Tuesday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 9.27.2005:

Iran warns atomic opponents trade ties may suffer

Parisa Hafezi, Reuters:

Iran threatened on Tuesday to use trade ties to punish countries that voted against it at the U.N. atomic watchdog, after Tehran failed to convince the world its nuclear programme was peaceful. ...

Analysts had predicted Iran could also roll out the oil weapon in a bid to prompt a change of heart among countries seeking to send Iran to the Security Council.

But such a move could backfire. Oil accounts for 80 percent of export earnings and interrupting that flow of hard cash would be politically risky. ...

Larijani warned about the "massive consequences" of referral without elaborating.

"I don't think any rush to refer Iran's case would be useful for America and the EU," he said. READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Iran Press News reported that Larijani, the Secretary of the High Council of National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran said: We do not accept the Board of Governor's resolution and added the European trio were: among the most savage nations on earth.
• Iran Press News quoted Arab reports that Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister said that the government of Jordan is strictly against the intrusion and encroachment of any of Iraq's neighboring countries, including the Islamic Republic, in Iraq's internal matters.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported that UK Cabinet ministers made it clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair that they will not support any US military strike against Iran.
• IranMania reported that Iran's Supreme Leader appointed six commanders to new posts in shake up in the hierarchy of Army of the Islamic Republic.
• Sify News reported India on Tuesday briefed Iran on the reasons for supporting the IAEA resolution.
• Iran Press News reported that Abdolfatah Soltani, one of the lawyers representing the family of murdered photo-journalist Zahra Kazemi, has not been heard from for over 58 days after his arrest by the regime.
• The Hindu reported that Iran has informed India that the five-million-ton a year Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export deal, is off.
• IranMania reported that Iranian dissident student leader Ali Afshari has been sentenced to six years in jail for attacking national security.
• The Media Line reported that Arab opposition groups in Iran's Ahvaz region began a 'full boycott' on Monday against what they called the "Iranian occupier."
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that Iran will consider reducing its trade with those countries, particularly India that voted for Saturday's U.N. nuclear agency resolution to refer Tehran to the Security Council.
• Radio Free Europe reported that Iran's parliament will hold a closed-door session today to discuss whether to block unlimited inspections of its nuclear facilities.
• The Associated Press reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran was asking the Europeans Britain, France and Germany and the IAEA for two things: First, they should not insist (on the terms of the resolution). Second, they should correct it. If the other parties' reaction is not along these lines, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take these measures.
• Iranian.com published a call to international artists and activists to perform guerilla street theatres in Tehran.
• Reuters reported that Iran on Monday threatened to restart uranium enrichment saying: Unless the resolution is corrected or if its implementation is insisted upon, Iran will be forced to cancel all its voluntary and temporary measures including implementation of the Additional Protocol.
• Financial Times reported that Iran threatened to end “voluntary and temporary” agreements over its nuclear program unless the United Nations' nuclear watchdog amended a resolution condemning Tehran.
• The NY Times reported that the Bush administration played every card it held to win the split decision on Iran's nuclear program before the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• Pyotr Goncharov, Insight Magazine argued that in its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the EU3, Iran is clearly staking everything.
• Deccan Herald reported India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran saying: India actually helped Iran buy time for “negotiations and consultations” thereby avoiding a major diplomatic crisis.
• The Washington Post in an editorial said the Bush administration and its European allies have managed to take a small step toward holding Iran accountable for its secret and illegal steps aimed at the production of nuclear weapons.
• Iran Press News pointed out that an Italian Daily called the Islamic regime a two-headed monster with one head inside Iran and the other inside Iraq.
• Human Rights First called for support of Kurdish Iranian women activists recently detained by the regime.
• Mission Centered News reported that more than 3,000 satellite dishes have been confiscated in Iran as the government cracks down on what they're calling "trouble makers" in the country's capital city and more than 12,000 "social polluters" have been arrested.
• The Globe and Mail reported that Sweden has rejected the asylum case of an Iranian journalist who played a key role in revealing the circumstances of the death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
• Iranian blogger, Hamid Ahadi, Rooz Online points out the focus in Iran is now turning towards the failure of president Ahmadinejad’s first major international policy .
• Iranian blogger, Maryam Kashanim, Rooz Online published an interview with Ahmad Shirzad is a physicist, a former official at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization who questions the economic soundness of Iran’s nuclear programs and attributed the strong international pressure against it to Iran’s concealments.
• Iranian blogger, Farnaz Ghazizadeh, Rooz Online discuussed 25 Years of unpopular and mandatory head covering by Iranian women.
• Iran Press News reported that the German Newspaper, Die Welt said: In the most recent session of the IAEA's board of governors in Vienna, Tehran's regime was palpably defeated.
• And finally, Rooz Online latest cartoon on Ahmadinejad: Out on a limb.