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Iran: New President, New Direction? – OpEd
Albany Tribune ^ | May 20, 2013 | Neville Teller

Posted on 05/20/2013 9:36:38 AM PDT by Ghost of Jesus Gil

Now the Iranian constitution requires a new president to be elected, and Rafsanjani’s entry into the contest radically alters what was previously seen as a contest between rival conservative groups. Not that Rafsanjani currently is more than a relative moderate – currently, because in his time he has veered sharply from side to side across Iran’s political spectrum; and relatively moderate because, although he now favours a domestic free market, privatization of state-owned industries, and a moderate position internationally, he is still sought by the Argentinian government for ordering the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires in which 85 people were killed and hundreds injured; while in 1997, during the trial in Germany into an assassination of Iranian opposition activists in Berlin’s Mykono restaurant, it was declared that Rafsanjani (then president of Iran) along with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and others had authorised the operation. Rafsanjani, moreover, still supports Iran’s nuclear program – although he has indicated that he would be much more flexible than Ahmadinejad in negotiating with the UN, the US and the West about its future.

(Excerpt) Read more at albanytribune.com ...


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: ahmadinejad; argentina; buenosaires; germany; iran; israel; lebanon; rafsanjani; russia; syria; turkey; waronterror

1 posted on 05/20/2013 9:36:38 AM PDT by Ghost of Jesus Gil
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To: Ghost of Jesus Gil

I trust Rafsanjani about as far as I could throw him.


2 posted on 05/20/2013 9:37:46 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

People need to remember is just because he is called President he is not Head of State, only Chief of the Government.

The Ayatollah Khomeini is Head of State.


3 posted on 05/20/2013 9:43:39 AM PDT by Perdogg (Sen Ted Cruz, Sen Mike Lee, and Sen Rand Paul are my adoptive Senators)
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To: Perdogg
The Ayatollah Khomeini is Head of State.

Actually, it's Khamenei.

4 posted on 05/20/2013 9:48:59 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Ghost of Jesus Gil

So Iran elects a new president and its an excuse for their useful idiots in the US media to claim that Iran is going in a new, more moderate direction. Iran gets some diplomatic mileage out of it before everyone realizes that Iran has not changed and is still doing the same old stuff it did before. It happens over and over but the US MSM still writes stories about a “new direction” when someone new comes in who claims to be moderate.


5 posted on 05/20/2013 10:08:58 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: dfwgator

Aren’t you special?


6 posted on 05/20/2013 10:55:45 AM PDT by billhilly
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To: billhilly

Yes, I kinda am. ;)


7 posted on 05/20/2013 11:07:48 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks GoJG. Beheading the mullahcracy via smart bombs — or better yet, nudging an asteroid into an Iranian ground zero — would also lead to a change in Iranian leadership, just sayin’.


8 posted on 05/21/2013 4:04:20 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Romney would have been worse, if you're a dumb ass.)
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