Iranian Alert -- August 13, 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.

Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi moved to Iran several months ago, shortly after the Fallujah incidents, and stayed a few weeks at a camp belonging to the Iranian revolutionary guards in the Mahran region on the border with Iraq, until leaving for the city of Bakuba in Iraq. (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, 8/11/04)

The commander of the Al-Quds army of Iran's revolutionary guards, general Qasem Sulimani, acknowledged that Iran has been making concessions to Abu Mus'ab Al- Zarqawi. A reliable Iranian source reports that general Sulimani said that Zarqawi's operations in Iraq 'serve the supreme interests of Iran,' particularly in preventing the establishment of a regime cooperating with the U. S. (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, 8/11/04)

The Iranian source said that Al-Zarqawi and 20 commanders of his organization need no prior approval to enter Iran: 'there are border points from Halabja in the north to Ilam in the south through which Zarqawi and 20 of the Ansar Al- Islam fighters can enter Iranian territory whenever they want.' (Al-Sharq Al- Awsat, London, 8/11/04)

Iran's Basij (paramilitary youth organization) commander General Mohammad Hijazi said the Basij is striving to form an army of 20 million. (Jomhouri-ye Eslami, Iran, 7/14/04)

Iranian supreme leader Khamenei said those who hold hostages in Iraq are not Muslims. We suspect very much, he said, that they are agents of Israel and the United States. (Al-Zaman, Iraq, 7/14/04)

Russia's Atomic Energy Organization director Alexander Rumyantsev said Russia and Iran are likely to sign an agreement over the return of spent nuclear fuel to Russia during his upcoming visit to Tehran in the autumn of 2004. Rumyantsev noted that since Iran has signed the NPT, there are no obstacles to its construction of new nuclear power plants. (Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, 7/13/04)

Iran's Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission gave the go-ahead for the resumption of uranium enrichment activities. (Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, 7/7/04)

Pyongyang refuted Japanese media reports that North Korea is engaged in nuclear cooperation with Iran, and also denied reports by a Japanese newspaper that a delegation of Iranian scientists is staying in North Korea with the aim of carrying out joint tests of detonators for nuclear bombs. (IRNA, Iran, 6/27/04)

The World Islamic Organization's Headquarters for Remembering the Shahids has registered over 2,000 Iranian volunteers for martyrdom operations. The youngest volunteer is seven years old, and 25% are under 18. Recruitment headquarters head Mohamed Samedi said that the organization would carry out martyrdom operations if Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei asked them to. (Sharq, Iran, 6/5/04)

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref said that expansion of relations with Turkey is of top priority in Iran's foreign policy and that transporting Iranian gas to Europe via Turkey was among the important issues discussed with turkey. (IRNA, Iran, 7/30/04)

Iranian Majlis Energy Commission head Kamal Daneshyar said Iran should be able to persuade OPEC members to increase oil prices to $50 per barrel within the next year. He stressed that the prices should even be increased to $100. (IRNA, Iran, 7/25/04)

Iran's envoy to OPEC's managerial board, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, said the range of prices Iran favors for OPEC's basket of crude oil is $30 to $35 per barrel. (IRNA, Iran, 7/24/04)

The Qatari government and Exxon Mobil signed an agreement worth $7 billion for use of gas fields between Iran and Qatar. (Aftab-e Yazd, Iran, 7/17/04)

Source: http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=Announcement2404

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