The most important group of religious leaders in Iran called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate on Saturday, an act of defiance against the countrys supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the countrys clerical establishment.
A statement by the group, the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qum, represents a significant, if so far symbolic, setback for the government and especially the authority of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose word is supposed to be final. The government has tried to paint the opposition and its top presidential candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, as criminals and traitors, a strategy that now becomes more difficult if not impossible.
This crack in the clerical establishment, and the fact they are siding with the people and Moussavi, in my view is the most historic crack in the 30 years of the Islamic republic, said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program at Stanford University. Remember, they are going against an election verified and sanctified by Khamenei.
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#1
The Assembly of Experts has no day to day role in running Iran, but they can ensure that the ruling Ayatollah complies with shiite principles of "Islamic Government." They have the power to terminate status, and examine all financial accounts. It appears they won't whitewash Khomenei, after his hardline Friday Prayer speech. Its funny: acting like an oligarch is okay, as long as you don't act like a dictator. Makes sense in Persia.
Morteza Kazemian
In a letter to the head of Iran's judiciary, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has requested an investigation into the death of Neda Agha Soltan.
In his letter he writes, "In view of the extensive commentary about this painful incident and the wide-ranging propaganda by foreign media and other evidence, the interference of those who oppose the Iranian nation or are inimical to it for the purpose of using this event for political purposes and to destroy the image of the Islamic republic is definitively clear."
While the difficult and cold conditions that are prevalent in Iran today may appear that pondering on this letter may not be appropriate, there are quite a few issues in it that deserve comment.
" More fundamentally, what is Ahmadinejad's clear position on the violent street crackdown and actions against those protesting the results of the election in the days after June 12th, and the wide arrests, mistreatment of those detained, etc? "
1-As the highest executive official of the country, is Ahmadinejad aware of other killings that took place after the tenth presidential election?
2-Do the deaths of a number of Iranian citizens deserve the creation of a special investigative committee?
3-Does Ahmadinejad know the perpetrators of the other deaths, or those who may have ordered them?
4-From Ahmadinejad's perspective, did the people who lost their lives following the June 12 election deserve to die or where these homicides?
5-Is Ahmadinejad's letter to Hashemi Shahrudi to clarify the facts over the murder of Neda Agha Soltan or to confirm the view and his determination about the "involvement of the opposition" in this regard for political purposes?
6-Had not been "extensive commentary" and "wide-ranging propaganda" over Neda Agha Soltan's heartbreaking murder, as Ahmadinejad believes there was, would he still have called for an investigation on this?
7-Why is it that Ahmadinejad calls for investigating the violation of basic rights of Iranians only when the issue is covered widely in the media or takes a global perspective?
8-More fundamentally, what is Ahmadinejad's clear position on the violent street crackdown and actions against those protesting the results of the election in the days after June 12th, and the wide arrests, mistreatment of those detained, etc?
There are many questions that exist for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are not few, and without being presumptuous, one can be patient and wait to receive a response. But sooner or later, real and truthful answers will emerge, even if they don't come from Ahmadinejad, and they will be recorded in history and in books, where they will remain intact.
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/05/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] After his reelection as Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad extends an invitation to his American counterpart Barack Obama for a debate before the eyes of the world.
Addressing Iranian heads of medical universities on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad offered to debate President Obama at the United Nations headquarters in New York before the eyes of all nations of the world.
President Ahmadinejad had previously urged a debate with former US president George W. Bush.
The Iranian president wrote an 18-page letter to President Bush in 2006 that touched on religious values, history and international relations. The letter was viewed as an offer extended to the United States for dialogue.
However, the Iranian official's letter never received an answer from the former US president.
Under the former US president, Washington pursued a carrot-and-stick policy toward Tehran over its nuclear program and by setting preconditions, snubbed calls by President Ahmadinejad for talks on the long-standing dispute.
Meanwhile President Obama has adopted a new tone for engaging Tehran, drawing a sharp line between his foreign policies regarding Iran and that of his predecessor.
The call for talks come as earlier in February, Ahmadinejad expressed willingness for dialogue but stressed that negotiations should be held "in a climate of fairness with mutual respect."
Earlier in May a report by the Israeli daily Haaretz said the United States had set October as its deadline for engaging Iran in the first round of talks over the country's nuclear activities.
The report quoted the special US envoy on Iran, Dennis Ross, as saying that "unless the US sees a change in Iran's position on its nuclear program, Washington's stance toward Tehran will stiffen at that time."
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Posted by: Fred ||
07/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Obama would wipe the floor with you anyway - even being weal as he is.
Looks like the Iranians may hang you from a streetlamp anyways so whats the use?
#4
Obama would lose, horribly, without his teleprompter and a lot of help - if you take the blinders off, you can see that he is, after all, a fucking idiot who can read lines well and that's about it.
Remember, US presidential "debates" are NOT real debates -- they are dumbed down press Q&A sessions. They do not question each other, nor do they have to defend their position against others questions or analysis. US Politicians are wimps compared to parliamentarians when it comes to this.
#6
Having a 30 minute 'Question Time' in the US House once every other week, in which the President would walk in and answer the opposition, would do wonders for this country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/05/2009 10:58 Comments ||
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#7
Agreed, assuming there were an effective and articulate opposition ...
#10
I watched all the Iran Presidential debates on Press TV links. Ahmadinejad is an inarticulate and insufferable bore, and a poor liar in spite of all his practise. Liars look down when they utter deceit; Ahmadinejad did exactly that. And he refused to explain his claim that angels accompanied him at his UN speech. He didn't want to have to say: I made it up to appeal to pious idiots. Then there was the $1-3 billion in unaccounted state funds. Actually he might have a kindred spirite in Hussein O. But all they would be debating would be the content of Obama's apologies.
Three weeks after Iran was shaken by its most serious unrest since the 1979 revolution, the dust seems to have settled. Banned and broken up by force, the largely peaceful, massive protest demonstrations have fizzled out.
The Guardian Council - the powerful, appointed watchdog body - has formally endorsed the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose unexpectedly large declared margin of victory triggered the protests.
On the face of it, Tehran and other Iranian cities now look much as they did before the 12 June elections. So does that mean everything is back to normal, and nothing has changed?
That seems unlikely.
The disturbances, and the crisis they expressed, have left much unsettled business, and many unanswered questions.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
07/05/2009 00:00 ||
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