Nuclear Iran, Reloaded

Iran did not threaten US ships in the Persian Gulf (The Full Video)

2008-01-13T17:54:00.000-05:00

The full video of the Strait of Hormuz incident (about 40 minutes) can now be found on You tube. (thanks to Cernig for his post). The full video shows that THERE NEVER WAS ANY THREAT FROM THE IRANIAN BOATS.Pentagon's video in five parts:Part 1:Part 2:Part 3:Part 4:Part 5:IRGC video:CONCLUSIONS by Cernig:First observation - the first part of the radio exchange accords with the Iranian version

Strait of Hormuz incident

2008-01-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

(please see my next post regarding this issue as well: Iran never threatened the US ships)by Steve Bell (2007) Watch the recently released video of the Sunday incident in the strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf:Also donwload and watch the official DoD release (via Cernig).The Iranian officials have called this video fake and fabricated: "The footage released by the U.S. Navy was compiled using

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Here is a picture of christmas celebration in one of the curches in Tehran. You can find more pictures on MehrNews' website here and here.

United States' 2008 Presidential Candidates

2008-01-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

Do you know which candidate comes closest to representing your views? Take this test to find out:(the link was taken from Dennis Kucinich's website)

Another use for US-backed MeK

2007-12-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

It seems that MeK members have become useful one more time. Well, as far as your Haji (dash-mashti slang for 'I') is concerned, MeK is recognized as a terrorist organization in the United States. But, they are free to hold press conferences, collect donation money in the streets, have offices, etc.. Furthermore, they are protected in their camp in Iraq and are still armed. And yet, it is Iran

The source of the new intelligence report on Iran's Nuclear Program

2007-12-09T13:29:00.000-05:00

THE AUSTRALIAN claims that the original source of the new NIE report on Iran's nuclear program is Ali Reza Ashgari, an Iranian general, who fled Iran to Turkey last February. This report, despite its minor inconsistencies with the realities on the ground, is a very interesting read. By minor inconsistencies, I am referring to this sentence:He [Ali Reza Ashgari] confirmed the regime had been

Seymour Hersh on the recent NIE

2007-12-08T17:19:00.001-05:00

Iran's nuclear file must now return from UN Security Council to IAEA

2007-12-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

CASMII's recent Press Release:The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran, issued on December 3, refutes the US and Israeli accusations that Iran has a covert nuclear weapons programme. The statement vindicates Iran’s claim that the decision by the Governors Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report its nuclear file to the UN Security Council in February 2006 and the

NIC report

2007-12-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

National Intelligence Council (NIC) has recently published a report (PDF) entitled "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities". This report has found its place in the media under two different sets of titles, depending on the political orientation of the author:There are those who want to put Bush at fault and say "Report contradicts Bush on Iran nuclear program". And there are those who want to

IAEA reported significant cooperation, but AP concludes that more UN sanctions should be imposed

2007-08-30T23:50:00.000-04:00

Despite the fact that Iran's Plutonium-experiment issue (one of the few outstanding issues of Iran's nuclear activities) was recently resolved, and despite the fact that IAEA and Iran created a work-plan/timetable for to resolve the remaining issues, many mainstream media outlets try to downgrade such deals and convey the wrong impression. This is an example:VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- The

New pictures of British marines

2007-04-09T00:54:00.000-04:00

BC Persian reports that Al-Alam TV (Official Iranian state television, but in Arabic) recently showed more pictures of the 15 British marines playing ping-pong and having fun. The new footage shows Lt Felix Carman joking around in front of the cameraman. The interesting part is that Lt Carman was the one who was complaining the most about the way he was being treated in Iran. (picture is taken

What We Can Learn From Britain About Iran

2007-04-07T12:03:00.000-04:00

VALI NASR and RAY TAKEYH have recently analyzed the British-Iranian standoff in an article they published in the New York Times. From the outcome of the standoff they conclude that:"just as Iran will meet confrontation with confrontation, it will respond to what it perceives as flexibility with pragmatism"This conclusion, in my opinion, is very well consistent with Iranians pride and prestige,

15 British marine in Iran

2007-03-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

I can't tell whether the captured soldiers were in Iranian waters or not. (Read cernig's intensive follow-up on the story). Even if they were captured in Iranian waters, Iran has shown that her territories are well protected and there is no need to hold the captured soldiers.I have no doubt that they will be treated well, and that they will be given souvenirs when they leave Iran, but they should

Engineering an Empire - The Persians

2007-03-11T01:47:00.000-05:00

History Channel aired a very interesting program about history of Achaemenid empire last Monday. I found it on YouTube:Part 1:Part 2:Part 3:Part 4:Part 5:

Forget about Iran's non-existent nuclear b0mb. Focus on their new Google B0mb.

2007-03-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

Forget about Iranian's non-existent nuclear weapon. Focus on their new weapon: (by LegoFish)Iran's next G000gle b0mb is about to explode. The first Iranian G000gle b0mb project was about the non-existent arabian gulf. It was organized by one of the Iranian bloggers, LegoFish. The project was a success. Try it by G00gling arabian gulf and looking at the first result. It is a spoof page saying that

Will Iran and US talk? --------- A New Theory

2007-03-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

(picture adopted from here) There is a possibility that the US government is following the advice of Iraq study group while it wants to show that it is not. This is why: If the US goverment wanted to publicly embark on the advice of Iraq-Study-Group and negotiate with Iran, it would have had no strong hand on the negotiating table. It would have appeared weak, begging for help in Iraq. Now, with

An Insightful comment by Andy, the NonPartisanPundit

2007-02-26T15:08:00.000-05:00

[This post is not yet complete]A couple of days ago, I left a comment in Dave Schuler's blog about non-existence evidence of a nuclear weapons program in Iran. I received the following very interesting response by Andy.There is nothing conclusive on an Iranian nuclear weapons program, but the circumstantial evidence is compelling. A quick rundown:1. Their enrichment program was completely

Deja Vu edition

2007-02-26T02:23:00.000-05:00

Are US accusations correct? Or they were preplanned to impose another war on the region? Read the followings:1. UN nuclear group says data on Iran flawed2. Most U.S. tips fingering Iran false3. U.N. calls U.S. data on Iran's nuclear aims unreliable

TARGET IRAN: Scott Ritter and S. Hersh

2007-02-23T14:52:00.000-05:00

I found the following videos on YouTube. It is very interesting and a must-watch for my friends.Part 1:Part 2:

Iran's Iraq-involvement evidence

2007-02-19T22:06:00.000-05:00

President Bush accuses Iran of meddling in United States' meddling in Iraq. Why should I believe someone who has made false accusations before? I'd believe it only if the evidence is examined in a court with representatives from both sides: US and Iran.CERNIG has a very interesting post about Iran's Iraq-involvement. He questions both the evidence and the arguments used provided by the Bush

War is evil

2007-02-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

War is evil.Calling it "preemptive" is crooked.

Saddam used Chemical Weapons with Honor

2006-12-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Saddam told the court:"In relation to Iran, if any military or civil official claims that Saddam gave orders to use either conventional or special ammunition, which as explained is chemical, I will take responsibility with honor"Very nice of him to bring this important issue up. This outrageous act has never seemed important to the eyes of Iraq-ican court of justice.Let's see if the US-media will

Iranian-American Student Abused by UCLA UCPD with taser gun

2006-11-17T13:09:00.000-05:00

An Iranian-American UCLA student was tased by UCPD. Read the full coverage of the story here.Since the video footage starts after the arrival of the police, I can't comment on whether what the student did was right or wrong, but tasering someone and asking him to stand up, and tasering him again because he couldn't do so is "abuse of power". Specially when he repeats several times that "I said

The hammer story

2006-11-05T01:21:00.000-05:00

True, if one has a hammer, all problems look like nails. The real trouble begins when one thinks that the hammer might be the right solution for headaches too.

Life as an Iranian Jew

2006-09-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

A very interesting documentary about the life of Iranian Jews by BBC. (Real Video link)

Solana-Larijani talks. What's wrong with CNN?

2006-09-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

Although I am not a fan of the way Ali Larijani thinks, I admire his intelligence and quickwittedness (he is a Sharif graduate, no wonder). I think he did a good job in preparing a response to the package offered by 5+1. One can imagine that the Persian version is better! (picture is taken from BBC)I honestly don't know what is being discussed behind the closed doors. Whatever it is, it has had

Anousheh Ansari's Launch

2006-09-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

I am watching the launch of Soyuz spacecraft from NASA TV.To view the live coverage directly on your Windows Media Player, copy and paste the following link into its OPEN URL window: http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1369080&segment=149773

The full text of Iran's response to the package of incentives

2006-09-12T20:59:00.000-04:00

The full text of Iran's response to the package of incentives (offered by 5 European countries+USA on June 6, 2006) has been reproduced by ISIS and can be found in PDF format. (The link is taken from ).David Albright and Jacqueline Shire have studied the document. Here is the link to their report. (also from ISIS website).

why is Iran pursuing an indigenous nuclear fuel cycle?

2006-09-04T03:36:00.000-04:00

Dave Schuler has recently posted some well-written well-argued pieces in his interesting blog (The Glittering Eye) about Iran's nuclear program. Andy and I usually participate in his discussions.In his recent "taged as Iran" posts, he provides a link to an interesting report (PDF) about whether Iran's nuclear program is economically sound.The report raises a good point and reveals a very

Yesterday's solution stragedy is today's problem!

2006-09-02T01:43:00.000-04:00

This is ad from 1970's and I have nothing to add.Thanks to Sima for the link.Picture from Iranian.com.

Iran is no threat to ... the Zionist regime

2006-08-26T10:49:00.000-04:00

(picture taken from CBSnews.com)AFP reports and BBC-persian confirms that Ahmadinejad has said: "We are no threat to any nation, even the Zionist regime".I see this moderate comment as a direct consequence of Pres. Ahmadinejad's talk with Mike Wallace in the CBS's "60 minutes" show. What I am trying to conclude is that talking provides a layout for understanding and peace. On the contrary, in my

Iranian-American space tourist (amateur astronaut)

2006-08-26T03:11:00.000-04:00

The forth space tourist and the first female space tourist (amateur astronaut) is the US entrepreneur Anousheh Ansari. This Iranian born lady is a co-founder of Telecom Technologies Inc., a Texas-based company. I was amazed when I saw her wearing a suit with both American and Iranian Flags. (pictures are taken from BBC-Persian and Iranian.com)update: more photosAnousheh and her husband were the

VOA's "Iran's Desire for Nuclear Power v. the Ability to Maintain It"

2006-08-26T01:17:00.000-04:00

To: Patrick Clawson,I read your remarks about Iran's nuclear program on VOAnews.com and I would like to comment:I am pretty sure that you know that construction of Bushehr Reactor started well before revolution and the designs/designers were mostly American/European.I am also pretty sure that you know that researchers from Stanford Research Institute recommended production of 20,000 MW of

The two Romanian Oil Rigs in the Persian Gulf

2006-08-25T16:02:00.001-04:00

Reportedly, Iran has attacked a Romanian Oil Rig. Although Iranian officials have denied attacking the rig, they have confirmed that Iran has prevented the rig's removal from the Kish Island.Whereas the story, as it is mentioned in BBC-English, is very vague and poor in content, the BBC-Persian has a detailed coverage of the issue.BBC-English coverage of the issue: Iran 'attacks Romanian oil

Ahmadinejad for Dummies

2006-08-25T15:58:00.000-04:00

Frankly, I was not was sure whether to call this post "Ahmadinejad for Dummies" or "Ahmadinejad in 60 Minutes".Anyways, Mike Wallace interviewed the Iranian President Ahmadinejad in CBS' "60 Minutes".part 1 (RealAudio video)part 2 (RealAudio video)part 3 (RealAudio video)The interview is quite informative.Update:Since the above links are now broken, I am posting the updated links here:part 1 (

Hoder says: "Iran Needs Nuclear Weapons"

2006-08-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

Hoder, a well-known Persian blogger, has recently written a piece in his blog at WashingtonPost.com about Iran's nuclear program. In his piece, he says that he thinks Iran needs a nuclear bomb to strengthen herself against the not-so-talked-about threats of the nuclear countries in the region, namely, Pakistan, India, and even China. He also suggests that Iran should normalize its relations with

The precondition for talks on "Iran's nuclear program" is its suspension

2006-06-02T22:17:00.000-04:00

Condi Rice has played it pretty smart this time: US will join European talks with Iran only if the Iranians suspend their nuclear program. If the Iranians accept the offer of talks, the US wins. If they don't accept the offer, US wins also.I don't think that this offer is an offer to Iran, but it is an offer to silence the voices wanting direct US-Iran talks. Some others characterize it as a "

The Persian Complex

2006-06-01T07:14:00.000-04:00

The Persian Complex is a nice OP-ED and a must-read in New York Times by Abbas Amanat, an Iranian Professor in Yale University. He describes Iran's insistence on its sovereign right from a historical point of view.He discusses how Iran was deprived of basic technologies such as railroad from the 1870's to the 1920's and what happened to the man who built the railroad. He also discusses how the

The story of two letters

2006-05-11T02:04:00.000-04:00

After Ahmadinejad's letter to Bush (PDF) was dismissed by the whitehouse officials and was labeled as provocative and accusing, Dr. Rohani sent a second letter (Iran's Nuclear Program: The Way Out), not to Bush, but to "the international community", whose representative is in the US !.Ahmadinejad's letter: As I have concluded before, Ahmadinejad has three ball but no experience, and that is why

Washington Journal, Interview with Javad Zarif

2006-05-07T17:06:00.000-04:00

C-Span has done an interview with Javad Zarif: videoIn this video he tries to answer questions about Iran's nuclear program, Iraq policy, and Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel. What a tough job he has.

Intelligence²: The threat posed by Iran has been grossly exaggerated

2006-04-30T02:52:00.000-04:00

Intelligence² is an organisation that holds sessional debates on different issues reported on the media. "Intelligence² takes information and analysis as its raw material, and translates this into discussion, conversation, and sexy debate."Their session on April 25th was on the following statement:The threat posed by Iran has been grossly exaggeratedSpeaking for the motion: Iradj Bagherzade, Dr

Iran: The Next Neocon Target

2006-04-29T03:47:00.000-04:00

I recommend following the link below and listening to what Ron Paul has to say:Iran: The Next Neocon Target

Ahmadinejad: Three Balls and No Experience

2006-04-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

UN security council has asked Iran to re-establish "full and sustained suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities". Iran has not yet done so, but they still have a little bit of time left. If they don't do it by the deadline, I'll be certain that Ahmadinejad has 3 balls, but no experience. He is either so sure that nothing will happen, or he is stupid.This is the best time

We Do Not Have a Nuclear Weapons Program - New York Times

2006-04-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

An Op-Ed by Javad Zarif, Iran's Embassador to UN:We Do Not Have a Nuclear Weapons Program - New York Times

Inalienable Right

2006-03-29T11:52:00.000-05:00

Larijani: "Nuclear Energy is our inalienable right"(by Nikahang Kowsar)

Al-Ahram Weekly | Opinion | In Focus: War by proxy

2006-03-24T01:25:00.000-05:00

In his recent post, Cernig points to an interesting article by Galal Nassar in Al-Ahram Weekly, in which Nassar describes the difficulties of a military strike against Iran, but depicts a possible way out for the US.Al-Ahram Weekly | War by proxy: "... There is, unfortunately, another and far more likely scenario - war by proxy. A war between Sunnis and Shias in the region could all too easily

The war of the stubborns

2006-03-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

At one point, the US authorizes Z. Khalilzad to talk to Iranian officials on Iraq's security issues. At a later time, when Iran's supreme leader says OK, the US administration questions the OK:Administration Questions Iran's Motives:The Bush administration questioned on Wednesday the motives of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in approving U.S.-proposed talks on Iraq, but did not shut

Happy Persian New Year

2006-03-21T10:48:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to those whose new year starts at the first moment of spring, the rebirth of earth, the Norouz. I wish you all the best of health, happiness, and prosperity you've never wished for.(This is a picture of our Haft-Seen)

BBC's Hard Talk

2006-03-17T01:55:00.000-05:00

I found it interesting to watch some of BBC's Hard Talks related to Iran's nuclear issue. The matter looks just the way it looked some 3 years ago.John Bolton - March 2006 - VideoJavad Zarif - December 2004 - VideoMohamed ElBaradei - September 2004 - VideoMohamed ElBaradei - August 2003 - Video

VOA News - Rice Testifies On Iran

2006-03-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

I am glad that Secretary of State, Condi Rice, says that "our problem is with the Iranian regime, not the Iranian people".VOA News - Rice Testifies On Iran (the streaming audio file)She continues that it is important "that the Iranian government recognizes that it will be isolated if it continues down this path, [and] that we [will] not isolate the Iranian people."What she says is pretty nice,

Contingency Plan

2006-03-09T00:56:00.000-05:00

Iranian delegation have always said that they have a predetermined action in case something happens. Now that Iran's dossier has been reported to UNSC, Iran will be forced to abandon its nuclear program, because UNSC resolutions are legally binding.Lets wait and see what contingency plan Iran has now. Hope the plan is not to leave NPT, as it will start the drum beating for a war.

Last-Ditch

2006-03-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

BBC Persian reports that the Iranian and Russian negotiators have reached a deal to keep the matter within IAEA. This will definitely add to the perplexity of the situation in the next IAEA meeting on Monday.Update1: See Bloomberg's video interview with Paul Ingram.Update2: The perplexity has already started: Iran and EU inched toward possible compromise.

Other Energy Sources

2006-02-26T18:09:00.000-05:00

Travis, one of my friends from Montreal, mentioned a very good point is his comment to one of my earlier posts:Does iran have zero options for other sources of energy? Hydroelectric, solar, and wind come to mind. While they are more expensive in the short run, they could also help to alleve Iran's energy issues to a certain extent while improving its indisputably shoddy image on the world

Welcome to New York

2006-02-05T03:28:00.000-05:00

Hugo asks why Iran’s case should be taken to UNSC this soon. I have two explanations:(1). To sandwich Iran between deadlines and pressure Iran to accept Russian’s offer. In an earlier meeting, US convinced China and Russia that taking Iran to UNSC would make Iran listen and promised not to seek sanctions (see my earlier post in September). (2). US will be holding the presidency of the UNSC during

The Last Resort

2006-01-30T13:05:00.000-05:00

Could this be a possible scenario?Iran is sent to UNSC. Further IAEA inspections are not permitted. UNSC orders Iran to be cooperative. Iran rejects the orders. US attacks the southern states of Iran and CNN broadcasts the invasion as "an attack to block the source of income" for a country that seeks nuclear weapons. (and gets away with all the money). Iran scraps all its nuclear programs under

Iran solution

2006-01-27T18:38:00.000-05:00

I am summarizing my thoughts here: I don't think Iran will accept the Russian proposal the way United States wants it to be. I don't think sanctions against Iran will result in anything but an increase in oil prices.I don't think referral to UNSC will result in anything but an end to inspections. I don't think attacking Iran's nuclear sites will result in anything but encouraging the regime to go

Challenging Questions: Question 3.

2006-01-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

Assume that Iran builds a nuclear warhead. What would Iran do with it? Would it hit Israel and kill Palestinians as well as the Jews? (I am assuming that the Iranian president hates Israel and Zionism, not the Jews. In fact the Jews in Iran are treated the same way ordinary Iranians are treated: they are both mistreated ! :) !).__PS. I don’t even think the Iranian government wants to sit on a

Challenging Questions: Question 2.

2006-01-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

Iran has repeatedly been criticized over its 18 years of concealment of its nuclear activities. My question is whether the steps they have been taking during the 18 years of concealment were towards producing nuclear arms or nuclear fuel? Bear in mind that two or three years ago, United Stated used to accuse Iran of having a covert nuclear arms program, and nowadays they warn others about Iran’s

Challenging Questions: Question 1.

2006-01-18T01:34:00.000-05:00

Assume Iran accepts to dismantle its enrichment facilities altogether for good. Would you think the international community (whose voices are only heard from certain countries!!) would say “OK. GOOD. We will help Iran complete its first nuclear power plant” (despite all the effort they have put into delaying its construction over the past 28 years)???

Iran defends its nuclear program in NY times ad

2005-11-18T15:20:00.000-05:00

I like the idea. It is innovative. Was it Javad Zarif who did it? Does anyone have a picture of the ad?

Politics for kids, Politics for stubborns

2005-11-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

The deadlock over Iran’s nuclear issue has passed the level of novice. The interests do not overlap at all and players don’t seem to be flexible enough to stretch or extend their horizons. Real parties to the fight, Iran and US, don’t look at each others’ eyes and seek solution by sending direct rhetorical signals or indirect orders and warnings. The fact is that none can prove the other is wrong

New intelligence on Iran’s nuclear case

2005-11-15T01:50:00.000-05:00

United States officials have found over 1000 pages of documents, computer simulations and accounts of experiments on a stolen laptop and claim that it proves Iran’s intention in making a nuclear warhead. It is very hard for me to believe that for the following simple reason:If Iran has a military nuclear program, it has done a pretty good job in covering it all up during the past few years of

News for public or news for professionals?

2005-11-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

Diplomats say that First results from Iran site show no nuclear activity.Nothing has yet been found to prove the claims that Iran has a military nuclear program. How long should it go on? Until all Iranians take off their pants and allow IAEA! to take samples? If that happens and they find nothing, wouldn't United States still claim that Iran may use the technology to build the nuclear bombs in

BBC vs. CNN: what Americans are fed with

2005-10-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

I am always surprised about the way CNN selectively broadcasts the news and this is one of them: Iranian FM stated that Tehran will not use force against Israel. BBC and CNN both covered the story.Unlike CNN, BBC reflects another part of the statement which may be harsh, but true:"It expressed surprise that the Council had never condemned threats made against Iran by the US and Israel or the '

The President

2005-10-27T15:28:00.000-04:00

Iran Leader Calls for Israel's DestructionI can't believe that he actually said that. He can't even claim that he was drunk when he did it. I call it immature. This will legitimize the efforts by US and EU to stop Iran's nuclear plans:How is he going to wipe Israel off the map? with a pencil eraser? with wite-out? with Shahab-3 missile? or with a nuclear warhead?

A winning strategy: UN Security Council and no sanctions

2005-09-08T15:13:00.000-04:00

EU3 tried their best to accuse Iran for not reporting its nuclear programs to IAEA under its NPT obligation. Iran has accepted the charge but says that it is a not a breach; because Iran has taken corrective measures by signing the additional protocol that allows impromptu inspections of its nuclear sites. Although there have been many other problematic issues about Iran's programs, none has

the new president: Bush of Iran

2005-06-26T08:26:00.000-04:00

I see similarities between Ahmadinejad (the new president of Iran) and Goerge W. Bush: They are both winners of questionable elections, both are not backed by intellectuals, both do not fit the seat, and both are lunatic fringes that enjoy armed battles. God bless the world. I sincerely take back my idea that Iran deserves the nuclear technology. No! Ahmadinejad doesn't.

realistic reports

2005-06-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

Unlike many reports by authors that sit back in their offices and image the situation in Iran, this report is sent from Tehran and I call it a realistic report:Letter From Tehran: In Washington's Cross-Hairs

Official: Probe Backs Iran on Nuke Claims

2005-06-10T08:26:00.000-04:00

Guardian reported yesterday that the preliminary results of the investigation on the Pakistani centrifuge backs Iran's claim about the origin of the high-level uranium traces and hurts the Americans in their drive to prove Iran's nuclear program is meant to make weapons.If the final results approve the initial tests, the most important outstanding issue of Iran's nuclear case is resolved and that

EU3's deadline

2005-06-09T11:13:00.000-04:00

The prolonged talks with Europe seems to be getting to a conclusion. Iran's warnings of resuming frozen activities really affected the pace of the negotiations and EU3 asked for a high-level meeting. Once the European foreign ministers met Dr. Rohani, they convinced Iran to keep the suspension in place until late August when they will give a final version of their proposal. The day after the

Iran Seeks Incentives From Europe in Impasse

2005-05-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

New York Times' Iran Seeks Incentives From Europe in Impasse:Top Iranian negotiator said that the European Union and Iran will not break the impasse over restraining Iran's nuclear development program unless the Europeans offer significant incentives.Asked for a specific example of the kind of incentive Iran now seeks, Mr. Mousavian said, "Europe can agree in principle to a contract for 10

Paris agreement on November 15, 2004

2005-05-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

The Iran-EU3 talks, and therefore the Paris agreement, seems to be on the verge of a collapse, because both side seem to be strict on their stance. If this is the case, who is responsible for its collapse?The following link reviews the Paris agreement and why the talks cannot be contained in one framework.Asia Times' Iran nuclear talks: It's time to shut upThere are few other sides to the EU-Iran

Additional protocol to be ratified

2005-05-09T07:38:00.000-04:00

Iran says it'll resume enrichment and is pushing to get an answer from the EU3 before Iran's next presidential elections. Some analysts believe that the warnings are coming from the Iranian negotiators who want to get better jobs in the next government.Iranian negotiators may also think that this is the right time to pressure the west in another way: all the NPT members are gathered in one place

BBC WORLD coverage of the summit

2005-05-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

I was watching BBC WORLD News tonight around 10PM and a guy was talking about the gathering. He said two main concerns are with regards to article VI and article IV of NPT. He added article VI requires the nuclear states to scrap their arsenal, and article IV states that the countries who seek the enrichment technology for peacefull purposes, should not divert their intents towards military use

What happened today?

2005-05-02T21:33:00.000-04:00

I can't find any thing on the net about Kharrazi or Zarif speaking today at the summit. CNN, FoxNews, and BBC TVs did not have a good coverage of the event. Read the followings for a general report:CNN's Annan pushes nuclear concessions

Today at the international conference:

2005-05-02T09:12:00.000-04:00

Washingtonpost's Iran Plans Defense of Nuclear Program

Revealed: Iran's nuclear factory

2005-05-01T10:54:00.000-04:00

A view from within one of the Iran's nuclear sites:Sunday Times' Revealed: Iran's nuclear factoryOther than the facility itself, the author talks about the employees and scientists being laid off during the temporary freeze. I didn't expect that at all, because the government jobs in Iran are very very very secure.Why doesn't the government launch scientific workshops and use the scientists as

Expectations too high

2005-05-01T10:15:00.000-04:00

It wasn't surprising when I heard that the Friday talks didn't go as Iranians planned. EU trio didn't give a yes/no answer to a partial resumption of enrichment program, and I am glad that Iranians didn't take an outrageous stance. They warned that they MAY resume enrichment to ease the shame of their original warning of resumption.I don't expect to see any dramatic change in tactics from the

warnings preceding another EU-Iran session

2005-04-28T11:39:00.000-04:00

Another session is scheduled for tomorrow and warnings are issued. It is interesting that this time the issued warnings are stronger from the Iranian side: Reuters' Iran says will restart enrichment if talks fail BBC's Iran issues fresh nuclear warning Neither Iran nor Europe want the negotiations to fail. I think EU3 will not give a yes or no answer and Iran, unlike what it said, will NOT resume

Iran: Vision out of sight

2005-04-26T18:08:00.000-04:00

I think the past 25 years of frozen relationship between Iran and United States has turned many Americans blind about Iran and Iranians. While most of the muslim nations do not accept persians as TRUE! muslims (and accuse them of not following the TRUE! Islamic practices), Iranians are called extremists by some Americans. :). Follow the link to see an example of how some Americans think that Iran

FOXNews

2005-04-24T03:13:00.000-04:00

Watch the FOX News Channel on Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT for "Iran: The Nuclear Threat," hosted by Chris Wallace.related story:U.S. & World - Iran Hid Nuclear Plans for Nearly 2 DecadesPOINTS TO WONDER:Iran did hide its nuclear program for two decades. However, the IAEA has been intensively inspecting Iran's nuclear facilities for two years with not even one single evidence of diversion towards

Obscurity is an essence

2005-04-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

After taking weeks of home-wrapped consultation prescription medicine, the negotiators from both sides have re-gained their momentum and re-calibrated their coordination to get back to the table fresh and strong. As usual both sides distribute propaganda to examine the other side's reaction; Rock-solid Europe says "cessation is cessation", while Iran insists in its idea of utilizing nuclear

News Summary

2005-04-12T10:38:00.000-04:00

Reuters' UN Tallies Uranium in Iran Amid Suspicions -Diplomats Reuters' Russia Delays Nuke Fuel Shipments to Iran -SourceAljazeera's Iran: No giving up uranium enrichment Novosti's EU-IRAN: NUKE BARGAINING CANNOT GO ON AND ON

Iran's Nuclear Fuel Shipped

2005-04-01T20:22:00.000-05:00

Reuters' Iran's Nuclear Fuel ShippedUpdate: The link to Reuters' video file doesn't seem to be a permanent link.

The American Thinker

2005-03-30T15:08:00.000-05:00

It is worth reading Nuclear Iran by The American Thinkers

Zarif's Interview with CNN

2005-03-30T04:34:00.000-05:00

I was looking for Mr. Javad Zarif's Dec 2004 interview with BBC (video) and I found this old CNN interview:Iranian diplomat denies nuclear weapons program - Dec. 13, 2002If you have a video/audio link to Zarif's recent (March 2005) interview with CNN, please leave me a message.

who is winning?

2005-03-27T03:47:00.000-05:00

Richard Clarke has written a new document for The New York Times, in which he discusses Iran's strategy towards Iraq and United States:Is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Winning?There are a couple of points that need to be discussed:____________In R. Clarke's point of view, the purpose of the Iran-Iraq war (from Iran's prospective) was1. to place Iraq's majority Shiite religious faction in charge2.

Steering talks finished

2005-03-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

MehrNews (in persian) reports that the steering talks that took some 7 hours just finished. EU and Iranian negotiators both contacted their capitals by phone for coordination. It seems that there is not going to be any more talks tomorrow (as it was speculated by some diplomats). The results are not out yet. pictures from MehrNews.

Steering committee to be held in Paris

2005-03-23T03:30:00.000-05:00

After a long period of negotiations between Iran and EU3, it is time to come up with a conclusion. The steering committee will determine how many steps both parties have gone forward. Iranian officials have been saying that they won't give up their right of producing nuclear fuel, while EU3 have been warning Iran of possible UN sanctions if Iran continues enriching Uranium. Besides, Iran has

Happy Norouz

2005-03-20T08:40:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the Persian New Year and the first day of spring. This is the time when earth wakes up from its winter sleep and reborns with its blooming flowers . The exact time is the moment of the vernal equinox (March 20, at 7:33 a.m. ET in 2005).Happy New Year to all Persians who celebrate this ancient Norouz celebration.Happy Spring to all others.

I'm back from California

2005-03-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

After one week of perfect weather in California (T>+20), I am back in the snow and wind of Toronto (T<-20). To my surprise, US officials at the border did treat us well and friendly. The one that interviewed my wife said that Iranians, unlike many other people that need special registration (i.e. those born in other 'axis of evil' countries!; How many dimentions do we live in?), are very polite

Iran kept a secret peaceful program!

2005-03-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

AP reports from a two-day international conference on nuclear technology in Tehran (Iran Admits Keeping Nuclear Program Secret). It is worth reading. Title doesn't make sense though, cause Iran has already accepted that it failed to report some of its activities on time (and therefore kept them secret for a while).

Related Material: Iran's Populace Largely Opposes Nuclear Program

2005-03-06T14:22:00.000-05:00

CFR Publications: Takeyh: Iran's Populace Largely Opposes Nuclear Program

Viewpoints: Iran's nuclear crisis

2005-03-06T01:41:00.000-05:00

BBC ViewpointsUnited States is the most responsible nation for Iran’s nuclear issues. They provided the idea of building nuclear power plants before Iran’s revolution, and they refused to complete it after revolution. If US or other western countries could offer their assistance in completing the Iranian nuclear sites, they could have had full access to the sites. But now, Iranians have the

The official you are trying to reach is currently unavailable!

2005-03-03T13:53:00.000-05:00

In Reuters' recent article about iran (Iran Starts Building New Nuclear Plant ) I read:"Iran has provided changing and contradictory rationales to the IAEA for this project, which would be well suited for plutonium production," the head of the U.S. delegation to the IAEA meeting, Jackie Sanders, told the IAEA board on Wednesday. Iranian officials were not available for comment.This was not the

Confidential deal with Russia

2005-03-02T10:19:00.000-05:00

One of the LA-based Persian Satellite TV stations reported from a Russian radio station that the recent Iran-Russia deal obligates Russia to take part in protecting the Nuclear Reactor against possible attacks.

Why Iran rejects IAEA's request to revisit the Parchin complex

2005-03-02T01:19:00.000-05:00

Iran rejected a request by IAEA to revisit a military base in Iran, where US accuses that Iran is conducting nuclear tests.Although Iran is not required by NPT or the additional protocol to allow access to sites where there is no clear indication of ongoing nuclear experiments, Iran allowed inspectors to take samples from the open area of the complex in mid-January.Iran refuses this time. Pierre

changing position or tactics?

2005-02-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

While IAEA does not have new information about Iran's nuclear program and only asks for cooperation, in a recent Washington Posts report, Robin Wright writes:"Now, the administration appears willing, at least in the short term, to hold out the prospect of tentative engagement with Iran"It seems that the second scenario is under study.

know-how and do, know-how and don't

2005-02-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

As stated in the top left corner, the writings in this blog are my understandings about Iran's nuclear issues. Although I am proud of my nationality, I don't like the way current authorities in Iran rule my homeland. I hate it when intelligent productive individuals are deprived of decision-making positions because of their way of thinking. Iran, with a good administrative lead, could have been

suspicious delay and confidential deal!

2005-02-27T03:47:00.000-05:00

MehrNews reports that the deal between Iran and Russia was signed less than an hour ago. Details of the agreement were confidential!