London
Andrew Porter and Tom Walker
August 14, 2005
THE foreign secretary Jack Straw sought to distance Britain yesterday from comments by President George W Bush that he would not rule out a military strike against Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1734191,00.html
.
In a warning to Iran:gene cisco said:
- George W. Bush, August 13, 2005
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1734191,00.html
Now they are saying TEHRAN is supporting the insurgents with its own group that has sophisticated roadside bomb. Just seen it on TV.
Oh, well, since this iraq bullshit aint going right they might as well just up and nuke iran. That will get bush some points from his loyal patriots.
All I know is he better not try this occupy shit again, eiher bomb them to shit or leave them alone. Fuck it, like we aint got enough enemies, whats a few million more.
Oh, well, since this iraq bullshit aint going right they might as well just up and nuke iran. That will get bush some points from his loyal patriots.
All I know is he better not try this occupy shit again, eiher bomb them to shit or leave them alone. Fuck it, like we aint got enough enemies, whats a few million more.
gene cisco said:
Both Iran and Syria have been supporting the insurgents with weapons and letting them use their land to strategize attacks off the record for a while now.
Depleted Iran cabinet begins work after shock vote
Depleted Iran cabinet begins work after shock vote
By Paul Hughes
1 hour, 46 minutes ago
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad convened his depleted team of ministers for their first meeting on Thursday after suffering the ignominy of seeing parliament reject four of his cabinet picks.
Wednesday's no confidence vote for Ahmadinejad's proposed oil, education, cooperatives and welfare ministers marked the first time since a constitutional reform in 1989 that parliament had not endorsed a president's first cabinet in its entirety.
It left the oil policy of OPEC's No. 2 crude exporter in limbo, served a warning to the young, conservative president and could presage power struggles in Iran's conservative camp, which has swept reformists from all positions of power in the last three years, political analysts said.
"This was a real lesson to Ahmadinejad that he has to listen more. It's a setback for him," an analyst who declined to be named said.
"It showed that, although parliament is mostly conservative, there are rifts developing and the moderate, more centrist camp seems to be getting stronger."
Ahmadinejad named caretakers for the cooperatives and social welfare ministries and promised to propose new ministers soon.
"His next picks will have to be more experienced, more moderate figures," said the analyst, noting lawmakers criticized spurned candidates' lack of experience and radical background.
Ahmadinejad took the 17 new ministers to the northeastern city of Mashhad for their first cabinet meeting on Thursday.
OIL MINISTRY SPECULATION
Rejection of close Ahmadinejad ally Ali Saeedlou for the all-important Oil Ministry job prompted many analysts to wonder whether Ahmadinejad would now turn to an industry insider.
Favourites of foreign oil investors such as National Petroleum Company head Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh or Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian could now come back into the reckoning, one analyst said.
But another political analyst said Ahmadinejad was more likely to turn to figures such as Kamal Daneshyar or Hossein Nejabat, conservatives on Iran's parliamentary energy commission who are critical of the Oil Ministry's current policies.
Reformist newspapers noted that the four vetoed ministers were among those considered to be closest to Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guardsman who stormed to victory in June elections promising to tackle poverty and corruption.
"Parliament did not vote for Ahmadinejad's special friends," said the front-page headline of Mardomsalari daily.
It said Oil Ministry nominee Saeedlou and Welfare Ministry pick Mehdi Hashemi were Ahmadinejad's deputies when he was Tehran mayor until June 2005.
Education Ministry nominee Ali Akbar Ashari had been editor-in-chief of the Tehran municipality-owned Hamshahri newspaper and proposed Cooperatives Minister Ali Ahmadi was a contractor with close ties to the municipality, it said.
In letters to the four vetoed nominees, Ahmadinejad expressed regret that they would not be able to "use your strength and commitment to clear the dust of sorrow from the face of our nation," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Close ally Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi scraped in with one vote to spare to secure the Science and Technology Ministry post.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050825...11Z.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Depleted Iran cabinet begins work after shock vote
By Paul Hughes
1 hour, 46 minutes ago
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad convened his depleted team of ministers for their first meeting on Thursday after suffering the ignominy of seeing parliament reject four of his cabinet picks.
Wednesday's no confidence vote for Ahmadinejad's proposed oil, education, cooperatives and welfare ministers marked the first time since a constitutional reform in 1989 that parliament had not endorsed a president's first cabinet in its entirety.
It left the oil policy of OPEC's No. 2 crude exporter in limbo, served a warning to the young, conservative president and could presage power struggles in Iran's conservative camp, which has swept reformists from all positions of power in the last three years, political analysts said.
"This was a real lesson to Ahmadinejad that he has to listen more. It's a setback for him," an analyst who declined to be named said.
"It showed that, although parliament is mostly conservative, there are rifts developing and the moderate, more centrist camp seems to be getting stronger."
Ahmadinejad named caretakers for the cooperatives and social welfare ministries and promised to propose new ministers soon.
"His next picks will have to be more experienced, more moderate figures," said the analyst, noting lawmakers criticized spurned candidates' lack of experience and radical background.
Ahmadinejad took the 17 new ministers to the northeastern city of Mashhad for their first cabinet meeting on Thursday.
OIL MINISTRY SPECULATION
Rejection of close Ahmadinejad ally Ali Saeedlou for the all-important Oil Ministry job prompted many analysts to wonder whether Ahmadinejad would now turn to an industry insider.
Favourites of foreign oil investors such as National Petroleum Company head Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh or Deputy Oil Minister Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian could now come back into the reckoning, one analyst said.
But another political analyst said Ahmadinejad was more likely to turn to figures such as Kamal Daneshyar or Hossein Nejabat, conservatives on Iran's parliamentary energy commission who are critical of the Oil Ministry's current policies.
Reformist newspapers noted that the four vetoed ministers were among those considered to be closest to Ahmadinejad, a former Revolutionary Guardsman who stormed to victory in June elections promising to tackle poverty and corruption.
"Parliament did not vote for Ahmadinejad's special friends," said the front-page headline of Mardomsalari daily.
It said Oil Ministry nominee Saeedlou and Welfare Ministry pick Mehdi Hashemi were Ahmadinejad's deputies when he was Tehran mayor until June 2005.
Education Ministry nominee Ali Akbar Ashari had been editor-in-chief of the Tehran municipality-owned Hamshahri newspaper and proposed Cooperatives Minister Ali Ahmadi was a contractor with close ties to the municipality, it said.
In letters to the four vetoed nominees, Ahmadinejad expressed regret that they would not be able to "use your strength and commitment to clear the dust of sorrow from the face of our nation," the official IRNA news agency reported.
Close ally Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi scraped in with one vote to spare to secure the Science and Technology Ministry post.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050825...11Z.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Re: Depleted Iran cabinet begins work after shock vote
OPIONION l
<font size="6"><center>Why Iran is not a global threat </font size></center>
Gulf News
By Ray Takeyh
October 2, 2005
The recent vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency branding Iran in breach of its nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) commitments has given impetus to the United States to call for the deferral of Iran to the UN Security Council.
Tehran is adamant that it wants nuclear power for generating electricity.
Yet, Washington policy-makers and their European counterparts subtly argue that Iran's previous treaty violations indicate a more sinister motive to subvert its neighbours and export its Islamic revolution. Such alarmism overlooks Iran's realities.
In the past decade, a fundamental shift in Iran's international orientation has enshrined national interest calculations as the defining factor in its approach to the world.
Irrespective of the balance of power between conservatives and reformers, Iran's foreign policy is driven by fixed principles that are shared by all of its political elites.
The intense factional struggles that have plagued the clerical state during the past decade obscure the emergence of a consensus foreign policy.
Under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a loose coalition emerged around the notion that Iran cannot remain isolated in the global order.
By cultivating favourable relations with key international actors such as China, Russia and the European Union, Tehran has sought to craft its own "coalition of willing" and prevent the US from multi-lateralising its coercive approach to Iran.
Although the Islamic Republic continues its inflammatory support for militant organisations battling Israel and is pressing ahead with its nuclear programme, its foreign policy is no longer that of a revolutionary state. This perspective will survive Iran's latest leadership transition.
The demographic complexion of the regime's rulers is changing. As Iran's revolution matures and those politicians who were present at the creation of the Islamic Republic gradually recede from the scene, a more austere and dogmatic generation is beginning to take over the reins of power.
Egalitarian policies
In response to Iran's manifold problems, newly elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet frequently criticise their elders' passivity in imposing Islamic strictures and for the rampant corruption that has engulfed the state.
They are determined to reverse the social and cultural freedoms of the reformist period and to institute egalitarian economic policies.
On foreign policy issues, however, the new president has stayed well within the parameters of Iran's prevailing international policy.
In his August address to the parliament, Ahmadinejad echoed the existing consensus, noting the importance of constructive relations with "the Islamic world, the Gulf region, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia, the Pacific area, and Europe".
Moreover, the most important voice on foreign policy matters, recently appointed head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has reiterated these same themes.
Although the assertive nationalists who have taken command of Iran's executive branch have dispensed with their predecessor's "dialogue of civilisations" rhetoric, and display a marked indifference to reestablishment of relations with America, they are loath to jeopardise the successful multilateral detente that was the singular achievement of the reformist era.
All this is not to suggest that the current negotiations between Iran and the EU-3 (France, Britain and Germany) designed to resolve the nuclear stalemate will resume. More than two years of talks have failed to bridge the essential differences.
Iran continues to assert its right under the NPT to enrich uranium and has accepted an intrusive inspection regime, while the Europeans insist that Iran must atone for its previous treaty violations by permanently suspending such activities.
Worrisome convergence
Ultimately, it appears impossible to reconcile these positions. It is important to note, however, that the divergence between the European and Iranian perspective predated the rise of Ahmadinejad.
This highlights a worrisome convergence in Iranian political thought over the past two years: Somehow as a result of misguided nationalism or a genuine sense of necessity mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle has become a sine qua non of modern Iranian politics.
Its nuclear ambitions will continue to irritate the international community, but the days when Iran wantonly sought to undermine established authority in the name of Islamic salvation are over.
Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's disciples have long abandoned the mission of exporting the revolution, supplanting it with conventional measures of the national interest.
Despite the chorus of concern, Iran's new president has demonstrated no interest in substantially altering the contours of Iran's international policy nor has the country's ultimate authority, the Supreme Leader.
To be sure, the new president's well-honed reactionary instincts will be felt by his hapless constituents as he proceeds to restrict their political and social prerogatives.
But the notion that Iran's foreign policy is entering a new radical state is yet another misreading of the Islamic Republic and its many paradoxes.
Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and is currently completing a book on Iran's foreign policy.
The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/OpinionNF.asp?ArticleID=184766
OPIONION l
<font size="6"><center>Why Iran is not a global threat </font size></center>
Gulf News
By Ray Takeyh
October 2, 2005
The recent vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency branding Iran in breach of its nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) commitments has given impetus to the United States to call for the deferral of Iran to the UN Security Council.
Tehran is adamant that it wants nuclear power for generating electricity.
Yet, Washington policy-makers and their European counterparts subtly argue that Iran's previous treaty violations indicate a more sinister motive to subvert its neighbours and export its Islamic revolution. Such alarmism overlooks Iran's realities.
In the past decade, a fundamental shift in Iran's international orientation has enshrined national interest calculations as the defining factor in its approach to the world.
Irrespective of the balance of power between conservatives and reformers, Iran's foreign policy is driven by fixed principles that are shared by all of its political elites.
The intense factional struggles that have plagued the clerical state during the past decade obscure the emergence of a consensus foreign policy.
Under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a loose coalition emerged around the notion that Iran cannot remain isolated in the global order.
By cultivating favourable relations with key international actors such as China, Russia and the European Union, Tehran has sought to craft its own "coalition of willing" and prevent the US from multi-lateralising its coercive approach to Iran.
Although the Islamic Republic continues its inflammatory support for militant organisations battling Israel and is pressing ahead with its nuclear programme, its foreign policy is no longer that of a revolutionary state. This perspective will survive Iran's latest leadership transition.
The demographic complexion of the regime's rulers is changing. As Iran's revolution matures and those politicians who were present at the creation of the Islamic Republic gradually recede from the scene, a more austere and dogmatic generation is beginning to take over the reins of power.
Egalitarian policies
In response to Iran's manifold problems, newly elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet frequently criticise their elders' passivity in imposing Islamic strictures and for the rampant corruption that has engulfed the state.
They are determined to reverse the social and cultural freedoms of the reformist period and to institute egalitarian economic policies.
On foreign policy issues, however, the new president has stayed well within the parameters of Iran's prevailing international policy.
In his August address to the parliament, Ahmadinejad echoed the existing consensus, noting the importance of constructive relations with "the Islamic world, the Gulf region, the Caspian Sea region, Central Asia, the Pacific area, and Europe".
Moreover, the most important voice on foreign policy matters, recently appointed head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, has reiterated these same themes.
Although the assertive nationalists who have taken command of Iran's executive branch have dispensed with their predecessor's "dialogue of civilisations" rhetoric, and display a marked indifference to reestablishment of relations with America, they are loath to jeopardise the successful multilateral detente that was the singular achievement of the reformist era.
All this is not to suggest that the current negotiations between Iran and the EU-3 (France, Britain and Germany) designed to resolve the nuclear stalemate will resume. More than two years of talks have failed to bridge the essential differences.
Iran continues to assert its right under the NPT to enrich uranium and has accepted an intrusive inspection regime, while the Europeans insist that Iran must atone for its previous treaty violations by permanently suspending such activities.
Worrisome convergence
Ultimately, it appears impossible to reconcile these positions. It is important to note, however, that the divergence between the European and Iranian perspective predated the rise of Ahmadinejad.
This highlights a worrisome convergence in Iranian political thought over the past two years: Somehow as a result of misguided nationalism or a genuine sense of necessity mastery of the nuclear fuel cycle has become a sine qua non of modern Iranian politics.
Its nuclear ambitions will continue to irritate the international community, but the days when Iran wantonly sought to undermine established authority in the name of Islamic salvation are over.
Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's disciples have long abandoned the mission of exporting the revolution, supplanting it with conventional measures of the national interest.
Despite the chorus of concern, Iran's new president has demonstrated no interest in substantially altering the contours of Iran's international policy nor has the country's ultimate authority, the Supreme Leader.
To be sure, the new president's well-honed reactionary instincts will be felt by his hapless constituents as he proceeds to restrict their political and social prerogatives.
But the notion that Iran's foreign policy is entering a new radical state is yet another misreading of the Islamic Republic and its many paradoxes.
Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and is currently completing a book on Iran's foreign policy.
The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/OpinionNF.asp?ArticleID=184766
Iran lets senior al Qaeda suspects roam free: report
Iran lets senior al Qaeda suspects roam free: report
Wed Oct 26,10:58 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran is permitting around 25 high-ranking al Qaeda members to roam free in the country's capital, including three sons of Osama bin Laden, a German monthly magazine reported on Wednesday.
Citing information from unnamed Western intelligence sources, the magazine Cicero said in a preview of an article appearing in its November edition that the individuals in question are from Egypt, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Europe.
They are living in houses belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the report said.
"This is not incarceration or house arrest," a Western intelligence agent was quoted as saying. "They can move around as they please."
The three sons of Osama bin Laden in Iran are Saeed, Mohammad and Othman, Cicero reported. Another person enjoying the support of the Revolutionary Guards is al Qaeda spokesman Abu Ghaib, the report said.
Iran first said late last year that it had arrested and would try a number of foreigners suspected of having links to al Qaeda, a loose network of military groups that Washington blames for the attacks of September 11, 2001 and bomb attacks in Spain, Indonesia, Egypt and elsewhere.
The report in Cicero also accused the Revolutionary Guards' secret service of offering logistical support and military training to senior al Qaeda leaders.
Iran has repeatedly denied any link to or support of al Qaeda.
Britain and the United States suspect Iran of supporting insurgents in Iraq, a charge Tehran has vehemently denied.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051026...UtZ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Iran lets senior al Qaeda suspects roam free: report
Wed Oct 26,10:58 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - Iran is permitting around 25 high-ranking al Qaeda members to roam free in the country's capital, including three sons of Osama bin Laden, a German monthly magazine reported on Wednesday.
Citing information from unnamed Western intelligence sources, the magazine Cicero said in a preview of an article appearing in its November edition that the individuals in question are from Egypt, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and Europe.
They are living in houses belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the report said.
"This is not incarceration or house arrest," a Western intelligence agent was quoted as saying. "They can move around as they please."
The three sons of Osama bin Laden in Iran are Saeed, Mohammad and Othman, Cicero reported. Another person enjoying the support of the Revolutionary Guards is al Qaeda spokesman Abu Ghaib, the report said.
Iran first said late last year that it had arrested and would try a number of foreigners suspected of having links to al Qaeda, a loose network of military groups that Washington blames for the attacks of September 11, 2001 and bomb attacks in Spain, Indonesia, Egypt and elsewhere.
The report in Cicero also accused the Revolutionary Guards' secret service of offering logistical support and military training to senior al Qaeda leaders.
Iran has repeatedly denied any link to or support of al Qaeda.
Britain and the United States suspect Iran of supporting insurgents in Iraq, a charge Tehran has vehemently denied.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051026...UtZ.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Re: Iran lets senior al Qaeda suspects roam free: report
Iran Leader Calls for Israel's Destruction
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 46 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Wednesday that
Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" — fiery words that Washington said underscores its concern over
Iran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's speech to thousands of students at a "World without Zionism" conference set a hard-line foreign policy course sharply at odds with that of his moderate predecessor, echoing the sentiments of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.
The United States said Ahmadinejad's remarks show that Washington's fears about Iran's nuclear program are accurate.
"I think it reconfirms what we have been saying about the regime in Iran," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington. "It underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear intentions."
Ahmadinejad also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to break new ground in their relations with Israel. "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury," state-run television quoted him as saying.
Relations between Israel and several Persian Gulf states have been thawing amid Israel's withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip in September. Bahrain announced in September it was ending a decades-old law banning trade ties with Israel. In October, Qatar said it was donating $6 million to help build a soccer stadium for a mixed Arab-Jewish team, the first such financial assistance by an Arab state for any town inside Israel.
Israel has been at the forefront of nations calling for an end to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and many others in the West say is aimed at acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Iran insists the program is for generating electricity.
Referring to Palestinian suicide bomb attacks in Israel, Ahmadinejad said: "there is no doubt that the new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world."
Ahmadinejad's speech came hours before a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the Israeli town of Hadera, killing five people. Iran aids several militant Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with support and training through proxies among Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Ahmadinejad has clearly declared the doctrine of his government," said Mohammad Sadeq Hosseini, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. "He is returning Iran to the revolutionary goals it was pursuing in the 1980s."
Reacting to the Iranian president's speech, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Ahmadinejad and Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar "speak openly about destroying the Jewish state ... and it appears the problem with these extremists is that they followed through on their violent declarations with violent actions."
Ebrahim Yazdi, a former Iranian foreign minister, said Ahmadinejad's remarks harmed Iran.
"Such comments provoke the international community against us. It's not to Iran's interests at all. It's harmful to Iran to make such a statement," he said.
In Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos summoned Iran's ambassador to protest Ahmadinejad's comments. Moratinos said he rejected the remarks in the strongest possible terms.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Mattei also condemned the remarks "with the utmost firmness."
Ahmadinejad became president in August after winning elections two months earlier. He replaced
Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who advocated international dialogue and tried to improve relations with the West.
Iran announced earlier this year that it had fully developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major breakthrough that increases their accuracy. The Shahab-3, with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Iran Leader Calls for Israel's Destruction
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 46 minutes ago
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Wednesday that
Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" — fiery words that Washington said underscores its concern over
Iran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's speech to thousands of students at a "World without Zionism" conference set a hard-line foreign policy course sharply at odds with that of his moderate predecessor, echoing the sentiments of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.
The United States said Ahmadinejad's remarks show that Washington's fears about Iran's nuclear program are accurate.
"I think it reconfirms what we have been saying about the regime in Iran," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington. "It underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear intentions."
Ahmadinejad also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to break new ground in their relations with Israel. "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury," state-run television quoted him as saying.
Relations between Israel and several Persian Gulf states have been thawing amid Israel's withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip in September. Bahrain announced in September it was ending a decades-old law banning trade ties with Israel. In October, Qatar said it was donating $6 million to help build a soccer stadium for a mixed Arab-Jewish team, the first such financial assistance by an Arab state for any town inside Israel.
Israel has been at the forefront of nations calling for an end to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and many others in the West say is aimed at acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Iran insists the program is for generating electricity.
Referring to Palestinian suicide bomb attacks in Israel, Ahmadinejad said: "there is no doubt that the new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world."
Ahmadinejad's speech came hours before a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the Israeli town of Hadera, killing five people. Iran aids several militant Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with support and training through proxies among Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Ahmadinejad has clearly declared the doctrine of his government," said Mohammad Sadeq Hosseini, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. "He is returning Iran to the revolutionary goals it was pursuing in the 1980s."
Reacting to the Iranian president's speech, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Ahmadinejad and Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar "speak openly about destroying the Jewish state ... and it appears the problem with these extremists is that they followed through on their violent declarations with violent actions."
Ebrahim Yazdi, a former Iranian foreign minister, said Ahmadinejad's remarks harmed Iran.
"Such comments provoke the international community against us. It's not to Iran's interests at all. It's harmful to Iran to make such a statement," he said.
In Madrid, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos summoned Iran's ambassador to protest Ahmadinejad's comments. Moratinos said he rejected the remarks in the strongest possible terms.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Mattei also condemned the remarks "with the utmost firmness."
Ahmadinejad became president in August after winning elections two months earlier. He replaced
Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who advocated international dialogue and tried to improve relations with the West.
Iran announced earlier this year that it had fully developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major breakthrough that increases their accuracy. The Shahab-3, with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Iran Film Ban Attempts to Curtail Freedoms
Iran Film Ban Attempts to Curtail Freedoms
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 27, 4:05 AM ET
TEHRAN, Iran - There won't be any liquor-swilling God-denyers on the Iranian silver screen any time soon. Drug takers, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists are out, too.
That's what a committee of Islamic clerics, led by new hard-line President Ahmadinejad, ruled earlier this week when it banned foreign films. The clerics singled out in the ban elements of Western culture that were judged as affronts to the government's vision of Iran's Muslim culture.
With the decision, Iranians felt one of the first cultural reversals of the opening to the outside world they enjoyed under their former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
And the ban, designed to wipe out what clerics call "corrupt Western culture," is not going down well with many in Iran.
"It's not right to fight other cultures. Imposing censorship is not the logical way to resist Western culture, at any rate," said Ali Reza Raisian, head of the Iranian film directors association. "If Westerners were to treat us the same way, we also would not be able to reach them through film with our messages and way of thinking."
The ban aims to distance the Persian state from the open cultural policies undertaken by Khatami that encouraged cultural coexistence and dialogue among civilizations. But many experts and officials say the ban will only cause Iranians to turn to the black market for western video tapes or to foreign satellite television broadcasts.
The Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council said the banned films "damage and humiliate eastern traditions and culture" and promote "arrogant powers," a propaganda term Iran's government uses to describe the United States. The move follows on the Ahmadinejad campaign promise to promote Islamic culture and confront what he called the Western cultural invasion.
Raisian said the ban would have little effect on cinemas where few Western films play, but it could dramatically change television, where all channels are controlled by the state and overseen by religious hard-liners.
State-run television had shown foreign films after censoring many scenes deemed immoral or offensive. Films considered hostile to the Islamic values preached by the ruling establishment were already banned altogether.
"This new ban appears to be part of a campaign to push Iran back to the 1980s and to impose the same restrictions that were only just eased under Khatami. But it will be impossible to take Iran back to '80s again," said political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.
Under Khatami, Iran's 70 million people, of which more than half are under 30, enjoyed many social and political freedoms and were exposed to Western popular culture through satellite television. The dishes are officially banned but tolerated by authorities. Many residents in Tehran hide them under tarps or disguise them as air conditioning units.
Western music, films and clothing are widely available in Iran, and hip-hop tunes can be heard on Tehran's streets, blaring from car speakers or from music shops. Bootleg videos and DVDs of films banned by the state are widely available in the black market.
"A policy of censorship never works. Hard-liners don't understand that they can't tell the people what to watch and what not to watch," said cinema fan Hasan Jamali.
The clerical council has not said what a film must contain to be ruled as promoting secularism or liberalism, meaning decisions will be made on an ad hoc basis.
"It's a useless decision. It gives a sword to people to act based on their personal interpretations," said Ahmad Pournejati, a former member of the council.
Pournejati said terms of the ban were so vague that they may apply to any Western film. Members of the council could not be reached for comment. They are hand-picked by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.
Pournejati said the ban won't prevent the spread of Western liberalism and undermines what Khatami did to promote tolerance and understanding among different cultures.
Khatami's policy of tolerance and dialogue among civilizations opened Iran to cultural exchanges with the outside world, even allowing Western plays to return to the Iranian stage.
In 2003, plays by William Shakespeare returned to an Iranian stage for the first time in 25 years. They were modified to suit conservative Iranian tastes. Embraces between male and female members omitted from performances, for example.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027...dVI2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
Iran Film Ban Attempts to Curtail Freedoms
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
Thu Oct 27, 4:05 AM ET
TEHRAN, Iran - There won't be any liquor-swilling God-denyers on the Iranian silver screen any time soon. Drug takers, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists are out, too.
That's what a committee of Islamic clerics, led by new hard-line President Ahmadinejad, ruled earlier this week when it banned foreign films. The clerics singled out in the ban elements of Western culture that were judged as affronts to the government's vision of Iran's Muslim culture.
With the decision, Iranians felt one of the first cultural reversals of the opening to the outside world they enjoyed under their former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
And the ban, designed to wipe out what clerics call "corrupt Western culture," is not going down well with many in Iran.
"It's not right to fight other cultures. Imposing censorship is not the logical way to resist Western culture, at any rate," said Ali Reza Raisian, head of the Iranian film directors association. "If Westerners were to treat us the same way, we also would not be able to reach them through film with our messages and way of thinking."
The ban aims to distance the Persian state from the open cultural policies undertaken by Khatami that encouraged cultural coexistence and dialogue among civilizations. But many experts and officials say the ban will only cause Iranians to turn to the black market for western video tapes or to foreign satellite television broadcasts.
The Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council said the banned films "damage and humiliate eastern traditions and culture" and promote "arrogant powers," a propaganda term Iran's government uses to describe the United States. The move follows on the Ahmadinejad campaign promise to promote Islamic culture and confront what he called the Western cultural invasion.
Raisian said the ban would have little effect on cinemas where few Western films play, but it could dramatically change television, where all channels are controlled by the state and overseen by religious hard-liners.
State-run television had shown foreign films after censoring many scenes deemed immoral or offensive. Films considered hostile to the Islamic values preached by the ruling establishment were already banned altogether.
"This new ban appears to be part of a campaign to push Iran back to the 1980s and to impose the same restrictions that were only just eased under Khatami. But it will be impossible to take Iran back to '80s again," said political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand.
Under Khatami, Iran's 70 million people, of which more than half are under 30, enjoyed many social and political freedoms and were exposed to Western popular culture through satellite television. The dishes are officially banned but tolerated by authorities. Many residents in Tehran hide them under tarps or disguise them as air conditioning units.
Western music, films and clothing are widely available in Iran, and hip-hop tunes can be heard on Tehran's streets, blaring from car speakers or from music shops. Bootleg videos and DVDs of films banned by the state are widely available in the black market.
"A policy of censorship never works. Hard-liners don't understand that they can't tell the people what to watch and what not to watch," said cinema fan Hasan Jamali.
The clerical council has not said what a film must contain to be ruled as promoting secularism or liberalism, meaning decisions will be made on an ad hoc basis.
"It's a useless decision. It gives a sword to people to act based on their personal interpretations," said Ahmad Pournejati, a former member of the council.
Pournejati said terms of the ban were so vague that they may apply to any Western film. Members of the council could not be reached for comment. They are hand-picked by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.
Pournejati said the ban won't prevent the spread of Western liberalism and undermines what Khatami did to promote tolerance and understanding among different cultures.
Khatami's policy of tolerance and dialogue among civilizations opened Iran to cultural exchanges with the outside world, even allowing Western plays to return to the Iranian stage.
In 2003, plays by William Shakespeare returned to an Iranian stage for the first time in 25 years. They were modified to suit conservative Iranian tastes. Embraces between male and female members omitted from performances, for example.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027...dVI2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
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