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Iran Will NOT Annul Presidential Vote
Political Cartoon by Michael RamirezNews Item: Iran’s top electoral body rules out vote annulmentIran’s top electoral body said Tuesday it found “no major fraud” and will not annul the results of the presidential election, closing the door to a do-over sought by angry opposition supporters alleging systematic vote-rigging.
Iranian government officials have repeatedly suggested that a revote is extremely unlikely. However, Tuesday’s announcement by Iran’s top electoral body, the Guardian Council, was the clearest yet in ruling out a new election.
The announcement on Iran’s state-run English language Press TV is another sign the regime is determined to crush the post-election protests – the strongest challenge to its leadership in 30 years – rather than compromise.
Government warnings to the protesters have intensified.
The Mullash will now telll the world, including Obama to butt out of their affairs. In the meantime, they will crack heads and imprison dissenters.
Perhaps if the Mullahs had waterboarded their protesters, Obama would be more concerned.
Obama’s foreign policy is “WEAK.”
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Iran
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Day By Day by Chris Muir June 23, 2009 – The Waffle King
Chris, why would anyone in the world exepct President Obama to stick his neck out for the protesters in Iran? Hell, he doesn’t make an effort for his constituencies in America that contribute massive amounts of campaign cash for his bogus Hope and Change mantra. Witness what Obama has done with the homosexual lobby.The Mullahs in Iran will eventually grow tired of the protests in the street and crack some heads. People will die.
Then Obama will have to “deal” with Iran’s continuing nuclear ambitions which include the destruction of Israel. Only then will Obama and his Plus Ca Change crew have to make an actual decision.
Obama will probably vote present.
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Technorati Tags: Iran, Barack Obama, Day By Day
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Day By Day by Chris Muir June 22, 2009 – I(Ran)
I might have taken Chris Muir’s excellent cartoon series out of order but here is Saturday’s cartoon that I missed.Iran and citizen protests over a stolen election certainly are derailing President Obama’s agenda.
The tumultuous aftermath of Iran’s presidential election more than a week ago has complicated the president’s plans to engage Tehran in a quest for a “grand bargain” to stop the Islamic Republic’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
On Sunday, Iran’s government announced that five members of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s family have been arrested, suggesting a rift among Iran’s theocratic rulers, although state media later said they were released. The government also said at least 10 people were killed and 100 injured in clashes between demonstrators and police.
Domestically, Mr. Obama’s massive health care reform effort has run into roadblocks on Capitol Hill. The reason: Lawmakers are worried about voting for legislation that could get them tossed out of office in 2010.
You see, Obama has been skating by with teleprompter speeches and “straddling” the fence positions on everything from Guantanamo Bay, Gay Rights to foreign policy. Now, with Hillary Clinton laid up with an injury, Obama might actually have to conduct his own foreign policy with Iran AND take responsibility for it.
Last week was not a good one for the President as he has sunk in the polls.
Will he be able to recover or is the honeymoon indeed over?
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Technorati Tags: Iran, Barack Obama
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Iran to Probe Claims of Vote Fraud – Moussavi Appears at Protest Rally
An Iranian protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outside the Iranian consulate in Dubai on June 15. Iran faced a growing diplomatic backlash on Monday over a crackdown on opposition protests as the US and Israel cast doubt over the validity of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s weekend re-election as president
Big deal a probe.Iran’s supreme leader ordered an investigation Monday into claims of fraud in the country’s presidential election, marking a turnaround by Iran’s most powerful figure and offering hope to opposition forces who have waged street clashes to protest the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered the powerful Guardian Council to examine the allegations by opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims widespread vote rigging and fraud in Friday’s election, state television reported.
“Issues must be pursued through a legal channel,” state TV quoted Mr. Khamenei as saying. The supreme leader said he has “insisted that the Guardian Council carefully probe this letter.” The day after the election, Mr. Khamenei urged the nation to unite behind Mr. Ahmadinejad and called the result a “divine assessment.”
The Iranian government is good at stalling and stonewalling. So, they will downplay the election results, crack down on the protesters a little, arrest some opposition leaders and hope the protests taper off.
And, main opposition candidate/leader Hossein Mousavi made an appearance a little while ago at a protest rally in Tehran.
Iran’s main opposition leader appeared at a rally in Tehran Monday, the first time he has been seen in public since last week’s elections which he says were rigged to give hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad overwhelming victory.
Reformist Mir Hossein Moussavi appeared before hundreds of thousands of people, a reporter for Iran’s Press TV said.
Moussavi may be trying to get Tehran’s Freedom Square to address the demonstrators, Moussavi supporters told CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
There was no chanting, with demostrators quieting anyone who tried to shout slogans, Amanpour said, because the Interior Ministry has banned political demonstrations. The rally is a repeat of a march which Moussavi supporters staged Wednesday, before the election.
Frankly, I think the protesters are placing their lives at risk and for what? Remember Moussavi was handpicked by the Mullahs to be on the ballot in the first place.
If the Iranian protesters succeed in overturning the Ahmadinejad government, won’t they be replacing it with one of the same – controlled by Iran’s Clerics?
Stay tuned……
Technorati Tags: Iran, Hossein Moussavi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Iran’s Presidential Candidate Mirhossein Mousavi’s Letter to the Iranian People; Updated: Mousavi Placed Under House Arrest
A supporter of Iran’s moderate presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi holds up a poster of Mousavi during a protest against the election results in Tehran June 13, 2009
Mirhossein Mousavi’s letter to the Iranian people:In the Name of God
Honorable people of Iran
The reported results of the 10th Iranians residential Election are appalling. The people who witnessed the mixture of votes in long lineups know who they have voted for and observe the wizardry of I.R.I.B (State run TV and Radio) and election officials. Now more than ever before they want to know how and by which officials this game plan has been designed. I object fully to the current procedures and obvious and abundant deviations from law on the day of election and alert people to not surrender to this dangerous plot. Dishonesty and corruption of officials as we have seen will only result in weakening the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran and empowers lies and dictatorships.
I am obliged, due to my religious and national duties, to expose this dangerous plot and to explain its devastating effects on the future of Iran. I am concerned that the continuation of the current situation will transform all key members of this regime into fabulists in confrontation with the nation and seriously jeopardize them in this world and the next.
I advise all officials to halt this agenda at once before it is too late, return to the rule of law and protect the nation’s vote and know that deviation from law renders them illegitimate. They are aware better than anyone else that this country has been through a grand Islamic revolution and the least message of this revolution is that our nation is alert and will oppose anyone who aims to seize the power against the law.
I use this chance to honor the emotions of the nation of Iran and remind them that Iran, this sacred being, belongs to them and not to the fraudulent. It is you who should stay alert. The traitors to the nation’s vote have no fear if this house of Persians burns in flames. We will continue with our green wave of rationality that is inspired by our religious learnings and our love for prophet Mohammad and will confront the rampage of lies that has appeared and marked the image of our nation. However we will not allow our movement to become blind one.
I thank every citizen who took part in spreading this green message by becoming a campaigner and all official and self organized campaigns, I insist that their presence is essential until we achieve results deserving of our country.
[ verse from in Quran: Why not trust in God, who has shown us our ways. We are patient in face of what disturbs us. Our resilience is in god. ]
Mir Hossein Mousavi
Supporters of Iran’s moderate presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi throw stones during clashes with police in Tehran June 13, 2009 during a protest against the election results in Tehran June 13, 2009. Thousands of people clashed with police on Saturday after the disputed election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked the biggest protests in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution
It is being reported by multiple sources on Twitter that there have been wide spread riots in the streets of Tehran and that Mr. Mousavi has been arrested.
Stay tuned……especially on Twitter ———>
Update:
Defeated Ahmadinejad rival Mousavi arrested in Iran
Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi was reportedly arrested Saturday following the reformist’s defeat at the polls by hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Supporters of Mousavi, the main challenger to Ahmadinejad, have responded to the election with the most serious unrest in Tehran in a decade and claim that the result was the work of a dictatorship. There have been a number of contradictory reports from Iran, in large part due to the heavy restrictions imposed on the media in the Islamic Republic and in particular on foreign reporters. Mousavi’s arrest was reported by an unofficial source, who said that the presidential contender had been arrested en route to the home of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pro-reform Mousavi has denounced the election as rigged and vowed he will not accept defeat. He and key aides could not be reached by phone Saturday.
Technorati Tags: Mirhossein Mousavi, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Shocker: North Korea and Iran Integrating Their Ballistic Missile Programs?
The jury may still be out but there is evidence that the two countries – two members of the Axis of Evil are working together.
Iran and North Korea are working together to develop ballistic missiles and have made significant progress, the head of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.
“It really is an international effort going on out there to develop ballistic missile capability between these countries,” Army Lieutenant General Patrick O’Reilly told a forum on Capitol Hill.
Iran and North Korea each is at odds with much of the international community over their nuclear programs, and North Korea has tested an atomic bomb. Each has demonstrated a capability to launch missiles with more than one stage, critical to more advanced systems.
They are sharing know-how on avionics, propulsion and materials, among other things, O’Reilly said.
“We’ve seen it for years and it continues,” he said of such cooperation between North Korea and Iran, whose Shahab missiles are widely reported to be based on North Korean designs.
Their ability to fire missiles with a stable ignition and launch a second stage represents “a significant step forward” for both of them, O’Reilly said.
Asked which country was further ahead in missile development, he said it could be described as a “horse race” with no clear leader.
Other experts said Iran had demonstrated greater expertise with test-firing of a solid-fuel rocket with a stated range of some 1,200 miles — enough to reach Israel, U.S. bases in the Gulf or southeastern Europe.
Solid-propellant missiles offer many advantages over those with liquid fuel. They are easier to store, harder to detect and may be launched without a fueling process readily observable by spy satellites.
Iran’s use of solid-fuel missiles demonstrated “a quantum leap in capabilities” over those shown by North Korea, Uzi Rubin, the former head of Israel’s Missile Defense Organization, told Reuters in an interview.
“Basically, this is big-power league,” he said, adding that the jury was still out, as far he was concerned, on whether the two had integrated their ballistic missile programs.
And, President Obama continues to want to cut the missle defense program?
EPIC FAIL
Technorati Tags: Iran, North Korea
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Poll Watch: 62 Per Cent Say President Obama Should NOT Meet with Iran Until It Stops Its Nuclear Weapons Program
Political cartoon by Michael Ramirez
So, says the latest Rasmussen Poll.Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters say Iran should be required to stop developing its nuclear weapons capabilities before a meeting is allowed between the Iranian president and the president of the United States, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
This finding is up six points – from 56% – in late January just after President Obama signaled a willingness to talk to his Iranian counterpart without preconditions. A year ago, 59% agreed with the Bush administration position that Iran must stop its nuclear weapons program before direct talks were possible.
Just 23% of voters now say a meeting between the two presidents should go ahead without any preconditions, and 15% are not sure.
Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans and 60% of voters not affiliated with either major party believe Iran must first halt its nuclear weapons production. Democrats are more closely divided, with 49% favoring this precondition but 31% saying it’s not necessary.
Conservatives are nearly twice as likely as liberals to say Iran must halt its nuclear weapons program before talks between Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are possible.
Of course, Iran, which sits on an ocean of oil, denies it is enriching uranium for weapons production. But, remember Obama during the campaign promised to talk to Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs without preconditions and then backed away from his statement.
Where Obama stands today is anyone’s guess?
But, American voters clearly vote for pre-conditions.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Barack Obama
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IAEA: Iran Running 5,000 Uranium Enrichment Centrifuges – Making It Hard for U.N. Inspectors
Graphic showing the potential range of the Iran’s Shahab-3 which has a similar range of 2,000 kilometres (1,350 miles) to the Sejil-2 missile. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Islamic republic has test-fired a new medium-range missile and insisted that there will be no climbdown over Iran’s nuclear programme
Why worry?It is all for peaceful electricity generation, right?
Iran has expanded the number of centrifuges enriching uranium to almost 5,000 and this has made it harder for U.N. inspectors to keep track of the disputed nuclear program, according to an IAEA report seen by Reuters.
Friday’s restricted International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report also said Iran had increased its rate of production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) material, boosting its stockpile by 500 kg to 1,339 kg in the past six months.
Iran’s improved efficiency in turning out potential nuclear fuel was sure to fan Western fears of the Islamic Republic nearing the ability make nuclear bombs, if it chose to do so.
David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank that tracks proliferation issues globally, said Iran now had accumulated enough LEU to convert into high-enriched uranium sufficient for one atom bomb.
But this would require reconfiguring Iran’s centrifuge network, miniaturizing HEU to fit on a warhead – technical steps that could take 1-2 years or more — and would not escape notice of UN inspectors unless done at an undeclared location.
There are no indications of any such secret site.
Iran says it is developing a uranium enrichment industry solely as fuel for electricity generation.
Coming soon – Iran kicks out all of the nuclear inspectors and declares nuclear breakout capability.
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Poll Watch: 23 Per Cent of Israelis Will Leave Israel If Iran Obtains a Nuclear Weapon
The test-firing of a new medium-range surface to surface missile in Iran on May 20. Iran’s former Revolutionary Guards chief Mohsen Rezai has warned he could stop Israel with “one strike” and said it would not dare to threaten the Islamic republic if he is elected president
Looks like Iran’s nuclear blackmail of Israel is already succeeding.Some 85 percent of respondents said they feared the Islamic Republic would obtain an atomic bomb, 57 percent believed the new U.S. initiative to engage in dialogue with Tehran would fail and 41 percent believed Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear installations without waiting to see whether or how the talks develop.
“The findings are worrying because they reflect an exaggerated and unnecessary fear,” Prof. David Menashri, the head of the Center, said. “Iran’s leadership is religiously extremist but calculated and it understands an unconventional attack on Israel is an act of madness that will destroy Iran. Sadly, the survey shows the Iranian threat works well even without a bomb and thousands of Israelis [already] live in fear and contemplate leaving the country.”
Israel had an opportunity a few years ago after the 2006 midterm American elections and would not or could not pull the trigger against Iran’s nuclear program.
Now, under Obama, Iran will continue to stall by negotiations until they reach Breakout Capability and then the nuclear blackmail scenario will be complete.
Bye Bye Israel……
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Iran Tests New Sajjil-2 Surface to Surface Solid Fuel Missile – Threatens Israel and Southeastern Europe
Iran has test fired a new ballistic missile, Sajjil-2, with a range of 1200 miles, far enough to hit Israel and southeastern EuropeIran has tested a new missle today with a range that threatens Israel.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran test-fired a new advanced missile Wednesday with a range of about 1,200 miles, far enough to strike Israel, southeastern Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East.
The announcement will not reassure the U.S. government, coming just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Iran if it shunned U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama said he expected a positive response to his outreach for opening a dialogue with Iran by the end of the year.
“Defense Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target,” state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran’s space program is centered.
Ahmadinejad is running for re-election in a June 12 vote and has been criticized by his opponents and others for antagonizing the U.S. and mismanaging the country’s faltering economy.
Most Western analysts believe Iran does not yet have the technology to produce nuclear weapons, including warheads for long-range missiles. A group of U.S. and Russian scientists said in a report issued Tuesday that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that.
Does anyone have the feeling that the United States and Europe are fiddling around with Iran as it develops a viable nuclear missile program? And, Russia and China are facilitating it.
Time to avoid a nuclear confrontation is wasting away.
Technorati Tags: Iran, Israel, Sajjil-2 Missile