Sunday, 1 July 2007
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Can Christ’s Body Be Discovered?
“Jesus’ Tomb” – Part 2
Can Christ’s Body Be Discovered?
When first announced, the Discovery Channel documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus stirred controversy worldwide, especially among theologians and professing believers.
Yet the Church was in the midst of an even greater controversy 2,000 years ago: Will Christians be resurrected from the dead?
The apostle Paul had to address this terribly confused thinking: “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Cor. 15:12-14).
Yet the Church was in the midst of an even greater controversy 2,000 years ago: Will Christians be resurrected from the dead?
The apostle Paul had to address this terribly confused thinking: “Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (I Cor. 15:12-14).
The hope of Christianity hinges on whether Christ was resurrected from the dead, and whether Christians will also be resurrected. “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (vs. 16-19).
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Paul confirms that Christians will be resurrected—instantly changed from mortal flesh to immortal spirit (vs. 51-53). Old Testament figures such as Job wrote about this hope: “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14)—a hope that will be fulfilled upon Jesus Christ’s Return (I Thes. 4:13-17).
Throughout the rest of the chapter, Paul confirms that Christians will be resurrected—instantly changed from mortal flesh to immortal spirit (vs. 51-53). Old Testament figures such as Job wrote about this hope: “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14)—a hope that will be fulfilled upon Jesus Christ’s Return (I Thes. 4:13-17).
Tricks of the intelligence trade
Tricks of the intelligence trade
But what if it is revealed later, when they are finally released, that the Iranians have actually treated them very well and have not used violence or torture to force them to say these things?
A likely scenario, I think, is that the Iranian interrogators have been feeding disinformation to the British sailors and have managed to make them believe not only that they were in Iranian waters when caught but that the British government has also admitted this and apologised for it, and that now they have realised their mistake, a genuine apology would best serve their own and their country's interest.
The Iranian intelligence service has used this technique before on some Iranian dissidents and the results were satisfactory. In one case they had even produced a bogus version of a well-known newspaper to persuade them.
In this way, without even touching the detainees or doing anything that could legally be considered as torture, either physical or psychological, they may have managed to get the words they want from the detainees.
That's why the interrogators don't allow the detainees to have any contact with the outside world, so that the detainees can only be fed with disinformation that could naturally and logically lead them into willingly doing or saying exactly what the interrogators want.
I'm not a lawyer to have an opinion on the legality of this behaviour, but there is no doubt this is morally wrong.
Isn't this exactly what the American and British governments have been doing to their own people through their supposedly free media? Isn't this similar to the way Bush and Blair paved their way to invade Iraq by manipulating information about WMDs in Iraq, Saddam's link to al-Qaida, and Iraqi people's demand to be freed by the Americans?
There the UK and US governments fed the media with disinformation and the media in turn manipulated the people into doing what the government wanted: approving and supporting the invasion of Iraq.
Here, the Iranian Intelligence service has fed the detained sailors with a different type of disinformation to have them do or say what Iran wants: admitting the border violation and apologising for it, and then it has used the media to spread these statements.
What Iran is doing now by using the combination of disinformation and global media has long been used by the UK and US governments. Iran has just learned its lesson very well.
The Iranians may have used disinformation rather than torture to make the British sailors apologise
Let's say Iran has indeed tricked the British sailors into appearing on camera and apologising for entering Iranian waters.
But what if it is revealed later, when they are finally released, that the Iranians have actually treated them very well and have not used violence or torture to force them to say these things?
A likely scenario, I think, is that the Iranian interrogators have been feeding disinformation to the British sailors and have managed to make them believe not only that they were in Iranian waters when caught but that the British government has also admitted this and apologised for it, and that now they have realised their mistake, a genuine apology would best serve their own and their country's interest.
The Iranian intelligence service has used this technique before on some Iranian dissidents and the results were satisfactory. In one case they had even produced a bogus version of a well-known newspaper to persuade them.
In this way, without even touching the detainees or doing anything that could legally be considered as torture, either physical or psychological, they may have managed to get the words they want from the detainees.
That's why the interrogators don't allow the detainees to have any contact with the outside world, so that the detainees can only be fed with disinformation that could naturally and logically lead them into willingly doing or saying exactly what the interrogators want.
I'm not a lawyer to have an opinion on the legality of this behaviour, but there is no doubt this is morally wrong.
Isn't this exactly what the American and British governments have been doing to their own people through their supposedly free media? Isn't this similar to the way Bush and Blair paved their way to invade Iraq by manipulating information about WMDs in Iraq, Saddam's link to al-Qaida, and Iraqi people's demand to be freed by the Americans?
There the UK and US governments fed the media with disinformation and the media in turn manipulated the people into doing what the government wanted: approving and supporting the invasion of Iraq.
Here, the Iranian Intelligence service has fed the detained sailors with a different type of disinformation to have them do or say what Iran wants: admitting the border violation and apologising for it, and then it has used the media to spread these statements.
What Iran is doing now by using the combination of disinformation and global media has long been used by the UK and US governments. Iran has just learned its lesson very well.
Hopes rise that Britons will be freed
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The sudden release of an Iranian diplomat missing for two months in Iraq raised new hope Tuesday that 15 British sailors and marines seized by Iran may soon be freed.
It also suggests the standoff over the captive Britons may end with a de facto prisoner swap — something both Tehran and London have publicly discounted.
Diplomat Jalal Sharafi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, hours after he was freed by his captors in Iraq, officials said. He was seized Feb. 4 by uniformed gunmen in Karradah, a Shiite-controlled district of Baghdad.
Iran alleged the diplomat had been abducted by an Iraqi military unit commanded by U.S. forces — a charge repeated by several Iraqi Shiite lawmakers. But U.S. authorities denied any role in his disappearance.
CONTINUE.........
ABC News Exclusive: The Secret War Against Iran
Brian Ross and Christopher Isham Report:
Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News.
The group, called Jundullah, is made up of members of the Baluchi tribe and operates out of the Baluchistan province in Pakistan, just across the border from Iran.
It has taken responsibility for the deaths and kidnappings of more than a dozen Iranian soldiers and officials.
U.S. officials say the U.S. relationship with Jundullah is arranged so that the U.S. provides no funding to the group, which would require an official presidential order or "finding" as well as congressional oversight.
Tribal sources tell ABC News that money for Jundullah is funneled to its youthful leader, Abd el Malik Regi, through Iranian exiles who have connections with European and Gulf states.
Jundullah has produced its own videos showing Iranian soldiers and border guards it says it has captured and brought back to Pakistan.
The leader, Regi, claims to have personally executed some of the Iranians.
"He used to fight with the Taliban. He's part drug smuggler, part Taliban, part Sunni activist," said Alexis Debat, a senior fellow on counterterrorism at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant who recently met with Pakistani officials and tribal members.
"Regi is essentially commanding a force of several hundred guerrilla fighters that stage attacks across the border into Iran on Iranian military officers, Iranian intelligence officers, kidnapping them, executing them on camera," Debat said.
Most recently, Jundullah took credit for an attack in February that killed at least 11 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard riding on a bus in the Iranian city of Zahedan.
Last month, Iranian state television broadcast what it said were confessions by those responsible for the bus attack.
They reportedly admitted to being members of Jundullah and said they had been trained for the mission at a secret location in Pakistan.
The Iranian TV broadcast is interspersed with the logo of the CIA, which the broadcast blamed for the plot.
A CIA spokesperson said "the account of alleged CIA action is false" and reiterated that the U.S. provides no funding of the Jundullah group.
Pakistani government sources say the secret campaign against Iran by Jundullah was on the agenda when Vice President Dick Cheney met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in February.
A senior U.S. government official said groups such as Jundullah have been helpful in tracking al Qaeda figures and that it was appropriate for the U.S. to deal with such groups in that context.
Some former CIA officers say the arrangement is reminiscent of how the U.S. government used proxy armies, funded by other countries including Saudi Arabia, to destabilize the government of Nicaragua in the 1980s.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
By Webster G. TarpleyOnline Journal Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON DC, -- The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 am on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly “Argumenty Nedeli.” Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account.
The attack is slated to last for 12 hours, according to Uglanov, from 4 am until 4 pm local time. Friday is the sabbath in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.
The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out.
The attacks will be mounted from a number of bases, including the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is currently home to B-52 bombers equipped with standoff missiles. Also participating in the air strikes will be US naval aviation from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as from those of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Additional cruise missiles will be fired from submarines in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of the Arabian peninsula. The goal is allegedly to set back Iran’s nuclear program by several years, writes Uglanov, whose article was reissued by RIA-Novosti in various languages, but apparently not English, several days ago. The story is the top item on numerous Italian and German blogs, but so far appears to have been ignored by US websites.
Observers comment that this dispatch represents a high-level orchestrated leak from the Kremlin, in effect a war warning, which draws on the formidable resources of the Russian intelligence services, and which deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness by pro-peace forces around the world.
Asked by RIA-Novosti to comment on the Uglanov report, retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov confirmed its essential features in a March 21 interview: “I have no doubt that there will be an operation, or more precisely a violent action against Iran.” Ivashov, who has reportedly served at various times as an informal advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is currently the vice president of the Moscow Academy for Geopolitical Sciences.
Ivashov attributed decisive importance to the decision of the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives to remove language from the just-passed Iraq supplemental military appropriations bill that would have demanded that Bush come to Congress before launching an attack on Iran. Ivashov pointed out that the language was eliminated under pressure from AIPAC, the lobbing group representing the Israeli extreme right, and from Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni.
“We have drawn the unmistakable conclusion that this operation will take place,” said Ivashov. In his opinion, the US planning does not include a land operation: “ Most probably there will be no ground attack, but rather massive air attacks with the goal of annihilating Iran’s capacity for military resistance, the centers of administration, the key economic assets, and quite possibly the Iranian political leadership, or at least part of it,” he continued.
Ivashov noted that it was not to be excluded that the Pentagon would use smaller tactical nuclear weapons against targets of the Iranian nuclear industry. These attacks could paralyze everyday life, create panic in the population, and generally produce an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty all over Iran, Ivashov told RIA-Novosti. “This will unleash a struggle for power inside Iran, and then there will be a peace delegation sent in to install a pro-American government in Teheran,” Ivashov continued. One of the US goals was, in his estimation, to burnish the image of the current Republican administration, which would now be able to boast that they had wiped out the Iranian nuclear program.
Among the other outcomes, General Ivashov pointed to a partition of Iran along the same lines as Iraq, and a subsequent carving up of the Near and Middle East into smaller regions. “This concept worked well for them in the Balkans and will now be applied to the greater Middle East,” he commented.
“Moscow must exert Russia’s influence by demanding an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the current preparations for an illegal use of force against Iran and the destruction of the basis of the United Nations Charter,” said General Ivashov. “In this context Russia could cooperate with China, France and the non-permanent members of the Security Council. We need this kind of preventive action to ward off the use of force,” he concluded.
The attack is slated to last for 12 hours, according to Uglanov, from 4 am until 4 pm local time. Friday is the sabbath in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.
The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out.
The attacks will be mounted from a number of bases, including the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is currently home to B-52 bombers equipped with standoff missiles. Also participating in the air strikes will be US naval aviation from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as from those of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Additional cruise missiles will be fired from submarines in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of the Arabian peninsula. The goal is allegedly to set back Iran’s nuclear program by several years, writes Uglanov, whose article was reissued by RIA-Novosti in various languages, but apparently not English, several days ago. The story is the top item on numerous Italian and German blogs, but so far appears to have been ignored by US websites.
Observers comment that this dispatch represents a high-level orchestrated leak from the Kremlin, in effect a war warning, which draws on the formidable resources of the Russian intelligence services, and which deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness by pro-peace forces around the world.
Asked by RIA-Novosti to comment on the Uglanov report, retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov confirmed its essential features in a March 21 interview: “I have no doubt that there will be an operation, or more precisely a violent action against Iran.” Ivashov, who has reportedly served at various times as an informal advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is currently the vice president of the Moscow Academy for Geopolitical Sciences.
Ivashov attributed decisive importance to the decision of the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives to remove language from the just-passed Iraq supplemental military appropriations bill that would have demanded that Bush come to Congress before launching an attack on Iran. Ivashov pointed out that the language was eliminated under pressure from AIPAC, the lobbing group representing the Israeli extreme right, and from Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni.
“We have drawn the unmistakable conclusion that this operation will take place,” said Ivashov. In his opinion, the US planning does not include a land operation: “ Most probably there will be no ground attack, but rather massive air attacks with the goal of annihilating Iran’s capacity for military resistance, the centers of administration, the key economic assets, and quite possibly the Iranian political leadership, or at least part of it,” he continued.
Ivashov noted that it was not to be excluded that the Pentagon would use smaller tactical nuclear weapons against targets of the Iranian nuclear industry. These attacks could paralyze everyday life, create panic in the population, and generally produce an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty all over Iran, Ivashov told RIA-Novosti. “This will unleash a struggle for power inside Iran, and then there will be a peace delegation sent in to install a pro-American government in Teheran,” Ivashov continued. One of the US goals was, in his estimation, to burnish the image of the current Republican administration, which would now be able to boast that they had wiped out the Iranian nuclear program.
Among the other outcomes, General Ivashov pointed to a partition of Iran along the same lines as Iraq, and a subsequent carving up of the Near and Middle East into smaller regions. “This concept worked well for them in the Balkans and will now be applied to the greater Middle East,” he commented.
“Moscow must exert Russia’s influence by demanding an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the current preparations for an illegal use of force against Iran and the destruction of the basis of the United Nations Charter,” said General Ivashov. “In this context Russia could cooperate with China, France and the non-permanent members of the Security Council. We need this kind of preventive action to ward off the use of force,” he concluded.
Russia anxious about military action against Iran near its border
Russia anxious about military action against Iran near its border
Novosti
Novosti
MOSCOW, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is concerned about a possible attack on Iran and insists that military action near its border is totally unacceptable, the first deputy foreign minister said Tuesday.
Russia, which is separated from Iran in the south by three tiny South Caucasus nations and shares a sea border with the Islamic Republic, has been actively promoting a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue.
"Any military action near our border is totally unacceptable," Andrei Denisov said. "We are strongly against it and we are doing our best to prevent it from happening."
Media reports in late March said Washington was preparing to strike at Iran in early April but Denisov denied the information.
"Our partners say movement of military structures in the Persian Gulf is part of a planned rotation," the diplomat said.
Yury Baluyevsky, the head of the Russian General Staff, warned Washington earlier Tuesday that it should think twice before launching a military campaign against Tehran as it would have global implications.
"Our strategic partners have already got bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.
The U.S. Administration sees Iran as a "rogue state" and is determined to stop the Islamic Republic, diplomatically or otherwise, from obtaining nuclear weapons. Washington now plans to deploy a missile defense shield in Central Europe allegedly to protect itself from potential missile strikes from Iran or North Korea.
The UN Security Council passed a new resolution on Iran March 24 toughening economic sanctions against the country suspected of a covert nuclear program. Russia, which is building a $1-billion nuclear power plant in Iran, has resisted any strict sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Russia, which is separated from Iran in the south by three tiny South Caucasus nations and shares a sea border with the Islamic Republic, has been actively promoting a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue.
"Any military action near our border is totally unacceptable," Andrei Denisov said. "We are strongly against it and we are doing our best to prevent it from happening."
Media reports in late March said Washington was preparing to strike at Iran in early April but Denisov denied the information.
"Our partners say movement of military structures in the Persian Gulf is part of a planned rotation," the diplomat said.
Yury Baluyevsky, the head of the Russian General Staff, warned Washington earlier Tuesday that it should think twice before launching a military campaign against Tehran as it would have global implications.
"Our strategic partners have already got bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.
The U.S. Administration sees Iran as a "rogue state" and is determined to stop the Islamic Republic, diplomatically or otherwise, from obtaining nuclear weapons. Washington now plans to deploy a missile defense shield in Central Europe allegedly to protect itself from potential missile strikes from Iran or North Korea.
The UN Security Council passed a new resolution on Iran March 24 toughening economic sanctions against the country suspected of a covert nuclear program. Russia, which is building a $1-billion nuclear power plant in Iran, has resisted any strict sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
U.S. asks Iran for info on missing agent
U.S. asks Iran for info on missing agent
By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The State Department said Tuesday that a letter it sent this week to the Iranian government seeking information about a missing American in
Iran is its second inquiry into the man's welfare and whereabouts in a month.
Iran is its second inquiry into the man's welfare and whereabouts in a month.
Spokesman Sean McCormack said the department first asked about the case March 12, shortly after the former
FBI' agent was reported missing, but it had not received any credible information in response
FBI' agent was reported missing, but it had not received any credible information in response
As a result, the department on Monday sent a letter to authorities in Iran asking for help in locating the man, he said.
A U.S. official familiar with the case identified the missing former FBI agent as Robert Levinson. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said Levinson was on or near the Island of Kish when last heard from.
Both State Department inquiries to Iran were placed through the government of Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Iran. However, the initial outreach, which involved asking the Swiss Embassy in Tehran to look into the matter, was not public knowledge until Tuesday, McCormack said.
"I don't know specifically with whom they (the Swiss) interacted in the Iranian government," he told reporters. "I do know that they have gotten back to us and said they don't know his welfare and whereabouts."
The FBI said Monday that Levinson retired from the bureau nearly a decade ago and was in Iran on private business. He was last seen in Iran in early March and was not working for the FBI as a contractor, the agency said.
He was last heard from in a coastal area of southern Iran on or near Kish Island, where he was apparently working on a project for an independent filmmaker, officials said.
McCormack refused to say if the decision to make a written appeal directly to the Iranians reflected increased concern about the missing man, whom he declined to identify for a second day due to privacy concerns.
He confirmed the letter had been given to the Swiss but could not say whether the Swiss had delivered it to the Iranians.
U.S. citizens are not barred from traveling to Iran but they must obtain a visa even though Kish Island is a Persian Gulf resort area and free-trade zone for which no Iranian visa is required.
A U.S. official familiar with the case identified the missing former FBI agent as Robert Levinson. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said Levinson was on or near the Island of Kish when last heard from.
Both State Department inquiries to Iran were placed through the government of Switzerland, which represents U.S. interests in Iran. However, the initial outreach, which involved asking the Swiss Embassy in Tehran to look into the matter, was not public knowledge until Tuesday, McCormack said.
"I don't know specifically with whom they (the Swiss) interacted in the Iranian government," he told reporters. "I do know that they have gotten back to us and said they don't know his welfare and whereabouts."
The FBI said Monday that Levinson retired from the bureau nearly a decade ago and was in Iran on private business. He was last seen in Iran in early March and was not working for the FBI as a contractor, the agency said.
He was last heard from in a coastal area of southern Iran on or near Kish Island, where he was apparently working on a project for an independent filmmaker, officials said.
McCormack refused to say if the decision to make a written appeal directly to the Iranians reflected increased concern about the missing man, whom he declined to identify for a second day due to privacy concerns.
He confirmed the letter had been given to the Swiss but could not say whether the Swiss had delivered it to the Iranians.
U.S. citizens are not barred from traveling to Iran but they must obtain a visa even though Kish Island is a Persian Gulf resort area and free-trade zone for which no Iranian visa is required.
Blair: Next 48 hours 'critical' in sailors' row
Blair: Next 48 hours 'critical' in sailors' row
presstv
presstv
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that the next two days would be "critical" in efforts to resolve the stand-off with Iran amid signs of progress toward ending the deadlock over the British captives. Britain seems to be taking a softer approach toward Tehran 12 days into the crisis, after a week of pushing for Iran's international isolation. "The next 48 hours will be fairly critical," he told Glasgow-based Real Radio, while welcoming comments by top Iranian official Ali Larijani, who envisaged a diplomatic solution. Larijani's comments seem to offer "some prospect," Blair said. The British Prime Minister's comments came after Iran and Britain reportedly started talks Tuesday, described as a first step toward resolving the row. Larijani said Tuesday the new contacts could create the conditions for ending the stand-off. "The British government has started diplomatic discussions with Iran's foreign ministry to resolve the issue of the British military personnel," Larijani told Iran's state television. Iran arrested the 15 British servicemen as they were trespassing into the country's territorial waters on March 23. All 15 sailors and marines admitted to their illegal entry and apologized to Iranian people. This comes as Iranian dailies agreed on Tuesday that Britain was scheming and had sent its sailors into Iranian waters to escalate the pressure on Iran.
Monday, 2 April 2007
Iran Arrests Four Women Activists
Iran Arrests Four Women Activists
Reuters
Reuters
TEHRAN -- Four women's rights activists were arrested for collecting signatures for a campaign demanding equal legal rights for women in Iran, an Iranian news agency reported. The ILNA news agency said the women were collecting names for a so-called "one million signature campaign" demanding changes in what activists say are discriminatory laws against women in the Islamic Republic. "Four women activists were arrested in Tehran's Laleh Park this afternoon (Monday)," ILNA reported.
The report could not be independently confirmed. Iran denies discriminating against sexes and says its laws are based on Islamic sharia. A Web site www.nobelwomeninitiative.org reported the Iranian women activists launched the campaign in August 2006. Iran arrested more than 30 women activists last month when they protested outside a Tehran court in support of five other women detained last year. The authorities said it was an "unauthorised rally". The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, rebuked Iran for those arrests
Former FBI Agent Missing in Iran
The Associated Press
The New York Times
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is seeking information from Iran about a former FBI agent who was reported missing while on a business trip there several weeks ago. FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said Monday the agent had retired nearly a decade ago and appeared to be in Iran on private business. He said the missing man was last seen there in early March and was not working for the FBI as a contractor. ''At this time, there are no indications that this matter should be viewed other than as a missing person case,'' Kolko said. Kolko also said the former agent had worked on traditional criminal issues such as organized crime cases -- drawing a distinction between those and international terrorism or intelligence work that could have taken him to Iran. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States saw no connection between the missing man and the current crisis between Iran and Britain over 15 British sailors and marines seized last month by Iranian forces. The department has sent a letter to the Iranians through diplomatic intermediaries, asking if authorities there have any information about the man, McCormack said. He said the State Department had been in constant contact with the man's family and his employers since he was reported missing, but the spokesman did not say why it had taken three weeks to get in touch with Iran about the case. ''It's an American private citizen who is in Iran on private business about whom we are pursuing welfare and whereabouts (information),'' McCormack told reporters. ''We have been monitoring this situation for a couple of weeks now.'' The Bush administration has increased diplomatic and other pressure on Iran in recent months, including added naval power in the Persian Gulf, while also making new overtures. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to sit down soon for international talks with Iran's foreign minister over the violence in neighboring Iraq. Washington and Tehran do not have diplomatic relations and U.S. interests in the country are represented by Switzerland. Citing privacy concerns, McCormack declined to give details about the name, age or occupation of the missing man. The man was last heard from around March 11 while in a coastal area of southern Iran on or near Kish Island, where he was apparently working on a project for an independent filmmaker. U.S. citizens are not barred from traveling to Iran but must obtain a visa, although Kish Island is a Persian Gulf resort area and free-trade zone for which no Iranian visa is required. A State Department official said the man is not of Iranian descent and that ''welfare and whereabouts'' requests for U.S. citizens reported missing in Iran average about two to three per year.
Iran Accuses US Jets Of Violating Airspace
Iran Accuses US Jets Of Violating Airspace
Nasdaq
RTTNews
Two US airplanes violated Iran's airspace in the southwestern oil-rich province of Khuzestan, Iran's state television Sunday quoted a local military commander as saying on its website. "Two aircraft on Saturday trespassed into Iranian airspace northwest of Abadan before flying southwest into Iraq," said Colonel Aqili, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Abadan. Colonel Aqili said the planes cast out white smoke trails, attracting the local people's attention but did not identify the types of the two US airplanes or their duration of the alleged violation. He also said that US airplanes had violated Iranian airspace several times in the past, but he did not provide details on the incident. Iranian troops had on January 16 shot down a US pilotless spy drone when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizeh, a member of the Iranian parliament, was quoted as saying. However, the Hoveizeh gave no exact date of the downing or any other details about the incident, but said "the United States sent such spy drones to the region every now and then."
Two US airplanes violated Iran's airspace in the southwestern oil-rich province of Khuzestan, Iran's state television Sunday quoted a local military commander as saying on its website. "Two aircraft on Saturday trespassed into Iranian airspace northwest of Abadan before flying southwest into Iraq," said Colonel Aqili, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Abadan. Colonel Aqili said the planes cast out white smoke trails, attracting the local people's attention but did not identify the types of the two US airplanes or their duration of the alleged violation. He also said that US airplanes had violated Iranian airspace several times in the past, but he did not provide details on the incident. Iranian troops had on January 16 shot down a US pilotless spy drone when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizeh, a member of the Iranian parliament, was quoted as saying. However, the Hoveizeh gave no exact date of the downing or any other details about the incident, but said "the United States sent such spy drones to the region every now and then."
Bush : 'Give back the hostages'
Associated Press
President Bush on Saturday said Iran's capture of 15 British sailors and marines was "inexcusable" and called for Iran to "give back the hostages" immediately and unconditionally.
Bush said Iran plucked the sailors out of Iraqi waters. Iran's president said Saturday they were in Iranian waters and called Britain and its allies "arrogant and selfish" for not apologizing for trespassing.
"It's inexcusable behavior," Bush said at the Camp David presidential retreat, where he was meeting with the president of Brazil. "Iran must give back the hostages. They're innocent. They did nothing wrong."
It was the first time that Bush had commented publicly on the captured Britons. Washington has taken a low-key approach to avoid aggravating tensions over the incident and shaking international resolve to get Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program.
Bush did not answer a question about whether the United States would have reacted militarily if those captured had been Americans. The president said he supports British Prime Minister Tony Blair's efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, now in its second week.
Bush would not comment about Britain's options if Iran does not release the hostages, but he seemed to reject any swapping of the British captives for Iranians detained in Iraq.
"I support the prime minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos," Bush said.
Like Bush's words, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments were his most extensive on the crisis. They tracked tough talk from other Iranian officials, an indication that Tehran's position could be hardening.
"The British occupier forces did trespass our waters. Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery," Iran's official news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "But arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise."
Britain, however, appeared to be easing its stance, emphasizing its desire to talk with Iran about what it termed a regrettable situation.
"I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said at a European Union summit in Bremen, Germany. "What we want is a way out of it."
Iran appeared unreceptive to possible talks with Britain.
"Instead of apologizing over trespassing by British forces, the world arrogant powers issue statements and deliver speeches," Ahmadinejad told a crowd in southeastern Iran.
The British sailors were detained by Iranian naval units March 23 while patrolling for smugglers near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, a waterway that has long been a disputed dividing line between Iraq and Iran. Britain also insists the sailors were in Iraqi waters.
In London on Saturday, the political wing of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen Khalq said the capture was planned in advance and carried out in retaliation for U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. The group is listed as a terrorist group by Britain, the U.S. and the European Union.
Blair has expressed disgust that the captured service members had been "paraded and manipulated" in video footage released by Iran. He warned Tehran that it faced increasing isolation if it did not free them.
Britain has frozen most contacts with Iran. The U.N. Security Council has expressed "grave concern" about the incident. The EU has demanded the sailors' unconditional release and warned of unspecified "appropriate measures" if Tehran does not comply — a position the Iranian Foreign Ministry called "bias and meddlesome."
Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a professor of politics in Tehran's Allameh University, said he's convinced that Iran is prepared to stand its ground and insist that the British violated Iranian territory.
"Iran will seriously continue the case and will put them on trial," Bakhshayesh said. "Only an apology by Britain can stop it. Iran thinks that Britons trespassed to test Iran's reaction, and now London is trying to isolate Tehran instead of apologizing."
But British officials are hopeful that diplomacy can resolve the crisis. The Foreign Office confirmed Saturday that Britain had replied to a letter received earlier in this week from the Iranian embassy. It declined to reveal the nature of either letter.
"We have been exchanging letters with the Iranian government, and we will continue to conduct or diplomatic discussions in private," a spokesman said on the government's customary condition of anonymity.
President Bush on Saturday said Iran's capture of 15 British sailors and marines was "inexcusable" and called for Iran to "give back the hostages" immediately and unconditionally.
Bush said Iran plucked the sailors out of Iraqi waters. Iran's president said Saturday they were in Iranian waters and called Britain and its allies "arrogant and selfish" for not apologizing for trespassing.
"It's inexcusable behavior," Bush said at the Camp David presidential retreat, where he was meeting with the president of Brazil. "Iran must give back the hostages. They're innocent. They did nothing wrong."
It was the first time that Bush had commented publicly on the captured Britons. Washington has taken a low-key approach to avoid aggravating tensions over the incident and shaking international resolve to get Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program.
Bush did not answer a question about whether the United States would have reacted militarily if those captured had been Americans. The president said he supports British Prime Minister Tony Blair's efforts to find a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, now in its second week.
Bush would not comment about Britain's options if Iran does not release the hostages, but he seemed to reject any swapping of the British captives for Iranians detained in Iraq.
"I support the prime minister when he made it clear there were no quid pro quos," Bush said.
Like Bush's words, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments were his most extensive on the crisis. They tracked tough talk from other Iranian officials, an indication that Tehran's position could be hardening.
"The British occupier forces did trespass our waters. Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery," Iran's official news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. "But arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise."
Britain, however, appeared to be easing its stance, emphasizing its desire to talk with Iran about what it termed a regrettable situation.
"I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen," British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said at a European Union summit in Bremen, Germany. "What we want is a way out of it."
Iran appeared unreceptive to possible talks with Britain.
"Instead of apologizing over trespassing by British forces, the world arrogant powers issue statements and deliver speeches," Ahmadinejad told a crowd in southeastern Iran.
The British sailors were detained by Iranian naval units March 23 while patrolling for smugglers near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, a waterway that has long been a disputed dividing line between Iraq and Iran. Britain also insists the sailors were in Iraqi waters.
In London on Saturday, the political wing of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen Khalq said the capture was planned in advance and carried out in retaliation for U.N. sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. The group is listed as a terrorist group by Britain, the U.S. and the European Union.
Blair has expressed disgust that the captured service members had been "paraded and manipulated" in video footage released by Iran. He warned Tehran that it faced increasing isolation if it did not free them.
Britain has frozen most contacts with Iran. The U.N. Security Council has expressed "grave concern" about the incident. The EU has demanded the sailors' unconditional release and warned of unspecified "appropriate measures" if Tehran does not comply — a position the Iranian Foreign Ministry called "bias and meddlesome."
Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a professor of politics in Tehran's Allameh University, said he's convinced that Iran is prepared to stand its ground and insist that the British violated Iranian territory.
"Iran will seriously continue the case and will put them on trial," Bakhshayesh said. "Only an apology by Britain can stop it. Iran thinks that Britons trespassed to test Iran's reaction, and now London is trying to isolate Tehran instead of apologizing."
But British officials are hopeful that diplomacy can resolve the crisis. The Foreign Office confirmed Saturday that Britain had replied to a letter received earlier in this week from the Iranian embassy. It declined to reveal the nature of either letter.
"We have been exchanging letters with the Iranian government, and we will continue to conduct or diplomatic discussions in private," a spokesman said on the government's customary condition of anonymity.
Iran fears U.S. attack in summer: Israeli general
Iran fears U.S. attack in summer: Israeli general
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -
Iran is making defensive preparations for what it fears will be a U.S. military attack this summer, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Sunday.
Iran is making defensive preparations for what it fears will be a U.S. military attack this summer, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Sunday.
Major-General Amos Yadlin also told the Israeli cabinet that Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and
Syria' believed they could be targeted in any U.S.-initiated war against Iran, an Israeli government official said, briefing reporters on his remarks.
"What we are seeing is their preparation for the possibility of war in the summer. My assessment is that they are defensive preparations for war," Yadlin was quoted as saying, referring to Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.
The government official said Yadlin spoke about Iranian fears of a U.S., not an Israeli, offensive.
The official gave no details about the type of military preparations Yadlin said Iran was making to meet any U.S. attack.
"We are closely monitoring these preparations because (Iran, Syria and Hezbollah) could misinterpret various moves in the region," Yadlin said, according to the official.
In Washington on Thursday, UnderSecretary of State Nicholas Burns said the United States was "convinced diplomacy is the way to proceed" to curb Iran's nuclear program.
Burns told the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee that Washington did not believe conflict with Tehran was inevitable.
The U.N. Security Council' widened sanctions against Iran on March 24 after it defied a second deadline to stop enriching uranium, a process Tehran says will yield solely electricity but world powers fear could be used to build atomic weapons.
Washington and London also accuse Iran of supporting insurgents fighting their forces in iraq.
Washington and London also accuse Iran of supporting insurgents fighting their forces in iraq.
Sizdah-bedar: Iranians celebrate 'day of nature'
Sizdah-bedar: Iranians celebrate 'day of nature'
Millions of Iranians are spending Monday outdoors on the final day of celebrations for the New Year holidays. The term sizdah-bedar literally means 'out with the thirteenth'. To Iranians, the number '13' symbolizes evil and bad luck.
The annual sizdah-bedar picnic is based on an ancient Iranian tradition that encourages people to avoid any ill omens at home by going outdoors on the 13th day of the new year. Since ancient times, Iranians have enjoyed their yearly trek to the outdoors, when families set off for green and open spaces. In Iranian tradition, the first 12 days of the new year symbolize order in the world and in people's lives. The 13th day marks the return to ordinary daily life.
Historians believe that the traditions observed during sizdah-bedar date back to the lives of ancient Iranians. In one of the traditions, young ladies tie together blades of grass in hope of finding their ideal husbands. The gesture represents the bond between a man and a woman. According to the Avesta, the holy scriptures of the Zoroastrians, celebrating sizdah-bedar helps Spenta Mainyu (the holy spirit) prevail over Angra Mainyu (the evil spirit).
Saturday, 31 March 2007
Operation Bite: April 6 sneak attack by US forces against Iran planned, Russian military sources warn
By Webster G. Tarpley
Online Journal Contributing Writer
WASHINGTON DC, -- The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 am on April 6, the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov in the Moscow weekly “Argumenty Nedeli.” Uglanov cites Russian military experts close to the Russian General Staff for his account.
The attack is slated to last for 12 hours, according to Uglanov, from 4 am until 4 pm local time. Friday is the sabbath in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.
The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out.
The attacks will be mounted from a number of bases, including the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is currently home to B-52 bombers equipped with standoff missiles. Also participating in the air strikes will be US naval aviation from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as from those of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Additional cruise missiles will be fired from submarines in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of the Arabian peninsula. The goal is allegedly to set back Iran’s nuclear program by several years, writes Uglanov, whose article was reissued by RIA-Novosti in various languages, but apparently not English, several days ago. The story is the top item on numerous Italian and German blogs, but so far appears to have been ignored by US websites.
Observers comment that this dispatch represents a high-level orchestrated leak from the Kremlin, in effect a war warning, which draws on the formidable resources of the Russian intelligence services, and which deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness by pro-peace forces around the world.
Asked by RIA-Novosti to comment on the Uglanov report, retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov confirmed its essential features in a March 21 interview: “I have no doubt that there will be an operation, or more precisely a violent action against Iran.” Ivashov, who has reportedly served at various times as an informal advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is currently the vice president of the Moscow Academy for Geopolitical Sciences.
Ivashov attributed decisive importance to the decision of the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives to remove language from the just-passed Iraq supplemental military appropriations bill that would have demanded that Bush come to Congress before launching an attack on Iran. Ivashov pointed out that the language was eliminated under pressure from AIPAC, the lobbing group representing the Israeli extreme right, and from Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni.
“We have drawn the unmistakable conclusion that this operation will take place,” said Ivashov. In his opinion, the US planning does not include a land operation: “ Most probably there will be no ground attack, but rather massive air attacks with the goal of annihilating Iran’s capacity for military resistance, the centers of administration, the key economic assets, and quite possibly the Iranian political leadership, or at least part of it,” he continued.
Ivashov noted that it was not to be excluded that the Pentagon would use smaller tactical nuclear weapons against targets of the Iranian nuclear industry. These attacks could paralyze everyday life, create panic in the population, and generally produce an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty all over Iran, Ivashov told RIA-Novosti. “This will unleash a struggle for power inside Iran, and then there will be a peace delegation sent in to install a pro-American government in Teheran,” Ivashov continued. One of the US goals was, in his estimation, to burnish the image of the current Republican administration, which would now be able to boast that they had wiped out the Iranian nuclear program.
Among the other outcomes, General Ivashov pointed to a partition of Iran along the same lines as Iraq, and a subsequent carving up of the Near and Middle East into smaller regions. “This concept worked well for them in the Balkans and will now be applied to the greater Middle East,” he commented.
“Moscow must exert Russia’s influence by demanding an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the current preparations for an illegal use of force against Iran and the destruction of the basis of the United Nations Charter,” said General Ivashov. “In this context Russia could cooperate with China, France and the non-permanent members of the Security Council. We need this kind of preventive action to ward off the use of force,” he concluded.
The attack is slated to last for 12 hours, according to Uglanov, from 4 am until 4 pm local time. Friday is the sabbath in Iran. In the course of the attack, code named Operation Bite, about 20 targets are marked for bombing; the list includes uranium enrichment facilities, research centers, and laboratories.
The first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant, where Russian engineers are working, is supposed to be spared from destruction. The US attack plan reportedly calls for the Iranian air defense system to be degraded, for numerous Iranian warships to be sunk in the Persian Gulf, and for the most important headquarters of the Iranian armed forces to be wiped out.
The attacks will be mounted from a number of bases, including the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is currently home to B-52 bombers equipped with standoff missiles. Also participating in the air strikes will be US naval aviation from aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, as well as from those of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Additional cruise missiles will be fired from submarines in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of the Arabian peninsula. The goal is allegedly to set back Iran’s nuclear program by several years, writes Uglanov, whose article was reissued by RIA-Novosti in various languages, but apparently not English, several days ago. The story is the top item on numerous Italian and German blogs, but so far appears to have been ignored by US websites.
Observers comment that this dispatch represents a high-level orchestrated leak from the Kremlin, in effect a war warning, which draws on the formidable resources of the Russian intelligence services, and which deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness by pro-peace forces around the world.
Asked by RIA-Novosti to comment on the Uglanov report, retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov confirmed its essential features in a March 21 interview: “I have no doubt that there will be an operation, or more precisely a violent action against Iran.” Ivashov, who has reportedly served at various times as an informal advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is currently the vice president of the Moscow Academy for Geopolitical Sciences.
Ivashov attributed decisive importance to the decision of the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives to remove language from the just-passed Iraq supplemental military appropriations bill that would have demanded that Bush come to Congress before launching an attack on Iran. Ivashov pointed out that the language was eliminated under pressure from AIPAC, the lobbing group representing the Israeli extreme right, and from Israeli Foreign Minister Tsipi Livni.
“We have drawn the unmistakable conclusion that this operation will take place,” said Ivashov. In his opinion, the US planning does not include a land operation: “ Most probably there will be no ground attack, but rather massive air attacks with the goal of annihilating Iran’s capacity for military resistance, the centers of administration, the key economic assets, and quite possibly the Iranian political leadership, or at least part of it,” he continued.
Ivashov noted that it was not to be excluded that the Pentagon would use smaller tactical nuclear weapons against targets of the Iranian nuclear industry. These attacks could paralyze everyday life, create panic in the population, and generally produce an atmosphere of chaos and uncertainty all over Iran, Ivashov told RIA-Novosti. “This will unleash a struggle for power inside Iran, and then there will be a peace delegation sent in to install a pro-American government in Teheran,” Ivashov continued. One of the US goals was, in his estimation, to burnish the image of the current Republican administration, which would now be able to boast that they had wiped out the Iranian nuclear program.
Among the other outcomes, General Ivashov pointed to a partition of Iran along the same lines as Iraq, and a subsequent carving up of the Near and Middle East into smaller regions. “This concept worked well for them in the Balkans and will now be applied to the greater Middle East,” he commented.
“Moscow must exert Russia’s influence by demanding an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to deal with the current preparations for an illegal use of force against Iran and the destruction of the basis of the United Nations Charter,” said General Ivashov. “In this context Russia could cooperate with China, France and the non-permanent members of the Security Council. We need this kind of preventive action to ward off the use of force,” he concluded.
Saudis warn Iran not to underestimate US threat
Saudis warn Iran not to underestimate US threat
(IranMania) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah reportedly warned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that he should not underestimate the US military threat onh Iran, AFP reported.
Ahmadinejad met with King Abdullah on March 4 in Riyadh, and publicly the two leaders agreed to fight growing Sunni-Shiite strife in the region.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told Newsweek in an interview that the king meanwhile warned Ahmadinejad to take seriously threats of US military strikes over Iran's refusal to halts its uranium enrichment program.
"On the nuclear issue, we warned him: 'Dont play with fire. Don't think the threat (of an American attack on Iran) is a nonexistent threat; think that it's a real threat, maybe even a palpable threat," Faisal said in the interview posted on the Newsweek website Friday.
"Why do you want to take a chance on that and harm your country?" the king continued, according to Faisal. "What is the rush? Why do you have to do it (enrich uranium) this year and not next year or the year after? Or five years from now? What is the real rush in it?"
The king "speaks to everybody frankly," Faisal said, adding that his ruler bluntly told Ahmadinejad: "Youre interfering in Arab affairs," a reference to Iran's alleged interference in other Middle East countries.
Ahmadinejad listened, then denied any interference. "But we said, 'Whether you deny it or not, this is creating bad feelings for Iran and we think you should stop,'" Faisal told Newsweek.
"Certainly what Iran is doing is interfering in Iraq," Faisal said. "We told them this will not benefit them but will do more damage to them than (good). But we have never put ourselves in a position of conflict with Iran."
The Saudis also told the Iranians "that their interference in Arab affairs is creating a backlash in the Arab world and in the Muslim world. Other Muslim countries are complaining of (Iranian) interference in internal affairs," Faisal said.
"And we talked to them frankly and honestly on this issue and they see the danger that what is happening is going to lead to strife between Shiites and Sunnis."
The Saudi foreign minister also said it was "a catastrophe" for Iran to be holding 15 British sailors and marines it had captured on March 23. Iran insists the personnel were detained for being in Iranian waters but Britain maintains they were inside Iraqi waters.
"This is just not the time for them to have a problem like that looming. We tell them that," Faisal said.
On Wednesday, the Saudi king criticized the US occupation of Iraq in an opening address to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh, a move some observers say is an effort to distance himself from the embattled Bush administration.
Ahmadinejad met with King Abdullah on March 4 in Riyadh, and publicly the two leaders agreed to fight growing Sunni-Shiite strife in the region.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told Newsweek in an interview that the king meanwhile warned Ahmadinejad to take seriously threats of US military strikes over Iran's refusal to halts its uranium enrichment program.
"On the nuclear issue, we warned him: 'Dont play with fire. Don't think the threat (of an American attack on Iran) is a nonexistent threat; think that it's a real threat, maybe even a palpable threat," Faisal said in the interview posted on the Newsweek website Friday.
"Why do you want to take a chance on that and harm your country?" the king continued, according to Faisal. "What is the rush? Why do you have to do it (enrich uranium) this year and not next year or the year after? Or five years from now? What is the real rush in it?"
The king "speaks to everybody frankly," Faisal said, adding that his ruler bluntly told Ahmadinejad: "Youre interfering in Arab affairs," a reference to Iran's alleged interference in other Middle East countries.
Ahmadinejad listened, then denied any interference. "But we said, 'Whether you deny it or not, this is creating bad feelings for Iran and we think you should stop,'" Faisal told Newsweek.
"Certainly what Iran is doing is interfering in Iraq," Faisal said. "We told them this will not benefit them but will do more damage to them than (good). But we have never put ourselves in a position of conflict with Iran."
The Saudis also told the Iranians "that their interference in Arab affairs is creating a backlash in the Arab world and in the Muslim world. Other Muslim countries are complaining of (Iranian) interference in internal affairs," Faisal said.
"And we talked to them frankly and honestly on this issue and they see the danger that what is happening is going to lead to strife between Shiites and Sunnis."
The Saudi foreign minister also said it was "a catastrophe" for Iran to be holding 15 British sailors and marines it had captured on March 23. Iran insists the personnel were detained for being in Iranian waters but Britain maintains they were inside Iraqi waters.
"This is just not the time for them to have a problem like that looming. We tell them that," Faisal said.
On Wednesday, the Saudi king criticized the US occupation of Iraq in an opening address to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh, a move some observers say is an effort to distance himself from the embattled Bush administration.
Business journalist gets three years in prison on spying charge
Business journalist gets three years in prison on spying charge
Reporters Without Borders called today for the immediate release of freelance business journalist Ali Farahbakhsh, who was convicted of spying in a parody of a trial on 26 March and was sentenced to three years in prison and an exorbitant fine.
“The same day that the UN Human Rights Council decided not to examine the situation in Iran, a journalist was the victim of the Islamic Republic’s repression,” the press freedom organisation said. “A total of six journalists are now in prison in Iran and are being held in very harsh conditions.”
A Tehran revolutionary court sentenced Farahbakhsh to three years in prison and a fine of 52,000 euros on a charge of spying. He was arrested on 27 November on his return to Tehran from a trip to Bangkok, where he took part in a conference on the news media that was organised by Thai NGOs.
The authorities held Farahbakhsh incommunicado and in solitary confinement for 40 days, until the Union of Journalists revealed what had happened to him. His family had been ordered not to talk about his arrest, which was only confirmed on 7 January by Tehran prison system director Sohrabe Soleymani. According to several sources, he has a stomach ulcer that it is not being properly treated.
Farahbakhsh has been a contributor to several pro-reform newspapers, including Yas-e no and Shargh (which are now closed) and the daily newspaper Sarmayeh.
A recommendation “not to pursue the examination of the situation” in Iran and Uzbekistan was accepted by the UN Human Rights Council during a closed-door meeting in Geneva on 26 March. The recommendation came from a group of five member states charged with monitoring human rights situations around the world.
Reporters Without Borders has meanwhile learned of the arrests of two journalists, of whom there has been no word since 10 March. Mansur Teyfuri of the weekly Ashiti was arrested in the Marivan region near the border with Iraq. Mohamad Bagher Abassi Samali, the editor of the weekly Salam Jonob (Hello South), was arrested in Bushehr after saying “even the Prophet of Islam could make mistakes.” Several demonstrations have been staged outside his newspaper, which has been closed down since his arrest.
Friday, 30 March 2007
Iran TV Shows Captured Briton Saying Sorry
Iran TV Shows Captured Briton Saying Sorry
By REUTERS
By REUTERS
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran broadcast video on Friday of a captured British sailor who said he and 14 colleagues had entered Iranian waters illegally, ramping up tension over the week-long crisis.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed disgust at the broadcasting of footage of three of the captives and said Iran risked further isolation unless it released them -- but London said Tehran showed no sign of seeking a way out of the crisis.
``We trespassed without permission,'' said the sailor, who gave his name as Nathan Thomas Summers and said they were being treated well. ``I would like to apologize for entering your waters without any permission ... I deeply apologize.''
Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines in the northern Gulf last Friday when they were on a U.N. mission. Tehran says they had strayed into Iranian waters but Britain insists they were well within Iraqi territory.
The crisis, at a time of heightened Middle East tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions, has helped pushed oil prices to six-month highs over concerns an escalation might curb crucial oil exports from the region.
The video showed two men in khaki uniforms and a woman in blue fatigues and a headscarf talking calmly and smiling in a room with a floral wallpaper background.
Blair criticized the video broadcast but urged patience in dealing with Iran, and said London would consult its key allies over the weekend.
``I really don't know why the Iranian regime keeps doing this. All it does is enhance peoples' disgust at captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way,'' he said.
``What the Iranians have to realize is that if they continue in this way they will face increasing isolation.''
The video release came as Britain said it was considering a note from Tehran that appeared to resemble a statement used to resolve a similar standoff in 2004 when Iran seized eight British servicemen and held them for three days.
COMPLICATED STANDOFF
However Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said after the video was shown that there was nothing in the note from Iran to suggest Tehran was looking for a way out.
The letter said Iran respected the rules and principles of international law concerning the territorial integrity of states and that Britain must accept its responsibility for the consequences of any border violation.
The letter did not appear to demand an apology from Britain as several Iranian officials had previously called for.
Analysts said efforts to resolve the standoff were complicated by Iran's political structure.
``The Iranian Foreign Ministry is not in charge here,'' said Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the Institute for Strategic Studies.
``They're having to work out a face-saving diplomatic solution, but I don't think the Revolutionary Guards want a diplomatic solution. So it's going to be hard to choreograph something when you have internal friction.''
The hardline Guards are the ideological wing of Iran's armed forces with a separate command structure.
London has been pushing for international condemnation of the sailors' seizure but failed to get the U.N. Security Council to pass a strongly worded draft statement. Instead, it expressed ``grave concern'' about the issue.
Britain froze all diplomatic business with Iran on Wednesday, except for dealings over the sailors, and hoped its European Union partners would adopt similar measures.
EU foreign ministers voiced solidarity at a summit in Germany but were reluctant as a bloc to freeze business with Tehran over the row.
Friday's video was the second Iran has shown. It has also released two letters purported to have been written by the only woman captured, Faye Turney. In one letter, she called for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed disgust at the broadcasting of footage of three of the captives and said Iran risked further isolation unless it released them -- but London said Tehran showed no sign of seeking a way out of the crisis.
``We trespassed without permission,'' said the sailor, who gave his name as Nathan Thomas Summers and said they were being treated well. ``I would like to apologize for entering your waters without any permission ... I deeply apologize.''
Iran seized 15 British sailors and marines in the northern Gulf last Friday when they were on a U.N. mission. Tehran says they had strayed into Iranian waters but Britain insists they were well within Iraqi territory.
The crisis, at a time of heightened Middle East tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions, has helped pushed oil prices to six-month highs over concerns an escalation might curb crucial oil exports from the region.
The video showed two men in khaki uniforms and a woman in blue fatigues and a headscarf talking calmly and smiling in a room with a floral wallpaper background.
Blair criticized the video broadcast but urged patience in dealing with Iran, and said London would consult its key allies over the weekend.
``I really don't know why the Iranian regime keeps doing this. All it does is enhance peoples' disgust at captured personnel being paraded and manipulated in this way,'' he said.
``What the Iranians have to realize is that if they continue in this way they will face increasing isolation.''
The video release came as Britain said it was considering a note from Tehran that appeared to resemble a statement used to resolve a similar standoff in 2004 when Iran seized eight British servicemen and held them for three days.
COMPLICATED STANDOFF
However Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said after the video was shown that there was nothing in the note from Iran to suggest Tehran was looking for a way out.
The letter said Iran respected the rules and principles of international law concerning the territorial integrity of states and that Britain must accept its responsibility for the consequences of any border violation.
The letter did not appear to demand an apology from Britain as several Iranian officials had previously called for.
Analysts said efforts to resolve the standoff were complicated by Iran's political structure.
``The Iranian Foreign Ministry is not in charge here,'' said Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the Institute for Strategic Studies.
``They're having to work out a face-saving diplomatic solution, but I don't think the Revolutionary Guards want a diplomatic solution. So it's going to be hard to choreograph something when you have internal friction.''
The hardline Guards are the ideological wing of Iran's armed forces with a separate command structure.
London has been pushing for international condemnation of the sailors' seizure but failed to get the U.N. Security Council to pass a strongly worded draft statement. Instead, it expressed ``grave concern'' about the issue.
Britain froze all diplomatic business with Iran on Wednesday, except for dealings over the sailors, and hoped its European Union partners would adopt similar measures.
EU foreign ministers voiced solidarity at a summit in Germany but were reluctant as a bloc to freeze business with Tehran over the row.
Friday's video was the second Iran has shown. It has also released two letters purported to have been written by the only woman captured, Faye Turney. In one letter, she called for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Britain takes case against Iran to U.N.
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran on Thursday rolled back on a pledge to release a female British sailor, and a top official said the 15 captives may be put on trial. Iran's foreign minister had said Tehran would soon free Faye Turney, the only woman among the sailors and marines seized last week while searching a merchant vessel in what Iran says were its territorial waters near Iraq.
Iran on Thursday rolled back on a pledge to release a female British sailor, and a top official said the 15 captives may be put on trial. Iran's foreign minister had said Tehran would soon free Faye Turney, the only woman among the sailors and marines seized last week while searching a merchant vessel in what Iran says were its territorial waters near Iraq.
But Gen. Ali Reza Afshar, Iran's military chief, said that because of the "wrong behavior" by the British government, "the release of a female British soldier has been suspended," the semiofficial Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani also told state television that British leaders "have miscalculated this issue" and if they follow through with threats, the case "may face a legal path" — presumably putting the Britons on trial.
Iranian state television broadcast a few seconds of video it said was of the operation that seized the British sailors and marines.
In the five-second video, a helicopter is seen hovering above inflatable boats in choppy seas. Then, the Royal Navy sailors and marines appear seated in an Iranian vessel, presumably after their capture.
Britain has circulated a draft press statement to the Security Council, asking it to "deplore" Tehran's action and demand the immediate release of the captives.
But Security Council diplomats said the statement is likely to face problems from Russia and others because it says the Britons were "operating in Iraqi waters" — a point that Iran contests.
Prime Minister
Tony Blair' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Tony Blair's government also said it was freezing most contacts with Iran. But Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted a government official as playing down the consequences.
"Tehran-London relations were already cold," the unidentified official said. Iran's Foreign Ministry is to deliver a letter to the U.N. to protest the violation of its territorial waters, IRNA said.
Britain enlisted international help to free the captives.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed their fate with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of an Arab summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, that both were attending.
European Union' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Iran to free the captives, saying the standoff is blocking efforts to improve relations. In Paris, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to express concern and urge their release.
The crisis had appeared to be easing Wednesday, with Mottaki saying that if the alleged entry into Iranian waters proved to have been a mistake "this can be solved," and that Britain's "admitting the mistake will facilitate a solution to the problem." Mottaki also said Iran had GPS devices from the seized British boats that showed they were in Iranian territory.
But tensions soared anew after Iranian television later showed the detainees, with Turney saying her group had "trespassed" in Iranian waters.
The video also displayed what appeared to be a handwritten letter from Turney, 26, to her family. "I have written a letter to the Iranian people to apologize for us entering their waters," it said. The letter also asks Turney's parents in Britain to look after her 3-year-old daughter, Molly, and her husband, Adam.
The video showed Turney in a head scarf and her uniform eating with other sailors and marines. Later, wearing a white tunic and black head scarf, she sat in a room before floral curtains and smoked a cigarette.
Turney was the only detainee shown speaking, saying she had been in the navy for nine years.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," Turney said at one point. "They were very friendly and very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we've been arrested. There was no harm, no aggression."
Britain angrily denounced the video as unacceptable and froze most dealings with Iran.
"Nobody should be put in that position. It is an impossible position to be put in," said Blair's spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with government policy. "It is wrong. It is wrong in terms of the usual conventions that cover this. It is wrong in terms of basic humanity."
The third Geneva Convention bans subjecting prisoners of war to intimidation, insults or "public curiosity." Because there is no armed conflict between Iran and Britain, the captives would not technically be classified as prisoners of war.
Britain's ambassador to Tehran lodged an official complaint, the Foreign Office said.
In Iraq, the Iranian consul in Basra charged that British soldiers on Thursday had surrounded his office and fired shots into the air. The Ministry of Defense in London said the shooting was an exchange of gunfire after British troops on a foot patrol near the Iranian consulate were ambushed.
But Iranian Consul-General Mohammed Ridha Nasir Baghban said British forces had engaged in a "provocative act" that "could worsen the situation of the British sailors."
"British forces should rely on wisdom and not react because of the British forces' detention. This reflects negatively on bilateral relations," Baghban told AP.
In London, Vice Adm. Charles Style said the British boats were seized at 29 degrees 50.36 minutes north latitude and 48 degrees 43.08 minutes east longitude. He said that position had been confirmed by an Indian-flagged merchant ship boarded by the sailors and marines.
But the position, outside the Shatt el-Arab waterway in the Gulf, is an area where no legal boundary exists, leaving it unclear whose territory it lies in, said Kaiyan Kaikobad, author of "The Shatt al-Arab Boundary Question."
"What we do have is a de facto state practiced boundary — a line both countries have been observing on the spot," he said. "The problem is that though the British have drawn a line where they claim the de facto line is, we haven't seen an Iranian version."
Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani also told state television that British leaders "have miscalculated this issue" and if they follow through with threats, the case "may face a legal path" — presumably putting the Britons on trial.
Iranian state television broadcast a few seconds of video it said was of the operation that seized the British sailors and marines.
In the five-second video, a helicopter is seen hovering above inflatable boats in choppy seas. Then, the Royal Navy sailors and marines appear seated in an Iranian vessel, presumably after their capture.
Britain has circulated a draft press statement to the Security Council, asking it to "deplore" Tehran's action and demand the immediate release of the captives.
But Security Council diplomats said the statement is likely to face problems from Russia and others because it says the Britons were "operating in Iraqi waters" — a point that Iran contests.
Prime Minister
Tony Blair' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Tony Blair's government also said it was freezing most contacts with Iran. But Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency quoted a government official as playing down the consequences.
"Tehran-London relations were already cold," the unidentified official said. Iran's Foreign Ministry is to deliver a letter to the U.N. to protest the violation of its territorial waters, IRNA said.
Britain enlisted international help to free the captives.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon discussed their fate with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of an Arab summit in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, that both were attending.
European Union' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Iran to free the captives, saying the standoff is blocking efforts to improve relations. In Paris, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador to express concern and urge their release.
The crisis had appeared to be easing Wednesday, with Mottaki saying that if the alleged entry into Iranian waters proved to have been a mistake "this can be solved," and that Britain's "admitting the mistake will facilitate a solution to the problem." Mottaki also said Iran had GPS devices from the seized British boats that showed they were in Iranian territory.
But tensions soared anew after Iranian television later showed the detainees, with Turney saying her group had "trespassed" in Iranian waters.
The video also displayed what appeared to be a handwritten letter from Turney, 26, to her family. "I have written a letter to the Iranian people to apologize for us entering their waters," it said. The letter also asks Turney's parents in Britain to look after her 3-year-old daughter, Molly, and her husband, Adam.
The video showed Turney in a head scarf and her uniform eating with other sailors and marines. Later, wearing a white tunic and black head scarf, she sat in a room before floral curtains and smoked a cigarette.
Turney was the only detainee shown speaking, saying she had been in the navy for nine years.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," Turney said at one point. "They were very friendly and very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we've been arrested. There was no harm, no aggression."
Britain angrily denounced the video as unacceptable and froze most dealings with Iran.
"Nobody should be put in that position. It is an impossible position to be put in," said Blair's spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with government policy. "It is wrong. It is wrong in terms of the usual conventions that cover this. It is wrong in terms of basic humanity."
The third Geneva Convention bans subjecting prisoners of war to intimidation, insults or "public curiosity." Because there is no armed conflict between Iran and Britain, the captives would not technically be classified as prisoners of war.
Britain's ambassador to Tehran lodged an official complaint, the Foreign Office said.
In Iraq, the Iranian consul in Basra charged that British soldiers on Thursday had surrounded his office and fired shots into the air. The Ministry of Defense in London said the shooting was an exchange of gunfire after British troops on a foot patrol near the Iranian consulate were ambushed.
But Iranian Consul-General Mohammed Ridha Nasir Baghban said British forces had engaged in a "provocative act" that "could worsen the situation of the British sailors."
"British forces should rely on wisdom and not react because of the British forces' detention. This reflects negatively on bilateral relations," Baghban told AP.
In London, Vice Adm. Charles Style said the British boats were seized at 29 degrees 50.36 minutes north latitude and 48 degrees 43.08 minutes east longitude. He said that position had been confirmed by an Indian-flagged merchant ship boarded by the sailors and marines.
But the position, outside the Shatt el-Arab waterway in the Gulf, is an area where no legal boundary exists, leaving it unclear whose territory it lies in, said Kaiyan Kaikobad, author of "The Shatt al-Arab Boundary Question."
"What we do have is a de facto state practiced boundary — a line both countries have been observing on the spot," he said. "The problem is that though the British have drawn a line where they claim the de facto line is, we haven't seen an Iranian version."
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