An Iranian plane crash two weeks ago -- which left 168 people dead -- was caused by the explosion of sophisticated fuses slated to be delivered to Hezbollah, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported Saturday, quoting sources in the Middle East.
Well done, CIA ...
According to the report, the pilot of the Tupolev plane, which was making its way from Tehran to Armenia, sent an emergency warning 16 minutes after takeoff. Shortly afterwards, the plane crashed in northwest Iran.
According to the sources, the aircraft was carrying a large number of modern fuses composed of 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of explosives and electrical instrumentation.
The report is in line with testimonies on explosion sounds heard before the crash. According to the sources, the plane was meant to transfer the fuses from Iran to Armenia, and from there to Syria through Turkey, and then on the ground to Lebanon. This route was chosen, according to exiled opposition sources, so as not to draw attention.
According to the report, the transfer of arms was a special operation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and some of its members were among the crash victims. It was also reported that the presence of security forces at the site of the crash was not a coincidence.
According to information received from Lebanon, the weapon was to be hidden in one of the shelters built by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. However following an explosion which destroyed such a facility on July 14, the Iranian decided to hide the fuses north of the Litani River.
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#5
Altitude sensitive bombs fuses. Now what possible application could that possibly have?
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2009 16:50 Comments ||
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#6
bombs
Posted by: ed ||
08/02/2009 16:52 Comments ||
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#7
mortar spray?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/02/2009 17:13 Comments ||
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#8
interestingly the Mullahs decided against a land route
perhaps it is because it would have to go through Azerbaijan to get to Armenia and Azerbaijan, though mostly moslem, is currently allied with Israel (perhaps because of ethnic animosity toward their neighbor).
Posted by: Lord garth ||
08/02/2009 17:21 Comments ||
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After Iran released "confessions" made by opposition political activists, the head of the minority Reformist bloc of parliament reacts by saying that the trial process has left everyone traumatized.
"The method used in the trials of those arrested in which they [the prisoners] do not have access to lawyers and neither the detainees nor their families are aware of the charges [they are facing] has left everyone in a state of shock," Mohammad-Reza Tabesh, head of the minority Reformist faction in the Iranian parliament said on Saturday.
Saturday's trial was held after nearly 3,000 people were arrested in Iran in the aftermath of the unrest that ensued Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election with the June 12 vote.
With Iran witnessing massive opposition rallies staged by supporters of defeated presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi in the weeks following the vote, some protests turned violent, leaving at least 20 people dead and hundreds of others injured.
Later on, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution called for the administration of justice in the case of the country's post-vote detainees.
Addressing concerns over the treatment of those arrested in the course of the unrest, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei ordered the shutdown of a "non-standard" prison.
"Those arrested are in critical conditions and ... very worrying reports have been received about them from their families," Tabesh insisted.
Referring to the order, Tabesh said if Ayatollah Khamenei had been aware of the situation in other prisons, the treatment of the detainees and their families, and the violation of the law in dealing with them, he would -- in a similar command -- order "the administration of justice and fairness in putting to trial the detainees of the recent events".
"We cannot stop short of expressing our concern about the method used in the trial and hope that this tactic is not a complete version of a pre-planned scenario of which the prisoners have had no information," Tabesh added.
The remarks come in response to a Saturday court session in which opposition activists and protesters were charged with rioting, threatening national security and conspiring against the ruling system being read against those in the dock.
Reformist figure Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, accused of provoking and taking part in deadly riots after the recent presidential election in Iran, allegedly testified during the hearing that the vote was "clean" and that allegations of fraud in the presidential election were "a lie".
Tabesh quoted Abtahi's wife -- who was recently granted permission to visit her husband in prison -- as saying that the Reformist activist "had lost 10 kilos in 43 days" in detention.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[11133 views]
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After a mass trial session against detained Iranian opposition figures and protesters, influential cleric and official Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani questions the legitimacy of confessions made in the courtroom.
The first court session for opposition activists and protesters convened in Tehran on Saturday to determine the fate of those charged with acting against national security and conspiring with foreign powers to stage a "Velvet Revolution".
A leading Reformist, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, who served as a deputy under former president Mohammad Khatami, accused the influential figure of having taken an "oath" with opposition leaders.
Abtahi, who has been in custody since June 16, also charged that Ayatollah Rafsanjani sought to avenge his 2005 presidential defeat to the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 election.
Ayatollah Rafsanjani, who heads both the top political arbitration body called the Expediency Council as well as the Assembly of Experts -- the top clerical body which appoints the Leader of the Islamic Revolution --, was quick to deny the charges.
In a statement issued by the Expediency Council on Saturday, the two-time former president rejected Abtahi's claims as a "lie".
Rafsanjani having "taken an oath with Mr. Khatami and Mousavi to protect each other is a sheer lie," the statement said, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported.
Rafsanjani "did not endorse any presidential candidates and has not had any part in the post-election unrest," it added.
The cleric, who has been under fire from the ruling elite, moved to question the reliability of the confessions.
"It is unclear that under which conditions and considerations these confessions have been made," the statement added.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] As Washington decides to extend sanctions on the Syrians charged with hampering Lebanese stability, Hezbollah accuses the Obama administration of 'interfering' in Beirut's affairs. "Hezbollah also sees the renewal of sanctions as a highly aggressive act and a continuation of the logic of imperial arrogance," the resistance movement said in a statement on Saturday.
The sanctions were first imposed on August 1, 2007 by former US president George W. Bush, who froze the assets of Syrian individuals accused of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty.
Hezbollah said the administration of the US President Barack Obama was following in the footsteps of its predecessors that provided a 'cover for the crimes of the Israeli enemy'. The movement further described the decision as a 'blatant interference in Lebanese affairs'.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[11133 views]
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Iran state TV confirmed Saturday that it has detained three Americans who crossed the border from northern Iraq, saying they failed to heed warnings from Iranian guards.
Kurdish officials from the self-ruled region in northern Iraq said the three -- two men and a woman -- were tourists who had mistakenly crossed into Iranian territory Friday while hiking in a mountainous area near the resort town of Ahmed Awaa.
"The Iranians said they have arrested them because they entered their land without legal permission," said Qubad Talabani, the Kurdish regional government's envoy to Washington.
Iran's state owned Arabic-language al-Alam TV station cited a "well-informed source" in the Interior Ministry that the three Americans were detained Friday after crossing into Iran's Kurdistan province.
The report said the Americans were arrested after they did not heed warnings from Iranian border guards.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Saturday that Washington had asked the Swiss, who represent U.S. interests in Tehran, "to confirm these reports with Iranian authorities and, if true, to seek consular access" to the detained Americans.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[11146 views]
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#1
Stayed at a "Youth Hostel"? College aged probably, and raised in the idiot-generating embrace of liberals, possibly typical spoiled rich liberal brats. Bet they were stunned that they actually were expected to "obey those hairy foreigners - they didn't even speak English to them!"
Are they in for a very rude awakening.
Guess what kids: you have been lied to during your childhood, where everyone gets a trophy and a "b" grade for just showing up, and punishment is "time out" (where you can still text your friends and play with your Nintendo).
Actions have consequences, quite often unpleasant ones.
#5
Quiet please! "Teachable Moment" now in session.
Besoeker is en fuego this morning. Maybe the mullahs will sit down with their new "Dude where's our Ahmed Awaa resort?" friends for a summit over a nice mug of castor oil.
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/02/2009 9:20 Comments ||
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#6
May I suggest a third "Bridget Jones Diary" set this time in the Middle East instead of Thailand--have Renee Zellweger encountering mean bad guys and charming them with her blond hair and giggling. Help Keep the exotic tourism business flush with cash!! Hippies welcome!
As the defiant Iranian opposition continues widespread street protests, influential cleric and official Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani comes under fire, allegedly for playing a role in the post-election developments.
In pre-election debates, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the heavyweight politician and his family of corruption as well as conspiring with former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi against the incumbent. Ayatollah Rafsanjani, himself a two-time former president, urged Ahmadinejad to issue an official apology for the corruption charges to prevent "legal actions". Although the cleric did not endorse any candidate, some Principlists alleged that Rafsanjani and his family were financially supporting Mousavi.
On July 17, the influential cleric, in his first Friday prayers sermon since the June 12 election, urged officials to release opposition figures and those who protested the election result as a means to create national "unity". The ruling elite, however, attacked him for not condemning the street riots and the opposition's defiance.
Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the top legislative body, on Friday accused Rafsanjani of orchestrating the post-election events after he lost the 9th presidential election in 2005. "After defeat was inflicted on a certain figure four years ago, those who could not stand a young man in power colluded against him," Jannati was quoted by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) as saying. "Since then, they have planned to avenge (their loss)."
Ahmadinejad defeated Rafsanjani by some 7 million votes in the run-off of the 2005 election.
On Saturday, as a mass trial against opposition figures and protesters opened in Tehran, Mohammad-Ali Abtahi -- a leading Reformist -- allegedly accused Rafsanjani of colluding against the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Abtahi, according to a report carried by Fars News Agency, claimed Mousavi, former president Mohammad Khatami and Rafsanjani had taken an "oath" not to abandon each other as they prepared to stage a "Velvet Revolution".
Abtahi echoed Jannati's remarks that Rafsanjani, who currently heads both the top political arbitration body and the clerical body, sought to avenge his 2005 presidential defeat to Ahmadinejad.
Although the accounts of confessions made in the court were challenged by Reformist lawmakers and figures, Tehran Majlis representative Hamid Rasayi said the trial paved the way for officials to prosecute the "real" riot leaders.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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Syrian President Bashar Assad said Saturday that the return of the Golan Heights from Israel was non-negotiable, and he expressed confidence that the strategic plateau captured four decades ago would be handed back.
You and whose army?
A year of indirect peace talks between the two countries ended in January, and the Syrian and Israeli leaders have laid out tough conditions for restarting talks.
Syria has said it is willing to resume the Turkish-mediated talks if they focus on a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan, captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is not willing to cede the territory Syria wants. "The return of all conqured occupied land ... is non-negotiable," Assad said in a speech marking Syria's Army Day. "The Syrian Arab Golan will remain Arab ... and will fully return to the nation."
"Occupation and peace are two contradictory matters," he said, adding that Syria seeks a just and comprehensive peace.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Assad further threatened to lose war after war until Syria gets what it wants.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran will be able to export gasoline in the next one and a half years as refinery upgrades and construction plans will also end costly petrol imports to the country.
Just wait until Operation Lemony Snickett gets into high gear ...
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on Saturday, the Managing Director of National Iranian Oil Company Seifollah Jashnsaz said that the Islamic Republic already has 9 refinery development plans underway and major advances of between 80 and 90 percent have been made in this respect.
The deputy Iranian Oil Minister went on to highlight that Iran is currently building seven refineries. He pointed to The Persian Gulf star refinery and said that it "is the biggest and most outstanding of all refineries being constructed in Iran and makes use of state-of-the-art technology."
"The said refinery, once fully operational, can produce 35 million liters of petrol on a daily basis. The production will not only satisfy Iran's demand for petrol but will also be sold at export markets."
Jashnsaz added that Iran presently is not facing any problems regarding petrol storage since all its reservoirs are full.
The official's remarks came as the US Senate voted to ban companies that sell gasoline and other refined oil products to Iran.
Iran holds some of the worlds biggest oil reserves, but currently imports 40 percent of its gasoline to meet the growing demand. American lawmakers hope that by cutting off the country's motor fuel, Tehran will abandon its nuclear program.
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Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
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[11139 views]
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#1
however the domestic demand is still growing (since consumption is effectively subsidized by price caps)
thus the amount of crude oil available for export is decreasing
finally there is no way Iran is going to be able to produce enough gasoline to export it
the best they will do is reduce their imports
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/02/2009 0:13 Comments ||
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#2
Simple. A single 500lb bomb shuts them down for quite a while.
#3
"finally there is no way Iran is going to be able to produce enough gasoline to export it"
Not so fast. They have some of the largest refinery projects in the world underway. And there is more profit per tanker load exporting refined products than in exporting crude. That is the only way we manage to get enough gasoline, we haven't built a new refinery in nearly 30 years. We buy gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and jet fuel from Saudi Arabia already refined.
Iran would much rather export refined products than crude. It is like the difference between corn and whiskey.
#4
A single 500lb bomb shuts them down for quite a while.
No, no, no! That's not how we do it in Operation Lemony Snickett.
It's really simple -- Mahmoud lights up a cigarette in the middle of the refinery, and the whole place goes kaboom. Mahmoud can't be found afterwards of course, and (RAB style) it's not clear that he was ever there, but he sure does make a convenient scapegoat when the refinery managers have to explain to Tehran what happened. "Honest, boss, we all saw Mahmoud light up a cigarette!"
Scratch one refinery.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/02/2009 9:36 Comments ||
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#5
Red Storm Rising anyone? It can be done in Iran probably much more easily than the old Soviet Union with far less bad consequences.
#6
we haven't built a new refinery in nearly 30 years
crosspatch, strictly speaking this may be true (thanks to NIMBY, among other things) but we actually have increased refined product production - through expansions of existing refineries and much-improved efficiencies. We just have not increased production as much as we have increased consumption, and the difference is, as you noted, made up through imports from KSA etc.
Top Iranian reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi told a Tehran court on Saturday there had been no fraud in the June election which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, the Fars news agency reported. "The 10th (presidential) election was different and it took two or three years to work on it. I think reformists took action to sort of restrict the (supreme) leader," Mohammad Ali Abtahi told a revolutionary court where around 100 people accused of rioting after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were put on trial in a Tehran.
Their prosecution comes as Ahmadinejad, who is due to be sworn in on Aug. 5, sought to ease political tensions by denying any rift with the country's all-powerful supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The official IRNA news agency said the trial of a group of "rioters" had begun, but it did not specify the exact number of those in the dock.
Accusations
Among those in the dock were prominent reformists and supporters of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and aides of former reformist president Mohammad Khatami.
The leading reformists on trial were Behzad Nabavi, a top member of the Islamic Republic Mujahedeen Organization, Mohammad Atrianfar, prominent member of Executives of Construction, and Abtahi, a member of the Assembly of Combatant Clerics. Nabavi was also the deputy speaker of parliament during the Khatami government, while Abtahi was vice president in charge of parliamentary affairs during Khatami's tenure.
Fars reported that Abtahi has confessed that claims about the vote violation were "baseless."
Iran's top judge, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi, ordered the judiciary on Monday to review the cases of detained protesters in a week. Media reports say the accused face charges of having "participated in riots, acting against national security, disturbing public order, vandalizing public and government property and having ties with counter-revolutionary groups."
The post-election violence, mainly in Tehran, left around 30 people dead and hundreds wounded, Iranian officials said. IRNA said according to prosecutors those on trial include people whose photographs were taken while "committing the crimes."
"Some of their accomplices are on the run but they will be surely identified by our dear people and handed over to the law," the agency said.
Following the June 12 vote -- which opposition leaders say was rigged -- up to 2,000 protesters, political activists, reformists and journalists were arrested as hundreds of thousands of people rallied to challenge the results. Most detainees have been released but around 250 remain behind bars and their continued imprisonment has become a rallying cry for the anti-Ahmadinejad movement.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
08/02/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11142 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
As the defiant Iranian opposition continues widespread street protests, influential cleric and official Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani comes under fire, allegedly for playing a role in the post-election developments. 
Syrian President Bashar Assad said Saturday that the return of the Golan Heights from Israel was non-negotiable, and he expressed confidence that the strategic plateau captured four decades ago would be handed back. 
Top Iranian reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi told a Tehran court on Saturday there had been no fraud in the June election which returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, the Fars news agency reported. "The 10th (presidential) election was different and it took two or three years to work on it. I think reformists took action to sort of restrict the (supreme) leader," Mohammad Ali Abtahi told a revolutionary court where around 100 people accused of rioting after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were put on trial in a Tehran.
