Reza Seyyed-Hosseini: 1926 – 2009

Reza Seyyed-Hosseini: 1926 - 2009

MNA Photo

Reza Seyyed-Hosseini, the veteran translator, author, literary critic and researcher, passed away on Friday at the age of 83 at a Tehran Hospital. His funeral services will be held at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Sunday 3 May.

Seyyed-Hossieni translated numerous outstanding works of French literature including those by Albert Camus, Andre Malraux and Jean Paul Sartre.

Abdollah Kowsari, one of Iran’s renowned translators, said of Seyyed-Hosseini, “We owe a great part of our knowledge of French literature to him,” [Mehr New Agency, 1 May].

This blogger believes that Omid, Seyyed-Hosseini’s translation of Andre Malraux’s Man’s Hope, is probably the best translation of a major work of literature ever produced in Iran.

Uskowi on Iran extends its deep condolences to Seyyed-Hosseini’s family and to the people of Iran.

Iran Film Wins Top Tribeca Prize

Asghar Farhadi's "About Elly" Wins Top Tribeca Prize

New York . 2 May 2009

Asghar Farhadi's "About Elly (Darbareye Elly)" has won the Best Narrative Feature at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival. The film tells the story of college friends reuniting for a weekend by the Caspian Sea.

The competition judges -- producer Richard Fischoff, filmmaker Todd Haynes, and actors Bradley Cooper, Meg Ryan and Uma Thurman -- described "About Elly" as a "seamless piece of ensemble filmmaking" [Reuters, 2 May].

"The universality of the characters and themes, and the director's riveting grasp of this story make 'About Elly' a film that collapses barriers and deepens our understanding of the world we share," the judges said.

Iran Copters Attack PJAK inside Iraq

Reports from Sulaymaniya indicate that during a pre-dawn raid this morning, the Iranian military helicopters have attacked three Iraqi Kurdish villages of Kani Saif, Jomarasi and Kara Sozi in the Panjwin district targeting PJAK forces.

"At 4 am (0100 GMT) they attacked the villages of Kani Saif, Jomarasi and Kara Sozi that belong to the Panjwin district," an Iraqi border guard official told AFP [AFP, 2 May].

"At 9 am three Iranian helicopters attacked these areas again," the official said. "This is the first time they have used helicopters."

The area is not considered a stronghold of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). The Iranian military has not yet confirmed the raids.

Pirates Take Over Ship Bound to Iran

The pirates operating off the coast of Somalia this morning took over a cargo ship carrying vehicles from Brazil to Iran. One of the pirates identified as “Hassan” confirmed the seizure of the ship to IRNA during a telephone call from Somalia [IRNA, 2 May]. The ship was operating under Ukrainian flag. The name of the ship and the number of crew taken hostage were not reported.

Iran Launches New Destroyers

Pargar Systems, an Iranian navy manufacturer, announced today in Tehran that it has built three new missile-launching destroyers for the IRIN. The Navy has launched the new destroyers. They will be part of the IRIN’s Caspian Sea fleet, berthed at Babolsar naval port [Mehr News Agency, 1 May 2009].

A Pargar Systems spokesman told MNA that the new destroyers are 100m long, 18m high and weight 1,200t and are capable of launching missiles. No other details were reported.

Iran Denies Attack on Vessel

An Iranian military spokesman has denied a report published by the Egyptian newspaper Al Aosbo on Monday claiming that an Iranian ship laden with weapons bound for the Gaza Strip was torpedoed off the coast of Sudan last week, allegedly by Israeli or American forces operating in the area.

“The report is in line with foreigners' psychological warfare and is unworthy,” the informed official told Fars News Agency on condition of anonymity [FNA, 29 April].

Report: Iran Ship Destroyed off Sudan

The Egyptian weekly El Aosboa has reported that an Iranian ship laden with weapons bound for the Gaza was torpedoed off the coast of Sudan last week, allegedly by Israeli or US forces operating in the area. [El Aosboa, 24 April. http://www.elaosboa.com/elosboa/issues/628/01007.asp].

No independent confirmation of the incident was available.

Ahmadinejad's Interview with ABC Pt.2

Ahmadinejad's Interview with ABC Pt.1

President Ahmadinejad's Interview with ABC
Tehran . 22 April 2009

Please see our earlier post and analysis of Ahmadinejad's interview.

Ahmadinejad Accepting Two-Sate Solution

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a major reversal of Islamic Republic’s long-standing policy on Palestine said he will accept a two-state solution as part of a future Palestinian-Israeli peace deal.

If the Palestinians reach a two-state peace deal with Israel, it will be “fine with us,” Ahmadinejad said during an interview with ABC, taped on Wednesday in Tehran, and broadcast on Sunday [ABC, 26 April].

“Whatever decision they take is fine with us. We are not going to determine anything. Whatever decision they take, we will support that,” Admadinejad said. “We think that this is the right of the Palestinian people.”

Ahmadinejad, more than any other leaders in Iran, has questioned Israel’s legitimacy and has forcefully put forward his analysis that Israel will and probably must disappear as a country. Acceptance of a Palestinian state next to Israel by Ahmadinejad does indeed represent a major Iranian retreat from the hardline anti-Israeli positions of the past.

____________

UPDATE: Following are the transcript of the Q&A relevant to the two-state solution between ABC's Stephanopoulos and President Ahmadinejad:

STEPHANOPOULOS: If the Palestinian people negotiate an agreement with Israel and the Palestinian people vote and support that agreement, a two state solution, will Iran support it?

AHMADINEJAD: Nobody should interfere, allow the Palestinian people to decide for themselves. Whatever they decide.

-------

STEPHANOPOULOS: If the Palestinians sign an agreement with Israel, will Iran support it?

AHMADINEJAD: Whatever decision they take is fine with us. We are not going to determine anything. Whatever decision they take, we will support that. We think that this is the right of the Palestinian people, however we fully expect other states to do so as well. The U.S. administration, European governments. The right to determine their fate by the Palestinians should be respected by all of them.

Iran Arrests Group Planning Elections Bombing

Minister of Intelligence Mohseni Ejeie Announcing the Arrests

Tehran . 26 April 2009 [IRNA]

Iran’s Minister of Intelligence Qolam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie said in Tehran today that his ministry has arrested members of a group who were planning bombings ahead of 12 June presidential elections. Ejeie claimed that the group was linked to “Zionist elements.” The group and its members were not identified by name and no details were provided on its history and the number of people arrested.

PJAK Attacks inside Iran

Reports from Ravansar, near the city of Kermanshah, indicate that PJAK forces attacked the city’s police barracks on Friday 24 April. An undisclosed number of NAJA (Islamic Republic Police Force) personnel were killed during the attack. Earlier in the day, in another attack by PJAK on police barracks near the city of Sanadaj , a NAJA officer was killed and four more were injured [Tabnak, 25 April.]

PJAK, closely linked to Turkey’s PKK, is an Iranian Kurdish militant group that has in the past staged a number of terrorist attacks on NAJA and IRGC forces in border areas near Iraq. Last night’s attack on NAJA near Kermanshah, Iran’s major western city, represents PJAK’s increasingly bold new tactics.

56 Iranian Pilgrims Killed

Bomb Explosion in Iraq Kills 56 Iranian Pilgrims
IRNA . 23 April 2009

A bomb explosion near a restaurant in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, frequented by Iranian pilgrims, killed 56 Iranians and injured hundreds more.

UPDATE: In separate terrorist attacks in Al Kadhimiya, north of Baghdad, 20 more Iranian pilgrims were killed. The dead were among at least 60 people who lost their lives. The attacks occurred on Friday 24 April near the shrine and the mosque in the Shia holy town of the Al Kadhimiya. 125 more people , including 80 Iranians, were injured in the attacks.

House Bill to Penalize Gasoline Export to Iran

A bill making the rounds in the US House of Representatives would impose severe sanctions against six major companies selling gasoline to Iran. The companies identified in the bill, sponsored by Mark Kirk of Illinois, include the Swiss firms Vitol and Glencore International, the Swiss and Dutch firm Trafigura, France's Total, BP and India's Reliance Industries.

The bill would also extend sanctions to companies that provide any goods, services or technology for building refineries in Iran.

Clinton: Israel Risks Losing Support on Iran

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today cautioned Israel that it must commit itself to Palestinian peace process if it wants to have the support of the Arab nations for fighting threats from Iran.

“For Israel to get the kind of strong support it is looking for vis-a-vis Iran, it can't stay on the sidelines with respect to the Palestinians and the peace efforts. They go hand in hand,” she told the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee [Reuters, 23 April].

Former IRGC Commander Joins Presidential Race

Election's Logo by Press TV

Mohsen Rezaie, the former IRGC commander, today declared his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. Rezaie is currently the Executive Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council.

Rezaie ran for president four years ago but withdrew his candidacy days before the elections. His withdrawal helped the candidacy of his fellow hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His candidacy this time is seen as a direct challenge to Ahmadinejad as the leading “principlist” candidate for president.

Ahmadinejad is also being challenged by a centrist candidate and former premier, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and a reformist candidate, Mehdi Karubi, a cleric and former speaker of Majlis.

Rezaie, who commanded the IRGC from 1981 to 1997, including his command during the 8-year war with Iraq, last week proposed the formation of a national unity government to include the principlist as well as reformist cabinet members to tackle the growing economic, political and foreign relations challenges facing the new president.

US: Crippling Sanctions against Iran

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today in Washington that if Iran rejects offers of engagements over its nuclear program, the US would impose “very tough sanctions” against the country.

“We are also laying the groundwork for the kind of very tough, I think you said crippling, sanctions that might be necessary in the event that our offers are either rejected or the process is inconclusive or unsuccessful,” Clinton told the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.

Sanctions on gasoline exports to Iran and oil imports from the county are said to be among the “crippling sanctions” being considered in the event Iran do not accept any compromise on its nuclear program.

Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said in Tehran today that Iran is ready for “constructive dialogue” with world powers over its nuclear program [IRNA, 22 April].

Clinton’s warning today was the harshest language used by the new Obama administration on Iranian nuclear program. The two countries are inching toward a showdown over the issue. Any crippling sanctions, such as the halt of the sales of gasoline to Iran, can quickly escalate the tensions with Iran and lead into a wider confrontation with Tehran.

Ahmadinejad Speech Sparks Criticism

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Geneva Conference
Monday 20 April . YouTube

President Ahmadinejad's reference to Israel as a racist state at the UN anti-racism conference in Geneva on Monday sparked a walkout by EU delegates and today UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticized Ahmadinejad for "misusing" the conference.

Iran criticised Mr. Ban's comments as "one-sided."

The UN said today that Mr. Ahmadinejad had dropped language from his speech describing the Holocaust as "ambiguous and dubious" [BBC, 21 April]. He spoke instead of "the abuse of the question of the Holocaust."

IRGC Deploys Troops on Iran’s Eastern Borders

Commander of IRGC Ground Forces Brig. Gen. Mohammad Jafar Assadi said today in Tehran that due to an “on-going enemy conspiracy” in eastern and southeastern border regions of Iran, IRGC is building up its forces in those regions [Press TV, 20 April].

“The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has undertaken the task to counter such plots in the eastern and south-eastern parts of the country,” Gen. Assadi added. “The enemy has infiltrated the borders and forced its way in some far-flung corners and mountainous areas of the country.”

The IRGC commander warned that such threats should not be taken lightly.

Earlier in June, 16 Iranian police officers were abducted by Jundallah (Soldiers of God) at a checkpoint in Saravan which has recently become a hotbed of terrorist activities. Armed insurgents announced in December that they had killed all 16 of the abducted Iranian officers.

Naval Commander Emphasizes Coordination between IRGC and Artesh

"The Iranian navy has the ability to launch the most rapid and crushing strike on the enemies," Commander of Iran's First Naval District Rear Admiral Fariborz Qaderpanah said today in Tehran [Fars News Agency].

"To ensure security and defend the borders in the Persian Gulf, the naval forces of the IRGC and Military [Artesh] are in full harmony when conducting operations," he said.

The Artesh, Iran’s regular military, conducted wide-scale military parades on Saturday to mark the country’s Military Day. IRGC and Artesh have parallel naval, air and ground forces.

Admiral Qaderpanah also said the navy has deployed necessary weapons and equipment in different parts of the Persian Gulf in a bid to utilize them “in case of emergencies.”

Ahmadinejad Urges Justice for Roxana Saberi

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today called on Tehran’s Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi to secure Roxana Saberi’s “legal freedoms and rights" to defend herself on “charges” against her. Saberi is already “convicted” on those charges and sentenced to eight years. Ahmadinejad also called for fair treatment of Hossein Derakhshesh, an Iranian-Canadian blogger also imprisoned.

“At the president’s insistence, you must do what is needed to secure justice in examining these people’s charges…Take care that they have all the legal freedoms and rights to defend themselves against the charges,” said a letter from Ahmadinejd’s chief of staff, Abdolreza Sheikholeslami, to Mortazavi [IRNA, 19 April].

Ahmadinejad’s personal intervention could be a hopeful indication that Roxana will be “retried” and eventually freed.

UPDATE: Iran’s judiciary chief has ordered a full investigation into the case of Roxana Saberi [IRNA, 20 April]. The order came from Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the country’s top judge.