Irancove @ January 24, 2008 # No Comment Yet
NIAC on the “Iran Democracy Fund:”
Washington DC – In a controversial move last month, Congress appropriated $60 million for a package of State Department programs designed to “promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Iran,” in part, by funding the activities of Iranian dissident groups.
While the numerical value does not differ […]
Irancove @ January 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet
via CNN
President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.
“In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it […]
Irancove @ January 23, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Farideh Farhi Via ICGA
Something interesting happened in Iran yesterday that some, particularly outside of Iran, are interpreting as a serious political blow to Ahmadinejad. I am not sure whether it should be considered a serious blow or more of an election maneuver on the part of the current speaker of the parliament speaker, Gholamali Haddad […]
Irancove @ January 22, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Source: AP
WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The study concluded that the statements “were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion […]
Irancove @ January 18, 2008 # One Comment
Via Informed Comment/USG Open Source Center:
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview with the police chief of Basra, Staff Maj-Gen. Abdul Jalil Khalaf. Therein, Khalaf denies that Iran is playing a negative role and stirring turmoil in the southern port city of 1.5 million. Khalaf was appointed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki about six […]
Irancove @ January 18, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Source: NIAC
By Babak Talebi
America’s political future will depend heavily on the Senate elections in 2008 because a surprisingly large number of the upper chamber’s 35 races are considered competitive. Each election cycle, a third of US Senators face re-election, and just like the House races described earlier, rarely are incumbent Senators defeated. This year, for […]
Irancove @ January 18, 2008 # No Comment Yet
On the Strait of Hormuz incident:
Prof. R.K. Ramazani
The recent naval encounter between the US and Iran extended their cold war for the first time to the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Such incidents could escalate into armed conflict, with catastrophic consequences for the world economy, especially the price of oil. To prevent such escalation, Washington […]
Irancove @ January 17, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Source: Nieman Watchdog
The head of the National Iranian American Council suggests questions presidential candidates should be asked about relations with Iran.
By Trita Parsi
Incidents at Sea
Q. Just recently, an incident in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf almost led to a military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. The naval incident reminded the world […]
Irancove @ January 16, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Very interesting article by Kaveh Afrasiabi on the legal ramifications of the strait “incident:”
The recent, and escalating, tension between Iran and the US in the narrow corridor of the Strait of Hormuz has once again drawn attention to the strait’s international maritime status, and to the ramifications of this tension as a flashpoint in the […]
Irancove @ January 16, 2008 # No Comment Yet
See IAPAC’s compilation of the 2008 presidential candidates for the Democratic and Republican primaries. Profiles include the candidates positions on civil liberties, immigration and US-Iran relations.
Irancove @ January 16, 2008 # No Comment Yet
NIAC profiles the presidential candidates’ positions on Iran. See NIAC’s page for more details on each candidate.
As the presidential elections draw near, Iranian Americans are faced with the challenge of gleaning candidate positions on Iran amidst a blur of sound bytes and vague rhetoric. Iran remains a key issue in both Republican and Democratic debates […]
Irancove @ January 16, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! interviews Craig Under, author of “House of Bush, House of Saud” about the sale of sophisticated weaponry to Israel and Arab states to isolate Iran.
AMY GOODMAN: The Bush administration has announced plans to sell Saudi Arabia around $120 million in sophisticated bombs. The sale would come as part of the […]
Irancove @ January 15, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Below is an intelligence assessment by Stratfor (subscription only, so no link) on the alleged confrontation between Iranian speedboats and US warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
by George Friedman
Iranian speedboats reportedly menaced U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 6. Since then, the United States has gone to great lengths to emphasize the […]
Irancove @ January 15, 2008 # No Comment Yet
NIAC’s Babak Talebi on the importance of primaries.
Irancove @ January 15, 2008 # No Comment Yet
President Bush from the transcript of Bush’s discussions with King Abdullah:
THE PRESIDENT: . . . We did spend time on Iran. The interesting issue on Iran is the effect of the NIE. And I went over the NIE with him.
I assured him that our intelligence services came to an independent judgment. I reminded him of […]
Irancove @ January 15, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Michael Hirsh of Newsweek reports on President Bush’s abandonment of the Iran Intelligence Estimate:
In public, President Bush has been careful to reassure Israel and other allies that he still sees Iran as a threat, while not disavowing his administration’s recent National Intelligence Estimate. That NIE, made public Dec. 3, embarrassed the administration by concluding that […]
Irancove @ January 14, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Via AP:
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a powerful parliamentary panel on Monday that Israel rejects “no options” to block Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, a meeting participant said.
The statement was the Israeli leader’s clearest indication yet that he is willing to use military force against Iran.
“Israel clearly will not reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran,” […]
Irancove @ January 13, 2008 # No Comment Yet
The Daily Kos reports on the escalation in the Persian Gulf and possible disastrous consequences stemming from an excessive anti-Iranian policy. Excerpt:
So how do you minimize the risk that a minor flashpoint will escalate quickly into a grave crisis? Not this way.
(Chief of Naval Operations) Admiral Roughead said he worried such behavior could have escalated […]
Irancove @ January 13, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Intelligence report from Swoop:
In May 2006 the US offered conditional talks with Iran, the condition being that Iran agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment activities. Our Administration contacts now tell us that an active debate is underway about whether to soften that condition so as to allow direct talks with Tehran. The publication in December […]
Irancove @ January 13, 2008 # No Comment Yet
The Navy Times reports on a mysterious prankster known as ‘The Filipino Monkey’ who apparently has a history of shouting insults and making spurious threats over the radio to ships in the Persian Gulf. Considering that the official video of the incident released by the US combines separate video and audio tracks—and is very […]
Irancove @ January 13, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Originally posted by Farideh Farhi at ICGA:
Calling for the American use of wisdom was Gholamali Haddad Adel, the conservative speaker of the parliament, as he was registering as a candidate for the upcoming March 14 parliamentary elections. “Last time Bush also advised people not to participate in the elections. His suggestions this time will also […]
Irancove @ January 12, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Juan Cole makes some interesting points questioning the allegations behind the Iranian speedboat case in the Persian Gulf. He points to this article in McClatchy where the Republican candidates debate the issue:
“One of the most animated exchanges came when the candidates were asked whether they backed the Navy’s cautious response recently when Iranian boats […]
Irancove @ January 10, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Source: CNN
The director of national intelligence said Tuesday he does not plan to make public any of the key findings of a soon-to-be-completed assessment on Iran’s nuclear program.
Mike McConnell said to do so could expose U.S. intelligence capabilities and enable Iran to change its practices.
The National Intelligence Estimate is intended to lay out the […]
Irancove @ January 9, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Source: IPS
WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (IPS) - It is by now almost routine. With recurring frequency, U.S. leaders tour the Middle East depicting Iran as the region’s greatest threat.
As such, President George W. Bush’s visit to the Middle East this week has historic precedent. But while the message often fell on receptive ears in the […]
Irancove @ January 8, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Farideh Farhi via NIAC:
“Unduly provocative” was the term used by Vice Admiral Kevin J. Cosgriff, who commands U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, to characterize the incident that just took place between the Islamic Revolution’s Guard Corps and the US Navy. In what was identified as an “encounter,” Admiral Gosgriff insisted, “the U.S. ships were clearly […]
Irancove @ January 7, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Jim Lobe on General Patraeus’ new stance on Iran:
In a new blow to the neo-conservative hard-liners at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), their hero, Gen. David Petraeus, has apparently concluded that Iran is indeed following through on its reported pledge earlier this fall to the Iraqi government to cut its alleged supply of weapons to […]
Irancove @ January 1, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Borzou Daraghi on the power structures in Iran:
By Borzou Daragahi
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 31, 2007
BEIRUT — Iran’s supreme leader spoke not with the thunder of a man regarded in his country as God’s representative on Earth, but with the exasperated tone of a corporate manager chastising his employees.
Ali Khamenei had ordered his deputies to […]