Duqu Infecting Systems in Iran

Iran announced today that the new computer worm Duqu has infected a number of systems in the country, but a software program to “control” it has already been developed and distributed to affected installations [IRNA, 14 November]. The Duqu malware is believed to share code base with the Stuxnet. The latter is believed to have caused major damages at the country’s nuclear facilities. It was not known if the new worm was also targeting those same installations. Duqu was discovered on 1 September at a University of Budapest laboratory.

Rezaie’s Son Found Dead in Dubai; ‘Suspicious Circumstances’ - Tabnak

Ahmad Rezaie, the son of Mohsen Rezaie, the former IRGC commander and the publisher of one of the most popular news sites in Iran, Tabnak, has died in a Dubai hotel in what the news site called “suspicious circumstances” [Tabnak, 13 November].

The young Rezaie was sympathetic to the reformist movement in Iran. His sudden death, away from his home and family, will bring suspicions and tensions to an already fractured political system in Iran. Tabnak has set the stage by its declaration and the promise of bringing out the truth of Ahmad’s death.

The senior members of the traditional conservative factions in Iran have sent messages of condolences to Mohsen Rezaie and his wife, which are being published by Tabnak. The list includes Ali Larijani, the speaker of Majlis, and Ali Akbar Velayati, former foreign minister and Ayatollah Khamenei’s foreign policy advisor. Hassan Khomeini, Imam Khomeini’s son and himself a sympathizer of the reform movement in the country, has also sent his message of condolences.

Photo: Ahmad Rezaie with his father in a recent but undated photo published on Sunday by Tabnak.

Republican contenders on US action against Iran

Herman Cain & Ron Paul

"One thing you can know is if we elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. If you elect me as the next president, they will not have a nuclear weapon."

-- Mitt Romney

"There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran, and a few ways to be stupid. The (Obama) administration skipped all the ways to be smart."

-- Newt Gingrich

The eight competing Republican candidates for next years US Presidential elections debated what US foreign policy should be, in particular with regards to Iran.

Mitt Romney has vowed that he would stop obtaining a nuclear weapon through a preemptive military strike.

On the other hand Herman Cain has stated that the proper and only way to effectively stop Iran is through economic sanctions.

Congressman Ron Paul has aptly stated that "it's not worthwhile to go to war."

Commanding General of IRGC Base Killed in Today’s Explosions - Updated

Two consecutive explosions at an IRGC base in west Tehran have killed IRGC Brig. Gen. Hassan Tehrani Moghadam and 16 other IRGC Guards, and injured 16. The explosions hit the main facilities at IRGC Amir-al-Mo’menin base, where Gen. Tehrani Moghadam was the commanding general, as well as a nearby installation. The base is the headquarters of IRGC 'Self-Reliance Jihad' center, tasked with developing arms and missiles. Gen. Tehrani Moghadam was regarded as a leading expert in ballistic missiles and taught at the prestigious Imam Hossein University (IHU) which is partly funded by IRGC.

The site of the explosions was also reportedly a storage facility for some of the country's long-range ballistic missiles, such as Shahab-3. An IRGC spokesman has denied reports that the blasts were linked to warhead tests and the country's nuclear program.

UAE to receive bunker busters

JDAMs loaded under the left wing
of an F-16 Fighting Falcon

According to the Wall Street Journal the United States is planning to provide an arms package of bunker busting munitions to the United Arab Emirates that includes up to 4,900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM).

Bunker busters (as the name clearly implies) are designed to destroy bunkers and facilities that may be thickly reinforced with concrete (such as aircraft hangers).

Explosion at IRGC Base in Tehran

A huge explosion hit an IRGC base in west Tehran today at 1:00 pm local time (4:30 am EST). 15 Guards have been reportedly killed. No further details were available at this time.

Update: The number of Guards who have lost their lives has risen to 27.

Attack on Iran will 'ignite' full scale Middle Eastern War - Nasrallah

In response to recent speculation over an attack on Iran Hezbollah's Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has (according to Breaking News from Press TV) stated such an attack will ignite a full scale Middle Eastern war.

Hezbollah has boasted that its military capacity, in particularly its missile arsenal has been increased substantially since their last war with Israel in 2006. And given Hezbollah's reliance of Tehran and Damascus for arms one doubts it would remain passive if their main supplier were to go to war.

Update: Nasrallah has stated among other things, the following quote:

“The [US] must understand that war on Iran and Syria will not remain [restricted] in these two countries but will spread to other countries in the region. We are not issuing any threats but this is the reality."

“The era of weakness and [submission] to the US or Israel is over. We have entered the era of victories."

He made these statements at a 'Martyrs Day' event, an annual event that pays homage to past Hezbollah suicide bombers and insurgents who fought the Israelis from 1982 to 2000.

Iranian-American elected Sheriff of San Francisco

Sheriff-elect Ross Mirkarimi

According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, the liberal lawmaker, police academy graduate, Naval Reserves veteran and a founding member of the California Green Party (who is now a Democratic), declared victory today in the race for sheriff.

And according to Wikipedia:

Ross Mirkarimi (pronounced Meehr-kah-reem-E) was born in Chicago in 1961 to an Iranian father, Hamid Mirkarimi, and a Jewish Russian-American mother, Nancy Kolman. He grew up in Jamestown, Rhode Island, where he graduated from the Catholic, all-male Bishop Hendricken High School in 1979. "I totally credit my childhood in Jamestown for my green views," Mirkarimi said. "I'll never forget living near Fort Getty and exploring the unspoiled island with my dog Oscar when I was a boy."

He has a Bachelor's degree in political science from St. Louis University, a Master's degree in international economics and affairs from Golden Gate University, and a Master of Science degree in environmental science from the University of San Francisco. He has lived in San Francisco since 1984.

Mirkarimi is a graduate of the San Francisco Police Academy, where he was the president of his class. Before his election to office, he served in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office investigating white collar crime.

On April 21, 2009, Ross Mirkarimi became a father, as Eliana Lopez, a Venezuelan telenovela star whom he met at an environmental conference in Brazil, gave birth to his son, Theo Aureliano Mirkarimi.

Congratulations to Ross Mirkarimi and the City & County of San Francisco!

Iran not to bow to pressure

"Anybody who may think of aggressions on the Islamic Republic should make itself ready to receive strong slaps and iron fists from Iranian Army, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Basij and in one word from Iranian great nation."

-- Ayatollah Khameini

Following this weeks IAEA report that states there is "credible" evidence that Iran is seeking to obtain nuclear weapons Iranian officials have stated they will not back down from nuclear activities due to western pressure.

Majlis Speaker Ali Larijan made clear that Iran will never change its path due to/in the face of western pressure.

These comments come shortly after U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner stated that Washington was considering ways of imposing additional pressure on Iran.

Iran Won’t Retreat, But No Nuclear Weapons – Ahmadinejad

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today in Tehran that Iran won't retreat “one iota” from its nuclear program, but he added that the world was being misled by claims that it seeks atomic weapons.


“This nation won't retreat one iota from the path it is going,” Ahmadinejad said. “Why are you ruining the prestige of IAEA for absurd US claims?”


Yesterday, the 13-page annex to IAEA report included claims that some of Iran’s nuclear activities are specific to nuclear weapons.

Deployment Hype

By Paul Iddon

The Iranian vow to deploy naval units off US shores should be ignored rather than dignified.



While discussing the deployment of additional US Navy forces to the Persian Gulf some time ago a friend of mine quipped, “imagine the media hype if say the Iranian Navy decided to deploy its warships off the San Francisco bay area!” Retrospectively he had a point, which is why I found the recent vow by Iran to send naval units to form a “powerful presence” in the Gulf of Mexico to be particularly intriguing, yet not consistent with the material and logistical realities within the Iranian Navy.

This CNN report does a good job in debunking the proselytizing hype prominent in certain reactionary circles in the US that warn of the “imminent danger” this deployment will pose to the United States. Take this article from Front Page Mag which is the epitome of the said hype (and among other things opts for a CGI rendition of a warship rather than an actual photograph of an Iranian navy ship) as it inextricably ties in this current development with other instances of the Islamic Republic “aggressively building a presence in the Western Hemisphere”, examples cited are Hezbollah setting up operations in Cuba (in light of the fact that Castro endorsed the Russian Orthodox church three years ago I wouldn't be surprised to see him now following up his new found religious indulgences by welcoming in the 'Party of God') and other Iranian proxy forces collaborating with Mexican drug lords. As well as alluding to the fact Iranian missiles may be placed in Venezuela and that there may even be the potentiality of Iranian proxy forces being capable of launching a crippling EMP strike on North America. (The whole imminent 'ticking clock' danger hysteria reminds one of an episode of 24 or a Tom Clancy plot line rather than the present geopolitical realities on the ground.)

Following these pronouncements we heard of a serious allegation made by the Obama administration that the Quds Force were complicit in a plot to assassinate a Saudi envoy on US soil in collaboration with Mexican drugs gangs. Whilst this allegation has been seriously questioned with regards to the nature of the operation one finds it difficult to give the Iranian regime any benefit of the doubt when one does reconsider the regimes past complicity in the murders of Kurdish exiles in Germany and Israeli diplomats and Argentine civilians in Argentina in the early 1990's.

More reactionary circles across the American political spectrum pronounced that this alleged plot constituted the casus belli for war with Iran. One does not think it would be wise to respond with dangerous sabre rattling, but rather to treat this as a criminal investigation with the intent of prosecuting the conspirators to such an act of terrorism on US soil. Only when the full extent of the plot in question is revealed would be the right time to reach the most obvious conclusions and respond accordingly and decisively.

Also one doesn't think it wise to make a lot of noise about Iran forging alliances with other countries. In particular this perceived Caracas-Tehran axis is in general much too over hyped, as is Hugo Chavez overly demonized. On one hand he has been hailed and praised by many for his work in redistributing substantial amounts of Venezuela's oil wealth to the poor of the country. On the other hand his rabid opposition to his conspiratorial perception of American imperialism has evidently garnered him with some questionable bed fellows. Even though Venezuela has bought a substantial amount of hi-tech military hardware from Russia it doesn't exactly pose any military threat to the United States. The reason it is vilified is because under Chavez Venezuela has given US corporate interests in the region a major headache.

Furthermore one sincerely doubts we will ever be seeing anything like a Venezuelan Missile Crisis (as was implied in that article), let alone seeing one any time soon. However we will probably see Mr. Chavez forging diplomatic alliances with some questionable “opponents” of US imperialism, and continuing to adopt a policy which I will dub the 'Chavez doctrine', that being a doctrine of aligning Venezuela with other states led in most cases by autocrats and dictators that are actively pitting themselves against western (predominately American) influence, and in some cases the spread of democracy. This doctrine has seen Chavez recently opting to be a mediator between Colonel Gaddafi and the rebels (even though he personally favoured Gaddafi) as well as ingratiating himself with the present regime in Tehran.

These Iranian statements (the said vow to deploy naval deployment to the Gulf of Mexico) and (in the case of the US allegation of the conspiratorial Iranian assassination plot) actions clearly show that the Islamic regime pursues achieving the status of an international power. One which seems to crave the ability to project power far beyond its borders in a manner similar to its perception of a loathsome US superpower.

Personally I don't have any qualms with the Iranian leadership sending frigates to bob around in the North Atlantic. Even if such an operation does manifest it will more than likely be nothing more than a rather meaningless and futile gesture of power projection. I felt the same about the hysteria a few months ago with regards to Iranian warships steaming through the Suez Canal for the first time since the revolution. Even if they were to do something over the top like attempt some kind of an assault on the Israeli coastline they would most likely share a similar fate to that of the Sahand in the Iran Iraq War or of the Egyptian Ibrahim el Awal in the Suez Crisis.

Dignifying and trying to instil fear over such actions by the Iranian regime plays into their hands and is in my opinion very counterproductive. As it focuses all attention on over emphasizing the actuality of the threat that Iran poses and in turn over shadows the internal struggle of the various Iranian democrats which in turn plays into the ever more dangerous 'us' verses 'them' mentality that demonizes the majority of countries population and in turn gives the present leadership the aura of representing the country as a whole.

So to conclude, it is my firm held opinion and belief that this deployment vow should be seen as nothing more than a lame attempt by the festering regime in Tehran to divert attention away from its heinous treatment of the people it presides over as well as its consistent and persistent squandering of the countries international status to that of an untrustworthy and capricious pariah state.

Edit: Three instances of the word 'pledge' have been subsequently replaced with 'vow'.

Editor’s Note: Paul Iddon is one of the authors of Uskowi on Iran. His weekly column 'Broadened Vistas' appears here on Wednesdays.

Iran Efforts to Acquire Nuclear Weapon - IAEA

The highly anticipated report by IAEA has stated that Iran appears to have worked on designing a nuclear weapon and may still be conducting secret research. Citing what it called credible information from its member states, the IAEA said in the report that Iran has undertaken activities that are applicable for nuclear weapons. The report details apparently concerted, covert efforts by Iran to acquire the capability to make atomic bombs.

“I think the facts lay out a pretty overwhelming case that this was a pretty sophisticated nuclear weapons effort aimed at miniaturizing a warhead for a ballistic missile,” said proliferation expert David Albright. “It's overwhelming in the amount of details, it is a pretty convincing case,” he added [Reuters, 8 November].

Talks of War with Iran “Delusional” - Israel Defense Minister

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak today played down speculation that Israel intended to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.

“War is not a picnic. We want a picnic. We don't want a war,” Barak told Radio Israel. “Israel had not yet decided to embark on any operation,” he added [Reuters, 8 November].

Barak called Israeli media speculation that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to attack Iran “delusional.” But all options to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions should remain open, Barak added.

Russia Warns Against Attack on Iran

Russia warned the West against a military strike on Iran. Russia’s Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov said today an attack targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities would lead to civilian casualties and create new threats to global security.

“This would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences,” Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow, when asked about reports that Israel was preparing for a possible pre-emptive military strike.

IAEA Report to Say Iran Nearing Nuclear Capability

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that IAEA will say in its upcoming report that Iran has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon. The IAEA report, to be issued this week, will also point to crucial technical assistance by foreign experts, including former Soviet specialists, to Iran’s nuclear research program, the Post reported.

Contrary to the findings of US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) published in 2007, the IAEA report, relying on intelligence received from its member nations, will suggest that Iran continued to conduct weapons-related nuclear research after 2003.

Iran has consistently denied that its nuclear program has nuclear weapon and military dimensions and insists that it is enriching uranium to power reactors for electricity generation. The West suspects that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear energy program.

Chomsky on Iran

I recently had a rather interesting email exchange with renowned Professor Noam Chomsky. Among other things we discussed the situation in Libya, the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and the ongoing situation in Bahrain.

Under the below headings are comments Chomsky made with regards to the situation in Iran:

The young Iranian democrats.
Iran is also obscure. The democracy uprising that was brutally repressed was courageous and inspiring, but by most accounts it was pretty much "North Teheran," relatively affluent and modern younger people. There doesn't seem to have been much working class participation (in sharp contrast to Egypt and Tunisia), and the rural population appears to remain mostly conservative and probably supportive of the regime. Rather strikingly, western-run polls that came out about the same time as the election gave results not very different from the electoral results. And there are also complex internal divisions. I don't know of any knowledgeable person who is making predictions with much confidence.

Thoughts on the mounting opposition to the Iranian regime in social classes of Iran that include conservative and devout Muslims.
I have lots of friends in Iran too, and I they come from very much the same circles as yours (so I presume). I don't have contact with peasants in rural areas, and apart from a few labor activists, with working people in Teheran. It's entirely true that they have legitimate grievances, very serious ones. What is less clear, because we have little information, is how far they are shared with the general population.

Martin Luther King had enormous support from the kind of people I'm likely to meet, but in the general population support was never very high, and waned when he began to emphasize issues beyond racist sheriffs in Alabama.

A possible seizure by the United States of the Khuzestan region in a potential future war.
If there is bombing, by the US or Israel, the outcome is very uncertain, and in the turmoil the US might try to seize the main energy resources, in the largely Arab areas near the Gulf. But I certainly wouldn't predict it.

On the former Libyan foreign ministers comments about the Lockerbie bombing and thoughts on the possibility of Iranian involvement.
My initial assumption about Panam 103 was that it was Iranian-inspired, via Syria, in retaliation for the US destruction of 103 in commercial airspace, killing almost 300 people, a brutal act of international terrorism – praised in the US in a disgustingly vulgar way. That's the way all the evidence pointed, and it was the assumption of US investigators too, as well as the very good organization of families of victims in England (which is independent, unlike its counterpart here). When the US was organizing the first Gulf war it needed Syrian support, so that story was dropped and they turned to blaming Libya, the usual punching bag. It's an extremely shoddy case, well-studied, in particularly by the really outstanding British lawyer and legal analyst Gareth Pierce, and others too. I still think that the original assumptions are the most likely. So does the British families organization.

Hard to comment on the current charges. As they stand, they are a joke, ridiculed by most knowledgeable observers (outside the US). Until some evidence is provided, I see no reason to take them seriously.

Iran to Release Documents on US Covert Activities – Fars News

The semiofficial Fars News Agency reported today Iran would soon release a series of documents, including video and audio files, showing recent covert activities by the US against Iran and other countries in the region. Fars did not provide any more details on the alleged documents or the exact date of their release. On 3 November, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, said in a speech in Tehran marking the anniversary of the US embassy takeover and hostage taking, that Iran is in possession of 100 recent documents on US covert activities whose publication would “embarrass America.”

In related news, Fars reported today that US recordings of phone conversations between the participants in the alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington must be fake. Fars said that Arbabsiar’s (the main suspect arrested in New York) phone conversations were with a man in Tehran identified as Qolam Shakuri who does not exist. The US has alleged that Shakuri is a member of IRGC Quds Force.

Iran FM Rejects IAEA Report

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said today that the evidence that the IAEA reportedly plans to release, showing alleged Iranian work on nuclear weapons, is a fabrication.

“Their documents are baseless,” said Salehi. “The Americans raised documents like this in the past: the Niger scandal,” he added, in reference to claims made prior to the 2003 Iraq war [Mehr News Agency, 5 November].

IAEA Report on Iran Will Suggest Work on Nuclear Weapons - AP

The Associated Press reports today that the IAEA plans to reveal next week details suggesting Iran’s secret work on building nuclear weapons, including the completion of computer models for a nuclear warhead. IAEA chief Yukiya Amano will present his report to the 35-member board of governors. The report is said to include satellite imagery of a large steel container used for high explosive tests related to nuclear weapons at Parchin military base. The report reportedly will say that more than 10 nations have supplied intelligence to IAEA on the Iranian nuclear weapon program.

Iran Marks Anniversary of US Embassy Takeover and Hostage Taking

Today Iran marked the anniversary of the takeover of US Embassy in Tehran by rallies in front of the embassy building. On 4 November 1979, the so-called ‘Student Following the Imam (Khomeini)’s Path’ occupied the embassy and kept US diplomats hostage for 444 days. The event proved to become the most costly initiative of the newly installed Islamic revolutionary government under the leadership of the supreme leader Imam Khomeini, and the beginning of Iran’s isolation at world’s sage.

Photo: Rally in front of the former US embassy building. 4 November 2011. The red signs read “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” IRNA Photo.

Qatar Airways Expands Iran Network

Qatar Airways has announced huge capacity increases across its network in Iran. Starting 1 December, the world-renowned airliner will begin its dramatic expansion in the Iranian market by offering 52 direct weekly flights from major Iranian cities including Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Isfahan to its global hub at Doha airport and from there to major international destinations.

Aside from these international flights, Qatar Airways will also start code-sharing arrangements with major Iranian airlines to become the first foreign carrier to offer scheduled domestic flights.

With the two agreements in place, Qatar Airways will replace Iran Air as the largest airline servicing Iran, and Doha replacing Tehran as the main international hub for Iranian travelers.

The US-led sanctions against major Iranian airlines, Iran Air and Mahan, has forced Iran to effectively contract out its airline industry to Qatar Airways.