Rial on Downward Spiral

The value of the Iranian currency, the rial, continued its downward spiral on Saturday, posting at 27,900 rials a dollar, a historic low. 

In September 2011, the currency was traded at 12,000 rials a dollar in open trading, now at 27,900; a loss in value of 132 percent in the past twelve months. 

Photo: ISNA.

A Red Line, and Then Another One!

"No Right and Left on the Issue of the Iranian Threat."

A Red Line, and Then Another One

An Israeli perspective by Ben Caspit (Ma’ariv)

Translated by Viktoria Lymar (IranEdge)

Republished with permission from IranEdge.com

Photo credit: EPA/Ma’ariv//IranEdge

U.S. Drops Mujahedeen from Terrorism List

But Underscores Concerns About MKO

The U.S. State Department today formally removed the Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from its official list of terrorist organizations.

State Department announced today that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took the decision in view of the MKO's public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MKO for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of their paramilitary base in Iraq.

But the State Department also underscored concerns about the group.

“With today's actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK's (MKO’s) past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992,” the State Department statement said.

“The Department also has serious concerns about the MEK (MKO) as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members.”

Iranian earthquake victims left in the cold!

Photo credit: Fars news, Fars news, hrna.org, jaras

Fars news in a rare coverage of regime incompetence, posted a story (in Persian only) about the Iranian earthquake survivors trying to survive the rain and cold while still in tents.

"باران پاییزه سر از چادر زلزلهزدگان ورزقان درآورد

خبرگزاری فارس: بارش باران از ظهر امروز در مناطق زلزلهزده ارسباران آغاز شده و مشکلاتی را برای زلزلهزدگان در این منطقه به وجود آورده است."

Forty five days ago, the Iranian regime used the earthquake victims as a poster child for Iranian suffering under western sanction. The post political drama status of these same earthquake victims demonstrate that the Iranian regime is unmoved by their continued suffering, now that the world is no longer looking.

The earthquake of Azerbaijan, Iran, was centered in a mountainous region were the weather is turning very cold this time of the year. Fars news reports that "the temperature is now 5 degrees Celsius" (41 Fahrenheit) and  that the "area is experiencing rain and hail". The earthquake survivors are enduring this while still in tents which are obviously inadequate for this type of weather. They have no running water, no electricity, and no heat as they sleep in sleeping bags wearing everything they own.

The government of Iran seems more interested in arresting the volunteers coming to the aid of the earthquake victims, than actually providing logistical support for the people to service the cold weather.

The highlight of the regime action in the earthquake area was the arrest of 36 activist and bloggers on August 22, 2012, like Navid Khanjani and Hossein Ronaghi Maleki, who went to the earthquake area as volunteers to help the victims (see their photo above taken before their arrest). For more on this go to:

http://www.en-hrana.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=611:1&catid=16:miscellaneous&Itemid=2

If the capabilities of the regime are so limited that it can't provide adequate housing for a few thousands earthquake victims, how can it back its claims that it stands ready for an all out war with Israel and the US?