Media Analysis

Karroubi Blasts Supreme Leader in Latest Statement

June 21st, 2010

Shayan Ghajar

Prominent opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi issued a strongly-worded statement June 20 on Saham News, Karroubi’s website. The latest statement breaks from previous statements in that it directly attacks the position of the Supreme Leader, an audacious critique that is unprecedented in terms of its scope and detail, coming from one of the de facto leaders of the Green Movement. The statement comes less than a week after Mir Hossein Moussavi’s 18th Statement, a “charter” for the Green Movement. Karroubi’s statement, however, is more strongly worded and specific in its criticism of the government’s behavior. more»

Iran Retaliates by Banning IAEA Inspectors

June 21st, 2010

Arash Aramesh

Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO), said June 21 that Iran will prevent two International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from entering Iran. Salehi said these two inspectors “gave false reports to the IAEA” and “spoke to reporters,” thus violating IAEA regulations. more»

Kayhan Lashes Out at Increasing Clerical Opposition to Regime

June 16th, 2010

Arash Aramesh

The powerful clerical establishment in Iran has been under increasing pressure by supporters of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for not taking a hardline position against the opposition and failing to give the government their full backing. more»

Iran’s Parliament Plans to Vote on Travel Ban for some IAEA Inspectors

June 16th, 2010

Arash Aramesh

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of Foreign Relations and National Security Committee in the Iranian parliament, said Iran was going to deny entry to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors who provided information to the media and other countries about Iran’s nuclear activities. more»

Ahmadinejad Reverses Position and Says Fuel-Swap Deal Still On

June 15th, 2010

Arash Arameesh

In an interview with Iran’s state-owned television on June 13, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil was “still alive.” His comments followed a wave of harsh reactions by hardliners against the UN Security Council resolution imposing a new round of sanctions on Iran. more»

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Ahmadinejad Plans His Own Nuclear Summit Amidst Rising Fear in Iran

Shayan Ghajar

President Obama’s push for U.N. sanctions on Iran is gaining in intensity this week with the meeting of numerous heads of state in Washington’s nuclear summit, April 11-13. Although the U.N. Security Council neglected to include the issue in its April agenda, the President is urging the world’s nuclear powers to call on Iran to accede to demands for increased transparency and proof that its nuclear aspirations are peaceful. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has already responded in less than civil terms, calling Western leaders “retarded” and deciding to host his own nuclear summit in Tehran. more»

Experts: Military Attack on Iran Would Dampen Prospects for Reform

Shayan Ghajar

Concern over Iran’s desire to possess nuclear weapons has intensified in light of an article indicating Iran may begin construction on two more nuclear enrichment facilities and could be planning even more. The increasing tension over the topic has led to renewed calls for military action from various sources. However, a multitude of experts on Iran, international politics, conflict, and global economics conclude that an attack on Iran would be extremely counterproductive, both in terms of setting back Iran’s nuclear program and in weakening the central government or encouraging regime change. more»

Iran’s Minorities Look to Greens for Equal Rights

Shayan Ghajar

Iran is home to a staggeringly diverse population, with a wide variety of languages and cultures. Due to centuries, if not millennia, of cultural exchanges, intermarriages, and the inherent fluidity of identity in such a pluralistic nation, “ethnicity” does not necessarily hold the same racial baggage that it does in Western cultures, and a family’s self-described ethnicity may change from one generation to the next. Nevertheless, certain minority cultures in Iran are restricted from publishing in their native languages, and face educational and economic disadvantages. Academics and political figures active in promoting their cultures face arrest, and are occasionally executed. Consequently, many Iranian minorities feel antagonized by the current government and support political causes to increase their cultural rights and representation. more»

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