Iranian Alert -- March 6, 2004 -- IRAN LIVE THREAD --Americans for Regime Change in Iran

The US media almost entirely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, “this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year.” But most American’s are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East.

There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. Starting June 10th of this year, Iranians have begun taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy. Many even want the US to over throw their government.

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.

In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.

This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.

I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.

If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.

If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.

As U.S. Watches, Iraq Warms to Old Enemy

March 06, 2004
The Associated Press
Jim Krane

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- With the ouster of Saddam Hussein, Iraq has begun a new friendship with Shiite Iran, a move that upends decades of U.S. policy that sought to keep the two Persian Gulf nations apart.

Shiite Muslims, who comprise 60 percent of Iraq's 25 million people, were long oppressed under Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime.

Now Shiites are headed for control of Iraq's next government, a move expected to build strong relations between the two former enemies, who spent eight years locked in a war that saw a million killed and wounded.

Washington appears to be resigned to the new state of affairs.

"We've known for a long time that the next government was going to be Shiite," said Gregg Sullivan, the U.S. State Department spokesman for Near Eastern affairs. "That doesn't mean it has to be a Shia religious government, but we're not ruling that out, of course."

In the future, a democratic and Shiite-run Iraq could influence Iran, Sullivan said. But for now, it is Iran that is helping shape Iraq.

On Friday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, an Iranian citizen and Shiite leader based in southern Iraq, had a hand in scuttling the signing of Iraq's interim constitution. Al-Sistani thought it should be more favorable to the Shiites.

Other Iraqis who lived in exile in Iran are now among the most powerful figures in Baghdad.

Perhaps the biggest sign of rapprochement is the throwing open of the long-sealed border. For months, some 10,000 Iranian pilgrims have crossed the border each day, flooding religious shrines in Iraq's holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.

On Tuesday that opening turned tragic, when bombs exploded in crowds ofShiite pilgrims in Baghdad and Karbala on the holy day of Ashoura. Iranians made up a quarter of the 181 dead and 553 injured.

After the blasts, Tehran asked its citizens to avoid Iraq until the country stabilizes. But there is little doubt on both sides of the border - and in Washington - that the invasion of Iraq has led to a new friendship.

In recent months the two countries' dignitaries have made several official visits to each other's capitals. There are plans afoot to build a cross-border oil pipeline and has been talk of abolishing travelers' visas.

"There will be very close ties on all levels, in trade, in security, in investment," said Entifadh Qanbar, a spokesman for a Shiite member of Iraq's Governing Council, Ahmad Chalabi. "Iran is a huge country. It could be a great market for Iraq."

The United States and Iran have been at odds since Islamic revolutionaries ousted Iran's U.S.-backed shah in 1979 and held U.S. embassy workers hostage for more than a year.

Since then, the U.S. government has sought to keep Iran and Iraq apart.

The United States played both sides of the Iran-Iraq war. The Reagan administration gave intelligence and weapons to Saddam, while secretly arming Iran and sparking the Iran-Contra scandal of 1986.

After the Gulf War in 1991, the United States declined to back Iraqi Shiites' rebellion against Saddam, in part to prevent an Iran-backed regime from taking power. Tens of thousands of Shiites were slaughtered and Iraq endured 12 more years under Saddam.

Now, Iran-backed Shiites are taking power anyway.

Iran played its cards wisely, nurturing an Iraqi Shiite bloc without acting to destabilize Iraq, said Davoud Hermidas Bavand, a university professor in Tehran.

For two decades, Iran sheltered the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq and its leader Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, who returned to Baghdad last year and became a powerful member of the Governing Council.

"Iran accepted the U.S. invasion and occupation knowing that under democratic principles the Shia would come to dominate Iraq," said Jeremy Binnie, an analyst with the Jane's Group in London.

Some analysts see the two countries forming an alliance that vies for regional dominance with pro-American Sunni-led regimes in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

But as support for Iran's mullahs dwindles, a democratic Iraq may wind up influencing Iran, Sullivan said.

Already, Iraq's reopened Shiite shrines are eclipsing those in Iran. And Iraq's more progressive Shiite leaders, like al-Sistani, are emerging as counterparts to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Iraq's ascendance in the Shiite world is not going to sit well with Iran," Sullivan said. "I'm not so sure (Tehran) is enthused about Sistani's emergence. I think there will be more and more Shia groups turning away from Iran and toward Iraq."

Lebanon's Hezbollah, a Shiite party whose armed wing has been branded a terrorist group by the State Department, is one of those groups, Sullivan said.

"There's even talk that Hezbollah has already been looking toward Shia leaders in Iraq and traveling to Iraq to visit the holy sites," he said.

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/world/8123718.htm

Iranian teachers start sporadic strike

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Mar 6, 2004

Thousands of Iranian teachers have started a week long strike in sign of protest against the empty official promises and the persistent repressive and discriminatory measures against them.

Observed strikes have been reported from most areas of the Capital and provincial cities, such as, Esfahan, Mahabad, Shiraz, Hamadan, Kermanshah, Mashad, Amol, Marivan, Khorram-Abad and Oroomiah (former Rezai-e) where the teachers have attend school but refused to be present in the classrooms. Teachers of other cities, such as, Rasht, Yazd and Bojnoord are expected to join the strike as early as tomorrow.

Teachers are still asking better conditions, the release of their jailed colleagues and the public trial of those involved in the deaths of two of their coleagues killed during the Teachers demonstration of January 2002.

A spread of their strike and the radicalization of their movement will face the regime with a grave problem as millions of young Iranians will then be send to streets in the current explosive situation.

Millions of school students stayed in the courtyards, despite the official injunctions, in sign of solidarity and rejection of the official order speaking more of what they're planning for the religiously banned "Fire Fiest" and the "celebration" that they'll make during this tabou breaking night. The banned "Fire Fiest" will be celebrated, again this year on March 16th, despite coinciding with the religious month of Moharam and Iranians are planning to make wide scale celebration and rejection of the Islamic regime and its ideology basis.

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_5212.shtml

Influent US Senator reiterates support of Iranian freedom lovers

SMCCDI (Information Service)
Mar 6, 2004

The influent Senator John Cornyn (R - TX) reiterated, this evening, his support of Iranian freedom lovers during a discussion made with Aryo Pirouznia of SMCCDI. The event was held in the frame of the "Lincoln Day Diner" ceremony held at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas-Texas where the SMCCDI Coordinator expressed the Movement's gratitude toward those who have shown that Iranians are no more left alone in their struggle against tyranny.

The well listened senator who was formerly the Texas Attorney General, partially during George Bush's governance of Texas, stated: "....We won't forget the plight of Iranians and we will do everything we can do to support them in their endeavor to reach freedom.."

Later and during his public speech, he slammed the Islamic republic regime for its actions which jeopardize the World and reaffirmed America and the Republicans firm commitments to defend peace and freedom across the world and the main objective of putting an end to suffers of tyrannized peoples.

It's to note that Mr. Cornyn was, on July 13th 2003, the guest speaker of the "July 9th Student Uprising in Iran" which was organized by SMCCDI. During this unprecedented meeting, he slammed the Islamic regime for the killing of Iranian students and the persistent rights abuses while condemning it for the dangers which it poses to World's peace and stability. In parts of this well acclaimed speech which was covered by main Texan TV channels, such as, CBS, Fox and Warner, he stated: " ...Make no mistake: these are the actions of a vicious regime that fears for its survival. I am here to tell you that I am committed to ensuring that those who died protesting the repression of the Iranian government will not have died in vain. After 24 years of theocratic rule, and nearly seven years under the so-called reform government, it is clear that the repressive government in Iran is still up to no good...."

Since then, Mr. Cornyn has joined several fellow colleagues who are pushing for the freedom of Iran and its enchained people and has taken several public actions in their favor.

As an example, he endorsed on, February 19th of this year, a public letter for the attention of Mr. Powell, the US Secretary of State, in which along with his fellow colleagues Sam Brownback (R - KS), Norm Coleman (R - MN) and Jon Kyl (R - AZ ), he has criticized the Islamic regime for the continuation of rights abuses and threatening the world's peace while warning on any US policy change in reference to the mullahcracy.

In part of this letter, these principled senators, have warned Mr. Powell about any future error in US Diplomacy toward the falling theocratic regime and its negative impacts for the Iranian people. After putting several conditions for any policy change and as a closing argument, they have stated: "... Let us not compound the tragedy of the Bam earthquake with policy missteps that further condemn the people of Iran and threaten to place America on the wrong side of history".

Mr. Cornyn's full speech, made on July 13, 2003, can be seen at: http://www.daneshjoo.org/article/publish/article_3058.shtml

http://www.daneshjoo.org/generalnews/article/publish/article_5214.shtml

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