The Latest from Iran (10 April): Look Over There!

1500 GMT: Economy Watch. Human rights activists claim that most companies in Qazvin province will remain closed until end of the current Iranian month of Farvardin.

1445 GMT: Economy Watch. Although five major oil companies, included Shell, have recently suspended imports to Iran, here are the big players who ensure that Tehran doesn’t feel the squeeze quite as much: Petronas (Malaysia), Independent (Kuwait) and Total (France) are Iran’s largest suppliers.

NEW Iran: The Green Movement in Transition (Rafat)
Iran: How I Suddenly Disappeared on Press TV
Mousavi: “Can Repression & Brute Force Solve Iran’s Problems?”
The Latest from Iran: Dialogue or Conflict? (9 April)

1430 GMT: Remembering. Hadi Khamenei, the brother of the Supreme Leader and a reformist, has visited the family of the nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi, killed during the Ashura demonstrations.



1415 GMT: Corruption Watch. The latest on the alleged corruption ring, including the Fatemi Avenue insurance fraud, inside the Government….

Rah-e-Sabz claims the Government will charge MP Elyas Naderan, who has made the public allegations, instead of the accused First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi.

Meanwhile, Khabar Online claims that Rahimi has handed out 18 oil projects to groups close to the Government. And reformist MP Mostafa Kavakebian has asserted that about 100 fraudsters in Iran’s oil water, and sewage ministries and some insurance companies have been arrested recently and has demanded that their names be published.

1300 GMT: Economic Front. Beyond the specific quarrel over subsidies and spending, there is a wider political feud over economic approach amongst conservatives and principlists.

Ahmad Tavakoli, one of the harshest Parliamentary critics of Ahmadinejad, has denounced the “liberal” capitalist approach since the President took office in 2005. (http://www.khabaronline.ir/news-53796.aspx) There is a similar attack in Alef on “Ahmadinejad and the Chicago boys”, a reference to the free-market, monetarist philosophy of University of Chicago economists such as Milton Friedman. The economic failures of the Iranian system are attributed to the US, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and other usual culprits. (http://alef.ir/1388/content/view/67173/)

A much better critique comes from Sadegh Zibakalam in Aftab, as he argues that “many of the Revolutionaries’ accusations about the US are unfounded” (http://www.iran-emrooz.net/index.php?/news1/21873/)

1200 GMT: Round-up….

A new Persian news website, DayPress, has been established.

Rah-e-Sabz is gloating, with more than a bit of anticipating, over the subsidy/spending fight: After Ahmadinejad’s threat to resign, are the Supreme Leader and Majlis going to bow down to him?

There may be a compromise in the works, however, according to Khabar Online.

0545 GMT: We have posted an analysis by Ahmad Rafat of "The Green Movement in Transition".

0535 GMT: Economy Watch. It is being reported that some workers in Iran's state telecommunications company have gone 12 months without wages.

0530 GMT: Detaining the Press. EA correspondents are currently working on an updated list of imprisoned journalists: one of them is photojournalist Babak Bordbar, detained on Ashura, for whom Peyke Iran has published an appeal.

0500 GMT: Not for the first time, we begin the day with the story of a great diversion. Iran's National Nuclear Day was the pretext for an all-day regime show displaying the nuclear issue, and thus Tehran's victory in the struggle against US pressure and duplicity, and hoping no one would notice other developments at home.

And on that stage, the effort was far from a bust. The showpiece announcement was not that dramatic --- an alleged third-generation uranium centrifuge, six times more effective than its first-generation predecssor. (I had expected the President to run with the declaration of "one or two" additional sites for the nuclear programme.) Ahmadinejad's unveiling of one of those centrifuges was more Science Fair than Science Breakthrough in appearance, but it did set a short-term agenda.

Press TV, for example, could herald the great achievement without coming close to practical questions, such as how many centrifuges? Where will they be located? When will they be on-line? Given that more than half of Natanz's existing second-generation centrifuges were not in use, on latest count, where is the assurance that third-generation successors will operate at a signficant capacity?

And, of course, Iranian state media chose the "appropriate" political framing. The steady beat of Iranian right and pride v. US-led pressure swept away other considerations. No one, for example, had to think about Ahmadinejad's continued use of the nuclear and military issues --- remember the mock missile at the regime's 22 Bahman (11 February) rally? --- as props for legitimacy.

And, of course, no one had to interrupt National Nuclear Day with other inconveniences such as the escalating Parliament-President battle, now to the point of Ahmadinejad's threatened resignation, the charges of corruption against First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, and the signs of opposition revival through meetings and statements such as Thursday's Mir Hossein Mousavi statement and yesterday's declaration by Mohammad Khatami. (The last-minute cancellation of a guest on Press TV's News Analysis programme ensured that the standard Punch-and-Judy show --- one guest defending Iran's peaceful quest for nuclear advance vs. another gently suggesting why there might be "Western" concerns --- could proceed.)

Did the international media pull back the screen on the President's wizardry? Well. no. CNN ran with it as "Ahmadinejad: Iran has 'fully mastered' nuclear technology". (There is, however, an intriguing break from the pack in The New York Times, which runs a Saturday Profile on Mohsen Sazegara, the former creator of the Revolutionary Guard who is now a foe of the regime, and his YouTube broadcast.)

Comments

[Rev. Magdalen]

The seven Baha'i in prison for nothing more than their faith are having their trial today. I wish I could believe that they'd be freed and exonerated, and compensated for their imprisonment. Why does the IRI always make spectacular displays of military and scientific might, but never spectacular displays of mercy and compassion? You'd think those would be more of a priority for an Islamic republic.

[Catherine]

More on Prez vs Qom: Rift Reported Between Qom Clerics, Iranian President
http://www.rferl.org/content/Rift_Reported_Between_Qom_Clerics_Iranian_President_/2007259.html

[Catherine]

RE "The New York Times, which runs a Saturday Profile on Mohsen Sazegara, the former creator of the Revolutionary Guard who is now a foe of the regime, and his YouTube broadcast."

Babak Rahimi's review of Danny Postel's book, 'Reading Legitimation Crisis in Tehran: Iran and the Future of Liberalism', starts out with an interesting personal portrait of Sazegara, who Rahimi first met when he (S) was working for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP):
http://www.mepc.org/journal_vol14/3Rahimi.asp

[Arshama]

Test...
1500 GMT: Economy Watch' Human rights activists claim that most companies in Qazvin province will remain closed until end of the current Iranian month of Farvardin. http://www.rhairan.info/archives/9073

[Arshama]

Scott Lucas' Blog Updates -- with best wishes to readers from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris:

1500 GMT: Economy Watch' Human rights activists claim that most companies in Qazvin province will remain closed until end of the current Iranian month of Farvardin. (http://www.rhairan.info/archives/9073)

1445 GMT: Economy Watch. Although five major oil companies, included Shell, have recently suspended imports to Iran, here are the big players who ensure that Tehran doesn't feel the squeeze quite as much: Petronas (Malaysia), Independent (Kuwait) and Total (France) are Iran's largest suppliers. (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/13446/)

1430 GMT: Remembering. Hadi Khamenei, the brother of the Supreme Leader and a reformist, has visited the family of the nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi, killed during the Ashura demonstrations (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/13443/)

[Arshama]

Scott Lucas’ Blog Updates #2

1415 GMT: Corruption Watch. The latest on the alleged corruption ring, including the Fatemi Avenue insurance fraud, inside the Government....

Rah-e-Sabz claims the Government will charge MP Elyas Naderan, who has made the public allegations, instead of the accused First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi (http://www.rahesabz.net/story/13455/)

Meanwhile, Khabar Online claims that Rahimi has handed out 18 oil projects to groups close to the Government. (http://www.khabaronline.ir/news-53788.aspx) And reformist MP Kavakebian has asserted that about 100 fraudsters in Iran's oil water, and sewage ministries and some insurance companies have been arrested recently and has demanded that their names be published. (http://www.khabaronline.ir/news-53788.aspx)

[Catherine]

RE Arshama's update post 6, 1430 GMT: Remembering. Hadi Khamenei, now in English! :-)
Khamenei brother visits family of assassinated Mousavi nephew
http://en.irangreenvoice.com/article/2010/apr/10/1643

[Catherine]

Judiciary Watch:
Iranian detainees convicted based on "flimsy" evidence
A number of Iranian post-election detainees are being convicted and sentenced based on such "flimsy" evidence as “a green ribbon or bracelet,” announced a defence attorney for several of these cases.
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/04/iranian-detainees-convict.html

[Catherine]

Judiciary Watch Cont'd:
Iranian judiciary "a tool of security agencies"
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran announced that the judiciary is being pressured by the Ministry of Intelligence to “issue a heavy sentence” for post-election detainee, Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, while the entire case deserves to be dismissed because of procedural violations.
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2010/04/iranian-judiciary-a-tool.html

[Catherine]

Jail Brake bY RPG:
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Two murder convicts escaped after a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a jail in southwest Iran on Saturday, wounding up to 19 people, media reported.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100410/wl_nm/us_iran_prison_bomb_2

The AP report adds: "Mehr said the two prisoners who escaped were convicted murderers and one of them had been scheduled to be hanged."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100410/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_prison_break_1

[Catherine]

RE Arshama post 8, 1300 GMT: Economic Front. Beyond the specific quarrel over subsidies and spending, there is a wider political feud over economic approach amongst conservatives and principlists.

Related news: Iran to privatise all refineries, petchem units-Mehr

Iran plans to privatise all its refineries and petrochemical units, Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi was quoted as saying on Saturday. ...

On Friday, state Press TV said Iran had transferred shares in six petrochemical plants and power stations to a social welfare investment organisation of the Islamic Republic's armed forces, instead of debt payment. ...

Western firms are increasingly wary of investing in Iran due to the long-running nuclear row, and analysts say some of the companies that are put up for sale may simply end up being transferred within the country's vast public sector. ...

Full article: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100410/tbs-iran-refineries-955c2a1.html

[Catherine]

Arshama,
Thanks for your updates. I'm signing out now :-)

[Kiterunner]

HELLO Guys,my new blog post:

What’s the benefit of imposing sanctions against Iran?
u can come to my blog n discuss this important question! i’m awaiting

[Arshama]

Catherine,

Thanks for your updates!
As the staff was not at home, I was ordered by the blog owner to pass on his airport updates ;-)

Re your post #13
Just found the same news on Reuters. Obviously AN wants to do the job properly and to pass on what's left from national property to his cronies from the IRGC!

Tehran Bureau, i.e. Mr Sahimi has published a new list of the protests' victims; all 110 names are confirmed by different news and HR websites: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/04/martyrs-of-the-green-movement.html

110 mostly young people killed, and no one is responsible!

Arshama

[Rev. Magdalen]

There are some Americans who have been holding up Iran as an example of why America shouldn't enact any limits to the number and type of weapons Americans can personally collect, so that every American could be equipped with enough of an arsenal to arm a militia with military-class gear, if need be. These people point to the nonviolent Green demonstrations and say, "Look! If only those poor people were armed, they would have won their freedom by now!"

I think today's attack on the prison in southwest Iran proves that the Greens, or any Iranians, COULD have armed themselves, apparently with anything up to rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anytime they wanted. There are obviously weapons to be had if people chose to get them.

Nonviolence was a conscious choice of the Green Movement from the very beginning, and that's something the whole world should notice and honor. It's an astonishingly brave choice to make given the situation, and the world should make sure it's never forgotten and that nobody tries to twist it to say Greens would have used guns if only they could have gotten them.

[Kiterunner]

@ Rev

1st, finding weapons is not easy in iran at all.
2nd, yes green movement hates weopons n violence