US & Iran

There's so much crap going on right now that it's difficult to keep track of it all. 

A few nights ago there was a Republican presidential debate, and most of the candidates warned America about the danger of Iran and its dictator, Ahmadinejad.  Where do you even begin with people like that?  Juan Cole has a good breakdown on that subject as well as Santorum's earlier remarks.

And the latest is weird reports about Iran and Al-Qa'eda that may or may not be real.

Meanwhile, parliamentary elections are this coming week.  And Ahmadinejad is not some kind of beloved dictator, as some Americans think.  It will be interesting to see which parties gain control.

War with Iran?

I'm getting very concerned with the direction of talk in America.  There's more and more about the threat that Iran poses to the US, and Israel, and to everyone else.  Be afraid.  Be more afraid!  Iran is a threat!  We must do something!

There were some attacks on Israelis recently, and Israel is vowing retaliation for the one in Bangkok.  While I deplore terror attacks (of ANY kind) I was happy to see that ABC News did report that these attacks were in response to the assassination of Iranian scientists in Iran.

The US has sent more ships into the Arabian Gulf, including an aircraft carrier.  They were watched by Iranian forces.

Iran is putting nuclear fuel rods that it manufactured into their reactor in Tehran today.

Oliver Stone's son has accepted Islam while working on a documentary in Iran.

Let's hope that calmer heads prevail and the US does not attack Iran, preemptively or otherwise.  But the rhetoric is really heating up.

What's going on with Iran?

I was watching ABC News a few nights ago and at first I thought I had misheard the report.  Martha Raddatz was talking about Hizbollah operating in Latin America (video link).  I started searching around and here's what I've found so far:


The Christian Science Monitor has a good article about how the threat of Hizbollah in Latin America is probably over-hyped.  Some men funneling money to Hizbollah does not mean Hizbollah has terror cells operating there.

US intelligence seems to be split over whether or not Iran may be willing to attack on US soil.  Some cite the plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the US last year.  I'm a bit concerned by this quote from the Director of National Intelligence:

The plot "shows that some Iranian officials — probably including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — have changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime."

First of all, there's a big difference between plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador in America and plotting to kill Americans in America.  Secondly, by directly saying Ali Khamenei's name, the DNI is laying the way for an attack against Iran.  Too many people are starting to understand that Ahmadinejad is NOT in charge of Iran.  The DNI used the political method of saying "probably" instead of outright accusing Khamenei.  But most Americans won't hear that word anyway.  All they'll hear is that Iran is using terrors cells to attack America.  And if Al-Qa'eda is hurting, then I guess we need somebody to be scared of.  I'm getting deja vu (again)!

Israel is putting all its offices worldwide on alert and warning Jewish organizations to be careful.

More on the possible Iran threat from DangerRoom.

Finally, here's an amusing look at the US-Iran situation, through the looking glass.

So why are we so terrified of Iran getting nukes?  Pakistan has nukes.  Even North Korea has nukes!  The main reason I think we don't want Iran to get nuclear weapons is because of Israel.  At some point the United States is going to have to take a step back and reassess what's going on.  If the US truly wants peace in the Middle East, then it needs to realize that supporting the Israelis above everyone else is not going to achieve that end. 

To clarify my position:  Israel has been around too long for it to go away.  The Middle East is going to have to accept the existence of Israel.  But Israel is going to have to accept the existence of displaced Palestinians.  And the US will too.

Iran News

Turkey is trying to figure out what to do, if it can't get oil from Iran because of the embargo.  There are also fewer Iranian tourists visiting Turkey, as the Iranian rial has fallen in value.  The central bank in Iran is trying to fix that with a single fixed exchange rate.

An Iranian university professor was arrested in the United States.  He's accused of sending lab equipment to Iran.

Three Iranian opposition leaders have been under house arrest for almost a year now.

The Institute for Science and International Security released a report saying that Iran will not make nuclear weapons this year.

Israel is very concerned about a nuclear Iran.  A former IDF chief said that Israel should try to stop Iran, and military action may be needed.  But according to Time magazine, a senior IDF official has already said that Israel can't stop Iran's nuclear program, only delay it some.

Quick News Roundup

Another earthquake in Van, Turkey.  This was a smaller 4.9.


A Bangladeshi man in Oman died of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).  Apparently some animals in Oman carry the animal version.  A Pakistani man died of similar symptoms several weeks ago.  It is thought they both contracted CCHF from handling contaminated meat.  It's not common, but it does happen.  In 1995-1996 there were 4 cases.

A small passenger ship sank off the coast of Iran today.  Rescue efforts are underway.

The Egyptian election is over.  The Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood) won the most seats.  Their speaker will be Saad al-Katatni.

Strait of Hormuz

You've probably seen the latest information about Iran threatening to close the Strait, which is already affecting oil prices.  Here's a good commentary by a professor.  And a guest commentary on Juan Cole's site.  And the nearby Gulf States are of course, worried.

I'm getting rather concerned myself.  Over the last year, Iran and the US have really seemed to be sniping at each other more than usual.  And now the US military is out of Iraq, freeing them up for another confrontation.  Originally, I was more worried about a war between Iran and Israel, but now I'm not sure where we are headed.  Let's hope that calmer heads prevail in all three countries.  It would not take much to start another war in the Middle East, and most of us don't want that.  I'm mainly worried about some of the US politicians on the right, who don't seem to understand that Iran is NOT Iraq.

 Courtesy of Wikimedia

Women's News November 3, 2011

Women in Tunisia are demonstrating for women's rights.  They are concerned because an Islamist party won the election.

Apparently there are few women pictured in advertisements in Jerusalem.  A group is trying to change that by hanging up posters of volunteer women.  The group thinks that advertisers are self-censoring ads because they're worried the ultra-Orthodox Jews will complain and cause problems.

You may remember the Iranian women's soccer team had to forfeit their Olympic bid because FIFA would not let them wear headscarves.  It looks like FIFA has finally changed its mind and will now allow women to wear headscarves.

Israel vs. Iran?

Apparently Israeli PM Netanyahu and Defence Minister Barak are trying to persuade their government to make a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear program.  See Yahoo! article.  Iran says that would cause a lot of damage to Israel and the US.  Meanwhile, a UK report says that Israel is trying to upgrade its nuclear capability.  And The Guardian (UK) reports that the UK is getting ready to help the US in a possible military attack against Iran.

Several Haaretz bloggers are speaking out against an attack:

• Israel's radical leaders forcing an attack on Iran
• IAF chief must save Israel from futile attack on Iran

I'm a bit concerned about this situation.  This wouldn't be the first time Israel has bombed another country's nuclear reactor.  Israel wants to be the only country in the Middle East with nuclear capability and I don't know how far they will go to ensure that.  I understand that they don't trust Iran, but the general idea behind having nuclear weapons is not to actually use them, but to use them as a deterrent.  Like the Cold War between the US and the USSR. 

Yes, there are some crazy individuals out there.  People often don't realize that Ahmadinejad is NOT the Iranian government.  But I don't think even the real Iranian government would actually nuke Israel because Israel would respond in kind.  It's called Mutually Assured Destruction, and it's why the US and USSR generally fought each other through proxy wars. 

Maybe if more countries in the Middle East had nuclear weapons, Israel would actually sit down at the negotiation table and be willing to negotiate instead of demand.  And maybe then there would be peace.

Women's News October 15, 2011: Update

The Iranian actress sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail has been released.  Her sentenced was reduced to the 3 months she has already spent in prison.

Women's News October 15, 2011

An Iranian actress, who appeared in a movie criticizing Iran, may get a year in jail and 90 lashes.  The movie is also banned in Iran.


Nice opinion column by a female Saudi journalist, on The role of women in the Shoura Council.

Information about female genital mutilation.  Several Islamic countries have issued fatwas banning it.

Iranian Plot Against Saudi Arabia: Update I

More about this confusing plot, which Iran says it is "an American-Zionist plot."  The US has put sanctions on Mahan Air (an Iranian airline that flew operatives), and wants to sanction the Central Bank of Iran.

One of my friends initially wondered if this was another US entrapment-style capture of an alleged terrorist (like too many of the "terrorist plots" have turned out to be).  According to Juan Cole, that may be what happened. 

Let the Iran-bashing ramp up, just like the Iraq-bashing did before we invaded.  After all, the US is moving troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iranian Plot Against Saudi Arabia

Weird news yesterday about a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador, and maybe even bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington, D.C.  Iran is supposedly behind the plot.  Considering the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, it doesn't really surprise me.  But to actually do this on US soil seems a bit bold, maybe even an act of war to some politicians.

Juan Cole has more on the situation - that the Iranians behind it may be running a drug cartel.  And the evidence he cites is convincing: if it was government sanctioned, then it was pretty sloppy work.

Of course, that brings up the topic of why is the US government claiming it's Iran if it's really a rogue agent?  Because of US friendship with the Saudis?  The Saudi's are very upset and want some kind of action taken.  So is this just another rung on the ladder of "We really need to do something about Iran?"  Will it be easier for the Israelis to possibly bomb Iranian nuclear plants after this?

Hikers Freed!

After almost two years in an Iranian prison, the two American hikers have been freed.  They were flown to Oman today, and will then continue their journey home.  Their release comes after paying bail money of $500,000 each, provided by the state of Oman.

Women's News February 10, 2011

A Dutch-Iranian woman was hanged at the end of January.  She was arrested in 2009 for protesting, but was hanged on drug charges.

Over 600 girls were given vocational training in Yemen in 2010.

Saudi women met yesterday to discuss the role of women in the Kingdom and successful businesswomen spoke of their experiences.

Quick News Roundup

There's so much happening in Egypt, and also in Yemen, that I've been remiss in my postings.  Here's a quick recap of some recent events.

Public protests have been banned in Algeria since sometime in the 1990s.  The president just announced that protests will now be allowed, except in the capital of Algiers.  The opposition party has planned a protest for next week, and that would be in Algiers.


A supposed UAE spy-ring has been uncovered in Oman, and some Omanis have been arrested.  The UAE says it is not spying on Oman.  The spy-ring may be interested in the Omani succession or in Oman-Iran relations.

There are protests going on in Palestine both for and against Mubarak.  In general, Fatah supports Mubarak (and vice versa) and Hamas is against him.

Syria's Day of Rage fizzled out.  The government has more control over things there.

On Sunday, trial starts in Iran for the 3 American hikers accused of being spies.

Bombing Iran? Again - Really?

Wow.  I was hoping this had gone away, but the Republicans will be back in control of Congress starting in January.  You my remember my posts from June about the US or Israel possibly bombing Iran (Bombing Iran? and Bombing Iran?  Again).  Well, the Washington Post has an article explaining why we need to change our Iran policy (h/t @abuaardvark).  Luckily another article points out the fallacies:  What's Farsi For 'Cakewalk'?

I really hope no one is taking the idea of bombing Iran seriously.  Bombing a country is not something to do lightly - it is an ACT OF WAR.  Iran is NOT Iraq or Afghanistan.  Afghanistan was run by the fanatic Taliban and had no real air force.  Iraq was already on its knees from the embargoes.  Iran is neither of those.  Iran has a large population, a large military, an air force and navy, and long range missiles.  I would be concerned about Iran bombing Israel in response to any attack.  And any notion that dissident Iranians would welcome us helping to oust Ahmadinejad by force is ludicrous!  Think about it - think of the worst ruler your country has ever had in your lifetime.  If an outsider attacked, would you welcome them with open arms, or would you fight to protect your country?

Iranian Woman Still in Peril: Update I

More information is coming out about the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, who also may have murdered her husband.  Iranian TV showed a re-enactment, with the actual woman.  Initially, she was convicted for having relationships with 2 men after her husband's murder, then she was convicted of adultery, and after being tortured she confessed to the murder.  It appears that the man who supposedly helped her kill her husband is not in jail.  This whole thing is crazy.  Ahmadinejad is even claiming that the adultery sentence was not to be stoned to death.

It sounds like, after her husband was killed, she decided to mess around a bit, and got caught.  One of the above articles even suggested that maybe she was convicted of murder because there would be too much outcry if she was stoned to death for adultery.  I hate it when governments legislate morality.

Women's News November 14, 2010: Update I

Two of the female lawyers arrested have been freed.  This comes as the UN passes a resolution saying they are concerned about human rights abuses in Iran.  And the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning appeared on television.  Well, it may have been her - they blurred her face and used a translator (she spoke in Azeri Turkish.)

Nuclear Iran: Update I

In a post at the beginning of the month, I mentioned how Israel is claiming that Iran is close to having enough nuclear material for one bomb.  The US and the UN have been putting a lot of pressure on Iran to work with the IAEA, and accusing Iran of not doing that, based on leaked documents.  These documents show Iran working on nuclear missiles.  But there's a new problem:  the documents may be fake.  Truthout has a long in-depth article discussing all the discrepancies and problems with those documents.  Not only are they probably fake, but there's a good chance Israel was behind leaking the documents, through an Iranian dissident group.

Daewoo Electronics Bought by Iranian Company

Entekhab Industrial Group just bought Daewoo Electronics.  Daewoo used to be a giant conglomerate who made everything from cars and electronics to AK-47s and supertankers.  They had some financial problems in the 1990s and several of their subsidiaries were spun off.  Daewoo Electronics was bought for about $518 million.