Saturday
Sep052009
The Latest from Iran (5 September): A Quiet Phase
Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 12:53
The Latest from Iran (4 September): A Friday Pause?
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
2200 GMT: Another Reformist Fightback. Nasrullah Torabi, a reformist member of Parliament, has condemned the "desperate act" of the regime in applying pressure on the family of Imam Khomeini to cancel former President Khatami’s speech on Qadr Night and eventually the entire ceremony in the Imam's shrine (the first cancellation in 20 years), saying that these kinds of behaviour will cause people greater concern and have negative consequences in society.
2010 GMT: Striking Back at the Revolutionary Guard. On Wednesday we noted the declaration of General Johammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, that former Khatami and other reformist leaders such as Mousavi Khoeniha, as well as Hashemi Rafsanjani's son Mehdi Hashemi, had tried "to pull down the leadership at any cost".
A reader points us to the story's sequel. The Association of Combatant Clerics condemned Jafari’s assertions and asked for a judicial response: “Is it inappropriate to ask the prosecutor general to appropriately respond to this slander and lies, and other similar remarks, which have incited public opinion and are the groundwork for dangerous plans, particularly as the head of the judiciary has stressed that any violator regardless of the office he holds has to be confronted?”
Mohammad Ali Tabesh, the Secretary General of the minority reformist faction in Parliament, went even further, “Those who gave the IRGC permission to intervene in the elections and those who gave the Pasdaran the warrants to arrest and extract forced confessions, must be prosecuted, rather than those who have demonstrated they allegiance to the regime.”
Tabesh added to his warning, "I advise them to let us keep quiet. We have so far refrained from talking about many issues in order to preserve the regime and the revolution, and not allow the enemies to misuse such expressions under these conditions and do not intend to talk about them. So I hope these gentlemen do not do something that will result in posturing when some truths and realities will be made which will damage the regime.”
1950 GMT: Grand Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheib has condemned the post-election repression, asking how those who have been brutally confronting people can call themselves Muslims. He added that these vicious acts and crimes by coup agents have tainted the face of Islam in the world and made youth lose hope in Islam and convert to other religions.
1940 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi has said that he will defend the values of the revolution and the nation's interests as long as he lives and will never give up on this effort. He emphasised that the continuation of the Government's post-election approach is dangerous for the fate and future of the country, destroying the “Republic”, and emphasised continuing the resistance.
1600 GMT: Ebrahim Raeesi, the deputy head of Iran's judiciary and one of the three-person panel appointed by Sadegh Larijani to investigate claims of abuse of detainees, has said that Mehdi Karroubi has yet to prove the allegations put forward in his letter of late July.
1545 GMT: Great Blogs Think Alive. The Los Angeles Times has also picked up on Abdollah Ramezanzadeh's revelations (see 1305 GMT) about his 80-day detention in Evin Prison.
1410 GMT: The Los Angeles Times has now offered their own summary of the Mousavi statement (see 1215 GMT), highlighting this extract: "We shouldn't leave any stone unturned and live up to our commitments in our struggle against cheaters and liars. In pursuing our cause we should brave all the accusations, and we shouldn't duck any act of courage or daring."
1400 GMT: An Iranian website is featuring an interview with a staff member of Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, giving details of the alleged secret burials of 40 protestors killed in post-election conflict.
An Iranian activist has provided an English summary via Twitter.
1305 GMT: Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, the Presidential spokesman in the Khatami Government who was held for almost three months in Evin Prison, has been interviewed by a reporter after his appearance in an Iranian "media court" on other charges:
1225 GMT: Parleman News is reporting that, in preparation for a meeting with the special committee of Parliament investigating detentions, a judiciary representative is indicating there should be no more arrests and a release of all those detained on minor charges.
1215 GMT: Mir Hossein Mousavi has released a statement, which reached us via his wife Zahra Rahnavard's Facebook page, declaring,
A full English translation is promised soon.
1200 GMT: Such a slow day on the domestic front that we will note the nuclear programme story. The Iranian Government is playing a carrot-and-stick game with the "5+1" powers (US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, and China). On the one hand, the secretary of the National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, is saying that Tehran will deliver a proposal next week "for fresh talks". On the other hand, Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh has delivered a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying that the agency has not provided "genuine" documents on allegations of a possible nuclear weapons programme and the matter is "closed."
Iran's position, in contrast to the Agency's claim that it had seen "multiple documents from multiple countries", is that the allegations are based solely on American fabrication of an "Iranian laptop" with the material: "The government of the United States has not handed over original documents to the agency since it does not in fact have any authenticated document and all it has are forged documents."
0655 GMT: As I type, I am watching Press TV's feature "Iran Today". It is covering the current political situation, highlighting the Parliament approval of the Ahmadinejad Cabinet. However, it is also striking that it notes the post-election protests and "the opposition has not been appeased".
The conclusion? "The challenges during Ahmadinejad's 2nd term are many", including unemployment, the budget, inflation, poverty, subsidies, and oil experts, "but these could be turned into opportunities by his new Cabinet members".
0630 GMT: The political lull continues this morning, as all sides regroup and reassess after the week's events, dominated by the negotiations over the Ahmadinejad Cabinet. We could re-post both yesterday's introductory update and the analysis "Has Ahmadinejad Won?" (where there has been an outstanding debate amongst readers) with no changes.
State media will make great play today of a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Tehran and his declaration of support for the Iranian nuclear programme. The Islamic Republic News Agency declares, "A New Club is Born." It's the first appearance by a foreign leader in Iran after the election, apart from brief trips by the King of Oman and Syria's Bashir al-Assad.
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
2200 GMT: Another Reformist Fightback. Nasrullah Torabi, a reformist member of Parliament, has condemned the "desperate act" of the regime in applying pressure on the family of Imam Khomeini to cancel former President Khatami’s speech on Qadr Night and eventually the entire ceremony in the Imam's shrine (the first cancellation in 20 years), saying that these kinds of behaviour will cause people greater concern and have negative consequences in society.2010 GMT: Striking Back at the Revolutionary Guard. On Wednesday we noted the declaration of General Johammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, that former Khatami and other reformist leaders such as Mousavi Khoeniha, as well as Hashemi Rafsanjani's son Mehdi Hashemi, had tried "to pull down the leadership at any cost".
A reader points us to the story's sequel. The Association of Combatant Clerics condemned Jafari’s assertions and asked for a judicial response: “Is it inappropriate to ask the prosecutor general to appropriately respond to this slander and lies, and other similar remarks, which have incited public opinion and are the groundwork for dangerous plans, particularly as the head of the judiciary has stressed that any violator regardless of the office he holds has to be confronted?”
Mohammad Ali Tabesh, the Secretary General of the minority reformist faction in Parliament, went even further, “Those who gave the IRGC permission to intervene in the elections and those who gave the Pasdaran the warrants to arrest and extract forced confessions, must be prosecuted, rather than those who have demonstrated they allegiance to the regime.”
Tabesh added to his warning, "I advise them to let us keep quiet. We have so far refrained from talking about many issues in order to preserve the regime and the revolution, and not allow the enemies to misuse such expressions under these conditions and do not intend to talk about them. So I hope these gentlemen do not do something that will result in posturing when some truths and realities will be made which will damage the regime.”
1950 GMT: Grand Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheib has condemned the post-election repression, asking how those who have been brutally confronting people can call themselves Muslims. He added that these vicious acts and crimes by coup agents have tainted the face of Islam in the world and made youth lose hope in Islam and convert to other religions.
1940 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi has said that he will defend the values of the revolution and the nation's interests as long as he lives and will never give up on this effort. He emphasised that the continuation of the Government's post-election approach is dangerous for the fate and future of the country, destroying the “Republic”, and emphasised continuing the resistance.
1600 GMT: Ebrahim Raeesi, the deputy head of Iran's judiciary and one of the three-person panel appointed by Sadegh Larijani to investigate claims of abuse of detainees, has said that Mehdi Karroubi has yet to prove the allegations put forward in his letter of late July.
1545 GMT: Great Blogs Think Alive. The Los Angeles Times has also picked up on Abdollah Ramezanzadeh's revelations (see 1305 GMT) about his 80-day detention in Evin Prison.
1410 GMT: The Los Angeles Times has now offered their own summary of the Mousavi statement (see 1215 GMT), highlighting this extract: "We shouldn't leave any stone unturned and live up to our commitments in our struggle against cheaters and liars. In pursuing our cause we should brave all the accusations, and we shouldn't duck any act of courage or daring."
1400 GMT: An Iranian website is featuring an interview with a staff member of Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, giving details of the alleged secret burials of 40 protestors killed in post-election conflict.
An Iranian activist has provided an English summary via Twitter.
1305 GMT: Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, the Presidential spokesman in the Khatami Government who was held for almost three months in Evin Prison, has been interviewed by a reporter after his appearance in an Iranian "media court" on other charges:
I was arrested 2 hours after the election on the street by soldiers and was treated very harshly. During the arrest, my young son and I both were beaten. I sustained a cracked skull and broken ribs. Despite the obvious injuries I had, in Evin they only provided me with tissue paper to cover my wounds.
After 80 days in detention I still don't know what I am being charged with. I have been interrogated many times, blind folded, the interrogator stood behind me the entire time. I have been in solitary the entire time and have only had one family visit.
1225 GMT: Parleman News is reporting that, in preparation for a meeting with the special committee of Parliament investigating detentions, a judiciary representative is indicating there should be no more arrests and a release of all those detained on minor charges.
1215 GMT: Mir Hossein Mousavi has released a statement, which reached us via his wife Zahra Rahnavard's Facebook page, declaring,
Contrary to what the propaganda machine of the coup [Government] is trying to imply, it is we who are demanding the return of trust and peace to society and it is we who are avoiding any radical and violent act.We have very clear and logical demands. We demand strengthening national unity, the recovery of the moral and ethical identity of the establishment, and rebuilding the public trust as the main component of the political power structure of the country, which is not possible except by accepting people’s rights and gaining their consent in the outcomes of governmental matters and transparency in all measures by the continuous flow of information.
A full English translation is promised soon.
1200 GMT: Such a slow day on the domestic front that we will note the nuclear programme story. The Iranian Government is playing a carrot-and-stick game with the "5+1" powers (US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, and China). On the one hand, the secretary of the National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, is saying that Tehran will deliver a proposal next week "for fresh talks". On the other hand, Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh has delivered a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying that the agency has not provided "genuine" documents on allegations of a possible nuclear weapons programme and the matter is "closed."
Iran's position, in contrast to the Agency's claim that it had seen "multiple documents from multiple countries", is that the allegations are based solely on American fabrication of an "Iranian laptop" with the material: "The government of the United States has not handed over original documents to the agency since it does not in fact have any authenticated document and all it has are forged documents."
0655 GMT: As I type, I am watching Press TV's feature "Iran Today". It is covering the current political situation, highlighting the Parliament approval of the Ahmadinejad Cabinet. However, it is also striking that it notes the post-election protests and "the opposition has not been appeased".
The conclusion? "The challenges during Ahmadinejad's 2nd term are many", including unemployment, the budget, inflation, poverty, subsidies, and oil experts, "but these could be turned into opportunities by his new Cabinet members".
0630 GMT: The political lull continues this morning, as all sides regroup and reassess after the week's events, dominated by the negotiations over the Ahmadinejad Cabinet. We could re-post both yesterday's introductory update and the analysis "Has Ahmadinejad Won?" (where there has been an outstanding debate amongst readers) with no changes.
State media will make great play today of a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Tehran and his declaration of support for the Iranian nuclear programme. The Islamic Republic News Agency declares, "A New Club is Born." It's the first appearance by a foreign leader in Iran after the election, apart from brief trips by the King of Oman and Syria's Bashir al-Assad.
tagged Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Association of Combatant Clerics, Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastghaib, Bashir al-Assad, Ebrahim Raeesi, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hugo Chavez, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Islamic Republic News Agency, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Hashemi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Ali Jafari, Mousavi Khoeniha, Nasrullah Torabi, Saeed Jalili, Venezuela, Zahra Rahnavard in Middle East & Iran
Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, Association of Combatant Clerics, Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastghaib, Bashir al-Assad, Ebrahim Raeesi, Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hugo Chavez, Iran, Iran Elections 2009, Islamic Republic News Agency, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mehdi Hashemi, Mehdi Karroubi, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohammad Ali Jafari, Mousavi Khoeniha, Nasrullah Torabi, Saeed Jalili, Venezuela, Zahra Rahnavard in Middle East & Iran
Reader Comments (10)
Mousavi has released a new statement: http://www.kaleme.com/pages/283.php someone please translate!!!
The site has gone under attack, here is a mirror: http://www.mowjcamp.com/article/id/26527
Wel its a slow day... most probably a slow week ahead as well...
How about we write down some dates;
We have said we all expect a reaction from the Green Movement and Hashemi&Co and looking how quite it has been if they make a move its gotta be something of significance (or so we hope)... So what are the dates you are expecting heat and in what way ?
Can this be true ?
http://7tir.info/index/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18492&start=0
------------------------------------------------------
A.N's real name is Sabourjian !
http://www.loghatnaameh.com/dehkhodaworddetail-6bd71716999946eba046db8b9839188e-fa.html
I'm curious about people's take on the economy. How bad is it? What are some important problems? If you think it's deteriorating, at what rate? Which kinds of business or industries would be affected first? I've read that unemployment is high. Is it increasing?
I may not be able to check for responses till later...
continuing above question, if one reason is, for ex, that Pasdaran are running their businesses into the ground, what are a couple of their practices that undermine the companies?
(Aside)
Is thte word "Pasdaran" singular or plural? I've been using it as plural similar to: "the police are blah, blah..."
Amy,
I am not very well informed on the economy as I live abroad, and this information below, you may know already and some of it may be inaccrate.
The major complaints I have heard is high prices (inflation is I think around 20%). Unemployment is high and housing rents are extortionate (in many cases it exceeds monthly income), so the young can't get married. Many people do two jobs to make a decent living. I think Ahmadinejad's policy of handing out subsidy and money to the poor has been criticised by the economists. I read somewhere he doubled pensioner wages just before the election and now he has reduced it after the election.
Pasdaran means "Guards" , so yes it is the plural of Pasdar (a Guard). Police is called Police in persian, it is different to Pasdaran (aka IRGC).
I have heard IRGC is now a huge organisation which has its hands in many many (I have heard some 800) different companies, including some automobile and heavy industrial firms. I undrestand it controls all the major military and civilian contracts in the country. So it is basically a monopoly.
They IRGC is also alleged to be involved in illegal import and narcotics (Drugs!) business. For example I have heard calls for people to stop smoking foreign ciggaretes or buying foreign Rice, in order to deprive the IRGC from this income.
I undrestand that the main cause of the economic problems are the fall in price of oil, huge government expenses on military projects, Funding organisations abroad, Bribing and corruption within the IRGC and other government bodies. Not to mention the lack of interest in investment from abroad because of all the uncertainty.
Tehran Bureau report:
http://tehranbureau.com/selected-headlines-17/" rel="nofollow">Eid ul-Fitr prayer at Mossalla canceled
Also
http://tehranbureau.com/selected-headlines-17/" rel="nofollow">Hashemi: An assault on the ideology of Imam Khomeini
@ AM
I got back late. I had seen part of the info, but you added a lot... Thanks!
If the Reformist movement in Iran was made up of honest and principled individuals--which of course it isn't--they would stand up and honestly proclaim that they are following western values and traditions in their goal of reforming their country. This of course would condemn them to isolation as a fringe movement limited to the secularist enclaves in upper class northern Tehran. Therefore we have this charade of men and women trying to impose their version of Western European social democracy pretending that they are following the ideology of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Enough with the lies; if Khomeini were alive today he would be leading the campaign to crush the liberal reformists. This is the same leader who had no problem sending thousands of prisoners to the firing squad in 1988 totally ignoring Montazeri's whimpers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_executions_of_Iranian_political_prisoners
The S.L. today and AN are pacifists compared with a firm leader like Imam Khomeini.
Again, if the Reformists of today were not two faced hypocrites they would show their true colours (and it's not Green) like the Chinese students at Tianamen Square who openly and brazenly identified with the West by creating a replica of the Statue of Liberty in the U.S.