May 7, 2010
Mir Hossein Mousavi issued a statement just a few days ago calling for the implementation of each and every article of the Iranian constitution. According to Mousavi, the full implementation of the law is the only peaceful solution to the existing crisis in Iran, and he commits to this path forward. His English translated statement can be found on his Facebook page. Mousavi’s official site – Kalameh – provides the full text in Persian.
Every single ignored or abandoned article of the constitution should be implemented
Mir Hossein Mousavi stressed that the full implementation of the constitution without any personal interpretations against the clear rulings of the constitution is the only solution for achieving national unity and reinstating the rights of all ethnics groups and said: “Every single ignored or abandoned article of the constitution should be implemented and if there is any issue in this matter that should be put to a referendum.”
Which abandoned articles of the Iranian constitution is Mousavi referring to, and what are the road blocks that he sees in this proposed path forward?
He is most likely challenging the full – unquestioned -authority of the Supreme Leader which even under the existing Iranian constitution is supposed to be monitored by the Khobregan Council; a council that because of the nature of its appointment by the bodies under the control of the Supreme Leader himself is unable to make a sound judgment in questioning the Leader himself.
Mousavi almost never talks about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly. The two have a history of a ferocious political fighting in the early days of the Iranian revolution, and it appears that neither of them is ready to move away from that history.
After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the revolution, the Iranian constitution was amended and voted on. That was when the Absolute Guardianship of the Islamic Jurisprudence – Velayat e Motlagheye Faghih – was inserted into the Islamic Republic’s constitution. Almost overnight, Khamenei, a Hojatoleslam back then and a man who was a subordinate of Mousavi in government was elevated to a position of an Ayatollah, and became the sole absolute power in the Islamic Republic. Thereafter, Mousavi disappeared from the political arena for twenty years.
Although the principle of Velayat Faghih is enshrined in the constitution, there also exist other chapters and articles that are supposed to monitor its performance. But these articles are never enforced.
Being absent from the political arena in Iran, Mir Hossein Mousavi, “felt a sense of danger” as he called it, and re-entered politics to challenge the existing absolute authority. As opposed to American political culture — which can be much more direct or blunt – the Iranian way of conducting politics is hidden beneath loads of sarcasm, metaphor, poetry, and peculiar Persian literature, which is another reason why it is so difficult for foreign governments to understand the Iranian side of the story.
But now Mousavi is back, and is challenging a twenty year old – undisputed – stronger-than-ever, absolute authority that appears to be more frustrated with its own inability to contain popular resentment.
Mousavi never refers to this personal authority by its name, but his subliminal messages appear more and more transparent as his movement progresses.
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Events in Iran, Iran Election 2009 | Tagged: Ahmadinejad, ayatollah, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Khomeini, Crisis in Iran, Iran democracy, Iran demonstrations, Iran elections, Iran human rights, Iran unrest, khamenei, Mir Hossein Mousavi, NIAC, Velayat Faghih | 
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Posted by Layla Armeen
May 5, 2010
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that the future of three American hikers detained in Iran since July 31 is up to the courts to decide.
While equating the case of the hikers with those of seven Iranian citizens currently incarcerated in US jails, Ahmadinejad said yesterday that the three will be dealt with according to the judicial system set up under Iran’s laws and constitution.
But the three hikers have been held without charge for over 9 months, in direct violation of Article 32 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which guarantees that:
No person may be arrested except according to and in the manner laid down in the law. If someone is detained, the subject matter of the charge, with reasons (for bringing it), must immediately be communicated and explained in writing to the accused. Within at most 24 hours the file on the case and preliminary documentation must be referred to the competent legal authority. Legal procedures must be initiated as early as possible. Anyone infringing this principle will be punished in accordance with the law.
And Article 35, which says:
In all courts, both parties to the claim are entitled to select a lawyer for themselves. If they do not have the capacity to do this, the means of a lawyer being appointed to act for them must be made available to them.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Ahmadinejad in an interview yesterday if the hikers will be allowed access to the outside world and legal representation. Ahmadinejad, whose answers grew increasingly defensive, responded in typical fashion by turning the issue back toward the United States. “If anyone illegally entered U.S. borders, do you think the U.S. Government will let them go freely?” he said.
These three individuals entered our borders illegally. They have confessed to that. They crossed our border. Now, they’re being handled by our judicial system and the judicial system will review their crimes according to the law. We have laws. There’s a due process of law that is being observed.
But the reality simply does not fit with the picture Ahmadinejad is painting. Nine months of incarceration without formal charge. The three have not been allowed access to their lawyer. International observers have had limited access, and questions remain about the health of the three Americans in detention.
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5 Comments | Events in Iran, Human Rights in Iran | Tagged: American hikers in Iran, Human rights Iran, Iran, Iran consitution, Iran detain hikers, Iran hikers, Iran hikers jail, NIAC, NIAC blog, NIAC insight | Permalink
Posted by Patrick Disney
May 4, 2010
The Cable reports that a bipartisan group of Senators have sent a letter to the Chairmen of the Iran sanctions conference, laying down the gauntlet regarding changes sought by the Obama Administration for the final bill, as well as multilateral efforts being pursued by the Administration.
The letter highlights the infamous Gates memo, in which Defense Secretary Gates stated that Iran could potentially assemble all the parts needed for a nuclear weapon “but stop just short of assembling a fully operational weapon.” The Senators write that this is a reminder “that there is little time left to wait for tough new multilateral sanctions – from the United Nations or otherwise.”
However, Gates was warning that Iran may pursue the Japan model instead of seeking to become a full blown nuclear power; if anything he was calling for a serious evaluation of U.S. policy options should sanctions fail to dissuade Iran from pursuing this model, not supporting the letter’s argument that we should all panic and abandon other tools so we can rush forward with unilateral sanctions. If there is an argument for how much time we have available to develop and pursue better options, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright assessed that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon for at least two to five years.
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Leave a Comment » | Congress, Human Rights in Iran, Legislative Agenda, Sanctions | Tagged: Congress, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, President Obama, Sanctions, senate, Stand with the Iranian People Act | Permalink
Posted by Jamal Abdi
May 3, 2010
Though most Iran watchers this weekend focused on the impromptu protest which followed Ahmadinejad’s surprise speech at Tehran University, another tense gathering occurred outside the Labor Ministry.
Approximately five thousand people were walking outside of the Labor Ministry on Saturday, May 1st around 5:30 pm in honor of International Labour Day. Factory workers have been increasingly laid off due to Ahmadinejad’s short sighted policies to fix Iran’s severely weakened economy.
One participant who found out about the event through a text message told NIAC, “There was a guy videotaping us from the beginning and he followed us everywhere, it was very nerve racking. There were also undercover cops everywhere so you didn’t know who to trust.” Our contact suspected he was being followed because he was accompanied by two other young men.
According to Iran News Agency (INA), an opposition site, three people were arrested. INA also confirms our contact’s description of a “very tense atmosphere.”
The gathering followed Mir Hossein Mousavi’s message on Thursday, April 29. As IGV reported, he, “cited inflation, decline in production, corruption, the spread of deceit and mismanagement, unpaid wages of workers, the continuing shut down of plants and their operating at low capacity, as some of the current problems in the country.”
In comparison to protests last year, it would seem that this one was a failure. If people stood in groups of more than ten, motorcycle cops would run up to them and break them apart and only about fifty daring people started to chant anti-government slogans, but were quickly silenced.
But the failure of this protest is only on the surface, by taking a deeper look, it shows the paranoia of the Iranian government. The opposition did little to spread the word about the event as nothing was written on Mousavi’s Facebook page and only a few websites had mentioned the possibility of a gathering. Unlike the little preparatory work by the opposition, the Iranian police were out in full force with hundreds of motorcycle and undercover cops videotaping and methodically breaking up groups—once again displaying their fear and paranoia.
What the government has is force and perhaps it can successfully stop people from protesting, but it is not sustainable. Rather than creating new ways to improve Iran’s weakened economy, the government is using its resources to monitor and control their own citizens. As our contact told us, “I don’t think we’ll be able to have the same level of protests as last summer, but this does not mean that our fight is over.”
3 Comments | Events in Iran | Tagged: Green movement, International Labour Day, Iran blog, May Day Iran, Mir Hossein Mousavi, protest | Permalink
Posted by NIAC
April 29, 2010
InsideIRAN.org interviewed Mohammad Reza Heidari, the Iranian diplomat in Norway who defected over the June 12, 2009 elections and the aftermath. The full interview can be found here but we’ve highlighted some of his comments below:
I have friends in the IRGC, the basij, the Ministry of Intelligence, Iran’s radio and television, and other places who are against the government. They have to cooperate with the government because if they do otherwise, they will face many severe challenges. This issue requires a national will. Strikes are on the way. Teachers, who went on strike, have started the right thing. Iranian laborers are on the same path.
They have gathered a bunch of commoners around them to protect themselves. They try to associate the Green Movement with the rich and then tie them to Western countries. They are terrified. I am from the lower classes and I worked for the government for many years. All my friends are the same. The government has to spend large sums of money to feed people and bus them into cities in order to generate crowds for pro-government demonstrations.
Sanctions must be smart and targeted and only go after the ruling elite. These sanctions should not affect the Iranian people. Countries should not issue visas for the leaders of Iran and their families. Companies should be banned from dealing with the IRGC. The last issue I would like to mention is human rights. Western countries must make human rights the priority. Iran has made such a big deal of the nuclear program to divert attention from its human rights abuse.
4 Comments | Human Rights in Iran, Iran Election 2009, Sanctions, Uncategorized | Tagged: insideIRAN.org, June 12, Mohammad Reza Heidari, The Century Foundation | Permalink
Posted by Darioush Azizi
April 27, 2010
This post originally appeared at InsideIran.org.
To an outsider, it may seem like Washington is united in favor of imposing new sanctions on Iran. But, like in Iran itself, the internal wrangling over this question among Washington policymakers is much more complex and divided by factions than one may assume.
Congressional leaders from both parties have long called for new sanctions — and, bolstered by the strong support of the pro-Israel lobby, even some Democrats have undermined the President’s engagement strategy in their zeal for a more heavy-handed approach. Now that the administration has moved past direct talks and embraced the pressure track, one would assume that Congress, the President and the rest of the Iran policymaking community is in harmony.
But they’re not. Not even close.
Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Congress, Diplomacy, Events in DC, Events in Iran, Human Rights in Iran, Iran Election 2009, Nuclear file, Sanctions, UN, US-Iran War | Tagged: InsideIran, Iran, Iran attack, Iran Congress, iran diplomacy, Iran Obama, Iran Sanctions, Iran War, NIAC, NIAC blog, NIAC insight | Permalink
Posted by Patrick Disney
April 26, 2010
On Friday, the Christian Scientist Monitor published what may be the first mainstream editorial linking the push for “crippling sanctions” against Iran as laying the groundwork for war with Iran.
From “Sanctions on Iran’s gasoline imports? That’s war talk.”:
In this post-9/11 age, the idea of preemptive war against a terrorist-prone country supposedly went out of favor after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
Yet Congress is now pushing President Obama toward steps that could easily be interpreted as an act of war against Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
The House and Senate are moving quickly on a bill to force US sanctions on the sale of gasoline to the Islamic Republic of Iran. In theory, the measure would only punish US and foreign companies that export refined oil products to Iran which, despite being a major exporter of petroleum, lacks sufficient oil refineries.
But there’s a big problem: The only way to really enforce such a crippling sanction against the Iranian economy would be through an American-led naval blockade which, by international law, is an act of war.
Meanwhile, the Zionist Organization of America(ZOA) issued a press release this past Friday announcing that, having spent several years lobbying for gasoline sanctions as “the first step”, now that those sanctions are moving forward, they are beginning to lobby Congress on the next step: war.
“Hundreds Of ZOA Activists On Capitol Hill Saying: Crippling Sanctions On Iran & Stop Pressuring Israel”:
Hundreds of Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) activists from 19 states, including dozens of students, took part in ZOA’s annual activist Mission to Washington, D.C., on April 21 to urge Members of Congress to support legislation for immediately imposing new, robust sanctions upon Iran and enforcing the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 as the first step to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Mission activists urged the necessity of military action should peaceful, diplomatic measures fail to stop Iran’s drive to obtain a nuclear weapons capability…
That hawkish organizations support possible war with Iran is not news. But the fact that organizations are openly lobbying Congress on this point means a new but all too familiar threshold is now being crossed.
5 Comments | Congress, Sanctions, US-Iran War, Uncategorized | Tagged: christian science monitor, Congress, war, zoa | Permalink
Posted by Jamal Abdi
April 23, 2010
The Iranian government’s appalling human rights record will not be rewarded with a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council, according to a report by the Politico’s Laura Rozen. Iran has decided to no longer seek election to the Council in May, owing to behind the scenes efforts by Western states to block the bid. Human rights activists and organizations, including the National Iranian American Council, opposed Iran’s bid to join the UN Human Rights Council. NIAC has publicly called for a special session of the Human Rights Council to address Iran’s human rights record.
From Politico:
The failure of Iran’s bid, after aggressive lobbying in New York, African capitals (Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in Zimbabwe this week), and elsewhere, is “a big embarrassment for them,” the official continued. It “seems to be a mark of their isolation and broad distaste for their human rights record.”
Iran’s bid to be a member of the UN rights body was strongly opposed by Iranian and global human rights activists, including by Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi who wrote a letter opposing Tehran’s bid.
3 Comments | Human Rights in Iran | Tagged: human rights, United Nations | Permalink
Posted by Jamal Abdi
April 23, 2010
This post appeared in today’s The Hill newspaper.
New sanctions on Iran are about the surest bet in Washington these days.
Both the House and the Senate have passed a “crippling” gasoline embargo, and the administration has all but given up talk of negotiations in favor of pressing for UN Security Council sanctions “that bite.” In fact, the only thing left that the administration and Congress disagree on is whether the new sanctions should target all of Iranian society or just the hardliners in power — not an insignificant disagreement by any measure, but one that underscores the broader acceptance of the argument that new sanctions are the only game in town.
But given the fact that the U.S. has sanctioned Iran for decades with little to show for it, the debate over U.S.-Iran policy should not be boiled down to a question of how much more damage we can do. Rather, smart power dictates that the U.S. use every tool available, including those that have been taken off the table, such as lifting certain sanctions.
No one expects the U.S. to unilaterally lift its embargo on Iran. But certain sanctions have unambiguously failed to achieve their objective, contributing instead to the suffering of ordinary Iranians. These should be reexamined, and where appropriate, lifted.
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3 Comments | Congress, Diplomacy, Events in Iran, Human Rights in Iran, Sanctions, UN | Tagged: Congress Iran, Iran, iran diplomacy, Iran gas sanctions, Iran gasoline sanctions, Iran human rights, Iran humanitarian aid, Iran lift sanctions, Iran policy, Iran Sanctions, NIAC, NIAC blog, NIAC insight, NIAC sanctions, US-Iran Relations | Permalink
Posted by Patrick Disney
April 22, 2010
This morning, the House will vote to begin Conference with the Senate to finalize an Iran sanctions bill to be sent to the President.
Many questions remain about what happens from here–will concerns raised by the White House and other Members of Congress be fixed in conference? Will Congress coordinate passage with the White House’s ongoing multilateral efforts or will it act unilaterally and risk undermining the President? Will the final package include anything to support the human rights of the Iranian people?
Here are some key resources regarding the sanctions bills and the conference process:
Conference Analysis
NIAC analysis and recommendations for final sanctions package: don’t neglect human rights
National Association of Manufacturers, Chamber of Commerce study: sanctions will cost U.S. 210,000 jobs and $25 billion in exports
NGO Coalition Calls on U.S. to Lift Ban on Humanitarian Relief for Iranians
Fifteen organizations call for Iran sanctions legislation to support human rights
The Hill: Changing Course on Iran Sanctions
Obama Administration Statements
State Department Letter to Senator Kerry: Sanctions bills may undermine our efforts
White House, State Department: We oppose broad sanctions targeting the Iranian people
Bill Text
H.R.2194, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009 (passed the House 12/15/09)
S.2799, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009 (passed Senate 01/28/10)
H.R. 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009 (passed House 10/14/09)
1 Comment | Congress, Sanctions | Tagged: Congress, IRPSA, President Obama, Sanctions | Permalink
Posted by Jamal Abdi
April 21, 2010
For as much focus as there is on Iran sanctions, it’s a shame there isn’t a better debate going on.
Congress is preparing to negotiate a final version of the petroleum embargo that passed both houses with overwhelming majorities a few months ago. (Quick refresher on Congressional proceedings: The House and Senate both passed a sanctions bill, but the two bills included very different provisions. So they both have to appoint a few members to what’s called a “Conference Committee” that is charged with negotiating a compromise version of the legislation which, after being approved once again by both chambers, will be sent to the President to be signed into law.)
This means that, for the moment, the sanctions bills are a relatively clean slate — provisions can be cut, inserted, re-worked, or even brand new ideas can be put in that never showed up in the original versions.
So this is an opportunity to make some real improvements – inserting important provisions that further human rights and support the Iranian people in a bill that is virtually guaranteed to be signed into law. The only down-side is: the main thrust of the bill is still really bad, punishing the Iranian people while letting the human rights abusers off scot-free.
But this is an opportunity that Congress would do well not to miss. They can use this legislation to adopt some of the better ideas that have been kicking around almost instantly — things like waiving sanctions to allow Iranians to access Internet communications tools or anti-censorship programs; things like dropping the ban on sending direct humanitarian assistance to the Iranian people; or even ending the single-entry visa policy for Iranian students in the US.
None of this will solve the nuclear problem, nor will these ideas end human rights abuses in Iran. But it will declare unambiguously that the United States is no longer interested in contributing to the suffering of ordinary Iranians. It would take real, practical steps to make life a little easier for Iranians and a little harder for human rights abusers.
In short, it would demonstrate that the US stands with the Iranian people.
1 Comment | Congress, Events in Iran, Human Rights in Iran, Sanctions | Tagged: Iran, Iran election, Iran human rights, Iran humanitarian assistance, Iran internet, Iran internet communication, Iran public diplomacy, Iran Sanctions, NIAC, NIAC blog, NIAC insight | Permalink
Posted by Patrick Disney
April 19, 2010
The New York Times on Sunday reported on a secret memo written by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in January warning that the US has no long-term strategy for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has warned in a secret three-page memorandum to top White House officials that the United States does not have an effective long-range policy for dealing with Iran’s steady progress toward nuclear capability, according to government officials familiar with the document.
As always, a lot has been written about this already, so I’ll only focus on one aspect of it that I think is important. This bit about predicting Iran’s intentions:
But in his memo, Mr. Gates wrote of a variety of concerns, including the absence of an effective strategy should Iran choose the course that many government and outside analysts consider likely: Iran could assemble all the major parts it needs for a nuclear weapon — fuel, designs and detonators — but stop just short of assembling a fully operational weapon.
I’ve long argued that this option — the so-called “Japan option” — whereby Iran has a weapons capability but not an assembled, usable weapon, is what Iran actually wants.
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1 Comment | Diplomacy, Nuclear file, Sanctions, US-Iran War | Tagged: Gates Iran, gates Iran memo, Gates Iran nuclear memo, Iran, iran diplomacy, Iran nuclear latency, Iran nuclear program, iran nuclear weapon, Iran Sanctions | Permalink
Posted by Patrick Disney
