The Latest on Iran (28 November): Turning Attention Back to Tehran

1945 GMT: Reports that today's gathering of mothers of political prisoners, held every Saturday in Laleh Park in Tehran, was attacked by security forces with tear gas. Despite the assault, 150 people participated.

1915 GMT: The Revolutionary Guard Posturing. It comes from commander Mohammad Ali Jafari: "The era of threatening Iran with force is over, especially at a time when the majority of Iranians are willing to defend the Revolution and their country."

Speaking in Shiraz, Jafari added that the intimidation "even failed at the height of the nuclear issue, and now Iran is standing firm despite economic, political and cultural pressures".

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1815 GMT: Tough talk. The Associated Press is featuring a statement by Mohammad Karimirad, a member of Parliament's National Security Commission, declaring that Iran should block IAEA inspections and consider withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The media are also noting hostile statements from the Revolutionary Guard.

All this is to be expected, both in the posturing and in the reaction of Western media. None of it means much at this stage. Wait for a signal from the Iranian Government on its next step in the uranium enrichment discussions.

1715 GMT: My thanks to EA reader Samuel for pointing out that Ahmad Khatami's denunciation of the IAEA resolution was made today and not during Friday Prayers. My apiologies to readers for my error.

1330 GMT: Offensive Images. At left is the picture --- a tourist advertisement with a Baha'i temple --- that led to the banning of Hamshahri, the prominent newspaper linked to Tehran mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.

1320 GMT: Press TV's website has now posted a summary of Ahmad Khatami's Friday Prayer attack on the IAEA resolution on Iran's nuclear programme: "Rather than hurting Iran, the new resolution will impair the UN nuclear watchdog and Security Council."

So nothing significantly new there. Instead, this question: why did it take Press TV 24 hours to post news from Friday Prayers?

0920 GMT: Friday Prayers and Nukes. Agence France Presse notes that Ahmad Khatami, leading Friday prayers in Tehran, put in his two cents on the nuclear talks:

It is your obligation, under the law, to provide fuel for the Tehran reactor. If you did this, the issue would be closed. If you do not cooperate you should know that the nation ... which achieved its rights to technology will also provide fuel for its reactor. It is legal and in accordance with international safeguards.

0900 GMT: Don't Mention Neda. Two weeks ago we noted that Queen's College, Oxford University, had established a postgraduate scholarship in philosophy in the name of Neda Agha Soltan, the philosophy student killed on 20 June by a Basiji gunshot.

Well, it appears that it's not only the Iranian Government that is unhappy with the endowment:

A senior [British] diplomatic source said that the Government would have advised Queen’s College not to set up the scholarship when Britain is desperately trying to free local embassy staff in Iran who have been detained by the regime for their alleged involvement in the protests.

“If we were asked, we would have advised against it because it was always going to be deemed as provocative by the Iranian Government,” the source said. “But Oxford University did not ask us about setting up the scholarship, and does not have to because it is an independent educational institution.”

The diplomatic signal here for Tehran is that the scholarship is in no way "official" and should not be seen as pressure by the British Government over Iran's internal developments.

0815 GMT: With media attention primarily on Iran's nuclear programme and the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting, we've had to give over time and space to an analysis pointing out the real significance of the IAEA resolution, unnoticed by the headline media: the US Government has just bought some more time to try and get an "engagement" deal on uranium enrichment.

Time to return to Iran, however, and notice the simmering within the Establishment. In Qom, Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli announced from the podium that the Friday Prayer was his last. The declaration was one of sadness and frustration: “When the Friday Imam articulates the problems that people face and those problems are resolved, it is evidence that he has expressed them well. But if the problems are not resolved that means he was not successful.”

Javadi-Amoli's decision is a setback for those seeking voices of reconciliation, but it is also a marker of the discontent amongst Iran's clerics. Another leading Qom Friday Prayer leader, Ayatollah Ostadi, had also suspended his sermons after denouncing "extremism" in support of the regime, including the Supreme Leader.

In Tehran, the curious, confusing, and significant story of the Parliamentary challenge to President Ahmadinejad took another twist yesterday. Khabar, which apparently has been suspended in print but continues to publish online, features criticism by leading members of Parliament against the Government's handling of the nuclear talks.

The Secretary of the National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, has met 40 MPs who back the Government, and Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the National Security Commission, tried to quell the opposition with assurances that information on the negotiations will be provided. The stinger in the Khabar article, however, comes at the end: two weeks ago, when MPs "were notified [by Jalili] about the decisions made by" the Ahmadinejad Government, Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani and other leading principlist legislators were not invited.

Comments

[The Latest on Iran (28 Novembe]

[...] Read more here: The Latest on Iran (28 November): Turning Attention Back to Tehran … [...]

[Catherine]

Thanks for your excellent analysis of the real significance of the IAEA resolution. Here are a few heads-ups:

English summary of Karroubi's interview on Duch TV:
"Karroubi: I did not expect this level of violence"
http://www.zamaaneh.com/enzam/2009/11/karroubi-i-did-not-expect.html

Iranian Progressive Youth (IPY) are organising a "Focus Iran II" Conference at Delft University in the Netherlands in collaboration with the student union in Delft (VSSD) on December 5, 2009. Some prominent Iranian student activists and progressive artists have been invited to create a comprehensive and impartial picture of the student movement in Iran. List of speakers and further info:
http://www.payvand.com/news/09/nov/1284.html

And the ubiquitous Mohsen Makhmalbaf was in London this week being interviewed on Aljazeera English by the increasingly geriatric Sir David Frost:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jon0HTlY874
For those of us who had our doubts, all falls into place after Sir David asks Mr M what drove him to become "the opposition's official spokesman around the world" (starts at 02:45) :-)

[The Latest on Iran (28 Novembe]

[...] the rest here: The Latest on Iran (28 November): Turning Attention Back to Tehran … Share and [...]

[maliheh]

press tv is all propaganda news.i dont even know why u post their garbage so is irna news i also think london should shut down press tv in london send their asses back to iran

[Samuel]

Please note that Khatami's speech is not from Friday prayers but from Saturday when he spoke at a ceremony regarding Eid al-Adha.

The Friday Prayer Leader was Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani and he mostly spoke about the Basij.

[Arshama]

Interesting article about the Muslim poor, who moved to a 'post-Islamist' politics during the last decade:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/time-to-bust-the-myth-of-the-slumdog-islamists/article1381085/

[Barry]

Arshama

Thanks for that article. Perhaps there is hope yet - as long as the main thrust of that article is indeed true.

One thing I do believe strongly - is that one of the main things today that was missing in past years is the ready availability of TV in poorer countries. Decades ago, poor people of the world accepted their lot because they did not know any better. Today, ready access to to TV allows them to see other places of the world - and they can then easily see what they are missing. Iranians can easily see the day-to-day freedoms that other parts of the world have and which they do not. One simple thing (but important) amongst these is the right to dress as they please - and not to be told by religious what clothing they can't wear.

Barry

[barry]

Regarding this -- "Reports that today’s gathering of mothers of political prisoners, held every Saturday in Laleh Park in Tehran, was attacked by security forces with tear gas. Despite the assault, 150 people participated."

I will assume a few things first. These women are mothers - so are probably older people. They are probably reasonably "conservative" people - as older people often are. They were not violent or threatening violence?

Assuming these things, for the security forces of ANY country to assault these kind of people (and a largish group 150 of them) in PUBLIC view with tear gas is inconceivable to me. I would think that anywhere else in the world, the surrounding people would rise up!! and at least attempt to stop the assault.

It is very difficult for me to understand how some who frequent this Forum could support these things and the Regime that does it - do they have no heart??

Barry

[shangool]

No worries Barry, Israel will knock this regime down.

[Adam]

Barry,

Don't worry, nobody on this board supports these violent actions against innocents. Samuel is probably being paid to do what he does. I don't understand how he lives with himself either or what he expects in the afterlife, but that is his problem. The truth is nobody actually supports this except for a very small clique that controls Iran's oil money and nominally controls the armed forces.

But I have a more serious comment for Shangool. No, Israel will not knock this regime down. It is important that Iranians understand that while outside forces may undermine the regime in various ways, and may actually strike at certain military targets, only the Iranian people themselves can overthrow this regime. That is the only reason I support Obama's relatively hands-off approach to Iran's crisis. It is very important to disavow the Iranian people of the notion that Israel, America, or any other power is going to swoop in and save the day.

The Iranian people have the numbers and the support to overthrow this regime now if they chose to confront the regime in an organized way. The numbers that came out for the Green protests in the days after the election were more than enough to overthrow any regime. Organize, unite, and strike at the heart of this dictatorship.

[shangool]

Adam,

let me specify what I meant. An Israeli attack can widen the crack inside the regime, IRGC commanders jumping ships, backstabbing, chaos and disorder, it can create a power vacum, a void that can be exploited either by, Hashemi or the green movement, it can help the people topple the regime.

cheers mate