America's Secret War

Is the US already at war with Iran? In "America's Secret War", Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to the Iraq-Iran border to investigate claims that the United States is supporting militant groups that are attacking Iran. In the rugged Qandil mountains, she meets with up with anti-Iranian guerillas who have been launching deadly raids against the Islamic Republic. A good percentage of the fighters are women, and Mariana accompanies a small group of them through what many believe has become the frontline of the US's secret war with Iran.

Changing the Conventional Wisdom About Iran

Both U.S. presidential candidates agree that Iran must be stopped from acquiring nuclear-weapons capability, and their preferred option for doing so is diplomacy — by which they mean sanctions. Even though John McCain is more inclined to keep a military option "on the table," the U.S. military establishment has made clear that attacking Iran is the proverbial "bridge too far", whose consequences would pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. interests. The problem is that the current diplomatic effort is going nowhere.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council voted to reaffirm existing sanctions in response to Iran's continued defiance of the demand that it suspend uranium enrichment. Iran has long made clear it has no intention of heeding that demand, and the sanctions that back it are having no discernible effect on Tehran's position. But Russia and China will ensure that the Security Council does not substantially escalate its sanctions. Still, the Bush Administration has precious few diplomatic alternatives but to the U.N. process and the milquetoast sanctions in produces as a result of the substantially different views of its key members on the nature of the problem, and its solution.

The failure of punitive diplomacy and prohibitive consequences of military action have prompted a growing number of experts in France, a key U.S. ally on the Iran issue, to argue for an entirely new approach, based on a diplomatic approach that treats Iran less like pariah, and more like a partner.

"The opportunity is there to move past the 30 year-old images of a defiant and frightening revolutionary Iran, and start encouraging cooperative behavior by engaging with Iran as the swiftly-developing nation and regional power it is," says Bernard Hourcade, an Iran specialist at France's National Center for Scientific Research. "The key is direct American involvement in relations, because renewed ties with the U.S. is what Iran wants most."

"Iran's biggest strategic concern is obtaining security assurances and accords, and the only nation that can provide those is the U.S." says Didier Billion, deputy director of the Institute on International and Strategic Relations in Paris. The logic behind that view is supported by Thomas Fringar, chairman of the U.S. National Intelligence Council and the senior analyst in Washington's intelligence community. In a recent preview of his council's Global Trends 2025 report, Fringar noted that Iran's leaders will eventually decide on whether to build nuclear weapons based on their assessment of their security environment."The United States took care of Iran's principal security threats [Saddam Hussein and the Taliban]," he said, "except for us, which the Iranians consider a mortal threat."

Part of the reason for the current standoff, says Hourcade, is that in order to keep thecapacity to build nuclear weapons out of Iran's hands, the West is offering Tehran incentives to forego certain activities — such as uranium enrichment — that it is legally allowed to pursue under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. "The flaw with the carrot and stick approach is that Iran's leaders — backed by wide consensus in Iranian society — view as a sovereign right the development of a civil nuclear program as they see fit, meaning any carrots designed as a swap for that are regarded as illegitimate as the disuasive sticks," Hourcade says. "Each side has come to see denying the other what it's after as both a matter of pride as well as geo-strategic importance," agrees Billion. "The vital issue of nuclear development and use has been overwhelmed by the wider, habitual jousting between Iran and the West."

The thinking in Washington may also be changing, however. Although McCain dismisses as "dangerous" and "naive" Barack Obama's promises "to engage in tough, direct diplomacy with Iran," momentum for direct diplomacy with Teheran is gaining on both sides of the partisan divide. Even former Republican Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, James Baker and Colin Powell have urged expanding direct contacts between the two nations, and the Bush Administration last July sent U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs William Burns sat down with diplomats from Iran and Europe to discuss the nuclear stand-off. Regardless of campaign-trail rhetoric, the need to talk directly to Tehran is fast becoming bipartisan conventional wisdom in the U.S. foreign policy establishment.

The obstacles are considerable, of course, given Iran's reputation as a regional troublemaker via its proxies in Lebanon and Iraq, and also in light of its support for Palestinian radical groups. But those who advocate for a new diplomatic strategy argue that it is precisely Iran's capacity to make life difficult for the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East that makes so urgent the pursuit of a new framework of engagement in which to manage a very dangerous conflict. Like the U.S. National Intelligence Council's Fringar, they differentiate between Iran pursuing the capacityto build a bomb, and taking the decision to actually build one — which, they say, hasn't yet happened. Dissuading Iran from going that route requires a new American relationship with Teheran, the French analysts argue.

"Iran doesn't need an actual nuclear bomb for deterrence if its security can be ensured in other ways — like through accords with the U.S." Hourcade says. "Meanwhile, Germany and Japan have the capacity to build a bomb within three months and that bothers no one. The idea is get Iran to evolve towards behavior where its possession of materials and knowledge to build a bomb is viewed as equally improbable of those being used to actually construct one."

Besides, says Billion, there may actually be more dangerous threats out there than the one presented by Iran developing a nuclear energy program that could potentially be used to create a weapon. "Though we'd all like to see Iran's political structure far more open, free, and pluralistic, even its fiercest opponents won't accuse Iran of being unstable and chaotic," Billion notes. "Now compare that to our ally Pakistan, whose construction of a nuclear bomb didn't provoke anywhere near the alarm. Or at least didn't back then."

Former Iranian Officer Explains the Games Mullahs Play

One must never forget that the Islamic government of Iran is being run by hard-line clerics. The games they play with new faces and voices, or good cop/bad cop, are an ongoing show designed to keep the West confused and falsely hopeful enough that one day there will be a diplomatic breakthrough. It is with this mindset that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, continually works to create a wedge between the American people and their politicians by giving out mixed signals, creating a false hope for a negotiated settlement over the enrichment process and U.S.-Iranian relations. I know. Using techniques taught to me by the CIA and with my code name Wally, from a front-row seat in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, I compiled my reports on Iranian deception in the middle of the night, knowing that capture would bring torture and a horrible death for myself and my family, but my hope was that I could be of some help to free Iran from the mullahs and their network of terror. The city of Qom, located southwest of Tehran, is one of the most important centers of theology to Shia Islam; it is from these theological seminaries that the country is run. Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, a member of the Assembly of Experts (the body that chooses the supreme leader) and the advisor to President Ahmadinejad, runs the Haghani School that teaches the most radical Shiite beliefs, including the belief in the imminent coming of the 12th Imam who is called “Mahdi.” The teachers and students of this school run some of the most important political and security institutions in the Iranian government, including the Ministry of Intelligence. Every minister has been associated with the Haghani School and involved in organizing death squads to kill the opposition and coordinating terrorist activities against the West. Ayatollah Janati, the powerful chairman of the Guardian Council, is also associated with that school. Their deceptions work in many ways. One example was in July 1987 when the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj, was in progress. Khomeini sent a public message for the pilgrims to avoid any kind of clash and to keep the peace. But my source in the intelligence unit of the Guards informed me earlier that Imam Khomeini had actually ordered an armed uprising in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj. Many members of the Guards, Basijis, and thugs with weapons such as knives and machetes were sent disguised as ordinary pilgrims by Iran Air. The plan was to start a demonstration using slogans against Israel and America, encourage other Muslims to join the demonstration, and then incite an uprising against the Saudi monarchy. I immediately reported the details to the CIA. Not long after that, the Saudis started checking the flights arriving in Saudi Arabia from Iran and many pilgrims were sent back after the discovery of weapons on board. The Iranian regime went ahead with its plan and started the demonstration during the pilgrimage. However, the Saudi police were ready for them and at the end of the day hundreds died and more were wounded. The mullahs, angry about the interference with their planned demonstration at the pilgrimage, ordered a number of bomb attacks on Saudi agencies in and out of the country, along with the assassinations of Saudi diplomats in retaliation for the pilgrims’ deaths. I also informed the CIA of my findings that an Iranian consulate convoy transferred arms and explosives, via an Iran Air flight, to the Iranian consulate in Dubai. Because it was a diplomatic convoy, they were not searched. This took place while the Iranian envoy in Dubai was relaying messages of friendship and cooperation to the government of Dubai. All the while the mullahs have been supported by the Russians and the Chinese. I reported to the CIA that the Russians were selling arms to the Guards and training the new intelligence apparatus in the Islamic Republic of Iran, while also reporting that the Chinese were selling Silkworm missiles and artillery, and training the Revolutionary Guards’ naval units in a base in China. The mullahs have always maintained a dual-strategy policy; one is to be prepared for any confrontation, and the other is to drag out negotiations with the West over their development of nuclear capabilities. Their goal is to outlast the Bush administration while pursuing the expansion of their missile delivery system for ballistic missiles and the enrichment process for the ultimate goal of obtaining a nuclear bomb. And the intention behind going nuclear is no less than destroying America and Israel’s power in the region — and beyond — with the belief that Islam will eventually conquer and rule the world.

On the confrontation front:

Recently, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Jafari, who now also controls the Basiji forces, announced that the military will set up 31 command-and-control centers in provinces around Iran. They are appointing new commanders for each center, replacing the current commanders of the Guards in each province in coordination with Khamenei, the supreme leader. They are also appointing new representatives of the supreme leader within the Guards for each province. This is designed to ensure loyalty, increased coordination, and less reliance on the central government. In case of a war and breakdown in communications between the central government and Revolutionary Guards around the country, the commanders at each center can make independent decisions to face off against any enemy or confront any public uprising.

On the negotiation front:

The Iranians have found a new approach to further drag out the negotiations on the 5+1 package. As reported, they met on July 19 with the European Union foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and representatives of world powers, including the United States of America. The Iranians claim the discussions did not include any talk of suspending the enrichment program but rather a halt to expanding the project. The terms discussed (freeze-for-freeze) could provide additional time of another six weeks of negotiations while the Iranians could maintain the current centrifuges in place. President Ahmadinejad announced that Iran now has 6,000 centrifuges to enrich uranium for their nuclear program. Their main goal is to prolong the talks for as long as they can while maintaining their right to the enrichment process. Then they will have enough nuclear material for one nuclear bomb within six months.

Their goal of destroying America and Israel is also twofold: military and financial.

On the military front:

Iran’s leaders know that they will never be able to match America’s military might. I reported to the CIA from my position in the Guards in the 1980s that Mohsen Rezaei, then the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, received authorization from Imam Khomeini to officially expand the martyrdom force in the air, ground, and sea. It was decided then — since they would never be able to match the power of America — that they would create thousands of smaller forces in order to tax the response of the Americans. For example: If 1,000 high-speed boats equipped with small missile launchers and filled with dynamite attacked the American Navy ships, it would overwhelm their defense systems and the probability of afflicting damage would be very high. Iran began creating these smaller attack boat units in the 80s. Then they purchased small submarines and started producing missiles, of which they now claim to have thousands, capable of reaching not only their neighbors but also Israel. They are working on missiles that can reach Europe and ballistic missiles to reach America. North Koreans are in Iran helping with the development of their missile technology. North Korea itself cannot pursue ballistic missile delivery without some harsh objection from the Chinese and the West, so their involvement in Iran serves their interests as well. The intent of developing the thousands of missiles is in pursuit of the same goal: overwhelming any defense capability to inflict damage and create fear, the horror of which can be heightened with the chemical weapons they possess. The Iranians are skilled in using proxies such as Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Shiites in Iraq, Taliban in Afghanistan, and other terrorist organizations around the world, as they have demonstrated over and over again with bombings and hostage-taking in Lebanon and other countries. Many Americans, most notably CIA operative William Buckley and U.S. Marine Colonel William Higgins, were kidnapped and tortured to death. Many others of different nationalities were kidnapped and later on used as bargaining chips for exchange. The most blatant show of force by the mullahs was the 2006 Lebanon war through their proxy Hezbollah. On the financial front: Iran pursues the same goals with the same philosophy as al-Qaeda in that any effort that puts a strain on the economy of the United States is a legitimate action. Al-Qaeda did that with their suicide attack of 9/11, and Iran is sowing havoc and chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan. The mullahs have calculated the cost of the Iraq invasion and the rising oil prices to the U.S. economy, and they also see that as a tool to weaken the superpower. They intend to continue, for there will be only two ways out for America: one is an attack on Iran, which they see as unlikely with the current economic situation and oil prices; the other way out for the U.S., as they see it, is to leave Iraq and accept defeat. This would create an environment that the mullahs most desire, as it would allow them to expand their power by seating friendly politicians in Iraq, terrorizing their foes, creating an Islamic government cooperative with Iran, and all the while developing their nuclear bomb. Knowing the mullahs’ intentions, I am truly puzzled by the confusion of the U.S. media and politicians over the true nature of the Iranian government and the people who run it. This confusion has had the previous four U.S. presidents and their administrations making mistakes in judgment over Iran — leaving us where we are today. One clear example is when Khatami became the president of Iran: speaking with a voice of change and proffering many overtures to the West, the Europeans did a little rain dance around the fire, ecstatic over the prospect of more contracts and business for their governments. The media in the West jubilantly beat the drums and announced a change in Iran and how it should be supported by the West. The Clinton administration, like administrations before it, embraced the idea of appeasement, going so far as to have Madeleine Albright publicly apologize to Iran for America’s past behavior towards the country — a condition set by Iran to improve relations — and partially lifting sanctions on the import of Iranian goods. Recently Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, the former speaker and the secretary of the Iranian government during President Khatami’s term, participated in a debate in Iran and attempted to criticize Ahmadinejad for his way of handling the nuclear issue. He stated that while Khatami was president, “we had an agreement for the suspension of enrichment, but we were importing all the necessary parts for our nuclear activity.” He continued saying that “we were conducting our policies on two fronts: one to continue negotiations openly and keep the Americans away from such negotiations; and the other to continue our nuclear activities in secret.” These negotiations, dragged out for years, have only seen the mullahs get stronger, more equipped, and more dangerous by the day. If they threaten to wipe Israel off the map and attack any neighboring country with missiles, who will assist the U.S. in a confrontation? Imagine what they would do once they have a nuclear bomb. Imagine Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and many other terrorist groups around the world running around with dirty bombs under the control of the mullahs, who are indifferent even to the well-being of their citizens. Hassan Abbasi, a former commander of the Guards and a current strategist close to Khamenei, the supreme leader, and Ahmadinejad, best describes the mullahs’ agenda: “Creating terror and fear in the land of infidels in any form — not only is it legitimate but it’s holy.” Mohsen Rezaei, the former chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards and the current secretary of the Expediency Council, recently stated that both the Israeli government and the Israeli people are illegitimate, adding further that, based on Islamic belief, this is the official policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Mohsen Rezaei is currently on the most wanted list of Interpol for the bombing of the Jewish community center in Argentina.) It is important to know that the current U.S. administration’s policy towards the mullahs will determine the environment we are going to be living with in the future and one needs to look back in order to understand the importance of such decisions. Jimmy Carter’s presidency and his lack of understanding of the Middle East combined with an incompetent foreign policy were the key factors in the creation of the Islamic Republic of Iran: bringing the mullahs into power and giving the Russians what they could have only dreamed of — a proxy against the West, which resulted in a spread of radical Islam, the creation of Hezbollah, and the spread of suicide bombings. I could go on and on, but with 9/11 and the ensuing events, I am sure everybody is familiar by now with the horrors of radical Islam. The United States needs to strongly warn the world against a nuclear-powered Iran, which would create a total imbalance in the world’s economy and security. An ultimatum needs to be given with a deadline: if the Iranians do not scrap their enrichment program by a certain date, it will be scrapped for them — and when it is done, there will be somebody else running the country.

The mullahs believe in one thing only:

Islam conquering the world through the reappearance of the 12th Imam. They have chosen their path. The question is: have we? I believe — and hope — Americans can once again rise to the occasion and unite against these thugs who are determined to use any means necessary to endanger the world and cause an apocalypse.

"Reza Kahlili" — the pseudonym of an Iranian currently residing in the United States — is writing a book about his experiences as a CIA agent in Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Ex-President Back in Spotlight in Iran, as He Wins Leadership of Council

In another sign of growing domestic discontent with Iran’s increasingly radical policies, a former president long sidelined by the supreme leader narrowly won election to head a government council called the Assembly of Experts.

The former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was defeated in elections two years ago by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and since has found his voice increasingly muffled and his advice to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, largely ignored, according to political analysts with close relations to Mr. Rafsanjani. Political analysts said that Mr. Rafsanjani’s influence is as low as it has ever been, and that it was not clear if the new post would lift his status, or if his diminished authority would drag down the Assembly, a group of 88 clerics. In the many interconnected bodies that form the Iranian government, it is relatively small and has wielded little power, though its mandate is to monitor the supreme leader’s performance and select his replacement when he dies. Mr. Rafsanjani, who was an associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and like him a father of the revolution, was president from 1989 to 1997. An experienced insider seen as interested in lessening Iran’s international isolation, he won the chairmanship of the Assembly of Experts with 41 votes of the 76 cast. His ultraconservative opponent, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, received 31 votes. Theoretically, Mr. Rafsanjani should be a powerful force. In addition to leading the Assembly, he will retain his post in charge of another arm of the government, the Expediency Council. That arm negotiates differences between the appointed hard-line decision makers on the Guardian Council, and the elected Parliament. But Ayatollah Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state. He has shown no interest in restoring Mr. Rafsanjani’s influence and has long viewed him as a challenge to his own authority, many political analysts said. Aside from the supreme leader’s overwhelming authority, power in Iran is diffuse, split among constituencies from the conservatives and clerics to the reformists and hard-liners. These days, it is held primarily by the most radical hard-liners aligned with the president and Ayatollah Khamenei. The vote in the Assembly is unlikely to shift that reality, political analysts said. “I don’t think anything will change at the Assembly,” said Abbas Abdi, a political analyst in Tehran. “It does not have anything to do with the political trends.” The victory for Mr. Rafsanjani came at a time of increased pressure from the ultraconservative government of President Ahmadinejad. This week, the government stripped Mr. Rafsanjani’s autobiography from store shelves because it contained a passage claiming that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini supported plans to drop the “Death to America” slogan, which remains popular today. That book passage, and Mr. Rafsanjani, also were derided in the Kayhan newspaper, the voice of the most radical forces in Iran. But Mr. Rafsanjani has not given up. Having seen his standing rise and fall, he has suggested he might be pressing, once again, for political rehabilitation. Just before the vote, Mr. Rafsanjani hinted that he might press the Assembly to have a more robust profile than in the past three decades, when it had not issued even a single public report. “If the Experts Assembly wants to play a more active role in the country’s affairs, it has the religious and legal justification to do that,” IRNA quoted Mr. Rafsanjani as saying. The news agency said he added, “Perhaps the assembly will do so in its upcoming term.”

US seeks Swiss help on student held in Tehran: State Dept.

The United States is asking Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran, to find out more about an Iranian-American student reportedly held since October 15 in Tehran, the State Department said Friday. Iranian news media Tuesday reported the arrest of Esha Momeni, a university student in California who traveled to Iran two months ago to visit family and carry out research. "My understanding is that she's a dual national," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington. "We're working through the Swiss and any other appropriate channels that we feel are necessary to try to ascertain all of the information that we need to have." Momeni, a graduate student at the Northridge campus of California State University, was reportedly stopped by police for an alleged traffic offense in Tehran on October 15 and transferred to Evin prison in the Iranian capital. Amnesty International said Tuesday she is a member of the Campaign for Equality, an Iranian women's rights network, and that the Iranian women's movement is the subject of her master's thesis. "She has not been charged with any offense, and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment," it said. Reacting to her detention in a statement, California State University at Northridge president Jolene Koester said Momeni was a US citizen "invested in learning and understanding current conditions in the country of her family's origin." The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran in April 1980, a year after the Islamic republic was established. Switzerland represents US interests in Tehran, while Pakistan fulfils the same role for Iran in Washington

Esha Momeni, CSUN Graduate Student Held in Iranian Prison

Esha Momeni, women’s rights advocate and a member of the Campaign from California was arrested on Wednesday October 15, 2008, while on a visit to Tehran. Momeni who is a photographer and graduate student was arrested in an unusual and illegal manner after being pulled over on Moddaress highway, by individuals who identified themselves as under cover traffic police on the pretense that she had unlawfully passed another vehicle while driving. Esha was arrested and taken to Section 209 of Evin Prison, managed by the Intelligence and Security Ministry. Prior to her transfer to Evin, security officials searched her home and seized property, including her computer and films which were part of her thesis project. The security officials had an arrest warrant and court permission to search the home and seize property. While Esha’s friends and colleagues were insistent about announcing the news of her arrest immediately, based on requests from her family this news was announced with delay. Security forces had promised Esha’s family that she would be released quickly if news of her arrest was not published. Esha’s parents went to the Revolutionary Courts today, on the fifth day of her arrest, to follow up on the case of their daughter. Court officials told the Momeni family that they should not come to the courts again, and that their questions will not be answered until the investigation of Esha’s case comes to a close. Esha Momeni is a graduate student at the School of Communications, Media and Arts at California State University, Northridge. Esha had come to Iran two months ago to visit with her family and to work on her Masters thesis project, focused on the Iranian women’s movement. To this end, she had conducted video interviews with members of the One Million Signatures Campaign in Tehran. Women’s rights activists object to the unusual manner in which Esha was arrested, as well as the irresponsible treatment of her family members by security forces. Further they strongly object to the unjustified and unwarranted arrest of this women’s rights defender. A weblog in support of Esha pressing for her release has been established, which includes interviews with her professors… . The weblog as well as the site of the Campaign, Change for Equality, will continue to provide news on developments about Esha’s case. Take a look at the blog For Esha. Take action now–please write to the following contacts: * Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader, Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran, Faxes: + 98.21.649.5880 / 21.774.2228, Email: info@leader.ir / istiftaa@wilayah.org / webmaster@wilayah.org; * President, His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98.21.649.5880, E-mail: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir; * Head of the Judiciary, His Excellency Mr. Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: +98.21.879.6671 / +98 21 3 311 6567 / +98 21 3 390 4986, Email: Irjpr@iranjudiciary.com / info@dadgostary-tehran.ir; * Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Manuchehr Motaki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Av, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98.21.390.1999, Email: matbuat@mfa.gov; * Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran, His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani, C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice Building, Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Fax: + 98 21 5 537 8827 * Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28, 1209 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 7330203, Email: mission.iran@ties.itu.int; * Ambassador Mr. Ahani, Embassy of Iran in Brussels, avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 15 A. 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium, Fax: + 32 2 762 39 15. Email: iran-embassy@yahoo.com. Amnesty International recommends that all appeals: - [express] concern at the arrest of Esha Momeni, and [urge] on the authorities to treat her humanely in detention, and protect her from torture or other ill-treatment; - [ask] the authorities to ensure that while in detention she is granted immediate and regular access to her family, a lawyer of her choice, and any medical treatment she may require; - [express] concern that her arrest was apparently in connection with her peaceful activities in support of equal rights for women in Iran and in the context of her graduate research; - [urge] the authorities to release her immediately and unconditionally if she is not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly h/t http://www.feministing.com/archives/011694.html (via Feminist Daily News); more from CNN, DKos, Melissa Wall, and David Blumenkrantz. Also see this article on the 0ne Million Signatures Campaign, written by Momeni in 2007. Previous Change for Equality PSAs: Free Delaram Ali Free Delveh Javaheri Release Iranian Women’s Rights Activists Immediately

P.S :

http://bastardlogic.wordpress.com

Ms. Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani is once more apprehended and jailed

Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani has in advance to the latest apprehension, been arrested on two prior occasions. Back in January 2001, as a part of a group with protest permits, she was arrested while protesting outside of the office of the emissary of the United Nations in Tehran; she was released after two months incarceration. In January 2002 on the causes of her numerous activities, she was arrested yet again and was released first after three months. In recent times, Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani was abducted by the security forces on the 5th of October and was relocated to the ill-famed, 209 section of Evin Prison in Tehran. Section 209 is known by most for its political prisoners (Islamic government of Iran denies having any). It is run by Iran’s various security services, e.g. The Intelligence agency and it houses prisoners who have somehow fallen afoul of some branch of Iran’s government or its religious authorities. To anyone but the Iranian government, they would be known as political prisoners. Inmates face cruel conditions, including a form of solitary confinement known as the “white torture” (the lights of the windowless, empty cell are constantly left on, for months at a time). Iran’s “non-existing” political prisoners have worked hard towards Political freedom, equality for women and Human rights. Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani had undergone a heart blood vessel surgery less than a month before her imprisonment and is still convalescing from that. Adjacent to that she also has asthma and should be under strict specialist observation. Even before her last arrestment she was in a bad physical shape. The authorities have not yet disclosed a reason behind Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani’s arrest. She was born on 16th of December 1973 in Sanandaj and holds a BA in Literature from the free university of Sanandaj and a MA in Journalistic from the University of Alame Tabayi Amongst Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani numerous activities, these are significant for mentioning; she is a renowned human rights activist, a journalist. She is the former president of Cultural and Social Association of Women of Azarmehr in Kurdistan, as well as a women’s rights activist and a key figure in the One million signature campaign. She has done several researches on the problems of Kurdish women, especially female circumcision and women whom set themselves on fire. She was also on the verge of publishing a book in relations to the movement of Kurdish women, before her incarceration. Regarding her journalistic activities, it’s worth mentioning her close co-operation with a weekly magazine named “Rasan” that specialized on Kurdish women. Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani was also amongst the brave ones whom on a solid basis reported about the horrid situation in Iran to various international media and was amongst others interviewed by Radio Farda and Voice Of America. She told of the women’s situation, the one million signature movement and the human right situation in Kurdistan. Ms Negin Sheikh Al-Eslami Vatani was a member of human rights association of Kurdistan, she collaborated widely with the majority of human right activists in Iran, individually she reported on the state of affairs in Kurdistan. Links to her previous works has been attached below: http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2008/06/16/f3_women_circumcision.html http://irwomen.net/spip.php?article4738 http://irwomen.net/spip.php?article4738 http://www.khabarnameh.se/31/38.html By the agreement of Ms. Negin Sheikh Al-aslami Vatani’s family, some more of her material, articles, research and interviews will be made available.

Iran's Khamenei labels Bush 'mad'

Iran's supreme leader has reaffirmed his country's commitment to a peaceful nuclear programme, while attacking George Bush, the US president as "mentally ill".Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a ceremony honouring the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, that Tehran had no interest in building nuclear weapons. "Look at behaviour of the US president and members of his team, their words are like those of the mentally ill," he said on Tuesday. "Sometimes they threaten … and sometimes they ask for help – it's like mad people staggering to and fro." Khamenei said that the erratic behaviour of Bush is rooted in the failures in Afghanistan and Iraq and urged countries to resist bullying. With regards to accusations by the US and its allies that Iran is attempting to manufacture a nuclear weapon, Khamenei said that possessing such arsenal would be "useless". "No wise nation is interested in making a nuclear weapon," since it is not logical and cannot be used. "Iran is after the peaceful use of nuclear energy and we will strongly pursue and reach it despite the envy of our enemies." US nuclear agreements Khamenei said that the US was leading opposition against Iran's nuclear programme while signing nuclear agreements with "less advanced countries" which would results in their dependency on the US. He did not elaborate, but the United States has concluded bilateral nuclear co-operation deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.Khamenei's remarks came after John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for the US presidency, said Washington should impose tougher measures on Iran if it continues with its nuclear programme. Speaking at the annual conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) on Monday, he said Iran's "continued pursuit of nuclear weapons" posed an "unacceptable risk".Mohammed El Baradei, the UN atomic watchdog chief, on Monday asked for greater clarity from Tehran concerning their nuclear programme. Iran has not provided access to documents and individuals as requested by the International Atomic Energy Agency.