Week in Review

DoctorZin provides a review of this past week's [1/01/06 -1/07/06] major news events regarding Iran. (The reports are listed in chronological order, not by importance)

Ahmadinejad.

• Monsters and Critics reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the crimes committed by Zionists against the Palestinians were the same as the crimes committed by the Nazis in the Second World War.
• Nahid Siamdoust, The Los Angeles Times reviewed the political challenges of Ahmadinejad.
• Malaysia Star reported that Ahmadinejad told lawmakers the foreign policy of detente adopted by his two predecessors had achieved little and reduced Iran's standing in the Islamic world.
• Reuters reported that Iran announced on Tuesday a long-awaited shake-up at its key Oil Ministry.
• Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that a member of the Majlis said that Ahmadinejad had assessed as "positive" the global reactions to his remark on Holocaust.
• Alan Peters reported thatPresident Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad's office privately leaking to the Tehran newspapers that Iran already has four nuclear weapons obtained from the Ukraine.
• Yahoo News reported that Iran's president said he hoped for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
• The Daily Telegraph reported that the US blasted as "hateful and disgusting" remarks by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hoping that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon does not survive his massive stroke.
• Iran Focus reported that Iran's President continued to push for "relocation" of Israel.
• Adnkronos International reported that Iran is quickly putting together an international conference on the Holocaust.
• Spiegel Online reported on the rise of the Iranian hard-liners. The German media is awakening to the danger of the Islamic Republic.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported the Supreme Leader's representative for Haj affairs has urged Iranian pilgrims to spread the real Islam to the world.
  

Ahmadinejad's Worldview.

• Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor reported on Iran's Bright Future News agency where you can learn all the latest developments regarding the 12th Imam, the Shia savior many expect to conquer the world.
• Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that Iran's Supreme Leader said: Iran should regain its ancient status as 'mother of science.'
  

Power Struggle inside of Iran.

• Hemscott reported that Iranian Kurds have formed a new reformist front.
• Omid Memarian, Rooz Online reported that former Iranian President Khatami warned of an attempt to control the Experts Assembly by those that "neither believes in the supreme leader nor in the constitution.”
  

Iran's Nuclear Program.

• CNNreported that Iran's chief nuclear negotiator has rejected a Russian offer to produce nuclear fuel in its plants for Iran.
• Aljazeera reported that Iran has now developed the technology, known as a mixer-settler, to create yellowcake.
• Reuters reported that Iran said it had developed machinery to separate uranium from its ore.
• Barry Rubin, Turkish Daily News reported that high-ranking Turkish officials have started speaking of their concern about Iran's drive to obtain nuclear weapons.
• The Star Online reported that Iran's hardline media said the Russian proposal is unacceptable.
• Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported that Iran said the suspended research works on Iran's nuclear activity will be activated again in the next few days.
• Ian Cobain and Ian Traynor, The Guardian published a report after having examined a western intelligence assessment document which alleges that the Iranian government has been successfully scouring Europe for the sophisticated equipment needed to develop a nuclear bomb.
• Channel NewsAsia reported that Ahmadinejad said that Iran would not "step back" on its decision to resume nuclear fuel work.
• Xinhua reported that France urged Iran to maintain its suspension over nuclear activities.
• Reuters reported that the United States on Tuesday warned Iran against resuming atomic fuel research.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that Israeli military chief Dan Halutz Tuesday said Iran's nuclear program "can be destroyed."
• Reuters reported that Iran said it would resume nuclear fuel research.
• Adnkronos International reported that the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani warned "if ...Europe plays dirty, then we will pass onto another plan that we have worked out and then there will be problems for the Europeans."
• Iran Press News reported that the Islamic regime has threatened the South Korean government, demanding that they do not vote against the Islamic regime in the March meeting of the IAEA or else.
• Middle East Newsline reported that Turkey has quietly agreed to join a U.S.-led effort against Iran's nuclear weapons program.
• Hurriyet reported that Turkey said that newspaper reports that the US had asked Ankara for permission to use military bases in Turkey for possible attacks on Iran, are not connected to reality.
• The New York Times is noticing that the EU3/Iran talks are in turmoil as Iran restarts its Nuclear Projects.
• The Times reported that now that Iran has dropped the pretense, the IAEA must respond to Iran’s nuclear challenge.
• The Associated Press reported that Iran failed to show up for a meeting with the IAEA where they were to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with details of its plans.
• EUbusiness reported that experts from Iran, in Vienna, returned home on Thursday without explanation.
• Reuters reported that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Iran's resumption of atomic fuel research would signal its rejection of a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis.
• Xinhua reported that Iran informed the Syrian leadership of the latest developments concerning the country's nuclear studies.
• P. David Hornik, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that the news about Iran could seemingly shake even Western Europe out of its complacency and pacifism if that was still possible.
• NewsDay argued that now is the time to renew the effort for collective action against Iran.
• Iran Focus reported a meeting was called off between a Russian delegation and Iranian officials in Tehran set to take place on Saturday.
• Jephraim P Gundzik, Asia Times reported the west is running out of options with Iran.
• The New York Times reported more details on the story behind Iran's abruptly canceling a high-level meeting with the IAEA in Vienna and sudden return to Tehran.
• Washington Post reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States and its European allies have the votes to bring Iran before the U.N. Security Council.
• The Age: reported that the five major nuclear powers are working on a joint statement that aims to show unusual unified resolve and put fresh pressure on Iran.
• Paul Anderson, BBC News reported that the first day of talks between Iranian and Russian diplomats and experts on Iran's nuclear programme has ended satisfactorily.
• The Jerusalem Post reported that the European Union told Iran it may doom any further negotiations if it resumes its uranium enrichment program.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that Iran and Russia began talks Saturday to clarify what Tehran has described as "ambiguities" in a Russian proposal.
• The Economist reported on Ahmadinejad's nuclear gamble.
• Omid Memarian, Rooz Online reported that both Russia and China oppose Iran becoming a nuclear power.
  

The Reports of US and/or Israeli Contingency Plans for an Attack on Iran.

• The Jerusalem Post also reported that the United States government reportedly began coordinating with NATO its plans for a possible military attack against Iran.
  

Iranian Dissidents.

• Servihoo.com reported that the wife of jailed Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji said that her husband's health has deteriorated after four months in solitary confinement.
• Iran Press News published an update on Akbar Ganji. A letter from his wife.
• Marzeporgohar published a profile on Behrouz Javid Tehrani, a story of a political prisoner.
• Iran Press News reported that a human rights activist, Qafoor Mohammadi, was imprisoned in Mahabad, Province of Kurdistan.
• Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reported on the death of Iranian prisoner, Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, who was repeatedly asked to disavow his Baha'i Faith which he refused to do.
  

The Unrest inside of Iran.

• BBC News reported that Pakistan is working with Tehran to help locate nine Iranian border guards who have reportedly been abducted.
• Iran Press News reported that Tehran's Bus drivers are continuing to demand release of their union leader.
• CNN reported that Arabic-language network Al Arabiya has aired video of what it said were Iranian soldiers recently kidnapped near the Iran-Pakistan border.
• Peter Ackerman and Ramin Ahmadi, International Herald Tribune reported that there is positive news on Iran, that the world should not miss: civic defiance against Ahmadinejad's authoritarianism is increasing.
• Iran Press News reported on series of what it described as "incidents" at the Shahreh-Kord prison.
• Iran Press News reported on the 200 workers from Miral Glass Factory who had gathered to protest months of non-receipt of their wages.
  

The Iranian Economy.

• Radio Free Europe reported that an influential right-wing U.S. think-tank rated Iran as one Of the World's Least Free Economies.
• Kevin A. Hassett, Bloomberg.com reported that Iran, not Iraq, may be the big story of 2006, both politically and economically.
  

Human Rights/Religious and Press Freedom inside of Iran.

• Reuters reported that the Iranian government on Monday ordered the closure of a daily newspaper and banned a new women's bi-weekly from publication.
• SMCCDI reported that two female students were seriously injured by brutal Bassijis who splashed acid to their faces.
• Sunday Times reported that an 18-year-old Iranian woman has been sentenced to death for killing a man she said tried to rape her.
  

Iran's troublemaking.

• Iran Focus reported that Iran’s former President Rafsanjani warned Arab states of the Persian Gulf to “stay away from contentious issues that will only provide the Big Powers with opportunities for mischief-making.”
• Monsters & Critics reported that Israeli security arrested a suspected Iranian spy who was the former head of a local council in the Galilee.
• Adnkronos International reported Ahmadinejad is seeking to forge a commont front against the US between Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuale's Hugo Chavez and the recently elected Evo Morales of Bolivia.
  

Iran's Military.

• IranMania reported that the fact finding team working on the C130 crash has delivered its report to Armed Forces Judiciary.
  

Iran and the International community.

• The Sunday Times reported that the Pope launched a veiled attack on Iran’s hardline leadership.
• Reuters reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she opposed banning Iran from the soccer World Cup saying it would be wrong to punish the players for Ahmadinejad's words.
• Gabriele Marcotti, Times Online reported on why FIFA is under pressure to ban Iran from the world cup playoffs.
• Iran Mania reported that Iran is preparing to buy Chinese aircraft to equip its air fleet.
• Dunya Online reported that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will visit Turkey later this month and Iran will be on the agenda.
• Forbes.com reported that Kuwait plans to start exploration for natural gas in what it calls 'undisputed' parts of the offshore Dorra field.
• Iran Press News reported that Turkey turned down a visit by Ahmadinejad.
• AFP, Oman Observer reported that Iran's judiciary confirmed that a German arrested along with a Frenchman during a fishing trip off the coast of southern Iran will go on trial today.
• Adnkronos International reported that the leader of the MKO/MEK, Massoud Rajavi is under house arrest in Iraq.
• Adnkronos International reported that Israel is planning to launch a new website in Farsi to counter the anti-Israel campaign of Ahmadinejad.
• Claude Salhani, UPI reported that former Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam is planning to form a government-in-exile.
• Michel Abu Najm, Asharq Alawsat published an interview with former Syrian Vice-President Abdul Halim Khaddam, who is now seeking a regime change in Syria.
• Monsters and Critics reported that an Iranian court is likely to hand down a verdict within a week on a pair of German and French deep-sea fishermen who strayed into Iranian territorial waters six weeks ago.
• Zahid Hussainm, The Wall Street Journal reported that suspected separatists have blown up a natural-gas pipeline in southwestern Pakistan.
  

Can You Belive This?

• Iran Focus reported that Iran’s state-run media gave unusual prominence to a historically confused news report of a Saudi King telling FDR in 1954 that Israel should be moved to Europe. Problem is both men were dead in 1954.
• Iran Press News reported that in recent months the regime has been selling donkey meat to people who thought were buying beef. But its ok because the donkeys were slaughtered "Islamic style."
  

Inside Iran.

• The Independent reported that a series of computer-animated adverts is reviving the image of Iran's police force and have acquired a cult following.
• Roxana Saberi, Channel NewsAsia reported on how young Iranians are being hit hard by surging property prices.
  

US Policy on Iran.

• Avi Beker, Ha'aretz reported on American Jews' split personality on Middle East Policy.
• Jeannine Aversa, Associated Press reported the Bush administration acted to tighten the financial clamps on two Iranian companies.
• The Associated Press reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chose unusually blunt language to warn Iran that time is running out to avoid being hauled before the U.N. Security Council.
  

Reports on the controversial book: In "State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration," author James Risen.

• CNN reported that several U.S. agents in Iran were rounded up after the CIA mistakenly revealed clues to their identities to a covert source who turned out to be a double agent.
• Josh Meyer, The Los Angeles Times reported that in a clumsy effort to sabotage Iran's nuclear program, the CIA in 2004 intentionally handed Tehran some top-secret bomb designs laced with a hidden flaw that U.S. officials hoped would doom any weapon made from them.
• The Guardian published an extract from State of War, by James Risen.
• Michael Ledeen, National Review Online asked: Why should anyone believe anything the CIA has to say about Iran?
  

Must Read reports.

• Thomas Sowell, Townhall asked: when dealing with Iran are we serious or suicidal?
• Steve Forbes, Forbes believes Iran will be the hot potato of 2006.
• James S. Robbins, National Review Online warned us that when faced with a state pursuing an aggressive plan to achieve regional hegemony, the worst move is to seek to institutionalize the status quo.
• Joseph Loconte, The Daily Standard published a valuable review of Fascism, Islamism, and Anti-Semitism. Well referenced.
• Alan Peters reported thatPresident Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad's office privately leaking to the Tehran newspapers that Iran already has four nuclear weapons obtained from the Ukraine.
• The Teamsters issued a Press Release which called on the President of Iran to immediately release the Iranian union leaders and members and negotiate in good faith with the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, whose members have not had a wage increase in over four years.
• James P. Pinkerton's, Newsday made a prediction for 2006: Iran could heat up, or start a cold war.
• Austin Bay, Ventura County Star argued that the Iranian regime's greatest fear is a popular, pro-democracy rebellion.
• The Intelligence Summit reported that they will reveal Saddam's personal and confidential weapons of mass destruction tapes next month.
• Farah Pahlavi, The International Herald Tribune responded to Thomas Friedman's article, "A shah with a turban" and reminded readers under the late Shah, Iranians enjoyed incomparably better lives than what they have to endure today.
  

The Experts.

• Michael Rubin, Týždeň, The Middle East Forum argued that Iran means what it says. A must read.
• Amir Taheri, New York Post countered the mainstream media's pessimism by reminding us of what the world won in 2005.
• Kenneth R. Timmerman, FrontPageMagazine.com reported that the massive stroke of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon marks the likely starting point of the coming nuclear showdown that will pit the Jewish state and the free world against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Thomas Donnelly, American Enterprise Institute published an important report: Rising Powers and Agents of Change.
• Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat reviewed the new movie, Syriana, and ponders how American self loathing meets Arab conspiracy theories.
• Michael Ledeen, National Review Online asked: Why should anyone believe anything the CIA has to say about Iran?
• Amir Taheri, The New York Post reported on the political earthquake that is following Ariel Sharon's stroke.
  

Photos, cartoons and videos.

• Dry Bones published a cartoon: Nitwits.
• Iranian Student News Agency published photos of today's protest by the students.
• ABC News published a video report on the young people in Iran.
  

And finally, The Quote of the Week.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Monsters and Critics reported that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said:

'Zionism however is a Western ideology and an imperialistic idea created by the Britons which follows secular aims and fascist methods and currently killing Moslems with the help and direct lead of the United States and parts of Europe.'

Sunday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 1.8.2005:

Unified stand on atomic Iran

The Age:

THE five major nuclear powers are working on a joint statement that aims to show unusual unified resolve and put fresh pressure on Iran not to resume nuclear fuel research, United States officials and diplomats said on Friday. ...

In an effort to put new pressure on Iran, the US, Britain, France, Russia and China were working on a statement opposing the Iranian move and urging that Tehran return to negotiations on a compromise proposal.

Although the statement is not expected to contain specific threats, such as bringing Iran to the UN Security Council where sanctions could be imposed, officials said it could have a significant political impact. READ MORE

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

• Adnkronos International reported Ahmadinejad is seeking to forge a common front against the US between Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuale's Hugo Chavez and the recently elected Evo Morales of Bolivia.
• Islamic Republic News Agency reported the Supreme Leader's representative for Haj affairs has urged Iranian pilgrims to spread the real Islam to the world.
• Paul Anderson, BBC News reported that the first day of talks between Iranian and Russian diplomats and experts on Iran's nuclear program has ended satisfactorily.
• IranMania reported that the fact finding team working on the C130 crash has delivered its report to Armed Forces Judiciary.
• Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune reported on the death of Iranian prisoner, Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, who was repeatedly asked to disavow his Baha'i Faith which he refused to do.
• The Jerusalem Post reported that the European Union told Iran it may doom any further negotiations if it resumes its uranium enrichment program.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that Iran and Russia began talks Saturday to clarify what Tehran has described as "ambiguities" in a Russian proposal.
• The Economist reported on Ahmadinejad's nuclear gamble.
• Amir Taheri, The New York Post reported on the political earthquake that is following Ariel Sharon's stroke.
• Omid Memarian, Rooz Online reported that both Russia and China oppose Iran becoming a nuclear power.
• And finally, Sunday Times reported that an 18-year-old Iranian woman has been sentenced to death for killing a man she said tried to rape her.

Ahmadinehad Woos Latin Leaders for Anti-Bush Front

Adnkronos International:

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has had telephone conversations with Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuale's Hugo Chavez and the recently elected Evo Morales of Bolivia in which he told the trio of leftist leaders of the need to build common front to contrast "the bullying of the major powers" the Iranian agency Mehr reports.

In his chat with Fidel Castro, Ahmadinejad thanked Cuba for its support for the nuclear policy of the Islamic Republic, and Castro told him that he did not agree that "great powers should have the monopoly of arms of mass destruction", Mehr reports.

New Bolivian president Evo Morales spoke with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before leaving on an official visit to Spain, and is reported to have invited the Iranian leaders to his swearing in ceremony on 22 January. "It will be an opportunity to study together the creation of a new anti-imperialist front" Morales is quoted as saying.

With Venezuela's leader Hugo Chavez, Ahmadinejad reportedly raised the possibility of a summit including Morales "to discuss the various sectors in which the countries could collaborate" including energy, Mehr reports.

Reyshahri urges Iranians to spread true Islam

Islamic Republic News Agency:

The Supreme Leader's representative for Haj affairs, Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri, has urged Iranian pilgrims to spread the real Islam to the world. READ MORE

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is considered the only state whose constitution is based on the Holy Qoran and which is run by officials, led by the Supreme leader, who are committed to removing the people's weaknesses and capitalizing on their strengths," he told a gathering of Iranian pilgrims in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

He then urged Iranians to defend the Islamic system in this country in view of the fact that "arrogant powers, headed by the US and the Zionist occupying regime, have mobilized to bring defeat to Islamic Iran."

Elsewhere in his talks, he hailed the Haj pilgrimage as the most perfect mission ever mandated by God upon human beings through which they can clean their own impurities and those of societies in which they live.

He urged the Iranian pilgrims to follow the practices recommended by the Prophet Mohammad, his successor Imam Ali, and his infallible daughter Hazrat-e Fatemeh (PBUH).

Thousands of Iranian pilgrims travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, every year to perform the Haj pilgrimage.

Russia and Iran in nuclear talks

Paul Anderson, BBC News:

The Iranians say a first day of talks between their officials and Russian diplomats and experts on Iran's nuclear programme has ended satisfactorily. READ MORE

It is backed by the European Union and the United States, which suspect Iran is trying to develop an atomic bomb. The Iranians strenuously deny this.

The talks come two days before Iran is due to resume its nuclear research.

'Satisfactory and suitable'

The Iranians insist on carrying out some enrichment in their country. Enriched uranium is used for nuclear power generation as well nuclear weapons.

Despite prompting condemnation from the West, Iran insists its nuclear research - which had been suspended - will resume as scheduled on Monday.

Talks designed to break the stalemate between the international atomic watchdog, the IAEA, and Iran have been fixed for later this month.

The outcome of the opening session of the latest effort to break the deadlock over Iran's nuclear programme was, according to one Iranian official, satisfactory and suitable.

There were no clues as to what that means precisely.

Officials on both sides are keeping tight-lipped. Clearly there is plenty to negotiate to iron out what the same official called ambiguities over the key issue: the proposal to transfer the enrichment of the uranium mined in Iran to Russia.

Secret for decades

The idea is to deny the Iranians the remotest chance to produce the highly enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons.

Iran appears to accept the principle of a joint enrichment project, for power generation, on Russian soil.

But it insists on preserving the right to carry out some enrichment in Iran. For Western countries deeply suspicious of Iran's long term nuclear ambitions, that would defeat the purpose of establishing transparency in a nuclear programme which remained secret for decades.

As Western leaders and diplomats return from the new year holiday, they are discovering that this crisis has ballooned.

Iran announced this week it would resume its nuclear research. It has confirmed that will happen on schedule.

Washington talked tough in response, so too the EU, which warned that Iran's step could jeopardise the talks it is leading.

All the while, the day, this March, when the IAEA board of governors meets to discuss whether to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions, gets ever closer.

Unified stand on atomic Iran

The Age:

THE five major nuclear powers are working on a joint statement that aims to show unusual unified resolve and put fresh pressure on Iran not to resume nuclear fuel research, United States officials and diplomats said on Friday.

Iran, making a confrontation increasingly likely, has defied the international community with its threat to resume atomic fuel research and development on tomorrow, after shelving it more than a year ago at the West's insistence.

In an effort to put new pressure on Iran, the US, Britain, France, Russia and China were working on a statement opposing the Iranian move and urging that Tehran return to negotiations on a compromise proposal.

Although the statement is not expected to contain specific threats, such as bringing Iran to the UN Security Council where sanctions could be imposed, officials said it could have a significant political impact. READ MORE

"It's another ratchet upward in terms of diplomatic pressure" because it is the first co-ordinated initiative on Iran by the five nuclear weapons states and would "show unity and cohesion among the P5, which has not always been there", said one US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

P5 refers to the fact that the five nuclear powers are also the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

The aim was to issue the statement over the weekend, but there was still some debate, officials said. China was resisting joint action and wanted each of the five nuclear powers to issue separate statements.

But one diplomat was optimistic that problems could be overcome, saying: "There is a sense that it will not necessarily be the toughest demarche, but there is a consensus."

Russia, which is building Iran's nuclear plant at Bushehr, and China have been the most reluctant of the five to accept that Iran's nuclear activities are a serious concern.

Iran says it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity and denies Western accusations it wants to build nuclear weapons. International Atomic Energy Agency inquiries have unearthed no clear proof of weapons activity, but Iran has acknowledged pursuing covert energy-related nuclear programs for 18 years.

Russian and Iranian officials are also to meet in Tehran this weekend and diplomats say the talks could have a major impact on whether Moscow backs stronger future action.

Report on Iran's C130 crash deliverd to judiciary

IranMania:

The fact finding team working on last month's deadly crash of an Islamic Republic Air Force C130 plane has delivered the outcome of its month-long research on the issue to Armed Forces Judiciary, said an official, according to IRNA. READ MORE

"Following the C130 disaster a fact finding team, comprised of twenty-nine flight experts and aviation technicians, was immediately commissioned by the Joint Chief of Staff to prepare a comprehensive report on the issue under supreme supervision of that commandeer," the Cultural and Propagation Deputy of Joint Chief of Staff Brigadier General Ali-Reza Afshar said.

The revolutionary guard commander reiterated, "Following thirty days of hard work, including over 10,500 man/hour incessant work with no days off, even on national holidays and Fridays, benefitted from expert level opinions of aviation technicians and headquarter officials, that team managed to prepare its report in the presence of security and judiciary officials.

Brigadier General Afshar said, "This team has meanwhile benefitted from the tape recording of the conversation between the crashed plane's pilot and the control tower, the memory of the control tower's radar system, and interviews with experts in various related fields."

He added, "The fact finding team also took off in another C130 Air Force plane and flew for four hours in similar routs with the crashed plane under various possible circumstances close to the crashed plane and checked the level of reliability of different existing hypotheses on the cause of the fatal crash."

The Cultural and Propagation Deputy Chief of Staff further explained, "The final version of that fact finding team's report, inclusive of official documents, findings of up-to-date and expert level research works, and the team's final conclusions, was delivered to the Judiciary Body of Iranian Armed Forces on Thursday.

Brigadier General Afshar who is meanwhile the representative of the Joint Chief of Staff at the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Majlis, once again expressed sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims of the crash and those who have suffered material losses in it.

He expressed hope at the end that relying on serious pursuing of the concerned officials and the members of the parliament the factors leading to such disasters would be better identified and eliminated to avoid the occurrence of similar disasters in country's entire air fleet.

A Lockheed C130 Hercules transport workhorse, said to have technical problems, crashed into a 10-storey high-rise residential complex in Towhid Township south of Tehran on Tuesday December sixth shortly after takeoff, resulting in martyrdom of all the 94 passengers, mostly journalists, aboard and of 12 people at the site of the crash. The journalists were heading to Chabahar to cover the Islamic Republic Army exercise.

Baha'i faithful honor martyr, sound alarm on Iran

Manya A. Brachear, Chicago Tribune:

For more than 10 years, prisoner Dhabihu'llah Mahrami was offered opportunities to live as a free man in Iran.

All he had to do was disavow his Baha'i Faith. But every time his jailers asked him to recant, international Baha'i leaders say, the prisoner refused.

Mahrami died of unknown causes on Dec. 15, still behind bars in Yazd, Iran. Days later, Baha'i leadership pronounced him a martyr--a hallowed title bestowed by a religious movement that has endured persistent persecution since its birth in Iran 150 years ago. READ MORE

On Saturday, the North American Baha'i Temple will memorialize Mahrami with rituals echoed in as many as 1,100 local Baha'i assemblies across the U.S. and thousands more around the world. At the temple in Wilmette, a prayer for families of martyrs will be chanted in Arabic and recited in English.

"The trauma of the persecution is something very alive and very current for a large sector of the Baha'i population in this country," said Glen Fullmer, a spokesman for the North American Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, one of seven houses of worship on five continents. "Some have experienced persecution directly. This is something that touches them very closely."

There are about 150,000 Baha'is in the U.S., including about 3,000 in the Chicago area. More than 10,000 American Baha'is are Iranian refugees who fled after a more systematic persecution began in 1979, according to human rights groups.

Mahrami's death--condemned by the U.S. State Department--rekindles concerns that another wave of persecution is on the rise under Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Since taking office in August, his speeches have reflected radical Shiite Muslim beliefs, including a declaration that the purpose of his presidency is to prepare the way for the return of the mahdi, a messianic figure expected to restore peace and harmony on Earth.

Scholars say that core belief in a forthcoming mahdi is at the center of the conflict in Iran between Baha'is and Shiite Muslims. It is also at the heart of the Baha'i movement, a story that begins in 1844, when a Shiite merchant from southern Iran said he received revelations from God.

Baha'is believe the divine messenger, known as the Bab, (pronounced "bob") correctly forecasted the imminent return of the mahdi. The claims spurred conversions among Shiite Muslims, whose orthodox leaders lashed out at those who embraced the claims. The Bab was executed in 1850.

More than 10 years later, Baha'is believe, Baha'u'llah, a follower of the Bab in northern Iran, emerged as the savior the Bab foretold--the savior Shiite Muslims are still waiting for.

Scholars compared the dynamic to that of Christians, who believe Jesus Christ is the savior, and Jews, who are still awaiting the Messiah.

Though Baha'is preach nonviolence, the conflict in Iran has led to bloodshed. Baha'u'llah died in exile and thousands of Baha'is were murdered before the end of the 19th Century.

Since the Iranian revolution in 1979, more than 200 Iranian Baha'is have been killed, the Baha'is report. Hundreds more have been jailed and thousands have faced discrimination.

"Muslim clerics in Iran say the Baha'is are obviously apostates and heretics because they believe there is another prophet who came after Muhammad," said Michael McMullen, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Houston and also a practicing Baha'i. "Even Jews and Christians have some protection because Jesus and Moses are mentioned in the Koran. Baha'is fall out of that protection and legitimacy."

McMullen also pointed out that the teachings of the Baha'i Faith dismiss the need for clergy, stripping Islamic clerics of their authority.

According to the State Department, many religious minorities in Iran have been harassed for their beliefs. Baha'is, however, are systematically denied rights.

And their faith prohibits them from recanting.

"We are always encouraged and motivated to tell the truth," said Marjan Dhavoudi, 46, who fled Iran eight years ago after waiting 12 years for a passport. "The absolute truth is one of the principles of our faith."

Dhavoudi will attend Saturday's Wilmette service with a heavy heart.

Her father vanished in 1980 during an evening stroll. Shortly after, her family lost their home and she was expelled from college for admitting she was Baha'i.

McMullen, of the University of Houston, said martyrs hold a special significance for Baha'is. According to Baha'i scripture and writings, a new global civilization will be built on the commitment of believers willing to die for the faith.

Dhavoudi added the motivation for martyrdom cannot spring from a desire to be one, but a desire to serve humanity.

"We love life. But if it comes to us, the need for sacrifice, we will embrace that," she said.

"We never forget the main principle, which is in fact the love for everybody, including those who take these actions against us."

EU to Iran: Resuming Enrichment May Doom Aid

The Jerusalem Post:

The European Union told Iran Saturday that if it resumes its uranium enrichment program, it may doom any further negotiations with the EU about economic aid and other issues.

"The EU views with serious concern ... Iran's intention to resume suspended nuclear activities," EU foreign and security affairs chief Javier Solana said in a statement. "It urges Iran not to take this step ... at a moment when international confidence in the peaceful nature of (Tehran's nuclear) program is far from restored." READ MORE

The EU chided Iran for defying the international community when Britain, France and Germany - on the EU's behalf - were "exploring with Iran the possibility of a return to negotiations" about economic aid and other issues.

A resumption of uranium enrichment "can only seriously jeopardize the possibility of a return to negotiations," the EU said.

The goal of those talks would be to offer economic aid and trade opportunities in return for not resuming uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities.

Iran, Russia Meet On Proposal To Enrich Uranium In Russia

Dow Jones Newswires:

Iran and Russia began talks Saturday to clarify what Tehran has described as "ambiguities" in a Russian proposal that the two nations enrich uranium in Russian territory, Iranian state-run television reported.

"The two sides are expected to discuss the Russian proposal about joint uranium enrichment (in Russia) and also uranium enrichment in Iran," said the spokesman of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hossein Entezami, the television reported. The council handles Iran's nuclear negotiations with the international community. READ MORE

Iran has asked Moscow to clarify what it has called "ambiguities" in the proposal, and insisted it won't agree if the plan denies Iran uranium enrichment at home.

The Russian proposal, backed by European countries and the United States, is aimed at getting Iran to move uranium enrichment completely off its territory to ensure its nuclear program can't produce weapons.

Enriched uranium can be used for nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons, depending on the degree of enrichment.

Tehran says its nuclear program is for electricity generation, despite U.S. and European concerns that it is moving to produce bombs.

The Europeans are hoping the compromise would foster a breakthrough in deadlocked negotiations. Talks between Iran and the U.K., France and Germany, which resumed last month, have made little progress, but are to continue this month.

Tuesday, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, that it has decided to resume research into nuclear fuel production, a step that has only increased concerns in the West that Iran is moving toward production of nuclear weapons.

Tehran has not specified what research it will resume, and Entezami said IAEA inspectors will arrive in Iran in the next few days to monitor it.

Woman to Hang for 'Self Defence'

Sunday Times:

An 18-year-old Iranian woman who killed a man she said tried to rape her has been sentenced to death for murder, according to a press report. The woman identified only as Nazanin claimed self defence during her trial after she stabbed a man to death in March 2005, the Etemad newspaper reported. READ MORE

It said Nazanin, who was 17 at the time, had been out with her niece and their boyfriends on a road west of Tehran when two men started harassing them and then tried to rape them after the boyfriends had run away.

"I committed murder to defend myself and my niece, I did not mean to kill him. I did not know what to do because nobody came to help us," the paper quoted her as saying during her trial.

In January 2005, after seven years of legal wrangling, the Iranian judiciary acquitted a woman who killed a senior police officer she said had attempted to rape on the Gulf island of Kish.

The European Union and international human rights groups have been pressuring Iran to stop executing those under age 18, and the UN General Assembly has adopted a nonbinding resolution denouncing the practice of executing minors in Iran. Iran's ultra-conservative judiciary has responded to critics by saying minors are not executed in the Islamic republic.

It has also proposed a law that would prohibit the death penalty or flagellation for those who were minors at the time of the crimes. According to Iranian law, a boy can be executed from the age of 15, and a girl from the age of nine. However, the execution is carried out when the offender is over 18 years old.

The Iranian press reported a disabled man had been executed in public on Friday, the first of the year. At least 81 people were executed in Iran last year, according to an AFP journalist.

Ahmadinejad's Nuclear Gamble

The Economist:

Eliciting international criticism, Iran this week said it will resume nuclear research, perhaps on January 9th. America and others say the Islamic country is developing a covert nuclear weapons programme and the UN’s nuclear watchdog is growing increasingly exasperated. Iran’s fiery president seems set on confrontation that will provoke diplomatic sanctions, or worse. READ MORE

IRAN’S president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is not one to speak quietly. He opposes compromise with western countries. He has replaced many moderate diplomats with hardliners. This month he told a gathering of lawmakers that any policy of détente is not in Iran’s best interests. He fulminates against Israel with almost clockwork regularity. Meeting Muslim clerics in the holy city of Qom this week, he willed the early death of Ariel Sharon, after the Israeli leader suffered a massive stroke. Previously he called Israel a “tumour” and suggested it should be wiped “off the map” or else reconstituted in Europe. In December he called the Holocaust a “myth”, stirring up wide international criticism.

Nor does Mr Ahmadinejad tread lightly in the sensitive arena of nuclear diplomacy. This week Iran sent a note to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, saying it would resume research into nuclear fuel after a suspension of more than two years. That promptly brought stern statements from governments in Europe and America, where few doubt Iran uses its civilian atomic energy efforts as a cover for a nuclear weapons programme. Western suspicions are based on Iran’s record of hiding nuclear work from IAEA inspectors for 18 years until discovered in 2003.

By restarting such research (one report said the scientists will be back in their labs on Monday January 9th) Iran would scupper negotiations for a solution to the nuclear impasse, said French, German and other diplomats. A British statement called the decision “provocative”. But Ali Larijani, the senior Iranian official in charge of nuclear issues, says the decision to resume the research is non-negotiable. Mr Ahmadinejad added on Thursday that “the Iranian nation and government will defend the right to nuclear research and technology and will go forward prudently.”

Though not particularly prudently, it seems. Iran had claimed it would keep the IAEA closely informed of the details of the renewed research. To that end, a delegation from Tehran was supposed to meet the IAEA’s boss, Mohamed ElBaradei, in Vienna on Thursday. But with no explanation, the Iranian team failed to turn up. Mr ElBaradei—winner of last year’s Nobel peace prize and usually a cool figure—is said to be exasperated by Iran’s behaviour. Earlier this week he warned Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA that the country should not proceed with its “regrettable” decision to restart research. The hardline actions of Mr Ahmadinejad are aggravating an already tense situation.

The likelihood of diplomatic confrontation has been growing for months. Iran resumed production of uranium gas in August, to European and American disapproval. Then it announced plans to enrich the gas in centrifuge machines at a pilot plant in Natanz. Officially this would be used for reactor fuel for domestic energy plants, though many suspect it would be for bombs instead. Russia offered a compromise that would give the IAEA more time to monitor what is happening in Iran, by volunteering to enrich the gas Iran produces on its behalf. But Iran appears to have spurned that suggestion. A delegation led by Russia’s deputy foreign minister is due in Tehran this weekend, but few expect a breakthrough.

Worried observers ask where all this is going. Iran’s case could soon be referred to the UN’s Security Council, where sanctions—diplomatic or economic—may be proposed. Israel worries that Iran could have usable weapons within months. Information seems to be accruing that Iran is up to no good. A British newspaper, the Guardian, this week said European intelligence agencies had produced a lengthy report that fingered Iran (and other would-be nuclear powers) for running a network of traders, phoney companies, state institutions and diplomatic missions to procure the means to develop chemical, biological, nuclear and conventional weapons. Iran is said to be especially active in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia as it tries to develop “very ambitious” missile programmes. The European spies suggested that 16 Russian firms and academic institutes are helping—and profiting from—the Iranian military effort.

Much seems now to depend on the belligerent Mr Ahmadinejad, who feels he has a mission to reject the West’s “frail civilisation” and instead, with Iran’s bumper oil revenues, build a “model Islamic” country. Though he does not enjoy unanimous support at home, he is backed by the hardline Revolutionary Guard—the same institution that America and its allies suspect of using a civilian nuclear programme as cover to build a bomb. The Guard wields much influence on Iran’s behalf in next-door Iraq, and could stir up more trouble there for America if the superpower were ever to threaten to clobber Iran’s nuclear facilities. Abroad, Mr Ahmadinejad seems to rely on tacit support in the Security Council from China and Russia, and may hope that his noisy outbursts against Israel will raise Iran’s standing in the Arab world.

. . . And The Palestinians

Amir Taheri, The New York Post:

AS Ariel Sharon fights for his life, his sudden removal from center-stage has already had the effect of a political earthquake in the Middle East. READ MORE

It is not only Israel that ponders the post-Sharon era with apprehension. Judging by the coverage in the Arab media, the broader Middle East is also concerned about the imponderables of a post-Sharon era.

While Al-Jazeera was airing the jubilant utterances of radical Arabs over Sharon's latest stroke, more moderate Arabs appeared on the rival channel Al-Arabiyah, acknowledging that the Israeli leader had become the Palestinians' "most serious partner for peace."

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak has described Sharon as "a man of peace," echoing his Tunisian counterpart Zinalbedin Bin Ali's "esteem and admiration" for the Israeli leader. Sharon also has a surprising number of friends in other Arab countries from Oman to Mauritania. In the wider Muslim world, he has fostered a "working dialogue" with leaders in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan with a view to establishing diplomatic ties.

Even a year ago, many in the Islamic countries still saw the ex-general as the quintessential "Zionist enemy" portrayed by years of propaganda. What changed this was what Israel's interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert calls "the Gaza magic." For the first time, an Israeli leader made a unilateral withdrawal from disputed Arab territory without internal or external pressures. At the same time, Sharon proceeded with the construction of his "security fence," which the Arabs call "the wall," and insisted there would be no further unilateral withdrawals.

All that gave Sharon a new image, one that resembles a holograph.

From one angle, he seemed the man of peace that a majority of Israelis have longed for since the 1980s. From another angle, he seemed a leader who had given up Gaza in a tactical move to be better able to hang on to the West Bank.

The holograph earned Sharon a place that no previous Israeli leader had enjoyed in public opinion. In most recent polls, almost two-thirds of all Israelis believed that Sharon was the man to lead the country at this moment.

But was the holograph a conjuror's trick to mislead friends and confuse enemies? I think not.

Sharonism, to coin a phrase, reflects the complex realities of the Israel-Palestine solution.

Sharon is an instinctual politician, an increasingly rare breed, in the sense that he can cut through the meta-political stuff that renders political decision-making difficult or impossible.

As a professional soldier, Sharon saw that Israel had won all its wars with the Arabs in military terms, but failed to translate those victories into lasting political gains. At some point, he must have wondered why.

For a war to be won, it is not enough for one side to claim victory. It is also necessary for one side to admit defeat. Yet in the Arab-Israeli wars, the side that had won every time was not allowed to claim victory, while the side that had lost was prevented from admitting defeat. Why? Because each time the United Nations had intervened to put the victor and the vanquished on an equal basis and lock them into a problematic situation in the name of a mythical quest for an impossible peace.

This novel situation saw bizarre new concepts invented to prevent the normal mechanisms of war and peace from functioning. These include such concepts as "land for peace" and "peace with justice." Yet there is no instance in history in which the winner of a war has given the loser any land in exchange for peace. Nor is there a single instance in which justice and peace went together as Siamese twins. In every case, the winner wins the land and gives the loser peace. In every case, the peace that is imposed is unjust to the loser and just to the winner.

Thus for more than 50 years Israel and the Arabs were asked to achieve what no others had ever achieved in history.

And so Israel-Palestine became the only conflict to defy a resolution. Successive Israeli governments preferred to wait for a Palestinian partner that would accept the kind of peace Israel could offer. This was mirrored by the Palestinians, who were asked by their Arab brothers and others in the United Nations to wait until Israel offered a peace that they would like.

Sharon understood that if such a formula remained in force, there would never be peace. It was necessary for the victor to claim victory, regardless of what anyone else said. It was also necessary for the victor to take unilateral action, imposing the peace it could live with.

Paradoxically, many Palestinians say, even in public, that they would rather see Sharonist unilateralism at work than a prolongation of the stalemate that has lasted since 1948. It was clear that Sharon, his denials notwithstanding, was planning to claim victory for Israel and impose an Israeli peace.

That Israeli peace would see Gaza and, perhaps, up to 90 percent of the West Bank allocated to a putative Palestinian state while Israel would demarcate its permanent borders on the ground, partly along the "security fence."

That would not be the kind of "land for peace" that countless U.N. resolutions have vainly called for since 1968, nor would it satisfy the radical Arabs, who would not see any peace as "just" without the total elimination of Israel.

Sharon may never return to the helm. But Sharonism need not fade away. It is still possible for Israel to create on the ground the kind of peace it can live with and then let the Palestinians decide whether or not they, too, can live with it.

My guess is that they will.

Iranian author Amir Taheri is a member of Benador Associates.

Another Jolt for the Nuclear Talks

Omid Memarian, Rooz Online:

Following the cooling of relations between Tehran and Moscow, Iran’s announcement of the resumption of its nuclear research activities brought about a strong response from European countries. This is the second resumption of activities since the Isfahan nuclear facility began its work. Iran argues that since its suspensions were voluntary, it reserves the right to end those voluntary suspensions any time it wishes. The international community views these differently.

Two nights ago, the deputy director of Iran’s nuclear agency announced that Iran had informed the IAEA that it planned to restart its nuclear research work on January 9th, 2005. To add spice to that, Ali Larijani, Iran’s chief negotiator at the Iran-European nuclear talks said Europeans should not believe that they can checkmate Iran in this game.

The US responded by criticizing Iran’s decision and issued a warning that it would seek international action against Iran if it resumed such work, implying referral to the UN Security Conucil at the minimum. Toronto Star editorialized that Tehran’s tone is indicative that the Iran-European talks are coming to their end.

Iran’s latest salvo comes at a time when it is engaged in talks with the Russians about their latest proposal to enrich uranium on Russian soil as opposed to Iran, while the Iran-EU talks are waiting for the results of the current talks. Larijani played down the Russian proposal and said it was deficient, and again directed attention to what he called the Ahmadinejad plan that had been proposed at the UN General Assembly meeting last year in which Iran had invited international companies to participate in Iran’s nuclear development projects in Iran. That plan was coolly received by the international community.

Observers have interpreted Iran’s recent decision to indicate its determination to go ahead with its plans, with or without Russia. And while nothing in the NPT bars Iran from pursing nuclear research activities, Iran’s decision at this time is adding fuel to the already distrustful atmosphere regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Britain, Germany and France, who are Iran’s negotiating parties have called the decision “unconstructive”, while the IAEA chief said he has distributed Iran’s letter of intent to the 35 member body. El-Baredei had publicly said in the past that any new activities by Iran would be counter productive and should not be undertaken.

Another event that makes the Iranian decision more important is the tone and new look that Russia has adopted. A Russian official from the Duma recently said that if Iran stepped outside the boundaries of the NPT, Russia would support the international community in its measures against Iran. He also said Iran’s desire to fully enrich uranium itself and the recent words of president Ahmadinejad about Israel should be taken as a warning. These words of the Russian official are important because of the swift changes that have been rocking Iran-Russian relations in recent weeks. When the Majlis (Iran’s Parliament) speaker’s speech at the Russian Duma was cancelled and a meeting with Putin was put off because of Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric against Israel, conservatives in Iran called policy makers to distance themselves from Russia and review their nuclear policy strategy vis-à-vis the northern neighbor. Then came the announcement of a large weapon’s contract between Iran and Russia, bringing back hopes that the Russians would support Iran in its nuclear drive. But the recent statements are reminiscent of what happened with India late last year, which despite Iran’s large business deals, ended in India’s non-support for Iran at the IAEA meeting which found Iran at fault and warned of possible UN Security Council referral. China, the other country towards whom there have been calls in Iran to strengthen ties for support on the nuclear issue, has shown in the past that it would not jeopardize its sensitive relations with the US over Iran.

In the words of Ezatollah Ezati, an Iranian foreign policy specialist, neither China nor Russia would use their influence to support Iran in its nuclear program, which he said at the second Geopolitics Congress in Iran. According to him, China has declared that it does not wish to be a world power, and is happy to be a regional one. And being a neighbor of Russia, it wishes to compete with it in different ways and prevent Russia from expanding its regional influence. READ MORE

So with less faith in Russian support and China’s passivity, it seems that Iran will have to decide in the forthcoming days whether to continue its strategic cooperation with Russia or come up with a new plan - as Larijani claims to have – to break the current impasse.

Is the resumption of nuclear research activities one of those plans?

Saturday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 1.7.2005:

Iran: Holocaust Conference Soon in Tehran

Adnkronos International:

Iran has decided to rewrite and revise the history of the Holocaust. Following the repeated declarations by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other senior government officials on the need to re-examine the history of the genocide of the Jews during the Second World War, the association of Islamic Journalists of Iran has been tasked with quickly putting together an international conference on the Holocaust. READ MORE

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

• Thomas Donnelly, American Enterprise Institute published an important report: Rising Powers and Agents of Change.
• Monsters & Critics reported that Israeli security arrested a suspected Iranian spy who was the former head of a local council in the Galilee.
• NewsDay argued that now is the time to renew the effort for collective action against Iran.
• Iran Focus reported a meeting was called off between a Russian delegation and Iranian officials in Tehran set to take place on Saturday.
• Michel Abu Najm, Asharq Alawsat published an interview with former Syrian Vice-President Abdul Halim Khaddam, who is now seeking a regime change in Syria.
• Amir Taheri, Asharq Alawsat reviewed the new movie, Syriana, and ponders how American self loathing meets Arab conspiracy theories.
• Jephraim P Gundzik, Asia Times reported the west is running out of options with Iran.
• Michael Ledeen, National Review Online asked: Why should anyone believe anything the CIA has to say about Iran?
• Spiegel Online reported on the rise of the Iranian hard-liners. The German media is awakening to the danger of the Islamic Republic.
• The New York Times reported more details on the story behind Iran's abruptly canceling a high-level meeting with the IAEA in Vienna and sudden return to Tehran.
• Monsters and Critics reported that an Iranian court is likely to hand down a verdict within a week on a pair of German and French deep-sea fishermen who strayed into Iranian territorial waters six weeks ago.
• Farah Pahlavi, The International Herald Tribune responded to Thomas Friedman's article, "A shah with a turban" and reminded readers under the late Shah, Iranians enjoyed incomparably better lives than what they have to endure today.
• Zahid Hussainm, The Wall Street Journal reported that suspected separatists have blown up a natural-gas pipeline in southwestern Pakistan.
• And finally, Washington Post reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States and its European allies have the votes to bring Iran before the U.N. Security Council.