Obama Threatens Tighter Sanctions; Oil Price Drop Endangers Subsidy Reform

Karroubi to Prisoner Families: 'Your Resistance Has Made Mockery of Prison'

Green Voice of Freedom | Jan 24

Iranian opposition leader and former speaker of parliament Mahdi Karroubi has met with the family of imprisoned politician Feizollah Arabsorkhi.

During the meeting, Karroubi, Chairman of the National Trust party and an outspoken critic of the current establishment, expressed dismay over the continuing imprisonment of Feizollah Arabsorkhi, a member of the central council of the Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organisation, a formidable reformist group in the county.

Karroubi also expressed happiness over the relatively quick release of Arabsorkhi's daughter Fatemeh who had been arrested on 19 December along with three other young reformist activists. He praised the resistance of the families of political prisoners in the face of hardship and added, "Your resistance has made a mockery of prison and other measures to silence you!"

The 2009 presidential candidate said that the actions of the families of political prisoners and their refusal to remain silent in the past year has had played an important role in the Green Movement's march forward. "Your appeals to senior clerics has been effective, and when the clerics rise in support of the families [of political prisoners], the un-Islamic treatment of a segment of the establishment against political critics is revealed to all," he continued.

In the meeting attended by other families of political prisoners, Karroubi expressed hope that the current "plague" unleashed upon the Iranian people would soon come to an end.

'West's Approach to Istanbul Talks Rekindled Distrust'

Mehr | Jan 26

Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili has said that the approach adopted by the representatives of Western countries at the Istanbul talks "rekindled" distrust between Iran and the West.

On January 22, Iran and the 5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany) wrapped up two days of talks in Istanbul without achieving concrete results.

The Istanbul meeting was the second round of talks since the negotiations resumed last month in Geneva, breaking a 14-month hiatus.

"The Western countries didn't want to reach an agreement with Iran at the Istanbul talks, and despite Turkey's efforts, they rekindled distrust," ISNA quoted Jalili, who represented Iran at the talks, as saying in a recent interview with the Turkish daily Yeni Safak.

On the claim that the Istanbul talks broke down because Iran set preconditions for talks on a nuclear fuel swap, Iran's main negotiator said, "At such talks, nations' rights should be respected," and added that Western countries should not describe Iran's insistence on its rights as setting preconditions.

Tehran Only Trusts Russia in Nuclear Fuel Exchange: Iranian Envoy

Mehr | Jan 25

Iran's permanent ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Organization has expressed Iran's readiness to directly exchange uranium with Russia without the participation of the United States and France.

According to the Interfax news agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh made the remarks in a live interview with the Moscow-based radio network "Echo of Moscow" on Friday.

On May 17, 2010, Iran, Turkey, and Brazil issued a declaration, according to which Iran was to ship 1200 kilograms of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey to be exchanged for 120 kilograms of 20 percent enriched nuclear fuel to power the Tehran research reactor, which produces radioisotopes for cancer treatment. According to the agreement, the exchange was to take place in Turkey under the supervision of the IAEA and Iran.

Soltanieh said, "There is no need for the project involving the Americans; the Russians would be responsible for enrichment," the University 5 Daily News reported.

Iran only trusts Russia in the issue of nuclear fuel exchange, he added.

"The French do not have to take part," Soltanieh said. "I am convinced that, with existing technology in Russia, Moscow can make those fuel rods (uranium), so there is no need to involve the French."

So far, the Russians have insisted that France's collaboration is essential to carry out the project.

No Unilateral Sanctions against Iran -- Russian Foreign Minister

RT | Jan 25

Russia does not approve unilateral sanctions against Iran and is calling for the continuation of talks between a six-nation coalition and Tehran.

­The statement was made by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the wake of last weekend's Istanbul talks of the 5+1 countries with Iran. The six world powers involved in the negotiation process include five permanent UN Security Council members - Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States - plus Germany.

"Sanctions against Iran are in place," Russia's Foreign Minister said on Tuesday. "But some countries plan on toughening them. We are against unilateral sanctions."

Although the date of the next meeting has not been scheduled yet, Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will be pushing for the continuation of talks in the same format.

US Invites EU to Sanction Iran over Rights Abuses

AFP | Jan 25

The US government suggested on Tuesday that Europe match Washington sanctions for Iranian human rights violators, including asset freezes on key figures, against a backdrop of failed nuclear talks.

"We share a common assessment of the deterioration in the situation of human rights in Iran," said US deputy assistant secretary of state Philo Dibble, a day after New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch slammed Tehran's use of torture and intimidation to consolidate power in an annual report.

"We have suggested that the Europeans consider something like the designation that we have done," he said, referring to visa bans and asset freezes applied to eight figures in September 2009.

Dibble said that the effect of European Union sanctions for human rights breaches would have a greater effect, because "Iranian officials are more likely to travel to Europe than they are to the US."

The eight targeted by Washington notably include Mohammad Ali Jafari, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard who was held responsible for the death of three opposition figures in jail in July 2009.

Official: US, EU Economic Institutions Opposed to Sanctions against Iran

Fars | Jan 26

Head of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Mines Mohammad Nahavandian underlined on Wednesday that the US and European companies and economic institutions are completely opposed to imposing sanctions against Iran.

"The economic atmosphere of the US and Europe is opposed to sanctions against Iran," Nahavandian told FNA.

Stressing that the American people are not interested in imposing sanctions against Tehran, he said that the US Chamber of Commerce along with seven other institutions recently sent a statement to Iran and underlined the US private sector's opposition to such embargoes.

Nahavandian also expressed pleasure over the resignation of Stuart Levey, who headed the US Treasury Department's sanctions programs aimed at Iran, and said, "It was a good news for us."

Protests over Pro-Iranian Power Grab in Lebanon

Independent | Jan 26

A candidate backed by the Hezbollah movement was asked to form a new Lebanese government yesterday, prompting a wave of street protests against the growing influence of the Iranian-backed group.

President Michel Sleiman appointed the billionaire tycoon Najib Mikati as Prime Minister-designate after he secured enough parliamentary votes to defeat the Western-backed Saad Hariri, who was prime minister until Hezbollah brought down his unity government two weeks ago.

[S]upporters of Mr Hariri took to the streets in a "day of rage" yesterday, with protests turning violent in the town of Tripoli. Sunni rioters burned tyres and erected barricades, chanting: "Sunni blood is boiling!"

"It is a day of anger against the interference of Iran and Syria," Mohammed Kabbar, a Tripoli lawmaker, told protesters. "Don't test our anger."

Shooting to Kill on the Iran-Afghan Border

RFE/RL | Jan 24

Crowds of Afghans have demonstrated against Iran in Kabul and Herat this month over what they say are Tehran's oppressive policies toward their country.

The loudest complaints are over Iran's blocking of fuel trucks at the border. The blockade, which Iran says is due to unspecified "technical reasons," has caused shortages and sent fuel prices in Afghanistan soaring.

But the fuel stoppage is only part of the reason for the protests. Equally important is anger over alleged mistreatment of Afghans by Iranian officials, including the border shootings of Afghan migrants who try to enter Iran illegally.

"Eight months ago, my brother and I and two friends were going to Iran. When we arrived at the border at night to cross illegally, the Iranian soldiers fired at us," one resident of Afghanistan's Farah Province who gave his name as Ibrahim, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan during a recent call-in program.

He recalled the tragedy that ensued when his brother was shot in the leg and their friends fled. "My brother was wounded [in the leg] in a way that he should have had a 90 percent chance of surviving. But the soldiers threw him to the ground and horribly beat him and beat him and beat him with their fists and with stones until he was martyred."

Iran Calls on Tunisian People to Strengthen Unity

Fars | Jan 26

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast warned of Washington's meddling in the internal affairs of Tunisia.

He urged the Tunisian people to remain vigilant and united, expressing hope that the demands of the Muslim Tunisian nation will be fulfilled with the establishment of a fair and democratic system in the country based on Tunisians' "ideological beliefs and values."

Other Iranian officials also believe that the West supports a dictatorial regime in Tunisia instead of an Islamic government.

Earlier this month, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani [held] the US and other western countries accountable for autocracy in Tunisia and pressure on the Tunisian people.

"The US and certain western countries' behaviors are very ridiculous," Larijani said, adding, "Those countries which were the main elements behind autocracy and pressure on the Tunisian nation are today playing a sympathizing role for that nation."

The Intelligence Ministry Sends Three Lawyers to Prison

ICHRI | Jan 26

Following prison sentences for three lawyers representing the Gonabadi dervishes, the pressure mounts on lawyers representing human rights cases. The three lawyers, Mostafa Daneshjoo, Farshid yadollahi, and Amir Eslami, have been found guilty of "propagating lies and creating public anxiety," while their clients have been acquitted of the charge of "acting against national security." The plaintiff in the case of Yadollahi and Eslami was the Kish Island Intelligence Office. The two men were sentenced to six months in prison. Morteza Daneshjoo was also sentenced by a Mazandaran appeals court to seven months in prison during his defense of two Gonabadi dervishes from Neka.

In the court rulings for the three lawyers, copies of which the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has received, the three lawyers' dissemination of information about violations of security organizations, such as the Intelligence Ministry, comprise the basis of the charges made against them. Despite their defense and without proof of mal-intention in their actions, Mr. Daneshjoo was sentenced to seven months and the other lawyers each to six months in prison.

"After security forces went to his client, Mr. Razazi's home without presenting an identification card or a warrant, and began to search his home without regard for legal or Islamic requirements, and took away several cultural and spiritual items without a warrant, Mr. Daneshjoo's clients filed a complaint with the Neka General and Revolutionary Court...Mr. Razazi's complaint was forwarded [from the Prosecutor's office] to the Police Intelligence Unit for identifying the suspects and sketching their likeness, and they were ordered emphatically to identify the individuals who had entered the private domain of individuals without permission from judicial authorities. This shows that at the time the complaint was filed, neither the Prosecutor nor the investigative staff were aware of any warrants for entering the plaintiff's homes, or else no such orders would have been issued," a source close to the case of Mostafa Daneshjoo told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

President Accuses Majlis, Judiciary, EC of Interference in Administrative Affairs

Mehr | Jan 26

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter to parliamentarians, has strongly criticized heads of the legislative and judicial bodies, saying they interfere in the work of the administration.

"Unfortunately, the respected Majlis Speaker (Ali Larijani), in the process of examining the Fifth Four-Year Development Plan, has gone against the Supreme Leader's helpful guidelines and the Constitution through insisting on limiting the legal authority of the executive branch of the government and interfering in the (administrative) affairs such as appointment and removal of executive officials and management of state funds and properties," Ahmadinejad explained in the letter.

The president has also criticized the Expediency Council for limiting the authority of administration.

After it was found out that the above-mentioned ratifications contravene the Constitution, the issue was referred to the Expediency Council, and the council's chairman unlawfully tried to undermine the administrative authorities, he added.

Elsewhere in the letter, Ahmadinejad leveled criticism at Judiciary Chief Sadeq Larijani, saying he has facilitated the Majlis speaker's interference in the administrative affairs.

Iranian Dissidents Lobby Brussels

Wall Street Journal | Jan 25

The Mujahedin-e Khalq, Iran's opposition group known by its initials MEK, is nothing if not well organized and funded. As U.S. and EU diplomats attempt, unsuccessfully so far, to convince Tehran to abandon its nuclear armament efforts, the MEK, also known as the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, has been taking an impressive road show of Iran policy experts around the world.

On Tuesday, they were in Brussels. Their message: Keep applying pressure to the mullahs' regime, although the experts differ on how to do so.

On a rainy Tuesday in Brussels, the MEK packed a conference hall with over 1,000 enthusiastic supporters gathered to watch a panel with their heroes, an all-star cast of Iranian dissidents and foreign policy honchos, headlined by Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

This despite still being labeled as a "terrorist" organization by the U.S. government, due mostly to its former ties to Saddam Hussein's old regime.

The team included former U.S. ambassador to the UN John Bolton, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and former U.S. National Security Advisor director James Jones. They endorsed what one can only call a spectrum of views, although all backed MEK's legitimacy, and the notion of removing it from the list of terrorist organizations.

Imported Handicrafts Harming Iranians

Iran Daily | Jan 26

Isfahan, once known in the world as one of the most important centers of producing handicrafts, appears to be losing its fame, as more Chinese handicrafts are being sold in the historical city.

While the craftsmen of Isfahan were skilled in producing silkwork, brocade, tazhib (a type of Islamic painting), termeh (cashmere) and negargari (Persian miniature) for centuries and their products were exported worldwide, the youth are not showing interest in pursuing their ancestors' professions, Mehr News Agency reported.

This lack of interest and abundance of Chinese products have been cited as the most important reasons behind the sidelining of Isfahan's handicrafts.

Many tourists to Isfahan and even other Iranian historical cities are not aware that the handicrafts they are buying as a Persian handicraft have been produced in China, although those familiar with Persian art and culture can identify fake products.

It is reported that many artisans in Isfahan province have lost motivation to create new artifacts and many of them are broke, as cheap Chinese crafts have invaded almost all markets across the world.

OPINION & ANALYSIS

What the Executions Say About the Regime's 'Control' and Murder

Dave Siavashi (Enduring America) | Jan 26

The Iranian government executed two more people on Monday. This was the official explanation: "Two elements of the Monafeghin (hypocrites) cell named Jafar Kazemi...and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei...were executed early today." The "Monafeghin" are the exiled Iranian opposition group, People's Mujahedeen of Iran (PMOI).

[U]nderneath it all, [the regime has] not been able to quell the seething anger and discontent that the people of Iran feel towards them.

They absolutely know this. Otherwise why would they announce the start of a cyber-police unit to crack down on the activities of people using the Internet to disseminate information about what's happening in Iran and to organize against the regime? Why fight if you've already won?

The regime seems confident enough to participate in international political escapades, such as blatantly supporting Hezbollah's not-so-secret campaign to take control of the Lebenese government and leading the international community by the nose in endless nonsensical nuclear negotiations that serve as nothing more than distractions to human rights violations. But the Iranian leaders also realise that they have unfinished business at home --- the business of trying to figure out what to do with the hundreds (thousands?) of political prisoners and dissidents that are languishing in their prisons, and also the business of how to send a clear signal to the restless masses that further dissent will not be tolerated.

To call the regime shrewd in this effort is a big understatement.

That same shrewdness is on display in a sad, sickening way with the executions of Jafar Kazemi and Mohammad Ali Hajaghaei.

These are political executions and are calculated provocations by the regime against all who oppose them. By accusing the men of being PMOI, the regime believes that most Iranians will turn a blind eye to the executions. They also send a strong signal to the opposition.

Hezbollah Takeover: The Persianization of Lebanon?

Shayan Ghajar (insideIRAN) | Jan 25

While Hezbollah's nascent government in Lebanon puts forward Sunni billionaire Najib Miqati as its Prime Minister Designate, Iran is continuing to strengthen its influence in Lebanon both by means of influencing Hezbollah and maintaining a united front with Syria. However, Iran's ascendancy in Lebanon is making it an ever-larger target for both the rage of Lebanese opposed to Iran's agenda, and Lebanon's neighbor, Israel.

While political wrangling and backdoor agreements continued at a furious pace in Beirut January 24, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, as well as representatives of Palestinian groups, such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. According to Iranian and Syrian state news agencies, Assad and Salehi discussed the expansion of Syrian and Iranian ties, as well as developments in Lebanon and Iraq.

While the Syrian state news agency SANA refrained from delving into any detail regarding the talks surrounding Lebanon, Iran's English-language agency, PressTV paraphrased Salehi as emphasizing the importance of regional solutions and non-interference in Lebanese affairs. Similarly, Tehran Times, a semi-official news agency, asserted that the Foreign Ministry planned the entire trip due to recent events in Lebanon. SANA, more obliquely, characterized the discussions as highlighting the importance of "integration and interaction among the countries of the region to positively reflect on the whole region."

The word "integration" aptly describes the process the two states are involved with in Lebanon, as Syria and Iran integrate the state fully within their political sphere of influence. Hezbollah's newfound control of the Lebanese government was accomplished legally and by means of the democratic process, yet also ensures Lebanon's government will be receptive to the directives or suggestions of Syria and Iran.

Lebanon's New PM Is Not Hezbollah and Not Iran

Zvi Bar'el (Haaretz) | Jan 26

The incoming Lebanese prime minister, Najib Mikati, is not a representative of Hezbollah and certainly not of Iran. He is a close personal friend of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and even Saudi Arabia - the patron of the outgoing prime minister - hasn't spoken out against Mikati, a 55-year-old Sunni native of Tripoli.

France also proposed Mikati for the premiership, after it became clear that the compromise prime minister suggested by Saudi Arabia and Syria had been rejected. If Mikati has the support of Saudi Arabia, Syria and France, the United States will have a hard time opposing him.

Mikati, who studied at the American University of Beirut, the international business school INSEAD and Harvard University, is not a good friend of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and is far removed from the Iranian government.

"I am a moderate politician, I am always at an equal distance from everybody," Mikati told the BBC yesterday after he was designated to form the next government. But he knows why he was tapped for the job: He must remove the threat of the international tribunal investigating Rafik Hariri's assassination, or at least sever any connection between the Lebanese government and the panel's expected indictment of Hezbollah activists. That means halting Lebanon's funding of the tribunal and returning the Lebanese judges to the panel.

Iranian Activists Welcome Access to Google Software, Call for More

Golnaz Esfandiari (RFE/RL) | Jan 25

Amid the unrest that followed Iran's 2009 disputed presidential vote, Amir Hossein Etemadi depended on Google's Chrome browser to surf the net, update his opposition website, and spread the latest news from the streets.

At the time, Chrome was blocked in Iran by Google in keeping with U.S. sanctions, but Etemadi -- editor of the "Bamdadkhabar" website that covers the country's beleaguered student movement -- and other Internet-savvy Iranians knew how to access it through antifiltering tools.

In March 2010, the Obama administration did an about-face, easing restrictions on online services to Iran and promoting Internet freedom around the world as a democracy tool. This month, Google followed up by announcing that it would make Chrome and two other products -- Google Earth, which allows users to explore global maps, and the photo sharing service Picasa -- available for download in Iran.

Now, the thinking goes, Etemadi and others in Iran will gain free access to the three Google products, while IP addresses associated with the Iranian government will not be allowed to download the software, in compliance with U.S. export laws.

Etemadi and other activists interviewed by RFE/RL welcome the change as a positive first step, but one that needs to be advanced further by Google and others.

Iranian Media: 5 +1 Rebuffed Tehran's Offers in Nuclear Talks

Arash Aramesh (insideIRAN) | Jan 24

"Iran did not make any concessions; Negotiations without results" was the January 23 headline of Kayhan, the largest state-run newspaper in Iran with close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Kayhan blasted the P5+1 for "asking for too much" and blamed the West for refusing to accept Iran's "innovative offer." According to Kayhan, Iran made "concrete" and "practical" offers to the West but the state-run newspaper did not elaborate on what these offers contained.

Mehr, a semi-official news agency, announced that the Iranian delegation refused to go beyond the established limits of the talks and declined to engage the US in one-on-one talks. According to Mehr, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, an Iranian diplomat present in Istanbul, said that Catherine Ashton, EU's foreign policy chief, approached the Iranian delegation and asked them, on behalf of the American delegation, to participate in one-on-one talks with their American counterparts.

In addition to refusing to take part in face to face talks with the American negotiating team, Mehr reported that Iran is also against the involvement of the US and France in any sort of future nuclear fuel deal to be reached between Iran and other countries. Ali-Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, was quoted by Mehr as saying that it was not necessary for the US or France to be part of fuel talks and asserted, "You [people in the West] ought to ask your officials why they refuse to sit down and negotiate directly about nuclear fuel."

Fars blamed Ashton's negotiating style and quoted an Iranian member of the parliament as saying, "Ashton derailed the talks because of her Zionist mentality and beliefs." Fars also praised Saeed Jalili, the chief Iranian negotiator, for not giving in an inch to Western demands. Fars claimed that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had told a group of American statesmen that the US was not going to stop until every single centrifuge in Iran stopped spinning. Fars, believing in a grand conspiracy by the West, applauded Jalili for maneuvering around this trap articulated by Rice. Fars did not explain what role the former Secretary of State currently plays in any major foreign policy decision made in the Obama administration.

Connecting the Iranian Dots: Sanctions, Subsidies and Economic Outlook

Hossein Askari (insideIRAN) | Jan 24

The loud debate on economic conditions in Iran seems to be going around in circles. Are sanctions pushing the Tehran regime into a corner or are subsidies doing the damage? Will the removal of subsidies improve Iran's economic conditions or make them worse? Is the regime removing subsidies now because it feels secure or because it feels threatened? Do Iran's economic conditions affect its commitment to its nuclear program or not? Is it time to ramp up the sanctions on Iran or to relax them and push engagement?

Facts, myths and speculations are all in play. But which is which? It may be helpful to separate facts from myths from speculations.

Fact: Although US sanctions have been imposed on Iran since 1979, sometimes supported by allies and sometimes by the United Nations, the sanctions were as porous as Swiss cheese up to the time of the Clinton Administration, and even then they did not really bite. Sanctions have become much more effective since 2008. Financial sanctions are now doing their job, but they won't give immediate results and could be tightened further if the US had the political will.

Explanation: Initially, the United States banned the importing of Iranian crude into the United States, but allowed refined products to enter the country. Then came a ban on importing refined products and all non-oil products from Iran, so Iran sold all it had to sell to other countries, albeit in the case of non-oil exports at a slightly lower price. Iran hardly felt even a side blow. In the mid-1980s, the United States embargoed all US exports to Iran, but this went unnoticed because most American goods were abundantly available, sometimes even at a lower price than in the US. These imports went through Dubai, where merchants took a 5 to 10 percent cut, which they shared with Iranian counterparts and officials. In 1996 the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA, now ISA after the removal of sanctions on Libya) was enacted under President Bill Clinton. Investment in Iran's energy sector was banned and third countries were threatened with sanctions if they did not support the US effort. ILSA slowed Iran's oil and gas development, however, the impact was more long term and had a minimal effect on the government's short-term revenues.

Let's face facts. Before 2008, sanctions on Iran were a porous hodgepodge. In November 2008, the Treasury revoked the U-Turn license of Iranian banks. The revocation of this license meant that US banks could no longer make dollar transfers to Iranian financial institutions. Most importantly, in December 2009 a record fine of $536 million was imposed on Credit Suisse for violating US sanctions on Iran; essentially, either Credit Suisse paid the fine or it was barred from operating in the US market. This was followed in 2010 by a fine of $350 million on Lloyds Bank and $298 million on Barclays. These fines were the key to making sanctions "bite" because Iranian banks were virtually cut off from the international financial system. Iran's cost of trade (letters of credit) soared, in my estimation by some 20-25%, in turn squeezing Iran's foreign currency reserves. The impact of these fines was more recently re-enforced by UAE banks, which, under pressure from the US Treasury, ended their role as a conduit of funds to Iran. This further squeezed Iran's dwindling foreign exchange reserves and sparked a dramatic fall in the value of the Iranian currency of over 15% in a matter of two days.

The Regional Influence that We Squandered

Sadegh Kharrazi (Iranian Diplomacy) | Jan 25

At the core of the dire situation in Afghanistan lie the tense relations between Iran and the United States. As long as this statement holds true, radicalism will not be eradicated the way the international community wishes it to be, but will continue to reinforce its position and expand its sphere of influence.

The US is the most powerful country of the world, with the largest military budget and the world's largest economy. However, the diplomatic mistakes and missteps of this country are on the same magnitude. The US is obsessed with hegemony, while it could use its power in a fairy constructive way. Unfortunately, the contradiction between theory and practice has paralyzed part of the US military -and its diplomatic apparatus- in Afghanistan for a decade. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, US strategic foes, are the brainchildren of Pakistan's intelligence service and their leaders are on the payrolls of the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. That is, Pakistan, where lie the headquarters of Al-Qaeda, and the Persian Gulf Arab states, the lifelines of radical movements, are ironically US allies in the region. It seems what Washington is strategically oblivious to who is an enemy and who is a friend. The Arabs have been the main beneficiaries of Iran and US tensions. In fact, it would not be erroneous to say that the Arabs' diplomatic identity and legitimacy hinges upon continued strife between Iran and the US, and they have been successful in maintaining this state by providing the Americans with manipulated data and analyses.

Infertile interactions between Iran and the US only serve the interests of Pakistan and Arab states of the region, and keep Iran's eastern borders chaotic. Tehran and Washington have common interests in the eradication of radicalism and vanquishing al-Qaeda; however; except for a short period -- in the immediate post 9/11 days -- they have not tried to mend fences. As long as relations are cold, stability in Afghanistan remains a far-fetched dream.

Iran's inability to realize its regional strategic potential is another issue worth mentioning. Within the last five or six years, from an active, influential actor in Afghanistan Iran has turned into a bystander. This vacancy has been filled by Turkey, which traverses over Iran's territory to mediate between Kabul and Islamabad. Our regional potentials -in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Caucasia and Lebanon- are undeniable, regardless of the government in office in Iran. This is a bitter reality requiring pathology by institutes such as the Supreme National Security Council. But under these circumstances, the Iranian diplomatic decision-makers are thinking of investment in Africa and Latin America.

After a Failure in Istanbul, a Better Route than Talks with Iran

Editorial (Washington Post) | Jan 24

The Obama administration recently has been boasting of the success of its campaign to impose sanctions on Iran, which is said to have had a significant impact on the country's economy. But inflicting distress was not the end goal of the policy; the administration's theory has been that Iran would respond to sanctions by agreeing to serious negotiations about its nuclear program. Consequently, last weekend's meetings in Istanbul between Iranian representatives and a six-nation coalition can only be seen as a serious setback. Far from softening its long-standing refusal to suspend its enrichment of uranium, Iran refused to bargain with the United States and its allies, and Tehran's representative declined even to meet with the U.S. member of the delegation. There was no discussion of further talks.

If the regime is indeed feeling threatened by the sanctions, there was little sign of it from its chief negotiator in Istanbul, Saeed Jalili, who struck rhetorical poses aimed at domestic and regional audiences. Mr. Jalili insisted that there could be no substantive discussions unless the United States and its allies met several preconditions, including the lifting of U.N. sanctions. Even the confidence-building measure that Tehran previously has toyed with - an exchange of part of its growing stockpile of enriched uranium for fuel rods in return for a research reactor - was off the table. The best Western diplomats could say about the meeting is that the coalition, made up of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, had been firm and cohesive in rejecting the Iranian position. Since Iran made no effort to negotiate, this was hardly a significant achievement.

The failed meeting might make it easier for the Obama administration to win support for still more sanctions, though it would probably face an uphill battle in obtaining another Security Council resolution. The bigger question is whether the strategy of seeking to bargain with the regime of Ali Khamenei and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be reconsidered. Because it has banked on this approach, the administration has consistently played down U.S. support for the opposition Green movement, which has been dormant in recent months. Yet Mr. Jalili's behavior in Istanbul suggests that the regime remains more concerned about appearing weak to its domestic opposition than about the consequences of defying the Security Council.

By doing more to support the Iranian opposition, the United States could press the regime where it actually feels threatened. It could also send an important message to Iranians: that the international coalition seeks not to punish them but to weaken the government they despise.

DOCUMENTS & DECLARATIONS

Possession of Nuclear Technology Is Mark of Leadership -- Iran's IAEA Envoy

Interview with Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iranian Envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (RT) | Jan 25

­You characterized sanctions imposed on your country as illegal. Is there any proof of that?

Based on the four examples announced in Vienna, I maintain that the reason they imposed international sanctions on us is illegal. I ask international lawyers to correct me, if I am wrong.

As proof number one, the imposed sanctions do not comply with clause 12C of the IAEA Charter. International inspectors have visited the reactors. They have documentation and samples of the tests. If they found inconsistencies, they would have sent a report to the agency's director; the agency director would have presented the report to the IAEA's management team which would have presented the report to the Security Council. That never took place in Iran. In 2003, we discussed these issues with the IAEA director and inspectors and none of them said there were any inconsistencies. More inspections were performed, but three European states - France, the UK, and Germany - with the assistance of the USA, put pressure on the IAEA and the report was given to the Security Council. That's out of accord with the decisions of the IAEA and its Charter.

Secondly, a report is presented to the IAEA management team in case there is evidence of changing of the nuclear program work for military purposes. But in reports presented by the agency over the past eight years, there was always a phrase stating that no proof of the Iran nuclear program pursuing military aims has been detected. And I appeal to the esteemed viewers to read the reports on the IAEA web site on the Internet. Iran does not violate any laws, and reports should not be presented to the IAEA management team.

Thirdly, if a state does not let inspectors on to its territory and the reactors' territory or interferes with their work, the issue is viewed by the Security Council, like it was with North Korea. But it's a different situation with Iran. In Iran, inspectors did their job, and the agency's director confirmed this - but they were not truthful.

And lastly, on the decision of sanctions prepared by three countries, before it was sent to the UN, there was a very important phrase: "The discontinuation of uranium enrichment is voluntarily and not obligatory by law." This phrase appeared in the decree under pressure from the countries which did not join in. So how can they say that we are going against the law, though we stopped uranium enrichment at the Isfahan reactor? But they wanted us to stop nuclear research.

Some Iranian officials point to the fact that the West does its best to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear technology, including nuclear arms and all the other nuclear power plants on Iranian territory. In your opinion, is that so? If yes, how can you comment on the position of the West?

I am an expert in nuclear power. And I tell you that the nuclear technology is an indicator of progress at every level. If a country wants to enter the sphere of nuclear technology, build a reactor, or obtain a nuclear program, it must use the best professionals and engineers. This country will develop and its universities will develop and work using highly precise parameters and figures. The development will go fast day by day. That's the reason why I am not surprised by the fact that Iran launched the Omid satellite into space. Iran is a country of developed nanotechnology and that's the fruit of obtaining nuclear technology. A country entering the nuclear sphere will have high-tech industry and its universities will be at a higher level, too. The country will become a leading one. Some countries do not want Iran to be among the leaders and be strong in the sphere of technology. They know that we do not want to have nuclear weapons. But they do not want us to become strong in the sphere of technology.

130 Academics Appeal to Khamenei for Release of 80-Year-Old Yazdi

Statement by Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank, and 128 others (Green Voice of Freedom) | Jan 25

­A group of distinguished academic figures and scholars including American linguist Noam Chomsky, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, anthropologist Talal Asad and German philosopher Jürgen Habermas have appealed to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi Secretary-General of Iran's Freedom Movement as well as all other prisoners of conscience in Iran.

Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi was Iran's first Foreign Minister following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, later resigning in protest against the capture of the US embassy in November 1979. He was arrested on 1 October at his home in the city of Isfahan and was charged with participating in an "an unauthorized prayer service" while he was attending the funeral of a friends' daughter. He was then transferred to ward 209 of Tehran's notorious Evin prison. He was recently transferred from Evin Prison to a safe house located inside a military zone.

This was the third time Yazdi was arrested following the fraudulent 2009 presidential election that sparked massive protests across the country.

Yazdi, who suffers from a whole host of illnesses, is a cancer patient whose situation has been deteriorating steadily in the past year of his imprisonment while developing a heart condition and being forced to have open heart surgery.

The veteran politician's trial session was recently delayed for a second time. His son-in-law, Mehdi Nourbaksh says that the authorities are "playing psychological games with the family and they want to put the Movement under increasing pressure" and keeping the Yazdi family in a state of limbo.

"Other than the prostate cancer, high blood pressure, and heart disease, another problem Dr. Yazdi suffers from and little has been said about it, is that he must be assisted to empty his bladder once every four hours. This is accomplished by using medical equipment. If this is not done in a completely hygienic environment with equipment that is routinely sterilized, Dr. Yazdi could quickly develop infections. This is why he was transferred to Evin Prison Infirmary several times. His situation is very sensitive, and his problems are not only high blood pressure and cancer. If he develops an infection, and the infection becomes serious, life would become very difficult for him," Nourbakhsh recently told the International Campaign for Human Rights.

Bellow, is the letter obtained by the Green Voice of Freedom:

We are writing to appeal to you for the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi and all prisoners of conscience in the Islamic Republic of Iran whose sole offence is to speak out peacefully against the policies of your government. Their detention and abuse is an unjustifiable violation of internationally accepted norms of human rights and international law and is surely an affront to all religions that are based on the principles of justice, legality, and compassion. Furthermore, the detention of these prisoners of conscience is in violation of Iran's own constitution and laws as well as Iran's international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, both of which the Islamic Republic of Iran has formally endorsed.

Ebrahim Yazdi is a man of honor who has for over 60 years devoted his life to democratic reforms in Iran and the promotion of respect for human rights throughout the Muslim world. Before the revolution, for two decades, he lived in exile where he worked tirelessly to expose the abusive rule of the Pahlavi monarchy. After the 1979 Revolution, he served with dignity and loyalty as Iran's Foreign Minister under Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan. While in office, these two exceptional political leaders, opposed on principle the summary and arbitrary executions of enemies of the Iranian regime being carried out at that time. They later resigned in protest against the seizure of the US embassy in November 1979.

Ebrahim Yazdi is today the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran (Nehzat-e Azadi Iran). He and the Freedom Movement have unequivocally insisted that their activities rely only on legal and non-violent methods of political opposition. He opposed the continuation of the war with Iraq after the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Iranian territory in 1982. As a believer in national reconciliation he has devoted himself to dialogue and mutual respect between Iran's various political and social groups and has championed social and political reform and minority rights. For over thirty years, Ebrahim Yazdi has been a voice for moderation inside Iran, rejecting all initiatives by Iran's governing elites that lead to violence, cause enmity within the society, and involve denials of human dignity. He has bravely criticized illegal government actions and the concentration of power in the hands of a few.

Dr. Yazdi has been arrested three times since the 2009 presidential election in Iran. At the time of his most recent arrest on October 1, 2010, he was attending a prayer service in a private house in the city of Isfahan. Police violently attacked the home and took him and several others into custody under the pretext that this was "an unauthorized prayer service". Ebrahim Yazdi is now 80 years of age and in poor health. Indeed, at the age of 80, Dr. Yazdi is the oldest political prisoner in Iran and one of the oldest captives held anywhere in the world. Your government has subjected him to repeated and lengthy imprisonment as well as debilitating interrogations, definitely contributing to his need for emergency open heart surgery. Continued imprisonment may result in further severe deteriorations in his health.

We respectfully appeal to you to instruct your government to release Ebrahim Yazdi and all other non-violent prisoners of conscience in Iran, including Nasrin Sotoodeh, Mohammad Nourizad, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Abdullah Momeni, Majid Tavakkoli, Farid Taheri, Emad Bahavar, Bahareh Hedayat, Jafar Panahi, Leila Tavassoli, Mahdiyeh Golroo, Mohsen Mirdamadi, Feizullah Arab Sorkhi, Emaddedin Baghi, Mansour Osanloo, Issa Saharkhiz, Masoud Bastani, Ahmad Zeidabadi, Hoda Saber, Nazanin Khosravani, Mohsen Safaii Farahani, Reihaneh Tabatabai, Sajedeh Kinoush Rad, Mohsen Aminzadeh, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, Farzaneh Roustaii, Mehdi Mahmoodian, Zhila Bani Yaghoob, Bahman Ahmadi Amoui, and Fariborz Raiis Dana.

We appeal to you to end this disregard for human rights that will eventually destroy all trust between your government and Iran's citizens and block national dialogue and reform through reliance on the democratic institutions and practices of civil society. Wherever normal political activities of citizens is prevented and punished, other less peaceful means of change become inevitable. The regime of the late Shah of Iran is a telling example of the political consequences of such a degeneration of the Iranian governing process. Against all odds, with admirable courage, and at great human sacrifice, the people of Iran were ultimately successful in removing Shah's powerful, yet abusive regime. The goal of the Iranian Revolution was to realize its inspiring vision of independence, freedom, constitutional governance, and popular sovereignty. Again, we appeal to you to release all prisoners of conscience in your prisons and to start a forthright dialogue with the Iranian people to bring that noble vision back to life and turn it finally into a reality. The people of Iran deserve nothing less.