Iran’s Pride vs America’s Pride

Iranian blogger, Mehdrad Sheibani, Rooz Online:

Ever since last Monday when the debate over Iran’s nuclear policy was on the IAEA table in Vienna, the event dominated world news and was the focus of events in Iran, even at Tehran’s Friday prayers. Mohammad Emami Kashani, a regular Friday prayer leader at Tehran University, spoke of what the two countries confronting each other, i.e. Iran and the United States, take pride in. “We take pride in using nuclear energy, you in Abu Garaib prison in Iraq and the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima in Japan.” He then turned his attention to the UK, whose representative read out the resolution to the board of governors at the IAEA. He called Britain the “old enemy”.

While ILNA labor news agency wrote of self-organized demonstrations outside the British embassy in Tehran after the resolution, it is rumored that the British ambassador to Tehran has been summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry. Before the news is confirmed, an Iranian parliament member from Tabriz cleric Mohammad Reza Mir-Tajeddini said “That Britain is leading this effort, makes it even more suspect in our eyes, because it follows the US, while both have been the long-time enemies of the Iranian people.”

READ MORE

Another deputy, Mohammad Nabi Roudaki from Shiraz calls for a break in diplomatic relations with Britain. When Kashani gave the podium to Hashemi Rafsanjani, the veteran Iranian politician who has just returned from an invitation trip to Saudi Arabia complained that why did it not support Iran’s position. True to form, the news is not reported in the Iranian press. But Hamid Reza Asefi, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, rejects the Saudi position and explanation for not supporting Iran.

The secretary general of the Hezbe Motalefe Islami (Islamic Coalition Party) says Iran should not respond by “giving ammunition to its enemies.” He believes Iran’s nuclear issue is a national issue, beyond party politics. Interestingly, president Ahmadinejad and Larijani, the head of Iran’s Security Council, have exactly the same view. In the parliament, the leader of the majority group also has this view. MP Ahmad Shirzad mentions that “political parties and groups in Iran present their supporting or opposing views on specific policies based on the level of democracy and public participation in the country.” His reference in fact is to the Motalefe party that has remained quiet on the issue, while according to him its influence is “no less than the government itself”. The grouping controlled the Majlis and the executive branch until less than a year ago, but has refrained from making any public statements on this critical issue.

Iranian newspapers had a collage of responses. Most right wing papers headlined the IAEA decision to be a failure for Europe and the US. Resalat even claims that the “Iranian nation has humiliated the US government” on the issue. Jame Jam newspaper hails Iran’s victory predicting that the case would not go to the UN Security Council, while Ghods and Kayhan say the decision revealed the true nature of Europe. Jomhuri Islami newspaper goes even further to say the Europe and the US have failed at the Security Council.

Etemad newspaper, which calls Ali Larijani Iran’s chief negotiator at the nuclear talks “beacon of hope”, emphasizes the lack of will of the West. Hambastegi, a reform newspaper, talks of the change in attitude of Europe and the US, while Aftab Yazd, another reform paper, presents a more neutral headline: “Efforts by China and Russia to restart the Iran-European nuclear talks.” Sharq daily, yet another reform paper simply headlines “Europe’s change of strategy.”

All of the newspapers of course carry large photographs showing Iranian armed forces in march, to commemorate the beginning of the eight-year war with Iraq some 25 years ago. Some of the slogans during the march were so harsh that a number of invited diplomats left the parade. This news even made it to Europe. A German TV network, Phenix, presented a special report on possible US attack on Iran. The report shows a former American general (Sam Gardner) in front of a number of former CIA officials and other retired generals who says “Iran’s response to the nuclear file and IAEA’s decision is irrelevant because the US does not trust Iran and believes that the country is working to produce nuclear weapons. And because of this, the US has specific targets to bomb in Iran.”

Baztab website, operated by former Passdaran commander Mohsen Rezai claims that the IAEA resolution does not change the nature of the dispute but only replaces threat for the possibility of sending Iran to the Security Council. The site says the responsibility for the current state of affairs lies with the former team of Iranian negotiators. Entekhab, another Iranian website with official connections, publishes and highlights the words of Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State during the Nixon years that the West must work to have negotiations with Iran.

There are of course other “national” issues. Ali Kardan, a former national TV director announces that he will be launching a new television network which will reflect all the cultures and colors of Iranians. It is reported that the new station will have local programs from all the country’s provinces.

Ahmadinejad spent the first day of school in Iran, which takes some 15 million kids to school, in the earthquake stricken town of Bam. The UN publishes a report on Iran’s drug problem, with a reference to Bam too. According to the report, in 2005 Iran holds the record number of addicts in the world. 2.8 percent of the 70 million population are addicts, an unprecedented global figure. The report cites that among the drugs sent to Bam after its devastating earthquake was one against addiction because 20 percent of the population of the town are known addicts.

And of course human rights continue to be an issue with Iran. And in this regard one cannot escape the condition of Akbar Ganji, the journalist who has been in prison, on hunger strike and the attention of international organizations for years. His wife this time sends off a letter to Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of Iran’s judiciary branch, in which she poignantly asks: “what has happened to Ganji?” She cries out again that there is a black out on his condition and again serious rumors circulate about his situation. She has not heard from him for 30 days now!

Mehrdad Sheibani is a seasoned journalist living in exile.