IDEALS

TEHRAN, (Aug. 14, 2009) IPS/GIN – At continued public protests at
Tehran’s Grand Bazaar Wednesday, demonstrators are expressing
discontent with the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while the
rifts among the ruling elites of the Islamic government widen.

The latest disputes are focused on allegations of rape in detention
centres made in a letter issued by reformist cleric Mehdi Karoubi,
former head of Parliament and presidential candidate who ran
against Ahmadinejad in the contested elections in June. The letter
has managed to create greater controversy than the earlier
allegations of torture and murder in the prisons of the Islamic
Republic, which emphasises and promotes propriety. Read the rest of this entry →

WASHINGTON, (May 17, 2010) IPS/GIN – The administration of
President Barack Obama has reacted skeptically to the nuclear swap
accord signed Monday by Iran, Turkey and Brazil, suggesting that
Tehran would have to take significant additional steps to satisfy
U.S. and Western demands to curb its nuclear programme.

“We acknowledge the efforts that have been made by Turkey and
Brazil,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a
statement issued shortly after the signing announcement in Tehran. Read the rest of this entry →

UNITED NATIONS, (May 19, 2010) IPS/GIN – When Brazil and Turkey
clinched a deal with Iran over its disputed nuclear programme last
weekend, the two non-permanent members of the Security Council not
only challenged the unbridled political power exercised by the five
big powers but also jeopardized U.S. plans for a unanimous
resolution imposing sanctions against Tehran.

As a result, the 15-member Security Council now remains split, with
at least two countries – and possibly more – lined up against a
U.S.-inspired resolution against Iran. Read the rest of this entry →

HONOLULU, Hawaii, (May 11, 2010) IPS/GIN – President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad’s return to Tehran after attending the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review meeting at U.N. headquarters
has been received with the usual bombast by the conservative and
hard-line media in Iran, which declared him victorious and an
indispensable global leader.

In its May 6 editorial, for instance, the influential newspaper
Kayhan declared that if “Iran is able to reach the end of the
nuclear path, it will produce a new model of nuclearisation which
would be followed by other countries”.

From this point of view, continued enrichment and re-direction of
the international conversation towards the weapons programs of
other countries would boost Iran’s position as the leader of the
developing world, whereas failure would undermine Iran’s
international standing.

Ahmadinejad, speaking to students and faculty in Tehran May 10,
described U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who spoke after
him at the NPT podium, as a “frightened person.”

Despite the posturing, the content of Ahmadinejad’s talk in New
York was focused less on religious sermonizing and more on a
critique of the conduct of nuclear weapons-states. This, combined
with the dinner given by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki for
members of the U.N. Security Council, has led to renewed
speculation in Iran about the possible revival of last fall’s
proposal to transfer much of Iran’s low-enriched uranium (LEU)
abroad in exchange for supplies of 20-percent enriched uranium for
Tehran’s Research Reactor.
Read the rest of this entry →

UNITED NATIONS, (May 13, 2009) IPS/GIN – A handful of motivated
doctors, HIV/AIDS and human rights activists held rallies Tuesday
in New York City and 20 countries to protest the imprisonment of
Iranian doctors Arash and Kamiar Aleai.

The brothers Alaei, who treated AIDS patients in Iran and had
spoken at medical conferences in the United States and several
Asian countries, have been accused of cooperation with an enemy
state, and possessing alcohol and satellite equipment. Read the rest of this entry →

NEW DELHI, India, (May 4, 2009) IPS/GIN – Iranian political
refugees living in India say there is an all too familiar ring
about the supposed confessions of arrested journalist Roxana
Saberi, which they expect to see footage of on television soon.

Saberi, who has both United States and Iranian citizenships, was
sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the
United States.

Disturbingly, for hundreds of Iranian expatriates living in the
Indian capital, even before the trial began the deputy prosecutor,
Judge Hassan Haddad, reportedly stated that Saberi had accepted
charges of espionage activities. Read the rest of this entry →

HONOLULU, Hawaii, (May 11, 2009) IPS/GIN – With the official
registration period for candidates over on May 9, the race for
Iran’s presidency is entering its final stretch.

According to the Ministry of Interior, 475 individuals, including
42 women, have registered for the Jun. 12 election, but no more
that a handful will be cleared to run by the Islamic Republic’s
Guardian Council. Still, the competition will be stiff with a
run-off between the top two candidates likely on Jun. 19. Read the rest of this entry →

UNITED NATIONS, (May 13, 2009) IPS/GIN – A handful of motivated
doctors, HIV/AIDS and human rights activists held rallies Tuesday
in New York City and 20 countries to protest the imprisonment of
Iranian doctors Arash and Kamiar Aleai.

The brothers Alaei, who treated AIDS patients in Iran and had
spoken at medical conferences in the United States and several
Asian countries, have been accused of cooperation with an enemy
state, and possessing alcohol and satellite equipment. Read the rest of this entry →

SAN FRANCISCO, (May 26, 2009) IPS/GIN – In a case that human rights
activists say echoes that of recently released journalist Roxana
Saberi, the Iranian government has now imprisoned a woman employed
by a U.S.-based non-profit organization working to improve child
and maternal health in the country, alleging that she acted as a
spy for the United States.

Silva Harotonian, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, held a
modest position with the International Research & Exchanges Board
(IREX), which focuses on international education, academic
research, professional training and technical assistance. Read the rest of this entry →

SAN FRANCISCO, (Jun. 13, 2009) IPS/GIN – Iran’s hardliner
president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was declared the winner in Friday’s
election, disappointing western policymakers hoping to deal with
a new, more cooperative administration.

His main rival has not yet accepted defeat, however, and reformist
supporters were skirmishing with security forces in the capital
Tehran Saturday. Read the rest of this entry →