Ahmadinejad has proof US trying to stop Hidden Imam

06 Dec 2009 18:3214 Comments

Ahmadinejad says he has proof US trying to stop Hidden Imam

Tabnak | Dec. 4, 2009

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that he has documented evidence that the United States was trying to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam (messiah).

According to a Khabar Online report, Ahmadinejad expounded on the plots hatched by the East and West for the annihilation of Iran.

"[Ronald] Regan and his foreign minister were two of the stupidest people in the world," he said, addressing an audience of the families of martyrs and altruists in Isfahan on Friday.

Referring to his June reelection, Ahmadinejad said, "The enemy... was hyping the issue as if the Iranian nation has been weakened and as if this was the best opportunity to get concessions from them. But your humble son [Ahmadinejad] stood in front of the oppressive powers and shouted: You are dead wrong! The Iranian nation will put you in your place."

"In the recent [post-election] incident, they claimed that they had devised a plan that could bring hundreds of governments to their knees," he continued. "But he who is on the righteous path will always be victorious and will never see defeat."

Ahmadinejad said that the oppressive powers were after Iran's oil and other natural resources. "They have a reason for this and they act upon that reason," he said. "However, they do not break the news about it. We have documented proof that they believe that a descendant of the prophet of Islam will raise in these parts [Middle East] and he will dry the roots of all injustice in the world. They have devised all these plans to prevent the coming of the Hidden Imam because they know that the Iranian nation is the one that will prepare the grounds for his coming and will be the supporters of his rule."

"They have planned to annihilate Iran. This is while all policymakers and analysts believe Iran is the true winner in the Middle East," he went on to proclaim.

"In Afghanistan, they are caught like an animal in a quagmire. But instead of pulling their troops out to save themselves, they are deploying more soldiers. Even if they stay in Afghanistan for another 50 years they will be forced to leave with disgrace -- because this is a historical experience [repeated countless times]. In my last visit to New York, I asked them, 'Is there not one sane person in your country to tell you these things?'"

Ahmadinejad said that the most important region of the world was the Middle East and the most important country in the Middle East was Iran.

"They know themselves that they need Iran in the Middle East, but because of their arrogance they do not want to accept this reality. They are nothing without the Iranian nation and all their rhetoric is because they don't want to appear weak."

Photo caption: Woman holds a sign saying she wants a loan.

Rafsanjani's son not returning to Iran

Farda News│Dec. 5, 2009

Mehdi Rafsanjani, son of former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsfanjani, will not return to Iran.

"Mehdi would like to return to the country, but I've advised him to get his PhD," said Ayatollah Rafsanjani, the influential head of the Assembly of Experts and Expediency Council.

According to Khabar Online, Rafsanjani, in a Saturday meeting with members of the Student Islamic Society, claimed that the charges of fiscal corruption brought against Mehdi were rumors. "The cases opened against Mehdi in the Judiciary have all been closed and no judicial figure has actually summoned him," he remarked.

Asked why Mehdi had not yet returned to the country, Rafsanjani stated, "Mehdi will not return to Iran after inaugurating the London branch of Azad University. He is now in Lebanon and from there he will travel to Dubai, Armenia, and Tajikistan to inaugurate the Azad University branches there."

Regarding the Statoil case, Rafsanjani said, "Two years ago, students questioned the matter and it was taken to Majlis. Two Norwegians had exchanged money, and Israeli agents who were behind the deal tried to frame Mehdi by claiming they had bribed him, but this was merely propaganda."

"Moreover, the Justice department, oil ministry and the intelligence ministry announced after two years that there was no evidence of Mehdi's involvement in the matter," Rafsanjani added.

Friday Prayer leader: Khamenei's words taken out of context

Tabnak │ Dec. 4, 2009

Ahmad Khatami, hardliner cleric and Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader, delivered a sermon on "soft wars" to the people of Semnan province.

Fars News Agency carried a report highlighting the speech:

"In the current situation we must set aside minor disputes and stand united before the enemy. We must set aside differences of opinion in favor of the grand objectives of the Islamic Republic and make the development of this country our main concern."

"If we take the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist [velayat faqih] out of the Constitution, the Islamic establishment will turn into a monarchy. The elimination of this position is the main objective of the soft war launched by the enemy against Iran."

"With their 85% turnout, the people chose their desired candidate for president. The law states that anyone who disputes the results may voice his objection through the proper legal channels. The demand to annul the election results was an illegal demand."

"If the election is annulled once, it can never be properly held again and there will always be a group of thugs, hooligans and knife-in-hand ruffians who will come out and claim, 'since our name has not been pulled out of the ballot boxes, the election must be annulled.'"

"None of the defeated candidates went to the Guardian Council at the designated time for lodging complaints or during the additional five-day extension. They had planned to create sedition if they did not win. It was calculated months before the election."

"The sedition-provoking statements issued in the days after the vote are still being voiced."

"Some of the supporters of these [opposition leaders] who chanted, "No to Gaza, No to Lebanon" on Quds day only proved the Israeli support of this [Reformist] front. When they realized their reputation was under question, they asked their supporters not to chant such slogans. But we say to them: your nature was corrupt from the start and you showed your true colors with these slogans."

"The enemy of the establishment takes the words of the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] out of context and misuses them."

"Recently, the Supreme Leader told members of the Basij that not everyone who criticizes [the establishment] is a seditionist and enemy of the Leader and must not be labeled as such. These are wise and very true words."

"Taking these words out of context and stating that the Leader has claimed no one should be chanting slogans against seditionists or labeling them enemy of the leader is deceitful. In truth, saying, 'Death to the enemy of the Leader' is saying, 'Death to coup-seekers and those who are the pawns of foreigners.'"

"The heads of sedition issued a statement and asked people to participate in the 13 Aban (Nov. 4) rallies and chant slogans, but they only managed to gather 2,500 people, and those they gathered chanted, 'No to Mousavi, No to Khatami, Only Pahlavis.' Having such supporters is just sad."

"Fortunately, no conflict or crisis exists in this country even though there are people who constantly bicker and try to throw the country into crisis."

"We know the aim of the seditionists. They want to drag this sedition on to the 11th presidential election."

"Stop disputes that smell of overthrow and stop dragging the media into the disputes, because you can resolve these disputes in private. Talking to the media will only give outsiders something to exploit and project the illusion of a crisis."

"We are in favor of unity that is centered on the constitution and the leadership. We consider sedition and any other claim to unity lacking these two pillars," Ahmad Khatami concluded.

Jannati: They are no longer Imam's followers

Tabnak │Dec. 4, 2009

Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati lashed out at unnamed figures who demand that the Basij paramilitary organization not engage in political activities.

"Some say the Basij should not interfere in political matters and should be secular. How can Muslims not have a say in political matters?" Jannati said. "When they say the military should not interfere in politics, it means that the military should not establish [political] parties. But how can a Muslim not be personally involved in such issues as elections and the safeguarding of the country?"

He pointed to remarks by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that whoever disrespects the Basij is guilty of treason, saying, "The Basij is not just a military organization, but if the need arises, they will be mobilized for this purpose."

"Any Muslim with an ounce of zeal is a Basiji, and whoever renders a service in this establishment or in their field of expertise is a Basiji," he added.

Pointing to the recent IAEA resolution against Iran, Jannati said, "I hereby proclaim that if anyone in this country thinks the animosity towards the US can be removed from the hearts of the nation, he is wrong."

"Today is a day of trial. It is a day when those who were once followers of the Imam [Khomeini] are now the followers of another, and are united with the enemies of the Imam."

Ahmadinejad cabinet headed toward first impeachment?

Khabar Online | Dec. 6, 2009

The former head of the Majlis Industrial Commission said the recent remarks made by Industries and Mining Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian makes his impeachment inevitable.

"We have no other choice but to impeach Mehrabian," said Eazatollah Akbari.

He added that Mehrabian had reported to the government that the country's industries are thriving. His production deputy, who also happens to be his cousin, confirmed the report.

"The members of the Majlis Industrial Commission are well aware of the dire condition of the country's industries and know this information to be false."

He went on to say that some of the commission's members had talked about impeaching Mehrabian. "The draft of the Impeachment proposal has not been drawn up yet but as soon as it is written, myself and a large majority of lawmakers will be signing it," he said.

"We have proof that insufficient funds have placed a lot of pressure on industries forcing them to transfer this pressure on to workers and lay them off. This has also resulted in the closure of a number of factories," he said.

He said that even if there was a 5% rate of problems, the industries minister is obligated to report the issue at cabinet meetings, and seek help instead of claiming that everything is fine.

"As his [Mehrabian's] answers to the questions raised by lawmakers have not been satisfactory there is no choice left but to impeach him," he concluded. Mehrabian's impeachment is expected to be because of "hiring incompetent staff at the Ministry of Industries and Mining," "weak supervision on industrial workshops," and "announcing contradicting statistics about industrial problems."

Four Reformist papers receive warnings

Tabnak | Dec. 5, 2009

The ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance issued written warnings for the four Tehran morning dailies of Asrar, Aftab Yazd, Hayat-e No, and Etemad.

According to the Islamic Student News Agency, the statement reads, "The duty of domestic media is to safeguard the unity of public opinion against the propaganda and sedition-seeking attacks by foreign media. It is expected of the press to refrain from publishing content that changes the social and public opinion about certain differences of opinions among authorities."

"Therefore a written warning has been issued for Asrar, Aftab Yazd, Hayat-e No and Etemad dailies. These dailies have blown out of proportion and inculcated the illusion of disunity among authorities with their choice of titles and content on their front and second pages," it said, adding that this was in violation of the media laws of the country.

According to ISNA, the titles and stories published on the first and second pages of these dailies were related to words from the Head of the Expediency Council, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani.

Motive determined in war hero son's murder

Khabar Online | Dec. 6, 2009

The Tehran Crime inspector said jealousy was the motive behind the brutal murder of Morteza Hashemi, son of a prominent war hero.

"Our investigations found that Rouhollah Hashemi killed his brother due to jealousy and hate," said Honarmand.

Morteza Hashemi and his wife Athena were found decapitated in their home in Western Tehran on Nov. 23. Initial investigations led to the arrest of the victim's brother, Rouhollah.

"Rouhollah was upset that his younger brother had a job and steady income and committed fratricide for this very reason," said Honarmand. "Rouhollah told us that his younger brother had promised to send him to Australia and that he had broken his promise, leading to the hatred which caused this tragedy."

The two brothers were the sons of Mojtaba Hashemi, a well-known commander of asymmetrical warfare during the Iraq-imposed war (1980-1988).

Malaysia recalls IAEA envoy over Iran vote

Radio Farda | Dec. 6, 2009

Malaysia summoned its envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency for autonomously voting no to an IAEA resolution that called on Iran to suspend the construction of its Qom nuclear plant.

According to the Malaysian foreign ministry statement, Kuala Lumpur's ambassador to the agency has been summoned for explanations because his vote of no, "was not in line with Malaysian policies."

Of the 35-member Board of Governors, Cuba, Venezuela and Malaysia voted against the resolution on Iran.

The statement added that the country was reviewing the outcome and obligations of the resolution, and that Kuala Lumpur would be approaching the Iranian nuclear issue alongside the international community.

Telco official explains reason for Internet disruptions

Khabar Online | Dec.6, 2009

The head of public relations at the Tehran Telecommunications Infrastructure Company said user overflow could have been the reason for disrupted internet connections in Tehran.

When asked about the reasons for the slow connection and email login problems, Shafei told ISNA, "There are no outages in the network."

He went on to suggest other reasons for the Internet disruptions. "It is possible that user overflow could be the cause of the slow connection speed," he said.

He rejected the idea of the disruptions being caused by infrastructure problems, saying, "In different areas the number of users vary and Services Providers (ISP) are also different. What is certain is that there are no infrastructure problems."

Nabavi hospitalized after returning to Evin

Tabnak | Dec. 6, 2009

Behzad Nabavi's lawyer said his client had been transferred to a hospital shortly after being locked up in Section 2A of Evin Prison.

According to Saleh Nikbakht, Nabavi was taken to the Khatamolanbia Emergency Room. He was expecting to hear from his doctor on Nabavi's situation.

"As Nabavi's three doctors have said that he should not be returned to prison, I will be communicating their medical opinion to the Judiciary head, the Prosecutor General and the Tehran Prosecutor," he said.

Alamolhoda slams Iranian officials for hypocrisy

Asr Iran │ Dec. 4, 2009

Mashhad Friday Prayers leader Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Alamolhoda said that many Iranian officials who talk of unity and following the Supreme Leader are not willing to set aside their own differences.

"Our enemy knows that as long as the Leadership has sanctity, our nation will be united. Questioning the sanctity of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist [velayat faqih] is to break the will of the Iranian people," Alamolhoda said.

"There are no personal motives behind the acts of a boy or girl who has been paid to write graffiti against the Supreme Leader on walls. What's important is that the system drove these youth to this point that they write such slogans and damage the sanctity of the Leadership. When this happens, the leader will no longer be the axis uniting the people," he said.

In an apparent reference to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi's statement issued in response to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments on the importance of Basij forces, the Mashhad Friday Prayers leader added, "He [Mousavi] purports that the real Basij was the one that existed 30 years ago while today's Basij force consists of mercenaries. He insults the Basij with such insolence -- and then asks why he is being branded as an opponent of the establishment."

Regarding the recent IAEA resolution against Iran, Alamolhoda said, "Imam [Khomeini] always said Russia is worse than the US and the US is much worse than Russia... today, we also say Russia is worse than the US and the US is much worse than Russia. China is even worse than these two combined and the UK is the dirtiest of them all."

Ahmadinejad: Iran must enter world management through cultural affairs

Asr Iran │ Dec. 4, 2009

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iranians are not like "uncultured Westerners" and that they respect religious minorities as part of Iran's cultural heritage.

"We are not like the uncultured Westerners who violate the sanctity of Islamic beliefs over any issue or prevent Muslims from building mosques and minarets," said Ahmadinejad in a meeting with political elites in Isfahan on Friday.

Adding that religious minorities are an important part of Iran's cultural heritage, he said, "During the 9th government, 12 of our churches were registered as cultural heritage sites through the efforts of the Cultural Heritage Organization."

Ahmadinejad said his administration was pursuing two main objectives. "Our first mission is to build Iran and our second mission is to enter world management," he said. "We should not allow those who have ruled the world for 400 years oppress us."

"If we enter world affairs through a cultural angle, every possibility will be at the fingertips of the Iranian nation. Cultural efforts are therefore a top priority for us."

"This capacity exists in Isfahan," he added. "The name of Isfahan brings cultural values to the mind of all nations."

Regarding Isfahan's drought-affected Zayandeh river, Ahmadinejad said that despite wanting to give all the river's water to farmers, "We can't do so because this water belongs to the people and industries too. We must set controlling measures so that water does not go to waste."

Khomeini's grandson visits Abtahi after release

Tabnak │Dec. 4, 2009

Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of Iran's revolution, visited the home of former vice president Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, who was recently released from prison, reported the Islamic Labor News Agency.

Accompanied by Serajaldin Mousavi, another member of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's family, Hassan Khomeini congratulated Abtahi on his release. The prominent reformist was released on a $700,000 bail last week.

Former president Mohammad Khatami, opposition cleric Mehdi Karroubi, and a slew of political activists have also visited Abatahi at his home.

The Khomeini family has thrown its weight behind the opposition, refusing to endorse Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after post-election Iran became the scene of violence with security forces cracking down on protesters who disputed the vote result.

Clip of the Day

The chanting in Tehran on Sunday night appears to have been angrier than before...