Institut für Völkerrecht & internationale Beziehungen 
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NEAR & MIDDLE EAST (NAHER & MITTLERER OSTEN) Database  
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IRAN

http://fathollah-nejad.com/Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Iranian–German political scientist

„Die Kinder Adams sind aus einem Stoff gemacht“: Die iranische Zivilgesellschaft schützen - 
Erklärung von 40 engagierten Wissenschaftlern

Chronology
Target Iran - Timeline 2001 - 2009
Statut für den Internationalen Militärgerichtshof, 1945 - Artikel 6(a) Verbrechen gegen den Frieden:  "Planen, Vorbereitung und Einleitung oder Durchführung eines Angriffskrieges oder eines Krieges unter Verletzung internationaler Verträge, Abkommen oder Zusicherungen oder Beteiligungen an einem gemeinsamen Plan oder an einer Verschwörung zur Ausführung einer der vorgenannten Handlungen" 
Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal, 1950
GV Res. 3314 (XXIX). Definition der Aggression    A-RES-3314(XXIX).Definition of Aggression
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,  9.12. 1948   
Übereinkommen vom 9. Dezember 1948 über die Verhütung und Bestrafung des Völkermordes  Art. II: "....In dieser Konvention bedeutet Völkermord eine der folgenden Handlungen, die in der Absicht begangen wird, eine nationale, ethnische, rassische oder religiöse Gruppe als solche ganz oder teilweise zu zerstören: a) Tötung von Mitgliedern der Gruppe; b) Verursachung von schwerem körperlichem oder seelischem Schaden an Mitgliedern der Gruppe; c) vorsätzliche Auferlegung von Lebensbedingungen für die Gruppe, die geeignet sind, ihre körperliche Zerstörung ganz oder teilweise herbeizuführen;..." 
 LEGALITY OF THE THREAT OR USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, (1994 - 1996) - ICJ ADVISORY OPINION OF 8 JULY 1996

  • Secret war against Iran underway, 01.07. 2008 - : Seymour Hersh says Democratic Party leaders signed on to secret war against Iran...

  • Seymour Hersh on covered operatons in Iran, Fresh Air from WHYY,  30.06.2008 ·This is far more revealing that his article in the "New Yorker"  and his interview with Goodman. He says the covert operations are designed to create the pretext to attack Iran with a view to regime change. He gives details how MEK in being trained in Nevada by the US and how MEK leaders are accumulating US funds received from the US in their personal bank accounts in London. And much more.

  • Der nukleare Präventivschlag und die Weltkatastrophe - 09.06.2008 | GASTKOMMENTAR VON MARTIN SENN (Die Presse) : "Israelische Stimmen fordern den Einsatz der Atombombe gegen den Iran.  Die Folgen wären fürchterlich: für den Iran, für Israel und die Welt... Ein nuklearer Angriff gegen die verschiedenen Komponenten des iranischen Nuklearprogramms müsste eine Vielzahl von Zielen umfassen, die über das gesamte Territorium der Islamischen Republik verteilt sind. Nachdem sich diese Einrichtungen – wie etwa die Urankonvertierungsanlage in Isfahan oder die nuklearen Forschungseinrichtungen in Teheran – zum Teil in der Nähe oder inmitten von Ballungszentren befinden, würde ein Nuklearangriff katastrophale Folgen für die Zivilbevölkerung in den betroffenen Regionen nach sich ziehen..." Lesen Sie dazu auch: Art.II des Übereinkommens vom 9. Dezember 1948 über die Verhütung und Bestrafung des Völkermordes : "....In dieser Konvention bedeutet Völkermord eine der folgenden Handlungen, die in der Absicht begangen wird, eine nationale, ethnische, rassische oder religiöse Gruppe als solche ganz oder teilweise zu zerstören: a) Tötung von Mitgliedern der Gruppe; b) Verursachung von schwerem körperlichem oder seelischem Schaden an Mitgliedern der Gruppe; c) vorsätzliche Auferlegung von Lebensbedingungen für die Gruppe, die geeignet sind, ihre körperliche Zerstörung ganz oder teilweise herbeizuführen;..." 

  • U.S. sidesteps questions on Israeli threat against Iran - Friday, June 6, 2008 - (Reuters) via   Casmii - "Editor's note: The call by the deputy prime minister of Israel for a military attack against Iran is a flagrant violation of the UN charter and any preemptive military intervention would be a crime against humanity as clearly spelled out by the Nuremeberg trials of the Nazi leaders. The US and and its European allies are however silent in the face of this blatant threat of a crime against humanity and choose to support or appease Israel which has a history of waging illegal pre-emptive military attacks against its neighbours."   -  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday sidestepped questions about an Israeli threat to attack Iranian nuclear sites if it continues uranium enrichment, saying it would not respond to "hypotheticals."  Israeli Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted as telling an Israeli newspaper that an attack on Iran looks "unavoidable" given the apparent failure of sanctions to deny Tehran technology with bomb-making potential..." MEHR >> 

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News Digest
US-Documents relevant for Iran
UN-Documents relevant for Iran
European Documents relevant for Iran
Other Documents relevant for Iran
Special Topics
  • For the entire available information until 12 April 2007 click here !

video
Charlie Rose - MOHAMMAD KHATAMI (2002)
57:52 
video
Charlie Rose - Kamal Khazzari: Sept. 29, 1997
57:02 

INFO AND ANALYSIS ON THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE (NIE) REPORT


Die Grafik "http://www.dni.gov/images/NIEimage-12-03-small.jpg" kann nicht angezeigt werden, weil sie Fehler enthält.
 National Intelligence Estimate Key Judgments: Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities 3/12/07  


Can the US Accept Iran as a Regional Power?   Iran reacts to NIE report. -  by Pepe Escobar / Paul Jay (source: The Real News) via CASMII - December 24, 2007  Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pepe Escobar writes The Roving Eye for Asia Times Online. He has reported from Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, US and China. He is the author of the recently published Red Zone Blues. Pepe is a regular analyst for The Real News. For watching the video, see here.
The NIE Watergates Bush - by Saul Landau; Progreso Weekly; December 24, 2007 - ZNet | Foreign Policy(20 December 2007) The intelligence report served to discredit Bush, which reduces chances of an imminent war with Iran, but don’t fool yourself -- it doesn’t change fundamental U.S. policy.

“Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous, if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.” --George Bush, Dec. 4, 2007

“We have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. … Bullshitters seek to convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned about whether anything at all is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant.” --Prof. Harry Frankfurt (1986)

In early December, an intelligence report served as the instrument to disgrace Bush and Cheney. Behind this apparently benign act stood the relieved super rich and their government guardian who saw the reckless policies of Bush and Cheney as a threat to their power and fortunes.
In the early 1970s, the Establishment worried about Nixon. He brought a California crowd into the White House who didn’t consult the bastions of old power and wealth. Then, “Deep Throat” serendipitously emerged to reveal to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein details of Nixon’s involvement in a criminal break-in at Democratic Party Headquarters in Washington’s Watergate complex, and of a subsequent White House cover up. In August 1974, Nixon -- facing impeachment -- resigned. The power structure breathed a collective sigh of relief.
In December 2007, intelligence boss Mike McConnell released a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report that humiliated Bush and Cheney. By making facts about the non-functioning of Iran’s nuke program public, the NIE removed the Bush zealots’ ostensible reason for starting another war. The “experts” concluded “with high confidence” that Iran had shut down its nuclear weapons program in 2003, thus nullifying the Bush’s pretext for bombing that country. The spooks also deduced that Iran might make a weapon by 2015 -- if it reactivated its dormant program.
Compare that report with Bush’s September claim that Iran’s nuclear program could ignite World War III; reminiscent of Cheney’s 2002 rhetoric to show why Iraq needed invading because Saddam Hussein had tried to buy yellowcake uranium in Niger to make a nuclear WMD. Bush and Cheney also scoffed at intelligence reports that cast major doubt on these allegations. Bush still rejects the conclusion that Iran shut down its nuclear weapons production. (He also rejects evolution.)
By making this NIE public, the CIA further weakened Bush’s already damaged credibility. He no longer intimidates and he stands exposed as a fraud.
The CIA informed Bush in August of its benign findings, but he shrugged off the facts and continued to insist on war as his answer to a non-existent threat. So, McConnell released the report which, for Bush, compares with his twins making the centerfold of Playboy -- on the humiliation scale.
The intelligence community sucker punched the Great Intimidator -- in public. Their NIE averred implicitly that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hated Holocaust denier and only remaining axis of evil personage, had told the truth about Iran not developing nuclear weapons. Conversely, Bush and Cheney, leaders of the World Alliance for God and Good (WAGG), prevaricated through their proverbial teeth.
The NIE derailed the White House policy of the bombing of Iran and led to a prolonged scream from neo con heavies like Norman Podhoretz, editor of Commentary, and Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy. They now bleat on TV about “treason” in high places (CIA) and the nation’s desperate need to bomb Iran immediately.
Douglas Feith, Bush’s former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from July 2001 until he resigned in August 2005, spoke to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington in December and defended his own failed policies in Iraq. Some neo cons demand a “Team B” report to invalidate the NIE, an equivalent of former CIA Chief William Casey’s ploy to resurrect the Soviet threat.
In 1980, after U.S. intelligence concluded the USSR posed less of a threat to the West than in previous decades, Casey handpicked another team of “experts” who predictably found the declining Soviet Union more dangerous than ever. Team B thugs backed Reagan’s aggressive posture to build more missiles and a Star Wars defense.
Bush and Cheney, like Reagan and Casey, disregard their intelligence services -- for which taxpayers pay $40 billion per year -- and instead relied on Israel’s Mossad, whose spies rejected the CIA findings. Israeli intelligence clings to its claim that Iran will soon build a nuke.
For Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak publicizing the NIE report meant a “blow to the groin” of Israel. (Truth is a kick in the balls? Bombing is good for Israeli manhood?) Will Bush now secretly encourage Israel to use some its own nuclear stockpile to launch a “preemptive strike” against Iran?
For Bush, good nations behave obediently. England and now France, for example, should possess nuclear weapons. Sort-of-good Pakistan still rates approval (obedient by mouth, which is good enough); and of course, beloved Israel -- with 200 or more nukes.
Iran, the only remaining member of Bush’s “axis of evil,” began punching the United States in the fist with its face in 1953 when Iranians brazenly elected a democratic government. The CIA and their British equivalent in the name of anti-communism and in the interest of the oil companies overthrew that government and set up a puppet Shah, who ruled despotically until 1979 when militant Muslims dumped him and established a theocracy. In 1980, Iranian militants held CIA and other U.S. officials hostage for more than a year -- thus humiliating numero uno.
The President and most presidential aspirants follow the U.S. axiom. To keep its status, Washington without casus belli invades and occupies other countries. Those who dare challenge such blatantly illegal behavior now become Islamofascists.
Acting in the Lord’s name, U.S. presidents took revenge for Iran’s insolent behavior. After failing to revive the Shah’s rule, the U.S. backed the now hated but then useful Saddam Hussein who dutifully, and with U.S. aid, invaded Iran in 1980.
After almost a decade of Iraq-Iran slaughter, the United States punished Iran with sanctions -- while covertly selling it missiles to support anti-Sandinista rebels in Nicaragua.
9/11 allowed Bush to declare a permanent and perpetual war against terrorism, thus undermining traditional foreign policy methods for unabashed aggression. His neo con advisers usurped power from the traditional Establishment, much as Nixon did with his California outsiders. The neo cons invaded the intelligence apparatus, much as Nixon’s Plumbers assumed FBI and CIA tasks. (Plumbers sealed “leaks” -- to the press.) CREEP (Committee and Finance Committee to Re-elect the President) allowed Nixon his own private budget as well as a White House intelligence and police operation. Such behavior made the traditional agency heads seriously pissed off.
Bush and Cheney’s war-loving intellectuals like Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz and Feith manipulated intelligence in order to use 9/11 to generate fear. They pushed the country into war with Iraq -- which had nothing to do with 9/11. Even after the invasion turned sour, the neo cons pursued their plan to attack Iran. Now discredited, these men writhe from the NIE’s kick to their cerebral groins.
The repercussions from the revelation will play out in Europe as well. Bush’s plan to place missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic as a defensive shield against Iran’s “nuclear threat” has drawn the ire of Russian President Putin. Russia’s leader sees Bush repeating Truman and Churchill’s Cold War policies of 60 years ago, using a non-existent threat (Iran) as a pretext to militarily encircle Russia. In 1947, Truman declared the USSR an imminent threat to attack Western Europe while the Soviets still licked their wounds after losing more than 20 million people in World War II.
Repetition of history with a new metaphor! The groin kick -- an intelligence report to the balls -- should help abate the “hate Iran” fever that replaced the 2001-2003 “hate Iraq” zeal. The NIE revealed to the U.S. public that Bush and Cheney were dangerous bullshitters who spread malicious lies about Iran. Previously, they had accused Teheran with providing Iraqi insurgents bombs to kill U.S. military personnel, a line that remains in Bush’s verbal arsenal.
Sadly, presidential hopefuls from both Parties, excepting Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, still buy into the anti-Iran axiom. They agree with Bush that the United States should not permit other nations to help anti-U.S. insurgents albeit Washington feels duty bound -- by God? -- to help pro-U.S. insurgents fight bad countries, like the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Sound like bullshit?
The imperial bullshit level has surpassed the feeble imaginations of Cheney, Bush and even the presidential candidates. It emanates from the $700 billon smelly military budget pile, passed by Congress even though no nation poses a threat.
The NIE served to discredit Bush, which reduces chances of an imminent war with Iran, but don’t fool yourself -- it doesn’t change fundamental U.S. policy.
Saul Landau is a Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and a senior fellow of the Transnational Institute. His latest book is A Bush and Botox World
Ex-CIA official: Israel will attack Iran on its own - JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST - Dec. 21, 2007

"I came back from a trip to Israel in November convinced that Israel would attack Iran," Bruce Riedel, a former CIA official and senior adviser to three US presidents, George W. Bush among them, told the American Newsweek magazine in an article published Friday.
Citing conversations he had in Israel with officials in Mossad and the Israeli defense establishment, Riedel concluded that "Israel is not going to allow its nuclear monopoly to be threatened."
While some US experts doubt Israel's ability to tackle Iran alone, David Albright, of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, was quoted by Newsweek as saying that although information on the exact location of Iran's nuclear facility is incomplete, Israel's air strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility on September 6, widely discussed in foreign media outlets, could be seen as a test run for any future strike on Iran's facilities, as well as a direct warning to Teheran.
Riedel told the magazine his impression that Israel would venture a strike on Iran on its own was formed before the publication of the joint US intelligence agencies' report, the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). "This [the NIE] makes it [a strike on Iran] even more likely," he said.
Since the publication of the NIE, which reversed a previous American assessment by concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, leaders worldwide have been adjusting their publicly stated positions on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Even inside the US, President Bush attempted some damage control by stating a day after the report's publication that "Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous."
In Israel, responses to the report ranged from subtle criticism of the report's conclusions to outright slamming of the US intelligence community's capabilities, so much so that on last Sunday's cabinet meeting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert instructed his ministers to refrain from commenting any further on the report.
In the international scene, Russia's decision to renew fuel shipments to Iran main nuclear facility at Bushehr was interpreted by many anlysts as stemming directly from the NIE's publication; another development possibly stemming from the report is Russia and China's hardened position on further sanctions against Teheran.
In Teheran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quick to capitalize on the NIE, calling it an "Iranian victory" and demanding that the United States publicly apologize for its previous bellicose stance.
Uzi Arad, a former Mossad official and adviser to opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, told Newsweek that on a recent trip to Moscow, a Russian general poked fun at the naiveté of the NIE, commenting that if the Iranians had halted weapons development in 2003 it was partly because they were satisfied with progress there and wanted to devote investment to harder parts of the nuclear equation, like enrichment.
"The irony is that the effect of this report may be self-negating - by itself it will accelerate Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons," Arad told the magazine- This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847398265&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Wer narrt wen? Behrouz Khosrozadeh (Neues Deutschland) Dec 15, 2007 Im Mai 2005 hatten die USA das Verlangen Irans nach einer Atomwaffenproduktion als sehr hoch eingestuft. Im November 2007 steht dieselbe »high confidence« dafür, dass Teheran das Programm im Herbst 2003 (während der Amtszeit Präsident Khatamis) einstellte. Es stünde auch mit »high confidence« fest, dass der Stopp mindestens bis Mitte 2007 angehalten hat – bis zur Mitte der Präsidentschaft von Ahmadinedschad. Zuvor hatte Bush vor einem Dritten Weltkrieg gewarnt. Wer hält die internationale Gemeinschaft zum Narren, die Bush-Administration oder der Iran?Irans Entscheidung, das Atomwaffenprogramm zu stoppen, sei das Ergebnis des internationalen Drucks, so der Bericht der US-Geheimdienste. Daraus wird geschlussgefolgert, den zivilen Druck auf Teheran zu verschärfen. Es ist eine bewusst falsche Lesart des Berichts, denn der Iran stand 2003 nicht unter hohem Druck. Die Übergabe der Nuklearakte durch die Internationale Atomenergiebehörde an den UN-Sicherheitsrat erfolgte 2006 und die erste Resolution (Nr. 1696) gegen den Iran Ende Juli 2006. Irans Atomwaffenprogramm, wenn es eines gegeben hat, wurde kurz nach dem Fall Saddam Husseins eingestellt. Es richtete sich folglich wohl gegen Saddams Irak, der den Iran 1980 überfiel. Iran hätte somit weder Israel vernichten, noch Nachbarn bedrohen wollen.Ein persisches Sprichwort besagt, man könne den Kopf des Gegners auch mit Watte abschneiden. Vielleicht kennt man solche Gedanken auch in den USA: Mit Verweis auf den Bericht will Bush das Tor für Sanktionen offen halten. Innenpolitisch könnte es ein verzweifelter Schachzug im Hinblick auf die Präsidentschaftswahl sein, die die Republikaner zu verlieren drohen. Die Administration wäre von einem Kriegszwang gegen den Iran, den sie selbst entfachte, entlastet.Dem Bericht zufolge ist der Iran – entgegen der Dämonisierungskampagne der amerikanischen NeoCons und der Israel-Lobby – ein nach Kosten-Nutzen-Kalkulation handelnder rationaler Akteur. Optimistisch betrachtet könnten die USA begriffen haben, dass in der Region kein Weg am Iran vorbeiführt. Schließlich gehe es um die Sicherung der Energiezufuhr, Stabilität, Existenz Israels und Abwehr von Al-Qaida. Keines dieser Ziele kann ohne den Iran erreicht werden. Im Irak sind die Anschläge auf US-Soldaten enorm zurückgegangen. Das Land hat seine Apokalypse hinter sich. Im Libanon setzt sich Teheran konstruktiv für einen Konsenspräsidenten ein. Außenpolitisch hat sich Iran trotz aggressiver Rhetorik korrekt verhalten. Es wäre mithin an der Zeit, dem Projekt einer solidarischen Staatengemeinschaft im Nahen Osten nachzugehen. Ein Projekt, das im Gegensatz zu zahllosen US-Konzepten (Großer Naher Osten, Neuer Naher Osten) nicht darauf bedacht ist, Sunniten gegen Schiiten aufzuhetzen und einen innerpalästinensischen Bürgerkrieg zu Gunsten Israels anzufachen. Ein Projekt, das sich mit einem atomwaffenfreien Nahen Osten beschäftigt und dabei auch Israels 200 atomare Sprengköpfe nicht ignoriert. Ein Projekt, das keine »Annapolis-Konferenz« ins Leben ruft, damit Israel eine Woche später den Bau von 300 Wohnungen in Ostjerusalem freigibt. Ein Projekt, das den Interessen aller Beteiligten, einschließlich der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika und Israels, Rechnung trägt. Eine Alternative gibt es nicht. Der im Iran geborene Politologe publizierte im Oktober 2007: »Die Ayatollahs und der Große Satan«.

Senior Western Politicians Call for Reorienting Iran Policy  (source: CASMII) 

Friday, December 14, 2007 -CASMII Germany Press Release 

The key finding of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) by 16 American intelligence agencies released earlier this month has triggered an overdue rethinking of the West’s Iran policy by stating that Iran has no nuclear weapons programme. Senior policymakers from key European countries have since called for a diplomatic offensive.
During a recent visit to Tehran, the European Parliament (EP) Delegation “stressed the importance of seizing the favourable political moment in order to make progress towards a satisfactory, peaceful solution to this problem, in accordance with NPT and IAEA regulations”.
Angelika Beer (MEP), the Chair of the Delegation, said that “the [NIE] report explicitly says, Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful in nature”. She reiterated Iran’s right to pursue a nuclear energy programme and has called for the return of Iran’s nuclear dossier, from the UN Security Council, to the auspices of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Following her return to Germany, Beer, a senior EU foreign and security policy diplomat, declared that “… in the nuclear dispute the EU must urgently find back its autonomous way – beyond George Bush’s on-going war rhetoric”.  She also warned that further UN or unilateral sanctions would exacerbate the situation.
In the same vein, the Chairman of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Ruprecht Polenz, has emphasized that “ … there is now the chance for talks”. He proposed returning the Iranian nuclear dossier to the jurisdiction of the IAEA. Polenz, who was actively involved in the negotiations between the EU-3 and Iran, considers a new round of UN sanctions both unhelpful and not enforceable among EU and UN Security Council members. He further said that the time for direct US-Iran talks is ripe. Both Beer and Polenz have underscored that such negotiations should start without any preconditions.
The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) calls for the IAEA’s sole and legitimate authority over Iran’s nuclear programme as well as unconditional talks between the US and Iran on all issues of concern. The proposed policy reorientation towards Iran from confrontation to dialogue is the only way to regional and global peace and stability. Security Council sanctions on Iran are clearly illegitimate, they harm Iranian people and are a prelude to war. It is vital that these recommendations are heeded without delay and SC resolutions and sanctions on Iran are removed. For more information or to contact CASMII please visit http://www.campaigniran.org[END]


Führende westliche Politiker plädieren für einen neuen Kurs in der Iran-Politik - von CASMII

Deutschland – Pressemitteilung - 14. Dezember 2007 -

Der zu Beginn dieses Monats von 16 amerikanischen Nachrichtendiensten veröffentlichte National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), nach der Iran kein Atomwaffenprogramm unterhält, hat im Westen zu einem überfälligen Überdenken des bisherigen Kurses in der Iran-Politik geführt. Führende Politiker wichtiger EU-Staaten plädieren seither auf eine diplomatische Offensive.
Während ihres letzten Besuches in Teheran rief eine Delegation des Europäischen Parlaments (EP) auf, „diesen wichtigen politischen Moment zu nutzen, um möglichst schnell eine friedliche und zufriedenstellende Lösung – in Übereinstimmung mit dem NPT [Atomwaffensperrvertrag] und den Bestimmungen der IAEA [Internationale Atomenergie-Agentur] – zu finden“.
Angelika Beer (Mitglied des EP), Vorsitzende der Delegation, sagte „der (NIE-)Bericht besagt ausdrücklich, dass das iranische Atomwaffenprogramm friedlicher Natur ist.“ Sie wiederholte nachdrücklich, dass Iran das Recht habe, ein Atomenergieprogramm zu verfolgen. Darüber hinaus forderte Beer die Rückgabe des Iran-Atomdossiers vom UN-Sicherheitsrat an die Federführung der IAEA. Bei ihrer Rückkehr nach Deutschland erklärte Beer, führende EU-Diplomatin für Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik: „Im Atomstreit muss die EU dringend zu einem eigenständigen Weg – jenseits der anhaltenden Kriegsrhetorik von George Bush – zurückfinden.“ Zudem warnte sie davor, dass zukünftige UN- oder bilaterale europäische Sanktionen die Situation nur verschärfen würden.
Ruprecht Polenz, Vorsitzender des Auswärtigen Ausschusses des Deutschen Bundestages, betonte : „Es gibt jetzt die Chance für Gespräche“. Auch er schlug vor, das iranische Nukleardossier an die zuständige IAEA zurückzugeben. Polenz war aktiv an den Verhandlungen zwischen den EU-3 und Iran beteiligt. Neue Sanktionen hält er derzeit für wenig hilfreich und weder in der EU noch im Sicherheitsrat für durchsetzbar. Die Zeit sei reif für direkte Gespräche zwischen den USA und Iran. Sowohl Beer als auch Polenz hoben hervor, dass diese Gespräche ohne Vorbedingungen stattfinden sollten.
Die Campaign against Sanctions and Military Interventions in Iran (CASMII, dt. Kampagne gegen Sanktionen und militärische Intervention in Iran) fordert die alleinige und gesetzmäßige Kontrolle der IAEA über Irans Atomprogramm sowie bedingungslose Gespräche zwischen den USA und Iran – in allen Streitpunkten. Ferner ist ein Kurswechsel in der Iran-Politik die einzige Möglichkeit, Frieden und Stabilität – regional sowie global – sicherzustellen. Die Sanktionen des UN-Sicherheitsrates gegenüber Iran sind illegitim: Sie schaden der iranischen Bevölkerung und dienen dazu, Kriegshandlungen den Weg zu ebnen. Daher ist es notwendig, dass diese Forderungen ohne Verzögerungen umgesetzt und die Resolutionen sowie Sanktionen des Sicherheitsrates gegenüber Iran aufgehoben werden. [ENDE]

US-Diskussion um Iran-Bericht  (Deutschlandfunk) via CASMII - Deutsch - Dec 5, 2007  Pressekonferenz des US-Präsidenten George W. Bush nach der Veröffentlichung des Geheimdienstberichtes | Amerikanische Politiker fordern Kehrtwende in Iran-Politik | Seymour Hersh warnt dennoch vor einem Angriff Israels ›››

PORTRÄT EX-AUSSENMINISTER HENRY KISSINGER - Matthias B. Krause(Erschienen im gedruckten Tagesspiegel vom 15.12.2007) oder unter: 
 „Spione sind nicht Teil der Regierung“
Die durch den jüngsten Geheimdienstbericht wegen ihrer Iran-Politik unter Druck geratene Bush-Regierung bekommt Beistand von überraschender Seite: Ausgerechnet Henry Kissinger ließ kein gutes Haar an den Schlapphüten – und an der Interpretation ihrer Erkenntnisse in den Medien. 
Der Schluss, dass von Teheran keine Gefahr ausgehe, weil es sein Atomwaffenprogramm 2003 eingestellt habe, sei falsch, schrieb der ehemalige Sicherheitsberater von Präsident Richard Nixon und Außenminister unter dessen Nachfolger Gerald Ford in der „Washington Post“. Kissinger sieht vielmehr Zeichen dafür, dass ein subtiler, am Ende viel gefährlicherer Plan am Werk sei, der darin bestehe, zunächst genügend bombenfähiges Nuklearmaterial anzureichern und erst dann die Produktion von Sprengköpfen aufzunehmen.
Gleichzeitig übt Kissinger scharfe Kritik an der Art und Weise, wie die 16 US-Geheimdienste mit ihren Erkenntnissen umgingen. Statt sich als Teil der Exekutive zu verstehen, wollten sie sie nun auch kontrollieren. Die Geheimdienstler müssen zu ihrer traditionellen Anonymität zurückkehren, forderte Kissinger. Ausgerechnet, spricht doch hier ein Mann, der bis heute versucht, seine enge und alles andere als ruhmreiche Zusammenarbeit mit den US-Geheimdiensten zu verschleiern. In Frankreich, Spanien, Brasilien, Argentinien und Uruguay hätten viele gerne näher gewusst, welche Rolle Kissinger bei der Unterstützung von brutalen Militärregimen spielte, als er selbst noch Teil der US-Regierung war.
Dieser Ruf hat den 1923 im fränkischen Fürth geborenen Kissinger, der mit seinen jüdischen Eltern vor den Nazis nach Amerika floh, nie davon abgehalten, sich aktiv in die öffentliche Debatte um die US-Außenpolitik einzumischen. In einem Interview mit Bob Woodward bekannte er zudem, dass er Bush und dessen Vize Dick Cheney bei deren Feldzug im Irak berate. Ein Sieg über die Widerständler sei die einzig wahre Exit- Strategie, proklamierte er noch 2005. Gegenüber Teheran will er dagegen einen gemäßigteren Kurs einschlagen: Amerika sei es sich selbst schuldig, die Möglichkeit der Normalisierung der Beziehungen zum Iran vollständig zu untersuchen. Das jedoch, glaubt Kissinger, sei nun Aufgabe der nächsten US-Regierung. Genauso, wie die Balance zwischen den Produzenten und den Nutzern von Geheimdiensterkenntnissen wieder herzustellen. Matthias B. Krause
- 
Major cleric: NIE report neither a big victory nor something without importance -
Tehran, Dec 14, 2007 -  IRNA -
Substitute Friday prayers leader of Tehran Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said here that Tehran takes the NIE report neither as a big political victory nor something without importance. "We consider the report of 16 US intelligence institutions neither as a big political victory nor as something (of) minor (importance)," said Ayatollah Khatami in an address to large groups of Friday prayers worshipers here at Tehran University campus. Ayatollah Khatami said the report has some positive points. "The report bears positive points: One is that it explicitly acknowledges that Iran does not have nuclear weapons today. Moreover, it admits that since 2003 Iran's nuclear energy has been peaceful. Another point, which is a source of honor for our system, is that they have reported that in 2007 Iran made a serious jump in the field of nuclear technology. The acknowledgements by the enemy is a success. "There are yet inaccurate points in the report: One is that (it maintains) Iran had perhaps been seeking nuclear weapons prior to 2003. That's an American lie which has been raised repeatedly by the US statesmen. They have claimed that Iran had stopped seeking nuclear weapons on the US pressure, which is another lie," said Ayatollah Khatami. The cleric said Iran has the right to be pessimistic over the enemy. "Principally, we should be pessimistic towards the enemy. If it bore smile on its face, we should say that's satanic. So, we consider the report neither a big political victory nor something of less value and we maintain our vigilance. Our Islamic system carefully watches all movements of the enemy." Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khatami said assassination of a senior Lebanese commander General El-Haj was in line with the plots to escalate tension in the country. "Undoubtedly, the Zionist regime is to be blamed for the act. The criminals do not wish to see Lebanon in peace," he declared. He then termed as a "political victory" the failure of the US Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his recent Manama visit to lure support of Arabs in opposing Iran. "Gates had gone there (to Manama) to form an Arab-Israeli camp against Iran but with God's grace, he spoke so humiliatingly in the Conference that the participants ridiculed him. We consider it as a political victory that our Arab neighbors have come to the belief that Iran is their powerful friend and they want to have a peaceful co-existence with it. Iran too has shown that it has been their best friend after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution". He said the neighbors should be cautious that certain countries' claims, raised every now and then, that they own the three Iranian islands is a "US trap." "They are constantly wishing to keep the issue so as to fan flames of conflict, which we hope neighbors will be watchful."  He also lashed out at the US in removing last week some proof and evidence on interrogation and torture of the Guantanamo inmates as acknowledged by the CIA Chief. "That's a dark stain for the US. (The US President George W.) Bush personally orders torture. They bring the inmates under torture and film it, then remove all traces of the crime and claim they defend human rights. This is seriously a fiasco for western democracy." He also ridiculed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in claiming that Britain will take its forces our of Basra by next two weeks. "That's a sweet fruit of Iraqi people's resistance. This proves that if they resist the enemy will start to escape." He added, "At the same time, Brown has claimed they will remain in Afghanistan for another 10 years. We tell Brown, rest assured that you cannot remain long in Afghanistan too and will escape from there without gaining anything. The reason for it is your claim that you wanted to be in Afghanistan to reduce poppy cultivation, while it has been tripled." He also ridiculed the occupiers' false claim of campaign against terrorism. "You said you want to fight terrorism. We have reliable evidence that you are cooperating with Taliban and provide the militia, which is an outstanding example of terrorism, with money so as to remain in power for another short time. That's too a British-style lie. Thanks God, our nation is for ages resentful and hateful of the old colonialist." 1420**1771

NIAC Memo: Is the Iran NIE a Blessing in Disguise for Israel? - Dr. Trita Parsi    Dec 07, 2007

Washington DC - The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate's assertion that Iran currently does not have a nuclear weapons program has caused much frustration in Israel. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh referred to the report as a lie at a recent breakfast in New York, and Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer reportedly "doesn't buy" its findings. Though the report aggravates Israel's effort to compel Washington to pursue an increasingly harsh line against Tehran, all is not lost for Israel. In fact, despite these initial knee-jerk reactions, the NIE may very well end up being a blessing in disguise for the Jewish state by pulling Israel out of its state of paralysis vis-à-vis Iran.
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  • Study: U.S., Israel should begin planning strike on Iran nuclear sites - By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent - 11 Dec 2007 - 
    The report, by a former deputy head of the National Security Council, Chuck Freilich, says Israel and the U.S. should discuss nuclear-crisis scenarios between Israel and Iran. The report, entitled "Speaking About the Unspeakable," was released over the weekend by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Freilich assumes that detailed talks between the U.S. and Israel on Iran do not extend beyond exchanges of intelligence, coordination of diplomatic moves and the supply of sophisticated weapons to Israel.  According to Freilich, a lack of symmetry exists between the U.S. and Israel on the Iranian threat, although both use similar rhetoric toward it. From Israel's perspective, Iran presents a potential existential threat, so its nuclear plans must be stopped at almost any price. In contrast, the U.S. is disturbed by the implications of nuclear weapons in Iran but does not see it as an existential threat.  In Freilich's view, this difference in evaluations dictates the nature of the dialogue. The U.S. is leery about talks with Israel on military action against Iran, and Israel is concerned about talks on security alternatives if Iran's nuclear status is accepted. Freilich lists the alternatives; he believes that diplomacy and sanctions have a slim chance of success. He mentions a quasi-military alternative such as a naval blockade or secret sabotage action, an Israeli or American military action, or coming to terms with a nuclear Iran, with the U.S. giving security assurances to Israel. He opposes the proposal that Israel move to an open nuclear policy to deter Iran. Freilich says Israel would prefer that the U.S. attack Iran. He notes that if Israel believes it can successfully attack Iran, Israel fears that the U.S. would veto the plan, so Israel would not unveil the scheme ahead of time. The U.S. would also keep secret from Israel any intention of attacking Iran. Freilich believes that despite these mutual reservations, detailed discussions between the U.S. and Israel should be held on possible military action against Iran because of the need to separate forces if Israel attacks Iran and U.S. forces are in the way. In addition, Iran in any case would see the U.S. and Israel as cooperating and would respond against both. Freilich proposes a dialogue on Iran's possible responses, on terror attacks and the disruption of oil shipments from the Gulf to the West. But he also seeks a dialogue on how to live with a nuclear Iran.
    Related articles:
    Chronology of Iran's nuclear program
    Envoy: UN may have deal on third sanctions resolution against Iran
    French FM: France is not ruling out a military strike on Iran

  • Speaking about the Unspeakable: U.S.-Israeli Dialogue on Iran's Nuclear Program -  The Washington Institute for Near East Policy  -11 Dec 2007 - 

  • Policy Focus #77
    Speaking about the Unspeakable: U.S.-Israeli Dialogue on Iran's Nuclear Program
    Chuck Freilich

    Format: PDF, 44 Pages
    Published: December 2007

    Price: Free Download
    File Size: 548 K

    Despite the longstanding and ever-evolving "special relationship" between the United States and Israel, the two allies do not appear to have engaged in substantive discussions on key facets of their most pressing mutual concern, the Iranian nuclear threat. Specifically, there has been little if any dialogue on the possibility of military action if the diplomatic route comes to a dead end, nor on the possible means of living with a nuclear Iran should both countries decide to refrain from military action. In this Policy Focus -- the second entry in The Washington Institute's series "Agenda: Iran" -- former Israeli deputy national security advisor Chuck Freilich explains the significant obstacles to such dialogue and proposes means of surmounting them. Most of these obstacles center on each country's concerns about how the other would interpret such discussions, and how these interpretations would in turn affect their ability and willingness to conduct diplomatic and military action, either independently or in tandem. Overcoming these concerns sooner rather than later is crucial if the United States and Israel are to effectively address the most important issue they have ever faced together.
  • NIAC Memo: Can the NIE Evade the Risk for War? -  Dr. Farideh Farhi   -  Dec 05, 2007 Washington DC - The NIE report that was released on December 3 regarding Iran’s nuclear program will obviously be greeted with a sigh of relief by many who have been worried about the U.S. hardliners’ push for military action against Iran. The report judges with high confidence that Iran currently does not have a nuclear weapons program. It further states its lack of knowledge about Iran’s intent to develop nuclear weapons. Also, while it judges with moderate confidence that “Iran would be technically capable of producing enough HEU [highly enriched uranium] sometime during the 2010-2015 time frame,” it goes on to say “agencies recognize the possibility that this capability many not be attained until after 2015.” Finally the report judges with high confidence that Iran will not be technically capable of producing and reprocessing enough plutonium (presumably via the planned heavy water reactor in Arak) for a weapon before about 2015.  Download PDF version: Image
  • Congressional Responses to the NIE -  December 04, 2007 - Iran Nuclear Watch (INW) 

    Here are some selected quotes from Members of Congress to the National Intelligence Estimate and President Bush's response to the NIE.

    “In October, President Bush raised the specter of World War III with Iran because of its pursuit of a nuclear weapon months after he had been told by our own intelligence community it was likely Iran had halted its weapons program in 2003.

    “After all that Americans have been through, for this President to knowingly disregard or misrepresent intelligence about an issue of war and peace, is outrageous. It’s exactly what he did in the run up to the war in Iraq in consistently exaggerating intelligence suggesting that Iraq had WMD, while failing to tell the American people about intelligence concluding that it did not. It further undermines America’s credibility around the world – and the government’s credibility here at home – at a time when that credibility is at an all-time low. And it injects more tension and instability into the Middle East at a time when we should be doing everything in our power to prevent that region from spiraling out of control.”
    Senator Joseph Biden (Delaware)
    December 4, 2007
    “At first blush, this looks like a good news story. Good because the intelligence community was willing to reconsider an important intelligence judgment. More importantly, it's good news that Iran doesn't appear to be currently working on a bomb.”
    Senator Kit Bond (Missouri)
    December 3, 2007

    "I vehemently disagree with the president that nothing has changed and therefore nothing in American policy has to change. He should seize this opportunity and engage in serious diplomacy using both carrots and sticks.”
    Senator Hilary Clinton (New York)
    December 4, 2007

    “On Iran and the NIE report, I think we've got a couple of things that I think are very important and worth noting. One, is we no longer have to have a policy that's either based by hype and fear, but can now be clear-eyed and hardheaded as it approaches the Iranians. We do not have to operate from fear or weakness. We have strength here. And I think the NIE report shows that.”
    Representative Rahm Emanuel (Illinois-5)
    December 4, 2007

    "Iran's nuclear program remains a serious concern but it is clear from the [intelligence estimate] that vigorous and coordinated diplomacy is the right way to approach it.”
    Senator Russ Feingold (Wisconsin)
    December 3, 2007

    “The United States must employ a comprehensive strategy that uses all elements of its foreign policy arsenal, in particular offering ‘direct, unconditional and comprehensive talks’ with Iran – where all issues, ours and Iran’s, are on the table, including offering Iran a credible way back from the fringes of the international community, security guarantees, and other incentives. Our strategy must be one focused on direct and comprehensive engagement and diplomacy…backed by the leverage of international pressure, military options, isolation and containment. Now is the time for America to act in light of the NIE report and the momentum generated by the Annapolis Middle East meeting last week.”
    Senator Chuck Hagel (Nebraska)
    December 3, 2007

    “This newest information supports what I have said all along: We need to give diplomacy with Iran more of a chance. I continue to favor dialogue between our two countries, in contrast to the Administration’s belligerent and stiff-necked refusal to talk with Tehran. And I believe we need to use every means at our disposal – economic, political and diplomatic – to persuade Iranians that peaceful development of energy options, free of any hint of military use, is well within reach.

    “In its unclassified report, the intelligence community has judged that Iran makes its decisions about a nuclear weapons program based on a cost-benefit analysis. This suggests that Tehran may be open to a combination of pressure and incentives to keep it from returning to developing a nuclear arsenal. And the latest publicly-available intelligence indicates that it will take longer for Iran to produce sufficient materials for a nuclear weapon than previously thought. So we have more time – beyond the end of the current Administration – to continue to push for this mixture of pressure and incentives."
    Representative Tom Lantos (CA-12)
    December 4, 2007

    "It is absolutely clear that this administration and President Bush continues to not let facts get in the way of his ideology. They need, now, to aggressively move on the diplomatic front. They should have stopped the rattling -- should never have started it.”
    Senator Barack Obama (Illinois)
    December 4, 2007

    "While we should harbor no illusions about the intentions of some Iranian leaders, the new Iran NIE suggests there is time for a new policy toward Iran that deters it from restarting its nuclear program while also improving relations overall."
    Representative Nancy Pelosi (CA-8)
    December 3, 2007

    “President Bush’s heated rhetoric on Iran – including comments about a potential World War III – is even more outrageous now that we know the intelligence community had informed him that it believes Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons program four years ago. This is the latest in a long line of inaccurate and misleading comments that got us into the Iraq war to begin with. They further diminish the credibility of a President with a dangerous record of overstating threats.“In light of yesterday’s remarkable new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, I urge the President at his press conference today to announce a top-to-bottom review of his Iran policy and a diplomatic surge to advance U.S. interests with regard to Iran. He should announce that his Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are prepared to meet anytime, anywhere with their Iranian counterparts to conduct vigorous diplomacy to advance U.S. interests and address the challenges of Iran.”
    Senator Harry Reid (Nevada)
    December 4, 2007    “The key judgments show that the intelligence community has learned its lessons from the Iraq debacle. It has issued judgments that break sharply with its own previous assessments, and they reflect a real difference from the views espoused by top administration officials.”
    Senator Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia)
    December 3, 2007

  • US spies concoct a potent Iran brew - AsiaTimes - 4. Dec 2007 - By Kaveh L Afrasiabi  - Two years after the last National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)on Iran that claimed "with high confidence that Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure", the 2007 NIE by the US's 16 spy agencies claims otherwise. That is, that Iran "halted" its secret weapons program in the autumn of 2003. Crediting this to pressure by the international community, the new report is clearly geared to sustain the crumbling United Nations coalition on Iran.As expected, Washington, which released the report with much fan-fare, has been quick to frame it with the appropriate nuance, by letting National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley do the talking, "It confirms that we were right to be worried about Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons," Hadley said. "It tells us that we have made progress in trying to ensure that this does not happen. But the intelligence also tells us that the risk of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains a very serious problem."In other words, let's not have a let-up with the sanctions that the new report proves are effectively working.The new NIE reports with "high confidence" that the military-run program was shut in 2003, and it concludes with "moderate confidence" that the program had not restarted as of mid-2007.The timing of the report's release is curious, coinciding both with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's crucial meeting with the heads of states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where Ahmadinejad has made substantial progress in confidence-building by advancing the idea of security and economic cooperation in the region, and with critical discussions with the so-called "Five plus One" countries regarding the next United Nations steps against Iran. The Five plus One includes the five permanent members of the UN security Council - United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.Irrespective of Hadley's comments, the new NIE actually undermines much of the rationale behind the US-led push for a third round of US sanctions on Iran, by flatly contradicting what until now has been held as an article of faith by US politicians and much of the media. That is, the notion that Iran has been pursuing an open weapons program via its uranium-enrichment and reprocessing activities.Casting heavy doubt on that flawed theory or "truth paradigm" [1], the new NIE simultaneously recycles the previous reports's air of certainty and lack of minutest doubt and presents its new findings, which are in stark contrast, if not flagrant contradiction, to the previous report's. Such intelligence flip-flops on Iran simply reduce the credibility of any information on that country from Washington and raise international doubts about its real intentions.Thus, given the credibility gaps in US information on Iran, the real question is whether or not the new report actually helps or harms the US's bid to escalate sanctions on Iran? This is an important question since reports indicate strong reservations on the part of China and Russia to go along with further sanctions imposed either unilaterally or multilaterally.To open a caveat, former US national security advisor, Zbingnew Brzezinski, has written an article in the US media claiming that China, depicted as a "geopolitically status-quo power", is inclined to come on board more sanctions and even the "revisionist" Russians can be persuaded with the right "patient diplomacy".Brzezinski does not mention the China-Russia alliance within the anti-North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has accorded Iran observer status, conveniently relying on a caricature of China's evolving global power projections and intentions.Cultivating partners against Iran by benign analyses or dubious intelligence reports will not cut it and the US is today in dire need of a serious rethinking of its long-term policies and intentions in the Middle East, nowadays featuring a "rising Iran".In the absence of such a rethinking, the unrealistic expectation of "zero centrifuges" will persist. Instead, the US could contemplate the utility of an alternative, coercion-free Iran diplomacy centered on shared and parallel interests with the US, that is, both nations' vested interest in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' oil flowing from the Persian Gulf to the international market, as well as on an internationally monitored Iranian nuclear program. In other words, it is time for "realism, not idealism" in the US's policy regarding Iran's nuclear program. [2]To open another caveat, this author's past exposure to Iran's nuclear decision-makers, particularly in 2004 and 2005, leaves no doubt the new US report's claim that Iran "halted" certain nuclear activities due to external pressure should be taken with a grain of salt. This is in view of the fact that all exhaustive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)inspections have produced no such conclusions and, on the contrary, have actually reinforced the Iranian claim that Iran has never diverted to military development.The various programs that Iran halted in 2004-2005, as a result of intense negotiations with the European troika of Germany, France and Britain, were "voluntary, non-legally binding" confidence-building measures, and not any illicit, military activities, such as those alluded to in the US's new intelligence report. If the latter were true, then the world community needs to know what specific activities were involved and why the US has until now failed to share them, for example, with the IAEA. After all, IAEA chief Mohamad ElBaradei has been quite forthcoming in his latest press interviews regarding the lack of any knowledge of Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.What is troubling about the new NIE is that top US intelligence officials have been going on record, for instance in their congressional testimony, promising no repetition of past errors put on full display with respect to Iraq, no "cherry picking" intelligence on Iran, and even threatening to resign if selective intelligence were to be misused for military adventures against Iran.With the US intelligence community on the defensive since the post-Iraq-invasion revelations still plaguing the George W Bush administration, the latter may have managed a mini-coup with the intelligence community by procuring a new report that confirms an Iranian nuclear weapons program, albeit one that it claims has been "halted".If complemented by a follow-up report that Iran is now poised to change course and resurrect its halted activities, then theoretically speaking, that gives ample justification for Washington's planned "pre-emptive strikes" on Iran, not to mention added sanctions. Yet, even short of such a follow-up, the present state of mind on Iran fueled by the new intelligence report is sufficiently paranoid to warrant tough new actions against Tehran.But, does this new report really represent an improvement in the US's intelligence on Iran? Or is it the same attitude that continuously falls shy of acknowledging Iran's legitimate nuclear rights, and needs for peaceful purposes, and the viability of existing mechanisms, for verification, by the IAEA, not to mention the proposed additional "objective guarantees" that Iran has put on the table?This aside, the US has for now taken a qualitative step away from the military option by releasing this new report that states unequivocally an Iranian freeze on its proliferation impulse, while simultaneously giving that military option a new lease of life by the related allegation of past proliferation activities.On the whole however, this puts the US behavior with regard to Iran in a thick cloud of uncertainty, let alone credibility gap, with the pendulum capable of swinging in wildly different directions almost at will. The bottom line, thanks to its vast cadre of intelligence "alchemists" is that the US and its even more gullible politicians, has now pre-positioned itself for yet another disastrous gambit in the volatile Middle East.The temporary freeze on the military option by the new intelligence report has nested within it its exact opposite, and may be calculated as part and parcel of a roundabout way of dealing with Iran's "nuclear menace". This is, indeed, a menacing development. 
  • Notes
    1. Debunking the Iran nuclear mythmakers Asia Times Online, January 25, 2007 and Iran, nuclear challenges The Iranian Journal Of International Affaris, Spring, 2007.
    2. Realism, not idealism, Harvard International Review, May 2007.

  • Polenz für Verhandlungen mit Iran http://www.tagesspiegel.de/ - 5.12.2007
    Der CDU-Außenpolitiker Ruprecht Polenz sieht eine Chance für Gespräche: Nach den neuen US-Geheimdienstberichten über das iranische Atomprogramm solle nun vorbehaltlos mit Teheran verhandelt werden. 

  • Bild vergrößern

    Ruprecht Polenz (CDU), seit 2005 Vorsitzender des Auswärtigen Ausschusses des Deutschen Bundestages. - Foto: Thilo Rückeis

    Von Helmut Reuter, dpa

    5.12.2007 14:25 Uhr

    BERLIN - "Die Forderung nach Aussetzung der Urananreicherung sollte zwar bestehen bleiben, aber nicht mehr als Vorbedingung gesehen werden, um sich mit Iran an einen Tisch zu setzen. Es gibt jetzt die Chance für Gespräche", sagte der Vorsitzende des Auswärtigen Ausschusses des Bundestages.
    Auch sollten die vom UN- Sicherheitsrat beschlossenen Sanktionen bekräftigt werden. "Ich rate aber nicht zu einer Verschärfung der Sanktionen." Polenz regte an, dass der Sicherheitsrat in einer neuen Resolution das Nuklear-Dossier an die Internationale Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) zurückgibt. Dann sollen die sogenannten EU-3 (Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien) in Abstimmung mit den USA, Russland und China mit Teheran verhandeln. Iran müsse aber dann seine für diesen Fall gemachte Zusage halten und das Zusatzprotokoll zum Nicht-Verbreitungsvertrag ratifizieren. Dieses Protokoll ermöglicht unangemeldete Inspektionen und eine genauere Kontrolle von Atomanlagen. "Es kann jetzt endlich ein Prozess in Gang kommen, bei dem sich auch die Amerikaner direkt mit den Iranern an einen Tisch setzen."
    Neue Sanktionen hält Polenz derzeit für wenig hilfreich und zudem weder im Sicherheitsrat noch bei allen 27 EU-Mitgliedsländern für durchsetzbar. Er erinnerte daran, dass das von den EU-3 vorgelegte Angebot für eine verstärkte Kooperation mit Iran bei der Atomtechnologie und in Wirtschaftsfragen weiter Bestand habe. Die Wirtschaftskooperation sollte nach seiner Ansicht mit einem konstruktiven Verhalten Teherans im Nahost-Friedensprozess verbunden werden. Schließlich sei Iran das einzige Land der Region, das im israelisch-palästinensischen Konflikt eine Zwei-Staaten-Lösung dezidiert ablehne, sagte Polenz. Teheran verfüge aber über erheblichen Einfluss auf die radikalislamischen Gruppen Hamas und Hisbollah.

  • US Democrats: Time for new Iran policy - PressTV - 05 Dec 2007 -  Senior US Democrats urge President George W. Bush to consider 'a top-to-bottom review of his Iran policy' after the US intelligence report. Now that the intelligence community has confirmed there is no evidence Tehran is pursuing nuclear arms 'President Bush's heated rhetoric on Iran, including comments about a potential World War Three, is even more outrageous,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "He should announce that his Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are prepared to meet anytime, anywhere with their Iranian counterparts to conduct vigorous diplomacy to advance US interests," he added. Meanwhile, US Democratic presidential candidates have criticized President Bush's claim that 'nothing has changed' despite the new report. "This president will not let facts get in the way of his ideology,'' said Senator Barack Obama. ”They should have stopped the saber rattling, should never have started it,'' he added. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton also said Bush "should seize this opportunity'' while her rival Senator Joe Biden termed Bush as 'not trustworthy'.

  • Soltaniyeh: West should compensate and win Iran's trust  - IRNA - 5 December  2007 
    Iran's Permanent Envoy to IAEA Ali Asghar Soltaniyeh said on Tuesday that following recent comments made by IAEA director general on recent report released by the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the West should compensate and win Iran's trust.  Speaking to IRNA, he said the issue proves Iran's position of peaceful nature of its nuclear activities, therefore, the western countries and Europe in particular should compensate the losses Iran suffered in terms of finance and prestige. It is Europe which should compensate and win Iran's trust, he underlined.  To show their goodwill and political determination, European countries should prevent the intervention of United Nations Security Council from any involvement which would further weaken IAEA. Under such circumstances, both Iran and IAEA could resolve the the remaining issues within IAEA rules and responsibilities, he said. The US, particularly in the past four years, has reported incorrect information on Iran's peaceful nuclear activities which only wasted IAEA's time, he said. Iran is to continue cooperation with IAEA to help resolve remaining issue on its dossier, he pointed out. A team of experts from IAEA is to visit Iran on December 10 to follow up the issue, he concluded.

  • Iran: President Bush's Press Conference - broadcast date:2007-12-04 - Pres. Bush holds a press conference to discuss the National Intelligence Report on Iranian nuclear capabilities. In this press conference President Bush comments to reporter's questions about the newly released National Intelligence Estimate. Among other, he maintains the importance of putting pressure on the Iranian government and isolating it. He calls Iran "dangerous" and views the NIE as confirmation of his policies, and not in contradiction to it. He maintains that the "carrot and stick" approach with the government is effective and should be with the help of U.S.'s allies. source: cspan via http://www.politube.org/show/271 (English, 14 minutes, created by kuros)

  •  U.S. Finds Iran Halted Its Nuclear Arms Effort in 2003 - By MARK MAZZETTI - Dec.4, 2007   WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb.
    The conclusions of the new assessment are likely to reshape the final year of the Bush administration, which has made halting Iran’s nuclear program a cornerstone of its foreign policy.
    The assessment, a National Intelligence Estimate that represents the consensus view of all 16 American spy agencies, states that Tehran is likely to keep its options open with respect to building a weapon, but that intelligence agencies “do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons.”
    Iran is continuing to produce enriched uranium, a program that the Tehran government has said is intended for civilian purposes. The new estimate says that the enrichment program could still provide Iran with enough raw material to produce a nuclear weapon sometime by the middle of next decade, a timetable essentially unchanged from previous estimates.
    But the new report essentially disavows a judgment that the intelligence agencies issued in 2005, which concluded that Iran had an active secret arms program intended to transform the raw material into a nuclear weapon. The new estimate declares instead with “high confidence” that the military-run program was shut in 2003, and it concludes with “moderate confidence” that the program remains frozen. The report judges that the halt was imposed by Iran “primarily in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure.”
    It was not clear what prompted the reversal. Administration officials said the new estimate reflected conclusions that the intelligence agencies had agreed on only in the past several weeks. The report’s agnosticism about Iran’s nuclear intentions represents a very different tone than had been struck by President Bush, and by Vice President Dick Cheney, who warned in a speech in October that if Iran “stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences.”
    The estimate does not say when intelligence agencies learned that the arms program had been halted, but officials said new information obtained from covert sources over the summer had led to a reassessment of the state of Iran’s nuclear program and a decision to delay preparation of the estimate, which had been scheduled to be delivered to Congress in the spring.
    The new report came out just over five years after a 2002 intelligence estimate on Iraq concluded that it possessed chemical and biological weapons programs and was determined to restart its nuclear program. That estimate was instrumental in winning the Congressional authorization for a military invasion of Iraq, but it proved to be deeply flawed, and most of its conclusions turned out to be wrong.
    Intelligence officials said the specter of the 2002 estimate on Iraq hung over their deliberations on Iran even more than it had in 2005, when the lessons from the intelligence failure on Iraq were just beginning to prompt spy agencies to adapt a more rigorous approach to their findings.
    The 2007 report on Iran had been requested by members of Congress, underscoring that any conclusions could affect American policy toward Iran at a delicate time. The new estimate brought American assessments more in line with the judgments of international arms inspectors.
    Last month, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported that Iran was operating 3,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges capable of producing fissile material for nuclear weapons, but he said inspectors had been unable to determine whether the Iranian program sought only to generate electricity or to also to build weapons.
    Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada and the Senate majority leader, portrayed the assessment as “directly challenging some of this administration’s alarming rhetoric about the threat posed by Iran” and called for enhanced diplomatic efforts toward Tehran. Democratic presidential candidates mostly echoed Senator Reid, but also emphasized that Iran’s long-term ambitions were still a great concern to the United States.
    In interviews on Monday, some administration officials expressed skepticism about the conclusions reached in the new report, saying they doubted that American intelligence agencies had a firm grasp of the Iranian government’s intentions.
    The administration officials also said the intelligence findings would not lessen the White House’s concern about the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. The fact that Iran continues to refine its abilities to enrich uranium, they said, means that any decision in the future to restart a nuclear weapons program could lead Iran to a bomb in relatively short order. While the new report does not contrast sharply with earlier assessments about Iran’s capabilities, it does make new judgments about the intentions of its government.
    Rather than portraying Iran as a rogue, irrational country determined to join the club of nations that possess a nuclear bomb, the estimate says Iran’s “decisions are guided by a cost-benefit approach rather than a rush to a weapon irrespective of the political, economic and military costs.”
    The administration called new attention to the threat posed by Iran this year when Mr. Bush suggested in October that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to “World War III.” Mr. Cheney also said that month that as Iran continued to enrich uranium, “the end of that process will be the development of nuclear weapons.”
    Yet even as Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney were making those statements, analysts at the Central Intelligence Agency were well under way toward revising the earlier assessment about Iran’s nuclear arms program. Administration officials said the White House had known at the time that the conclusions about Iran were under review but had not been informed until more recently that intelligence agencies had reversed their 2005 conclusion.
    In September, officials said, Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the C.I.A. director, and his deputy, Stephen R. Kappes, met with Iran analysts to take a hard look at past conclusions about Iran’s nuclear program in light of new information obtained since 2005.
    “We felt that we needed to scrub all the assessments and sources to make sure we weren’t misleading ourselves,” said one senior intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
    The estimate concludes that if Iran were to restart its arms program, it would still be at least two years before it would have enough highly enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb. But it says it is still “very unlikely” Iran could produce enough of the material by then.
    Instead, the report released on Monday concludes that it is more likely that Iran could have a bomb by the early part to the middle of the next decade. The report states that the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research judges that Iran is unlikely to achieve this goal before 2013, “because of foreseeable technical and programmatic problems.”
    The estimate concludes that it would be difficult to persuade Iran’s leaders to abandon all efforts to get nuclear weapons, given the importance of getting the bomb to Iran’s strategic goals in the Middle East.
    Intelligence officials presented the outlines of the intelligence estimate two weeks ago to several cabinet members, along with Mr. Cheney. During the meeting, officials said, policy makers challenged and debated the conclusions. The final draft of the estimate was presented to Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney last Wednesday.
    Officials said they now planned to give extensive briefings to American allies like Israel, Britain and France. Israel intelligence officials for years have put forward more urgent warnings about Iran’s nuclear abilities than their American counterparts, positing that Iran could get a nuclear bomb this decade.
    Intelligence officials had said just weeks ago they were ending the practice of declassifying parts of intelligence estimates, citing concerns that analysts might alter their judgments if they knew the reports would be widely publicized.
    But in a statement on Monday, Donald M. Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, said that since the new estimate was at odds with the 2005 assessment — and thus at odds with public statements by top officials about Iran — “we felt it was important to release this information to ensure that an accurate presentation is available.”

  • BRISANTES DOSSIER - US-Geheimdienste relativieren Gefahr durch Iran  -  SPIEGEL ONLINE - 03. Dezember 2007 -Die US-Geheimdienste haben ein neues Dossier zum Iran-Konflikt veröffentlicht: Das Atomprogramm wurde demnach schon 2003 gestoppt, die Bedrohung ist geringer als gedacht. Für die Regierung Bush ein heikler Bericht - sie wies prompt zurück, die Gefahr aufgebauscht zu haben.  Das neue Dossier ist das Werk aller 16 US-Geheimdienste. Gemeinsam kommen sie zu einem eindeutigen Ergebnis: Die iranische Regierung von Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad sei bei der Entwicklung eines Atomarsenals "weniger entschlossen" als bisher angenommen. Das Land werde frühestens Ende 2009 in der Lage sein, hochangereichertes Uran für den Bau von Atomwaffen herzustellen - doch auch dieses Szenario sei "sehr unwahrscheinlich", heißt es in dem sogenannten National Intelligence Estimate...MEHR HIER>> 

  • "Key Differences Between the Key Judgments of This [2007 US National Intelligence] Estimate on Iran's Nuclear Program and the May 2005 Assessment "2005 Assess with high confidence that Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons ..."2007 Judge with high confidence that in fall 2003 Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program ..."
    "If we permit Iran's deception to go on much longer, it will be too late. Iran will have nuclear weapons."
    - John Bolton, former US ambassador the UN, in a speech in April 2004.  

  • Key Differences Between the Key Judgments of This Estimate on Iran’s Nuclear Program and the May 2005 Assessment

    2005 IC Estimate 2007 National Intelligence Estimate
    Assess with high confidence that Iran currently is determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure, but we do not assess that Iran is immovable. Judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program. Judge with high confidence that the halt lasted at least several years. (DOE and the NIC have moderate confidence that the halt to those activities represents a halt to Iran's entire nuclear weapons program.) Assess with moderate confidence Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007, but we do not know whether it currently intends to develop nuclear weapons. Judge with high confidence that the halt was directed primarily in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure resulting from exposure of Iran’s previously undeclared nuclear work. Assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons.
    We have moderate confidence in projecting when Iran is likely to make a nuclear weapon; we assess that it is unlikely before early-to-mid next decade. We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely. We judge with moderate confidence Iran probably would be technically capable of producing enough HEU for a weapon sometime during the 2010-2015 time frame. (INR judges that Iran is unlikely to achieve this capability before 2013 because of foreseeable technical and programmatic problems.)
    Iran could produce enough fissile material for a weapon by the end of this decade if it were to make more rapid and successful progress than we have seen to date.
    We judge with moderate confidence that the earliest possible date Iran would be technically capable of producing enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a weapon is late 2009, but that this is very unlikely.

 News Weekly Digest

 upddated.gif2 February 2008 

  • Iran: Sanctions violate UN Charter    (source: China Daily via CASMII) February 1, 2008  

  • Belgium praises Iran's regional role  (source: Press TV via CASMII) January 31, 2008  

  • Secret talks with Iran on nuclear reactors by Ben Fenton (source: Financial Times) via CASMII - December 30, 2007 -  In negotiations with the head of the Iranian atomic energy programme, senior UK civil servants predicted that by the end of the 20th century Iran would have obtained the technology - from Britain itself - to build nuclear weapons. ››read more

  • Russia delivers more nuclear fuel to Iran: official (source: AFP) via CASMII - December 29, 2007 TEHRAN (AFP) — Russia has delivered a second consignment of nuclear fuel to Iran's Bushehr power plant, the official news agency IRNA quoted the deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation as saying on Friday. ››read more 

  •  Nuclear hoax by John Cherian (source: Frontline ) via CASMII - December 28, 2007  - Bush, however, continues to insist that Iran still remains a “dangerous country”, asserting that the NIE conclusions support his administration’s position about Iran pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons policy. He did concede that the NIE report was a “great discovery” and that Iran had a sovereign right to a civilian nuclear programme. But he hastened to add that his administration continued to be suspicious about Iran’s enrichment programme “because of their covert efforts at weapons development”.››read more

  • Iran Hawks Find New Supporters Against the NIE by Rostam Pourzal (source: Foreign Policy In Focus) via CASMII - December 28, 2007  -  Rostam Pourzal Many of us remember the Iraqi exile groups whose tall tales the Administration used to justify the invasion of their country in 2003. Fewer people are aware that similar groups from other Middle Eastern countries frequent the halls of Congress and editorial board rooms carrying their frightening ghost-written books with guidance from pro-war think tanks. The organized challenge against the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) summary on Iran this month included such a group, which for years cried wolf about Iran. ››read more

  • No proof Iranian gov't behind IEDs: Afghan diplomat (source: CTV.ca) via CASMII - December 28, 2007 - Omar SamadAfghanistan's Ambassador to Canada appears to be cautious about blaming Iran for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) being used in attacks against Afghan and NATO soldiers in his country. Omar Samad, the top Afghan diplomat in Canada, told CTV Newsnet on Wednesday that there is no evidence about where the IEDs actually originated and who brought them to Afghanistan. ››read more 

  • Nur wenige iranische Juden wollen nach Israel - von Amir Loghmany (der Standard) via CASMII -  Dec 28, 2007 - Großes Medieninteresse für 40 Emigranten In einem gemeinsamen Kommuniqué haben der Vorsitzende der iranischen Judenorganisation, Mere Sedgh, und der Vertreter der iranischen Juden im iranischen Parlament, Moris Motamed, die Berichterstattung über die Auswanderung 40 iranischer Juden nach Israel als gezielte Propaganda gegen den Iran bezeichnet. Die Auswanderung selbst wurde dabei weder bestätigt noch dementiert.  Die 40 iranischen Juden sind am Dienstag in Israel eingetroffen und wurden dort mit großem Bahnhof und Medieninteresse empfangen. Sie sind die größte Gruppe von Juden seit der Islamischen Revolution von 1979, die den Iran verlassen. Mere Sedgh betonte in einem Interview, dass die Juden im Iran unbehelligt leben und als Minderheitenrecht einen Abgeordneten im iranischen Parlament haben. Sie fühlten sich als ein Teil der iranischen Nation, so Mere Sedgh.  Bis zu 28.000 Juden leben im Iran (in Teheran allein gibt es 20 Synagogen), das ist die größte jüdische Gemeinde im Mittleren Osten. Moris Motamed bezeichnete die finanziellen Anreize für jüdische iranische Einwanderer in Israel als eine „Beleidigung der iranischen Juden“. Die Integrität der iranischen Juden könne man nicht kaufen.  Tatsächlich bekommt jeder iranische Jude in Israel bei seiner Einwanderung über die normale Unterstützung hinaus 10.000 US-Dollar. Der überwältigende Teil der iranischen Juden, die meist dem Mittelstand angehören, zieht es trotz aller Nachteile vor, im Iran zu bleiben. Die israelische Zeitung Haaretz zitiert einen Beamten der Einwanderungsbehörde mit den Worten: „Wir haben ihnen so viel geboten, aber nur so wenige kommen.“ (Amir Loghmany aus Teheran/DER STANDARD, Printausgabe, 29./30.12.2007) 

  • Iranian Jews say republic safe for them by Ali AKbar Dareini (source: Associated Press) via CASMII -  December 27, 2007 A top Jewish community leader in Iran on Wednesday described the recent immigration of 40 Iranian Jews to Israel as a "misinformation campaign" and insisted that Jews living in the Islamic Republic were not endangered by the hard-line policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. ››read more

  • Paul: 'We're getting ready to bomb Iran' by David Edwards & Jason Rhyne (source: The Raw Story) via CASMII - December 27, 2007 - Rep. Ron PaulDespite a recent National Intelligence Estimate finding that Iran has halted its nuclear weapons program, libertarian-leaning GOP presidential contender Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) says there is still "a great possibility" of US military action against the country. ››read more 

  • British MPs call on government to oppose military attack on Iran (source: CASMII) - December 20, 2007 -   On Tuesday 18th December, Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP for Islington North, London, submitted an early day motion (EDM) to the House of Commons, calling on the British government to oppose publicly any military intervention against Iran. "EDMs are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons. However, very few EDMs are actually debated. Instead, they are used for reasons such as publicising the views of individual MPs, drawing attention to specific events or campaigns, and demonstrating the extent of parliamentary support for a particular cause or point of view." See http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/Default.aspx Corbyn's motion on Iran and the Middle East states: "That this House notes the findings of the International Atomic Energy Agency-Iran work plan of 27th August and the IAEA's report of 15th November clarifying and clearing a number of major outstanding issues in relation to Iran's past nuclear activities; notes the judgment of the recent US National Intelligence Estimate that Iran does not have an active nuclear weapons programme at present; is strongly concerned about the continued threats of a military attack against Iran which could start another catastrophic war in the Middle East; urges immediate, direct and unconditional negotiations between the US and Iran on all points of dispute; and calls on the Government to oppose publicly any military intervention by the US and/or Israel in Iran."

  • Manufacturing Threats: Sudan, Iran, and the War for Civilization (source: media lens) via CASMII -  December 18, 2007 - News that British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons had been jailed in Sudan after allowing her pupils to call a teddy bear Mohammed fed straight into the UK media’s hate factory and its “war for civilisation”. [...] This did nothing to dim the enthusiasm of journalists eager to portray Iran as a threat to world peace. George Monbiot wrote in the Guardian last month: "I believe that Iran is trying to acquire the bomb." ››read more

  • Sinopec to triple oil import from Iran - PressTV - Fri, 14 Dec 2007 -  China's refiner Sinopec Corp. will triple its import of crude from Iran next year, boosting its share of crude from OPEC's second largest producer. Its state-run parent company, Sinopec Group, currently importing 60,000 barrels per day (bpd) is determined to purchase 160,000 bpd as of next year, said Reuters quoting two informed sources. Based on the deals signed between Iran and China, Beijing will import around six percent of its total oil demand, namely 400,000 bpd, from Iran in 2008. Another oil contract had been clinched earlier between the National Iranian Oil Company and China's state-owned Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation. It took almost three years to finalize the talks on the crude deal. China is the world's second largest oil consumer. MPR/HAR 

  • China, Iran Sign $2 Billion Oil Production Agreement by Wang Ying & Dinakar Sethuraman (source: Bloomberg) via CASMII - December 10, 2007 -  China Petrochemical Corp. signed a $2 billion agreement to develop Iran's Yadavaran oil field, advancing prospects for a contract on the sale of liquefied natural gas to the world's fastest-growing major economy. ››read more

  • Iran stops selling oil in U.S. dollars -report - Sat Dec 8, 2007 - TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has completely stopped selling any of its oil for U.S. dollars, an Iranian news agency reported on Saturday, citing the oil minister of the world's fourth-largest crude producer. The ISNA news agency did not give a direct quote from Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari. A senior oil official last month said "nearly all" of Iran's crude oil sales were now being paid for in non-U.S. currencies. For nearly two years, OPEC's second biggest producer has been reducing its exposure to the dollar, saying the weak U.S. currency is eroding its purchasing power. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West, has called the U.S. currency a "worthless piece of paper." Foes since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Tehran and Washington are also at odds over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme as well as over policy in Iraq. "In line with the policy of selling crude oil in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, currently the sale of our country's oil in U.S. dollars has been completely eliminated," ISNA reported after talking with Nozari. Nozari told ISNA: "In regards to the decrease in the dollar's value and the loss exporters of crude oil have endured from this trend, the dollar is no longer a reliable currency." "This is why, at the meeting of the heads of states, Iran proposed to OPEC members that a currency (for oil exports) would be determined that would be reliable and would not cause any loss to exporter countries," he said. At a November summit of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries heads of state, Iran suggested oil should be sold in a basket of currencies rather than dollars, but failed to win over other members except Venezuela. Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, are vocal critics of U.S. influence in the world. Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, international affairs director of the state owned National Iranian Oil Company, last month told Reuters that most of Iran's oil export earnings were in euros, with some in yen. (Reporting by Zahra Hosseinian, writing by Fredrik Dahl, editing by Anthony Barker)

  • Iran's Nuclear Program Never Existed by William O. Beeman (source: New America Media) via CASMII - December 5, 2007 - Iran has never had a proven nuclear weapons program. Ever. This inconvenient fact stands as an indictment of the Bush administration’s stance on Iran. ››read more

  • Iran will turn into a huge tsunami if attacked -  29 Nov 2007 - PressTV - 
  •  "....Q: Several days ago, US Vice President Dick Cheney, in a speech to a hawkish pro-Israel think-tank, the Washington Institute for Near Policy, warned Tehran of 'serious consequences' if it did not freeze its nuclear program.
    In addition to the harsher rhetoric, Congressional analysts noticed the insertion of an US $88 million request in the $200 billion 2007 supplemental defense bill to modify B-2 Stealth bombers so that they can drop a 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator', a conventional 'bunker-busting' bomb designed to destroy targets that are buried deep underground, in response to 'an urgent operational need from theater commanders'. According to some defense analysts, the only logical target for such a weapon in the current geostrategic climate, would be Iran's nuclear sites. What are your comments on Vice President Cheney's threat and possible use of 'bunker-busting' bombs?

    A: The material capabilities that our enemies - the Israelis and the Americans - have were used in Lebanon's 33-day war. We all saw that the Shia people of southern Lebanon opted for and used the Basij philosophy. There are religious and cultural commonalities between our two communities. They stood against these bunker-busting bombs and other military capabilities. All the people around the world came to see that a revolutionary army with spiritual beliefs and the Basij philosophy can stand against the best army in the world. They resisted for thirty days and the invasion failed. We can use the same philosophy and strategies used by Hezbollah to nullify their military superiority.

    Q: The top advisor to the Supreme Leader on military affairs and the former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Commander, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi has said the United States is 'highly unlikely' to launch a military strike against Iran. However, he said the Iranian armed forces don't underestimate a possible attack by the US and are prepared to counter any possible threat against the country. How close do you see the prospect of a US war against Iran?

    A: I think General Safavi was correct. The possibility of a military attack on our country, especially on land, is a very remote possibility. The Americans know they can not land here because they will not go back. But there is the possibility of a limited air campaign which targets a number of special sites. If our enemies are wise at all, they will not even do that. As the US President is approaching his eight-year limit and the election campaign really kicks off, they will not be in a position to do so. They might think that a limited air campaign against Iran can be done and later announce it has been carried out. We will end the game ourselves. Once they start, they can not say it's ended. " READ THE WHOLE  exclusive interview with the head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Mohammad Ali Jafari. HERE  
Wie der britische Herald am Montag unter Berufung auf "militärische Quellen" berichtete, wird die US-Basis auf der Insel Diego Garcia im Indischen Ozean derzeit ausgebaut, um Vorbereitungen für einen Angriff auf den Iran zu treffen...MEHR HIER>>


The image “http://www.theherald.co.uk/_images/sitelogo.gif” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.Secret move to upgrade air base for Iran attack plans - 29 October 2007- By IAN BRUCE, Defence Correspondent  The US is secretly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island protectorate of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, according to military sources.  The improvement of the B1 Spirit jet infrastructure coincides with an "urgent operational need" request for £44m to fit racks to the long-range aircraft.  That would allow them to carry experimental 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs designed to smash underground bunkers buried as much as 200ft beneath the surface through reinforced concrete. One MOP - known as Big Blu - has already been tested successfully at the US Air Force proving ground at White Sands in New Mexico. Tenders have now gone out for a production model to be ready for use in the next nine months.  The "static tunnel lethality test" on March 14 completely destroyed a mock-up of the kind of underground facility used to house Iran's nuclear centrifuge arrays at Natanz, about 150 miles from the capital, Tehran. Although intelligence estimates vary as to when Iran will achieve the know-how for a bomb, the French government recently received a memo from the International Atomic Energy Agency stating that Iran will be ready to run almost 3000 centrifuges in 18 cascades by the end of this month. That is in defiance of a UN ban on uranium enrichment and would be enough to produce a nuclear weapon within a year. 
Diego Garcia is ideally placed for strategic missions in the Middle East
Diego Garcia, part of Britain's Indian Ocean Territory, has several current missions. US Air Force bombers and Awacs surveillance planes operate from its 12,000ft runway and the USAF Space Command has built a satellite tracking station and communications facility.The Ministry of Defence says the US government would need Britain's permission to use the island for offensive action. It has already been used for strategic strike missions during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars against Iraq. The UK "sovereign territory" has a garrison of 50 British and 3200 US military personnel. The atoll, the largest in the Chagos Archipelago chain, lies about 1000 miles from the southern coasts of India and Sri Lanka. It is ideally placed for strategic missions in the Middle East. The US Department of Defence request for special bomb racks was hidden in a £95bn request to the US Congress last week for extra emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new Big Blu bomb is 20ft long, weighs 30,000lb and carries 6000lb of high explosives. It is designed to go deeper than even existing nuclear bunker-busting weapons. The bomb is designed to be dropped from as great a height as possible to achieve maximum velocity and penetrating power, guided on to target by satellite and accurate to within a few feet. Each B2 bomber would be able to carry only one weapon because of its weight. The B2s, normally based at Barksdale, Missouri, flew round-trip strikes against Baghdad in 2003, but would ideally be positioned closer to its targets for missions against Iran. The Pentagon has drawn up contingency plans for a range of attacks on Iran. The likeliest is a five-day bombardment, aiming to disable nuclear facilities and all major airbases and radar facilities; the most devastating would involve air and cruise missile attacks on 1000 targets, including headquarters and barracks of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps, over more than a month. The US branded the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation last week in the latest round of diplomatic sanctions against Tehran.
  • NEWS FROM THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY: 
    Prof. Joseph Taylor's speech at Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran  -16 OCTOBER 2007  - "... is one of the most important days in the history of the university. For the first time a Physics Nobel prize winner was speaking for the universities students and professors. On Tuesday morning Joseph Taylor and Sharif Physics department's professors were negotiating transfers of students and   professors between Sharif and Princeton. There was also a meeting with the university professors and members of the academy of science and engineering, in which each of the members will be speaking about their fields of research... READ MORE>>
  • Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007) in the Islamic Republic of Iran - Report by the Director General. GOV/2007/58 - 15 November 2007 - Restricted Distribution. Original: English (PDF Document - 9 pages !!)  
  • IAEA’s Report on Iran’s P2 Centrifuge Design, or is it really P3? - By Nader Bagherzadeh - CASMII - 21.11.2007 
  • Iran 'committed to IAEA agreements' - Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:33:44 - PRESS TV Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says Tehran remains committed to the comprehensive Safeguard Agreement with the IAEA. In a letter to the Foreign Ministers of the world countries, Mottaki said Iran has cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) beyond the country's obligations....MORE>>
  • Ahmadinejad erwägt Urananreicherung in neutralem Land - Kleine Zeitung - 18.11.2007 
  • Iran rehabilitiert - ElBaradeis IAEA-Bericht bestätigt: Teherans Atomprogramm ist ausschließlich friedlich. Enttäuschung und Ärger bei westlichen Regierungen. Von Knut Mellenthin  - 17.11.2007 /  Junge Welt - Ausland / Seite 7 
    Mit Enttäuschung und Ärger haben die Regierungen des Westens am Freitag auf den jüngsten Bericht der Internationalen Atomenergiebehörde (IAEA) über das iranische Atomprogramm reagiert. Israelische Politiker forderten sogar den Rücktritt von IAEA-Generaldirektor Mohamed ElBaradei. Im Iran hingegen wird der Bericht als neuerliche Bestätigung für den ausschließlich friedlichen Charakter des Atomprogramms gewertet.
    Das von der IAEA offiziell noch nicht veröffentlichte, aber bereits im Internet zugängliche Dokument hat neun Seiten Umfang und beschäftigt sich mit zwei Themen: Im Hauptteil werden detailliert die Ergebnisse der seit August geführten Untersuchung über »ausstehende Fragen« der Entwicklungsgeschichte des iranischen Atomprogramms dargestellt. Im Anschluß daran wird über den aktuellen Stand der Arbeiten an der Urananreicherung und am Bau eines Schwerwasserreaktors in Arrak berichtet.
    Angaben bestätigt
    Im historischen Teil des Papiers wird zu wesentlichen, bisher nicht endgültig geklärten Fragen jetzt eindeutig festgestellt, daß die von iranischer Seite gemachten Angaben als bestätigt und bewiesen anzusehen seien. Einige noch offene Punkte sollen planmäßig »in wenigen Wochen« und »in nächster Zeit« abgeschlossen werden. ElBaradei hat dafür das Jahresende als Termin gesetzt. Daß immer noch nicht alle Fragen vollständig geklärt sind, ist –wie es im Bericht wörtlich heißt – begründet durch die »lange Geschichte und Komplexität des Programms«. Die IAEA hat vom Iran nicht nur eine vollständige Chronologie aller Ereignisse gefordert und erhalten, sondern hat sich auch die Teilnehmerlisten von bis zu 20 Jahren zurückliegenden Beratungen geben lassen, um anschließend Einzelgespräche mit den beteiligten Personen zu führen. Schwierige Fragen, wie beispielsweise die Gründe für die Schließung einer Uranmine im Jahr 1993, wurden genau erforscht. Umso beachtlicher sind die Ergebnisse, die die Iraner in allen bisher abgeschlossenen Punkten ohne Einschränkung rehabilitieren. Im Bericht wird überdies festgestellt, daß die iranische Seite der IAEA in zufriedenstellender Weise Zugang zu allen beteiligten Personen ermöglicht und alle Fragen in angemessener Zeit beantwortet hat.
    Unter IAEA-Kontrolle
    Die Klärung der Geschichte des iranischen Atomprogramms ist von allergrößter Bedeutung, weil die gegen Iran verhängten Sondermaßnahmen, wie etwa die Forderung nach Einstellung aller Arbeiten an der Urananreicherung, ausschließlich mit offenen Fragen aus der Vergangenheit begründet worden sind. Der Atomwaffensperrvertrag (NPT) bietet keine Handhabe, dem Iran die Urananreicherung oder auch den Bau eines Schwerwasserreaktors zu verbieten.
    Daher ist es aus rechtlicher Sicht auch unerheblich, daß in ElBaradeis jüngstem Bericht erneut festgestellt wird, was vom Iran gar nicht bestritten wird und nach dem NPT nicht zu beanstanden ist: Die Arbeiten an der Urananreicherung gehen weiter. Iran hat zur Zeit 3000 Gaszentrifugen in Betrieb, wenn auch nicht mit voller Kapazität. Der Prozeß steht unter vollständiger, strikter Kontrolle der IAEA, ebenso wie das gesamte bisher produzierte angereicherte Uran. Der höchste von der IAEA gemessene Anreicherungsgrad ist vier Prozent. Für die Herstellung von waffenfähigem Uran wären 80 bis 90 Prozent erforderlich. * IAEA-Bericht: graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/20071115IAEA-report.pdf
  • "DEUTSCHE TERRORZELLE" AUS DEM IRAN GESTEUERT? ANMERKUNGEN ZUR PRODUKTION EINES GERÜCHTS. Von Knut Mellenthin - 17.November 2007
  • Iran's cooperation sufficient, but not proactive - World Nuclear News - 16 November 2007 
  • Iran more transparent but expands nuclear campaign Iran has made important strides towards clarifying past nuclear activities but key questions remain unresolved and it has significantly expanded uranium enrichment, a U.N. watchdog report said on Thursday. Reuters/ AP/ Bloomberg/ AFP/ DPA 
  • NYT: Report Raises New Doubts on Iran Nuclear Program The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report on Thursday that Iran had made new but incomplete disclosures about its past nuclear activities, missing a critical deadline under an agreement with the agency and virtually assuring a new push by the United States to impose stricter international sanctions. NYT/ FT/ Chicago Tribune/ BBC 
  • Britain cautious over Iran nuclear report Britain said on Thursday it would study a key UN nuclear watchdog report on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but repeated its threat to impose tougher sanctions if there was no further progress. AFP 
  • U.S. to Seek New Sanctions Against Iran The Bush administration plans to push for new sanctions against Iran after the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported yesterday that Tehran is providing "diminishing" information about its controversial nuclear program, U.S. officials said. WP 
  • Iran's top nuclear negotiator says new UN sanctions would be wrong Iran's top nuclear negotiator said Thursday that a new U.N. nuclear watchdog report proves accusations that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons are baseless and that new sanctions against the country would be wrong. AP/ Reuters 
  • Glimmer of hope ahead of nuclear deal talks The government meets its communist allies on Friday to try and soften their opposition to a landmark nuclear deal with the United States amid conflicting signals from left leaders. Reuters 
  • Mystery still surrounds Israel’s Syria attack Rarely does President George W. Bush bite his lip when discussing “axis of evil” states such as Syria and North Korea. FT 
  • Sarkozy wants everyone to have nuclear power - French nuclear power Six months into his term, President Nicolas Sarkozy is aggressively pursuing a new policy to give Muslim countries access to nuclear power - and win lucrative contracts for France's energy champions in the process. IHT 
  • UN nuclear watchdog chief expresses concern about anti-Iran rhetoric from US - The Associated Press via International Herald Tribune. 28  October 2007: The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Sunday he had no evidence Iran was working actively to build nuclear weapons and expressed concern that escalating rhetoric from the U.S. could bring disaster. "We have information that there has been maybe some studies about possible weaponization," said Mohamed ElBaradei, who leads the International Atomic Energy Agency. "That's why we have said that we cannot give Iran a pass right now, because there is still a lot of question marks." "But have we seen Iran having the nuclear material that can readily be used into a weapon? No. Have we seen an active weaponization program? No."....MORE>>
  • Iran weist Terror-Vorwürfe der USA als lächerlich zurück - EUROPOLITAN - 27.October .2007 
  • One Man's Terrorist is Another's Diplomat - by Barbara Slavin - 26.October 2007 
  • US only isolating itself, Jalili says. Tehran, Oct 26, IRNA
  • Larijani says Prodi's nuclear proposal worth study. Tehran, Oct 26, IRNA 

  • Ahmadinejad felicitates Austrian counterpart on National Day. Tehran, Oct 25, IRNA
    President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cabled a message on Thursday to his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer to congratulate him, the Austrian government and nation on the country's Nation Day. According to the Presidential Bureau, in the message, President Ahmadinejad underlined that "Fortunately the two sides's high ranking officials are determined to broaden friendly ties between the two countries." He hoped to witness further expansion and consolidation of mutual ties between the two nations. In another development, Iran's First Vice President Parviz Davoudi sent a message to Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer to congratulate him, the Austrian government and nation on the country's National Day.

  • Condoleezza Rice erhöht den Druck: Neue Strafmaßnahmen gegen Iran verkündet -  Zum ersten Mal richten sich US-Sanktionen gegen das Militär eines fremden Landes - Uni Kassel, AG Friedensforschung
    Die USA haben ihre Sanktionen gegen den Iran verschärft. Die neuen Maßnahmen richteten sich gegen Teile des Militärs und drei Banken, teilten US-Außenministerin Condoleezza Rice und Finanzminister Henry Paulson am 25. Oktober 2007 in Washington mit. Dies geschehe zum Schutz von US-Interessen und der US-Bürger. "Das bedeutet, dass es keinem US-Bürger und keiner privaten Organisation gestattet sein wird, finanzielle Verbindungen mit diesen Personen und Einheiten einzugehen", hieß es weiter in der Erklärung. Von den neuen Sanktionen sind die Revolutionswächter und ihre Eliteeinheit, die El-Kuds-Truppen, betroffen. Den Revolutionswächtern wird die Verbreitung von Massenvernichtungswaffen vorgeworfen, die El-Kuds-Truppen werden als Unterstützer des Terrorismus gebrandmarkt.Die Strafmaßnahmen würden dabei helfen, das internationale Finanzsystem vor den "illegalen Aktivitäten der iranischen Regierung zu schützen", hieß es in der US-Erklärung weiter... MEHR HIER

  • Verschärfung der Sanktionen gegen Iran führt zu weiteren Eskalationen - 
    Zur Verschärfung der Iran-Sanktionen durch die USA erklärt Norman Paech, außenpolitischer Sprecher der Fraktion DIE LINKE:  Die USA haben im Alleingang neue Iran-Sanktionen verhängt, die das iranische Verteidigungsministerium, die Revolutionsgarde und mehrere Banken sowie Einzelpersonen treffen, die dadurch vom amerikanischen Finanzsystem isoliert werden sollen.
    Diese Sanktionen treiben die Eskalationspolitik der USA weiter voran. Sicher ist, dass diese Maßnahmen nicht dazu beitragen werden, die Regierung Irans im Atomstreit zum Einlenken zu bewegen. Vielmehr werden diplomatische Lösungen dadurch immer schwieriger. Politische Verhandlungen mit geladenen Kanonen stehen im krassen Widerspruch zu dem immer wieder behaupteten Interesse an einer diplomatischen Lösung.
    Vielmehr setzen die USA ihren Kriegskurs gegen den Iran weiter fort. Dies belegt nicht zuletzt ein Posten über 88 Millionen US-Dollar für sogenannte „bunkerbrechende Munition“ im amerikanischen Haushaltsplan für das am 01.10.07 begonnene Haushaltjahr. Dass dieser Haushaltsposten im Zusammenhang mit einem möglichen Angriff auf den Iran steht, haben Abgeordnete der oppositionellen Demokraten besorgt geäußert.
    Alle Anzeichen deuten also weiterhin unübersehbar auf einen zukünftigen Krieg gegen den Iran hin. Denn die iranische Regierung wird unter diesen Bedingungen ihre Urananreicherungs-Programme nicht aufgeben, zumal sie von Atommächten umgeben ist, die erst kürzlich wieder milliardenschwere Waffenlieferungen aus den USA erhalten haben.
    Zwingend notwendig ist, dass die Bundesregierung nicht nur mit der Regierung des Irans, sondern vor allem mit der US-Regierung spricht.

  • Nuclear energy "indispensable" says EU report. 25 October 2007 - Worl Nuclear News
    Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a report that states that nuclear energy will be indispensible if the EU is to meet its basic energy needs in the medium term.  The report, Conventional Energy Sources and Energy Technology was adopted with 509 votes in favour, 153 against and 30 abstentions. It was drafted by Herbert Reul of the EPP-ED group (Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats in the European Parliament). MORE>>  Energy - New and Renewable Energies - Home Page. Renewable energy sources are expected to be economically competitive with conventional energy sources in the medium to long term.... MORE: ec.europa.eu/energy/res/index_en.htm

Mottaki: Iran never let its legitimate rights be trampled upon. Oct 22,2007  "Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here on Monday sent a letter to his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner to declare that the Islamic Republic of Iran is accountable to international system and it never lets its legitimate rights be trampled upon...Iran is to show good-will when it sees the same from the other side... [imposing] unilateral sanctions against Iran would bear no fruits. It is about three decades that Iran has faced sanctions mostly by the Americans or even some unofficial sanctions imposed by the Europeans, he said... [Imposing] one-sided sanctions against countries is regarded as an illegal move which runs counter to UN Charter and is indicative of the incompetency of the UNSC, ... in total contradiction with their claims of pursuing diplomatic solutions, ...t he US and a number of those countries possessing nuclear weapons have not remained committed to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons while they introduce themselves as grantors of such treaties in order to divert world public opinion from their nuclear depots. In the meantime, the Zionist regime is now developing its nuclear facilities without any concern, he underlined. The foreign minister said those who try to persuade the UNSC to impose more unjust sanctions on Iran, prevent the same from being applied to the Zionist regime..."  MORE>>
Iran weist Terror-Vorwürfe der USA als lächerlich zurück - EUROPOLITAN - Reflections on Europe -  27.10.2007
Teheran - Der Iran hat in einer ersten Stellungnahme die Entscheidung der US-Regierung scharf kritisiert, weitere Sanktionen gegen das Land zu verhängen und eine Einheit der regulären iranischen Streitkräfte als Terrorismus-Förderer einzustufen. Die USA hatten am Donnerstag die härteten Sanktionen gegen den Iran seit fast 30 Jahren verhängt. Kritik an der Entscheidung kam auch von Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin. Kritiker argumentieren, dass Sanktionen nur die Zivilbevölkerung träfen und dem Regime keinen Schaden zufügten.
Mohammad-Ali Hosseini, Sprecher des iranischen Außenministeriums, bezeichnete die Sanktionen als wertlos. Zudem stünden sie im krassen Widerspruch zur internationalen Praxis und seien daher von vornherein zum Scheitern verurteilt. „Solche lächerlichen Maßnahmen können die Amerikaner nicht aus der Krise retten, die sie im Irak geschaffen haben", so Hosseini.
Die US-Regierung hatte die Sanktionen damit begründet, dass der Iran sein Atomprogramm nicht offen lege, und den internationalen Terrorismus fördere. Betroffen sind mehr als 20 iranische Unternehmen und Einzelpersonen, die künftig vom amerikanischen Finanzsystem ausgeschlossen werden sollen. Außerdem haben die USA die iranische Eliteeinheit al-Kuds in die Liste der terroristischen Organisationen aufgenommen. Damit stehen zum ersten Mal reguläre Streitkräfte eines Landes auf der Terrorliste. Innerhalb der US-Regierung ist sogar darüber nachgedacht worden, die iranischen Revolutionswächter als Ganzes als Terrororganisation einzustufen.
Die nun verhängten Sanktionen sind die Schärfsten der USA seit der islamischen Revolution von 1979. Damals besetzten Iraner die US-Botschaft in Teheran. Kritik an der Entscheidung kam auch aus Russland, das sich ebenso wie China gegen Sanktionen ausspricht. Präsident Putin fragte: „Warum sollten wir die Situation verschlechtern?" Putin ist davon überzeugt, dass eine Verschärfung der Lage dem Regime in Teheran nicht schadet, sondern nützt.
Durch die jetzigen Sanktionen können die USA Guthaben der betroffenen Personen, Unternehmen sowie der Revolutionsgarden einfrieren. Auf diesem Wege wollen die USA dem Terrorismus die Finanzierung entziehen. Allerdings sind von der Maßnahme auch hunderte ausländische Unternehmen betroffen, die mit de Iran Geschäfte machen. Für Kritiker sind die Sanktionen kontraproduktiv, da von einer Schwächung der Wirtschaft in erster Linie die Zivilbevölkerung, und nicht die Staatsführung betroffen ist. Vielmehr führten Sanktionen dazu, dass die Bevölkerung gegen den Feind von außen zusammenrücke – und somit die Regierung eher stärke als schwäche.



Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the USA 
  •  

    Ahmedinejad: Villain or Hero - Mosaic Intelligence Report 

    Ahmadinejad's stock rose even higher after his speech this week at Columbia University; people in Iran and the Arab world are angry at Columbia University president Lee Bollinger for insulting the Iranian leader during his introduction. In the Arab and Muslim worlds, you don’t invite someone to your house, even if he was a foe, then turn around and insult him when he answers at your door. The entire uproar over the Columbia event - played right into the Iranian leader's hand.

    There was nothing new in his speech at this year’s UN General Assembly; however, his presence dominated the opening of the meeting, attracting worldwide coverage. Before even appearing at the UN and Columbia University, the front page of the New York's Daily News ran the headline "The evil has landed" while The New York Post called Ahmadinejad the "Madman Iran Prez".

    Is he a madman?

    When Ahmadinejad says controversial things, the western world condemns him, but is he even talking to the West?

    Watch this Mosaic Intelligence Report: Ahmadinejad: Villain or Hero

    No Gays in Iran… But Many Same-Sex Couples

    New America Media, Commentary, William O. Beeman, Posted: Sep 26, 2007

    Editor’s Note: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comment that homosexuality does not exist in Iran like it does in the West is true in a sense, writes anthropologist William Beeman. In fact, same-sex relations in Iran do look very different from what is called gay behavior in the West.

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was derided for his statement in a Sept. 24 speech at Columbia University that homosexuality doesn't exist in Iran. Though many Americans may find it incredible, differences in the construction of sexual behavior do exist across cultures.

    As an anthropologist, I can state with confidence that sexuality varies tremendously between cultures. The notion that one is either "gay" or "straight" does not accord with what we observe in human sexual behavior, which is far more flexible. This categorization is an artifact of American culture, which glories in binary categories for classifying people. Folks that identify as "bisexual" (yet another ambiguous category) in the United States often get grief from both the gay and straight community for "deluding" themselves about their sexuality. Read More

  • Columbia Uni. welcomes Ahmadinejad - Sat, 22 Sep 2007 - Source: Agencies via PressTV

  • TEXT of President Ahmadinejad's Speech at Columbia University: 24. September 2007

For the Video of President Ahmadinejad's Speech click on the following links:

  • LA Times: Ahmadinejad, 'ME hero'  - 25 Sep 2007 - via PressTV - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has won the admiration of both Shias and Sunnis in the Middle East region, a reputable US newspaper says. "President Ahmadinejad has transcended national and religious divides to become a hero across the Middle East," the Los Angeles Times said in an article published on Monday. The articles points to the president's popularity among Muslims who believe that their leaders are too beholden to or frightened of the Bush administration. "I like him a lot," Mahmoud Ali, a medical student in Cairo, was quoted by the daily as saying. "He's trying to protect himself and his nation from the dangers around him. He makes me feel proud. He's a symbol of Islam. He seems the only person capable of taking a stand against Israel and the West. " People in the Middle East consider Ahmadinejad as the rallying voice of Islam, the daily concluded.

  • Ahmadinejad: Iran will not attack Israel - Iranian president says his country never sought to expand its territory, says reported IAF attack in Syria stemmed from 'Israeli expansionism' and had nothing to do with Iran. - 24 Sep 2007 - Associated Press via  Israel News

  • Ahmadinejad gets blistering welcome from university president - 24 Sep 2007 - Associated Press via  Israel News

  • Iranian Leader Addresses Columbia University  -Monday, 24 Sep 2007 - MyFoxNY.com -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is speaking at Columbia University. You can watch the speech in a live stream here on MyFoxNY.com. Ahmadinejad is also addressing the United Nations and may make a stop at Ground Zero during his visit to New York City.

  • Coverage Of Ahmadinejad Visit To New York City - Tensions Rise Around Columbia Campus -  24 Sep 2007 - MyFoxNY.com

  • Ahmadinejad: No Gay People in Iran - Says Country Doesn't Have Such a 'Phenomenon' -  24 Sep 2007 - MyFoxNY.com

  • Columbia Uni. welcomes Ahmadinejad - Sat, 22 Sep 2007 - Source: Agencies via PressTV






IRAN'S   HOLOCAUST  TV-SERIE
http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/sharhefilm.asp?code=0011109036106
http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/S-Images.asp?code=0011109036106&picnum=8
http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/S-Images.asp?code=0011109036106&picnum=9
http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/S-Images.asp?code=0011109036106&picnum=10
  • Iran launches Holocaust miniseries - Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST- Sep. 16, 2007                                                           It is Iran's version of "Schindler's List," a miniseries telling the tale of an Iranian diplomat in Paris who helps Jews escape the Holocaust  - and people around the country are riveted, tuning in every week to catch the latest episode.That's surprising enough in a country where hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has questioned whether the Holocaust even took place. What's even more surprising is that government media produced the series, and is airing it on state-run television. Even without Ahmadinejad's past comments, the series would be a surprise. The Holocaust is rarely mentioned in state media in Iran, school textbooks don't discuss it and Iranians have little information about it. Yet the series, titled "Zero Degree Turn," is clearly sympathetic to the Jews' plight during World War II. Scenes show men, women and children with yellow stars on their clothes being taken forcibly out of their homes and loaded into trucks by Nazi soldiers. "Where are they taking them?" the horrified hero, a young Iranian diplomat who works at the Iranian Embassy in Paris, asks someone in a crowd of onlookers. "The Fascists are taking the Jews to the concentration camps," the man says. The hero, named Habib Parsa, then begins giving Iranian passports to Jews to allow them to flee occupied France to then-Palestine - a fictionalized version of a true story. The series could not have aired without being condoned by Iran's clerical leadership. The state broadcaster is under the control of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomenei, who has final say in all matters inside Iran. The government even allowed the series to break another taboo in Iran: For the first time, many actresses appear without the state-mandated Islamic dress code. The producers wanted to realistically portray 1940s Paris, and thus avoided the headscarves and head-to-foot robes that all women must normally wear on Iranian TV. The show's appearance now may reflect an attempt by Iran's leadership to moderate its image as anti-Semitic and to underline a distinction that Iranian officials often make - that their conflict is with Israel, not with the Jewish people. Ahmadinejad sparked widespread outrage in 2005 when he made comments casting doubt on the Holocaust and saying the state of Israel should be "wiped from the map." His government organized a conference of Holocaust deniers and skeptics from around the world in December. About 25,000 Jews live in Iran, the largest Jewish community in the Middle East after Israel. They have one representative in the Parliament of the country, which is run mostly by Islamic clerics. The series has won support even from hardliners in Iran. Some of them argue that it links the Holocaust with Israel's creation, thus boosting an argument by Ahmadinejad that if the Nazi killing of Jews did take place, the Palestinians who then lived in Palestine should not have had to pay the price for it, by the creation of Israel after the war. "The series differentiates between Jews and Zionism. The ground for forming Israel is prepared when Hitler's army puts pressure on activist Jews. In this sense, it considers Nazism parallel to Zionism," the hard-line newspaper Keyhan said. However, if the series does aim to make that point, it has not done so - overtly - so far. And the series, which began in April, has been a revelation for some Iranians. It has pulled many away from more popular satellite channels, which are banned but which many watch anyway on illegal dishes. The fare on state TV is usually dry. "Once, I wept when I learned through the film what a dreadful destiny the small nation had during the World War, in the heart of so-called civilized Europe," said Mahboubeh Rahamati, a Teheran bank teller. Kazem Gharibi said he watches the series every Monday on a TV in his grocery store. "Through this film, I understood that Jews had a hard time in the war - helpless and desperate, as we were when Iraq imposed war on us," he said, referring to the 8-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. The series began in April with a love story between Parsa, the Embassy employee, and a French Jew, Sara Stroke, in the early 1940s - and many viewers say the love story pulls them as much as any history. After Paris is occupied by the Nazis, Habib decides to forge Iranian passports for many French Jews to save them from the Holocaust - starting with Sara and her family. The German government accepts his embassy's claim that the passport holders are from an Iranian tribe and lets them leave France. Habib is later imprisoned by the Nazis for espionage, in the TV show, after his forgeries are discovered. He then is released and returns to Teheran, where he is jailed again for forging passports. The Habib character is fictional but is based on a true story of diplomats in the Iranian Embassy in Paris in the 1940s who gave out about 500 Iranian passports for Jews to use to escape. Eight more episodes remain in the series, and viewers drawn by the love story between Habib and Sara are on edge as they await the finish. "I have watched the series from the beginning," said Sedigheh Karandish, a housewife and mother of two. "It's pulling me in to see what these two people do at the end. Hopefully, it will be a happy ending."

  • Iran's Unlikely TV Hit - Show Sympathetic to Plight Of Jews During the Holocaust Draws Millions Each Week -By FARNAZ FASSIHI - September 7, 2007; Page B1 (See Corrections & Amplifications item below.) -  
Every Monday night at 10 o'clock, Iranians by the millions tune into Channel One to watch the most expensive show ever aired on the Islamic republic's state-owned television. Its elaborate 1940s costumes and European locations are a far cry from the typical Iranian TV fare of scarf-clad women and gray-suited men.But the most surprising thing about the wildly popular show is that it is a heart-wrenching tale of European Jews during World War II.
The hour-long drama, "Zero Degree Turn," centers on a love story between an Iranian-Palestinian Muslim man and a French Jewish woman. Over the course of the 22 episodes, the hero saves his love from Nazi detention camps, and Iranian diplomats in France forge passports for the woman and her family to sneak on to airplanes carrying Iranian Jews to their homeland.
On the surface, the message of the lavish, state-funded production appears sharply at odds with that sent out by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called the Holocaust a myth.
In fact, the government's spending on the show underscores the subtle and often sophisticated way in which the Iranian state uses its TV empire to send out political messages. The aim of the show, according to many inside and outside the country, is to draw a clear distinction between the government's views about Judaism -- which is accepted across Iranian society -- and its stance on Israel -- which the leadership denounces every chance it gets.
"Iranians have always differentiated between ordinary Jews and a minority of Zionists," says Hassan Fatthi, the show's writer and director. "The murder of innocent Jews during World War II is just as despicable, sad and shocking as the killing of innocent Palestinian women and children by racist Zionist soldiers," he says.
Mr. Fatthi, 48 years old, is a well-known director of historical fiction for television. In the past, his work has focused on Iranian history. But he also dabbles in comedy, winning international critical acclaim two years ago for a hit feature, "Marriage, Iranian Style."
He says he came up with the idea for "Zero Degree Turn" four years ago as he was reading books about World War II and stumbled across literature about charge d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Paris. Abdol Hussein Sardari saved over a thousand European Jews by forging Iranian passports and claiming they belonged to an Iranian tribe.
VISIT THE WEBSITE• Official site for "Zero Degree Turn."1
Mr. Fatthi says he chose the title because the world at the time was in dire circumstances, offering few options for avoiding the terrors to come. Shot on location in Paris and Budapest, the show stars Iranian heartthrob Shahab Husseini and is so popular that its theme song -- an ode to getting lost in love -- is a hit, too.
"It's captivating. No matter where I am or what I'm doing, on Monday nights I find a television set and watch the show. So does every Jewish person I know here," says Morris Motamed, the lone Jew in parliament.
Mr. Fatthi enlisted the help of Iran's Jewish Association, an independent body that safeguards the community's culture and heritage. The association has criticized Mr. Ahmadinejad's comments about the Holocaust but has praised Mr. Fatthi's show.
Iran is home to some 25,000 Jews, the largest population in the Middle East outside of Israel. Iran's Jews -- along with Christians and Zorastrians -- are guaranteed equal rights in the country's constitution. Iran's Jews are guaranteed one member of parliament and are free to study Hebrew in school, pray in synagogues and shop at kosher supermarkets. Despite Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements, it isn't government policy to question the Holocaust, and the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hasn't endorsed those views.
While Iran makes it no secret that it considers Israel an enemy, it has been extremely touchy about criticism of its treatment of Jewish citizens. The show is seen as an effort by the government to erase the image that it may be anti-Semitic -- both at home among Jews and non-Jews, and abroad.
"In this show, you notice that a new method of political dialogue is being promoted that is more in line with the modern world," says Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a reformist cleric and former Iranian vice president.
The message appears to be grabbing the public. Sara Khatibi, a 35-year-old mother and chemist in Tehran, says she and her husband never miss an episode. "All we ever hear about Jews is rants from the government about Israel," she says. "This is the first time we are seeing another side of the story and learning about their plight."
The show also pushes Iran's political line regarding the legitimacy of Israel: The Jewish state was conceived in modern times by Western powers rather than as part of a centuries-old desire of Jews for a return to their ancestral homeland. In one scene, a rabbi declares it a bad idea for Jews to resettle in Arab lands. In another, the French Jewish protagonist refuses a marriage offer by a cousin, who is advocating the creation of Israel.
Iran has long used TV to shape public opinion, where newspapers and the Internet are seen as media for the elite. The state's control over radio and television is enshrined in the constitution. Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader, is not only head of the armed forces and the judiciary, but also the national broadcast authority.
"The regime appreciates the fact that to appeal to the masses, both in Iran and the Muslim world, television is the most important outlet," says Karim Sadjadpour, an expert on Iran at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
On any given day, the country's seven state-run channels broadcast a mostly drab offering of news, sports, cooking shows, soap operas and religious sermons. Political propaganda is constantly fed into the mix. Dissidents such as students or reformers are routinely paraded before cameras to read confessions after stints of solitary imprisonment.
A slick documentary-style program recently aired long interviews with two Iranian-Americans who were detained on allegations of working to overthrow the regime. The interviews -- in which the pair blandly admitted to meeting with Iranian scholars and dissidents, but not to attempting to topple the government -- were intercut with provocative scenes of demonstrations in Ukraine, where the U.S. encouraged groups that eventually staged the successful Orange Revolution in late 2004.
In July, Iran launched a 24-hour English-language satellite news channel called Press TV, joining the ranks of the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera. Its Arabic news channel, Al Alam, has been broadcasting news with an Iranian slant in the Arab world for several years.
Episodes of "Zero Degree Turn," broadcast in Farsi, can be seen outside of Iran on the Internet, either streaming live or downloaded at tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/sharhefilm.asp?code=00111090361062. It is also broadcast with English subtitles on the state-controlled Jameh Jam satellite channel, which is available on Europe's Hot Bird satellite network. Mr. Fatthi also says Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting has been contacted about selling the show to networks in other countries, but he doesn't know which ones.
Write to Farnaz Fassihi at farnaz.fassihi@wsj.com3
Corrections & Amplifications:

Press TV, a 24-hour English-language satellite news channel, was launched by Iran in July. An earlier version of this article incorrectly called the channel Pars News.

URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118912609718220156.html Copyright 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.
Hyperlinks in this Article:
(1) http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/sharhefilm.asp?code=0011109036106 (2) http://tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/sharhefilm.asp?code=0011109036106 (3) mailto:farnaz.fassihi@wsj.com


  • German envoy hails Iran-IAEA agreement - Vienna - 10. September 2007 - IRNA - 
    German Ambassador to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Peter Gottwald said on Monday that the agreement between Iran and the agency might hopefully prepare the ground for resolving the remaining issues on Iranian nuclear program.
    He told IRNA on the sidelines of Board of Governors meet that the agreement is a step towards responding to the questions which had remained unanswered.
    "We are waiting to see it work and hope to see it accomplish very soon."
    Gottwald said that as IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told the Board of Governors "we hope to see the matter be resolved within two or three years."
    Asked whether the UN Security Council may take another step against Iran while both Iran and the agency are working on the timetable, he said that there are two issues - one concerning Iranian activities in the past and the second is about the current activities which go in parallel with each other and "I cannot predict the outcome."
    "I hope to see progress in the two subjects and their coming back to the right track, the ambassador said.
    In reply to a question whether Germany and the European states are opposed to uranium enrichment by Iran, the ambassador said it is very complex. "But, we always said that Iran has the right to have uranium enrichment on the basis of Article 4 of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He said that there is problem concerning Iranian NPT rights which must be restored through confidence building.
    "We never said Iran has no NPT right, we call for confidence building."  Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (PDF) - IAEA
  • IAEA agreement shows Iran's goodwill, says deputy FM - London - 10. September 2007 - IRNA - 
    Last month's agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) shows Iran's goodwill to clear up any outstanding issues over the country's civilian nuclear program, says deputy foreign minister Saeid Jalili.
    If the main problem between Iran and the world community was that Tehran has not been transparent over nuclear experiments, then the IAEA agreement should address that, Jalili said in an interview with the Financial Times published Monday.
    The agreement to resolve any unanswered questions, which was hailed by the IAEA, was "another step to indicate Iran's goodwill," he said. "The only solution is to take it (the issue) from the Security Council and back to the IAEA," he said ahead of this week's meeting of the IAEA's board of governors that is expected to scrutinize the deal.
    Jalili said Iran had suspended its uranium enrichment program for two years in 2004 and 2005, under an agreement with European governments, but that all it got out of this was a demand that it shut down the program permanently.
    The daily said what it called the IAEA "work plan" had complicated the pursuit by the US and the EU of a new UN Security Council resolution to impose further sanctions against Iran.
    Two of the permanent members, Russia and China, it said, are likely to be more sympathetic to Iran's argument that the agreement with the IAEA should be tested before more measures are imposed.
  • Why Bush can get away with attacking Iran - Sun, 09 Sep 2007 21:47:34 - By JEAN BRICMONT, counterpunch.org
    Many people n the antiwar movement try to reassure themselves: Bush cannot possibly attack Iran. He does not have the means to do so, or, perhaps, even he is not foolish enough to engage in such an enterprise.
    Various particular reasons are put forward, such as: If he attacks, the Shiites in Iraq will cut the US supply lines. If he attacks, the Iranians will block the Straits of Hormuz. Russia won't allow such an attack. China won't allow it -- they will dump the dollar. The Arab world will explode.
    All this is doubtful. The Shiites in Iraq are not simply obedient to Iran. If they don't rise against the United States when their own country is occupied (or if don't rise very systematically), they are not likely to rise against the US if a neighboring country is attacked. As for blocking the Straits, this will just be another justification for more bombing of Iran. After all, a main casus belli against Iran is, incredibly, that it supposedly helps the resistance against US troops in Iraq, as if those troops were at home there. If that can work as an argument for bombing Iran, then any counter-measure that Iran might take will simply "justify" more bombing, possibly nuclear. Iran is strong in the sense that it cannot be invaded, but there is little it can do against long range bombing, accompanied by nuclear threats.
    China is solely concerned with its own development and won't drop the dollar for non-economic reasons. Most Arab governments, if not their populations, will look favorably on seeing the Iranian Shiite leadership humiliated. Those governments have sufficient police forces to control any popular opposition-after all, that is what they managed to do after the attack on Iraq.
    With the replacement of Chirac by Sarkozy, and the near-complete elimination of what was left of the Gaullists (basically through lawsuits on rather trivial matters), France has been changed from the most independent European country to the most poodlish (this was in fact the main issue in the recent presidential election, but it was never even mentioned during the campaign.)
    In France, moreover, the secular "left" is, in the main, gung-ho against Iran for the usual reasons (women, religion). There will be no large-scale demonstrations in France either before or after the bombing. And, without French support, Germany--where the war is probably very unpopular -- can always be silenced with memories of the Holocaust, so that no significant opposition to the war will come from Europe (except possibly from its Muslim population, which will be one more argument to prove that they are "backward", "extremist", and enemies of our "democratic civilization.")
    All the ideological signposts for attacking Iran are in place. The country has been thoroughly demonized. That in itself is enough to neutralize a large part of the American "left". The issue of course is not whether Iran is nice or not ­according to our views -- but whether there is any legal reason to attack it, and there is none; but the dominant ideology of human rights has legitimized, specially in the left, the right of intervention on humanitarian grounds anywhere, at any time, and that ideology has succeeded in totally sidetracking the minor issue of international law.
    Israel and its fanatical American supporters want Iran attacked for its political crimes-supporting the rights of the Palestinians, or questioning the Holocaust. Both US political parties are equally under the control of the Israel lobby, and so are the media.
    The antiwar movement is far too preoccupied with the security of Israel to seriously defend Iran and it won't attack the real architects of this coming war-the Zionists-for fear of "provoking anti-Semitism".
    Blaming Big Oil for the Iraq war was quite debatable, but, in the case of Iran, since the country is about to be bombed but not invaded, there is no reason whatsoever to think that Big Oil wants the war, as opposed to the Zionists. In fact, Big Oil is probably very much opposed to the war, but it is as unable to stop it as the rest of us.
    As far as Israel is concerned, the United States is a de facto totalitarian society-no articulate opposition is acceptable. The US Congress passes one pro-Israel or anti-Iran resolution after another with "Stalinist" majorities.
    The population does not seem to care. But if they did, but what could they do? Vote? The electoral system is extremely biased against the emergence of a third party and the two big parties are equally under Zionist influence.
    The only thing that might stop the war would be for Americans themselves to threaten their own government with massive civil disobedience. But that is not going to happen. A large part of the academic left long ago gave up informing the general public about the real world in order to debate whether Capital is a Signifier or a Signified, or worry about their Bodies and their Selves, while preachers tell their flocks to rejoice at each new sign that 'the end is nigh'.
    Children in Iran won't sleep at night, but the liberal American intelligentsia will lecture the ROW (rest of the world) about Human Rights. In fact, the prevalence of the "reassuring arguments" cited above proves that the antiwar movement is clinically dead. If it weren't, it would rely on its own forces to stop war, not speculate on how others might do the job.
    Meanwhile, an enormous amount of hatred will have been spewed upon the world. But in the short term, it may look like a big Western "victory", just like the creation of Israel in 1948; just like the overthrow of Mossadegh by the CIA in 1953; just like the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine seemed to be a big German victory after the French defeat at Sedan in 1870. The Bush administration will long be gone when the disastrous consequences of that war will be felt.
    PS: This text is not meant to be a prophecy, but a call to (urgent) action. I'll be more than happy if facts prove me wrong.
    Jean Bricmont teaches physics in Belgium and is a member of the Brussels Tribunal. His new book, Humanitarian Imperialism is published by Monthly Review Press.
  • Iran science minister discusses UNESCO director general  -  Iran-UNESCO-Maulana - 06 Sep 2007 - IRNA 
    Iran's Minister of Science, Research and Technology Mohammad-Mehdi Zahedi here Thursday held talks with Director of the United Nations Education, Science, Culture Organization (UNESCO) Koichiro Matsuuro. Zahedi, who is in Paris to take part in the commemorating ceremony of Maulana Jalaleddin Mohammad Balkhi, addressed the audience on the achievements in the recent Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity, which was held in Tehran from September 3-4.
    He underlined the need for honoring Iranians' scientific status in international circles, calling on UNESCO to employ Iranian experts in regional offices and the secretariat of the international body.  The minister assessed the outcome of the NAM's Tehran meeting as positive and thanked Matsuura for dispatching his deputy for human and social affairs to the summit.  Zahedi referred to the appointment of the new head of UNESCO regional office in Tehran, expressing hope that its level will improve in the fields of science, education and manpower.  Pointing to the establishment of a fund among regional neighboring countries to repair cultural and historical monuments in Iran, he called for signing a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the UNESCO in this respect.
    Appreciating the UNESCO efforts to revive historical and cultural monuments around the world, he noted that the Organization should pay more attention to the cultural heritage of Islamic civilization.  The UNESCO director general, for his part, praised Iran's efforts to hold NAM meeting and underlined the importance of cultural diversity in the current era.  Matsuura thanked Iranians for acceptance of head of new UNESCO office in Tehran, expressing hope that given the terms, the office can be upgraded in the scientific and technological fields.  He concluded that all countries worldwide are entitled to use global scientific achievements.
  • Iran's enemies target Islamic identity  - 04 Sep 2007 - PressTV -  Iran's enemies have tried to remove the prefix of 'Islamic' from the name of some of the institutions in the country to weaken the government. George Soros, the American financial speculator, says that a move by the late founder of the Islamic Republic to hold a referendum on the Islamic Republic of Iran was a wise step. "Drawing up Iran's constitution was his second wise step and with these two steps (Imam) Khomeini established the foundations of the Islamic state. We advised our friends to focus on two points to undermine the Islamic regime: first the Islamic identity of the regime and second the perfection of the constitution. These goals should not be followed among the ordinary people since Islam and (Imam) Khomeini are sensitive issues for them; but in open discussions in universities and intellectual circles, the Islamic identity of the regime could be introduced as a sign of discrimination and the elimination of the Islamic prefix could be pursued as a democratic move. Direct opposition to the regime's constitution could also incite sensitivities. This objective can be followed by casting doubt on the constitution…" Soros said. A member of Mojahedin Enghelab Eslami and Mosharekat parties has recently told a group of students that during the term of Mohammad Khatami as president, it was proposed that the Islamic prefix be eliminated from the name of students' organizations, so that everybody could freely work with them. "We argued that the move would create an atmosphere of competition, but some people said that you are seeking to separate students from Islamic values and norms." He suggested that it is not necessary to be committed to the constitution, adding that " Even we cannot be committed to Nahj al-Balagha (a collection of speeches and letters by Imam Ali (PBUH) ) since one cannot make sure that it has not been distorted ."
  • IRGC boosting its deterrence power  -  04 Sep 2007  - PressTV -  The commander of the IRGC says superiority in intelligence gathering and strategic missile capabilities are the strong points of the force. In his first press conference after taking office as Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Ja'fari said the IRGC is increasing its preparedness to boost its deterrence power. He added the IRGC is seeking to deter the enemies from launching any attack against Iran. The Iranian commander termed the ability of the IRGC in striking a devastating blow to the enemies from a short or long distance as the basis of the military force's preparedness.He warned that the foreign forces should leave the region as soon as possible as their withdrawal would be in their interest.
  • Arrogance 'will cause US downfall'  -    03 Sep 2007 - PressTV -  Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the arrogance of the United States will eventually lead to its collapse. Addressing a group of Iranian elite students, the Leader denounced Bush's latest verbal attacks as 'hateful, arrogant and violent' saying such threats cannot intimidate Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei added the hegemonic powers are sinking in the quagmire created by them, and they will eventually face collapse. The Iranian nation has never been intimidated by such a language of threat and it would bring these intoxicated and arrogant powers to their knees through wisdom and prudence, the Leader added. Ayatollah Khamenei termed the stance adopted by the US and its allies on Iran's nuclear issue as a clear example of their bullying policies. "Those countries tell us you should not have nuclear technology because we don't trust you. Those who tell us these words waged two world wars and resorted to military force wherever they could. Their atrocities in Hiroshima, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Kosovo exemplify their manner and performance. " Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that Iran has never started a military aggression since the Islamic Revolution. The Leader said Iran should become a scientific pole in the world, reiterating that the Iranian nation would use its scientific achievements to serve humanity. Ayatollah Khamenei described science as an integral part of power adding, "The US and some Western countries use their scientific capabilities as a means to exert pressure on other countries. Therefore, we should also resist them using science. " "That's why I have emphasized the importance of a scientific movement in recent years," the Leader concluded.
  • Official:Iran goes on with IAEA talks  - 03 Sep 2007 - PressTV -  Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Mostafavi says Tehran would continue nuclear talks with the IAEA until reaching definite results. He said that Iran was not after buying time in its negotiations with the agency but the talks should be given the required time in order to reach desirable results. The Iranian official added Tehran has set no time limit for the negotiations, adding that the settlement of outstanding issues depends on progress in the Iran-IAEA negotiations. "Iran and the Agency should maintain nuclear talks within a reasonable timing to reach a final agreement on the issue." Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister criticized the West for its "politically motivated" moves and added some western countries are insisting that Iran's dossier remain in the UN Security Council. He warned that hauling Iran's case before the UN Security Council was a wrong move and political considerations could hinder legal and technical approaches toward the issue.
  • UK prof. credits Iran's N-activities  -  03 Sep 2007 - PressTV -  A British professor stressed that Iran's nuclear program is perfectly lawful and in accordance with international rules and measures.  Paul Rogers, Professor at University of Bradford and Global Security Consultant to Oxford Research Group, emphasized that there has been nothing against international regulations and standards in Iran's nuclear activities. Professor Rogers, who has worked in the field of international security, arms control and political violence for over 30 years said according to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), countries that have agreed not to develop their nuclear armaments are allowed to expand their nuclear programs under the control and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "Since Iran has left its institutions open for inspectors to visit, what this country does is perfectly lawful and there is no proof of unlawful activity for that," said the expert.
  • Zionists pushing for an attack on Iran - 03 Sep 2007 - By Paul J. Balles, redress.cc via PressTV -  Those who follow what's going on in the world know that the invasion and occupation of Iraq were based on a myth created by the neo-conservatives in America, trumpeted by George W. Bush and spread by a Zionist-controlled media. That myth, a fictionalized account of non-existent weapons of mass destruction in Saddam Hussein's non-existent arsenal was created by "dual loyalists" in the American administration who wanted to eliminate any possibility of Iraq developing a destructive force that could endanger Israel. Now, a new assault orchestrated by the Zionists is moving forward on the basis of another myth: that Iran is developing a nuclear arsenal and wants to "wipe Israel off the map". The invasion of Lebanon was part of that myth. When Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers on Lebanese territory, the Israelis leapt at the opportunity to use that as an excuse to attack Lebanon, provoking Hezbollah to retaliate. The Israelis knew that if they provoked them, Hezbollah would respond in kind. While destroying Lebanon's infrastructure and murdering its civilians, the Zionist propaganda machine blathered its usual line about self-defense. The conclusion of the deceptive argument was that Hezbollah's attacks on Israel prove that Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map. The next part of the sham argument holds that since Iran wants to eliminate Israel, according to its president, and because it insists on its right to develop a nuclear capability, and as they're lying about wanting nuclear power for peaceful purposes, Iran must be attacked. However, Iran's president did not say that Israel should be wiped off the map. That interpretation of what Ahmedinejad said was based on a fraudulent translation of his speech. His comment was "Imam [Khomeini] said “This regime that is occupying Qods [Jerusalem] must be eliminated from the pages of history." Carrying the myth forward, G.W. Bush said, based entirely on the misinterpretation of Ahmadinejad's speech: The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally Israel. That's a threat, a serious threat. It's a threat to world peace; it's a threat, in essence, to a strong alliance. I made it clear, I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally, Israel. The truth was that Iran advocated a regime change in Israel. As Anneliese Fikentscher and Andreas Neumann observed, "To commute a demand for removal of a 'regime' into a demand for removal of Israel is serious deception and dangerous demagogy." The myth that Iran would be a nuclear threat to Israel is the most ludicrous part of the Zionist propaganda campaign and the most dangerous part of the neo-conservatives' deception. Iran could not conceivably consider a nuclear attack on Israel as long as they occupy what Ahmadinejad referred to as "our dear Palestinians". The only conceivable danger to Israel from Iran - even if Iran had nuclear weapons - would be (1) if the Palestinians were eliminated from Palestine, and (2) if Israel then attacked Iran. If Israelis keep harping on the myth about the potential danger from Iran, knowing that the Iranians would never target Palestinians, the only logical deduction is that Israel plans to rid occupied Palestine of the Palestinians. Zionist lackey US Senator Joe Lieberman has already urged America to bomb Iran. How many more lunatics will fall in line?
  • Iran denounces human rights violation -   03 Sep 2007 - PressTV  - Iran's FM has criticized the violation of human rights in certain countries, particularly the atrocities committed against Palestinians. Speaking as the Chairman of the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on Human Rights and Cultural Diversity, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the issue of human rights has been exploited as a tool to exert political pressure on independent states. Mottaki condemned the West's double standards regarding the issue of human rights, as evidenced by its secret prisons across Europe and the violation of rights of minorities especially the Muslims. "Today, even the United Nations' mechanisms are exploited." he said. "Using human rights as a political leverage against some countries is a double standard policy which has seriously tarnished the sacred cause of human rights."Mottaki insisted that improvements be made to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "because the Islamic viewpoints have not been included in it." Mottaki highlighted the dignity assigned to human beings in the teachings of Islam and said confronting the political and geographical hegemony needs firm will and cooperation on the international scene especially within the Non-Aligned Movement.On globalization, Mottaki said globalization should not justify the domination of a particular culture over others, but it should guarantee cultural diversity. "The NAM movement managed to materialize the theory of power without domination," he said. "The world expects to see a more influential NAM role in restoring justice and peace, because traces of the Cold War and double standard policies are still lingering." The foreign minister said the movement needs to focus on overcoming insecurity, instability and discrimination. At the end of his speech, the Iranian foreign minister thanked the NAM members for their massive participation in Tehran's meeting. The two-day meeting of Non-aligned Movement opened in Tehran on Monday to discuss human rights and cultural diversity.

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Nuclear News + Issues
  • INFCIRC/711, Information Circlular, 27 August 2007 [pdf] - Communication dated 27 August 2007 from the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Agency concerning the text of the "Understandings of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IAEA on the Modalities of Resolution of the Outstanding Issues" 

  • Report on Possible New Framework for Using Nuclear Energy - Report to IAEA Board Addresses Options for Assurance of Supply of Nuclear Fuel - IAEA Staff Report  - 15 June 2007 - Story Resources

    Information Circulars:
        Austria | Germany | Japan | Russia | UK
    A new IAEA report on a multilateral framework for nuclear energy presents a range of options that seek to guarantee supplies of nuclear fuel while minimizing proliferation risks. IAEA Director General ElBaredei presented the report this week to the Agency's Board of Governors. 
    The 90-plus page report - entitled Possible New Framework for the Utilization of Nuclear Energy: Options for Assurance of Supply of Nuclear Fuel - addresses proposals put forward over the past two years by various States and institutions. Some proposals call for the creation of an actual or virtual reserve fuel bank of last resort, under IAEA auspices, for the assurance of supply of nuclear fuel. This bank would operate on the basis of apolitical and non-discriminatory non-proliferation criteria. Others call for conversion of a national facility into an international enrichment centre. Still others call for the construction of a new, multinational enrichment facility under IAEA control. 
    "We are looking these proposals and their associated legal, technical, financial and institutional aspects," Dr. ElBaradei said. "Trends clearly point to the need for developing a new multilateral framework for the nuclear fuel cycle. And it´s clear that an incremental approach, with multiple assurances in place, is the way to move forward." 
    Such a multilateral framework could best be achieved through establishing mechanisms that would: 

  • assure the supply of fuel for nuclear power plants,
  • over time, convert enrichment and reprocessing facilities from national to multilateral operations, and
  • limit future enrichment and reprocessing to multilateral operations.
Such a framework is voluntary and States are free to choose their fuel options - no rights of States would compromised. 
Background:
The report comes at a time when more countries are expressing interest in nuclear power for electricity generation, to help meet rising energy demands. This would mean increased demand for fuel cycle services. It also means an increase in the potential proliferation risks created by the spread of sensitive nuclear technology, such as that used in uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing. In February 2005, the IAEA Director General issued a report on Multilateral Approaches to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. In September 2006, the IAEA organized a Special Event during its annual General Conference on the subject. The latest report was submitted to the Board for its future consideration and discussion, including a decision on the report´s public release.

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sees role for nuclear energy - 04 May 2007 - WNN 
    Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published its Summary for Policy Makers report on mitigation of climate change. The report acknowledged the role of nuclear energy as an option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but said that safety, weapons proliferation and waste remain as constraints.
    Current nuclear power is included as a 'key mitigation technology' in the field of energy supply while advanced nuclear power is considered key for the 2030 timeframe, alongside advanced renewables like tidal and wave energy, concentrating solar and photovoltaics. The text states: "Given costs relative to other supply options, nuclear power, which accounted for 16% of the electricity supply in 2005, can have an 18% share of the total electricity supply in 2030 at carbon prices up to 50 US$/tCO2-eq (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents), but safety, weapons proliferation and waste remain as constraints." A footnote in the report states that Austria could not agree to this text. Austria was concerned that by saying that nuclear energy could have an 18% share of global electricity supply the IPCC was projecting a significant increase in generation from nuclear power, especially when the huge projected increase in overall electricity consumption is taken into account. Greenpeace reacted negatively to the inclusion of nuclear energy in the report, stating that the IPCC had identified two "false solutions" in nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage. Bert Metz, co-chair of Working Group III stressed that the IPCC reports are technical reviews and do not make policy recommendations. The report concludes that there are mitigation options available that could be used to stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. Stabilization between 445 and 710 parts per million of CO2-eq would, the IPCC projects, result in a change in global gross domestic product ranging between a 3% decrease and a small increase. The report notes that to achieve the lower stabilization levels will require greater emphasis on low carbon energy sources "such as renewable energy and nuclear power." 
    Further information Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
    WNN: IPCC publishes report on impacts of climate change
    WNA: Policy Responses to Global Warming Information Paper


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OMV- NIOC - Heads of Agreement (Memorandum of Understanding)

  • Leitl verteidigt OMV gegen Drohungen der USA  und ist "voll und ganz hinter OMV" - 21 June 2007 - APAWien - Wirtschaftskammer-Präsident Christoph Leitl weist die Drohungen der USA gegen die OMV wegen des geplanten Gasgeschäftes mit dem Iran zurück. Es sei selbstverständlich, dass sich österreichische Unternehmen an Beschlüsse von UNO, EU, WTO sowie an die heimischen Gesetze halten, sagte Leitl bei einer Pressekonferenz am Donnerstag. Es könne aber nicht sein, dass ein einzelnes Land durch einseitige Beschlüsse etwas anderes beschließe und mit Sanktionen drohe, betonte Leitl, ohne die USA direkt zu erwähnen. Hochrangige US-Regierungsvertreter hatten die OMV und die österreichische Regierung am Dienstag davor gewarnt, das geplante Gasgeschäft mit dem Iran zu realisieren. Als "äußerstes Mittel" wurde auch die Anwendung des "Iran Sanctions Act" angedroht, der Strafmaßnahmen gegen Firmen ermöglicht, die mehr als 20 Mio. Dollar (14,9 Mio. Euro) im Iran investieren. Solche Firmen können etwa vom US-Kapitalmarkt ausgeschlossen werden. Die österreichische Wirtschaft stehe jedenfalls "voll und ganz hinter der OMV", betonte Leitl. 

  • Iran, Austria boosting economic ties - 12 June 2007 -  PressTV 
    Austria has always defended gas deal with Iran - Austrian Economy Minister has said the project to transfer Iran's gas to Austria and Europe is by no means against the EU regulations. At a meeting with his visiting Iranian counterpart in Vienna, Martin Bartenstein said Austria is willing to beef up cooperation with Iran in different areas. Referring to the agreements made between the officials of the Iranian and Austrian Chambers of Commerce, he said," Apart from oil and gas sectors, the two countries can embark on joint investment in Africa, Central Asia and Latin America." He described Iran as a significant source of energy supply to Europe, stressing the importance of energy security. Iran's Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Davoud Danesh Ja'fari, for his part, said the two countries are willing to expand cooperation in customs and taxation. He underlined Iran's strategic position in the Middle East and Austria's unique position in Europe, calling for enhancement of mutual economic ties. Iranian oil officials and the Austrian OMV signed three MOUs last April, based on which OMV will purchase liquid gas from the National Iranian Gas Export Company and will be cooperating with the Iran LNG plan scheduled to be completed by 2012. MRD/RE

  • OMV satisfied with Iran gas talks - 14/05/2007 - PressTV
    Austria's OMV says talks with Iran on a major gas deal were going well despite US pressure to prevent foreign companies from investing there. A board member of OMV Helmut Langanger said, "We are an Austrian company, I have to make sure that we stick to European laws," the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported. "OMV plans to lift 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year for delivery to European markets from the LNG terminal," Langanger said. "OMV is also pushing ahead with plans to develop Iran's Mehr oilfield," he said, adding," Development will start later this year and OMV is targeting first oil output from the field in 2010." "The project will cost several hundred million dollars and output will total about 40,000 barrels per day," he said. OMV is the operator of the Mehr block with a 34 percent stake. Spain's Repsol YPF and Chile's Sipetrol each have 33 percent stakes. OMV signed a preliminary agreement with Iran last month to develop an area of its giant South Pars gas field, build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and export the fuel. Iranian media reports said the deal could be worth up to $ 30bn over 25 years. The US had earlier voiced concerns over the Austrian company's deal with Iran.

  • Iranischer Vizeaußenminister weist Kritik an OMV-Deal zurück. Araghchi: "Haben stets gute Beziehungen zu Österreich" - "Der Irak ist das Problem der USA" -  04/05/2007 -   Der Standard 
    Der iranische Vizeaußenminister Sayyed Abbas Araghchi hat Kritik am 30-Milliarden-Dollar-Deal (22 Mrd. Euro) der OMV mit dem Iran zurückgewiesen. "Diese Kritiker kennen die Realität nicht: Iran genießt ein hohes Maß an Stabilität, das Land hat ein hohes Potenzial. Wir haben mit Österreich stets gute Beziehungen unterhalten, Österreich und Iran profitieren vom guten Gesprächsklima zwischen beiden Ländern", erklärte Araghchi in einem Interview mit der Tageszeitung "Die Presse". Außerdem rechtfertigte er die vom iranischen Präsidenten Mahmoud Ahmadinejad geäußerten Zweifel am Holocaust. "Wenn es ein solch schlimmes Verbrechen gegeben hat, wer hat dieses Verbrechen begangen? Etwa die Palästinenser? Warum muss dieses Volk für die Verbrechen Europas bezahlen?"  Außerdem sollte man die historischen Fakten studieren und erforschen, was wirklich passiert sei, sagte Araghchi. Zugleich beschuldigte er den Westen der Arroganz, weil dieser den Iran über Menschenrechte und das iranische Nuklearprogramm belehren wolle. Einen bewaffneten Konflikt wegen des Atomstreits fürchtet Araghchi nicht. "Die Amerikaner wissen, was Amr Moussa, Generalsekretär der arabischen Liga gesagt hat: Der Krieg im Irak hat das Tor zur Hölle aufgestoßen, ein Krieg mit Iran wäre die Hölle selbst." Auf die Frage, ob der Iran den USA helfen wolle, die Lage im Irak zu stabilisieren, meinte der Vizeaußenminister: "Der Irak ist das Problem der USA. Vielleicht hat man in Washington nun verstanden, dass man die Kooperation der Nachbarn braucht, um das Problem lösen zu können." Allerdings habe man in der Vergangenheit "sehr schlechte" Erfahrungen bei der Zusammenarbeit mit den Vereinigten Staaten gemacht und sei daher vorsichtig. Ein sofortiger Abzug der US-Truppen würde das Chaos im Irak noch vergrößern, fügte Arghchi hinzu, aber "wir brauchen eine Perspektive für einen Abzug der US-Truppen". Araghchi betonte zugleich das Interesse des Iran an Stabilität im Nachbarland. "Ich sehe das Risiko des Auseinanderfallens des Irak: Das Resultat wäre Chaos, ein Paradies für Terroristen und eine Flüchtlingskatastrophe ungeahnten Ausmaßes." (APA)

  • Envoy: Iran to export two bn tons of gas to Austria for 25 years- 28/04/2007 -  IRNA
    Iran's Ambassador to Vienna Seyed Mohsen Nabavi said on Saturday that based on the agreement signed recently between the Iranian and Austrian oil companies, 2.02 billion tons of liquid gas will be exported to Austria for 25 years. The agreement was signed by Austria's biggest state-controlled oil company, OMV AG, and National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). He told IRNA that despite some similarity between the countries on the two sides of Atlantic Ocean in their political and economic policies, their stance on energy and the way to supply it are not the same. Nabavi made the statement in response to the question about US pressures on Austria about this deal. "Given the shortage of hydrocarbon sources in Europe, European Union member states seek to guarantee the security of future energy supplies, in particular from the Middle East, including Iran," he added. About EU support for the signed agreement, he said that lower reliance of European Union on a single source to supply its energy requirements and the diversity of such sources is of strategic importance and the EU intends to make long-term investment in the energy sector. "Given the facility of access to natural gas, its transfer through pipeline in liquid form and the compatibility of natural gas with the environment due to its low emissions of environmental pollutants, consumption of this type of energy will increase in future among EU member states," he said. The Iranian diplomat said, "On the other hand, Europe's new energy policy aims to guarantee balanced relations between environmental sustainability, energy security and competitiveness." Nabavi said that Europeans need to invest 1,000 billion euros in infrastructural affairs and development of modern energy technologies to make energy sources and supply more diverse. "Besides, given the increase in oil price over recent years and the EU policy to reduce production of greenhouse gases, there will be more demand for natural gas," he said. The Iranian ambassador said that undoubtedly EU support for Iran-Austria agreement is mainly rooted in its growing energy requirements in future, particularly natural gas. 2326/2322/1412

  • EU explains Austria-Iran gas deal - 26/04/2007 - PressTV 
    The EU has said that US concerns about OMV's plans to develop Iran's gas industry does not mean the EU and the US have opposing energy policies. Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the European Energy Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs said, "We should not somehow think that because of the example of Iran we have a difference of opinion in energy policy with the United States because we have clearly the same basis. We are for the open markets, freedom of investment and ... the United States clearly supports us in the diversification efforts.” OMV, the leading oil and gas group in Central Europe, and Iran's National Iranian Oil Company announced a deal on April 21 that includes the development of some sectors of Iran's gas fields, a gas liquefaction plant and purchasing contracts for liquefied natural gas. OMV is currently involved in an offshore oil project in Iran. According to Iranian reports, the deal would be worth $30 billion over the next 25 years. "US concerns of the OMV deal stem from United States legislation that clearly does not allow the US companies to invest in Iran and the United States believes that it is counterproductive,” the EU energy commissioner explained. At the same time, Piebalgs also noted that UN Security Council resolutions do not prohibit oil and gas ventures with Iran, “To be fair, I'd say to the OMV no United Nations resolution prevents them from doing this,” he said. The US expressed concerns on March 23 about OMV's plans for a natural gas project in Iran at a time when Iran is facing international sanctions over its nuclear program. EU foreign ministers agreed on April 23 on new sanctions against Iran, after Tehran refused international requests to halt its uranium enrichment. The US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack was quoted as saying that the US will bring its concerns up with the Austrian government and OMV. Piebalgs said Washington is simply questioning whether this is the right time to do this investment, “It doesn't mean that there is a different policy (with the EU), just one particular issue - Iran - where the United States has very strong views as does the European Union,” he said. Support for OMV has come from Austria's government. Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik stressed on April 23 that "no general economic boycott" existed against Iran. Eager to reduce dependence on gas imports from Russia, the EU plans to expand cooperation with the Caspian states as well as Algeria, Libya and Iran on gas supply.

  • Breite Front gegen US-Einmischung- 25/04/2007 -- Der Standard 
    Trotz heftiger Kritik aus den USA zum geplanten Großprojekt der OMV im Iran spürt Österreichs Öl- und Gaskonzern Rückenwind. Unterstützung für die geplante Entwicklung von Gasfeldern und Weiterlieferung des Energierohstoffs nach Europa kam am Dienstag erneut von Außenministerin Ursula Plassnik, wobei sie sich im Gespräch mit dem STANDARD für eine klare Trennung der Atomsanktionen von anderen wirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten aussprach. "Ich plädiere für Nüchternheit und Sachlichkeit in der Debatte. Es handelt sich bei den Aktivitäten der OMV im Iran um einen Geschäftsvorgang, der mit dem Nuklearprogramm nichts zu tun hat und im Erdgasbereich angesiedelt ist", sagte die Außenministerin. Man setze die Sanktionen der UNO auf Punkt und Beistrich um, einen vollständigen Wirtschaftsboykott gebe es aber nicht. Die Sanktionen richteten sich ausschließlich gegen das Atomprogramm, nicht gegen die Bevölkerung des Landes. Und schließlich gehe es auch um die Energiesicherheit in der EU. 
    Vorvertrag - Wie berichtet, hat sich die OMV am Wochenende mit der nationalen iranischen Ölgesellschaft NIOC auf einen nicht bindenden Vorvertrag für ein Riesen-Gasprojekt verständigt. Dabei geht es um die Entwicklung von Teilen des South Pars Gasfeldes im Persischen Golf (siehe Grafik), den Bau einer Erdgas-Verflüssigungsanlage sowie Bezugsverträge. Alles in allem hat das Projekt einen Wert von knapp 22 Mrd. Euro – verteilt auf die nächsten 25 Jahre. Die USA hatten sich besorgt über die geplante Zusammenarbeit geäußert. "Vielleicht ist es nicht die günstigste Zeit für ... große Investitionen auf dem iranischen Gas-und Ölsektor, wenn der Iran (wegen seiner Atompläne; Anm.) mit dem Rest der internationalen Gemeinschaft im Konflikt liegt", sagte der Sprecher des US-Außenministeriums, Sean McCormack, am Montag in Washington. Washington behalte sich vor, im Falle eines Geschäftsabschlusses Sanktionen gegen die OMV zu verhängen. Dies entspreche dem "Iran Sanctions Act", wonach die USA Strafmaßnahmen gegen Firmen ergreifen können, die mehr als zehn Millionen Dollar (7,38 Mio. Euro) im Iran investieren. Solche Firmen können vom US-Kapitalmarkt ausgeschlossen werden.  Die OMV notiert nicht mit eigenen Aktien an der Wall Street, ist seit 1994 aber mit sogenannten American Depository Receipts (ADR) am US-Kapitalmarkt vertreten. ADRs sind Zertifikate, die im Fall der OMV von JP Morgan ausgestellt werden. JP Morgan hat die zugrunde liegenden Aktien in Verwahrung. 
    Ruttenstorfer: "Wichtiger Schritt" "Energiesicherheit braucht Diversifikation",     sagte OMV-Generaldirektor Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer. Er halte die geplante Zusammenarbeit mit dem Iran für einen wichtigen Schritt, nicht von Russland als einzigem Gasanbieter abhängig zu sein. Man halte sich dabei an alle österreichischen Gesetze, an alle Beschlüsse der EU und der UNO und auch an den unternehmenseigenen "Code of Ethics" zu den Menschenrechten. Unterstützung für die OMV gab es auch von SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ und BZÖ. Die Grüne Abgeordnete Ulrike Lunacek kritisierte das Timing angesichts der gerade verschärften EU-Sanktionen als "ungünstig". Bisher ist die OMV im Iran in einem Onshore-Erdölprojekt tätig. Über die weiteren Gespräche des Iran-Projekts wurde Stillschweigen vereinbart. Mit einem Vertragsabschluss jedenfalls sei frühestens Ende 2007 zu rechnen. Für Tobias Winter von der Raiffeisen Centrobank ist die Reaktion der USA zum OMV-Projekt "nicht überraschend gekommen", zumal auch die Banken angehalten worden seien, ihre Geschäfte mit dem Iran zurückzufahren. Das Projekt an sich sei "strategisch sinnvoll". (stro, mimo, APA, DER STANDARD, Print-Ausgabe, 25.4.2007) 

  • Austrian MP supports Iran-Austria gas deal - 25/04/2007 -  IRNA 
    An Austrian MP on Wednesday supported gas deal between Iran and his country's National Oil and Gas Company (OMV). Kurt Eder, who is head of economic commission of Austrian parliament, also told IRNA in an exclusive interview that the Europe economy requires gas to provide its energy. "I assume the mutual agreement completely correct, and support signing the gas deal," he said. Pointing to the US pressure to hinder in the way of the deal, he added that Austrian Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer underlined in the parliament session on the country's budget that his government will not permit other countries to interfere its internal affairs. The MP quoted the Chancellor as saying that the matter concerns economic policies of Iran and Austria. "All commitments and regulations will be implemented carefully, and Austrian government and the ruling Social-Democrat party rebuke the criticism of other countries," he noted. He clearly underlined that the project guarantees the energy supply of European countries.

  • Austria defends gas deal with Iran - 24/04/2007 - PressTV 
    Austria has dismissed US concerns over the deal recently signed between the Austrian OMV and Iran for development of Iranian gas industry. The head of the Austrian OMV Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer told reporters, "If one wants to provide energy security then one has to focus on diversification. Naturally, with this diversification we will keep to all Austrian laws, all decisions by the European Union, the United Nations Security Council and of course also our code of ethics in regards to human rights." Austria's Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik also stressed that "no general economic boycott" existed against Iran. "I see this deal also in light of energy security, that is an issue for all of us," she said on the sidelines of the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg. "Of course OMV would carefully examine all aspects of the deal with respect to the existing regulations," Plassnik said. The United States expressed concerns Monday about OMV's plans for a natural gas project in Iran. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the US will bring its concerns up with the Austrian government and OMV, even though UN Security Council resolutions do not prohibit oil and gas ventures with Iran.  

  • EU agrees Iran sanctions as Russia signs Bushehr protocol - 24 April 2007 - WNNThe European Union (EU) has agreed to implement sanctions against Iran, ahead of a meeting between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. The EU decision was taken at the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Luxembourg. In calling for a total, rather than partial, arms embargo, the EU sanctions go further than those already agreed by the United Nations after Iran refused to halt its uranium enrichment activities. The EU has also added further people to the 'travel ban' list - they are banned from the EU and their assets are frozen. The two negotiators are due to meet in Turkey on 25 April, in their first meeting since February. Iran remains adamant that it has no intention of halting its uranium enrichment programme, which it insists is solely for the production of nuclear fuel. However, the country is still "several years" away from producing fuel for its nuclear power station, according to Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation (IAEO). According to Aghazadeh, a plant to produce zirconium tubes to hold nuclear fuel rods has already been completed and a facility for making fuel pellets should be ready next year. On 21 April, the Iranian cabinet approved the establishment of three companies, specialising in enrichment, fuel production and waste. The companies - Uranium Processing and Nuclear Fuel Production Company, Nuclear Enrichment Company, and Nuclear Energy Waste Company of Iran - are all affiliated to the IAEO. Meanwhile, Russia and Iran have signed a new protocol on 'stable financing' of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. Irina Yesipova of AtomStroyExport suggested that the protocol would go some way towards solving the funding issues that have beset the project, but that some issues remained. Further talks are due in May. Disagreements over Iran's payments to Russia have contributed to delays to the startup of Iran's first nuclear plant, for which Russia is to provide the fuel.Further information Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom)
    WNN: Iran and EU fix date for meeting
    WNN: Iran: Enrichment confirmed, Bushehr delay acknowledged
    WNN: Insight Briefing: Iran rebuked by sanctions

  • EU verschärft Iran-Sanktionen und setzt auf Dialog - - (24/04/2007) -  Reuters - 
    Im Atomkonflikt mit dem Iran hat die Europäische Union ihre Sanktionen verschärft, zugleich aber die Bereitschaft zum Dialog mit der Islamischen Republik bekundet. Die 27 EU-Außenminister beschlossen am Montag in Luxemburg, abermals über die Beschlüsse des UN-Sicherheitsrates hinaus zu gehen, um die Regierung in Teheran zum Stopp der Uran-Anreicherung zu bewegen. Die Aussetzung dieses besonders kritischen Teils des Atomprogramms ist für die EU die Bedingung für formelle Verhandlungen mit dem Iran. Der EU-Außenbeauftragte Javier Solana kündigte an, sich am Mittwoch in der Türkei mit dem iranischen Chefunterhändler Ali Laridschani zu treffen. Auch der Iran und die USA zeigten Gesprächsbereitschaft. Die Sanktionen der EU und der Vereinten Nationen (UN) richten sich gegen Vertreter und Mitarbeiter des Atomprogramms, mit dem sich der Iran nach Befürchtungen von EU und USA in den Besitz von Atomwaffen bringen will. Ein Sprecher des Auswärtigen Amtes sagte in Berlin, es sei Ziel der deutschen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft, die UN-Sanktionen so schnell wie möglich in europäisches Recht umzusetzen. Bei dem Treffen Solanas mit Laridschani gehe es um die Frage, ob es eine Grundlage für neue Verhandlungen über das Atomprogramm gebe. Solana sagte in Luxemburg, auch er hoffe auf ein Signal der Verhandlungsbereitschaft. "Ich hoffe, dass wir unsere vor einiger Zeit nicht weitergeführten Gespräche darüber wieder aufnehmen können, ob wir uns auf Verhandlungen zubewegen können." Es wäre das erste Gespräch beider Spitzendiplomaten seit der Verschärfung der UN-Sanktionen im März.