http://www.insideiran.org insideIRAN Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:31:51 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Geneive Abdo and Reza H. Akbari Editor’s note: This article first appeared on CNN. Will Iran retaliate if attacked? Israeli intelligence officials and neo-conservative pundits in the United States argue that Iran is bluffing – that it wouldn’t dare. But on Tuesday, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. powerfully rebutted ... http://www.insideiran.org/news/iran-will-strike-back/ Reza H. Akbari Editor’s note: The following is a roundup of the most important developments reported in Iran on January 31 regarding Iran’s response to EU sanctions and the IAEA inspectors. Iran’s Oil Minister, Rostam Ghasemi, announced that Iran is working on a plan to stop exporting oil to “some ... http://www.insideiran.org/media-analysis/iran-pushes-back-on-eu-sanctions/ Parvaneh Vahidmanesh Editor’s Note: The following article is based upon interviews conducted with Iranians living inside Iran, but written by an author outside the country. The names stated in the article are pseudonyms in order to protect the safety of those interviewed. When Iranian state-run television was updating its viewers about the ... http://www.insideiran.org/featured/tehranis-blame-regime-for-eu-sanctions/ Ehsan Mehrabi Iran and the United States could be closer to a military confrontation now than at any other time since the 1979 revolution. According to my numerous encounters with Iranian military officials, Iranian officials assume a military confrontation with the United States will be a decisive and quick operation. Therefore, ... http://www.insideiran.org/news/iran-charts-complex-strategy-for-potential-war-with-u-s/ Behnam Gholipour Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei seems to believe the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated in the world than ever. The evidence of Khamenei’s belief can be found in his public speech in Qom on January 9, “The current conditions in Iran are the same as Badr and Kheybar, and ... http://www.insideiran.org/news/under-siege-khamenei-compares-crisis-to-battle-in-islamic-history/ Reza H. Akbari The Coordination Council of the Green Path of Hope, the political council close to Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, the opposition leaders in Iran, released a new statement calling the upcoming Iranian parliamentary elections a political “show.” This council was formed abroad following the disputed 2009 presidential elections. ... http://www.insideiran.org/media-analysis/green-movement-supports-an-election-boycott/ Reza H. Akbari Iranian military official responded to the United States’ letter written to the country’s Supreme Leader, warning that it will take actions in the Strait of Hormuz if the country’s security is threatened. Yahya Rahim Safavi, former Chief Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the current military ... http://www.insideiran.org/media-analysis/iran-responds-to-letter-from-obama/ Shayan Ghajar As tensions between Iran and the United States reach levels unprecedented in recent years, the United States seeks to pressure nations and corporations with a stake in Iran's oil industry to join in an embargo on the Islamic Republic's most lucrative source of revenue. Though editorials a number of publications ... http://www.insideiran.org/critical-comments/israel-discusses-military-option-while-u-s-and-e-u-seek-oil-embargo/ Reza H. Akbari According to Iranian officials, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, an Iranian nuclear scientist, was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, the latest in a series of assassinations linked by Iranian authorities to a Western covert plot to stop the Islamic Republic from its nuclear ambitions. Based on reports by the Iranian ... http://www.insideiran.org/media-analysis/explosion-kills-iranian-nuclear-scientist/ Geneive Abdo and Reza H. Akbari Editor’s note: This article first appeared on CNN. If there were any doubt that Iran has sentenced a young Iranian-American to death purely for political reasons, Amir Hekmati’s family has now provided convincing evidence of Iran’s true motives. In an interview with the BBC ... http://www.insideiran.org/news/hekmati-irans-latest-political-pawn/