Iranian Alert - October 8, 2004 [EST]- IRAN LIVE THREAD - "Americans for Regime Change in Iran"

Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin

Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

Iran cleric denies wealth rumours

Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani (image from 1999)

Rafsanjani is one of Islamic Iran's most influential figures

A former Iranian president has publicly denied amassing great wealth after stubborn rumours of a business ranging from pistachio nuts to airlines.

Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, who now leads Iran's powerful Expediency Council, said he was no richer than before the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

"The total value of all my belongings today is not even close to the value of the house I owned [then]," he said.

It is unclear what prompted him to deny rumours going back many years now.

He told religious students in the holy city of Qom that he only possessed two pieces of land.

"Except for these, there is nothing registered under my name and I am managing my life with a normal income," he was quoted as saying by the Iranian state news agency, Irna.

Mr Rafsanjani, president from 1989 to 1997, said he was proud that after 25 years in high office his assets were a tenth of what he had once possessed.

Correspondents say it is rare for Iran's clerics to comment on their personal affairs.

More than 650 female students stage protest in Tehran

Thu. 7 Oct 2004

Iran Focus

Tehran, Oct. 7 - More than 650 female students of Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran staged a demonstration late Monday afternoon in protest against the dire state of their boarding houses.

Students complained of a lack of basic commodities such as drinkable water and telephone facilities as well as unhygienic meals, according to eye-witnesses.

Many of the young women mostly in their late teens complained about the ‘dysfunctional transport system’.

Anti-riot police had been dispatched to the gates of the university ‘to bring about an atmosphere of fear and to arrest anyone who might dare to shout slogans against the regime itself’, according to one eye-witness.

Iran’s new academic year started 2 weeks ago near the end September.

It has also been reported that students from the Teachers Training College in the town of Sabzevar, northeastern Iran, staged a demonstration against the government’s failure to see to their welfare requirements.

Iran Wants Syria Cooperation in Face of U.S. Pressure

Thu Oct 7, 2004 04:57 PM ET

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said on Thursday Syria and Iran had to cooperate for the sake of peace in the Middle East and in the face of pressure from the United States.

"These pressures have always existed and we have to neutralize them through our cooperation," the official news agencies of both countries reported Khatami as saying in Damascus at the start of his visit to Syria.

Khatami's visit comes at a time when Tehran and Damascus are facing mounting U.S. pressure over allegedly seeking to acquire weapons of mass destruction and for supporting anti-Israeli militant groups.

Tehran says it will not give in to foreign pressure to halt what it calls a peaceful nuclear energy program but which the United States says is a covert scheme to build nuclear bombs.

Khatami said his talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will focus on ways of maintaining stability in the Middle East in view of escalated Israeli violence and developments in neighboring Iraq. Both Syria and Iran strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"In our meetings we will try to cooperate toward ensuring calm and stability in the crisis-ridden Middle East region," Khatami said. "The situation is getting more perilous because of the inhuman and violent actions of the Zionist regime."

Syria's support for Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups and allegations Damascus was pursuing weapons of mass destruction were among key reasons behind U.S. economic sanctions in May.

Washington also wants Syria to seal its border with Iraq because of anti-U.S. insurgents and to pull its troops out of neighboring Lebanon where Damascus keeps around 14,000 soldiers under a bilateral deal with Beirut.

Iran will improve Shahab-3 missiles

TEHRAN: Iran intends to further improve its Shahab-3 missiles, which already have a claimed range of 2,000 kilometres, a senior official was quoted as saying on Thursday.

“The Shahab-3 missile has a range of 2,000 kilometres,” Nasser Maleki, deputy director of Iran’s aerospace industry organisation, was quoted as saying.

“Very certainly we are going to improve our Shahab-3 missile and all of our other missiles.” When asked if Iran intended to produce longer-range ballistic missiles — such as a Shahab-4 — a device that would involve a two-stage propulsion system and possibly bring European capitals within range — the official replied only that “we are at the level of the Shahab-3”.

Steady progress made by Iran on its ballistic missile programme is a major cause for concern for the international community, already alarmed over the country’s nuclear activities. On August 11, Iran tested an upgraded version of its Shahab-3 missile, which is believed to be based on a North Korean design. Previous figures had put the missile’s range at between 1,300 and 1,700 kilometres, already bringing archenemy Israel and US bases in the region well within range. afp

Hey, like the new banner at the top.

LOL! Poor Rafsanjani. "Except for these, there is nothing registered under my name" Lol.
What a Joke!

Yesterday, I heard something that made me sit up and take notice -- then the details got lost when I had to miss part of it. On Fox News they were saying something about an "October Surprise", and seemed to be hinting at the fact that Israel is planning on taking some kind of big action against Iran.... anybody even see that?
I remember thinking, gee, dont hurt the people in Iran...

RUSSIAN RUMINATIONS ON THE PROSPECT OF A NUCLEAR IRAN

By Mark N. Katz

While some Russian observers maintain stoutly that there is no evidence that Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, others privately indicate that Moscow recognizes this is exactly what Tehran is trying to do. Furthermore, the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly concerned about the implications of a nuclear-armed Iran for Russia. Moscow, though, does not see itself as able to stop this from happening. But others may be able to. During a recent conversation in Moscow, one Russian scholar with close ties to the Kremlin stated that Putin sees himself as being in a dilemma regarding Iran. On the one hand, he does not want to see Tehran acquire nuclear weapons both because of the threat from Iran this might pose to Russia, and because this could encourage proliferation of nuclear weapons to other Middle Eastern countries that have -- or may eventually have -- governments more hostile to Moscow.

On the other hand, the source said, while Putin realizes that the nuclear reactor Russia is building for Iran in Bushehr will help Tehran acquire nuclear weapons, he does not want Russia to stop work on it. To do so would be seen as Moscow backing down to U.S. pressure. Further, those in the Russian nuclear industry and others who want to continue building the reactors are arguing that if Russia stops work at Bushehr, U.S. or other Western firms might step in to finish the reactor and build others if, say, their is an Iranian-U.S. rapprochement similar to the recent Libyan-American one. The source also said that statements by prominent U.S.-based organizations such as the independent Council on Foreign Relations calling for an Iranian-American rapprochement are viewed by the Kremlin as evidence that such a rapprochement might soon occur. According to him, Putin does not understand that such statements have little influence over U.S. foreign policy, and that even if the U.S. president wanted to change course on Iran, getting Congress to lift U.S. sanctions against Tehran would be extremely difficult -- and without such a move, an Iranian-American rapprochement is unlikely. Another Russian observer, a specialist on nuclear issues, said that Moscow should never have signed the deal with Iran to complete the Bushehr nuclear reactor, but since it did so, the Putin administration feels that it must finish the job. But Moscow, he too argued, is increasingly nervous about the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. The best solution to this problem, according to him, would be for what has already been built at Bushehr to be destroyed either by the United States or Israel.

The Putin administration, the observer predicted, would publicly denounce such a move in the strongest terms, but would actually be relieved. For this would both end the Iranian nuclear weapons program and forestall any unwelcome -- from the Russian perspective -- U.S.-Iranian rapprochement. Russia would offer to rebuild Bushehr -- if Iran would pay for it again. Even if Tehran did, this project would take years and years to complete. When asked about reports that Tehran has hidden, hardened facilities that would enable the Iranian nuclear program to survive even the destruction of Bushehr, the nuclear specialist responded that while he believes Iran does have other facilities where it is working on nuclear weapons, the spent fuel from the Bushehr reactor would still be needed to fabricate them. Thus, without Bushehr, there can be no Iranian nuclear weapons. Iranian statements that is has hardened facilities elsewhere are apparently intended to convince the United States that an attack on Bushehr would not end the Iranian nuclear program even though it actually would. But it would be better for Moscow, he said, if Bushehr were to be destroyed by Israel and not the United States. A U.S. attack on Iran would whip up anti-American hysteria in Europe and elsewhere that would be difficult for Moscow not to go along with without appearing acquiescent or even complicit in the destruction of Bushehr. An attack on Iran by Israel, by contrast, would allow Moscow to condemn Tel Aviv while maintaining reasonably cooperative relations with Washington.

Such sentiments by observers, of course, do not necessarily reflect a desire on the part of the Putin administration to encourage the destruction of Bushehr. Indeed, when a Russian Foreign Ministry official was asked whether it would better for Moscow if this were undertaken by the U.S. or by Israel, he pointedly responded, "By neither!" What these statements do reflect, though, is a growing Russian unease about the prospects of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons as well as the sense (whether accurate or not) that Moscow cannot do much to prevent this.

Mark N. Katz is a professor of government and politics at George Mason University. This piece is based on conversations he had in Moscow in September with several Russian scholars. source: RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 191, Part III, 7 October 2004

Poor Rafsanjani. "Except for these, there is nothing registered under my name" Lol. What a Joke!

Maybe he has transferred his assets to his children?...

Putin very well might welcome the assistance (even if he indicates exactly the opposite).

I believe he will have his hands full in just a couple of days.

The FORTY-DAY MOURNING PERIOD for the TERRORIST SCHOOL MASSACRE is about to end!

Iran 's Threat to Religious Liberty
Janet Parshall
Beyond The News Commentary

October 7, 2004

Iran remains the centerpiece of what President Bush calls the "axis of evil."

While most global concern revolves around that country's ability to amass nuclear weapons, there is a threat of another kind.

Recently 80 Christian leaders attending a religious conference in Tehran were arrested and questioned in a police raid; the detainees being driven for hours with their eyes blindfolded to disorientate them.

Officials in Tehran have been known for their harassment of churchgoers and for their monitoring of Christian churches.

Iran follows Shari'a law, which prohibits anyone from sharing his or her faith if it is not Muslim.

Iran has also told Christian groups to submit the names of those who attend their churches but so far that demand has not been meet.

The General Secretary of the Assemblies of God in Iran was killed because he would not sign a document stating that he would prevent Muslims from entering his churches.

The world watches to see if Iran will become even more of a threat, but we must never overlook the reality that they already are a real threat to religious liberty.

I'm Janet Parshall.

Kerry and Iran
Conservative Punk Magazine - Editorial

Oct 8, 2004

Kerry and Iran

In an atmosphere where the crosshairs of the global war on terrorisms are clearly trained on the state of Iran, not only for its blatant and arrogant support of groups like Hezbollah, but also for its continued effort to produce weapons of mass destruction, John Kerry is proving himself to be an ally to those seeking to impede internal revolution which would draw to a close the era of the Islamo-Fascist Mullahocracy.

The regimes apologists include Democrat favorite Hassan Nemazee, who is known to have given $80,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the re-election campaign of Bill Clinton, and is now John Kerry's main Iranian fundraiser (having raised over $100,000 during this election cycle alone). So established within the Democratic party was Nemazee that he was nominated to the post of U.S. ambassador to Argentina in 1999 by Clinton, however was forced to eventually withdrew his nomination under the weight of numerous business scandals.

Nemazee has recently brought a bogus 10 million dollar slander lawsuit upon the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran (SMCCDI), as well as it's coordinator Aryo B. Pirouznia. The SMCCDI, is a well known organization, embedded in the struggle for freedom in Iran and, most certainly, a friend of Conservative Punk and freedom loving people around the world. This lawsuit is meant not only to muzzle the SMCCDI, but to destroy it, thus halting its valuable operations. However, this lawsuite will prove to have the opposite effect, as stated on the SMCCDI website, "opening a Pandora's box for the Islamic regime's lobbyists and affiliates in the US and the Democratic Presidential nominee."

So it comes as no surprise then that Kerry's policy toward Iran seems to be Clinton-esq North Korean bargaining tactics at best, or Chamberlain style Nazi appeasement at worst. It would seem to be, in fact, pro-Islamo-Fascist, reflecting the opinions of his Iranian money men, whom are not limited to Nemazee, but include several other high level fund raisers. In what should be considered a shocking statement, nearly ignored by the mainstream press, Kerry stated during the September 30th debate with President Bush, "I think the United States should have offered the opportunity to provide the nuclear fuel, test them, see whether or not they were actually looking for it for peaceful purposes", this is similar to saying that we should issue guns to prison inmates in order to gauge their ability to be trusted. It's foolishness undeniably raises questions about Kerry's ability to lead a war against the enemies of freedom. Mr. Kerry's stance on Iran will be soft, or perhaps it will be in his words a "kinder, gentler" stance on Iran.

Such fraternization with Fascist apologists by an American political party should not, and can not, be tolerated, especially within todays global parameters. With the stakes as high as they are, the company John Kerry keeps should be considered by the American people. We must challenge the mainstream press to bring these developments to light, and expose the depth to which the Iranian, pro-totalitarian lobby has infiltrated the Democratic party.

But demonstrations are "rare" in Iran according to reuters . I guess reuters didn't catch this one either.

We should start a charity for the poor bastard.

Army Specialist Omead Razani, 19, First Iranian-American Solider killed in Iraq.

"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal.” - Rumi

Photo of Dr. Ahura Yazdi with Persian blonde in the 1970's.

Sad to hear this. I am proud that Iranians serve the US Armed forces.

SALUTE TO THE SOUL OF THE BRAVE PERSIAN FIGHTER, Omid (Omead), who died for good goals.

Sure. His cat probably has more registered under its name than he does. lol.

Iran cleric denies wealth rumours

More than 650 female students stage protest in Tehran

Iran Wants Syria Cooperation in Face of U.S. Pressure

Iran will improve Shahab-3 missiles

Kerry and Iran Conservative Punk Magazine - Editorial

Kerry and Iran
Conservative Punk Magazine - Editorial