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Entries in Reza Khandan (19)

Sunday
Aug072011

The Latest from Iran (7 August): Commemorating "Journalists Day"

1940 GMT: Journalists Day. And here is how President Ahmadinejad marked the eve of Journalists Day, in remarks at the end of the Cabinet meeting, “We hope that Iran’s news community will be vibrant, motivated and committed to human and divine values as before. I hope that our journalists could provide the international community with a suitable model."

Ahmadinejad made no apparent reference to the more than 100 Iranian journalists in prison or under threat of heavy bail.

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Monday
May302011

Iran Letter: Imprisoned Attorney Sotoudeh "A Tolerance That Will Eventually Lead Us To Achieve Our Goals"

My beloved Reza, as long as such unjust sentences exist and the Revolutionary Court continues to render such shocking rulings, with or our without a license to practice the law, I will continue to object to these sentences, for one does not need a license in order to object to unjust sentences.  Tell them they can revoke my license if they wish to do so, but they can't strip me of my right to justice.

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Sunday
May292011

The Latest from Iran (29 May): "Death to Deviant Mashai"

2035 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. More volleys this weekend in the political conflict --- former Presidential advisor and current head of IRNA Ali Akbar Javanfekr warns of a "parliamentary dictatorship", while Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Ali Jafari says the "deviant current" was trying to make money through the private sector and then using this to influence future elections.

2015 GMT: Khamenei v. Ahmadinejad. More on this weekend's clash between the Supreme Leader's supporters and those of the President, courtesy of Ayatollah Khamenei's representative in Fars Province, Ayatollah Asadollah Imani.

Imani criticised the Minister of Interior, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, for replacing the provincial governor, Abdollah Hosseini with Farhad Sajjadi. The ayatollah claimed Hosseini had resisted against pressure from the "deviant current" around Ahmadinejad.

A pro-Khamenei website adds that Hosseini had been pressured by Najjar to resign as governor ever since his appointment and had told Presidential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, "I will not be a 'yes, sir' man."

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Thursday
Mar102011

The Latest from Iran (10 March): President Rahim-Mashai?

1650 GMT: "Proper" Studies. Iran's Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education has banned Iranian graduate students from pursuing a dissertation on any subject related to Iran while studying abroad.

The ban covers all Iranian students, whether they are financially supported by the Government or paying for their education. Students who violate the directive will face problems with confirmation of their degrees by the Iranian authorities and with applications for jobs.

1615 GMT: Labour Front. Workers at Tabriz Petrochemical Plant have ended an 11-day strike after their demands were met.

1610 GMT: Smoothing the Waters. More on the Supreme Leader's appearance at the Assembly of Experts....

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Tuesday
Jan182011

The Latest from Iran (18 January): Life Goes On

2130 GMT: The President's Right-Hand Man. He may be disliked by many, but Presidential Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai is still putting about his wise words. Akhbar Rooz reports that books of the thoughts of the aide and Ahmadinejad confidante are being distributed to Government officials.

2120 GMT: Worst Diplomatic Statement of the Week. The Iranian Embassy in Kabul issued a statement on Monday, “Currently 16 fuel tankers are waiting at the Meelk-Dogharon border....for their turn to enter Afghanistan, and will enter Afghanistan's soil during next few days after legal formalities are completed.”

16? Iran is currently holding up to 2500 tankers at the Afghan border.

2035 GMT: Competition Time. A photo of President Ahmadinejad getting a lovely present from the staff of the Islamic Republic News Agency this morning. You supply the caption....

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Monday
Dec132010

The Latest from Iran (13 December): Political Battles and Human Rights

2005 GMT: Signal of the Day. This might be the most telling news item about the future of Iranian diplomacy on the day that Foreign Minister Mottaki was fired.

While Mottaki was in Senegal on his last state trip, another Iranian emissary was leading a delegation to the strategic country of Jordan.

That emissary? President Ahmadinejad’s Chief of Staff Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai.

That's right. The same Rahim-Mashai whose designation as a special envoy this summer prompted Mottaki's threat to resign and the Supreme Leader's chiding of the President for a "parallel" foreign policy, bringing a promise that Rahim-Mashai's position would be downgraded.

2000 GMT: Reaction to the Dismissal. We reported earlier (see 1654 GMT) that Alaeddine Boroujerdi, the chairman of the National Security Commission. learned of Foreign Minister Mottaki's dismissal from a Khabar Online reporter. His reaction is worth repeating in full: "Isn't Mr. Mottaki on a trip? You mean the dismissal decree was issued while he was on a mission?"

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Tuesday
Oct262010

The Latest from Iran (26 October): Microbes, Propaganda, and the US Government-Wikileaks Conspiracy

1940 GMT: Subsidy Cuts Watch. The head of the State Inspectorate Organization, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, has criticized the Government for not yet implementing the subsidy reform plan, saying even one day of delay causes huge losses to the national economy.

Mehr notes that the Government made support payments in three provinces last Monday but that there has been no developments since then and the lack of information has caused worries among the people.

1935 GMT: The Khamenei Roadshow. It's Day 7 of the Supreme Leader's visit to Qom, and the tension of whether he would meet senior clerics has given way to setpieces with other groups --- today's was a speech to youth and university students.

Still, it may be telling that Ayatollah Khamenei still feels he has to defend an election held more than 16 months ago. He insisted that protesters should have followed legal methods to file their challenges, and he complained about the “lack of insight” by some candidates who claimed the presidential vote was rigged.

The Supreme Leader also denounced the US and its allies, saying atrocities committed by foreign forces in Iraq and Afghanistan show that they are the "enemies of humanity" and the "result of the Western world's distance from divine thought" and the “abuse of power and wealth” by hegemonic powers.

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Saturday
Oct022010

The Latest from Iran (2 October): Adding Up the Punishments

1707 GMT: The Bazaar Strikes. Claimed video of the closing of the gold market today in Ahvaz in southern Iran:

1655 GMT: Syria in Tehran. So how did President Ahmadinejad's showpiece visit from Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad go?

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Thursday
Sep162010

The Latest from Iran (16 September): Suspending Damocles' Sword

2030 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. University student Mohammad Reza Valian, detained after the Ashura protests last December --- one of the charges against him was "throwing stones" --- has been released

2015 GMT: Stopping the Attorneys. Radio Farda follows up on the story, reported on EA earlier this week, that the husband and lawyer detained human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh have been threatened with arrest if they spread information about her case.

Sotoudeh's husband, Reza Khandan, said he and attorney Nasim Ghanavi had been warned by the Ministry of Intelligence: "They told Ms. Ghanavi that a case has been filed against her and me for giving interviews about my wife's arrest."

Sotoudeh was detained on 4 September on accusations of "collusion against national security" and "spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic". Days earlier, she had spoken about a raid on her office, claiming that Iranian authorities were trying to stop her representing clients like activist Shiva Nazar Ahari.

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