Week in Review

DoctorZin provides a review of this past week's [6/12-6/18] major news events regarding Iran.

Iran's Presidential Elections:

Sunday

• Yahoo News reported the United States dismissed the upcoming Iran's presidential election as rigged and exhorting the Iranian people to rise up for democratic reform. HRW agreed as did the Times UK.
• Yahoo News reported that the relationship with Khamenei could be tricky for next Iran president.
• Reuters reported leading candidates in Iran's presidential election race pledged greater social freedoms.
• Reuters reported that Iran's interior minister asked security agencies to protect campaigners in Friday's presidential election.
• Times Leader reported in Iran, presidential hopefuls talk of restoring relations with U.S.

Monday

• Tehran Times reports that Iran warned U.S. officials to speak with caution on the upcoming presidential election in Iran.
• Reuters reported that Rafsanjani newest campaign ad angles for Iran youth vote.
• USA Today reported on how the Internet boom in Iran is altering the political process.
• Students inside of Iran told me that Rafsanjani is paying students $200 to place posters of him on their cars and drive through the city.

Tuesday

• The New York Times reported the reformist camp finds was facing a fork in the road: to vote or to boycott the ballot.
• The Christian Science Monitor reports that many Iranians said they would boycott the vote to delegitimize the result.
• Iranian blogger Jafar Rezaei explained why he would not vote in Friday's election.

Wednesday

• CNN played a dangerous game of softball with Rafsanjani. They failed to ask hard questions.
• Sify.com reported that Rafsanjani won the support from the oil and nuclear sectors.

Thursday

• The White House released a statement by the President Bush on the Iranian Elections.
• Ayatollah Medhi Haeri, WSJ says the election in Iran is a betrayal of Islam.
• The Jerusalem Post is calling Iran's election a sham.
• Kenneth R. Timmerman reported that the election turnout was expected to be around 27%.
  
• Michael Ledeen said the coming Iranian election is a farce.
• Defense & Foreign Affairs provided a special analysis of the 2005 elections in Iran, June 17th.
• Iran Focus reported that Mohsen Rezai Iran'’s ex-Revolutionary Guards chief abandoned the race.
• Iran Focus reported that Rafsanjani'’s publicity stunt turned into a flop.
• Iranian Blogger Windseed provided an election update.
• Iranian Blogger Mr. Behi on the election eve.
  
• Iranian Blogger Wishmeluck on the night before the election.
• Iranian Blogger Arash Jalali said To vote or not to vote, that seems to be the question.
• Iranian Blogger Hoder discussed Iran's Unreliable polls.

Friday

• The western media reported large turnout in the election in Iran . What is wrong with these reports? A lot! (Plus Photos)
• VOA News says no matter who is elected, major changes are not expected because hard-line religious leaders will continue to rule the country with an iron hand.
• The NY Times reported an unusual campaign season for Iran wound down Thursday and was also marred by extraordinary violence.

Saturday

• Reuters first reported that Rafsanjani was heading for a run-off vote against reformist Mostafa Moin. Then the government gave out new poll results.
• Reuters updated it's report saying, Rafsanjani now faces a run-off with his closest rival, hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
• BBC Monitoring Service reported Iranian Candidate Speaks Of 'Organized Interference' in Elections.
  

• Iranian blogger: Iran Votes 2005 from what I have seen in Tehran and the news I have got from people elsewhere, it can be said that yesterday turn out was much lower than the 1997 election, and thus the real number seems to be much lower than the alleged 30 million.
• The Scotsman reported that low turnouts at some polling stations suggesting that calls for a boycott by pro-reformers had had some effect.
• An Iranian Student produced this translated compilation of online Iranian comments on the election.

Iranians vote in the US:

• We published a list of locations in the U.S. where Iranians can go to vote in the June 17th election.
  
• SMCCDI reported protest letters were faxed today, by the Movement, to several Hotel corporations in the U.S. following the use of several of their facilities as propaganda platforms by operatives of the Islamic regime.
• SMCCDI made a call for urgent action to shutdown Iranian polling places outside of Iran.
• SOSIRAN released a report on an altercation at the LA polling place.
• Bloggers produced personal counts of visiting Iranians polling stations in the US.

Iran a week rocked by explosions:

• The first explosions occurred in Ahvaz killing 8 and wounding 36. The regime blamed U.S. terrorists, and later said a new group calling itself the Ahwazi Revolutionary Martyrs' Brigades, claimed responsibility and demanded people boycott the election. Then Tehran was rocked with 3 explosions with 1 dead and 3 wounded. Already an Iran analyst and an Iranian blogger believe it was the work of the regime.
• NY Times discovered that similar bombings to those exploded in Tehran occured in Qom last week, but were the work of hardline vigilantes.
• NY Sun reported that the bombings in Iran could prove to be the work of the regime.
• The Financial Times reported that the bombs in Iran threaten to sway Iranian agenda.
• Iranian blogger, Windsteed, reported his thoughts on who was behind the recent bomb blasts.
• Iran Focus reported that Iran presidential candidate Moin hints at bombings are a “insider job.”
• Xinhuanet reported a bomb exploded in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan, Iran.

Iran's trouble making outside of Iran:

• The Washington Times reported that some within the U.S. intelligence community think Osama bin Laden is in eastern Iran.

Iran's nuclear negotiations:

• The Telegraph UK reported that North Korea is helping Iran dig secret missile bunkers.
• Reuters reported that ElBaradei was reappointed head of UN nuclear agency.
• The New York Times reported that the UN's ElBaradei demanded access to an Iranian Military Site.
• The Washington Times claimed years ago, after the German federal intelligence service BND warned ElBaradei that Iran was gaining knowledge of the nuclear fuel cycle "that can be used to build nuclear weapons." Mr. ElBaradei responded by ordering his press spokesman to deny the existence of the information.
• The New York Times reported that Iran has admitted to experimenting with producing plutonium, much more recently than originally told the U.N.
• Times Online points out the dangers of a Rafsanji President and that few Iranians want an Iranian nuclear bomb. They fear that the possession of a nuclear bomb would entrench the hardline regime.
• IranMania reported that UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Mohamed Elbaradei said, "Iran's nuclear dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be closed once all remaining questions would be promptly answered."
• The Scotsman reported that Rafsanjani admitted that Iran may in the past have deceived the IAEA and the West.

Iran's Economy:

• The Financial Times reported that Iran is expected to sell India a significantly smaller-than-expected amount of liquefied natural gas than India wants.
• The Associated Press reported the Securities and Exchange Commission has sent letters to U.S. companies requesting they disclose any business dealings with terror-supporting states.
• VOA News reported that two members of Congress want to ban gasoline shipments to Iran.
• The Financial Express said the US cautioned India that it would be making a mistake if it went ahead with the gas pipeline project with Iran.

US Policy and Iran:

• The White House released a statement by the President Bush on the Iranian Elections.
• Reuters reported the United States accused Tehran of deceiving the U.N. nuclear watchdog about its atomic ambitions.

Human Rights/Freedom of the press inside of Iran:

• The NY Times reported, Hundreds of Women Protest Sex Discrimination in Iran. For the first time since the revolution, a coalition of 30+ Women's rights groups inside of Iran staged a demonstration in Tehran. Photos.
• SMCCDI reported on the successful gender apartheid demonstration at Tehran University.
  

• Payvand reported that the "Union of Advocates of Democracy" gathered in front of Evin prison calling for an end to detention of lawyer Nasser Zarafshan.
• Reuters reported that Police on Wednesday broke up a protest outside Tehran's Evin prison by more than 100 people demanding the release of all political prisoners.
• Reuters reported that a group of leading international human rights organizations said the Iranian judiciary should immediately release prisoners of conscience, particularly those in urgent need of medical treatment.
• Shirin Ebadi Muhammad Sahimi, WSJ said, Turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, when the vast majority of Iranians desire mutually respectful relations with the West, would only increase their suspicion of the West's underlying motives.
• Adnkronos International reported that Iranian police have manhandled the wife and brother of jailed journalist and dissident, Akbar Ganji, during the ninth straight day of protest in front of the notorious Evin prison

• Iran Focus reported that State Security Forces destroyed numerous homes in northeast Iran as part of a new campaign to silence dissent. Photo.
• Committee to Protect Bloggers pleads for help for an Iranian blogger faces court date with no legal representation.

Popular struggle for freedom inside of Iran:

• SMCCDI violent clashes rocked, yesterday evening, several areas of the Iranian Capital.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that some 300 Iranian Kurds celebrating the election of their leader to office in Iraq clashed with police in northwestern Iran.
• The Financial Times reported that exiled Iranian opposition activists say they are studying and training in the techniques of "non-violent conflict."

Popular struggle for freedom outside of Iran:

• The major Iranian opposition broadcasters in a unique display of unity in broadcasting the same feed into Iran calling for a boycott of the elections tomorrow.
• Iran va Jahan reported that four young Iranians in London staged a hunger strike in front of the Islamic Republic Embassy, includes the text of their brochure.

• Ekbatan Observer Blog reported on his recent meeting with Reza Pahlavi.
• Ekbatan Observer reported that the former Shah's wife sent a message of solidarity to the Iranian people.
• CNN and the son of the former Shah, Reza Pahlavi, discuss the Iranian election. Video.
• Iran-Shahr Blog published an interview with Reza Pahlavi: The Regime is Archaic.

• The Guardian reported that four terrorist suspects arrested in north London are believed to be linked to a dissident group plotting against the Iranian government.

Sean Penn in Iran:

• Iranian blogger Afshin Molavi offered his opinion on Sean Penn in Iran.
• Iranian blogger Hoder wanted to meet him.
• Reuters reported that actor Sean Penn quizzed Rafsanjani.
• Editorial & Publisher reported that actor Sean Penn had his video camera confiscated for a time.
• Reuters reported that actor Sean Penn told a film student during a visit to Iran's Film Museum in Tehran Monday that the "Death to America" slogan chanted each week at Friday Prayers hurt Iran-U.S. relations.
• Stephen Schwartz worked as a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle for exactly ten years and looks at the Chronicles decision to send Sean Penn to Iran.
• Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi reported on Sean Penn in Iran. Valuable insight into the thinking of the far left on Iran.

Must Read reports:

• Christopher Hitchens takes a looks at Mind over Mullahs.
• Trita Parsi in a Part One Debate: Opinon - Sean Penn and the Neocons.
• Eli Lake in a Part Two Debate: Opinion - Anti-neocon rhetoric versus reality.
• The New York Times had an analysis why Rafsanjani is not our man in Iran.
• Boston.com reminds us of the French philosopher Michel Foucault and the Ayatollah Khomeini.

The Experts:

• Michael Ledeen said the coming Iranian election is a farce.
• Ken Timmerman's new book on Iran, Countdown to Crisis was released this week. The book will include more than forty pages of previously unpublished documents and photographs.
• Congressman Curt Weldon's new book on Iran is creating quite a stir. The media is reporting his claim on Meet the Press that Osama bin Laden 'in and out' of Iran in recent years. Dan Darling has a fascinating discussion on this. Michael Ledeen and Eli Lake weigh in.
• Gene Sharp, author of some of the finest work on non-violent regime change methodology is being forced to close his Albert Einstein Institution due to lack of funding.

Photos and cartoons of the week:

• Iran before the coming election
• Akbar Ganji returning to Evin Prison
• Women's Rights demonstration in Tehran
• Women protesting against gender apartheid.
• Women being arrested at the event.
• Cox and Forkum cartoon of Sean Penn.
• A demonstration in front of the infamous Evin Prison
• Iran moving to the right
• Another cartoon from Iran.
• Sean Penn, Iran next president?
• Torn election posters in Iran.

And finally, The Quote of the Week:

BBC Monitoring Service, Monsters and Critics. Excerpt from statement issued by reformist candidate Mostafa Mo'in, after the election results:

"Today, anyone can clearly see the effect of this organized interference on the election results. I declare that what happened was an extra-legal move to deprive one candidate of his right and to pull up another candidate.I declare that with this move, the warning bell has sounded for our fledgling democracy."