A Daily Briefing on Iran: Week in Review

DoctorZin provides a review of this past week's [5/14/06 - 5/20/06] major news events regarding Iran. (The reports are listed in chronological order, not by importance) READ MORE

Iran's Nuclear Program & The UN Security Council.

Reuters reported that EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to agree initiatives on Iran's nuclear program.
Chron.com reported that Iran's president said Sunday that any European proposal that demanded an end to his country's uranium enrichment activities would be unacceptable.
Reuters reported that Afghanistan has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.
Yahoo News reported that the European Union is preparing to make a "bold" offer to Iran, including possible security guarantees, to persuade it to curb its atomic plans.
Reuters reported that the European Union is ready to share the most sophisticated civilian nuclear technology with Iran if it agrees to halt uranium enrichment on its soil.
The Scotsman reported that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for urgent action on the Iranian nuclear crisis saying: "The international community has to take very urgent steps to deal with these issues before we have a cascade of a proliferation of nuclear weapons."
Yahoo News reported that European nations are considering adding a light-water reactor to a package of incentives meant to persuade Tehran to give up uranium enrichment.
The New York Times reported that China said it supported European efforts to create a new package of incentives for Iran as a way of resolving the standoff over its nuclear program. The report added that Europe would not offer Iran security guarantees against potential threats by its neighbors.
James S. Robbins, National Review Online reminds us of the failings of the CIA to accurately predict the time required for Russia, China, India, and Pakistan to become a nuclear power.
Telegraph reported that Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has poured scorn on a European package of incentives designed to persuade the Islamic state to break off its nuclear program, saying that to accept them would be like trading chocolate for gold.
Xinhua reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that Tehran would offer economic incentives to the European Union in return for its recognition of Iran's right to enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.
Yahoo News reported that a top-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council's five permanent members and Germany to discuss the Iranian nuclear standoff has been postponed while the United States seeks to harden proposed penalties if Tehran does not give up uranium enrichment.
China Daily reported that French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy urged the international community to present a united front in confronting Iranian efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Khaleej Times Online reported that European nations want to offer Iran security guarantees as a key incentive to freeze its nuclear enrichment program but added “When Iran rejects the offer, few will be left with any doubt that Iran wants nuclear weapons. If they don’t take their chance, then we’re going to get tough.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that the next six-nation meeting on Iran will take place next Wednesday.
The Guardian reported that the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, warned that the confrontation over Iran's nuclear program was a "crisis" that the international community had to address urgently.
Fox News reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "immediate sanctions... will lead Iran to withdraw and become a second North Korea."
BBC News reported that doubts have been raised about how technically advanced Iran's nuclear program is, after it emerged Tehran may have used material from China.
Jerusalem Post reported that the World Council of Churches called on Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program and recognize the state of Israel. The report added: the United States proposed that the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament negotiate a new treaty banning production of the nuclear material needed to make atomic bombs.
Telegraph reported that Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Conservative foreign secretary, said that western countries should be ready to consider military action against Iran if diplomacy and sanctions fail to curb Teheran's uranium enrichment program.
Rooz Online reported that the new EU3 package designed to lure Iran into accepting a moratorium on Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities includes a section that deals with human rights.
The Financial Times reported that western intelligence agencies are likely to speed up their estimates of when Iran could develop a nuclear weapon.
Xinhua reported that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said economic sanctions against Iran are possible.
ABC News reported that European countries have asked the United States to consider selling new airplanes to Iran as part of a proposed package of incentives aimed at resolving the nuclear crisis with Tehran.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Mohamed ElBaradei will press Washington to moderate its stance on Iran in a meeting this week.
The New York Times discussed the effects of Iran's having closed the curtains on its nuclear programs.
USA Today citing a draft proposal being considered by the five Security Council nations plus Germany said the draft of the resolution on Iran includes: bans on travel visas, freezing assets and banning financial transactions of key government figures and those involved in Iran's nuclear program; an arms embargo, and other measures including an embargo on shipping refined oil products to Iran.
The New York Times reported that the United States and Europe are divided over the latest phase of their negotiating strategy on Iran, with the Bush administration resisting a new European offer that includes a proposal for a Middle East security "framework" for Iran.
DEBKAfile reported that many in Washington are concerned that the EU3 incentive program for Iran has too many hidden dangers.

Iranian regime preparing to force Islamic dress on Iranian people?

YNet News reported that the Iranian parliament authorized most of the clauses of the "national uniform law" suggested by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before parliament. The law is supposed to replace what is termed "Western" dress from the streets of Iranian cities, and advance "Islamic" dress.
Chris Wattie, National Post claimed a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear colored badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.. This report was later withdrawn.
Amir Taheri, The New York Post provided much more detail on the new law. This is original source for the original National Post story. My thoughts on this report.
Chris Wattie, National Post published this report after the National Post pulled her earlier story.
Agence France-Presse reported that Iran's only Jewish MP strongly denied the report in the National Post.
Andrew G. Bostom, The American Thinker provided some historical background to the dress code debate.
Michael Rubin, The Corner published some additional background.
Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that Jewish leaders, the Israeli government and chancelleries of free countries are scrambling to find out whether there is truth to the report.
The Jerusalem Post reported that since Iran is denying reports that it has passed legislation requiring its religious minorities to wear cloth strips to single them out from the rest of the Muslim population, can the world breath a sigh of relief? Hardly.

More on Iran's President letter to Bush.

Rooz Online reported that Iranian Press reaction to Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush. The conservative Keyhan newspaper claimed that “90 percent of people of America” agreed with the words of Ahmadinejad’s letter.
Reuters reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is writing a second letter to Pope Benedict.
Edwin Feulner, The Heritage Foundation weighs in on Iran's letter to President Bush.
MEMRI reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to U.S. President George Bush emulates the letter written in 1989 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's to then U.S.S.R. president Mikhail Gorbachev.
Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com argued that President Bush should respond to Ahmadinejad's letter. He should treat it as an opportunity to address the Iranian people, talking over the heads of the media and taking his case directly to the people.
Youssef Goleyjani, Iran va Jahan wrote the letter that George Bush never wrote, a point by point response to Ahmadinejad.
Hillel Fradkin, Weekly Standard gave his reasons why the letter that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, sent to President Bush is a declaration of war on the United States.

Iranian President seeks to join Russia and China's Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

RIA Novosti reported that the Iranian president plans to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Shanghai on June 15.
The Wall Street Journal reported that central Asia, site of the 19th-century "Great Game" for supremacy between the British Empire and czarist Russia, is emerging with its oil and gas riches as the first strategic battleground of the "Multipolar Era" among the U.S., China. Moscow and Iran.
RIA Novosti reported that a deputy speaker of the Russian parliament proposed that Iran be granted full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Iran's leaders latest statements.

Iran Focus reported that Iran’s former President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accused the West of launching a “psychological war” against the Islamic Republic.
Mail & Guardian reported that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at world media coverage of the Islamic republic's nuclear program.
Haaretz reported that former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Ze'evi claimed that Ahmadinejad has been overheard promising the "end of history in two or three years."
YNet News reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad mocked opponents of his country's nuclear program saying: "Those who are saddened by the progress and happiness of others suffer from mental and psychological problems..."
Mehran Riazaty reported that Iranian leaders are saying that "our friends are in charge of government in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Iranian unity weakening?

Rooz Online reported that the core of the Iranian hardliners constitutes the Iranian Taliban and that they are taking control of all the social structures and at the same time the institution that selects the leader.
Rooz Online reported on the ideological activities of 9,000 Passdaran Revolutionary Guards Corps and Bassij that aims to organize those who have a similar political outlook.

Human Rights and Freedom of the Press in Iran.

Petition Online published the English text of the Call for Solidarity with the imprisoned Iranian philosopher and writer Ramin Jahanbegloo.
BBC Monitoring reported that the authorities in Iran are reportedly making new plans to disrupt broadcasts from abroad intending to increase the number of jamming stations in Tehran and other cities from 50 to 300 within two years.
Rooz Online reported the Iranian press claimed that Ramin Jahanbegloo, the prominent Iranian scholar and philosopher is one of the key elements in the so-called "soft overthrow" of the Islamic republic.
Rooz Online reported that the new EU3 package designed to lure Iran into accepting a moratorium on Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities includes a section that deals with human rights.

Iran's Oil Weapon.

Pravdaprovided a Russian perspective on the coming Iran Oil Exchange, the fifth Stock Exchange of its kind in the world. The Iranian Exchange will be unique, as all trading will be conducted in Euros. How will the opening of the Oil Exchange affect the rate of the dollar?
UPI reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that starting in July Iran will abandon dollar payments for its oil and natural gas exports in favor of euros.
The Washington Post argued why Iran is unlikely to use oil as a weapon.

Rumors of War.

The Washington Times the Pentagon is updating its options for attacking Iran to set back Tehran's nuclear program, but Pentagon advisers say they do not think Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command has presented formal military options.

The State Department sends "a message to Iran" via Libya.

The Age reported that Senior US officials have acknowledged that the move to restore full diplomatic ties with Libya is aimed in part at influencing Iran to give up uranium enrichment.
Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that when America and Libya come to reopen their embassies in Washington and Tripoli, Arab democrats will be demoralized and the families of those killed by acts of Libyan terror will be disgusted.

Support for Internal Regime Change in Iran.

Amir Taheri, Arab News challenged the perception that the internal opposition to the present Iranian regime is marginal. Pointing to recent new reports, Iran's urban working class that has just started to flex its muscles. It showed its force with the biggest May Day demonstration ever seen in the Middle East. The participants made no secret of the fact that they were unhappy with the Khomeinist system as a whole.
The Wall Street Journal suggested four things the Bush administration can do to alter Iran's calculations in their bid to develop nuclear weapons. A must read.
Ramin Parham, National Review Online argued that the Islamic regime in Iran has not lost sight its most imminent and present danger to its existence: its own people.
Los Angeles Times reported that U.S. officials have recently taken a series of steps to increase pressure on Iran, most recently creating new offices in the State Department and Pentagon specifically to bolster opposition to the Tehran government.

Iran's Troublemaking in Iraq.

DEBKAfile reported that in the past two weeks, Iran has been pumping into Iraq two types of extra-lethal weapons in very large quantities.
Iraq the Model reported that Iran's revolutionary guard corps is supplying Zarqawi's al-Qaeda in Iraq with Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons including the infrared guided, shoulder-born missile Sam 7 (Strela) in addition to other weaponry like machineguns and improved IEDs. Photo.

Gulf States agree to help the US destabilize Iran.

Middle East Newsline reported that the Gulf Cooperation Council has quietly agreed to help the United States in efforts to destabilize Iran.
Reuters reported that Iran's neighbors -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates -- are talking to the United States about ways to bolster their defenses.

US/Iran talks?

CNN News reported that Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, said Sunday that the United States should open direct talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
Rooz Online reported that "reformist" analysts believe the US will likely be pressured to change its current posture and hold direct talks with Iran over the nuclear issue, but would do it multi-laterally and sit across Iran at a table which would also include the three European countries on its side and even seriously consider security guarantees for Iran in exchange for an end to its nuclear enrichment program.
Yahoo News reported that White House national security adviser Stephen Hadley on Sunday responded to calls for direct talks with Iran saying: "We think the framework we have is even better, we have a number of countries that are engaged with Iran on this issue, we are supportive of those discussions."
Christopher Hitchens, Slate argued that Bush should respond to Ahmadinejad's letter, but he should speak directly to the Iranian people.
Wretchard, The Belmont Club examined the current debate on whether the US should enter into direct talks with Iran. But the current debate has forgotten the effect of direct talks on the pro-democracy movement inside of Iran.
Henry A. Kissinger, The Washington Post says it is time for the US to define its Iran strategy.
Ilan Berman, The New York Daily News argued that direct talks with mullahs will backfire.
David Frum, National Post gave six reasons why direct negotiations with Iran are a bad idea.
Karim Sadjadpour, Patrick Clawson, Council on Foreign Relations also debated: Should the U.S. Negotiate Directly with Iran?
Monsters and Critics.com reported that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected a call by Henry Kissinger for Washington to negotiate with Iran.

Iran and the International community.

Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Venezuela's visiting President Hugo Chavez said "We pray to `Allah' that no war would be launched against Iran!"
The India Times reported that the US has again asked Pakistan to abandon the seven billion dollar gas pipeline planned to Pakistan.
Breitbart.com reported that Venezuela is considering selling its fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Iran.
Reuters reported that Jordanian officials accused Hamas of plotting to stage attacks on its soil using smuggled weapons, including Iranian rocket launchers.
Yahoo News reported that Iran is enlisting Syria and Hamas as allies in the battle over its disputed nuclear program and why it may not matter.

The US Congress.

Yahoo News reported that Senate Democrats sent President Bush a letter urging him to direct the nation's intelligence agencies to prepare an updated National Intelligence Estimate on Iran.

Must Read reports.

Rooz Online reported that Dr Hassan Rowhani, the former chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and current advisor to ayatollah Khamenei, recently "met a group of American strategists who can convince the American government of their views. They are the same strategists who succeeded in resolving the 1986 nuclear crises between the US and the Soviet Union.”
Fouad Ajami, US News & World Report argued that Iran's "revolution" is not in a "final phase" but has instead entered an "apocalyptic phase," as Bernard Lewis, the great historian of Islam, recently warned.
ASUCLA Student Media reported that Shirin Ebadi at UCLA was met with as much opposition Monday night. The 2003 Nobel Peace laureate came to UCLA to speak of her new book, but several protesters interrupted her speech claiming Ebadi is a spy for the Iranian regime.

The Experts.

Amir Taheri, Arab News challenged the perception that the internal opposition to the present Iranian regime is marginal. Pointing to recent new reports, Iran's urban working class that has just started to flex its muscles. It showed its force with the biggest May Day demonstration ever seen in the Middle East. The participants made no secret of the fact that they were unhappy with the Khomeinist system as a whole.
Amir Taheri, The NY Post discussed the cost to the Iranians for its 29 year war with the US. The U.S. is now four times richer, in constant dollars, than it was in 1979. Iran, however, is almost 50 percent poorer.
Amir Taheri, Commentary Magazine reported the many positive developments in Iraq missed by most in the media.
Amir Taheri, The New York Post provided much more detail on the new law. This is original source for the original National Post story. My thoughts on this report.
Michael Rubin, The Corner published some additional background.
Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com argued that President Bush should respond to Ahmadinejad's letter. He should treat it as an opportunity to address the Iranian people, talking over the heads of the media and taking his case directly to the people.

Photos, cartoons and videos.

Michael Ledeen, The Corner distributed a link a video of the leader of Tehran's bus drivers' organization (it is forbidden to call it a union) after a torture session in an Iranian prison. He apologized for having to send it. Not for children.

The Quote of the Week.

Haaretz reported that former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Ze'evi claimed that Ahmadinejad has been overheard promising the

"end of history in two or three years."