Hilfe unter Freunden X

The Kurdish Special Forces (Peshmerge) confirmed the allegation of the cooperation of the fundamental and radical Islamic groups with the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps in the invasion of South Kurdistan.

A commander of the Peshmerge Forces confirmed that Ansar al-Islam has been closely working and aiding the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in their invasion of South Kurdistan.

“Ansar al-Islam group has been fighting the Kurdish guerrillas of PJAK (Free Life Party of Kurdistan) shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian Revolution Guards,” said Selah Dilmani commander in chief of battalion of 18 in Balakaeyti in an interview with Rudaw News.

Mr Dilmani added, “Ansar al-Islam group has been guiding the Revolution Guards, for they well know these areas.”

“There are two groups of Ansar al-Islam, who are local Kurds from the districts of Qeladize, Sengser, Teteq, Kifri and Kelar. They have been guiding and assisting the IRGC in the fight against the Kurdish guerrillas,” concluded Mr Dilmani.

Quelle

Iran military head: ‚Zionists‘ are behind Norway terror attacks

Wie originell:

The head of the Iranian military on Saturday accused „the Zionists“ of being behind the terrorist attacks in Norway, the Iranian state-owned English-language broadcaster Press TV reported on Saturday.

The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Hassan Firouzabadi, said in a statement that „the Zionists are behind the terrorist attacks in Norway, as they fuel rightist sentiments, foster terrorism and use world people as their toys in pursuit of their objectives.“

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Kollaboration mit den Boykotteuren

Iranische Sportler boykottieren immer wieder Israelis – auch bei der Schwimm-WM in Schanghai. Das IOC schweigt weiter. Und schlägt sich damit auf die Seite der Boykotteure.

Den ganzen Artikel von Evi Simeoni lesen.

Iranischer Botschafter in Uruguay leugnet den Holocaust

In Einklang mit der Position des iranischen Präsidenten Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hat der Botschafter des Landes in der uruguayischen Hauptstadt Montevideo den Holocaust an den Juden bestritten. Die Aussagen von Hojjatollah Soltani führten zu massiven Protesten der jüdischen Gemeinde.

“Es wird gesagt, dass die Nazis während des Zweiten Weltkriegs zwei, vier oder sechs Millionen Juden ermordet haben. Dies wird als Holocaust bezeichnet und Israel will der Welt zeigen, dass es ein Opfer ist. Gleichzeitig fordern sie wirtschaftliche und politische Unterstützung von einigen Ländern in Europa”, so Soltani bei einem Treffen im Haus der Kulturen Uruguay-Schweden.

“Vielleicht wurden einige Tausend Juden getötet oder ermordet- wir wissen es nicht. Aber diese Zahl- zwei Millionen, vier Millionen, sechs Millionen-, das ist eine Lüge”. Angesichts dieser schwerwiegenden Aussage zeigte sich der Präsident des Zentralrats der Juden in Uruguay, Mark Israel, sichtlich erbost. Er forderte die uruguayische Regierung umgehend dazu auf, eine Beschwerde bei den Vereinten Nationen einzulegen.

Quelle

The Iranian general ’secretly running‘ Iraq

Martin Chulov im Guardian über General Qussem Suleimani und seinen Einfluss im Irak:

The US – and some key neighbouring Sunni states – believe Iran’s strategy in Iraq as the conflict winds down is to keep the country in a permanent but manageable state of chaos.

„They keep it on simmer and turn it up and down when they want to,“ said one Lebanese official in Beirut.

The senior US military spokesman in Iraq, Major General Jeffrey Buchanan agreed. „Their overall strategy has been to keep [Iraq] isolated from the rest of its neighbours and from the US, because that makes it likely that it will depend on Iran. They want Iraq to play a subordinate, weak role.“

Only Iraq’s lawmakers can stop the master-client relationship from becoming entrenched here. It’s a task that Kurdish legislator in the national parliament, Mahmoud Othman, fears may prove to be beyond his colleagues.

„Qassem Suleimani is the key man to every decision taken in Iraq,“ he said.

„It is a shame to have such a man playing such a role in this country. There should be a relationship between equals like normal relations with normal states.“

 

Sharp drop in Iran’s popularity in Arab world

Iran’s popularity in the Arab world has sharply dropped in the past decade, according to a new poll by the Arab American Institute presented in Washington, D.C on Wednesday.

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Erfolge in Afghanistan

Im afghanischen Präsidentenpalast gelten der Iran, Pakistan und China als verlässliche Verbündete, wie Karsais Freunde und Mitarbeiter erklärten. Im vergangenen Jahr räumte der Präsident offen ein, säckeweise Geld aus dem Iran erhalten zu haben, um seine Regierung zu finanzieren.

Quelle

Hezbollah on edge in face of Syria revolt

The unprecedented revolt threatening the regime in Syria has placed key ally Hezbollah in a tight spot and prompted the Lebanese militant group to adopt a more measured attitude, analysts say.

‘Hezbollah’s margin of manoeuvre is currently very limited because the strategic Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis is threatened by the revolt and this forces the group to act prudently,’ said Paris-based Middle East expert Agnes Levallois.

The Shia party, also backed by Iran, is the most powerful military and political group in Lebanon and is a key player in the new government formed last month.

But the upheaval in neighbouring Syria caught Hezbollah off guard and threatens its position, analysts say.

When the revolt erupted in mid-March, ‘Hezbollah initially thought the Syrian regime would be able to quickly put down the revolt and that it would not be affected,’ Levallois told AFP.

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Hundreds displaced by Iranian shelling

Nearly 200 families have been displaced in Iraq’s self-ruled northern Kurdish region due to Iranian shelling since mid-July of Iranian Kurdish rebels based inside Iraq, say officials.

“Since 16 July, Iranian forces have been shelling Iraqi villages near the borders and that has forced some 196 families out of their houses to safe areas,” said Hassan Abdullah Hassan, Mayor of Kalaat Diza, a border town in Sulaimaniya Governorate.

“The villagers have suffered big losses as many of the orchards where they cultivate fruit and vegetables were burned and their cattle killed,” he said.

Read more

Taubenschießen Iranian Style

Wenn der Iran US-Spionage-Drohnen abschießt, ist das deutsche oder westliche Mainstreammedien keine Meldung wert. Schließlich wäre es ja auch eine (unkorrekte) Katastrophe, wenn sich nun herausstellen würde, dass der Iran die Bombe auf seine Trägerraketen montiert. Dass in den letzten Wochen mehrere US-amerikanische und israelische Aufklärungsdrohnen über dem iranischen Luftraum abgeschossen wurden, sollte uns zu denken geben: Das iranische Atomwaffenprogramm steht kurz vor seiner Vollendung – und die westliche Appeasement- und Wirtschaftspolitik hat es ermöglicht.

US Spy Drone Shot Down by Iran over nuclear enrichment plant

TEHRAN (FNA)- A senior Iranian legislator confirmed earlier reports saying that a US drone has been shot down by Iran over Fordo nuclear enrichment plant in the Central Qom province.

Member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ali Aqazadeh Dafsari said on Tuesday that the unmanned spy plane was flying near the Fordo nuclear enrichment plant in Qom province when the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Air Defense units brought it down.

Honestly Concerned: Meldungen und Artikel zum Iran

Honestly Concerned mit Auszügen aktueller Meldungen zum Thema Iran aus seinem täglichen Nahost-Newsletter.

Stand: 20. Juli 2011

Dank an Ulrich Becker.

http://honestlyconcerned.info/bin/articles.cgi?ID=IR92011&Category=ir&Subcategory=18

Der „Islamischen Republik Iran“ geht es nicht gut

Wir?

Terrorismus?

Aber nie im Leben! (Heftiges Kopfschütteln, die Hand zum Schwören erhoben.)

Daß es der „Islamischen Republik Iran“ mittlerweile richtig dreckig geht – gelähmt von ihrem Wahldesaster im Sommer 2009 und nun auch noch hinterrücks vom Arabischen Frühling überrascht -, kann man auch aus solchen  Meldungen ablesen:

Tehran, suspected by Argentina of being behind the attack, is „ready for a constructive dialogue and to cooperate with the Argentine government to shed all possible light within the framework of the law and to help in preventing the investigation from continuing on an erroneous course,“ a statement said.

Iran „condemns all terrorist actions, especially the one against the Argentine Jewish centre in 1994, and declares its solidarity with the families of the victims,“ the statement added. (france 24)

Erinnert sei an den derzeitigen iranischen Verteidigungsminister, der von Argentinien durch Interpol gesucht wird;  und der vor kurzem bei einem Besuch im befreundeten Bolivien (der „Sozialismus des 21. Jahrhunderts“) eher etwas fluchtartig nach Teheran aufbrach, nachdem die Argentinier ihn entdeckt hatten. Das wäre doch schon Mal ein Anfang, wenn man ihn ausliefern würde… (als nächstes käme dann wohl die Salman Rushdie Edition der Khomeinistiftung. Aber das wirkllich erst ganz kurz vor Schluß).

Hilfe unter Freunden VI

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni backs offering $5.8bn in aid to Syria to bolster its economy, a French newspaper said on Friday, citing a report by a Tehran think-tank linked to Iran’s leadership.

Damascus has long been Tehran’s main ally among otherwise mainly hostile Arab states. After four months of popular unrest, Syria’s economy is reeling under the weight of strikes, reduced oil exports, scaled-back trade and international sanctions.

Its troubles have prompted Iran’s leadership to consider offering $5.8bn in financial help, including a three-month loan worth $1.5bn to be made available immediately, French business daily Les Echos said.

It added that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed the idea of the aid, which was outlined in a secret report by the Centre for Strategic Research, a think tank linked to the Iranian leadership.

It was not possible to independendly verify the report on Friday.

Iran, Les Echos said, could also provide 290,000 barrels of oil to Syria each day over the next month while helping to boost border controls to stop Syrians from fleeing the country for Lebanon with cash. 

Quelle

Honestly Concerned: Meldungen und Artikel zum Iran

Honestly Concerned mit Auszügen aktueller Meldungen zum Thema Iran aus seinem täglichen Nahost-Newsletter.

Stand: 14. Juli 2011

Dank an Ulrich Becker.

http://honestlyconcerned.info/bin/articles.cgi?ID=IR91611&Category=ir&Subcategory=18

Green Movement in Iran Issues New Manifesto in Wake of Arab Uprising

Editor’s Note: The following text was given to insideIRAN.org by a group of intellectuals who are leaders in the Green Movement in Tehran. They are also the authors of this manifesto.

We, dozens of groups of Green activists in Iran, have decided to offer several recommendations for the reform and strengthening of the Green Movement. These recommendations have emerged as a result of our experiences in Iran over the past two years as well as the experiences of those in other countries in the Middle East that recently have had popular revolutions aimed at overthrowing their dictatorships. These recommendations are the result of repeated discussions and debates among leaders of Green cells inside Iran, many of whom have suffered imprisonment, beatings, or other violence during demonstrations since the emergence of this popular movement.

The continued house arrest of the leaders of the Green Movement inside Iran and the conditions in which demonstrations have been attempted after their imprisonment requires that the Green leadership outside the country review and reform its tactics and strategy so that the great social capital obtained by the Green Movement after the coup d’etat of the summer of 2009 is not lost. Moreover, Greens inside and outside the country alike need to develop new tactics and strategies in order to utilize and channel effectively the ever-rising economic, political, and social discontent within our country and to ensure that the movement does not split or falter.

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American intervenes in Iranian army operation into Northern Iraq

US Jeffrey Buchanan said that they are ready to give support to Baghdad government. The speaker of American Legion in Iraq, Jeffrey Buchanan, has stated that they are ready to give support to Baghdad Government in order to get Iran to end attacks at the border with Northern Iraq. Iran has been bombing Qandil and areas on the borderline for two years drawing a strong reaction from the Kurdistan Region President Mesut Barzani.  According to Kurdish sources, the Iranian army has increased its military activity into the territory of the Federate Kurdistan Region in recent months.

Sozusagen ein Kollateralschaden

12 Tote, ein zerstörtes Hauptkraftwerk, ein zurückgetretener Minister. Die Meldungen über eine verheerende Munitionsexplosion in Zypern waren nicht ganz vollständig; explodiert ist da ein Haufen beschlagnahmter, unsachgemäß gelagerter und schließlich vergessener iranischer Munition,  die eigentlich einmal für Syrien – oder Gaza –  gedacht gewesen war…

„Our government’s position in this difficult diplomatic issue was that the material not be held in Cyprus,“ said Stefanos Stefanou, the government spokesman.

He said, however, Cyprus had no choice but take the arms cargo in after its suggestions it went to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon was rejected, and it received no answer from the Security Council that the material be sent to Germany or Malta.

The economic impact of the disaster has yet to be assessed. Just a mangled shell remained of the 700 million euro power facility of Vassiliko on Tuesday, a station which provided Cyprus with 53 percent of its energy. The crisis triggered rolling power and water cuts. […]

„Which idiot decided to place 98 containers of explosives in a compound … directly opposite the largest energy facility the Cyprus Republic now has?“ the daily Politis asked, splashing the word „Criminals“ on its front page. (Reuters via iran focus)

Iran’s Nuclear Threat Is Escalating

Aus der Feder des britischen Außenministers:

On 8 June, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Fereydoun Abbasi Davani, announced plans to triple Iran’s capacity to produce 20% enriched uranium, making even clearer the fact that Iran’s nuclear program is not designed for purely peaceful purposes. Since civilian nuclear power stations need uranium enriched to about 3.5% for fuel, plans to enrich any further rightly prompt questions.
Enrichment from natural uranium to 20% is the most time-consuming and resource-intensive step in making the highly-enriched uranium required for a nuclear weapon. When enough 20% enriched uranium is accumulated, it would take only two or three months of additional work to convert this into weapons-grade material.

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Schmieriges aus K.u.K.-Land

Nein, in die Bundesrepublik kommt der iranische Außenminister nicht, man wundert sich fast ein wenig, aber wenn schon nicht Berlin,  wer wird den unappetitlichen Gast in Europa wohl willkommen heißen? Einen Regimevertreter wohlgemerkt, den man zuerst einmal von der Sanktionsliste streichen mußte, damit er überhaupt offiziell in die EU einreisen darf. Na, wer wohl?

Following his visit to Slovenia, Salehi will head for Vienna on an official visit, which will take place at the invitation of his Austrian counterpart Michael Spindelegger.
[…]
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Sunday, Salehi reiterated that ups and downs in relations between Iran and European countries should not prevent discussions and expansion of ties.
“Iran is a strategic and very important country to the European Union,” he stated.
He added that Iran can be an important energy supplier to Europe. (Press TV)

Auch immer in Rechnung gestellt, daß Salehi das einzig noch nach außen vorzeigbare Gesicht des Regimes ist, der anbiedernde Ton der Propaganda spricht Bände. Da werden mittlerweile doch etwas kleinere Brötchen gebacken.

Stabil, stabiler, am allertollstensuperstabil

Das Regime der „Islamischen Republik Iran“ ist von inneren Konflikten gelähmt, die Wirtschaft kracht zusammen und alle hassen sich gegenseitig? Na und? Man kann das auch anders sehen, oder wie sagte der iranische Außenminister jüngst im Fernsehen:

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi says the Islamic Republic is “an absolute power” in the region and the world of Islam.

Referring to scientific, technological, economic, cultural, and public hygiene levels as power indexes of a country, the Iranian foreign minister said that such important indicators are reflective of the fact that the “Islamic Republic has turned into an indisputable power” and that it is gradually establishing such clout at the global stage, IRNA reported Saturday. (Press TV)

Und weil doppelt besser hält, legt der Innenminister nach: Minister of Interior Mostafa Mohammad Najjar has declared that Iran is „an island of calm and stability“. (enduring america)

Stabilität? Eine Insel der Stabilität? Da fragt man sich doch nur noch, wann die Bundesregierung auch Leopardpanzer in den Iran liefert.

Scharfe Kritik an Dialogoffensive des Bundestags mit Iran

STOP THE BOMB protestiert auf das schärfste gegen eine neue Dialogoffensive deutscher Politiker gegenüber dem iranischen Regime. In der letzten Woche wurde nicht nur eine Delegation des iranischen Parlaments (Majlis) vom Bundestag empfangen, sondern außerdem mit Ali Asghar Soltanieh, dem iranischen Botschafter bei der IAEA, und Irans Botschafter Alireza Sheikh Attar zwei hochrangige Vertreter des iranischen Regimes zu einer Konferenz in das Auswärtige Amt eingeladen. Die Konferenz, die als 59. Pugwash Konferenz vom 1.-4. Juli in den Räumen des Auswärtigen Amts stattfand wurde auch vom deutschen Außenministerium finanziert.

Damit stehen deutsche Politiker wieder einmal an der Spitze westlicher  Angebote an den Iran. Michael Spaney, Sprecher der STOP THE BOMB Kampagne, kritisiert diesen Kurs: „Während sich deutsche Politiker mit einer Unterstützung der Freiheitsbewegung im Iran zurückhalten, preschen sie beim Dialog mit den offiziellen Vertretern des antisemitischen und diktatorischen Regime nach vorne. Der internationalen Öffentlichkeit wird suggeriert, es gäbe die Möglichkeit, im Dialog mit dem iranischen Regime etwas zu erreichen. Das ist aber Augenwischerei und spielt der iranischen Propaganda in die Hände.“

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Arguing pirates on a sinking ship ….

Caroline Glick über die Lage im Iran:

From Iran’s perspective, the prospect of a renewal of the Green Movement anti-regime protests is the gravest threat facing the regime today as it reaches the nuclear threshold. As Iran expert Michael Leeden wrote this week at Pajamas Media, the Iranian regime itself is plagued by internal fissures due to escalating estrangement and rivalry between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme dictator Ali Khamenei.

Their infighting can be compared to pirates arguing over the division of their stolen loot as their ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Iran’s economy is failing. Its inflation rate is around 50%. Its people hate the regime. Lacking the ability to win the public over through politics, since the Green Movement protests in 2009 the regime has simply terrorized the Iranian people into submission.

Their fear of their people has only grown since the anti-regime protests in the Arab world began last December. And in line with this heightened fear, the regime has tripled its rate of public executions since the start of the year.

The Iranian regime understands that if Syria falls, it is liable to lose its ability keep its people down.

Catalyze regime change

It is truly now the responsibility of the global community to catalyze regime change by actively supporting the opposition in Iran, as it is emphasized that such changes in Iran are necessary for the demands of protesters in the Gulf region to ever come into fruition.

Quelle

Statements and actions in Support of International Day against Stoning

Ann Brusseel of the Flemish parliament: will issue a resolution for 21 July (Belgian National Day) urging the Federal government to take action on violations of human rights and crimes against humanity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Statement from Women Council of Belgium: Democracy contains the same values everywhere and we must defend it in the same way all over the world. What reasonable person, whether European or from elsewhere, can still be in favor of stoning? Or female genital mutilation? Or hanging homosexuals? Or confining women at home? Women are more than half of humanity! Stoning is among the most the barbaric violence of the 21st century and massacres against women are perpetrated over and over again! In Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Yemen, to name the main countries, death by stoning is still a punishment to which women – mostly – are still subject to… And ironically among these countries some have signed conventions of Human Rights. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has languished for too many years in an Iranian jail.

Alle Statements lesen

Iran can and must be stopped

With the world riveted by protests in Syria and the uprising in Libya, everyone seems to have forgotten the most important issue: Iran’s breathless pursuit of nuclear weapons. But the dearth of attention in no way reflects a lessening of the threat, as the ayatollahs march steadily closer to developing an atomic arsenal.

We all know full well what they plan to do with such weapons should they succeed in building them, as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made abundantly clear.

Indeed, just last week, in two separate appearances, the “Tyrant of Tehran” went out of his way to rail against Israel, labeling it “Satanic” and asserting that the Jewish state is the root of all evil.

Some like to mock the Iranian leader, portraying him as a nut. He most certainly is, but we must still take him at his word.

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