|
Iran Riots: 150 Merchants, Protesters Arrested
No less than 150 merchants and protesters were locked away You have the right to remain silent... during Wednesday's riots in Tehran, a website that is affiliated with Iran's security forces reported. According to the website, the protesters were linked to the reformist "Green" movement, which organized the street protests in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential elections in the Islamic Theocratic Republic. The website said Wednesday's demonstrations were linked to the recent return to the country of Mahdi Hashemi, the son of influential ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ... the fourth President of Iran. He was a member of the Assembly of Experts until he was eased out in 2011 He continues, for the moment, as Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council. In 2005 he ran for a third term as president, ultimately losing to rival Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was in Khamenei's graces back then. In 1980 Rafsanjani survived an assassination attempt, during which he was maimed. He has been described as a centrist and a pragmatic conservativewithout all that much reason. He is currently being eased out of any position of actual influence or power and may be dead by the end of 2012... Hashemi sought refuge in Britannia after Iranian authorities accused him of fomenting unrest in the aftermath of Iran's disputed 2009 vote. "Just a few days after the leader of the rioters (protesters) returned to the country, a group of hooligans attacked banks while employing the same method of the 2009 rioters," the website said. "During the festivities, which were contained by the security forces, shops in Tehran's ancient bazaar were damaged," it reported. During Wednesday's festivities near Tehran's main bazaar, police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators and merchants angered by the plunge in the value of the Iranian rial. The protesters yelled out slogans against President  Mahmoud Short RoundAhmadinejad, saying his economic policies had fuelled the economic crisis. Protesters further criticized the Iranian government for aiding the Syrian regime at the expense of dealing with the economic situation in Iran. Secretary of State  Hillary Rodham Clinton... sometimes described as The Heroine of Tuzlaand at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Edmund Randolph... said Iranian leaders are to blame for the sinking Iranian economy and rising economic protests. Clinton said Tehran is responsible for the country's economic problems and Iran's currency hitting a record low against the US dollar. Speaking Wednesday beside Kazakhstan's foreign minister, Clinton acknowledged that international sanctions have contributed to Iran's economic woes. But she said the sanctions could be removed quickly if Iran's government complies with its nuclear obligations. Clinton said the goal of US policy is to persuade the Iranian regime to negotiate seriously over its uranium enrichment activity. The US and many other countries suspect an Iranian weapons program. Iran insists its program is peaceful. Posted by: trailing wife 2012-10-04 |
|
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=353199 |