Iran strikes secret nuclear mining deal with Zimbabwe's Mugabe regime

Bad news on so many levels:

The agreement was sealed last month during a visit to Tehran by a close aide to Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean president who last weekend celebrated 30 years in power, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

In return for supplying oil, which Zimbabwe desperately needs to keep its faltering economy moving, Iran has been promised access to potentially huge deposits of uranium ore – which can be converted into the basic fuel for nuclear power or enriched to make a nuclear bomb.

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The Pat Robertson of Persia blames immodest, promiscuous women for earthquakes

AP via Jack and Jill Politics:

BEIRUT – A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear immodest clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes.

Iran is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, and the cleric’s unusual explanation for why the earth shakes follows a prediction by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that a quake is certain to hit Tehran and that many of its 12 million inhabitants should relocate.

“Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes,” Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran’s acting Friday prayer leader.

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In Iran, as government shoots protesters, "opposition movement that is becoming bolder"

From various news accounts, it sounds like the protests in Iran are more widespread and larger than those in the past. Yesterday was a holy day in the country, but that didn't prevent Iranian officials from shooting protesters. Here's the report from the New York Times:

Police officers in Iran opened fire into crowds of protesters on Sunday, killing at least 10 people, witnesses and opposition Web sites said, in a day of chaotic street battles that threatened to deepen the country’s civil unrest.

The protests, during the holiday commemorating the death of Imam Hussein, Shiite Islam’s holiest martyr, were the bloodiest and among the largest since the uprisings that followed the disputed presidential election last June, witnesses said.

One of those killed was the nephew of presidential candidate Mousavi, who assassinated, according to sources:

Mr. Moussavi was first run over by a sport utility vehicle outside his home, Mr. Makhmalbaf wrote on his Web site. Five men then emerged from the car, and one of them shot Mr. Moussavi. Government officials took the body late Sunday and warned the family not to hold a funeral, Mr. Makhmalbaf wrote.

That murder has probably turned Ali Mousavi into a martyr. Mourning his death will precipitate another round of protests.

The Times also noted:

The turmoil revealed an opposition movement that is becoming bolder and more direct in its challenge to Iran’s governing authorities. Protesters deliberately blended their political message with the day’s religious one on Sunday, alternating antigovernment slogans with ancient cries of mourning for Imam Hussein.

It seemed for awhile that the post-election turmoil was over. It's not. Read More......

Iran torture whistleblower dead from poisoning

Did anyone really expect anything else? The extremists in Iran will not tolerate dissent of any kind.

A 26-year-old doctor who exposed the torture of jailed protesters in Iran died of poisoning from a delivery salad laced with an overdose of blood pressure medication, prosecutors say. The findings fueled opposition fears that he was killed because of what he knew.

Investigators are still trying to determine whether his death last month was a suicide or murder, Tehran's public prosecutor Abbas Dowlatabadi said, according to the state news agency IRNA.

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British sailors released in Iran

Holding a team of yacht racers for nearly one week simply because they strayed into local waters is downright bizarre. But that's what you have running the show for the time being. The Guardian:

Iran's ministry of foreign affairs has confirmed that the five British sailors arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have been freed, the Foreign Office said.

Earlier, Iran's official IRNA news agency said the yachtsmen were freed after an interrogation by authorities found they had entered Iranian waters by mistake.

David Young, father of Oliver, one of the men being held, said he was "very relieved" at the news. He told PA he heard the news from the FCO and the sailors' team manager.

"We thought it would be over quickly," Young said. "This is what we were hoping for." Some of the mens' families are yet to be officially told of their release.

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Iran detains British yachting crew

So now Iran is afraid of what? A regatta at dawn? Knot tying classes on the foredeck with high tea? This regime is in dire need of medication because they are paranoid and completely insane. The Guardian:

The men were detained six days ago when their racing yacht was intercepted by Iran's navy while on its way from Bahrain to an event in Dubai but the incident was kept secret as the Foreign Office sought to establish what had happened and tried to avoid raising the political temperature.

It is thought the yacht, the Kingdom of Bahrain, may have strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters, the Foreign Office said. The vessel was being delivered by the crew to the annual Dubai to Muscat race, which was due to begin the following day. All the Britons were said to be safe and well and their families have been informed.

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Report: Iran confiscated Nobel Peace Prize from activist

It's so wrong in so many ways. CNN:

Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday.

"The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.

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Iranian student criticizes Ayatollah Khamenei in person

The exchange was recorded and was first published on Khamenei's website. Lots of talk about this story but for now, it's more a mystery that will be answered later. The Guardian:

He may be the bravest student in Iran or an unwitting stooge of the Islamic regime – or both. Either way, Mahmoud Vahidnia has gained instant fame after breaking a taboo by criticising the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to his face.

The 25-year-old maths student has been lauded by opposition websites after reportedly telling Khamenei that he had been turned into a "grand idol" who was above criticism. But in a twist demonstrating the inscrutable nature of Iranian politics, the incident has been used by Khamenei's supporters to show how he embraces criticism. Vahidnia has remained unmolested since his 10-minute critique, which condemned the recent brutal post-election crackdown and denounced the state broadcaster, IRIB, for biased coverage. But his most remarkable comments were reserved for Khamenei himself.

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Religious extremists take majority share in Iranian telco

This is not a good sign for the future of Iran.

As Iran continues to manage the aftershocks of its contested presidential election, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has moved aggressively to tighten its grip on society, most recently with its takeover of a majority share in the nation’s telecommunications monopoly.

The nearly $8 billion acquisition by a company affiliated with the elite force has amplified concerns in Iran over what some call the rise of a pseudogovernment, prompting members of Parliament to begin an investigation into the deal.

Turning to the US, it is disturbing to see the arrests in Pittsburgh related to using Twitter. I may have issues with the protesters but it is bothersome to see praise for Twitter when it's in Iran and no outrage when there are arrests for similar use in the US. Is it right or wrong in both cases? Read More......

Iran sentences activist to death sentence

The kangaroo court has made sure to include all of the juicy bits including a confession. Yes, he was conspiring with the US and the monarchy is naturally part of it as well. Things never get better in Iran with the extremist government.

A revolutionary court in Tehran handed the penalty to Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani, 37, after convicting him of muhabereh – taking up arms against Iran's Islamic system.

The sentence was imposed after he confessed to working for a little-known exile group, the Iran Monarchy Committee, which Iranian officials describe as a terrorist organisation. Prosecutors alleged that he plotted political assassinations with US military officials in Iraq before returning to Iran "aiming at causing disruption during and after the election".

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US considering "crippling sanctions" for Iran

Wash Post:

Amid growing international pressure in advance of highly anticipated talks this week, Iran displayed its defiance of Western threats against its nuclear program by announcing Sunday that it had test-fired at least two short-range missiles. Senior Obama administration officials, meanwhile, said they had the international support necessary to impose crippling sanctions if Tehran does not stop construction on a new uranium-enrichment plant and allow immediate inspections.

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Ayatollah Fiorina

San Jose Mercury News:

Over the past dozen years, Hewlett-Packard has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of printers and other products to Iran through a Middle East distributor, sidestepping a U.S. ban on trade with the country.

Now the person who headed HP for much of that time, Carly Fiorina, is ramping up to run for U.S. Senate. And questions are emerging about what Fiorina knew about HP's growing presence in Iran during her six-year tenure at the Silicon Valley firm from 1999 to 2005.

With Iran drawing condemnation abroad for its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons and crackdown on government dissidents, Fiorina could find herself on the defensive. Did the former CEO know that her company was selling its wares to Iran through a European subsidiary and then a Middle Eastern distributor while she was at the helm? If an HP executive had such direct knowledge, that would violate the trade embargo.

That means she would have clandestinely broken federal law in order to aid and abet a terrorist state. Should go over well in the Republican primary, let alone the general election. Read More......

Iran chooses Interpol suspect for cabinet position

Loonier by the day.

A former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has been nominated by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's president, to head the country's defence ministry, despite being listed on Interpol's wanted register for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural centre in Argentina.

Argentinian prosecutors joined Jewish groups last night in condemnation of Ahmadinejad's decision to propose Ahmad Vahidi for the senior cabinet post.

Vahidi has been on an Interpol "red notice" since November 2007, in connection with the car bomb attack on the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured 150 – the worst attack on a Jewish target outside Israel since the second world war.

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Trials of over 100 political activists underway in Tehran

The brutal regime in Iran is now trying political activists who protested the elections. No surprise, but nothing about this sounds fair or remotely just:

More than 100 political activists and protesters went on trial Saturday on charges of rioting and conspiring to topple the government in the turmoil surrounding Iran's presidential election, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.

The defendants included several prominent politicians -- former members of parliament, first-generation revolutionaries and an ex-vice president -- who have been locked in a decades-long power struggle with Iran's hard-line clerics and Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Wearing gray prison uniforms and appearing thin after weeks in jail, some defendants gave lengthy confessions, saying President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the disputed June 12 election free of fraud.

Only state media were allowed to attend the closed trial, which took place days before the date of Ahmadinejad's second inauguration.

That last line says it all. "Only state media were allowed to attend the closed trial." State media and closed trials. That's Iran. Read More......

Iran continues to round up opposition

The hard-liners still doing the only thing they know what to do. CNN:

Government agents used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, and beat and kidnapped a human rights lawyer, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Saturday, citing witnesses.

The advocacy group said human rights lawyer Shadi Sadr, who was walking with friends to Friday prayers, was confronted by people dressed in civilian clothes. They pushed her into a car and drove off, the group said, citing witnesses.

In a subsequent telephone call to her husband, Sadr said she had been arrested and detained in ward 209 of Tehran's Evin prison, the group said.

"Her husband reported that intelligence officers had searched his house and requested the keys to her legal office," the group said.

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Rafsanjani calls for release of political prisoners, open debate

The ruling hardliners can't be pleased with Rafsanjani's speech yesterday. For the opposition, they have a public voice while their leaders are in prison or in hiding. The situation may be calm for now but the problems are not going away. NY Times:

“Khamenei and Ahmadinejad tried to close the door for debate about the elections, but Rafsanjani reopened it in a very important setting,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The hall has been the scene of many addresses by senior clerics.

Calling the election aftermath a “crisis,” Mr. Rafsanjani urged that restrictions on the press and on free speech be removed, in addition to seeking freedom for those detained since the election.

Mr. Rafsanjani also criticized the Guardian Council, a powerful supervisory body that looked into possible election fraud, saying it “did not use wisely the time the supreme leader gave it to investigate.”

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Iranian consumers boycott Nokia

It's nice to see Iranians using their hard-earned money to impact businesses they believe are collaborating with the government in a bad way. If there's one thing business understands, it's revenue or lack of revenue. (H/t, Cat.)

Wholesale vendors in the capital report that demand for Nokia handsets has fallen by as much as half in the wake of calls to boycott Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) for selling communications monitoring systems to Iran.

There are signs that the boycott is spreading: consumers are shunning SMS messaging in protest at the perceived complicity with the regime by the state telecoms company, TCI. Iran's state-run broadcaster has been hit by a collapse in advertising as companies fear being blacklisted in a Facebook petition. There is also anecdotal evidence that people are moving money out of state banks and into private banks.

Nokia is the most prominent western company to suffer from its dealings with the Iranian authorities. Its NSN joint venture with Siemens provided Iran with a monitoring system as it expanded a mobile network last year. NSN says the technology is standard issue to dozens of countries, but protesters believe the company could have provided the network without the monitoring function.

Siemens is also accused of providing Iran with an internet filtering system called Webwasher.

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Iran claims French student is a spy

This regime becomes nuttier by the day. Now they have spies around every corner including a French student who took a photograph of a protest. Maybe she should have been more cautious but rounding up foreigners is only going to push the European Union and others towards stronger unification against the regime. As much as they may like bashing outsiders, Iran still relies on foreign business including the French businesses such as Peugot and Total.

France demanded yesterday the immediate release of a 23-year-old student accused by Iran of spying after she took pictures of a street demonstration with her mobile phone.

President Nicolas Sarkozy dismissed the accusations against Clotilde Reiss, from Lille, who was arrested last week as she was about to board a flight leaving Iran.

"These accusations of spying are the height of fantasy and should never have been brought," M. Sarkozy said. "That a French citizen should be kidnapped and held on a so-called charge of espionage is wholly unacceptable." Mlle Reiss, who had been teaching French in Isfahan for five months, was arrested last Wednesday at Tehran airport as she was making her way back to France, via Beirut.

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Iran officially charges British embassy official

The hard line regime is obsessed with the British. The capturing of the British sailors in 2007 was odd but arresting embassy workers is even more bizarre. They're fixated on picking a fight with a world power and without the US, the UK is the best they can hope for. (The US is no stranger to such strange behavior either as we discovered during the invasion of Iraq.) The EU ambassadors are staying put for now as that was apparently part of the deal when Iran released other embassy workers. The Guardian:

A British embassy employee is to stand trial in Tehran for "acting against national security" — a dramatic escalation in Iran's campaign to blame Britain for protests against disputed election results.

The man, a 44-year-old Iranian who is the British embassy's chief political analyst, was arrested on Saturday and has been formally charged at Tehran's Evin Prison, his lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, said. "Apparently he will be put on trial. We have prepared and submitted the defence documents and I have to see the judge next week."

It was is not clear whether any other embassy staff will face prosecution. A senior cleric claimed that some had "confessed" to playing a role in the protest movement. The staging of political trials is likely to lead to a breach in relations not only with Britain, but also with the European Union. Iranian ambassadors were summoned to foreign ministries in capitals across Europe in a coordinated rebuke.

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Mousavi questions legitimacy of government

Just because Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is certifying the election, it doesn't mean the opposition is accepting those results. Mousavi as well as fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karoubi are both rejecting the legitimacy of the government and promoting a peaceful transition. The Guardian:

Mousavi's language seemed chosen to suggest that the Islamic regime, which in the last two weeks has seen the worst unrest in 30 years, was betraying the basic principles of the 1979 revolution.

"It is our historical responsibility to continue our protests and not to abandon our efforts to preserve the nation's rights," insisted the former prime minister.

"From now on we will have a government which from the point of view of ties with the public is in the weakest of positions. A majority of society, of which I personally am a member, do not accept the legitimacy of this government."

Mousavi also demanded an end to the regime's "obsession" with security, the reform of electoral laws he believes were abused, the constitutional right to free political assembly, an end to restrictions on the media, and the right to set up independent television stations.

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