Ahmadinejad: Nuclear Issue is Closed

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Addressing UN General Assembly

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the UN General Assembly this afternoon that Iran’s nuclear program is a “closed” matter.

"I officially announce that in our opinion the nuclear issue of Iran is now closed and has turned into an ordinary Agency matter," Ahmadinejad said.

Ahmadinejad assailed UN Security Council for ignoring Iran’s nuclear rights. He thanked IAEA chief Mohammad ElBaradei for his attempts to resolve the nuclear standoff.

Ahmadinejad reserved his harshest remarks, however, for Israel and the West.

"For more than 60 years, the Palestinians have been under occupation by the illegal Zionist regime," Ahmadinejad said. Palestine will be freed and Zionism will disappear, he added.

He attacked the “arrogant powers” in the West and invited their leaders to seek God and goodness.

The US delegation was absent during the speech.

Sarkozy: No Nuclear Weapon for Iran

Nicolas Sarkozy Addressing UN General Assembly

French President Nicolas Sarkozy told UN General Assembly today that it would be unacceptable for the Islamic Republic to get hold of nuclear bomb.

“Allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons would mean an unacceptable risk for regional and world stability,” Sarkozy said.

Sarkozy's comments came just hours before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was due to address the UN. The speech by the French president was received with loud applause from the rest of the assembly.

Kyl-Lieberman Resolution on Iran

US Senators Jon Kyl and Joe Lieberman are introducing a sense of the Senate resolution on Iran, possibly up for a vote today. The main points of the resolution are:

- Iran is fighting a proxy war against the Iraqi and coalition forces in Iraq.
- It is a vital national interest of the US to prevent Iran from turning Iraq's Shiite militias into a Hezbollah-like force.
- The US should combat, contain and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power.
- Designating Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

The Kyl-Lieberman, if it passes the Senate, will authorize the administration to move militarily against IRGC and other Iranian targets.

Australia Regards Iran as a Big Problem

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer today presented a broad indictment against the Iranian government.

“It is a regime that causes us a good deal of concern,” Downer, who was in New York to attend the UN climate change summit, told ABC radio.

Downer accused the Islamic Republic of providing military equipment to Iraqi militias. He voiced concern over Iran’s role in Afghanistan. He also assailed Iran for defying the UN Security Council over its nuclear program.

“Iran is a very significant problem in terms of peace in the Middle East that is between the Israelis and the Palestinians through its support for Hamas. It supports Hezbollah which is also an extremist organization,” Downer added.

Turkey's Silence On Iran

For an analysis of Turkey's silence on the growing tensions over the possibility of a military attack on Iran, please see The Bosphorus Watch posting:

http://bosphoruswatch.blogspot.com/2007/09/destination-iran.html

Military Developments in Iran

In the past few days, the Iranian military has displayed new weaponry and the military commanders have been increasingly warning against an impending attack on the country.

During the parade in Tehran last Saturday, a medium-range ballistic missile, named Ghadr-1, and its launcher were put on display. The new missile reportedly has a range 500 kilometers more than Shahab-3.

Ghadr-1 was displayed along with older missiles such as Zalzal-3, Fateh-110, Shahab-1 and Shahab-3. The missiles are in the possession of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC). IRGC also displayed its tanks, missile-carrying carriers and artillery units.

The new IRGC commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said after the parade,“You have seen the missiles. Just pull the trigger and shoot." Jafari added, "Our message to the enemies is: Do not do it. They will regret it, as they are regretting it in Iraq."

The new jetfighter, Saegheh, was flown during the parade. Iran’s air force also deploys two other domestic fighters: Azarakhsh and Tazarv, a training jet.

In related developments, a published report in the US indicated that the US Navy has been alerted for new deployment to the Persian Gulf (Time, Sunday 23 September), and a retired US Air Force officer with experience at the Pentagon told CNN today that US Special Operations forces are already operating inside Iran and the “second phase of overt military action” will soon follow. Colonel Sam Gardiner told Wolf Blitzer that the action plan has been approved by the Pentagon and is now at the White House.

Tajbakhsh Receives Professorship from Columbia

Kian Tajbakhsh

Columbia University appointed Kian Tajbakhsh, its alumni and the Iranian-American scholar freed on bail last week in Tehran, as a Visiting Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning.

President Lee Bollinger of Columbia announced the news during his introductory remarks before Iran's President Ahmadinejad took the podium to address the university’s students and faculty earlier this afternoon. Bollinger challenged Ahmadinejad to let Tajbakhsh leave the country to assume his professorship at the university.

Dr. Tajbakhsh holds a PhD degree in Urban Planning from Columbia. He was imprisoned last May on charges of inciting a velvet revolution in Iran.

Ahmadinejad at Columbia

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced protestors at Columbia University where he spoke to students and faculty.

In his welcoming remarks, Columbia’s President Lee Bollinger told Ahmadinejad that he presents “all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator.” Bollinger offered a sharply-worded indictment against Ahmadinejad and the Islamic Republic.

Bollinger took Ahmadinejad to task over Iran's human-rights record and foreign policy, and Ahmadinejad's statements denying the Holocaust and calling for the disappearance of Israel. In response, Ahmadinejad protested against what he called “insults” by the University president.

During the speech, he reiterated his view that Palestinians were punished because of the Holocaust and had to give up their land to accommodate the state of Israel. Ahmadinejad called for a referendum by all Palestinians to determine the future of the area. He refused to directly answer repeated questions whether he was calling for the elimination of Israel.

Starting this morning, the university's Department of Public Safety, the New York Police Department and the US Secret Service had put into effect strict security measures at University's campus and surrounding streets.

Earlier in the day, Ahmadinejad told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington during a satellite interview that Iran would not launch any attack on Israel. He also reiterated his belief that the US is not preparing an attack on Iran. In the interview, Ahmadinejad struck a soothing tone. He said Iranian foreign policy was based on humanitarian concerns and seeking justice.

Ahmadinejad arrived in New York on Sunday. He will attend the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

In an appearance at CBS program "60 Minutes" aired on Sunday evening, Ahmadinejad was asked whether Iran's goal was to obtain a nuclear bomb. Ahmadinejad said that the answer was a "firm no." He added that Iran doesn’t need the bomb, “What need do we have for a bomb?"

Ahmadinehad also assured the American audience that Iran was not heading for war with the United States. Asked whether he was denying that Iran supplied weapons to militants in Iraq, he avoided a clear answer. "It's very clear the situation. The insecurity in Iraq is detrimental to our interests," he said.

Ahmadinejad is to visit Latin American allies Bolivia and Venezuela after his trip to the United Nations.

Iran Closes Border with Kurdistan

The Iranian government today closed down major border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan. The government’s action was in protest to US detention of Mahmoud Farhadi. The US military believes Farhadi is a high-ranking member of IRGC’s Quds Force, involved in weapons smuggling into Iraq. The Iranian government says Farhadi is a provincial bureaucrat in charge of cross-border trades with Kurdistan.

At least four border gates were closed starting Sunday night and one remained open Monday, Sulaimaniyah Governor Dana Ahmed Majeed told The Associated Press. Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency reported that all five border points had been closed to protest the detention of Farhadi.

Iran Closes Down Baztab

Baztab

Iran’s most popular news website, Baztab, was closed down by the government. The judiciary police sealed off Baztab offices late on Wednesday. Iran’s judiciary denied an appeal by Baztab management to reverse the government’s order and the news website announced the closure on Sunday.

Baztab was critical of Ahmadinejad’s administration. The government has been filtering the site since April. Prior to filtering, the site had some 250,000 readers daily. The number dropped to 140,000 per day after the filtering, and now the site is shut down.

Baztab was founded by a former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC), retired Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaie, who is currently the executive secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, a body charged with resolving legislative disputes and chaired by former president Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Rafsanjani is currently regarded as the leader of loyal opposition. Rezaie, along with Ayatollah Karubi, a former Majlis speakers, and former president Ayatollah Khatami, are considered as part of Rafsanjani’s camp and are expected to challenge Ahmadinejad and the radical fundamentalists during the upcoming Majlis elections (March 2008) and the 2009 presidential elections.

Iran analysts expect the current onslaught on opposition press to continue until the Majlis elections. The moderates and the reformists are expected to win, if the elections are not rigged. Ahmadinejad’s administration will do everything it can to prevent such defeat.

Baztab closure comes after Shargh, a pro-reform and the most popular newspaper in Iran, was closed down in August.

Planning an Attack on Iran

Published reports in Washington and London indicate that the US military is planning an air attack on Iran. The US Air Force has set up a strategic planning group, called Project Checkmate, consisting of top air force officers and cyberspace experts which is working, among other things, to perfect plan for the strike against Iran. The task force is headed by USAF Brig. Gen. Stutz Stutzriem (The Sunday Times, 23 September).

In a related development, the US weekly magazine Newsweek today quoted an aid to Vice President Dick Cheney as saying that the Vice President has been considering the idea of pushing Israel for a limited missile attack on Iranian nuclear sites “in order to provoke Tehran into lashing out.”

An Iranian military response to the Israeli attack would then give the US the pretext to launch a strike on Iran.

In Iran, the commander of Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC) said Iran would “pull the trigger” if attacked. During a military parade in Tehran on Saturday, the IRGC showed its medium-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israeli targets and US military installations in the region.

"You have seen the missiles. Just pull the trigger and shoot," IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari said after the parade.

Afghanistan: IRGC is Accused of Supplying Militants

Admiral William Fallon, the Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said today that IRGC (Iran's Revolutionary Guards) is supplying the militants in Afghanistan roadside bomb parts for the type of sophisticated and deadly bombs found in Iraq known as explosively formed penetrators (EFP’s).

The US military has repeatedly made same accusations against the IRGC in Iraq. This is, however, the first time that such senior US military commander, whose area of responsibility covers Iran and its neighbors, has accused the IRGC of direct involvement in the Afghan conflict.
Afghanistan has seen a record level of fighting this year. More than 4,400 people have died in insurgency-related violence around the country (AP).

Sarkozy: Iran is trying to acquire the nuclear bomb

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has for the first time directly accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Sarkozy told TF1 and France 2, France’s major TV channels, on Thursday night that "Iran is trying to acquire the nuclear bomb. I have said that this is not acceptable, and I'm telling the French people that it is unacceptable.”

The French president said that the international community should continue working to convince Iran to renounce its ambitions just as it did with North Korea and Libya, through discussions, dialogue and sanctions. "If the current sanctions are not effective, let us go for tougher sanctions," Sarkozy said.

In a related development, the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner today told Iran’s nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani that his remarks about impending war with Iran were taken out of context. Kouchner told Larijani that he was in favor of taking measures to prevent an armed conflict taking place.

The US Military Announces the Arrest of an Iranian Officer in Iraq

The US military reports the arrest in Sulaymaniyah of an Iranian officer belonging to IRGC- Quds Force. He is accused of smuggling deadly roadside bombs, including armor-piercing penetrators, or EFPs, into Iraq.

The Iranian officials have identified the individual as Mr. Farhadi, an economic expert in the office of the governor general of Kermanshah. Farhadi, according to Iranian officials, was a member of an Iranian trade delegation visiting the Iraqi Kurdish town. (Fars News Agency).

A Pentagon spokesman said the arrest is a further proof that the Iranians have not ceased their arms smuggling operations in Iraq. It is expected that the white House will soon announce the designation of the Quds Force as a terrorist organization.

Saegheh Flies Over Tehran

Two of Iran’s new homemade jet fighters, “Saegheh” (Thunderbolt), were flown on test flights over Tehran today. Iranian defense officials say that Saegheh is similar to the American F-18 fighter plane but “more powerful.”

The planes will officially join the air force fleet on Saturday 22 September, Iran’s “Army Day.”

Ahmadinejad’s New York Trip

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will arrive in New York on Sunday 23 September. He will attend the UN General Assembly. His request to visit the Ground Zero, the site of Twin Towers destroyed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was denied by New York officials. He will, however, address the students and the faculty of Columbia University on Monday.

IRAN: State of Denial by Politicians; State of Readiness by the Military

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner warned that the world should be prepared for war over Iran’s nuclear program. The French premier, Francois Fillon, expressing a shared belief among world statesmen, called the tensions with Iran “extreme.” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacted to the news by saying that he does not take seriously the warning from the French. Earlier in the month, Ahmadinejad had announced that his “mathematical calculations” have convinced him that it would be impossible for the US to attack Iran (Please see the posting here on 3 September). The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, went a step further and declared during last Friday’s Prayer that the US has already lost the war against Iran.

The reactions from Iran’s military and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp (IRGC) were the opposite. In response to the French warning, the IRGC announced that it will hit enemy targets within 2,000 kilometers by its Shahab-3 missiles if attacked. A group linked to the guards reported that IRGC has aimed six-hundred Shahab-3 missiles at US military installations in the region and at Israeli targets. The deputy commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) also boasted that Iran plans retaliatory air strikes on Israel if attacked. The Iranian defense minister, an IRGC general, said Iran is ready to give various responses to any attack.

The political leadership in Iran has fatefully and continuously told its citizens that an attack on Iran by the US and its allies is impossible and will not happen. They have offered a wide range of reasoning, including the belief that the US is too much bogged down in Iraq, that the US is genuinely afraid of Iran’s response to such attack, that the international pressure and internal political considerations would not allow President Bush to give the go ahead, and last but not least, Ahmadinejad’s mathematical calculus.

At its face, this might seem a tactical move by the leadership to alleviate any fears of attack on the part of population. But this could be a risky move. The leadership needs the popular support if it has any chance of confronting the US. Leaving them in a state of denial on the possibility of any military confrontation in the future, however remote, runs against the Islamic Republic’s own tendency to mobilize the population over foreign enemies and possibilities of war.

The consistency in Khamenei and Ahmadinejad denials of a military confrontation with the US had been compared in the past by this analyst to a “Saddam Syndrome.” They, however, have gone a step further. They are not saying that they would defeat any aggression against Iran; they are saying the chance of a confrontation is zero, period. It seems as though that they have reached their certainty through some form of Estekhareh (asking questions of God and finding the answer in Quran).

The reaction from the military and the revolutionary guards is indeed the opposite. IRGC generals have made numerous interviews in the past few days with Iranian news agencies and leading newspapers warning of a possible attack by the US and Israel. Certain amount of exaggeration and self-aggrandizement notwithstanding, IRGC statements tell a story of real apprehension. It is as though they are telling the people not to listen to the politicians and be prepared for war.

The difference in approach between the political leadership and IRGC might also manifest a more fundamental development in the Iranian politics. The IRGC, already the strongest armed organization in the country and one of the biggest direct players in the Iranian economy, might be vying for political leadership as well in case of an emergency triggered by a military attack on Iran.

News from Iran

The rising tensions over the possibility of a military attack on Iran dominated the coverage in the Iranian media. The commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC) warned the US that IRGC is capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometer (1,250 miles) away by its Shahab-3 missiles. The website of a basiji group closely linked to IRGC also warned that the Revolutionary Guards have aimed some six-hundred Shahab-3 at US military installations in the region as well as targets inside Israel. The French foreign minister warned that the world should prepare for war over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s supreme leader declared that President Bush and senior American officials should be tried in an international court for their role in Iraq. And the Iranian Air Force flew night sorties with the home-made supersonic jet fighter, Saegheh. The coming war with the US is the talk in town.

The Warning, French Style

· French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the world should prepare for war over Iran’s nuclear program; referring to Iran’s nuclear program, Kouchner said the world should “prepare for the worst, and the worst is war.”
· The French prime Minister Francois Fillon said that the tensions with Iran are “extreme”; Fillon insisted, however, that there was still room for diplomacy.
· Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran does not take seriously a warning from the French foreign minister that the world should prepare for war with Iran over its nuclear program; he said the French foreign minister’s comments were for media consumption and his real position on the subject are different from what he said.
· Iran’s Under-Secretary of Supreme National Council, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, said Iran expects that the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner review his stand against Iran; Rahmani Fazli said Kouchner’s allegations against Iran’s nuclear program are unacceptable; he said that stirring up sentiments would not lead to any solutions.
· IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei warned against increasing hype to start a war with Iran; ElBaradei said he saw no clear and present danger, and the talk of war was counter-productive.
· China said it was opposed to threats of force in world politics; Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said China believes diplomatic negotiation is the best way of resolving issues; the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman was reacting to French foreign minister’s warning that the world should be prepared to go to war with Iran over its nuclear program.
· Russia cautioned against the use of force against Iran over its nuclear program; Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said he was concerned about the prospect of military action; Lavrov was speaking to reporters after a meeting with French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner who had earlier issued the warning of a military attack on Iran.
· German government spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said the German Government was only considering a diplomatic solution of the conflict with Iran; Wilhelm added that at the moment, no other option is being discussed.

Developments on the Military Front

· Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC) Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hassan Koussechi said Iran has the capacity to hit US military targets in the region; Gen. Koussechi said Iran’s Shahab-3 missiles have a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles); the IRGC commander for the Western regions of Iran said the Americans who are all around Iran are our targets.
· Assar Iran, a group closely identified with IRGC, announced that the IRGC has 600 Shahab-3 missiles aimed at US military installations in the region and at Israeli targets; Iran will shoot at Israel 600 missiles if it is attacked, the website was quoted as saying; Assar Iran reports that dozens of US military installations throughout Iraq have also been targeted.
· Israeli air strike against a site in northern Syria has triggered speculation over its motives; there are published reports indicating the sortie was a dry run for a US-Israeli attack on Syria and Iran; the Arab League called the incursion “unacceptable.”
· Islamic Republic of Iran air Force (IRIAF) flew two of its newly-built “Saegheh” jet fighter; Saegheh is a home-made jet fighter; IRIAF commander, Brig. Gen. Ahmad Mighani, said Iran will mass produce the fighter in the coming months; Gen. Mighani also denied published reports that Iran was purchasing 250 Sukhoi-30 jetfighters from Russia.
· NATO forces reported that Iranian arms shipment destined for the Taliban was intercepted 6 September in Afghanistan; the officials of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have told reporters that the intercepted shipment included armor-piercing bombs which have been especially deadly when used as roadside bombs against foreign troops in Iraq.

US – Iran Relations

· Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared he was certain that one day President Bush and senior American officials will be tried in an international court for “the tragedies they have created in Iraq”; Khamenei added that Americans will have to answer for why they don't end occupation of Iraq and why waves of terrorism and insurgency have overwhelmed the country during their occupation.
· Iranian Presdident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed holding a public debate with President Bush; Ahmadinejad, who will attend the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September, said his proposal is for debating international questions at the UN General Assembly in order to solve them; he also asked for a “global referendum” to who out of Iran and the United States had the better ideas.
· Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, said Iran would prefer a gradual withdrawal of the US forces in Iraq; Hosseini added that the withdrawal should take place in such a way as to avert a sharp drop of security and stability in Iraq.

Shahab-3 Missiles

A senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp. (IRGC) said today that Iran’s Shahab-3 missiles can hit enemy targets within 2,000 kilometer. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hassan Kousehchi added that IRGC has such a good control over the Persian Gulf region that “no enemy can even think of invading Iran.” (Fars News Agency).

Media sources close to IRGC have reported that IRGC has some 600 Shahab-3 missiles aimed at US military installations in the region and Israeli targets. The Israeli officials have discounted the claim as propaganda to frighten the world away from thinking about possible military action against Iran.

Iran Unblocks Google and Gmail

Iranian officials say they will unblock access to Google search engine and its Gmail email service. Both services were filtered on Sunday. Earlier today, Hamid Shahriari, a spokesman for Iran’s National Council of Information, had confirmed that the sites were being filtered.

The Iranian government closely controls the Internet access. The officials said this afternoon that blocking of Google was by accident.

French Warnings – Iranians Not Affected

The French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said today that the tensions with Iran are “extreme” but insisted that there was still room for diplomacy (AFP). On Sunday the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had said that the world should prepare for war over Iran’s nuclear program if diplomacy fails. "We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," Bernard Kouchner told the French TV.

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei today warned against increasing hype to start a war with Iran. He said he saw no clear and present danger, and the talk of war was counter-productive.

The warnings by the French came amid the insistence by the Iranian leadership that the US can not launch another war in the region. In the meantime, Iran continues its uranium enrichment program and supplying arms to the militias in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It is not clear how the Iranian leadership knows for certain that the country will not be attacked militarily. I am starting to suspect that such certainty in the face of all developments pointing to the growing danger of a military conflict must be based on supernatural knowledge stemming from Estekhareh (asking questions of God and finding the answer in Quran) and Khabnama (the answer revealed in a dream).