Iran: No Giving Up the Nuclear Program. No Way.

Even as General David Petraeus and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen defy the Obama engagement strategy and try out the latest scare line --- Israel is most definitely going to take out an Iranian nuclear facility --- here's a little tip-off from Agence France Presse that Tehran will not be giving up its atomic-energy programme:

Former Iranian prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is running for the presidency in the June election, said he will push ahead with the country's controversial nuclear drive if elected.

"Having nuclear technology for peaceful purposes without being a threat to the world is our strategic objective," Mousavi said in a speech to his election campaign managers on Tuesday.

"I do not think any government will dare to take a step back in this regard, since people will question the decision. Given the long-term interest, we are obliged not to back down on this or other similar issues."

The statement is even more significant because Mousavi is considered the "reformist" candidate in the election.

Put bluntly, the nuclear-energy issue is one of sovereignty for anyone running for high office in Iran. That is a given, beyond the speculation and exaggeration of an Iranian move towards the Bomb, and any American strategy should begin from that recognition.

Comments

[Old King Cole]

1) How does Mousavi fit into the reformist camp?
2) Do you really expect any candidate to go against the inalienable right to nuclear technology line? I dont understand how this is a tip-off- Mousavi's comments are the standard line.

[Scott Lucas]

OKC,

Mousavi is generally framed, because of his approach to economics and the Iranian political system, as "reformist". See my colleague Chris Emery's post at http://enduringamerica.com/2009/03/17/irans-presidential-election-khatami-stands-down-moussavi-stands-up/.

My point is that Mousavi is setting out this position not because it's dictated to him from higher up, but because he probably genuinely holds it. It is also good electoral politics, which indicates that most Iranian voters --- conservative, reformist, or otherwise --- are genuine in their support of a nuclear programme.

S.

[Old King Cole]

Mousavi was labelled part of the maktabi trend in the 1980's and today is often said to be a ‘revolutionary Islamic leftist,’ but isn’t that also a common description for Ahmadinejad? So what are the policy differences between the two- that makes one a neoconservative and one a reformist?

I didn’t imply that the nuclear line is set from above, just that the Agence France tip-off isn’t new in the slightest. Can you name one Iranian politician who doesn’t believe in Iran’s inalienable right to nuclear technology? It would be like Gordon Brown saying I believe in the NHS and calling it a scoop.

[Scott Lucas]

OKC,

I'll leave it to others to get into detail re Mousavi's positions that distinguish him, be this in substance or in electoral presentation, from Ahmadinejad.

For me the significance of the AFP piece remains: it highlights that the pursuit of a nuclear energy programme is favoured by many Iranian people as well as the political, military, and religious elite. Hopefully, the US diplomatic position (as opposed to the posturing of Petraeus-Mullen) recognises that.

S.

[Josh Mull]

OKC,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/06/AR2009040603484.html?wprss=rss_world/mideast

Ahmadinejad Rival Calls For Increased Freedoms

TEHRAN, April 6 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's main opponent in the upcoming presidential election said Monday that he wanted to increase freedoms for Iranians, in part by curbing the so-called morality police who enforce strict interpretations of Islamic laws, such as those requiring women to cover their hair in public.

Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, speaking at his first news conference since announcing his candidacy for president in the June election, attacked Ahmadinejad's government over its handling of the economy, the "extremism" of the president's rhetoric and the strictures that have been imposed on daily life and public discourse.

Mousavi gave no indication that he would seek to change Iran's foreign or nuclear policies, matters largely controlled by the country's unelected supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a National Security Council that includes dozens of political leaders.

[Scott Lucas]

OKC,

Both Washington Post and NYT have picked up on Mousavi today.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/06/AR2009040603484.html
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's main opponent in the upcoming presidential election said Monday that he wanted to increase freedoms for Iranians, in part by curbing the so-called morality police who enforce strict interpretations of Islamic laws, such as those requiring women to cover their hair in public.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/world/middleeast/07iran.html?ref=todayspaper
Rejecting the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as “extremist,” a leading presidential candidate said Monday that he favored improved relations with the West and greater individual freedoms at home.
Mir Hussein Moussavi, a former prime minister who announced his candidacy last month, lashed out at what he called “extremism” and “mismanagement” by Mr. Ahmadinejad, policies that he said were “jeopardizing the country’s interests.”....

S.