Middle East
Iran is ready for planned U.S. sanctions on fuel, analysts say
Female Reporter Beaten by Ahmadinejad Staff
Brazil drops role in Iran nuclear dispute
Iran regime change fantasy
June is the Month Dedicated to All Freedom Fighters in Iran
Iran hangs Sunni militant leader Abdolmalek Rigi
The leader of a Sunni militant group has been executed in Iran for his involvement in "terrorist" attacks in the Islamic state, state media report. Abdolmalek Rigi, head of Jundullah, was hanged at dawn at Tehran's Evin prison in the presence of the families of its victims, the Irna news agency said.
Turkey’s Gain Is Iran’s Loss
SINCE Israel s deadly raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara last month, it s been assumed that Iran would be the major beneficiary of the wave of global anti-Israeli sentiment. But things seem to be playing out much differently: Iran paradoxically stands to lose much influence as Turkey assumes a surprising new role as the modern, democratic and internationally respected nation willing to take on Israel and oppose America.
How Europe Can Help
If the past is any guide, the UN Security Council s decision to impose new sanctions on Iran is unlikely to radically alter Iran s behaviour and its pursuit of its nuclear programme. Instead, the EU and US should shift their Iran policy toward increasing the prospects for political change in the country.
Khatami: They want to pass Fascism as Islam
Iran Fails to Block Critical UN Human Rights Council Statement
Iran along with a number of supporting states attempted to block the statement, but their procedural maneuver was dismissed by a ruling by the Council President, in which he allowed the statement to be read... We cannot let this Human Rights Council s session go by without marking the one year anniversary of these events this month, the statement added.
Iran Snapshot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Master of Irony
If the US offered its citizens the right to freedom of information on world affairs, so that the American people could be fully informed of their leaders support for Israeli atrocities as well as the crimes they have committed in Iraq and Afghanistan, the people would take effective measures against their statesmen.
U.S. and Europe Press Tighter Sanctions on Iran
June 12 Temporary Seizure of Seda O Sima Building
History of BP British Petroleum and Its Role in the 1953 Iran Coup
The British were very eager to overthrow Mosaddegh in order to get back their oil company. But when they presented the plan to Dulles and Eisenhower, the agent who they sent to Washington, who has later written his memoirs, did something very clever. He decided it s not going to work if I tell the Americans, "Please overthrow Mosaddegh so we can have our oil company back." The Americans won t respond to that. They won t care enough. They ll be afraid of the precedent of a government taking over a corporation that produces a resource in a poor country. That s a bad precedent for John Foster Dulles and Americans, just as much as it is for the British. But what the Americans are really concerned about at this moment in the early '50s is communism, so let's tell them that Mosaddegh is leading Iran toward communism
Tajzadeh Reformists Should Ask Nation for Forgiveness
Reformist Sayyed Mostafa Tajzadeh has written a very important analysis of the current state of affairs, which was posted on Mir Hossein Mousavi's website, Kalame. In this piece, Tajzadeh addresses vital issues facing the nation. Most importantly, in my opinion, he has critically re-evaluated the reformists' record and the role that they have played in the creation of the current situation in Iran. He criticizes the reformists' position on repression in the early 1980s and the execution of thousands of political prisoners.
Over 900 People Arrested in Tehran on June 12
According to Human Right Activists News Agency (HRANA), Over 900 people were arrested on the one year anniversary of protests against the fraudulent Iranian Presidential election. According to HRANA reporters, at least 300 of the detainees are women and their families are unaware of their situation.
Report Saudis to help raid on Iran
Why time is against Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Twelve months on from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's bitterly disputed re-election, Iran is both back to normal and changed forever. The opposition protests that brought millions out on to the streets have petered out. Opposition supporters seem disillusioned, not just with their own government but with the opposition leadership as well.
Daily Life in Tehran, One Year On
Mohzen Sahabifar, the shopkeeper: Our Friday is not a day of rest for me. In fact, it isn t any better than all the other days. There is smog over Tehran again, and the people, as is so often the case, are in a bad mood. On the way to my shop, all it takes is one word and everyone starts to complain: about rising prices, mismanagement and the politicians lies. When I push up the grate in front of my shop, I see half-empty shelves. I don t have enough money to adequately invest in merchandise. Besides, very high inflation is driving wholesale prices to unaffordable levels. The price of one household cleaner rose by 16 percent just in the time between two orders.
22 Khordad – What Happened and What It Means
The people of Iran today yet again proved that intimidation, imprisonment, torture, rapes, shootings and deaths were not going to deter them from continuing to oppose the Islamic Republic s brutality and unjust policies. In that sense, it was a clear victory for the Green Movement. They managed to land people on the streets on the day that they wanted and the government " even though it employed thousands of security forces "was unable to stop them. This is despite the fact that opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi had cancelled the plans for the protest.
Reports from Mashhad
June 8th 50 Year Old Teacher and Worker Activist Sent to Kahrizak Prison
According to reports from Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran, on June 8, 2010, 50 year old teacher and worker activist Mehdi Farahi Shandiz was arrested and transferred to the deadly Kahrizak prison upon his visit to the Revolutionary Court to retrieve his personal belongings. Last year, his belongings were confiscated after he was arrested on the anniversary of International Worker s Day (May 1st). Shandiz complained about the bad behaviour of the presiding judge. Consequently, he was sent to Kahrizak prison by orders of the judge in branch 8 of the Revolutionary Court. Shandiz was accused of deviating from regulations and filing irrelevant complaints.
RHRANA Report on clashes in Tehran
According to Human Right Activists News Agency (HRANA), On the first anniversary of the protests against the presidential election fraud, the center of Tehran is witnessing clashes between protesters and anti-riot guards. According to HRANA reporters, from last night police and security forces were instructed to sit in police stations located on main city squares. This morning, Tehran was under intense security control.
Government forces attack and arrest students
According to reports by Human Rights and Democracy Activists in Iran, oppressive government forces attacked the youth who were around the University of Tehran and arrested some of them. At 6:15pm, young protesters attempted to join students at the University of Tehran but were attacked by anti-riot guards. A serious clash ensued that resulted in some protesters brutally beaten with weapons and others arrested.
Iran blames U.S. for ‘bullying’ China to join sanctions
BEIJING -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday brushed off as "worthless paper" a new U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution against his country, and he seemed to blame the United States for "bullying" his ally, China, into joining the sanctions push. Visiting Shanghai just two days after China succumbed to international pressure and supported a fourth round of sanctions, Ahmadinejad, at a news conference, aimed most of his wrath at the Obama administration and Israel, but seemed conciliatory toward Beijing.
Cancelling Iran opposition protests ‘regrettable’ Clinton
OBAMA’S CHARADE ON IRAN SANCTIONS
Today, the United Nations Security Council will adopt a new resolution (see, here) imposing sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran over its nuclear activities. Predictably, the Obama Administration is working to spin its 'victory' in New York as both a great diplomatic achievement and a serious intensification of international pressure on Iran over the nuclear issue. It is neither.
Grand Bargainers
We don't know of a single Western scholar' or policy wonk' who thinks that access to the Iranian regime is going to make them powerful, rich, or both," Flynt Leverett and his wife, Hillary Mann Leverett, recently wrote on their website, raceforiran.com. The two Iran lobbyists were responding to my profile of them in Tablet Magazine two weeks ago, in which I wrote that contacts in a closed society have real value for policy types.
Iran Warns of ‘Reduced’ Ties With U.N. Inspectors
PARIS One day after the Security Council approved new sanctions against them, the authorities in Tehran threatened on Thursday to revise their relationship with the United Nations nuclear watchdog, using familiar language that has in the past presaged moves to limit global oversight of Iran s nuclear program.
Iranian authorities step up arrests of women for ‘immodest’ dress
Iranian authorities have begun police patrols in the capital to arrest women wearing clothes deemed improper. The campaign against loose-fitting veils and other signs of modernism comes as government opponents are calling for rallies to mark the anniversary of the disputed presidential election, and critics of the crackdown say it is stoking feelings of discontent.
U.N. Adopts New Sanctions on Iran
UNITED NATIONS The United Nations Security Council leveled its fourth round of sanctions against Iran s nuclear program on Wednesday, but the measures did little to overcome widespread doubts that they or even the additional steps pledged by American and European officials would accomplish the Council s longstanding goal: halting Iran s production of nuclear fuel.
Babak Dehghanpisheh
Babak Dehghanpisheh was named Baghdad Bureau Chief in December 2006. He has been covering Iraq regularly for the past five years. During that time, Dehghanpisheh reported on events ranging from Saddam Hussein's capture to the rise of Shiite clerics and Iraq's first elections. He was embedded with one of the first Marine units that invaded Falluja in late 2004 and was also one of the few journalists who got inside Abu Ghraib prison shortly after the scandal broke. Dehghanpisheh was a 2003 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists for his Iraq coverage.
Khamenei’s Unity Pretense With Khomeini’s Family
Why would a crowd at Khomeini s memorial boo his grandson off the stage? In the past year, the supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and many other hardliners in the Iranian government have frequently cited the defense of Khomeini s legacy as a justification for cracking down on opposition protestors. In so doing, they ignore the fact that almost all of Khomeini s descendants, including Hassan, support the Green Movement. This struggle between the hardliners and Khomeini s family is one of Iran s ironies that is rarely discussed openly.
U.S. issues formal response to proposal by Brazil, Turkey on Iran nuclear fuel
Reporting from Beirut The United States told the U.N.'s atomic watchdog on Wednesday that a Brazilian and Turkish effort to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program failed to address international concerns, as the Security Council prepared to slap the Islamic Republic with fresh sanctions. But Washington's formal response to the proposal in which Iran would ship some of its enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for fuel to power a Tehran medical research reactor also held out the possibility of a compromise. The U.S. backed a version of the exchange involving Russia and France last year as a way to break the diplomatic ice between Iran and the West over the nuclear program.
Iran convoy bid ups ante as UN votes
NEW YORK - As the United States and its allies, including Israel, push for a United Nations vote this week to extend sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, Tehran has upped the ante, saying it might send its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as military escorts to humanitarian aid flotillas trying to beat the Jewish state's blockade of Gaza.
Rival Videos Deepen Riddle of Missing Iranian Scientist
The mystery of an Iranian nuclear scientist who Iran says was kidnapped and tortured last year by American agents deepened on Tuesday, as Iran publicized what it called a videotaped statement from him that proved its claim. That videotape was contradicted by a second videotape posted on the Internet in which a man who identified himself as the same scientist says he is studying happily in the United States.
Trade by Iran Ships Is Veiled by Web of Shell Companies
On Jan. 24, 2009, a rusting freighter flying a Hong Kong flag dropped anchor in the South African port of Durban. The stop was not on the ship s customary route, and it stayed only an hour, just long enough to pick up its clandestine cargo: a Bladerunner 51 speedboat that could be armed with torpedoes and used as a fast-attack craft in the Persian Gulf.
Iran Election Anniversary Special The Power of the “Gradual”
This morning, I drafted this contribution to a new project for the anniversary of Iran s election. (More details soon, I hope.) I decided to post this after reading a series of high-profile analysis in Foreign Policy magazine which try to define Iran One Year Later for us. Ironically, given that the title of the collection is "Misreading Tehran", I found some of the pieces misleading, misguided, and even at times although I know this was not the intention of the authors belittling in their representation of Iranians.
People’s Movement Will Stay Alive with Knowledge and Information An interview with Ahmad Batebi
URGENT ACTION! Islamic Republic Preparing for Mass Executions in Advance of One-Year Anniversary of Iranian Uprising
The Islamic Republic is preparing another round of mass executions in an effort to terrorize the Iranian people into submission in advance of the one-year anniversary of the ongoing Iranian uprising, June 12. Urgent action is required by all concerned people to pressure the regime to refrain from implementing these executions.
Many Principlists No Longer With Ahmadinejad
Following Mahmoud Ahmadinejad s recent remarks that political parties should not interfere in government affairs, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei declared that the principlists have crossed Ahmadinejad, adding, Many principlists who were not with Ahmadinejad at the beginning said after his victory that we have delivered victory to Ahmadinejad. Mashaei s statements revealed more about the administration s view of political parties and their role in society and added to tensions among principlists. Reacting to Mashaei s statements, the political director of the Iran Hezbollah Society announced that many of the principlists are no longer with Ahmadinejad.
Iran Analysis: The Unexpected Fight Over “Khomeini”
Occasionally, in this crisis of almost a year, there is an unexpected twist of events. On the surface, that development may not fit the narrative of Green Movement v. regime, but its significance intersects with it and may propel even wider shifts in Iranian politics. So it is with the Friday incident when the grandson of [...]
Iranian attacks kill at least 2 in Kurdish region of Iraq
Inside Shell’s Iran Game
Royal Dutch Shell resumed its gasoline shipments to Iran, International Oil Daily reported this morning. The company got back into business with the Iranian regime after a six-month hiatus. The move is a slap at the U.S. Congress, which has been working to develop energy sanctions that could curtail the regime s nuclear weapons program, human rights abuses, and support for terrorism.
The Meaning of Today’s Khamenei-Ahmadinejad Show
The Ahmadinejad speech was even less significant. He strained to claim legitimacy from the election, but the crowd response was pretty listless. Even among those, who would have been encouraged to attend because of their loyalty to the regime, it was hard to see the mass support that the President was claiming.
FOR NEDA (English)
FOR NEDA reveals the true story of Neda Agha-Soltan, who became another tragic casualty of Iran's violent crackdown on post-election protests on June 20, 2009. Unlike many unknown victims, however, she instantly became an international symbol of the struggle: Within hours of Agha-Soltan's death, cell phone photographs of her blood-stained face were held aloft by crowds protesting in Tehran and across the world. With exclusive access to her family inside Iran, the documentary goes to the heart of who Neda was and what she stood for, illuminating the larger Iranian struggle for democratic freedoms through her powerful story. Directed by Antony Thomas.
The Revolutionary Guards’ Looting of Iran’s Economy
According to Article 44 of the Islamic Republic's constitution, Iran should have a planned economy in which "the state sector is to include all large-scale and mother industries, foreign trade, major minerals, banking, insurance, power generation, dams and large-scale irrigation networks, radio and television, post, telegraph and telephone services, aviation, shipping, roads, railroads and the like; all these will be publicly owned and administered by the state." Beyond the state sector, Article 44 also defines a so-called cooperative sector, which includes "cooperative companies and enterprises concerned with production and distribution, in urban and rural areas," as well as a private sector, which consists of "those activities concerned with agriculture, animal husbandry, industry, trade, and services that supplement the economic activities of the state and cooperative sectors."
Washington feels heat over Iran fuel deal
WASHINGTON - Although the Barack Obama administration continued to dismiss the May 17 Iranian fuel swap agreement Friday, there are indications that Iran's acceptance of the agreement has shaken unity among United Nations Security Council members on sanctions, and is bringing Russian diplomatic pressure on the United States to participate in new talks with Iran on the swap arrangement - something the administration clearly wished to avoid.
Attack complicates new sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON - Israel's lethal confrontation with pro-Palestinian activists in the Mediterranean is complicating United States strategy toward Iran and undermining the likelihood of a solid sanctions victory at the United Nations. US officials sought on Tuesday to separate the two issues and said they are still actively pursuing a fourth round of punitive measures against Iran in the UN Security Council.
Habibollah Golparipour unconscious as a result of hunger strike
According to Kurdish Perspective, on May 30, 2010, death row prisoner Habibollah Golparipour lost consciousness as a result of his hunger strike. Habibollah Golparipour and Mahialdin Azadi have both been on a complete hunger strike since May 12th and 13th respectively. According to the Foundation for Kurdish Human Rights, Golparipour s physical condition has seriously deteriorated and he is no longer conscious.
Rasoul Badaghi Severely Beaten and Abused in Rajai Shahr Prison
Nuclear Weapons – Iran
Iran's nuclear program began in the Shah's era, including a plan to build 20 nuclear power reactors. Two power reactors in Bushehr, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, were started but remained unfinished when they were bombed and damaged by the Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq war. Following the revolution in 1979, all nuclear activity was suspended, though subsequently work was resumed on a somewhat more modest scale. Current plans extend to the construction of 15 power reactors and two research reactors.
Kouhyar Goodarzi Ends Hunger Strike after His Four Demands Were Heard
According to informed sources, Kouhyar Goodarzi, a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHRR), who had been transferred to solitary confinement and was on a dry hunger strike after complaining to Evin prison's head of ward 350, ended his hunger strike when four of his demands were met.
Greens Will Not be Stopped by Arrests, Prisons, or Killing
Mousavi, referring to the anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini [4 June] and recalling the unique and historic funeral of Imam Khomeini in which millions of people participated, called this great participation a sign of the support of the nation for the revolution and what have had happened in its first decade of the revolution: Without trying to ignore some of the problems, this [great participation] was a sign that many of the principles were achieved [at that time]
Ahmadinejad’s Arrival in Kerman Results in 17 Student Arrests
In the morning of Ahmadinejad s arrival in Kerman, 17 student activists of Kerman s Shahid Bahonar University were detained. Following the arrest of 17 student activists in the morning of Ahmadinejad s visit to Kerman, security authorities threatened 30 other students with prosecution in the event they enter the university or attend Ahmadinjad s welcoming ceremony.
US ‘out of options’ on Iran
ahmoud Ahmadinejad has grown in strength following the disputed elections [GETTY] Ahmadinejad was reelected as the president of Iran last June against a background of an unusually open, divisive and acrimonious election campaign. The vote was followed by unprecedented levels of street protests and growing international pressure and isolation led by the US, despite the stated intentions of Barack Obama, the US president. But now, several months on, Ahmadinejad's government appears to have emerged stronger and more self-confident than it was before the contentious elections.
The tragicomedy of Iran sanctions
However, Iran's nuclear technology has advanced faster than expected and a 2007 report by the US government accountability office (GAO) found that "since 2003, the Iranian government has signed contracts reported at about $20bn with foreign firms to develop its energy resources. Further, sanctioned Iranian banks may fund their activities in currencies other than the dollar". What the GAO report could not foresee - because it had forgotten about its domestic accountability issues - was that the 2007 US sanctions against Iranian banks ironically ensured Iran's immunity from the global financial crisis that was about to explode. Iran was among the few major economies in the world not to be severely affected by the crisis.
Suspended Iranian students rallied to defend rights
Iran's Council of Defence of the Right to Education issued a statement to urge all students that have been suspended from university to contact the Council with their information for further action. Despite good performance in their exams, some student activists, who are referred to as "starred" students, were suspended from continuing their university education last week after the results of the graduate exams were released.
Ten million Iranians under absolute poverty line
Iran s Department of Statistics announced that 10 million Iranians live under the Absolute Poverty Line and 30 million live under the Relative Poverty Line. Adel Azar, head of the Department of Statistics, told ISNA that the budgetary system of Iran has no correspondence with the prevalent scientific systems of budgeting. He added that if the rules of budgeting were observed in this very structure, the government could save at least 30 to 35 percent on its expenses.
Ex-Diplomat Releases Revealing Statement on Iranian Regime
At the border of Zabol and Zahedan, the Iranian regime has made barracks to instruct a group of Al Qaeda members. The reason the Iranian regime supports Al Qaeda members is because they both have the same goals and share a mutual enemy (the United States). As a result, the Iranian regime supplies Al Qaeda with guns and locations to train. In return, Al Qaeda provides the Iranian regime with a number of their members when they are needed.
Hell in the Islamic Republic
Iranian artists, musicians give voice to opposition amid censorship
When Allies Co-ordinate (Mousavi & Karroubi)
As non-Iranian media were focusing on the public Tehran-Moscow dispute on Wednesday, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were ensuring that internal politics were not going away. Mousavi made his latest statement in a meeting with the youth and student branch of Karroubi’s Etemade Melli party, and Karroubi was putting forth his views on the [...]
statement on Hunger Strikes: Iranian Regime is Responsible
Ahmadinejad Obama must seize ‘historic chance’ to work with Iran
As Ugly As It Gets
In my view, the "Green Revolution" in Iran is the most important, self-generated, democracy movement to appear in the Middle East in decades. It has been suppressed, but it is not going away, and, ultimately, its success not any nuclear deal with the Iranian clerics is the only sustainable source of security and stability. We have spent far too little time and energy nurturing that democratic trend and far too much chasing a nuclear deal.
Iranian Regime Cracks Down on “Bad Hijab”
Clinton Iran nuclear swap deal is a ‘ploy’ to block UN sanctions
Protesters interrupt Ahmadinejad’s speech
A speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a southern port town was marred Monday by shouts from Iranians demanding jobs, a rare show of public discontent over the country's worsening economy. Ahmadinejad was speaking before hundreds gathered in Khorramshahr, about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Tehran, when his speech was interrupted by people shouting "We are unemployed!"
The Consolation of Philosophy
What does it mean to say that one needs to act? In The Human Condition Hannah Arendt insists that we should always distinguish "making" from "acting" when reflecting on the liberating potential of movements such as the Green Movement. Should people make the changes that they desire, or do they act to realize them? Connected to Arendt's thought-trains on making and acting is also a separation of "violence" from "power".
RAHANA Publishes List of 470 Prisoners of Conscience in Iran
Iran notifies IAEA over atomic deal
Iran has in a letter to the United Nation's nuclear watchdog described its nuclear swap deal with Turkey and Brazil as a "breakthrough". The letter, signed by Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, applauds the move to send 1,200kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for nuclear fuel.
Iran executes Jundollah member
2 Americans imprisoned in Iran plan to get married – NewsChannel 9 WSYR
Mother of Majid Tavakoli Speaks Out- “No one is crying over Majid’s hunger strike”;
Talking to the opposition website Jaras, his mother said that as a mother it is unbearable for her to witness the pain her son is suffering, although she is aware of Majid's perseverance. "My son is not a politician, nor is he an artist. The world does not know him and no one is crying over his hunger strike. No one is seeing our tears, and I don't think any politician has heard about his hunger strike."
Young Prisoner Hamed Rouhinejad Denied Medical Care for Multiple Sclerosis
Mesbah Yazdi’s Danger for Khamenei
A senior member of the reformist clerical group Assembly of Combatant Clergy [Majma Rohaniyoon Mobarez] Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, warned about the increasing power of hardline cleric Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah Yazdi and his disciples, noting, "The Mesbahiyeh cult, which I have been warning about for years, is not sitting idle; this is a very dangerous and violent group that won't show mercy to anyone, neither to the Imam, nor to ayatollah Khamenei. They are using him as a tool to reach their goals, and when they accomplish that, they would destroy the supreme leader too."
The Future of U.S.-Iran Relations
Increasing violence against the green movement and the dissemination of bloody images of government violence, the deteriorating U.S. public opinion against the Iranian government, the growth and continuation of the nuclear program and the Ahmadinejad administration s hostile international stance led to a quick abandonment of the U.S. policy.
Bakhtiar’s Murderer Turned into a Hero and Role Model
The spokesperson for the Majlis national security committee and a deputy foreign minister took part in the formal welcoming ceremony for the man responsible for assassinating Shapour Bakhtiar, Iran s last prime minister in 1979 and a leader of the National Front movement, who was stabbed to death 19 years ago by members of the Special Committee for Revolutionary Execution of Regime s Opponents Abroad, a group operating under the direct supervision of an agency of the Iranian government.
Iran Nuke Analysis Reading the US-Turkey Discussions
Iran has been very busy in recent weeks having conversations with a range of countries. Part of that conversation did occur last week in the dinner in New York. And not only during the conversation in New York, not only did Iran not offer any new, Foreign Minister Mottaki indicated during the dinner that notwithstanding any potential agreement on the Tehran research reactor, they would continue to enrich uranium to 20 percent, which we which is of great concern to us and violates their obligations under the IAEA.
Iran Document Khatami “Khordaad is the Month of the People”(22 May)
Plainclothes Agents Attack Mohammad Ali Abtahi
According to Parleman News, Mohammad Ali Abtahi stated, I attended a meeting held in honour of my late professor Mirza Javad Tehrani in Shahr-e Rey (oldest city in Tehran). When I was leaving the premises, a number of plainclothes agents attacked me while I was in my car. In the highway near the shrine, a car pulled in front of me and a number of people on motorcycles began kicking my car and attacking it with cables and knives.
Report- Regime Agents Brutally Attack and Arrest Students at Azad University Central Tehran Branch
On May 22, 2010 a protest by Azad University Central Tehran Branch students turned violent after altercations with Basij and security forces. A few hundred students of the faculty of Engineering at the university gathered to protest the results of the coup election and the widespread arrests and expulsion of students from Azad University Central Tehran Branch.
Turkey defends its attempt to resolve Iran nuclear standoff
Turkey is defending its attempt to resolve the nuclear standoff between Iran and Western powers led by the U.S. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says he told President Barack Obama that the deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil can end the conflict by having Iran ship much of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey.
DC to Lula Nice try, but too late
It didn't take too long for Washington to put Lula firmly in his place. Brazil's President thought he had scored a diplomatic coup last weekend, by persuading Iran to ship 12 tonnes of partially-enriched uranium out of the country. In many ways he had. Washington, after all, had failed to achieve the same goal last October.