The Latest from Iran (10 December): After the Drone Show

See also Iran Analysis: Will the European Union Ban Imports of Tehran's Oil? (Probably.)
The Latest from Iran (9 December): The Return of the Hidden Drone

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2110 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Filmmaker Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, detained in September, has been released from prison.

Mirtahmasb was one of six directors seized on charges that they worked for BBC Persian.

1630 GMT: Surveillance Watch. Huawei Technologies, a leading Chinese manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, has said on its website that it will voluntarily restrict business in Iran because of the “increasingly complex situation” there.

Huawei declared it will not seek new customers will limit business activities with existing clients.

The company did not give a reason for the the pull-back but it has come under pressure on the Internet for the potential use of its technology for repression.

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The Latest from Iran (9 December): The Return of the Hidden Drone

1600 GMT: Drone Watch. Although nothing of significance has come out of Washington today on the crashed US drone, some notable details in this account in National Journal:

U.S officials tell National Journal that they lost contact with the drone on Nov. 29, U.S. time, and that it was not clear initially if Iran knew it had crashed. After the link was breached and unable to be restored, the Air Force unit that flies the Sentinels immediately sent a bulletin to the National Military Command Center --- a "pinnacle," designating an incident of potentially national significance.

President Obama was briefed Wednesday morning [30 November]. Other U.S. intelligence assets, possibly including an imaging satellite, were diverted to the search.

Initially, the U.S. considered infiltrating a small recovery element from the Joint Special Operations Command....The military also planned to destroy the downed plane by missile. But both missions were foiled when Iranian troops found the scene of the crash, which has not been disclosed.

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