Iran: Widespread arrests of journalists and activists on the threshold of the 1979 revolution anniversary
Mass arrests of social, women's rights, and political activists during the ten days leading to Islamic Revolution's Anniversary has continued with arrests of Maryam Ghanbari, a member of the Maydan women's group, and Mah-Farid Mansourian, an environmental activist. - 2/9/10
Opposition Leader Mousavi Emphasizes Inclusiveness of Iran's Green Movement
Iranian opposition leader, Mir Hossein Mousavi renewed his call to supporters of the Green Movement to join the February 11 events "while preserving their unique identities." He maintained that the Green Movement is a young and independent movement that is inclusive of numerous small groups. He also emphasized that it is not affected by pressure and only moves in accordance to "national interests." - 2/9/10
Letter of Iranian Journalists to Foreign Colleagues: Listen to the True Calls of Iranians
A group of Iranian journalists have written a letter to foreign reporters who are invited to Iran by Iran's government to provide media coverage to the celebrations of the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution. -Rooz Online - 2/9/10
Iran Starts Higher Uranium Enrichment
Iranian state media reports the process started at Iran's Natanz facility Tuesday in the presence of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. Iran told the IAEA Monday of its plans to enrich uranium to 20 percent in order to fuel a medical nuclear reactor. -VOA - 2/9/10
Preparing For 1979 Anniversary: Internet Disruption And New Dumpsters
Iran observers say you can tell the Islamic republic is getting ready for more street protests when the Internet is disrupted and the text-messaging system is down. And dozens of activists and intellectuals are being arrested preemptively. -RFE - 2/9/10
Iran Revolutionary Guards want tougher laws against foreign media collaborators
A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards wants collaborators of what he refers to as "foreign and anti-Revolutionary" media to be treated as spies. -Radio Zamaneh - 2/9/10
Student Facing Execution in Iran for Throwing Rocks
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today strongly condemned the prosecution of a young student activist, Mohammad Amin Valian, under the charge of Moharebeh, or "enmity against God," which is punishable by death and called the charges "grossly disproportionate." - 2/9/10
Iranian Atomic Plans Bring New Calls for Sanctions
International pressure is growing for new sanctions against Iran following Tehran's announcement that it intends to step up its enrichment of uranium. In Paris Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they will push for strong new sanctions. -VOA - 2/9/10
Iran knows location of U.S. missile shields in region: general
Iran is fully aware of the locations of the U.S. missile defense shields in the region, Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani said on Tuesday. The missile shields have been based around Iran for some time now, Miqani told reporters. -MNA - 2/9/10
Iran's resistance keeps up cat-and-mouse Web game
With their paths through the Internet increasingly blocked by government filters, Nooshin and her fellow Iranian opposition-supporters say their information on planned protests now comes in emails. -Reuters - 2/9/10
How Iranian dissidents slip through Tehran's airport dragnet
Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran is a chokepoint for Iranian dissidents seeking to flee the country. A look at how some are escaping authorities. -CSM - 2/9/10
Will Obama Opt for War on Iran?
Two articles, one by anti-war conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan and the other by neoconservative Daniel Pipes, deal with the issue of Obama moving toward war on Iran for political reasons. -Stephen Sniegoski - 2/9/10
Call for prosecution of former Tehran Prosecutor
A group of Iranian Members of Parliament called for the dismissal and prosecution of Saeed Mortazavi, former Prosecutor of Tehran and all other perpetrators of the "Kahrizak catastrophe." -Radio Zamaneh - 2/8/10
Shiva Nazarahari's Mother: "Release My Daughter, She is Innocent!"
Shahrzad Kariman, mother of imprisoned human rights activist Shiva Nazarahari who was arrested on 20 December 2009, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that her daughter's activities with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters was completely legal and charges such as "association with MKO" are baseless. - 2/8/10
Iranian oppsition leader renews call for rally on February 11
Iranian opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi announced once more that he will participate in the February 11 demonstrations and also that he has no faith in a religious government that uses the Friday Mass Prayers for jubilation in the death of its nation's children. -Zamaneh - 2/8/10
Cyrus Cylinder not coming home: Iran cuts all ties with British Museum
Iran has cut all relations and cooperation with the British Museum after the museum refused to lend the country the Cyrus Cylinder for a showcase. The decision to cut the ties was announced during a press conference on Saturday by Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Director Hamid Baqaii, who is also a vice president. -MNA - 2/8/10
Iran unveils new plane, opens drones' production lines
Iran unveiled its first one-man twin-engine airplane dubbed Faez with the presence of Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmand Vahidi on Monday. Iran also inaugurated production lines of advanced drones named Raad and Nazir. -ISNA - 2/8/10
Iran 'Informs IAEA' Of Enrichment Plan, Sparking Condemnation
Iran has formally informed the UN nuclear agency that it will start on February 9 to further enrich uranium stockpiles to a level of 20 percent, further fueling Western concerns that Tehran is secretly seeking a nuclear bomb-making capacity. -RFE - 2/8/10
Iranian commander urges February 11 marchers to tolerate each other
A military commander has called on people who participate in the Bahman 22 (February 11) rallies on Thursday to tolerate each other, TABNAK news website reported on Sunday. Both pro-administration and reformist groups have invited their supporters to attend the rallies to celebrate the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. - 2/8/10
IRAN: Opposition and hard-liners get ready for 22 Bahman confrontations
Iran's hard-line government and the green-themed opposition are gearing up for another confrontation Thursday, this time on the 22nd day of the Persian calendar month of Bahman, the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. - 2/8/10
Senate Passes AIPAC's Iran Sanctions Bill in Five Minutes
just last week the Senate passed comprehensive sanctions on Iran -- a bill being pushed by AIPAC neocons and the other "usual suspects" -- in record time. It was brought up with only three senators on the floor; there was a five minute debate and it passed by voice vote. Just like that. -Huffington Post - 2/8/10
The United States and Continuity of Change
Head of the Iranian diplomatic apparatus recently pointed to Hillary Clinton's proclaimed policies in the course of presidential campaigns which caused her to lose ground to Barack Obama and noted that "different voices are heard from Washington which originates from the current problems in US foreign policy. However, it seems that positions taken by Mrs. Clinton are basically different from other voices." -Davoud Hermidas Bavand - 2/8/10
Iran: Refomist Group Issues Demands, Calls For National Poll
The reformist party Etemad-e Melli, headed by opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, has issued a statement on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Etemad-e Melli has analyzed the causes of the current crisis and made comprehensive proposals to resolve the problems country is facing. - 2/7/10
Iran's Mourning Mothers: "Stop The Executions"
Mourning Mothers, a group of wives and mothers who have lost their spouses or children during the post-elections protests or whose spouses or children are currently in prison, have issued a statement, objecting to executions of political protesters and execution sentences for several political prisoners, demanding revocation of death sentences for political prisoners. - 2/7/10
Ayatollah Khomeini's Protrayal On Iran TV Condmened By His Grandson
Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late leader of Iran's 1979 Revolution Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, lashed out against Iran's National Broadcasting Organization, Seda-va-Sima for the "distorted" portrayal of his grandfather. -Radio Zamaneh - 2/7/10
Iran's Ayaollah Dastgheyb: One Person Cannot Rule 70 Million People
"It is not possible that only one person run the country. There have to be laws and the Supreme Leader is also in the law. There have to be a law because one person cannot rule 70 million people." - 2/7/10
Iran: Rights defenders pressured to "confess"
Seven members of an Iranian human rights organization, the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, are being held in detention in Tehran. They are under pressure to "confess" to links with a banned opposition group, in which case they might face charges which can carry the death penalty. -Amnesty International - 2/7/10
Iranian authorities arrest "collaborators of Radio Farda"
Iranian Ministry of Intelligence arrested seven people accused of "ties with Radio Farda." While the announcement by the Ministry does not refer to the identity of the detainees, it does claim that they "had gone through the hiring and training process in Dubai and Istanbul." - 2/7/10
Ahmadinejad Orders Higher Enrichment Of Uranium
Speaking at an exhibition on laser technology in Tehran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad asked Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, to begin enriching uranium up to 20 percent. -RFE - 2/7/10
Please Release Our Children
One evening last week at the Free Library of Philadelphia, I met Alex Fattal. I saw pain on his face, as he came up to me. A nice, kind young man, he told me who he was. I learned that he is the brother of Josh Fattal who, along with two of his friends, was on a hiking vacation in Iraqi Kurdistan before they were arrested by the Iranian authorities. -Fariba Amini - 2/7/10
Iranian opposition websites under cyber attack
Amir Kabir Newsletter and Advar News, two independent student websites in Iran were attacked by internet hackers, the Iranian Cyber Army. The two sites are amongst the few remaining sites that report from within Iran, independent from the government. The organizers of the two sites have been amongst the many targets of government crackdown on post-election protesters. - 2/6/10
Labor Protests Held In Several Iranian Cities
A series of labor protests have taken place in several Iranian cities this week, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. Protests and strikes have been held in recent months over unpaid salaries and other work-related demands, but the past few weeks have seen an exceptional amount of such actions. -RFE - 2/6/10
Iran Nuke Deal, Rise Of China Are Hot Topics At Munich Conference
The biggest news at this year's Munich Security Conference came in the dead of night. When Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki made a surprise appearance at the annual gathering of international luminaries on February 5, organizers scrambled to reorganize the schedule to give him a forum, adding an impromptu late-night panel that stretched past midnight. -RFE - 2/6/10
Iranian Opposition Leader Mahdi Karroubi: 'This Government Is Unworthy'
In an interview with SPIEGEL, opposition politician and former president of the Iranian parliament Mahdi Karroubi, 72, discusses allegations that he has bowed under pressure from the government in Tehran. - 2/6/10
Iran starts production of two new missiles
Iran has begun production of the Qaem anti-helicopter missile and the Toofan 5 anti-armor missile. The Toofan 5 (Typhoon 5 in English) has two warheads and is one of the most advanced anti-armor missiles, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday at the inauguration ceremony for the missile production lines. -MNA - 2/6/10
Iraq election triggers US-Iran power struggle
Preparations for the Iraqi parliamentary elections have been thrown into chaos by a row over whether or not to uphold a ban on hundreds of candidates, because of alleged links to Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath Party. -BBC - 2/6/10
Iranian authorities dismiss protesters turn up on February 11
Iranian authorities are dismissing the protester turn up on February 11 and maintaining that they have made no preparations to confront them because there will be no need for it. Tehran Governor, Morteza Tamddon told ISNA they have taken "no particular security measures" because "rioters" will be "ineffective" on this day. -Zamaneh - 2/5/10
Iran: Qhoba Mosque in Shiraz Attacked by Basij Militia
Reformist website Jaras reports Basij forces attacked frequenters of Ghoba Mosque in Shiraz and injured them with rocks and stones. Shiraz's Ghoba Mosque has been witness to numerous altercations between pro-government forces and supporters of Ayatollah Dastgheib in the past months. - 2/5/10
Iran's Allies China, Russia Part on Sanctions Talk
Iran's key allies, China and Russia, are sending divergent messages on whether to pursue further sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. -VOA - 2/5/10
Internet access heavily obstructed in Iran
At the threshold of February 11 protests, internet access has become more and more precarious in Iran. Internet users report that Gmail and Yahoo mail are consistently disrupted and in some cities internet access has been completely cut off for many hours during the day. -Zamaneh - 2/5/10
U.S.: Iran, Not Russia, Drives Revamped Missile Plan
The United States is offering assurances that a new missile-defense plan that would involve the deployment of interceptor missiles in Romania is not aimed against Russia but against a potential threat from Iran. Russia has not yet made any official comment on the plan, announced on February 4. - 2/5/10
Iran: Tehran Friday Sermon Becomes More Conciliatory
Tehran's Friday Prayers took a more conciliatory note this week with the sermons of Ayatollah Emami Kashani calling on demonstrators to refrain from chanting "particular slogans" and to pull away from those who might choose to do so. - 2/5/10
Munich Security Conference Opens, With China Making Debut
Defense officials, diplomats, and politicians from around the world have gathered in the southern German city of Munich for the leading international forum on security policy. The annual Munich Security Conference has long been a strategy session for U.S. and European leaders on defense cooperation. -RFE - 2/5/10
Political prisoners in Iran say they are 'dark stain' on regime
"It is indeed shameful for this system to have so many prisoners of thoughts, ideals and aspirations. The ties between this regime and the people, which had been extended to each and every segment of society, are coming undone," according to an impassioned letter from political prisoners. -CNN - 2/5/10
Iranian reformists rally Green Movement supporters
Iranian reformist organizations called out to supporters of the Green Movement to join the February 11 demonstrations for the anniversary of the Revolution to once more announce their protest to the alleged fraud in the June presidential elections. -Zamaneh - 2/4/10
Iran: Harsh Words on Both Sides Make Bloody Showdown Likely February 11
Both the government and the opposition are looking to February 11, the 31 year anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, to bring the post-election unrest out of its current stalemate by staging massive shows of force in the streets of Iran's cities. -Shayan Ghajar, insideIRAN - 2/4/10
US Cautious on Ahmadinejad Nuclear Comments
The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is ready to accept an international proposal that would ease concerns about the country's nuclear program, it would be welcomed news. But U.S. officials say Iran must communicate its intentions to the International Atomic Energy Agency. -VOA - 2/4/10
The Sour Notes of Iran's Art Diplomacy
Late last month — around the time the Iranian government executed two more political prisoners, charging nine others with waging war against God, a capital offense — the Tehran Symphony Orchestra was sent on a government-sponsored tour across Europe, which just ended this week. It played the so-called Peace and Friendship Symphony, by Majid Entezami -New York Times - 2/4/10
China Says Iran Sanctions Hinder Diplomacy
China says discussions on imposing possible sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program are complicating the situation and hindering diplomacy. Speaking Thursday during a visit to France, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said threatening Iran with sanctions is derailing efforts to find a diplomatic solution. -VOA - 2/4/10
Saudi operator Arabsat takes Iran's Al-Alam network off air
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Saudi-run satellite operator Arabsat to return to air the Iranian-owned Arabic-language satellite channel Al-Alam, which stopped broadcasting January 27 without prior notice, according to international news reports. - 2/4/10
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