Free Republic

Top News Story Iranian student leader to meet with VP Cheney about "regime change" in Tehran. Telegraph reported that an Iranian student leader, Amir Abbas Fakhravar, who was imprisoned and tortured before fleeing to the United States in May, is to meet Vice-President Dick Cheney and deliver his message about the need for "regime change" in Tehran.   The West has no choice but wait for Tehran? Reuters reported that Western diplomats and analysts said the West has no choice but to wait as Tehran plays for time. The latest "deadline" for Iran is July 12.Yahoo News reported that...

Top News Story Karen Hughes kills Bush's US broadcasting nominee who sought a return to the principles that proved so effective during the Cold War. Joel Mowbray, The Washington Times reported that in a stunning move, Karen Hughes sided with the Democratic members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors earlier this month in shooting down the Republicans' preferred candidate to head up U.S. radio services who would like to return to the principles that proved so effective during the Cold War, namely targeting key decision makers with serious programming laced with the values and ideals inherent to free societies....

Top News StoryIran and EU have been "talking daily." So what is Wednesday's meeting for? Dow Jones Newswires reported that top Iranian and European envoys will meet Wednesday to discuss "ambiguities" in a package of Western incentives, but the ambiguities shouldn't there since the EU's Solana and Iran's Larijani are "in contact on a daily basis."The New York Times reported that Iran again rejected a deadline to respond to an international proposal to end the standoff over its nuclear program.   Hersch: on the problems with military strikes on Iran. More "anonymous sources." Symour M. Hersh, The New Yorker...

Top News Story CBC News Senior United States military commanders have told the Bush administration that military strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities would probably fail to destroy them, the New Yorker magazine reported on Sunday. The senior commanders also warned that any attack could have "serious economic, political, and military consequences for the United States," the article says, citing unidentified U.S. military officials. "The target array in Iran is huge, but it's amorphous," the magazine quotes one unidentified general as saying. The article is by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who was the first U.S. journalist to report on the...

Top News StoryIranian rebels blow up railway line. Reuters reported that suspected tribal militants, fighting for greater political and economic autonomy, blew up a railway line linking southwestern Pakistan to Iran early on Saturday.Middle East Newsline reported that Iran was said to have been besieged by unrest. Iranian opposition sources reported a sharp increase in civil unrest throughout the country.   Syria detains Iranian rebels. Kuwait Times reported that a human rights group said Syria detained several leading Iranian Arab rebel leaders yesterday. The human rights group fear they will send them back to Iran.   G8 fear Iran...

Top News Story Iran invests in $1/3 Billion to suppress its internal opposition. Rooz Online reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran spent $350 million to equip and arm 2 brigades of Baseej mass-mobilization forces with heavy weapons. These two brigades had been involved in crushing the student protests. (But the US still can't provide $75 million to support them.) A must read.   Iranian fighters captured in Iraq. Excite News reported that Iraqi and U.S. troops battled Shiite militiamen in a village northeast of Baghdad on Thursday. Iraqi security officials said Iranian fighters had been captured in the...

Top News Story A serious crack in US/EU Unity on Iran. Reuters reported that Germany's defense minister said Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium for power generation provided there is close monitoring by U.N. inspectors to ensure that it is not trying to develop atomic weapons.   Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow on Iran... Yahoo News reported that a meeting between EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator has been postponed until after Group of Eight foreign ministers meet on Thursday.The Washington Post reported that Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations...

Top News Story A serious crack in US/EU Unity on Iran. Reuters reported that Germany's defense minister said Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium for power generation provided there is close monitoring by U.N. inspectors to ensure that it is not trying to develop atomic weapons.   Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow on Iran... Yahoo News reported that a meeting between EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator has been postponed until after Group of Eight foreign ministers meet on Thursday.The Washington Post reported that Foreign ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized nations...

Top News Story 5 Reasons you should not believe the media's favorite "Iran Experts." In today’s news reports alone, we have plenty of reasons to distrust these so-called experts. Please consider the following myths promoted by some of these experts: MYTH: Iranians are united in support of Ahmadinejad. FACT: There were nearly 500 protests inside of Iran in the past month. Iran Focus reported that there have been some 480 anti-government protests inside of Iran in the past month. But the Western media remains silent. Photo. FACT: Ahmadinejad's mentor, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi hopes to convince 10% of Iran will...

Top News Story Canada to world: Arrest Tehran's Prosecutor. Eli Lake, The New York Sun reported that an Iranian prosecutor, Mr. Mortazavi, who is accused of condoning the torture, rape, and murder of a Canadian photojournalist has eluded arrest after Canadian Prime Minister Harper made an appeal to the world to use "all manner of law" available to apprehend him. A preview of UN sanctions on Iran?   What will Iran do with $60 billion? Strategiy.com reported that Iran expects to earn 60 billion dollars from oil exports in its current financial year that ends on March 20, 2007....

Top News Story Iran admits it has influence over Al Qaeda. RIA Novosti reported that Tehran is prepared to assist in releasing four Russian diplomats abducted by Al Qaeda insurgents in the Iraqi capital. By making this statement, Iran has admitted it's over Al Qaeda.   Iran's Holocaust Conference scheduled for October. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that Iran is to hold its controversial proposed conference on the Holocaust in October.   Iran warns the West of its Oil Weapon.... again. Yahoo News reported that Iran's oil minister warned that Iran would use oil as a weapon if its interests are...

Top News Story The fissures in the Iranian regime increase. Abbas Milani, The Washington Post reported that despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei insistence that there are no fissures in the Iranian regime, something is clearly rotten in the state of Iran. They discuss the four main factions struggling for control in the Islamic republic.The Guardian reported that Rafsanjani is preparing a quixotic final bid for political power - with backing from some surprising quarters. If he succeeds he will be in prime position to become Iran's next Supreme Leader. But some factions consider Rafsanjani a traitor to the...

Top News Story Canada demands the arrest of Iran's UN Human Rights Council representative. CTVNews reported that Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanded Saeed Mortazavi be arrested before he leaves Germany, after Iran sent the infamous Mortazavi to the new UN Human rights Council.Dow Jones Newswires reported that the State Department said Iran showed a lack of concern for basic human rights by appointing a known rights violator to its delegation at a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council.OpenDemocracy reported that Iran also sent another infamous human rights abuser to the UN Human Rights Council: justice minister Jamal...

Top News Story Iranian dissident: There is "no consensus on the nuclear issue in Iran." Rooz Online reported that the famed Iranian imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji declared in Paris said, “There is absolutely no consensus on the nuclear issue in Iran and everything that is attributed to be ‘national’ in this regard is merely ideological propaganda.”   Bush: The Iranian people deserve to "determine their own future." Voice of America reported that in a recent speech, President George W. Bush called on the Iranian government to accept the proposal and said: "The people of Iran, like people everywhere, also...

Top News Story The world condemns Iran for sending a human rights abuser to the "new and improved" UN Human Rights Commission. Canada.com reported that the Iranian prosecutor implicated in the death of Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi is part of a delegation at a new UN human rights body. Human rights organizations immediately condemned his presence. A must read.Mehr.org produced a petition to protest the legitimization of Islamic Regime by the United Nations new human rights commission.   The Iranian regime plans harsher treatment of dissidents in Iran. Rooz Online reported that after the arrest of two student activists...

Top News Story Iranian Dissident Akbar Ganji: "We need the spiritual support of the world." Rooz Online reported that Akbar Ganji, the imprisoned Iranian journalist who was released last month and who is currently on a European trip said that there is absolutely no possibility to reform the Iranian system under its legal structure. "I agree with civil disobedience. This is a method that is used all over the world. But in Iran civil disobedience bears a very high price. We need the spiritual support of Europe and the world."   Sharansky agrees. Eli Lake, The New York Sun...

Top News Story Ahmadinejad seeks to become Islam's next "Nasser." Jonathan Paris, Prospectives explains how Iranian President Ahmadinejad is seeking to galvanize Muslims throughout the world behind a radical vision of puritanical Islam that rejects the liberal democratic model to become the next "Nasser" of the Islamic world.   Iran seeks to control gas prices with Russia. Mos News reported that Ahmadinejad offered Russia greater cooperation in the exploration and extraction of liquefied gas, promising to “cooperate closely” in determining the price of gas.   Bush warns Iran again ahead of meeting in Europe. The Washington Post reported on...

Judging by reports from half a dozen capitals, lots of people seem to be negotiating with lots of others about future talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Five Plus One Group - the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany. Talking about talks is an old tactic, used whenever adversaries run out of ideas about their next move. The assumption is that, so long as the two sides are talking about talks, neither will do anything to jeopardize the possibility of holding "real talks" later on. Sometimes one side or the other uses the tactic to...

Top News Story Iranians frustrated with the Western Media lack of focus on its protests. Rooz Online reported on the frustration of Iranian dissidents that the Western media has not done more to report on the recent pro-democracy and women’s rights demonstrations in Tehran, saying it has received less coverage and importance than president Ahmadinejad’s decision last month allowing women to participate in public sporting events at stadiums.   Iran tries to blame the US. Yahoo News reported that Iran accused the United States on Sunday of steering Europe away from a possible compromise on Tehran's disputed nuclear program....

Top News Story Bad news for US on Iran at the G8 Summit. Amir Taheri, Arab News explains why the US is unlikely to getting help on Iran at next month's G8 Summit in Russia.   Khomeini's Grandson requests US military action in Iran. The Telegraph reported that the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country's clerical regime.   Iran prepares to respond to thePerm-5 proposal. The Washington Post reported that Iran's foreign minister said the government likely would suggest...