Iranian Alert -- July 28, 2004 [EST]-- IRAN LIVE THREAD -- "Americans for Regime Change in Iran"

The US media still largley 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.” 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. I began these daily threads June 10th 2003. On that date Iranians once again began taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Today in Iran, most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy.

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.

Iran/Iraq: Recent Comments Suggest Problems In Baghdad-Tehran Relations

RFE/RL
July 28th, 2004

Some Iraqi officials are waging a war of words with neighboring Iran. Iraqi Defense Minister Hazim Shalan al-Khuza'i called Tehran Iraq's "first enemy" and accused it of seeking to "kill democracy" in the country. However, al-Khuza'i's comments do not reflect the official position of the interim Iraqi government. Analysts say the statements indicate not only problems in relations between the two countries but also a lack of unity among members of the Iraqi government.

Prague, 28 July 2004-- The recent declaration by Iraq's defense minister that Iran is the "first enemy" is focusing renewed attention on Baghdad's relations with Tehran.

In an interview this week with "The Washington Post," al-Khuza'i also accused Iran of taking over some Iraqi border posts and sending spies and saboteurs to destabilize the country.

Iran denies the claims, saying Tehran -- "despite the wounds and damages inflicted [on Iran] by the former Iraqi regime" -- is doing everything it can to help the Iraqi nation.

Yahia Said is a research officer who specializes in Iraq and other nations in transition for the London School of Economics and Political Science. He told RFE/RL that al-Khuza'i's statement was both unprofessional and undiplomatic:

"The statements of the minister of defense were, to put it mildly, unprofessional," Said said. "He named Iran as Iraq's enemy number one, essentially declaring war in diplomatic language. And regardless of what motivated him to say that, it was an unprofessional statement which was rightly rejected or not supported by the prime minister [Iyad Allawi]."

In response to al-Khuza'i's comments, Allawi said Iraq "does not have enemies [in Iran] in that sense."

Labid Abawi, deputy foreign minister for policy planning, says Iraq's concerns about border issues apply not only to Iran "but also for the other neighboring countries."

Iraqi Deputy Minister of Interior Adnan Hadi Asadi declined to comment on the situation on the Iran-Iraq border when contacted by RFE/RL.

Iran, the biggest Shi'a state in the world, has special relations and interests in Iraq, where Shi'a Muslims make up more than 60 percent of the population.

Ali Reza Nourizadeh is director of the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies in London. He said Iran is eager to influence the situation in Iraq and has many channels in which to do so, the most effective being former Iraqi emigres who spent long years in Iran.

Nourizadeh said the Center for Arab and Iranian Studies has interviewed several Iraqi officials who have expressed concerns about the loyalty of these former emigres.

"[Iraqi officials] are very concerned, you know. There are thousands of Iraqis, or half-Iraqis, who lived in Iran, and they were cooperating with Iranian intelligence during Saddam's [rule]. They all returned to Iraq [now]," Nourizadeh said.

Nourizadeh said there are no accurate figures on how many have returned. He said the Iraqi Governing Council issued them passports and identity cards but that their backgrounds were not properly checked first.

"When the Iraqi defense minister is saying that Iran is becoming Iraq's first enemy, he is speaking about the Iranian influence and saying what other politicians wouldn't dare say in public," said Nourizadeh.

More importantly, the militias of some Iraqi political parties were trained with Iranian assistance.

Said from the London School of Economics said that the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) has the most efficient military organization, which was trained with Iranian support.

"The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, for example -- SCIRI -- is definitely [strongly affected by Iran], and has very strong links with the Iranian establishment," Said said. "Especially its military arm [Badr Brigades], which has now been transformed into a political organization, which is [named] Badr Organization. People in Iraq believe that there are lots of Iranian military officers and security officers in that organization."

Said pointed out that Tehran has other possible ways to influence Iraq. Iraq is the historical center of Shi'a Islam, and the holy cities of Al-Najaf and Karbala are destinations for Iranian pilgrims. It is not difficult for Iran to infiltrate these pilgrims with its own agents.

"You know, there are tens of thousands of pilgrims that come to Iraq -- Iranian pilgrims -- and you often hear reports about Iranian agents being among them, being caught among these pilgrims," Said said.

Analysts say that with no unity among the political elite of Iraq, the future of Iraq-Iran relations looks uncertain.

Nourizadeh said the situation might become more distinct after Iraq's prime minister visits Tehran, planned for August. He said Allawi will have to convince Iran to pursue one policy toward Iraq.

"We should wait until Mr. Allawi's visit to Tehran. I mean, he had an invitation from [Iranian President Hojatoleslam Mohammad] Khatami. We should see whether when he goes to Tehran he would be able to convince the Iranian government that better they come up with one policy towards Iraq, not two or three policies," Nourizadeh said.

Nourizadeh said that, although Tehran officially supports stability in Iraq, he believes Iran's Revolutionary Guards and its own security agencies have their own agendas and are acting in contradiction of the official line.

Nourizadeh pointed that the presence of the U.S. troops in Iraq worries Iran and complicates its relations with Iraq. He said Iran faces a difficult geopolitical situation, with U.S. troops also based in neighboring Afghanistan.

Even more, he said, Iran is afraid Iraq might eventually become a democratic and secular state.

"I don't think that by just removing Americans from Iraq, the problem between Iran and the new government of Iraq will be solved," Nourizadeh said. "No. The Iranian regime [will be] unhappy to see a secular, prosperous, federal Iraq near Iran."

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/7/1E8FC133-78D4-4120-84BD-CA08268B5D36.html

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