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Iran: Supreme Leader Directly Responsible for Illegal Detentions of Opposition Leaders
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should immediately release the three opposition leaders who have spent the last year under illegal house arrest and stop using extrajudicial and inhumane methods to silence political opponents, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. - 2/9/12
Iran: Their Elections and Our Elections
Our elections have their own standards. The demand for these conditions is tied to the will and demands of every Iranian citizen. Until elections are held with international and accepted standards of fairness, freedom and openness, any such exercise shall remain "theirs" and not "ours." The elections they are holding are shows and theater which are masked with democratic facades. -Morteza Kazemian - 2/9/12
Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran's nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News
Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident group (the People's Mujahedin of Iran) that is financed, trained and armed by Israel's secret service, U.S. officials tell NBC News, confirming charges leveled by Iran's leaders. - 2/9/12
Sanctions on Iran: Iranians face shortages of rice, corn, and cooking oil
More evidence is emerging of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election. -CSM - 2/9/12
Iran's Oil Exports to India Up by 37.5% in January
Media reports said on Thursday that Iran's crude exports to India have increased to 550,000 barrels a day in January which shows a 37.5% growth compared with the same period last year. - 2/9/12
Trial date set for U.S. citizen accused in plot
A U.S. federal court says the trial of Iranian-American Mansour Arbabsiar will be held on October 22. Arbabsiar, 56, is accused of taking part in an assassination plot against the Saudi Ambassador to the United States. - 2/9/12
Iranian Movie 'A Separation' Gets Oscar Buzz, Political Flak
Asghar Farhadi's 'A Separation' won a Golden Globe, is nominated for two Academy Awards, and has garnered worldwide support, but reactions among Iranians range from absolute praise to conspiracy theories, a non- political movie to a film in support of the Green Movement, or even a pro-Islamic Republic film. Which one is it? -Daily Beast - 2/9/12
Ex-Marine sentenced to death in Iran needs U.S. intervention, lawyer pleads
A former U.S. Marine sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly spying for the CIA could be saved if the Obama administration would consider a prisoner swap, his Iranian attorney said Wednesday. -Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post - 2/9/12
Iran: Envoy Says Pope Welcome To Visit Iran
The Iranian ambassador to the Vatican says Pope Benedict XVI is welcome to visit Iran. Ali Akbar Naseri told reporters in Rome on February 8 that "if the pope decides to come, we will welcome him in an excellent way and with enthusiasm." - 2/9/12
Turkey Wants International Conference on Syria
The Turkish government has close ties with many North African and Middle Eastern countries, and Davutoglu, who said he already laid the groundwork for a broad meeting, speaking in recent days with his Italian, Qatari and Iranian counterparts, is flying to Washington Wednesday to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other officials. - 2/9/12
Photos: Memories of Shah's Secret Service SAVAK at Tehran's Ebrat Museum
Iran's Ebrat Museum was once a prison of the shah's secret police, SAVAK. The museum displays and exhibits the documented atrocities of SAVAK including prison cells, interrogation rooms and torture chambers. -Armin Karami - 2/8/12
Iranian Intelligence Minister: "Enemy seeking to stoke election tension"
"According to credible information which has been gained the enemy is trying to create tension and dispute in process of elections and this requires extra vigilance of security bodies and the brave and revolutionary nation," Moslehi explained. - 2/8/12
Ahmadinejad prepared for questioning
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced that he is prepared to be questioned by Parliament in advance of the March 2 parliamentary elections. - 2/8/12
Turkey Debates Role in Possible Syria Intervention
Turkey is hardening its stance against the Syrian leadership and its Western allies are increasingly looking to Ankara for efforts to help unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There is debate in Turkey over whether international sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Syria could lead to military intervention and what role Ankara should play. -Dorian Jones, VOA - 2/8/12
The Economic Crisis in Iran
During the 10 years that the U.S. Army positioned itself next door to Iran, in neighboring Iraq, and Afghanistan, the people of Iran never seriously feared an attack...These days however, with the U.S. military evacuating Iraq amid plans for a withdrawal from Afghanistan, there is palpable fear of a possible attack. -Masih Alinejad, Huffington Post - 2/8/12
Former Clinton adviser calls "Nazi" comparisons unproductive
Comparing Iran to Nazi Germany is excessive and unconstructive, says Robert Malley, a former U.S. national security adviser to the Bill Clinton administration. - 2/8/12
Islamic Unity International Conference kicks off in Tehran
The 25th Islamic Unity International Conference kicked off in Tehran Wednesday as attended by 271 members of World Assembly of the Islamic Faiths Approximation and Islamic scholars. - 2/8/12
Iran, IAEA to meet in Tehran on Feb. 20-21
Iranian and International Atomic Energy Agency officials will hold a meeting in Tehran from February 20 to 21, the IAEA said in a press release on February 7. - 2/8/12
US Urges Iranian Dissidents in Iraq to Move to Transit Center
The Obama administration is urging a group of Iranian dissidents living in northeastern Iraq to make a decision about moving to a new transit center near Baghdad as part of a U.N.-backed process of resettling them in third countries. - 2/8/12
Is The Past The Future? The News Dissector Reports From and on Iran
The TV series House of Lies is about business but it could as easily be about government and foreign policy. In a recent episode, one of the management consultants pitches a company about the need to launch a new product. She recounts the story of the Polaroid Company known as the Apple of its day, widely admired for the cool design of its instant cameras. -Danny Schechter, Common Dreams - 2/8/12
Abducted Iranian pilgrims released in Syria
The 11 Iranian pilgrims recently kidnapped by Syrian opposition forces have been released. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says the pilgrims were released "with the aid of friendly countries." - 2/8/12
Obama's Super-Bowl Fumble on Iran
Before President Barack Obama's interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, aired before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu probably hoped that, if Obama discussed Iran, he would give him the strong backing that Israeli leaders crave, freeing them to lash out at Iran -- militarily, if they so choose. -Ray McGovern, Common Dreams - 2/8/12
Sanctioned and isolated, Iran boldly bans the Simpsons
Following a ban on Barbies, Iran's ban on the Simpsons is part of a soft culture war that can mean only one thing. We're just not sure what it is. -Scott Baldauf, CSM - 2/8/12
Iran: Call for Protests on February 14 - "Silent Protest" Returns to Streets
As the anniversary of the 25 Bahman (February 14) protests approaches, several social media outlets have called on people to take to the streets. Meanwhile, the coordination council of the Rahe Sabz Omid ("Green Path of Hope") has issued a statement calling on people to participate in a "silent protest" on the February 14 anniversary. - 2/7/12
Iran's 'Cardboard Khomeini' Faces Criticism, Condemnation
Iran's "Cardboard Khomeini" is fueling a firestorm of criticism in the Middle Eastern country after cutouts of the Islamic republic's founder appeared at a number of events, and photos mocking the mock-up went viral. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 2/7/12
Zanyar and Loqman's Execution Imminent: Key in the Hands of Friday Prayer Leader
Marivan's Friday prayer leader, Mamusta Mostafa Shirzadi, who is a main player in the twisted case of Loqman and Zanyar Moradi, is not willing to make any public comments about the case of the two young men who have been sentenced to death. Shirzadi tells Rooz, "I don't think it wise to speak to the media; not now, not ever." -Kaveh Ghoreishi - 2/7/12
Iran Dismisses New US Sanctions
Iran has dismissed new U.S. sanctions targeting its government and central bank, calling the measures "psychological war." The White House said Monday the sanctions have had a "significant impact" on the Iranian economy and have helped worsen tensions among Iranian leaders. - 2/7/12
Blunt Instrument: Sanctions Don't Promote Democratic Change
Some scholars have found in sanctions limited success. A widely cited study by Gary Clyde Hufbauer, Jeffrey J. Schott, and Kimberly Ann Elliot holds that of 116 cases of sanctions since 1914, only 34 percent have been successful.1 Scrutiny of those cases, however, suggests an even lower rate. -Natasha Bahrami and Trita Parsi, Boston Review - 2/7/12
Iran's Parliament Summons Ahmadinejad To Explain Economic Policies
Lawmakers in Iran have summoned President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to respond to a long list of complaints, particularly concerning his handling of the economy. - 2/7/12
Iran's Middle Class on Edge as World Presses In
One measure of the profound anxiety now coursing through Iranian society can be seen on Manouchehri Street, a winding lane at the heart of this city where furtive crowds of men gather every day like drug dealers to buy and sell American dollars. -Robert F. Worth, NY Times - 2/7/12
Am I Being Naive?
In the face of this well-orchestrated, nonstop, media frenzy, is it any surprise that over 50% of Americans, as the surveys show, would support a preemptive attack on Iran. -Kam Zarrabi - 2/6/12
Photos: Skydiving from Tehran's Milad Tower
A group of skydivers did jumps from Milad Tower in the capital city Tehran on Monday. The divers were wearing T-shirts with the picture of Iranian scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan who was recently assassinated in Tehran. - 2/6/12
Will Women Participate in Iran's Parliamentary Elections?
The ninth parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in the week leading up to International Women's Day, March 8. Iranian women, especially young women who are the majority of Iran's female population and the main protagonists in the arena of struggle for equal rights, will keep protesting against discriminatory laws, knowing full well that they have a long struggle ahead of them on the path to equality. -Khadijeh Moghaddam - 2/6/12
Iranian dissident sentenced to 14 years in jail
Iranian dissident Mehdi Khazali has been sentenced to 14 years in jail, 10 years in exile and 90 lashes. The director of Hayan Publications as well as a dissident blogger, Khazali received this sentence after more than 27 days on a hunger strike and he is in critically poor health. - 2/6/12
Israeli Cabinet Mulls Response to Iran Threat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened the Cabinet meeting by referring to a statement last week by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who described Israel as "a cancerous tumor that must be cut off." -Robert Berger, VOA - 2/6/12
Iranian activists call for release of their peer
A group of 52 Iranian student activists has issued a statement calling for the release of Saeed Razavi Faqih. The former student activist was arrested in December upon his return to Iran. He is reportedly being held in an undetermined state and is probably being subjected to high-pressure interrogations. - 2/6/12
Obama Signs Executive Order Freezing Iranian Assets
The executive order prevents any assets deemed to be in U.S. control -- including in foreign branches of U.S. banks -- from being transferred, paid, or withdrawn. - 2/6/12
Obama: Israel Has Not Made Decision on Possible Iran Attack
U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes Israel has not made a decision about whether to take military action against Iran's nuclear program. - 2/6/12
Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadegh and a very British Coup - Public Lecture and Book Launch in London
On August 19, 1953, the government of Muhammad Mossadegh, Iran's nationalist prime minister, succumbed to an Anglo-American coup in favour of the Shah. How did this happen? What combination of forces worked against the septuagenarian prime minister as his dream of a truly independent Iran collapsed around him? - 2/6/12
Widespread arrests in southwestern Iran
Iranian security forces have arrested 50 people over the past two weeks in the Arab neighbourhoods of the southwestern province of Khuseztan. Two of the detainees were killed while in custody, writer and human rights activist Yousef Azizi Banitaraf told Zamaneh. - 2/6/12
Turkish FM : Iran nuclear issue could be resolved 'in a few days'
"If there is strong political will and mutual confidence being established, this issue could be resolved in a few days," Davutoglu said at the Munich Security Conference. "The technical disputes are not so big. The problem is mutual confidence and strong political will." - 2/6/12
Iran seeks change to international conventions to prevent scientists killings: FM
Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told the Mehr News Agency on Monday that the Iranian Foreign Ministry is seeking a revision of relevant international conventions to prevent the assassination of its scientists. - 2/6/12
Iran: More Arrests Ahead of Elections
While the condition of recently detained journalists remains unknown, more journalists are arrested ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. In the latest instance, Reza Jelodarzadeh, editor-in-chief of the recently banned "Sobh-e Azadi" magazine was arrested. -Fereshteh Ghazi, Rooz Online - 2/5/12
It's time for a regional security framework for the Middle East
"Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding," Einstein once said. A sober assessment reveals that the policies adopted to date towards the Middle East, by and large, are not conducive to regional stability, or capable of resolving some of the region's most thorny issues, from the Syrian crisis and the Arab-Israeli conflict to Iran's nuclear program. -Sam Sasan Shoamanesh - 2/5/12
Saudi Arabia Blocks Website Of Iran's Supreme Leader
Iranian news websites report that Saudi Arabia has blocked the official website of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which is available in a dozen languages, including Arabic. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 2/5/12
Iran: What's Next?
Unilateral preemptive war of aggression has and continues to be futile not only for the American's long term strategic interest, but also because it devastates the people inflicted with such catastrophe. -Freeman Ure - 2/5/12
Russia, China Veto UN Resolution on Syria
Russia and China have once again blocked an effort by the U.N. Security Council to condemn the on-going violence in Syria. The two powers used their vetoes to defeat a resolution on Saturday that would have also endorsed an Arab League plan to help end the bloodshed. - 2/5/12
Persepolis Tablets Threatened By Senate Sanctions Bill
New Iran sanctions are targeting Persian artifacts in U.S. museums and universities, making it easier for lawyers to seize and auction off priceless Persian antiquities. Send a letter below to tell your Senators to protect our cultural heritage! - 2/4/12
Iran's Navid (Promise) Satellite Orbiting the Earth
Director of Iran Space Agency Hamid Fazeli told IRNA on Saturday that using the upgraded Safir satellite carrier rocket to launch the Navid (Promise) research satellite into orbit was a great scientific achievement for the Islamic Republic. - 2/4/12
Rights groups urge international community to press Iran to end violations
Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights urge the international community to take a much firmer stance on respect for human rights in Iran by raising this essential issue in the talks currently under way with the country's authorities. - 2/4/12
Photos: Iran's Zafar Naval Cruise Missiles
In a ceremony on Saturday, the production line of a new domestically manufactured naval missile system, named the Zafar (Victory), was officially launched and the first batch of the missile system was delivered to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Naval Force. - 2/4/12
NYPD Muslim Spy Scandal Grows With Newly Revealed Plan to Target Shiite Mosques
They make note of the number of Iranians who live in the northeast and then they talk a little bit about the makeup of Iran and the political nature of Iran, and then they list a bunch of recommendations. And the recommendations go from the obvious -- we should try to recruit more sources who speak Farsi, to things like we need to be increasing our intelligence gathering at Shiite mosques. -Democracy Now - 2/4/12
Obama's Drift Toward War With Iran
In the last two years, the U.S. Congress has passed resolution after resolution condemning Iran, urging the president to do something hostile, and warning him against negotiations... Only great ingenuity and political talent could extricate an American president today. And while this was passing, how has Barack Obama been spending his time? -David Bromwich, Huffington Post - 2/4/12
Iran dismisses claim it considering attacks in U.S.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast has strongly denied the claim made by U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper saying that Iran could launch terrorist attacks on U.S. soil if it feels threatened. - 2/4/12
Iran to stop oil exports to some European countries
Iran's Oil Minister announced today that Iran will "definitely" halt the sale of crude to a number of European countries. He did not, however, identify any specific countries. - 2/4/12
China refuses to join the sanctions bandwagon
China has announced once more that it will not join with the West in imposing sanctions on Iran, emphasizing that talks and cooperation are the only correct and effective path to resolving nuclear disputes with the Islamic Republic. - 2/4/12
Lawmakers, 'Experts' Spin Tales of Iranian Terror in Latin America
Through its ties with Venezuela and other nations in Latin America, Iran is building an anti-US alliance in the Western Hemisphere that poses a direct, imminent threat to the United States, an influential US lawmaker said Thursday. -Charles Davis, Antiwar - 2/4/12
More than 200 Dead After Shelling in Syrian City
Human rights activists say Syrian armed forces have killed at least 217 people in the city of Homs in a surge of violence that began Friday, as the United Nations gets ready to vote on a resolution intended to stop the bloodshed. - 2/4/12
Iran launches newest satellite into space
Iran successfully launched a new domestically manufactured satellite into orbit on Friday morning. The research satellite, called Navid-e Elm and San'at (Promise of Science and Technology), has been manufactured by Iran University of Science and Technology. It was sent into space aboard the Safir rocket. - 2/3/12
Iran: Stop Holding Reporters' Relatives Hostage
"Detaining a BBC reporter's relative seems to be part of a wider campaign to harass Iranian journalists by putting pressure on them and their families," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. - 2/3/12
Cultural Highs And Lows For Iran
International recognition of Mr. Farhadi's work comes at a tense time for many filmmakers and other artists in Iran, who have been subjected to government censorship for decades. - 2/3/12
BBC Reporter Interrogated Online By Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Security officials with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have used the Internet to interrogate an employee of the London-based BBC Persian service, according to a February 2 report on the opposition website "IranGreenVoice." - 2/3/12
Iran's Baha'i community targeted with more arrests
The Human Rights Reporters Committee announced on Friday that several Baha'is were arrested at their homes today in Shiraz. Details of the arrests have not yet been released, except that the arrests were carried out during sudden and simultaneous raids on the homes of the targeted people. - 2/3/12
EU's Ashton says 5+1 is ready for talks at venue suggested by Iran
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has announced that the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) is ready to hold talks with Iran at any venue suggested by the Islamic Republic. - 2/3/12
Iran, IAEA to meet again in Tehran Februaray 21-22
Meetings between the IAEA and Iran were held in Tehran from 29 to 31 January 2012, aimed at resolving all outstanding substantive issues. Another meeting will take place in Tehran from 21 to 22 February 2012. - 2/3/12
Petition: "No To Military Strikes Against Iran"
The International Movement for a Just World (JUST) invites citizens of the world to join a global campaign aimed at averting a colossal catastrophe in West Asia. - 2/3/12
An SOS from the people of Iran to the people of Israel: Two former top diplomats take a stand against war
In an interview earlier this month, former Iranian Ambassador to the U.S. and former Iranian Foreign Minister, Ardeshir Zahedi, vehemently opposed any military strikes against Iran -Sheda Vasseghi, WorldTribune - 2/3/12
How Obama became vulnerable on Iran
By downplaying his diplomacy, he undermines a peaceful solution and encourages the false charge of weakness -Trita Parsi, Salon - 2/3/12
Security Council Members Consider New Syria Resolution
Members of the United Nations Security Council are considering Friday a new draft resolution to end the bloodshed in Syria, with an amendment designed to overcome Russian objections. - 2/3/12
Iran: Wave of arrests in run up to parliamentary elections
Amnesty International is concerned that an ongoing wave of arrests of media workers and bloggers is intended to limit freedom of expression in the run up to parliamentary elections in Iran scheduled for 2 March 2012. - 2/2/12
Iran: Political Prisoners's Ward at Evin Prison Raided by Security Forces
Following this illegal act that took place in the presence of the special prosecutor's assistant, the prisoners broke out in slogans such as "Ya Hossein... Mir Hossein" , "Mahmoud the Traitor" and "Death to the Dictator" and sang the national anthem "Ey Iran" and other songs such as "Yareh Dabestani". - 2/2/12
Death penalty announced for "disruptive" currency traders
The head of Iran's judiciary announced on Wednesday that the courts will readily "issue death penalties" to the "disruptors" of the country's foreign currency market. In recent weeks, Iran's foreign currency and gold markets have experienced sharp fluctuations, which many analysts have linked to the intensification of international sanctions against Iran. - 2/2/12
Cardboard Khomeini Returns To Iran From Exile
Iranians have been faced with many unusual and absurd events in the past three decades of the rule of the clerics. The February 1 ceremony, however, may have topped them all. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 2/2/12
UN Nuclear Experts Plan Another Visit to Tehran
The United Nation's nuclear agency's chief inspector says he had a "good" visit to Iran and plans to make another trip in the "very near future" to discuss Iran's controversial nuclear program. - 2/2/12
Revoke Execution Sentence of Iranian Web Programmer
Iran should immediately suspend the death sentence for web programmer and Canadian resident Saeed Malekpour and investigate allegations of his torture, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. - 2/2/12
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