Iran/Politics: Ahmadinejad sacks his intelligence minister

The satellite Press TV reported that the Iranian government confirmed on Sunday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sacked his intelligence minister, rejecting reports that more other ministers had been dismissed. It said the dismissal of Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei came less than ten days before the president announces his new cabinet.

Reportedly, the three ministers, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei, Mohammad-Hassan Saffar-Harandi and Mohammad Jahromi, had opposed the president's decision to appoint Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei as the first vice president. Initially it was reported that he had fired the three ministers and might have to face a confidence vote in parliament during the final days of his current term in office. However, Iran's official news agency is reporting that Ahmadinejad only fired one minister and, therefore, will not face a confidence vote.

On Sunday. Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi, the culture minister, resigned from his post. "Unfortunately due to the recent events which shows the esteemed government's weakness, I will no longer consider myself the minister of culture and will not show up at the ministry as of tomorrow," Saffar-Harandi said in his resignation letter.

Iran/Civil Unrest: pro-reform protesters detained after clashes

According to accounts given by a witness, police have detained dozens of pro-reform protesters after several violent clashes broke out on Tuesday. "Riot police are taking dozens of protesters into their cars and they are taking them away," said the witness. "There are hundreds of riot police and plain-clothed security forces, beating people who gathered to support opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi," it added. Other witnesses also said “the few uniformed” security forces was led by the hardline Basiji group. It also said the Basiji forces were stockpiling weapons inside a mosque near the Haft-e Tir square.

Earlier on Tuesday, police commander Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Radan had officially declared through the state television that "police officers will strongly confront any illegal gathering" and "forcefully crack down on any protest." Meanwhile, police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam blamed the opposition party for provoking the post-presidential election violence. He also declared the police would “act firmly to uphold the law'.

Iran/Iraq/Insurgency: 5 Iranian pilgrims killed in a bus attack

Unidentified gunmen in four cars opened fire Wednesday on a convoy of buses carrying Iranian pilgrims to Shi'ite Muslim holy sites in Iraq, killing five of them and wounding 35 others, Iraqi police said. “The shooting took place on a highway connecting the Iranian border to Baghdad and southern Iraq, about 45 km (27 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Baquba”, the police official said on condition of anonymity. “Five pilgrims were killed, including one woman, and 32 others were wounded when the last bus in a vehicle convoy came under fire,” the official added.

Reportedly, the attack occurred as the pilgrims were on their way to Shia holy sites in Iraq and were travelling along a road which links the Iranian border to Baghdad. According to a doctor at a hospital in nearby Khanaqin, who preferred not to be named, four of the dead were women and only one was a man. Many of those hurt suffered head and chest wounds.

The attack came despite Interior Ministry forces security beefed up security measures after an attack in April inside a roadside restaurant that left 57 people and scores wounded. After the attack, Iran temporarily closed several border crossing with Iraq for Iranian citizens and convoys through Diyala were rerouted for a time.

United Kingdom/Iran/Political unrest: London welcomes release of embassy staffer in Tehran

Britain welcomed the release on bail on Sunday of Hossein Rassam, a British embassy staffer in Tehran, who was among nine employees arrested over their alleged involvement in Iran's post-election riots. In a statement released by the Foreign Office in London, the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that he was "very glad" about the release of Rassam but at the same time insisted that none of the nine staffers had committed any illegal act and termed the arrests "completely unjustified". "The detention of embassy staff was completely unjustified: I am confident that none of them were involved in any improper behavior," he said.  On Sunday, Rassam's lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi confirmed he was released on a bail of IRR 1 billion (USD 100,000). He has been charged with action against national security.

On June 27, Rassam was arrested on charges of instigating the post-vote violence along with eight other embassy staffers who have since been released. Iran has been accusing western countries, especially Britain, of provoking street protests and violence after Iran's disputed 10th presidential election. In the post-vote riots, 20 people were killed and many others were injured.

Iran/Security: former IAEA envoy appointed as new chief of atomic programme

According to a report on the official IRNA news agency on Friday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has appointed Ali Akbar Salehi, the former ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as the new vice president and the chief of the Atomic Energy Organization. He will be taking over the post from Gholam Reza Aghazadeh following the later's resignation from the post.

Aghazadeh, known as the father of Iran's nuclear program, resigned on Thursday and Tehran has stated no official reason for it. Meanwhile, it is believed that Salehi will not bring any difference in Iran's atomic policy or the nuclear deadlock between the country and the Western powers. Officially, any decision on the atomic is taken Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the head of the nuclear programme does not have direct involvement in any negotiations.

Iran/Political crisis: Rafsanjani rallies opposition in tense Tehran

(Mohammad Kheirkhah/UPI/Gamma/Photo News)

Police in Tehran used teargas amid violent clashes with demonstrators as many thousands of opposition supporters turned out for Friday prayers addressed by regime-critical former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, witnesses said.

Tens and thousands of supporters of defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi swarmed into downtown Tehran early this afternoon, to attend a sermon by Rafsanjani in Tehran University podium. Rafsanjani began the speech with an appeal for calm. “Let us use the occasion to create a better future for our country,” he told the crowd in his first public appearance since the election. Addressing the prayer Rafsanjani called on the government to release those jailed for protesting against the result.

Rafsanjani and Moussavi are strong opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and have not acknowledged his re-election in June 12 voting. “In the current situation it is not necessary for us to have a number of people in prisons... we should allow them to return to their families,” Rafsanjani said. He said the Iranian government had not shown enough tolerance toward its own people, but urged supporters not to chant anti-government slogans in their protest. It has been reported that in the streets around the university, many protestors chanting "death to the dictator" and "Ahmadinejad resign, resign."

IS  IRANIAN SHIITE expansionism A THREAT TO THE ARAB COUNTRIES? 

By Claude MONIQUET, ESISC President and Dimitri DOMBRET, ESISC Research Associate 

(Mohammad Kheirkhah/UPI/Photo News)

The breakup of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Rabat in March reflects a reality that the anti-Semitic, revisionist or “simply” anti-Western diatribes of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had come to overshadow: it is first and foremost for the Arab world, and specifically for its Sunni Muslim component that Iran is a danger. 

From the Gulf region to North Africa, and passing through Muslim communities in Europe, the Islamic Republic of Iran for thirty years has been spreading subversion, and has been involved in terrorism and covert action to topple moderate regimes and to attempt to favour a “revolutionary” Shiism.

All the security and intelligence services in Tehran, as well as propaganda and “parallel diplomacy” means have been used with one purpose: make the Islamic Republic THE regional power in the Middle East. 

ESISC devotes a detailed study to this phenomenon too often ignored by observers. 

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L’expansionnisme chiite iranien : Une menace pour les pays arabes ? 

Par Claude MONIQUET, Président de l’ESISC et Dimitri DOMBRET, chercheur associé à l’ESISC 

(Mohammad Kheirkhah/UPI/Photo News)

La rupture des relations diplomatiques entre Rabat et Téhéran, en mars dernier, illustre une réalité que les diatribes antisémites, révisionnistes ou « simplement » anti-occidentales du président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad avaient fini par occulter : c’est d’abord pour le monde arabe, et particulièrement pour sa composante musulmane sunnite, que l’Iran est un danger.  

Du Golfe à l’Afrique du Nord, en passant par les communautés musulmanes d’Europe, la République islamique d’Iran n’a pas cessé, depuis trente ans, de répandre la subversion, de pratiquer le terrorisme et l’action clandestine pour renverser des régimes modérés et de tenter de favoriser un chiisme « révolutionnaire ».

L’ensemble des services de sécurité et de renseignement de Téhéran, de même que ses moyens de propagande et de « diplomatie parallèle » ont été mis au service d’une seule ambition : faire de la République islamique LA puissance régionale du Moyen-Orient.  

L’ESISC consacre une étude circonstanciée à ce phénomène trop souvent ignoré des observateurs.  

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Iran/Civil unrest: Western rights group claims 34 killed in post election protests

The Western-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran claimed Wednesday that at least 34 people were killed during the post presidential election protests on June 20. However, Iran's official record accounts for only 20 dead people and about 100 injured people. "Imam Khomeini Hospital had 19 bodies, Rasool Akram Hospital eight bodies and Loghman Hospital seven bodies," said the group in its statement. "The information was collected by medical staff with access to the morgue records of these hospitals," it added.

It further claimed that there were other hospitals that could have records of dead or injured demonstrators. They also said it is possible that people assumed to have been under detention could already be dead. Another claim by Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi last week put the death toll to about 100. The controversial election result followed several days of bloody protests by supporters of defeated candidate Mirhossein Mousavi.

Iran/Terrorism: 13 militants were hanged in the Zahedan prison

The state run Irna press agency has announced this Tuesday that thirteen members of the Jundallah (soldiers of god), a Sunni violent Muslim group, have been hanged in the city of Zahedan (in Sistan-Baluchistan province). According to a first report they should have been hanged in public but authorities changed their mind at the last minute and proceeded to the execution inside the prison. “Thirteen members of this group were hanged this morning,” provincial judiciary Chief Ebrahim Hamidi has confirmed.

The report said Abdulhamid Rigi, the brother of Abdulmalik Rigi, the leader of the Jundallah had been scheduled to be hanged along with the 13 men on Tuesday but his execution was postponed. No reason for this postponement have however been given.

The execution occurred in a city where the terrorist organisation had previously carried out deadliest attacks. Indeed, Iranian authorities blamed the terrorist organisation for “bombing, kidnapping and killing” in the city. According to the Zahedan's prosecutor, Mohammad Marzieh, the men were hanged for “kidnapping foreigners, killing innocents and of carrying out terrorist acts for the Jundallah group in the area.” According to the Irna press agency, they were also accused of being “mohareb”, enemies of God.

According to Iranian authorities, Jundallah have close ties with “foreign forces” in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including with Al-Qaeda. Southeast Iran is also a key smuggling point for drugs and is the scene of frequent clashes between police and traffickers. In May, a suicide bombing targeting a Shiite mosque in Zahedan killed 25 worshippers.

Iran/Insurgency: seven members of the People's Mujahideen Organization arrested in Qazvin

The Iranian Irna press agency has announced this Monday that seven members of the People's Mujahideen Organization (sāzmān-e mojāhedin-e khalq-e irān - PMOI), the main Iranian armed opposition group, were arrested in Qazvin (north of the country).  "These people are youths who had links with the small group of Monafeghine (which means hypocrites, a term used by the Iranian authorities to designate the PMOI) which is based in Iraq,” said on Sunday Eftekari Ali, the deputy prosecutor of the Qazvin province. “These people took advantage of the unrest that took place after the presidential elections of June 12. They aroused people and conducted their activities against the regime,” he said.

On June 21, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry had announced the arrest among members of the organisation, without specifying their number. The deputy prosecutor has confirmed the link between the two cases. M. Eftekari said indeed that some of them have participated in the demonstrations against the re election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the capital. One of them “had been arrested at that time by the police but he had unfortunately been released,” he said.

After the Iranian elections, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the results that brought to the re election of the current president. International community has said it was really concerned about the situation in Iran where hundreds of protesters were arrested but a blackout of information has been organised by the authorities.

PMOI was founded in 1965 with the aim of overthrowing the Shah regime. It participated in the Islamic revolution before turning against it and leading an armed struggle in Iran and abroad. However, in 2001, the organisation announced that it had renounced violence. PMOI is unpopular in Iran because the movement had made common cause with the regime of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war between 1980 and 1988.

Iran/Civil unrest: police disperse defiant demonstrators

(Newsha Tavakolian/Polaris/Photo News)

Iranian police, along with pro-government Basij militia members, dispersed about 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators who defiantly took to the streets against government warnings. Police used batons and fired tear gas shells against protesters who assembled near Tehran University to commemorate the 1999 student uprising. Reports by the state-run Press TV showed hundreds of protesters shouting "Death to the dictator" and setting trash cans on fire.

There were also reports of at least five incidences of clashes that broke out during the protests. Witnesses also gave accounts of some of the demonstrators who were detained by the police. Thursday's demonstrations was called by the supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. The official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Governor Morteza Tamadon who declared that the demonstrators had not taken any government permits for the rallies. He further waned that they would crush anyone who defied the ban.

Italy/Iran/Security: G8 expresses 'serious concern' over Tehran crackdown

(Zavrazhin Konstantin/ Gamma/Eyedea Presse/Photo News)

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) released a collective statement on Wednesday, expressing "serious concern" over the post-election unrests in Iran. "G8 countries continued to be seriously concerned about recent events in Iran,'' it said. "Interference with media, unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals are unacceptable,'' added the leaders. The statement also "condemn the declarations of President Ahmadinejad denying the Holocaust." French President Nicolas Sarkozy described the statement as the "unity of the G-8 against the situation in Iran." Meanwhile, William Burns, US undersecretary of state for political affairs, said the statement was an aggressive concern that “reflects a real sense of urgency."

However, they also said they were looking forward to a peaceful solution to Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. It further asked Tehran to cooperate with UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – so that they could derive a better solution.

United States/Iraq/Iran/Security: 5 Iranian diplomats released

According to Iranian and Iraqi officials on Wednesday, the US military has released two Iranian diplomats from their custody and handed over to the Iraqi authorities. "The American government has handed over the (Iranian) hostages and prisoners to the Iraqi government," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hasan Qashqavi. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also confirmed receiving the diplomats.

Zebari also said that "it was part of an agreement for the Americans, part of withdrawing and handing over security responsibilities." Meanwhile, a spokesman from the Iranian embassy in Baghdad declared that the Iraqi authorities would be handing over the diplomats to them later in the day. However, the US military has declined to comment on the report, saying their policy forbids them from commenting on such releases. The diplomats had been detained since January 2007 on the charges that they were members of the elite Quds force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. They were also accused of supplying arms, trainings and monetary help to Shiite militia fighters in Iraq.

Iran/France/Security: detained French teacher speaks with ambassador

According to a senior Western diplomat on Thursday, a French ambassador to Iran met teacher Clotilde Reiss, detained last week in Iran on the charges of espionage. She was preparing to return home after a stint as a French language teacher at the University of Isfahan when she was arrested. "Ambassador (Bernard Poletti) met her this morning. She was okay physically," said the diplomat.

Meanwhile, according to AFP reports, Reiss had a short telephonic conversation with Poletti on Wednesday. "It was a short conversation," said a diplomatic source. "It was a very brief talk which lasted only a few seconds. The call was made from the prison to the embassy," it added. Earlier on Tuesday, President Nicolas Sarkozy had strongly urged Iran to release her immediately.

France/Iran/Security : a French student has been detained in Evrin (Iran) since July 1st

The French Foreign ministry has announced on Monday evening that a French student of 23 year old, Clotilde Reiss had been arrested in Iran since July 1st because she was suspected to spy for Paris. “France is strongly condemning the arrest and the detention by Iran of a French student,” said the spokesperson of the Foreign ministry, adding the women had been arrested as she was at the airport for coming back to France. The Iranian ambassador in Paris, Seyed Mehdi Miraboutalebi has been convened on Monday.

According to a diplomatic source, the defendant was a reader at the university of Ispahan and Iranian authorities suspected her to have taken part to the violent demonstration against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The spying allegation are based on an e-mail the women sent to one of his friend in Tehran to inform him about the situation in Ispahan. However, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said yesterday to the television “she was innocent and so, must be freed”. “She was present during the demonstration that have (...) gathered hundreds of thousands of Iranians and, like most of them did, she took pictures in all innocence, here is what she is accused of,” explained Bernard Kouchner

After France has started several diplomatic processes that failed, Paris has decided to bring the case at the European level. During his meeting yesterday with the British Prime minister Gordon Brown, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has talked about the issue. On July 3st, the European Union members had already decided to convene their Iranian ambassador to protest against the arrest of the British embassy staff in Tehran.

Tehran often arrests foreigners to use them as bargaining chips with Western countries. In 2006 and 2007, the tourist Stephane Lherbien had been arrested as he was on board of a ship, off the Iranian coast. The Iranian supreme religious leader Ali Khamenei had granted him a Pardon to. The researcher Stephane Dudoignon had also been arrested after Tehran authorities suspected him to spy for France as well as the filmmaker Mehnoushe Solouki. For the political crisis has begun, Tehran has often accused Western countries, including France, the United Kingdom and the United States to back the demonstration against the presidential election.

Iran/Security: judicial head warns "anti-regime'' media

Judicial system head Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi issued a circular on Sunday, calling out the prosecution of people who work for anti-regime satellite TV channels and websites. "The daily growth of anti-regime satellite channels and websites needs serious measures to confront this phenomenon," it said. “Those who cooperate with such websites and television channels will face prosecution," added Hashemi-Shahroudi. The circular was addressed to branches of the Iranian judiciary. The BBC's Persian TV, and blogs have been covering the recent controversial presidential election, despite interference in their transmission from Iranian authorities. Earlier a BBC correspondent was expelled for the same.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi declared they have released Iason Athanasiadis, a Greek journalist who works for the Washington Times. "Because of the humanitarian efforts made by Iran's envoy to Greece, the Greek journalist was released today," said  Qashqavi. Athanasiadis was arrested on the charges of "illegal activities".

United Kingdom/Iran/Security: Tehran frees eighth embassy employee

The Foreign Office in London confirmed on Monday that Iran had released the eighth of the nine embassy employees detained on the charges of instigating riots in recent post-election protests. The ninth detainee is the embassy's chief political analyst and is an Iranian. “We are able to confirm that one of our staff remains in detention,” said a Foreign Office spokeswoman. “It remains our top priority to get all of our embassy staff released as soon as possible,” she added.

Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Secretary David Miliband had announced that “there would not be a court process or charges" against the detainees. He also said the international community is against Tehran's “intimidation”. Last weekend, EU member states summoned their respective Iranian ambassadors to protest the detention of the British embassy employees.

Iran/United Kingdom/Security: senior cleric says to put British embassy staff on trial

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of Iran’s Guardians Council, declared Friday that local British embassy staff detained for allegedly provoking post-election violence wil be put on trial. “In these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested. Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions,” he said.

The British government had confirmed that seven out of nine detainees have been released earlier. Iran hold the employees responsible for instigating riots during days of protests after the controversial election result. However, Britain continue to call the allegations groundless, further demanding the immediate release of the remaining staff. Meanwhile, some diplomatic sources said Britain was looking forward to urge EU nations to remove their all their envoys from Tehran. On Monday this week, the Guardians Council  validated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's phenomenal win.

Iran/United Kingdom/Political unrest: Tehran released three more embassy staff

The state-run Press TV reported on Wednesday that three more Iranian British embassy staff have been released by the Iranian authorities in Tehran. It said nine members of embassy staff were detained at the weekend one person remained in detention. Tehran had said they were arrested over their role in last month's post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic. Britain had strongly protested against the arrests.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday that Iran was trying to blame post-election protests on Britain. "This action is unjustified and it is unacceptable and some people in Iran are trying to seek to use Britain as an explanation for the legitimate Iranian voices calling for greater openness and democracy," he said.