Posted on 09/15/2004 9:03:24 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
The US media still largely 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.” As a result, 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. In fact they were one of the first countries to have spontaneous candlelight vigils after the 911 tragedy (see photo).
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.
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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.
DoctorZin
The Bush administration's warnings that it will not "tolerate" a nuclear-armed Iran have opened up a lively policy debate in Washington over the merits of military strikes against the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.
Analysts close to the administration say military options are under consideration, but have not reached a level of seriousness that indicate the US is preparing actual action.
When asked, senior officials repeat that President George W. Bush is removing no option from the table - but that he believes the issue can be solved by diplomatic means.
Diplomacy on Wednesday appeared stalled.
The US and its European allies on the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency continued to wrangle over the wording of a resolution on Iran which insists it has no intention of using its advanced civilian programme to make a bomb.
Gary Schmitt, executive director of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a neo-conservative think-tank, says that with "enough intelligence and spadework", the US could "do a good job" of slowing Iran's programme for a while.
But, he cautions, the Bush administration would need a "game plan" for the aftermath.
That long-term approach is lacking, analysts say, and has floundered in the debate over "regime change".
Asked whether Israel would take military action if the US dithered, Mr Schmitt replied: "Absolutely. No government in Israel will let this pass ultimately."
Tom Donnelly, an analyst with PNAC and the American Enterprise Institute, says that while inflicting military damage is possible, the consequences rule out this option.
If the US started down the military road, it would have to consider going the whole way to invasion and occupation.
"We have to start thinking in terms of a post-nuclear Iran," he said, describing the Europeans as "hopeless" on Iran, and India and China boosting their energy relations with the clerical regime.
Henry Sokolski, head of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, says the US and its allies are in a state of denial, that it is too late to stop Iran from getting the bomb. It already has the capacity, he says.
Neither of the US and European options "to bomb or bribe Iran" would succeed and both could make it worse.
Mr Sokolski describes as "highly irresponsible" the idea that the US can let Israel do the job.
The short-term benefits of air strikes would have to be weighed against the costs of a blow to US efforts to foster more moderate Islamic rule in Iran and the Middle East.
The military option is laid out in detail by Globalsecurity.org, a defence think-tank.
"The window of opportunity for disarming strikes against Iran will close in 2005," it warns, as key plants come on stream next year. It says Iran has two dozen suspected nuclear sites.
But it adds that the absence of significant numbers of US stealth aircraft, early warning aircraft and other assets in the region indicate that the US is not actively considering air strike options at the moment.
VIENNA, Austria -- A U.S. official expressed alarm Thursday about a possible nuclear-weapons-related test site in Iran and accused the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency of keeping silent on its own concerns about the issue.
The official - a senior member of the U.S. delegation at the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors - spoke as U.S and European negotiators moved closer to agreement to censure Iran for reneging on a freeze on uranium enrichment and setting a deadline for Tehran to dispel suspicions it is trying to make nuclear arms.
The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the United States was suspicious that Iran's Parchin complex, southeast of the capital, Tehran, is being used by the Islamic Republic to test high explosives, possibly with applications to nuclear weapons.
"This is a serious omission," on the part of IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei, said the official, alluding to the lack of specific mention on Parchin in a report written for the board by ElBaradei on the status of a probe into Iran's nuclear activities.
The official said the United States would "go to the other board members" and make sure the suspicious site is considered in any Iran resolution submitted to the board meeting.
An Iran delegation member dismissed as "a lie" reports that the agency had asked to visit the site. IAEA officials refused comment.
A diplomat who follows the agency, however, said there was an oblique mention of Parchin in the ElBaradei report, in one paragraph.
"The agency has discussed with the Iranian authorities ... information relating to dual use equipment and materials which have applications in the conventional military area and in the civilian sphere as well as in the nuclear military area," the paragraph reads.
The revelations on Parchin were likely to be used by Washington to push its case for tough Iran resolution.
The latest version Thursday - made available in full to The Associated Press - showed the two sides agreed on the need for Iran to agree to a full freeze on uranium enrichment but still negotiating language and a list of other demands.
The draft expressed "serious concern" that Iran "has not heeded repeated calls from the board to suspend ... all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities." And it expressed alarm at Iranian plans to process more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feed stock for enrichment.
It also urged Iran to suspend all such activities; called on IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei to submit a report by November reviewing the past two years of his Iran probe, and demanded Iran "resolve all outstanding issues and inconsistencies" feeding fears it may have a weapons program.
A proposal in the draft submitted by the United States, Canada and Australia would also set an Oct. 31 deadline on Iran to meet all the conditions. While no punitive action is directly threatened should it fail to do so, one western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity described the date as an "indirect trigger" that could open the way for referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council.
The United States is seeking European support for Security Council action if Tehran defies the call for an enrichment freeze and other demands.
Iran is not prohibited from enrichment under its obligations to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. But it has faced mounting international pressure to suspend such activities, which can produce uranium for generating power or making nuclear weapons, as a good-faith gesture to prove it is not seeking to make atomic weapons.
The IAEA meeting adjourned Wednesday to allow for back-room negotiations and consultations with capitals. Plans were to reconvene Friday for a vote on a final version of the Iran resolution.
Last week, Iran confirmed an IAEA report that it planned to convert more than 40 tons of raw uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feed stock for enrichment.
Even before that, international concerns over Iran's nuclear program were growing, fueled by suspicions that Tehran had never really suspended enrichment activities, as it had pledged to do so a year ago.
Tehran, Iran, Sep. 16 (UPI) -- Former president and powerful cleric Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani Thursday said he was leaning toward running in Iran's next presidential election.
"I prefer that another person enters the race, but if the society and political figures reckon that I can do a better job, I am ready to run in the next presidential elections," the Iranian News Agency, IRNA, quoted Rafsanjani as saying.
"I will announced my final decision in due time since there are still several months separating us from the elections," he added.
The Iranian presidential election is scheduled for June.
Rafsanjani, a former two-term president, is currently chairman of the powerful Expediency Council as well as a deputy chairman of the Assembly of Experts.
The Expediency Council arbitrates in disputes between the Majlis, Iran's parliament, and the Guardian Council, which can block legislation. The Assembly of Experts appoints the Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian Revolution Starts Here
Amir Tafreshi, SAL Commentary - Special ToTthe Lightning
In an industrial corridor in north Los Angeles, at a small warehouse, sharing a space with a rug company sits America's newest weapon of mass destruction.
Well, maybe not a weapon of mass destruction, but perhaps a weapon of mass change. And this weapon we desperately need at this time in our war against terrorism.
Every day in this office, Dr Iman Foroutan sits behind his desk, with a camera in front, sending a clear message to Iranians worldwide on democracy and freedom. He is succinct, confident and goal oriented. And in return, the phones don't stop ringing.
Foroutan is the founder of SOS Iran, a movement based on values of civil disobedience with the clear goal of bringing change and democracy to Iran. They have no real budget, a makeshift office and a part time volunteer staff of five. Yet, they have lots of heart and a passion to rid Iran of the Islamic fundamentalists in charge and bring a message of hope to the people.
Next to him sits Ms Homa Ehsan, a woman of considerable respect with 50 years of experience in Iranian journalism. She flanks Dr Foroutan and the phones continue to ring from Iran, Europe and those here in the US.
What makes this movement different than other "democracy" advocating groups, is their organization, their plan and the vision they've built in order to bring change to Iran.
The movement, named Iran Farda (Tommorrow) aka SOS Iran, began as a "project" more than 9 months ago when academicians and specialist from all over the world, in as diverse fields as medicine, banking and civil disobedience, were brought together with clear tasks and objectives.
The goals of this project were well spelled out.
1)Design and implement a non-violent movement of civil disobedience specifically for Iran
2) Plan and arrange for a transitional government consisting of the spectrum of political organizations and ethnicities inside and outside of Iran.
3) And a roadmap from the transitional government into a referendum for change and a democratically elected government.
Three months ago, the movement officially began. The satellite TV station was set up as the medium for communication to those inside Iran. Yet, just at its infancy, this movement reached its first crisis.
The cost for a satellite broadcast to Iran is close to $35,000 per month and for a poorly funded operation such as SOS Iran, the task of paying such a monthly sum monthly is staggering. Even a budget item such as hiring an assistant to plow through more than 600 unopened e-mails from Iran is hard to handle.
This not-for-profit organization needs support. They may represent our strongest weapon to date against the Islamic regime in Iran. The people of Iran perhaps are the most pro-American citizens of any Middle Eastern country.
In fact, they were the only people in the region who held a mass candle light vigil on the eve of September 11th. Their government has been labeled a state supportive of terrorism, and according to the State Department, the most active terror sponsor in 2003.
Iranian people are most familiar with this since the present regime has continuously terrorized its citizens for the past 25 years in order to stay in power.
The Islamic regime of Iran, based on their own data, has spent close to a billion dollars on propaganda in Iraq. They operate more than 30 Arabic TV and radio stations aimed against American troops in the region. According to Iranian opposition groups, the Islamic Regime has more than 5000 informers and agents inside our country.
SOS Iran is familiar with this since they get at least one threatening phone call a day at their studio. Yet they don't even have the budget to hire a security guard at their doors.
We, the people, must take a stand to support and fund such groups and organizations. Our corporations who, unlike the European corporate community, don't have access to the Iranian market, including oil.
Before the Islamic regime of Iran obtains an atomic bomb, we need to aid the Iranian people to rise up and rid themselves of such Islamic influenced terror.
We owe this to our troops, to ourselves, and perhaps to our children as well.
Ping
Thanks. I've wondered about them.
(and the one rug I saw one day was beautiful)
"if the society and political figures reckon that I can do a better job, I am ready to run in the next presidential elections,"
Don't do anyone any favors.
This report from the State Department on Religion will interest you.
That's interesting.
Thanks Calpernia.
It appears that Iran wants someone, anyone to make a strike at them.....
Are they at a point that they would have a supply of nuclear weapons available to strike back with?
Did Russia sell them a supply? Or is it Saddams supply?
Iran news, gives me questions, but never a clear answer.
Please add my name to your ping list.
You have put a lot of work into keeping this list going and it is time that all of us took the time to read it.
Thank you for getting the facts out to us.
Of course it could all be a bluff...
I hope our intellegence services are on top of this.
also check out www.ahura.info
Welcome to FreeRepublic and I agree with you.
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
Welcome to FreeRepublic.
Anxious to read. When will "The Plan" be posted?
Thanks for the ping!
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