Computer worm in Iran raises questions

The worm has been disrupting Iranian industrial sites. So far, no group or country has claimed ownership though experts believe the list of possible sources is very limited. The Guardian:

Creating the malicious code required a team of as many as five to 10 highly educated and well-funded hackers. Government experts and outside analysts say they haven't been able to determine who developed it or why.

The malware has infected as many as 45,000 computer systems around the world. Siemens AG, the company that designed the system targeted by the worm, said it has infected 15 of the industrial control plants it was apparently intended to infiltrate. It is not clear what sites were infected, but they could include water filtration, oil delivery, electrical and nuclear plants.

None of those infections has adversely affected the industrial systems, according to Siemens.

US officials said last month that the Stuxnet was the first malicious computer code specifically created to take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants.

Read More......

Juan Cole on neo-con dreams of Iran

With our previous musings on the Jeffrey Goldberg Atlantic article in mind, I'd like to point out Juan Cole's thoughts on the matter. The piece contains a good discussion of "neo-cons in the wilderness" and weighs in on my question: Who's being played by the Jeffery Goldberg effort?

For Cole, the administration is the target all the way (my emphasis):

Despite being willing to stop in at an occasional cocktail party, President Obama could not care less what the Neoconservatives say, want or do. Few have been appointed from their ranks to high and influential positions in the Obama administration, in contrast to W.’s, where they held the 8 key positions that allowed them to help push the US into a decade of rampaging wars. . . . Their main project of today, an aggressive war on Iran, is a non-starter with the current White House, its generals, intelligence officials, and most importantly with a public already unemployed, beggared and indebted to the tune of $13 trillion, in part because of the Neocons earlier mad adventures[.]

The neo-cons are not without allies, however:

They have more assets than is visible on the surface. They have perhaps half of America’s 400 billionaires on their side. They have the enormous military-industrial complex on their side. They have the Yahoo complex of besieged lower middle class White America on their side. They have the Israel lobbies on their side. They have important segments of the Oil and Gas lobbies on their side. They have the whole American tradition of permanent war on their side. They should not be underestimated.

Cole thinks the war-ginning ploy won't work (whew):

Goldberg knows that Obama is not actually going to war against Iran. Despite what he says, Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, is for all his bluster far too personally indecisive to take such a major step (and certainly not without an American green light; Bibi thinks Clinton had him undermined and moved out of office for obstructing the Oslo accords, and does not want to risk the same fate for causing trouble for Obama in Iraq and Afghanistan). How Goldberg could miss this truism in Israeli politics is beyond me.

Take a few minutes to re-read that last quote. It's syntactically dense, but loaded.

A fine and comforting set of conclusions, and I hope Professor Cole is correct. We do not need one more war with a Muslim nation. In this area — war with Iran — Obama appears to be playing it exactly right.

Shall we ride in triumph through Persepolis? Not this week.

GP Read More......

Is this the run-up to war with Iran?

Back when dino's ruled the earth and Dick Cheney's heartbeat was a heartbeat away, I privately predicted war with Iran.

Then Adm. Fallon's opposition was revealed (good for peace); then Fallon was resigned (good for war; and yes, you read that right); then the bankers' house of cards stole the show, by falling (good for peace); then Obama was elected (seemed good for peace at the time). And then . . . we had a lull. Whew.

No longer. The drums are beating again. The September 2010 Atlantic features a cover story by Jeffrey Goldberg on Iran. The title: "The Point of No Return" (my emphasis throughout).

For the Obama administration, the prospect of a nuclearized Iran is dismal to contemplate— it would create major new national-security challenges and crush the president’s dream of ending nuclear proliferation. But the view from Jerusalem is still more dire: a nuclearized Iran represents, among other things, a threat to Israel’s very existence. In the gap between Washington’s and Jerusalem’s views of Iran lies the question: who, if anyone, will stop Iran before it goes nuclear, and how? As Washington and Jerusalem study each other intensely, here’s an inside look at the strategic calculations on both sides—and at how, if things remain on the current course, an Israeli air strike will unfold.

No less than James Fallows, writing for the Atlantic website, defends The Atlantic and excuses the article as "a strictly reportorial perspective."

Why is Fallows defending The Atlantic? Because Jeffrey Goldberg is one of the go-to guys when the neo-cons want to "prepare the battlefield" of public opinion, prior to putting their guns where the U.S. government's money is. And this article makes The Atlantic look complicit in a full-on move to back Israeli bombing.

Ken Silverstein writing in his Harpers digs, "Washington Babylon":

[I]f the article had been written by anyone else I might agree. But Goldberg’s past work as a dishonest advocate for the Iraq War and his long service in support of the Israeli military (literally for a time, when he served in the Israeli Defense Force) makes Fallows’s argument harder to accept. Goldberg has never seen an Israeli military action that he didn’t approve of. . . . If Israel does attack Iran, its supporters will surely point to Goldberg’s piece as evidence for why such a strike was necessary, just as President Bush cited Goldberg’s work in making the case for war in Iraq.

What should we make of this? By that I mean, who's the target of this "strictly reportorial" assault?

Is the current administration (whose motto seems to be "I brake for right-wing talking points") being played by the pro-IDF lobby? Or are we being played instead, by someone else — say, an admin insider whose mind is already made up?

Jeffrey Goldberg is clearly carrying someone else's water. Are we being prepared for war with Iran?

GP Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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".

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.

Read More......

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.”

Read More......

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.

Read More......