Iranian Alert -- April 4, 2004 [EST]-- IRAN LIVE THREAD -- "Americans for Regime Change in Iran"

The US media almost entirely ignores news regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran. As Tony Snow of the Fox News Network has put it, “this is probably the most under-reported news story of the year.” Most American’s are unaware that the Islamic Republic of Iran is NOT supported by the masses of Iranians today. Modern Iranians are among the most pro-American in the Middle East.

There is a popular revolt against the Iranian regime brewing in Iran today. I began these daily threads June 10th 2003. On that date Iranians once again began taking to the streets to express their desire for a regime change. Today in Iran, most want to replace the regime with a secular democracy.

The regime is working hard to keep the news about the protest movement in Iran from being reported. Unfortunately, the regime has successfully prohibited western news reporters from covering the demonstrations. The voices of discontent within Iran are sometime murdered, more often imprisoned. Still the people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against the regime.

In support of this revolt, Iranians in America have been broadcasting news stories by satellite into Iran. This 21st century news link has greatly encouraged these protests. The regime has been attempting to jam the signals, and locate the satellite dishes. Still the people violate the law and listen to these broadcasts. Iranians also use the Internet and the regime attempts to block their access to news against the regime. In spite of this, many Iranians inside of Iran read these posts daily to keep informed of the events in their own country.

This daily thread contains nearly all of the English news reports on Iran. It is thorough. If you follow this thread you will witness, I believe, the transformation of a nation. This daily thread provides a central place where those interested in the events in Iran can find the best news and commentary. The news stories and commentary will from time to time include material from the regime itself. But if you read the post you will discover for yourself, the real story of what is occurring in Iran and its effects on the war on terror.

I am not of Iranian heritage. I am an American committed to supporting the efforts of those in Iran seeking to replace their government with a secular democracy. I am in contact with leaders of the Iranian community here in the United States and in Iran itself.

If you read the daily posts you will gain a better understanding of the US war on terrorism, the Middle East and why we need to support a change of regime in Iran. Feel free to ask your questions and post news stories you discover in the weeks to come.

If all goes well Iran will be free soon and I am convinced become a major ally in the war on terrorism. The regime will fall. Iran will be free. It is just a matter of time.

Iran's envoy in Canada says his country's policy would not change following parliamentary elections
Iranian Ambassador in Canada Mohammad Ali Mousavi said on Friday that Iran's foreign policy would not change tremendously following the 20 February parliamentary elections, IRNA reported from New York.

Speaking to reporters in a press conference in Ottawa, Mousavi touched on the developments taking shape in the Iranian society and on the recent parliamentary polls and said no major changes would happen in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic.

He said Iran would continue to promote its policy of detente and to boost its ties with the world countries especially the countries in the region and its neighbors as well as the Islamic states.

Mousavi said the hand-over of power from one group to the other would cause no major change in the policies of the Islamic Republic as the country's foreign policy is the result of the consensus among all the Iranian political groups and would remain all-but the same.

He turned to the Iranian nuclear activities and said the cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would continue as in the past.

Iran which is under massive pressure from the United States to maintain the suspension of uranium enrichment has consistently emphasized its right under the NPT to produce nuclear fuel for what it insists are strictly peaceful purposes.

The United States says Iran has set up a secret government committee overseeing efforts to conceal key elements of the country's nuclear program from international inspectors.

The IAEA has been investigating since February 2003 whether Iran's nuclear program is peaceful, or devoted to secretly developing atomic weapons, as the United States alleges.

The IAEA is to report its findings at a meeting in Vienna in June that the agency's chief Mohammed ElBaradei has said will be key in the consideration of Iran's implementation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Mousavi then commented on the bilateral ties between Iran and Canada and the need for the joint efforts to counter terror and organized crimes in the region and in the world.

Recently, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs William Graham exchanged views with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi on latest status of bilateral ties.

The Iranian minister of foreign affairs asked his Canadian counterpart to urge the Canadian administration to cooperate with Iran for adopting a realistic attitude toward the issues between the two countries.

http://www.payvand.com/news/04/apr/1025.html

http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=23693&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

Iran insists it is not violating enrichment deal

Sunday, April 04, 2004 - ©2004 IranMania.com

TEHRAN, April 4 (AFP) -- Iran insisted Sunday that it was not hiding any of its nuclear facilities from UN inspectors, and that its resumption of work on a key part of the nuclear fuel cycle was not a violation of its commitment to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

"There is no nuclear site that the (International Atomic Energy) Agency is not aware of and that we have hidden from IAEA inspectors," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters ahead of a key visit by the UN watchdog's director, Mohammed ElBaradei.

"We have a transparent and constructive cooperation with the agency, and this will continue," the spokesman said, describing ElBaradei's visit on Tuesday as "important".

"We are committed to our engagements, and up to now have not violated any of them," he said.

Iran is under mounting international pressure over its nuclear programme, and angrily denies US charges that its civil atomic energy programme is a cover for ambitions to secretly develop nuclear weapons.

In March it was condemned by the IAEA for continuing to hide sensitive nuclear activities, including designs for sophisticated P2 centrifuges for making enriched uranium which could be weapon-grade.

In addition, Britain, France and Germany have condemned Iran's decision to resume work on a key part of the nuclear fuel cycle.

In a deal with the IAEA brokered last year by the European Union's big three, Tehran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment and related activities while UN inspectors delved into its programme.

But Asefi claimed the resumption of work at a uranium conversion facility near the central city of Isfahan, announced here last week, was not a violation of the deal.

"The resumption of activities at Isfahan does not violate any of our commitments. It is for the production of UF4 in an experimental fashion, which is nothing to do with our commitment to voluntarily suspend uranium enerichment," he told a weekly news conference.

UF4, or, uranium tetrafluoride, can serve as a base for the production of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) -- a compound then used in enrichment.

Asefi also confirmed indications from IAEA headquarters in Vienna that a new visit by inspectors would take place later this month, with the latest probe focussing on "the suspension of enrichment and the P2" centrifuge.

Russia criticizes US sanctions

Sunday, April 04, 2004 - ©2004 IranMania.com

MOSCOW, April 3 (AFP) -- Russia criticized the United States Saturday for slapping sanctions on two Russian companies accused of assisting Iran in its alleged nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

The Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement swiped at Washington for the unilateral measures and said that Russia strictly abided by its international commitments in fighting non-proliferation.

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on 13 companies and individuals from seven countries: five Chinese, two Macedonian and two Russian companies as well as one firm each from Belarus, North Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

"Russia opposes the imposition of sanctions by one state against structures in other countries," the Foreign Ministry said.

"As far as non-proliferation is concerned, in Russia there are strict laws on export controls that conform to international standards and which allow us to prevent any illegal activity linked to trade in sensitive materials," it added.

US officials said it had uncovered much of the foreign companies' illegal trade from the unraveling of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's illicit nuclear proliferation network.

The targeted companies will be banned from exporting goods to or receiving contracts or assistance from the United States and US firms will be barred from trading with them for two years.

Russian media reports named one of the two firms in Russia as the Omsk Engine-Construction Plant, which manufactures engines for planes and rockets. An individual named as Vadim Vorobei is also reportedly on the US blacklist.

http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=23681&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

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