The Latest from Iran: Dialogue or Conflict? (9 April)

2005 GMT: I have posted a separate entry about the eerie and comic experience of being "disappeared" by Press TV this evening.

2000 GMT: Rahnavard Praises Women Political Prisoners. Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi, has written in Rah-e-Sabz in praise of the perseverance of female political prisoners: “You Can Never Break Women”.

1915 GMT: Poacher or Gamekeeper? First Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has responded to allegations by MPs that he heads a corruption ring (see 0445 and 1035 GMT) with a circular to all government agencies calling on them to fight economic corruption. In a follow-up interview, he called those who had leveled accusations against him "spreaders of slander" who did not deserve a response.

Yesterday "principlist" MP Elyas Naderan, supported by lawmakers Ahmad Tavakoli and Ali-Reza Zakani, said almost all members of an insurance fraud on Tehran’s Fatemi Avenue had been arrested, except “the current vice-president”.

NEW Iran: How I Suddenly Disappeared on Press TV
NEW Mousavi: “Can Repression & Brute Force Solve Iran’s Problems?”
Latest Iran Video: Ahmadinejad and the “Non-Crowd” at Orumiyeh
The Latest from Iran (8 April): Speeches, Visits, & Pictures

1755 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The temporary release from detention of Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbakhsh has been extended. Tajbakhsh, arrested last July, was originally sentenced to 15 years in prison; this was reduced to five years on appeal.


1645 GMT: Khatami's Warning. In a meeting with Tehran University students, Mohammad Khatami said that, if nothing is done, this year will be one of social crisis.

Khatami, criticising the people in charge of the Ahmadinejad Government, said that  the political atmosphere of Iran is very disappointing; as the government has chosen the strategy of lying, many young Iranian people are now questioning the Revolution itself.

1635 GMT: More on the Ahmadinejad Resignation Threat (1445 GMT). Rah-e-Sabz claims that, on state television, the President said that Ali Larijani is doing everything he can to cause problems for the government and thus the government will not allow him to do this: "This government has 24 million supporters and therefore I will defend those supporters."

Ahmadinejad said that, if the government is not powerful enough to defend the Iranian people's vote, he will announce his resignation on TV.

The website claims from sources that the Supreme Leader has assigned two people, Mr. Mohammadi and Mr Firouzabadi, who are close to the government to resolve this conflict.

1450 GMT: For Your Evening Viewing Pleasure. I will be speaking by phone with Press TV at 1930 GMT about Iran's nuclear programme. The other guest will be Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran.

1448 GMT: Bigging It Up. Nothing striking in the Ahmadinejad speech. Instead, Iranian state media is trying to spin nuclear gold from the straw of these announcements:

The head of Iran's atomic energy organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, claims that Iran now has new, "third-generation" centrifuges, "six times more powerful" than previous centrifuges.

Iran now has produced "dummy fuel" for its programme.

The Bushehr power plant "should be operational by the summer".

1445 GMT: The President Talks. We're now watching President Ahmadinejad's speech for National Nuclear Day. So far, no "big announcement", just a repetition of the call for global nuclear disarmament. And, oh yes, he has unveiled --- ta da! --- a new centrifuge which is supposed to be wicked powerful.

So, while we're waiting, this claim from Rah-e-Sabz: Ahmadinejad has threatened to resign if Parliament does not accept his demands over the subsidy and spending plans.

1145 GMT: Friday Prayer Summary. On National Nuclear Day, it's Ahmad Khatami leading the prayers ahead of President Ahmadinejad's appearance. Here's the take-away line: "If America makes a crazy move, its interests will be endangered by Iran's allies around the globe."

1130 GMT: The lawyer for Morteza Alviri, the former mayor of Tehran, has confirmed that Alviri has received a five-year prison sentence, with four years suspended, from an appeals court for participation in the 15 June demonstrations.

1110 GMT: A new website, "Campaign 11 Esfand", for support of political prisoners has been established.

1035 GMT: The Corruption Feud. Ahmadinejad advisors Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai and Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi have hit back at allegations of corruption against First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi (see 0445 GMT), calling for the prosecution of MP Elyas Naderan "and other liars".

0955 GMT: The Parliament-President Battle. Beyond the Motahari attack on the "despotic" Government (see 0950 GMT), a series of interventions in the struggle over the subsidy and spending plans:

Arsalan Fathipour is quoted by Khabar Online as saying that a law ratified by the Majlis must be implemented. If true, that is a marked shift from Fathipour's line two weeks ago that Parliament should authorise an extra $35 billion of spending, much more than the $20 billion allowed in the bill and close to the President's $40 billion demand.

Ali Abbaspour Tehranifard warns that not implementing laws because of personal bravado leads to chaos and says the Government's reaction is "strange".

Seyed Kazem Delkhosh Abatari asserts that meetings between the Government and Majlis looking for compromise have no legal binding and the issues should be sent to a special Parliamentary commission.

0950 GMT: The Majlis and Despotism. We've heard a lot of charges since June that the Government has been despotic. Still, it's a bit different when the claim come from conservative MP Ali Motahari at a press conference:

The Government approach to subsidy reform bill passed by the Parliament majlis tends to despotism. When President Ahmadinejad says I won't enforce a law passed by the parliament, it means nothing except autocracy. Adopting a correct method, he must first begin to implement the plan and if it faced a problem, it will send a bill to the Majlis and resolve it.

It's not an appropriate method for the administration trying to press Majlis to annul its decision while the president begins to threaten the MPs on the issue.

0920 GMT: Bahareh Hedayat, the detained student and women's rights activist, has been nominated for the 2010 Student Peace Prize by the European Students’ Union.

Hedayat was arrested in December of 2009 and is currently facing 16 counts of charges including “propagating a negative image of the regime, taking part in post-election protests, talking to foreign media and insulting the Supreme Leader and the President”.

0840 GMT: Meeting the families of political prisoners Bahareh Hedayat and Ahmad Zeidabadi, reformist leader Mojtaba Tajzadeh --- who is still on a temporary release from prison for and now beyond the Nowruz holidays --- declared that imprisonment is a failed project to suppress people's demands.

0835 GMT: We've posted a full summary of Mir Hossein Mousavi's statement in a Thursday meeting with the reformist Mojahedin of Islamic Revolution party.

0830 GMT: What is Mahmoud's Nuclear Surprise? Earlier this week, the head of Iran's atomic energy organisation said that the President would make a major announcement today about an advance in Tehran's programme, but last night Ahmadinejad was simply restating a vague line.

He told the German broadcaster RTL,"Although we are capable of producing 20-percent-enriched uranium, we still can exchange fuel with no preconditions," without specifying whether that meant a swap could take place outside Iran. He then added his standard self-sufficiency line, "If Iran is not provided with uranium enriched to a level of 20 percent, we will produce it on our own."

0825 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Fereshteh Ghazi, writing in Rooz Online, reports on the thousands of "anonymous" prisoners who face the threat of abuse and adverse conditions.

0640 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Mahmoud Beheshti Langarudi, the spokesman of the Teacher Trade Association, has gone on unlimited hunger strike to protest the harsh conditions of imprisoned teachers such as Rasool Badaghi, Mohammad Davari and Hashem Khastar.

Rasool Badaghi, a human rights activist, is entering the 15th day of his fhunger strike.

0635 GMT: Nuclear Talks. Take your pick of reports on another meeting of the 5+1 powers (US, UK, China, Russia, France, Germany) on Iran's nuclear programme. The representatives said the talks were worthwhile, and there would be more meetings. Press TV emphasises the statement of Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin for "diplomacy", although the quote from him has a double edge:

I don't think any of us wants to impose sanctions, what we want to have is a diplomatic solution. And all sorts of constructive proposals have been made to Iran. So if, as you mention, Iran wants to negotiate, they should start negotiating.

0445 GMT: After an extended break --- a Ph.D. student of mine went through his final examinations yesterday on his dissertation on Public Diplomacy and Interfaith Dialogue --- let's see if there is any dialogue in Iran this morning.

On the Parliament-President front, the chat isn't very friendly. High-ranking conservative PM Ali Motahari has set down a challenge over corruption to Ahmadinejad: if the accusations against First Mohammad Reza Rahimi in the Fatemi Street insurance fraud stand up, then the President --- if he is serious in his talk about justice  --- should be the first to punish Rahimi.

Ahmadinejad's controvesial aide Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, who is also the target of Parliamentary calls to stand down, has responded that these accusations are put simply to weaken the Ahmadinejad Government.

Ahmadinejad advisor  Mojtaba Hashemi Samareh added a nice twist: Rahimi, like all Government officials, fights economic corruption, and so the allegations against him must be wrong.

Last news about this file is that, Mohammad Dehghaan a member of Board of Governors in Parliament believes that Naderan’s talks are not just random claims, but they are based on the information attained from the judiciary office.
http://alef.ir/1388/content/view/67753/

Comments

[Keyvan]

How about someone actually explain the Fatemi Street Insurance scandal? Why Fatemi Street? Which insurance company? What are the exact accusations, not just the names?

[ange paris]

AN has threatened to resign from presidency : two representatives of SL went to see him and persuade him to accept the majlis's decision, especially in that bad political situation in the country and respect law ; he threatened to resign from presidency saying Larijani does everything to prevent the government's work
http://www.tahavolesabz.com/new_show.php/1084

[Scott Lucas]

Keyvan,

Rah-e-Sabz report on "Fatemi Street" --- let me know what you think.

http://www.rahesabz.net/story/13280/

S.

[Arshama]

Keyvan,

Good question!
Searching the net led me to this list of Iranian companies: http://www.irantender.com/english/tse2.asp?pageid=13

Including the following, perhaps a candidate for large scale frauds:
Sarmayegozari Sandogh Baznesha[steha] = Pension Fund Investment
Tel: 8964134 - 8964136 - 8964150
No.55, Fatemi Ave., Jahad Sq., Tehran

Confirmation by informed circles welcome :-)

Arshama

[Catherine]

RE 0830 GMT: What is Mahmoud’s Nuclear Surprise?
He was holding out on that one because he knew he had another much bigger surprise to announce:
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is the "world's most powerful country in the international arena."
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122825&sectionid=351020101

[Catherine]

Iranians Abroad Watch Out:
Special Court for Iranians Abroad: Established to Help or to Intimidate?
http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/04/special-court-for-iranians-abroad-established-to-help-or-to-intimidate/

[Catherine]

Religious Persecution Watch:
A Trial In Tehran: Their Only 'Crime' -- Their Faith
http://www.rferl.org/content/A_Trial_In_Tehran_Their_Only_Crime__Their_Faith/2006448.html

[Catherine]

Obama says Iran sanctions offer no guarantees
"If the question is, do we have a guarantee as to the sanctions we are able to institute at this stage are automatically going to change Iranian behavior, of course we don't," Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America."

"The history of the Iranian regime, like the North Korean regime is that you know, you apply international pressure on these countries, sometimes they choose to change behavior, sometimes they don't."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100409/ts_nm/us_obama_iran_sanctions_6

[gunni]

Iranian Movie Watch

Last night I went to Tehran. It wasn’t far away – just only some blocks further. It took me five minutes to go to the cinema which I like very much. It’s not a big one and the ambient buildings and the surrounding atmosphere is much closer to a village than to a suburb of a big city. Tehran - just around the corner for the limited time of an evening performance.
The given peace is called “The Hunter” made by Rafi Pitts. But I like much more the title in the language I naturally speak. Trying to translate this meaning into English is something like “The Time of Anger” which is much more expressive to the theme Rafi Pitts is talking about.
No – he is not bespeaking to the New Year’s celebrations or to Chaharshanbe Souri which is impressively described by Pedestrian or Persian Umpire in the story called “The Verdict”.
Even the events in June and the crackdown in the following months are not mentioned. Rafi Pitts have had the opportunity to incorporate the occurrences between June and December – but he didn’t. He stayed to tell the story he wanted to tell – and that story is conclusive, clear structured and is easily able to catch the one’s who are bold enough to go to Tehran without Passport – just for the limited time of an evening performance.
Rafi is the main actor in that movie. And when Rafi plays Ali he is not the guy we have pinned our hopes on. He used a charged rifle just in the same time when a corrupt and aggressive regime kills his opponents. And Ali loves his wife and his daughter and the hints about the circumstances he lives under are just like little stabs with a knife.
Even at the movies end it’s not clear why Ali was in prison and the trouble why he could just only work at night. But when travelling to Tehran with the help of Rafi Pitts you could even smell the atmosphere and there will be surely no way to keep yourself outside. Sorry – I would like to tell you more but I am running out of words and also I shouldn’t reveal the plot.
It would be better to ask for the movie at your cinema or write them a mail. Please ask for the movie “The Hunter” or “Zeit des Zorns “made by Rafi Pitts –
highly recommended by Gunni.

[Catherine]

This is how Obama is going to convince the US congress to pass the Energy Bill he would really like to see:
Israeli Minister Touts New 'Oil Weapon'
http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=126513&catid=863

[danial]

@Scott Lucas

1635 GMT...

"More on the Ahmadinejad Resignation Threat"

Why isn't this making news yet, have you confirmed this or not?

[kamran]

I found this interesting! early requests for retirement in Army and Sepah is increasing.

https://www.newsagency-ina.com/News-Details.aspx?newsId=33317&back=3

[Rev. Magdalen]

Off Topic: Professor Lucas, if I were Iranian@Iran[@R4I], I would try to make you angry and get you off balance in order to try to make you slip up and reveal something about your contacts in Iran, so watch out for that. You don't owe him any explanations. Anyone who has been paying attention knows you have many good sources in Iran who have done a huge and largely thankless job of translating and analysis for our benefit, and everyone who matters is very grateful to them for it and does not need to know even one single thing about them, as to location or number or anything at all, that is best if nobody knows that but you.

[artemiss]

What benefit do you guys get out of this exchange of opinion ?
you just talk ,, and even speculate ,, but thats all ,,
what is the purpose of this site and you touching base in it ?
is it to inform each other of what is going on ? like a news agency ?
or ? what ?

[ange paris]

danial
I have posted it at 9h30, it was in the news of "greenrevolutiongroup facebook".

[Scott Lucas]

Rev,

Much appreciated. Rest assured that the fact that this is the limit of what I will say about EA's sources.

S.

[Scott Lucas]

Danial,

The Ahmadinejad resignation story: we're on top of it --- we have some further information but we need to confirm and analyse.

S.

[Rev. Magdalen]

artemiss

I think this site is all of those things, a place to exchange opinion, talk, speculate, inform each other like a news agency, and more.

If we had to track down each of these stories on our own it would take us all day and we'd be sure to miss some. This way, in addition to the dedicated news staff of the blog, everyone else can submit interesting news too, all in one place so that the information is aggregated and users can more easily see all the news of the day in one place, and also get the benefit of editorial commentary from a professor who studies these issues, which you'd normally have to pay a lot of money and get up early to attend class to get. There is also the editorial commentary of everyone else who cares to share it, which I personally find fascinating to read! ;-)

As for the benefit of all that, everyone has a duty to be well informed, and listen to the opinions of others, so they can decide what policies and candidates to support, but also the exchange of ideas is its own reward, it is simply an enjoyable activity, one of the benefits of human consciousness.

[danial]

@Scott Lucas...

Thank you for the response

@Ange Paris...

Thank you. I did read the article you mentioned yet I was curious why it was not making news.

[Bill]

Scott,

"a Ph.D. student of mine went through his final examinations yesterday on his dissertation on Public Diplomacy and Interfaith Dialogue" Maybe at a later date you could induce your student to pen an aricle about his dissertation. Mayb the promise of and "A" would work!!! :) Really I would like to see an article on this subject. I think it would prove an interesting read.

Thx
Bill

[Adam]

Any update on the Ahmadinejad resignation threats? If it was on national TV it should be pretty verifiable shouldn't it? I wonder what Prof Marandi will do without his lord and master AN around.

[Barry]

Artemiss

I like to think that it makes the Regime "nervous" - it must do so otherwise we wouldn't have Regime supporters here attempting to defend their ideology. Has anyone noticed Samuel's increasingly deperate plea for "greenies" (as he calls them) to leave Iran?? There would be no need for that if he/they weren't nervous.

Barry

[Rev. Magdalen]

Sometimes flamboyant politicians (and televangelists, etc) threaten to retire just because they like to hear their cronies and minions reassure them that they're popular and everyone loves them and the world just couldn't get along without them. I wonder if anyone is actually doing that anymore for Ahmadinejad though....;-)

[Samuel]

Barry,

I only want what is best for the poor Greenies. Really I do. Since they love the western culture so much they should move to those places where they can enjoy themselves. You Australians have so much land I'm sure you could accomodate them.

[Catherine]

RE Samuel's post right above, there are indeed already many Iranians in Australia, including waves of more recent "student-emigres" (of which a Tehrani friend of mine who started her masters degree this semester is one).

This is an article I sent her so she and her husband can be better aware of which Iranian expat activities they chose to attend or participate in and which they should avoid:
Iranian embassy in Canberra 'spying on activist students'
The Australian, April 06, 2010

The Iranian embassy in Canberra has been accused of spying on Iranian democracy activists in Australia, collecting intelligence on their activities and reporting back to Tehran, where critics of the regime can face severe punishment.

Pro-democracy campaigners in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra say the embassy monitors articles and protests by political activists and films and photographs those who attend anti-regime rallies and reports back on their activities.
Read full article: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/iranian-embassy-in-canberra-spying-on-activist-students/story-e6frg6nf-1225850112423?from=public_rss

Here's another report, in which the journalism student from the article above is interviewed on a radio programme:
Pro-democracy Iranian students in Australia claim intimidation
Radio Australia, April 9, 2010
Presenter: Corinne Podger
Speakers: Iranian students, Afshin Nikouseresht and Asal; John Gibson, president of the Australian Refugee Council

Pro-democracy Iranian students in Australia say they're the target of a campaign of harassment and intimidation here in Australia. Several students say they've received threatening phone calls in the middle of the night, and one woman says her family back in Iran have been told she's banned from returning home.
Read the transcript: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/asiapac/stories/201004/s2869045.htm

Samuel, I don't know if Australia is the best go-to place for Greens anymore. Or perhaps you're recommending they go there on purpose?..... :-)