Iran/Security: Tehran arrested 10 journalists, holds total 55

Iran's reformist websites reported on Monday that Iranian authorities have arrested 10 journalists working for several media networks in the past two days, bringing the total number of journalists arrested to at least 55.

Kaleme, the official website of defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, reported that nine journalists and photojournalists had been arrested in the past two days, raising the total to 55.

Reportedly, Akbar Montajabi of Irandokht, a reformist weekly, Mahsa Jazin of the government-run Iran who works in the central city of Isfahan, and Ahmad Jalili Farahani of Mehr news agency recently joined arrested journalists.

The latest arrests come just days ahead of Thursday's 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

La Syrie est-elle en train de changer ? 

Par Dimitri DOMBRET, chercheur associé à l’ESISC 

(Benaimous-Hounsfield/Gamma/Eyedea Press/Photo News)

Ces dernières années, et plus encore ces derniers mois, le régime syrien s’est engagé dans une vaste opération de séduction vis-à-vis de l’Occident. Tant l’ampleur des moyens mis en œuvre que la diversité des actions menées ont indubitablement permis à Damas de se repositionner sur la scène diplomatique  et d’améliorer sensiblement son image.  

Pourtant, la politique étrangère de la Syrie est remplie de contradictions : sa volonté de paix avec Israël mais des alliances avec l’Iran, le Hamas et le Hezbollah qui prônent la destruction de l’Etat hébreu ; une revendication d’Etat laïc qui n’empêche pourtant pas le régime de soutenir les groupements islamistes terroristes tant en Irak, au Liban et à Gaza. Par ailleurs, au plan intérieur – et notamment en ce qui concerne les droits de l’homme -, le bilan syrien reste largement négatif… Lire la suite 

IS SyriA UNDERGOING Change? 

Dimitri DOMBRET, ESISC Research Associate 

(Benaimous-Hounsfield/Gamma/Eyedea Press/Photo News)

During these past few years, and even more so during these past few months, the Syrian regime has engaged in a vast operation to win over the West. Both the amount of resources deployed and the variety of actions carried out have undoubtedly allowed Damascus to reposition itself on the diplomatic stage and to appreciably improve its image.  

However, Syrian foreign policy is full of contradictions: its wish for peace with Israel but its alliances with Iran, Hamas Hezbollah which call for the  destruction of the Jewish state; the claim to be a secular state which, nonetheless, does not prevent the regime from supporting Islamic terrorist groups in Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza. Meanwhile, at home, in particular with respect to human rights, the results in Syria are largely negative… Read

Iran/Security: Tehran successfully launches satellite rocket

Iranian media reported that Tehran successfully test-fired a domestically made satellite-carrier rocket on Wednesday.

Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s Defence Minister, stated that the Kavoshgar 3 (Explorer) rocket, which was successfully launched, carried a mouse, a turtle and worms into space for research purposes.

Speaking at a ceremony that marks Iran’s “Space Technology Day” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed his country’s progress in space technology. Another domestically-built light booster rocket -- the Simorgh (Phoenix) -- and three new satellites -- Toloo (Dawn), Navid (Good News), and Mesbah-2 (Lantern) -- were also unveiled at the ceremony.

The international community is concerned that Iran will use its space technology for military purposes, but Teheran said the satellites would be used to monitor natural disasters and improve telecommunications.

Earlier on Tuesday, president Ahmadinejad announced that Tehran was willing to send its uranium abroad for further enrichment as requested by the UN. He said Iran will have “no problem” giving the West its low-enriched uranium. Ahmadinejad did not however, give details concerning the amount of uranium he was willing to ship out. The International Atomic Energy Agency gave no immediate comments so far.

United States/Security: Defence Agency says missile test fails to hit ‘Iran target’

US' Missile Defence Agency (MDA) stated on Tuesday that the US Air Force’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defence System, which was tested on Sunday, failed to hit its target due to a radar malfunction.

According to MDA the target missile was fired from Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, while the interceptor had been launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Both missiles performed without problems. The Sea-Based X-band radar, however, “did not perform as expected”, MDA said, adding that officials would investigate the cause of the failure to intercept.

Reportedly, the SBX radar is a major component of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defence System, the sole US bulwark against long-range missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads.

Sunday's test over the Pacific Ocean, which costs $150 million, was the first attempt by the US to test their anti-missile system against a possible attack from Iran. It comes at a time when the Pentagon reported that Iran had expanded its ballistic missile capabilities and posed a "significant" threat to the US and allied forces in the Middle East region.

Iran/Security: Tehran executes two over post-election unrest

Iranian news agencies reported that Tehran executed two men on Thursday over widespread street unrest that erupted after the disputed presidential elections last June.

The ISNA students news agency reported that the two were among eleven people sentenced to death on charges including moharebeh (enemies of God), undermining the Islamic establishment and membership of armed groups.

According to sources within the Tehran prosecution's office, Mohammad Reza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour were hanged at dawn.

Reportedly, some of the nine death sentences were related to deadly clashes on December 27, during which
at least eight people were killed in street clashes between police and protesters. It was the worst outbreak of violence since the Iranian government launched a harsh crackdown against opposition forces in the summer.

Iraq/Iran/Terrorism: two Iranian pilgrims killed in bus attack near Baghdad

At least two Iranians have been killed when two busses transporting Iranian pilgrims, visiting Shi'ite Muslim holy sites were fired upon by unknown gunmen. According to the reports, the attackers opened fire from a speeding car when the convoy was passing through the northwestern part of Baghdad. The same sources indicate that five pilgrims have been injured.

Iranian sources state that at least five were killed and more than 30 have suffered injuries. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The latest violence follows Monday's attack on three hotels in the capital and yesterday's suicide attack on a police forensics centre in Baghdad.

Iran/Terrorism: police arrested man behind prosecutor killing

On Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported the public execution of a man sentenced for the killing of deputy prosecutor Ahmad-Reza Tavalaie in the central town of Isfahan, in March 2009.

The execution follows yesterday’s clashes between security forces and members of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK). According to reports, a suspect for the killing of a prosecutor on January 18th in Khoy City was arrested in the aftermath. Province Governor Vahid Jalalzadeh added that a number of PJAK fighters were gunned down. No identity of the detained suspect has been released.

On January 18, unknown gunman killed Haji Gholizadeh, the prosecutor of Khoy city in Iran's West Azerbaijan province which borders Turkey and Iraq. Local officials claimed PJAK was responsible for the killing; which was denied by the terrorist group.

Iran/Germany/Security: Tehran says German diplomats detained over protests

Iran's state television reported on Wednesday the arrest of two German diplomats, allegedly involved in the recent string of protests against the government. According to the reports, they have been arrested last month, but the news was disclosed today.

A senior Iranian intelligence official confirmed that two German diplomats were arrested during the Shiite commemoration of Ashura last month. The intelligence official additionally claimed that unidentified German diplomats had set up a network of young Iranian men and women to gather information on events in Iran.

The spokesman of Germany's Foreign Ministry, Andreas Peschke, stated that he was unaware of any German diplomats being detained in Iran. He also rejected the allegations that Berlin had any role in last month's protests.

At least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters late last month. However, the Iranian government has denied that its security forces killed anyone and has instead blamed reformists for the violence.

Iran/Terrorism: city prosecutor assassinated, 4 PJAK members arrested

Unknown gunmen shot and killed Vali Haji-Qolizadeh, an Iranian prosecutor for the city of Khoy in front of his house on Monday night, government officials said on Tuesday.

General Khosrow Golmohammadi, commander of the Khoi Disciplinary Forces, confirmed the report of the assassination. “Passengers in a Peugeot car opened fire on the Khoi Township prosecutor, martyred him and fled the scene of the crime,” Golmohammadi told IRNA news agency.

Meanwhile, Fakhrali Nikbakht, a local interior ministry official, said that the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) terrorist group claimed responsibility for the killing. He added that security forces arrested four people in connection with the assassination of the prosecutor. "Unfortunately the hostile and terrorist group of PJAK claimed responsibility for the assassination of Khoy's prosecutor," Nikbakht told reporters.

PJAK, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan, is affiliated with the Turkish Kurdish rebel group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and the US.

Iran/Security: Tehran vows to hit back if attacked by Western ships in Gulf

Citing Iran's Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi, the semi-official Fars news agency said that on Tuesday Tehran warned that it could strike back at Western warships in the Gulf if it were attacked over its nuclear programme.

Speaking at a conference in Tehran on the Gulf, Vahidi stated that the presence of more 90 war vessels, including submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers, in the Gulf had created a "military environment" there. According to Fars, he commented:  "What is the reason underlying the deployment of this many warships and what aim are they pursuing ... are they arrayed against Iran?".

"The Westerners know well that the existence of these warships in the Persian Gulf serves as the best operational targets for Iran if they should want to undertake any military action against Iran," he said.

Iran/Organised crime: drug smugglers kill three Iranian police in Zahedan

Iranian media reported on Monday that suspected drug traffickers shot and killed three Iranian traffic road police officers on Sunday on the Zahedan-Khash road in south-eastern Iran.

Citing a police official, the state-run Press TV said on its website that traffic police ordered a car to halt after it raised their suspicions by driving at high speed on a road between the cities of Zahedan and Khash. "After the police ordered the car to stop, its passengers began firing at the police, which resulted in the death of three officers," police official Mohammad Arab stated. Press TV did not provide any further details.

Zahedan is the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, where most people are minority Sunni Muslims and ethnic Baluchis. Situated close to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the region has seen frequent clashes between security forces and heavily armed drug smugglers, as well intermittent attacks by Sunni Baluchi rebels.

Iran/Security: 16 tried over recent unrest, Ahmadinejad says killing of physicist was ‘Zionist’

(Mohammad Kheirkhah/Upi/photo News)

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Friday that the state judiciary has forwarded the cases of 16 individuals indicted in connection to the anti-government protests that turned violent on December 27. "The files of 16 of the accused arrested on Ashura have been sent to Tehran's Revolutionary Court for consideration", Fars said citing a court statement.

One of the defendants could be charged with being a "mohareb" (enemy of God), a crime punishable by death penalty, Prosecutor's office said in a statement. The statement continued saying that fifteen suspects were charged with "conspiring against national security and carrying out acts against the establishment".

Earlier, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel on Thursday for its involvement in the killing of Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a professor of nuclear physics, in Tehran on Tuesday and said that the attack was carried out in a “Zionist style”.

"The enemies cannot take away the concept of genius from Iran by killing geniuses", IRNA news agency cited Ahmadinejad. "The manner of bomb planting shows a Zionist style and they want to make sure that Iran would not advance", Ahmadinejad added.

Tehran and the state media blamed both Israel and the United States for Tuesday's killing of professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. However, Washington has dismissed the accusation, calling it “absurd”.

Iran/Terrorism: bomb blast kills Iranian professor in Tehran

Iran's state television reported that a bomb explosion killed Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, a professor of nuclear physics, in the Qeytariyeh district in Tehran on Tuesday. Apparently, prof. Ali-Mohammadi of Tehran University was killed by a booby-trapped motorbike. So far it is not yet clear if other people were injured or killed in the blast.

Mehdi Mohammadifar, a senior Interior Ministry official, said the motive for the bombing was under investigation, but he stated that a university professor “was killed close to his home this morning in an explosion".

Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi was quoted by semi-official Fars News Agency saying that "Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was a professor in the nuclear field and that so far there have been no arrests of those behind this incident”.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast so far, but state broadcaster IRIB said that "Zionist and American agents" were behind the "assassination" and described it as a “terrorist act”. IRIB furthermore portrayed prof. Ali-Mohammadi as “a committed and revolutionary Tehran University professor”, adding that he “was martyred this morning”. Other Iranian media described Mohammadi as a staunch supporter of the 1979 revolution that overthrew the shah and brought Islamic clerics to power.

This attack comes in a time when the situation remains tense in Iran. The demonstrations in late December last year marked the universities as the forefront of the protests following the disputed presidential elections in June 2009.

Iran/Security:  opposition leader Karroubi's car hit by gunfire

A reformist website - Sahamnews - reported that the armoured car of of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi's car was hit by gunfire in the northern town of Qazvin on Friday. Reportedly, Karroubi was in the town to attend a mourning ceremony for slain opposition protesters organised by a reformist former Member of Parliament. "Around 500 basiji (members of the Basij Islamic militia) and residents of nearby villages surrounded the place where he was and attacked the building with stones, breaking windows," it said.

According to the website Karroubi escaped unhurt. "As his car was pulling away, gunmen opened fire on the vehicle. But, since it is an armoured car, only the windows were damaged."

The semi-official Fars News Agency said Karrubi was invited by a former parliament member to attend mourning ceremonies in Qazvin, where he was met by people protesting his presence. It was not immediately clear whom the mourning ceremonies were for, the news agency reported. No official statement on the incident was disclosed by the government.

Iran/Security: 5 protesters face death penalty in Tehran

(Upi/Photo News)

Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday that five protesters who were detained in late December will soon stand trial in Tehran. The report said they will face a revolutionary court, which ordinarily deals with security charges. However, the report did not disclose when the trial will begin and what charges the protesters are facing.

Citing judicial officials, the Iranian Labour News Agency reported that the 5 will be tried for “Moharebe” (apostasy), a crime punishable by execution, and for attempting to topple the government by fomenting post-election violence. “The case will be tried soon with defence lawyers and a prosecutor-general representative present at proceedings. Confessions of the accused and the investigations of the authorities will be considered,” ILNA said.

At least eight people have been killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters late last month. However, the Iranian government has denied that its security forces killed anyone and has blamed reformists for the violence.

Iran/Security: Tehran renews execution threat against protesters; blacklists foreign organisations

The Interior Minister of Iran, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar threatened opposition activists on Tuesday with executions if they continue anti-government demonstrations. "After the Day of Ashura, anyone who takes part in riots will be considered as 'mohareb' (waging war on God) and an opponent of national security," Najjar said, according to the official IRNA news agency. This latest warning made by Najjar comes after the Intelligence Ministry said on Monday that several foreigners engaged in a "psychological war" against the Islamic Republic were arrested on Dec. 27.

In a separate development, the Press TV reported on Tuesday that Tehran has compiled a blacklist of some 60 foreign organisations and media, suspected of being involved in waging a "soft war" against the country. "Cooperating and signing contracts with these foundations and institutions, which are conducting soft warfare against Iran, is illegal, and receiving facilities from them is also prohibited," the TV channel said on its website, citing the country's deputy intelligence minister.

Reportedly, the list includes the Soros Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the East European Democratic Centre (EEDC), Wilton Park, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the United States' National Defense University. The organisations are said to be involved "in inciting post-election violence in the Islamic Republic."

Iran/Security: opposition says troops, vehicles moved to Tehran

(Eslamirad Mohammad/Gamma/Photo News)

The Jaras, an opposition website reported on Thursday that the government was moving troops and armoured military vehicles to the capital on the day supporters of opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi planned to hold a rally. "Hundreds of military forces and tens of armoured vehicles ... are moving towards Tehran. Some of the vehicles are used for suppressing street riots," the Jaras website said.

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Wednesday that Iran's parliament has asked authorities to arrest "the main instigators and directors" of Sunday's violent anti-government protests. Legislator Hassan Noroozi named three people he said "must be arrested": Mehdi Karoubi, Mir Hossein Moussavi and Fa'ezeh Hashemi. Karoubi and Moussavi are opposition politicians who challenged President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June's elections. Hashemi is the daughter of the former reformist president, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. "They must not remain on the sidelines and be safe," Noroozi said. "Those who issue statements and invite people to create chaos in the streets and attack one another must be dealt with according to Islamic laws."

On Wednesday, the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that Tehran has detained about 1,000 people in a continuing crackdown on the opposition after the biggest anti-government demonstrations in six months. It said the detainees, who include prominent opposition activists and journalists, would be tortured to produce false confessions that the protests were instigated by foreign governments.

Iraq/Iran/Kidnapping: Peter Moore's kidnapping 'masterminded by Iran'

Media report says freed British hostage Peter Moore's kidnapping in Iraq was masterminded by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. "It was an Iranian kidnap, led by the Revolutionary Guard, carried out by the al-Quds brigade,” an unnamed former Revolutionary Guard told The Guardian. An Iraqi government spokesman announced on Wednesday that Briton Peter Moore has been released alive after being captured in Baghdad in 2007.

The Guardian said Moore and his four British bodyguards were taken to Iran within a day of their abduction from a government building in Baghdad on May 29, 2007. The five were held in prisons run by the al-Quds force, a unit that specialises in foreign operations on behalf of the Iranian government, the paper says. "My contact works for al-Quds. He took part in the planning of the kidnap and he watched the kidnapping as it was taking place. He told me that they spent two days at the Qasser Shiereen camp. They then took them deep inside Iran."

A serving Iraqi government minister with links to Iran also told the paper: "This was an IRG (Iranian Revolutionary Guard) operation. You don't think for a moment that those militia groups from Sadr City could have carried out a high-level kidnapping like this one." “That they were held in Iran is a possibility given the lack of leads about their whereabouts in Iraq even after the security forces became more effective,” one British diplomat said. Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday confirmed the release of Moore. "Peter was set free by his captors this morning in Baghdad and delivered to the Iraqi authorities. He is now in the care of the British embassy in Baghdad. He's in a remarkable frame of mind given the two and a half years that he has had," Mr Miliband said.

Iran/United States/Security: Tehran detains 1,000 in crackdown on unrest

(Upi/Photo News)

The New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran announced that Tehran has detained about 1,000 people in a continuing crackdown on the opposition after the biggest anti-government demonstrations in six months. It said the detainees, who include prominent opposition activists and journalists, would be tortured to produce false confessions that the protests were instigated by foreign governments. Police have said more than 300 were arrested. “It may be assumed that many detainees will be subjected to torture followed by ‘show trials’ and convicted of crimes that carry the death penalty in the Islamic Republic,” a spokesman for the group, Aaron Rhodes, said in an e-mailed statement late Tuesday.

Iran accused Western countries of inciting the Dec. 27 clashes between opposition supporters and security forces in the capital Tehran and other cities, which killed at least eight people, according to state media reports. The US and European Union countries have condemned the Iranian crackdown. According to the New York-based rights group and dissident Web sites among those detained were the sister of Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, a top aide to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was the main challenger in the June 12 election, and a former foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi.

Meanwhile, Iran's police chief General Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam said on Wednesday that more than 500 opposition protesters have been arrested since clashes on Sunday that left at least eight dead. Moghaddam said the number of arrests may be higher because hardline Basij militiamen and intelligence agents may have apprehended more people on their own. The police chief also warned supporters of opposition leader Mihossein Mousavi only to expect harsh treatment if they participate in illegal rallies.