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Selected Headlines
01 Jan 2010 19:3511 Comments
Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Iranian press, and excerpts where the source is in English. The link to the news organization or blog is provided at the top of each item. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Please refer to the Media Guide to help put the story in perspective.
Rezai appeals to Supreme Leader on behalf of Mousavi
Tabnak | Jan. 1, 2009
Mohsen Rezai, a presidential candidate in the June election and Secretary of the Expediency Council, said Mir Hossein Mousavi's [statement in which he appears to] retreat from rejecting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government can help unite the nation.
In a letter to Iran's Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Rezai said that the mass participation of Iranians in Wednesday's [pro-government] rally... not only made up for the embarrassment of the Ashura [anti-government demonstrations], but will also play an important role in neutralizing any plots against the country.
"I was among the demonstrators from Ferdowsi Square to Tehran University and personally witnessed the raw emotions and the love that people have for Imam Hossein (PBUH), the Leadership and the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic," Rezai said. "All classes and political parties were present in the crowd."
"This is the first time since the [June 12] election that the Iranian nation was seen united as one. I saw countless women, men and youth from up close. While they were upset by the Ashura incidents, they had tears of joy in their eyes as a result of feeling themselves under the light of Imam Hossein (PBUH) and the Leadership. Yesterday's demonstration was a manifestation of the Qoranic verse to hold fast to the divine cord and not become disunited."
"This event can be the start of a new movement to help the development of the country and to help resolve the worries and ambiguities in the country's economic investments and other activities. But I have no doubt that on the one hand the radicals of both sides [of the political spectrum] and the crouching enemies of the Iranian nation with their rage on the other hand will make efforts to neutralize the achievements of this great movement."
"Mr. Mousavi's retreat from rejecting the [legitimacy of the] Ahmadinejad administration and his constructive proposal for Majlis and the Judiciary to execute their legal obligations by making the government answerable, despite being late, can be the start of a motion to unite the opposition with the rest of the nation. "
Rezai asked the Leader to issue a statement or deliver a speech that would guide the people toward unity now that the ground had been prepared.
Mousavi speaks out
EA | Jan. 1, 2010
For the commemoration of Ashura, despite several requests, neither [Mehdi] Karroubi, [Mohammad] Khatami, nor I or any other friend issued any statement. Yet people spontaneously came to the scene and showed that the extensive social networks formed spontaneously during and after the election would not wait for statements and announcements. While people neither had any accompanying or encouraging newspaper nor had the benefit of the state-run television and radio... all the nations and people of the world witnessed that in the middle of a storm of threats, propaganda, insults, and Godless callings, the mourners of Imam Hossein [Prophet Mohammad's grandson] on this holy day, while calling on Hossein, peacefully and without chanting any radical slogans, took to the streets and squares which they had chosen themselves, and this time they again faced provocative actions. Unbelievable brutalities like running people over by cars, shooting at people by the plainclothes militia whose identity is not hidden from anyone..., creating a disaster whose consequences will not leave the political scene of our country anytime soon. continued...
Seven Ashura protesters to be tried
Tabnak | Jan. 1, 2010
Reports suggested that cases against seven people accused of desecrating the ideals of the revolution have been referred to the Revolution Court for trial.
According to Tabnak, the court will try the seven suspects from Sunday through Tuesday. The cases of another group of protesters detained on Ashura will also be brought before court soon.
Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi had earlier announced that no leniency would be shown in dealing with the Ashura defilers.
Intelligence Ministry gives opposition ultimatum
Tabak | Jan. 1, 2009
The Intelligence Ministry warned the "deceived" that they should use their last chance to part ways with foreigners who are exploiting them or else suffer the consequences.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry claimed that "the Islamic Republic enjoys full popular support and authority," and "dreams of velvet revolutions and soft wars will never become reality nor succeed."
The statement added that in order to enable the people to differentiate between right and wrong the heads of sedition and the agents behind acts of sacrilege had thus far been shown leniency.
"Given the concrete evidence obtained by the intelligence ministry regarding the relations between certain seditionists with counter revolutionary cells and foreigners, once again and as an ultimatum, they are warned to stop allowing foreigners, who seek control over Iran, and Iranians have bitter memories of them, to toy with them and use the limited opportunity they have been granted to part ways with them [foreigners] or else without any considerations [of leniency] they will be legally dealt with."
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11 Comments
2009? Not the year of the failed uprising or the year of the failed 'velvet revolution' or the year of the successful'not so velvet coup' but the year of the dawn of truth over lies and butchery. The year the Iranian people voted in huge numbers demonstrating great faith in democracy. The year the Iranian people learnt and provided a great lesson to freedom-seekers everywhere.
Pirooz / January 1, 2010 10:46 PM2009- the beginning of what will hopefully be the end of 30 years of tyranny
s / January 2, 2010 12:22 AMThe past and planned treatment of Iran's best and brightest youth in the Ahmadinejad years is reminiscent of a 1980's British science fiction TV series in which, in a dark, distant future, young Earthlings once they turned 13 years old were "capped" (underwent frontal lobotomies by means of a helmet wired into their brains) by the Earth's alien overlords in order to quash any mere thought of dissent and make pliable slave laborers of them.
To one and all supporters of the IRI's current SL and regime: if your system of organizing and governing a society is so superior and attractive compared to other possible ones seen elsewhere on the planet, why must so many resources in your country be spent imposing it on your countrymen and women by force (i.e., the IRGC, the Basij, the morality police)?
Why must it insert itself into the most minute detail of someone's daily existence, particularly regarding how women dress? Why should women have to pay the price of being cloaked in hot black robes in public so that "pious" Muslim men's libidos are kept in check? Why doesn't Islam as interpreted by the Iranian regime teach that men instead bear the responsibility for keeping their sexual thoughts from being turned into unwanted advances toward women in public and private? How can any societal system in this day and age justify treating women as being worth only half of a man in giving legal testimony or inheriting their husband's estate? Can a truly self-evidently superior society not tolerate organized dissent?
nougat / January 2, 2010 4:59 AMPirooz, I rally like to know how muchthe Iranian regime pays you for your hard work on this site.Every page in dotted with your nonesense.
Morad Hydar / January 2, 2010 6:05 AM@Pirooz
There have always been people who mooch off the Mullahs as "rented agents"; the same people mooched off the Shah and will change color again when someone else comes to power. these represent the lowest filth of human race.
The same group by the way will be the downfall of the regime. As Khamanei gets weaker more of the opportunist type will bail on him.
Ahvaz / January 2, 2010 8:52 AMYou gotta love the comic genius Sargard Pirooz and the hilarious IRI propaganda that he spreads on NIAC blog, iranian.com and God knows what other sites.
MrMr / January 2, 2010 10:16 AMCan those who express such hatred & xenophobia against Islam & IRI reveal who pays them. Are they benefitting from the millions of $ approved by the US Congress to destabilise & enact regime change to the liking of US/Israeli interests. This is simply not going to happen as the Imam Mahdi is on his way & put these oppressors where they belong - in the dustbin of history- & inshallah in 2010! A happy decade to all inshallah under the Mahdi's rule.
rezvan / January 2, 2010 6:24 PMIf you check most of the clips and pix from the last Wednesday when government sponsored and orchestrated show rally took place you will immediately notice that most of the participants were of military age young bearded male, very few women and elderly (if any).
Aryajet / January 2, 2010 6:52 PMMind you that IRGC alone has 120,000 full time members under its payroll with 300,000 reservist, 420,000 alone can make a rally to look huge. I did not count basij, plain cloth and government employees who know they will loose their jobs if they don't take part in mandatory government rallies. USSR all over again.
That is a very inaccurate interpretation of Mousavi's words. The conditions he has set include transparent elections, accountability of the government, freedom of press, freedom of peaceful assembly. These were the same conditions from the beginning. Nothing has changed. The government also knows that if they give into these conditions, it is the end of them.
Roxana / January 2, 2010 7:44 PMI am so disappointed of this extremely wrong analysis.
All well-known activists from the green movement disagree with this statement. First and foremost, Rezai is a pro-Regime element (the other hard-line candidate of the Presidential elections). By no means, does Rezai speak for the green movement or Mousavi. Rezai states that he participated in to pro-government show demonstrations during which they called Mousavi anything from a foreign element to a non-muslim and asked for his execution. Hence, Rezai is naturally taking advantage and falsely calling Mousavi's statement a "retreat".
In fact, Mousavi's statement is an ultimatum from a position of strengh. The conditions he has set in his statement iis with full awareness that the significant majority of the people of Iran align with the opposition.
Most analysts also predict that the government will not agree to these requests because it would lead to their demise. Accountability of the government to the people would require that the culprits of the killings, murders, and tortures against the people be put of trial. This would implicate all the heads of the regime up to the Supreme Leader as the Commander in Chief. Bear in mind, that the government crackdown was carried by government security forces.
Freedom of peaceful assembly would bring millions and millions into the streets who are currently afraid to come out of their homes. This is exactly how the Shah's regime fell.
The writer of this site carries a significant burden of shaping the public's understanding of the events. Given this responsibility, she should exercise more caution and diligence in her analysis.
Roxana / January 2, 2010 7:45 PMFOR PIROOZ:
SHAMEFUL SECRETS OF KHAMENEI'S LIFE (3 parts)
From reading this, I gather your types are well compensated while the masses enjoy their payless paydays. Mullah Omar started out poor with one palace. Khamenei has expropriated all the Shah's palaces for himself and his family. No wonder he
can't afford democracy and a free and open press.
No wonder he will kill, torture, rape and murder all the people he can to retain $37 billion he acquired but did NOTHING to earn (the reverse in fact: keeping a potentially rich country poor)!
Here's a "holy man" who tells dirty jokes even as he publicly berates anyone who even shakes hands with a woman. He fools no one anymore.
Back in the eighties his regime ordered the rape and murder of thousands of young women but no one believed it then. Now they believe because he, his regime, his death squads and torturers have publicly shown themselves capable of any shameful crime.
This would make a nice movie for some exiled Iranian director--a tale of absolute, decadent corruption.
Freedom For All / January 2, 2010 8:20 PM