Friday
Feb052010
Today on EA - 5 February 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010 at 23:55 
Iran: We wonder whether Iran is entering a tunnel in the run-up to 22 Bahman (11 February, the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution) with an escalation of arrests and reports of detentions of family members of activists. Persian2English has posted a list of 56 political prisoners at risk of execution. At Friday prayers Ayatollah Kashani repeated his "unveiled threat" to protesters not to ruin 22 Bahman "for the rest of us".Persian2English reported that more than a thousand relatives of detainees gathered outside Evin Prison to commemorate Arbaeen, the 40th day of mourning after the religious occasion of Ashura. Demonstrators offered prayers and chanted “Allahu Akhbar (God is great)”.
The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, has written to the head of Iran Broadcasting to complain about the “censoring” of his grandfather’s speech. Ayatollah Khomeini’s words have allegedly been adjusted to present a more favourable view of the Government in the run-up to the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution.
Two high profile detainees (Hassan Rassouli and Abolfazl Ghadiani) were released on Thursday night on bail.
Zahra Rahnavard, the wife of Mir Hossein Mousavi, has issued a statement demanding the freeing of all political prisoners before 22 Bahman.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has issued a forceful statement on his blog on the post-election crisis, supporting protesters' calls for human rights, democracy and the fundamental freedoms which "are not western prerogatives, but universal rights to which we are all entitled".
We have new claimed video of protests in the southern city of Lars from Monday to Thursday.
Although one website (the students at Amir Kabir University) remains down, a new Green website Mizan Khabar, has been launched.
An Italian company has announced it will cease trading with Iran. We note with derision one American commentator's agitated video "rant" about Iran's rocket launch. Another video post shows the damage and injuries caused during the siege at Qoba Mosque in Shiraz yesterday.
All the latest news, with links to our stories and other news media sites, can be found in our live weblog.
Afghanistan: We've posted Anand Gopal's moving article for TomDispatch, which tells the story of a young government employee to open eyes to America's secret prisons in Afghanistan.
Israel and Syria: Israeli and Syrian officials have issued conflicting statements on the chances of an immediate peace between the two countries.
Reader Comments (6)
"entering a tunnel" I don't understand this expression. could someone tell me what this means?
Danial,
I use "entering a tunnel" because, with the regime jailing many activists and cutting communications, there may be a period of "darkness" as we try to find out what is going to happen on 22 Bahman. It is my hope that, with the help of readers, we can find some light to ensure that all know what is happening in Iran.
S.
Thanks Scott.
"An Italian company has announced it will cease trading with Iran"...
Foreign companies ceasing trade with Iran. Somehow this reminds me of the Iran-Contra scandal.
they had the "no trading with the Iranians" policy but they did it anyway.
Torch in tunnel:
MP Ghodratollah Alikhani says that Hassan Khomeini has send a srong worded letter of protest to IRIB head about the way Khomeini Sr’s says are being shown on TV, where only parts of his saying are being shown for a specific reason.
From Kamlameh:
http://www.kaleme.org/1388/11/16/klm-10685
In a meeting with family members of some of the detainees Karoubi says that what is being done is against logic He says that continuing these illogical policies in foreign affairs, the economy, etc will harm the regime. He also says that the current situation can certainly not last.
From Rah-e Sabz:
http://www.rahesabz.net/story/9525/
Writing from Italy re "Italian company announced it will cease trading with Iran" and comment "they had the “no trading with the Iranians” policy but they did it anyway" by Danial:
1) Italy - like other Eurozone countries - did NOT have a US-type generalized "no trading with the Iranians" policy: European countries trade with Iran within the limits set by UNSC resolutions not USA diktats.
http://ec.europa.eu/trade/creating-opportunities/bilateral-relations/countries/iran/
During the Khatami years relations between European countries and Iran had warmed up considerably but cooled down again in the Ahmadinejad years, NOT however to extent of imposing sanctions beyond UNSC requirements. EU industries' view was/is that if we pull out, China and Russia + IRGC smuggling system immediately take up the slack which is in nobody's interest other than IRI hardliners and Chinese ditto. But the rigged 2009 election and attendant horrors have shocked Europe, hardened attitudes - there's a lot of pressure from European civil society to suspend relations, our human rights activists and cultural world in general support the "Greens", have warm and friendly ties with Iranian sister organisations. Also some trade-union links with Iran's heavily repressed workers'-rights movement.
Latest from Italy: yesterday our major trade unions officially "mobilized" against the executions and human rights abuses in Iran (Eng. translation: http://bit.ly/biLFt7 )
2) Re the announcement by ENI's CEO Paolo Scaroni - what he actually said is that ENI will complete its near-completed current contracts but won't sign any new ones.
http://www.wallstreetitalia.com/articolo.asp?art_id=860810
Translation:
Bruxelles, 4 Feb. (Apcom) - ENI's managing director Paolo Scaroni has confirmed today in Brussels that his Group will honor the two old contracts still open in Iran, dating from 2000 and 2001, but will not enter into any new ones, consistently with the 'disengagement' announced by premier Silvio Berlusconi during his trip to Israel. "We had signed the contracts in Rafsanjani's day, when there was no talk of sanctions against Iran: the first contract is already almost completed," Scaroni explained, "all we are doing now is provide [technical] assistance; the second will end in March, after which we shall provide only assistance in this case too. We won't be signing any new contracts for the future".
P.S: re ENI see also http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINLDE6120NX20100203
Note: Maire Tecnimont and various other big Italian companies are also operating in Iran. My "feeling" is that they're all (ENI+all the rest) hoping for 2 things in Iran's near future: 1) an Iranian backdown on the nuclear issue 2) a significant "Green" political victory/semi-victory = short duration of Ahmadinejad govt followed by fresh elections... so don't want to do anything "irrevocable" until/unless all hope is lost. Meanwhile, their attitude will tend towards "Russian-style" slow-downs/prevarication re IRI interlocutors not big break. Same probably applies to many other Eurozone operators in Iran.