IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari announced that the Revolutionary Guards have taken over the country’s security.
“Because the Revolutionary Guards was assigned the task of controlling the situation, it took the initiative to quell a spiraling unrest. This event pushed us into a new phase of the revolution and political struggles and we have to understand all its dimensions,” Gen. Jafari said in Tehran on Sunday in his first news conference since the protests.
IRGC, Gen. Jaffari continued, has led “a revival of the revolution and clarification of the value positions of the establishment at home and abroad."
Jafari's comments reinforce the opposition’s claim that a palace coup instigated by military elites loyal to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has taken place in Tehran. The loyal opposition, and former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi, have been branded as traitors and US agents (Kayhan).
Mousavi and the opposition, however, have not accepted the results of the election. The all-influential Majma-eyeh Modaressin (Assembly of Scholars and Researchers of Qom Seminary) has called Ahmadinejad’s government illegitimate. And the grass-root organizations are planning for a huge rally on Thursday.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
IRIAF Commander on Air Force Readiness
Iranian Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Hassan Shahsafi said in Tehran today that the Air Force massive air drill on 22 June, dubbed "Milad-e-Noure-Velayat” wargames, proved that the Air Force is capable of “standing against all threats.” [Fars News Agency, 5 July].
"The Air Force is standing up to all threats honorably, mightily and powerfully and it will not step back," said Gen. Shahsafi.
The statement came after the Israeli Air Force was reported to be planning to participate in a joint aerial exercise with NATO forces in Europe and the US to train for long-range flights as test-runs for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Biden had told ABC television the US would not stand in the way if the Israelis decided they needed to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.
"The Air Force is standing up to all threats honorably, mightily and powerfully and it will not step back," said Gen. Shahsafi.
The statement came after the Israeli Air Force was reported to be planning to participate in a joint aerial exercise with NATO forces in Europe and the US to train for long-range flights as test-runs for potential strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Biden had told ABC television the US would not stand in the way if the Israelis decided they needed to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.
Iran Sent Warships to Gulf of Aden
From Persian Gulf to Gulf of AdenGoogle Earth
RDML Qolam Reza Khadem Biqam, the acting commander of Iranian Navy, told reporters in Tehran today that Iran has deployed two new warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect and escort Iranian oil tankers and merchant ships against the pirates. Iran had previously sent two other warships to the area. Those warships will now be replaced by the new ships. The Navy commanders did not disclose class of warships deployed to the Gulf of Aden.
Rafsanjani - Show of Support for Opposition
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, left, Iran’s former president, met on Sunday in Tehran with relatives of individuals arrested in post-election protests. The move was widely seen as a show of support for the opposition.
Persepolis 2.0
Edited by Payman and SinaBased on the Original Graphic Novel by Marjan Satrapi
Inspired by the work of Marjane Satrapi, the authors tell the story of recent uprising in Iran:
Biden on Iran Nuclear Program
Vice President Joe Biden said Israel has a sovereign right to take military action to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“Israel can determine for itself as a sovereign nation what is in its best interest,” Biden said. “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”
Biden made the remarks in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” taped in Iraq and broadcast today.
Biden also said that a US offer to meet with Iran about its nuclear program remains “on the table.”
“We’re not rushing to sit down,” Biden said. “We need to wait to see how this sort of settles out.” Still, he said, if Iranian leaders “seek to engage, we will engage.”
“Israel can determine for itself as a sovereign nation what is in its best interest,” Biden said. “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”
Biden made the remarks in an interview with ABC’s “This Week” taped in Iraq and broadcast today.
Biden also said that a US offer to meet with Iran about its nuclear program remains “on the table.”
“We’re not rushing to sit down,” Biden said. “We need to wait to see how this sort of settles out.” Still, he said, if Iranian leaders “seek to engage, we will engage.”
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Breaking News: Majma-eyeh Modaressin Calls Ahmadinejad Government “Illegitimate”
A group of senior religious leaders in Iran has called the disputed presidential election and the new government “illegitimate,” The New York Times reported [4 July, NYTimes.com].
Majma-eyeh Modaressin va Mohagheghin Hozeh Elmieh Qom, the Association of Scholars and Researchers of Qom Seminary, the group declaring the new government illegitimate, is the most influential Shia religious group in Iran. Their declaration will have profound effect on the political scene in the country. It will put the traditional religious establishment in Iran against the Ahmadinejad administration, casting doubts on the government’s ability to survive.
Also coming under question would be the undisputed authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. In his open support of Ahmadinejad after the disputed election, Khamenei broke with a twenty-year tradition of staying neutral in inter-regime disputes. The declaration of illegitimacy of Ahmadinejad administration by Majma-eyeh Modaressin severely undermines Khamemeni’s authority.
The declaration would also boost Mousavi’s stature as the leader of the opposition and the presumed winner of the presidential election.
Link to Majma-eyeh Modaressin's declaration [in Farsi]:
http://www.majmaqom.com/bayaniyeh4.html
Majma-eyeh Modaressin va Mohagheghin Hozeh Elmieh Qom, the Association of Scholars and Researchers of Qom Seminary, the group declaring the new government illegitimate, is the most influential Shia religious group in Iran. Their declaration will have profound effect on the political scene in the country. It will put the traditional religious establishment in Iran against the Ahmadinejad administration, casting doubts on the government’s ability to survive.
Also coming under question would be the undisputed authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. In his open support of Ahmadinejad after the disputed election, Khamenei broke with a twenty-year tradition of staying neutral in inter-regime disputes. The declaration of illegitimacy of Ahmadinejad administration by Majma-eyeh Modaressin severely undermines Khamemeni’s authority.
The declaration would also boost Mousavi’s stature as the leader of the opposition and the presumed winner of the presidential election.
Link to Majma-eyeh Modaressin's declaration [in Farsi]:
http://www.majmaqom.com/bayaniyeh4.html
Iran - Crackdown on Loyal Opposition
Iranian authorities are stepping up post-election crackdown. Reports from Tehran indicate that the government will put on trial several top reformist leaders, including key figures from reformist administration of Mohammad Khatami. Lawyers in Tehran say they are being held for “acting against national security.”
Meanwhile, Hossein Shariatmadari, the influential editor of the ultra-Conservative daily Kayhan, has called for detention and trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leader of the opposition and the prime minister of the Islamic Republic during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, on charges of “treason.” He has called Mousavi a “U.S. agent.” Shariatmadari is also a top aid to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The expected trial of the reformist leaders and the call for trial of Mousavi is formally transforming the Islamic Republic into a naked dictatorship, with no pretenses for being one of the few centers of tolerance in the Muslim world for the loyal opposition.
Meanwhile, Hossein Shariatmadari, the influential editor of the ultra-Conservative daily Kayhan, has called for detention and trial of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the leader of the opposition and the prime minister of the Islamic Republic during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, on charges of “treason.” He has called Mousavi a “U.S. agent.” Shariatmadari is also a top aid to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The expected trial of the reformist leaders and the call for trial of Mousavi is formally transforming the Islamic Republic into a naked dictatorship, with no pretenses for being one of the few centers of tolerance in the Muslim world for the loyal opposition.
Friday, July 3, 2009
IAEA Incoming Chief: No Nuke Evidence
Yukiya AmanoThe Incoming IAEA Director
AP Photo
The incoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says he knows of no hard evidence that Iran is trying to gain the ability to develop nuclear weapons.
Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano today said he has seen no such evidence in IAEA official documents [Reuters, 3 July].
Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano today said he has seen no such evidence in IAEA official documents [Reuters, 3 July].
EU-Iran Diplomatic Crisis
Hours after Tehran announced that the imprisoned staff of the British Embassy will be put on trial; all member nations of the European Union summoned Iran ambassadors in their respective countries and warned Iran of serious consequences if the imprisoned British employees were not freed. Presumably two out of the original nine staff members who were arrested last week still remain in prison. The nine had been charged for participating in the recent anti-government uprising.
The EU also announced that it will review its relationship with Iran next week after the Group of Eight industrial nations meeting in Italy.
The EU also announced that it will review its relationship with Iran next week after the Group of Eight industrial nations meeting in Italy.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Iranian Army Maneuvers
Ali ibn Abi Talib Maneuvers. Iranian Army. 28 June - 1 July 2009Photos: IRNA
The Iranian Army ("Artesh") conducted large scale maneuvers between 28 June to 1 July in the provinces of Khozestan, Ilam and Lorestan. The three-day drill was to test the command and control readiness of the Army. New telecommunications, information processing and electronic warfare systems were also tested. The Iranian military is drilling different war tactics for future combats with several scenarios on possible attack on the country.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Neda SoltanThe Iranian government is claiming that the death of Neda Soltan was staged. The new president-not-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also asked the police to find the killer. Since O. J. Simpson offered a bounty for finding his wife’s killer, we have not seen such amateurish misinformation campaign.
Camp Ayandeh 2009
Camp Ayandeh 2009The US-based Iranian Alliance Across Borders (IAAB) is in the midst of its annual leadership camp for Iranian-American high school students, Camp Ayandeh. They have launched a website exclusively for the camp with daily updates, audio, video, and photographs. Please visit: http://campayandeh.org/
Mousavi Rejects Certification of Election Results
Mir Hossein Mousavi, Iran’s opposition leader, today rejected certification of the election results by the Guardian Council, vowing to keep fighting for “the rights of the people.” He reasserted his claim that the June 12 election results were rigged and decaled Ahmadinejad's government “illegitimate.”
The Guardian Council is a governmental body in Iran which chooses who can run for office and supervises and certifies the elections. Half the members of the the 12-person body are appointed by the supreme leader, with the other half nominated by the judiciary chief, himself an appointee of the supreme leader, and approved by Majlis.
Mousavi called on the government to free political prisoners and those detained during the recent protests. Mousavi also called on the government to institute press freedoms and electoral reforms.
The Guardian Council is a governmental body in Iran which chooses who can run for office and supervises and certifies the elections. Half the members of the the 12-person body are appointed by the supreme leader, with the other half nominated by the judiciary chief, himself an appointee of the supreme leader, and approved by Majlis.
Mousavi called on the government to free political prisoners and those detained during the recent protests. Mousavi also called on the government to institute press freedoms and electoral reforms.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Israel Upgrades F-15 Fleet
Iran’s Press TV reported today that Israel has upgraded its fleet of F-15Is enabling them to carry out long-distance attacks, presumably on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The F-15Is are fighter bombers designed for air-to-ground attacks.
According to the report, the F-15Is have also been equipped with advanced weapon systems, identified as Barad Pelada (Steel Hail), and Lightning. The Barad Pelada system was identified as an advanced armament operating like a smart bomb. The new weapon replaces less advanced Inbar system.
The government-owned Press TV also links the fighter upgrade and the acquisition of new weapon systems to the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president. Press TV quotes Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, the Israeli military chief, to show the lineage.
"The reelection of Iran's president, his grave utterances regarding his will to harm the state of Israel and Iran's continual effort to achieve unconventional weapons require us to maintain an army that is coiled and ready to spring into action, and an Air Force that is skilled and sharp as a razor, that will stand up to any enemy and remove any threat from our citizens and residents," said Gen. Ashkenazi [Press TV, 30 June 2009].
Monday, June 29, 2009
Who Really Won?
The governmental body acting as Iran’s elections commission, the Guardian Council, today certified the results of the 12 June presidential election, paving the way for a second 4-year term for the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmdinejad. His new term will start in August. Iran’s Supreme Leader had already “certified” the election results.
The turnout in the election was at 80%, one of the highest in the history of Islamic Republic. Normally, a high turnout is seen as an affirmation by the public of the legitimacy of the regime. This month, however, we witnessed the first-hand experience of 80% of the population in a process that soon became tainted. Ahmadinejad and Khamenei won the day, but it is not clear at all if the Islamic Republic came out as winner.
Two factors dominated the upheaval that surrounded the disputed election and the government’s handling of the dispute.
First, the Islamic Republic had to put all the pretensions aside and act ruthlessly, and in the process involving Khamenei directly with the suppression and the bloodshed that followed the election. Millions of very young Iranians, those who have been born and raised under the Islamic Republic, witnessed a different face of their supreme leader and of a system which had always claimed the high moral ground for espousing a moderate and democratic form of Islam. In less than thirty days, the Islamic Republic undid thirty years of image building. People chanting “Death to Dictator” told the story.
The government won the battle by killing and imprisoning the youths, but lost the war to win their hearts and minds. The future leaders of a democratic Iran will come from the ranks of the veterans of the uprising.
If the popular uprising and the social movement born on the streets of Iran constituted one side of the story, the growing, and by now antagonistic, power struggle among the leading figures of the regime constituted the other side of the upheaval, as detrimental to the future of the Islamic Republic. Hence my second point. The system came out never as damaged in its thirty year history.
Rafsanjani’s letter to Khamenei on the eve of the election coupled with firm stands by Mousavi and Karrubi against the government turned big-time loyalists (the current chairman of Assembly of Experts and former president; the former prime minister of the imposed war, the former speaker of Majlis) into opposition. The government seemed eager bringing them on! Again, the battle may have been won, although not as clear as the government wants to believe, but forcing these loyalists into the rank of opposition is loosing the war. And meanwhile, the extent of corruption eating into the very existence of the Islamic Republic became so public like at no times in the thirty years of the government of the downtrodden.
Khamenei and Ahmadinejad need not need to celebrate yet. What they gave up for a second term might come back and haunt them.
The turnout in the election was at 80%, one of the highest in the history of Islamic Republic. Normally, a high turnout is seen as an affirmation by the public of the legitimacy of the regime. This month, however, we witnessed the first-hand experience of 80% of the population in a process that soon became tainted. Ahmadinejad and Khamenei won the day, but it is not clear at all if the Islamic Republic came out as winner.
Two factors dominated the upheaval that surrounded the disputed election and the government’s handling of the dispute.
First, the Islamic Republic had to put all the pretensions aside and act ruthlessly, and in the process involving Khamenei directly with the suppression and the bloodshed that followed the election. Millions of very young Iranians, those who have been born and raised under the Islamic Republic, witnessed a different face of their supreme leader and of a system which had always claimed the high moral ground for espousing a moderate and democratic form of Islam. In less than thirty days, the Islamic Republic undid thirty years of image building. People chanting “Death to Dictator” told the story.
The government won the battle by killing and imprisoning the youths, but lost the war to win their hearts and minds. The future leaders of a democratic Iran will come from the ranks of the veterans of the uprising.
If the popular uprising and the social movement born on the streets of Iran constituted one side of the story, the growing, and by now antagonistic, power struggle among the leading figures of the regime constituted the other side of the upheaval, as detrimental to the future of the Islamic Republic. Hence my second point. The system came out never as damaged in its thirty year history.
Rafsanjani’s letter to Khamenei on the eve of the election coupled with firm stands by Mousavi and Karrubi against the government turned big-time loyalists (the current chairman of Assembly of Experts and former president; the former prime minister of the imposed war, the former speaker of Majlis) into opposition. The government seemed eager bringing them on! Again, the battle may have been won, although not as clear as the government wants to believe, but forcing these loyalists into the rank of opposition is loosing the war. And meanwhile, the extent of corruption eating into the very existence of the Islamic Republic became so public like at no times in the thirty years of the government of the downtrodden.
Khamenei and Ahmadinejad need not need to celebrate yet. What they gave up for a second term might come back and haunt them.
Iran Army Conducts Military Drill
Press TV PhotoThe Iranian army today conducted large-scale maneuvers in the provinces of Khuzestan, Ilam and Lorestan in west and southwest of the country. The three-day military drill will end on Wednesday.
The purpose of the exercise is for the Army to drill its command and control readiness at regiment level. The Army will test telecommunications, engineering, information processing and electronic war systems. Different war tactics and methods for future combats with several scenarios will also be exercised.
The exercise is code named Ali ibn Abi Talib. Last week, Iran's Air Force successfully conducted a three-day aerial maneuver, dubbed Milad-Nour-Velayat, over the Persian Gulf.
The air drill was focused on to developing the skill of the Air Force personnel in loading planes. Iran's F-4 and F-5 fighter jets and the home-made "Saeqeh" (Thunderbolt) took part in the maneuver.
The purpose of the exercise is for the Army to drill its command and control readiness at regiment level. The Army will test telecommunications, engineering, information processing and electronic war systems. Different war tactics and methods for future combats with several scenarios will also be exercised.
The exercise is code named Ali ibn Abi Talib. Last week, Iran's Air Force successfully conducted a three-day aerial maneuver, dubbed Milad-Nour-Velayat, over the Persian Gulf.
The air drill was focused on to developing the skill of the Air Force personnel in loading planes. Iran's F-4 and F-5 fighter jets and the home-made "Saeqeh" (Thunderbolt) took part in the maneuver.
Reports on Mousavi’s Arrest Denied
Late night, there were reports circulating in Tehran and within the social networks that Mir Hossein Mousavi had been arrested at his home in Tehran. A leading journalist also confirmed the news on his Facebook page. This morning, the report was denied by a number of sources, including social networks.
The closure of major Iranian and foreign news organizations inside Iran has made it that much more difficult to confirm or deny the reports circulating within the social networks. In our original post last night, we did say that the report had not been not confirmed, and hours later updated the post with reports of denial. But it nonetheless helped circulate a false report, for which we do apologize to our readers.
The closure of major Iranian and foreign news organizations inside Iran has made it that much more difficult to confirm or deny the reports circulating within the social networks. In our original post last night, we did say that the report had not been not confirmed, and hours later updated the post with reports of denial. But it nonetheless helped circulate a false report, for which we do apologize to our readers.
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