 RFE/RL Iran Report 9/17/2009 3:31:35 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Iran.For more stories on Iran, please visit and bookmark our Iran page . |
 Former Tehran University Chancellor Charged Mohammad Maleki, the former chancellor of Tehran University, has been charged with acting against Iran's national security, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Mothers Ask Ahmadinejad To Bring Their Children Home The mothers of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal, three Americans who were recently detained in Iran, have issued a letter to Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, urging him to bring their children to the United States when he travels to New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly. RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari spoke to Laura Fattal, the mother of 27-year-old Josh Fattal. More  Iran Opposition Vows To Turn Quds Day Green The founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, designated the last Friday of Ramadan as a day for Iranians and Muslims to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people and their cause. But this year, Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) could instead reexpose the fissures that exist as a result of Iran's severe political crisis. More  New Plans For Missile Defense President Barack Obama says a new policy is aimed at "smarter, stronger, swifter" defense of the U.S. and its allies in Europe. He emphasized that Iran remains the focus of the missile shield, not Russia, and told NATO allies that the adjusted system in Europe would make them safer. More  The Kremlin Wants A War in Iran The Kremlin's decision not to support the UN Security Council proposal to impose new sanctions pushed Washington, Israel, the Persian Gulf, and Europe closer to consensus on a military solution to Iran's nuclear crisis. More  Deprived Of The Right To Study Blogger Yari Yol (Midway) says she has been banned from studies by Iran’s government. (Eds: Since coming to power in 2005, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has banned a number of student activists from attending classes.) More  The Four Nations That Challenge U.S. Interests Every four years, the U.S. intelligence community compiles a national intelligence strategy that focuses on foreign challenges to America's interests. This year, four countries are at the top of the list: Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China. More  EU Reviews Caucasus Strategy, Mulls Afghan Future EU foreign ministers are attempting to flesh out a partnership offer to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. In Afghanistan, the bloc is looking to take up a bigger role once a new government is in place. And on Iran, it is ready to impose sanctions if nuclear talks fail. More  Should Iranians Care About Jerusalem? Iranian reformist groups, still alive and active despite brutal suppression, have announced that they will launch new demonstrations against President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on "Day of Jerusalem" this year. More  Grandchildren Of Dissident Iranian Ayatollah Arrested Three grandchildren of Iranian dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri have been arrested in the Islamic holy city of Qom, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Young Iranian Says He Was Raped In Prison, Pressured To Stay Silent A well-known Iranian filmmaker, Reza Allamezadeh, has posted on his website a video of a young Iranian man, Ebrahim Sharifi, who says he was raped in prison in Iran after being arrested in the postelection crackdown. More  A Shrine Is No Place For Diplomacy Blogger "My Lonely Home" is angry that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was allowed into the shrine of Imam Reza during his recent trip to Mashhad. More Blogger "Bache Shahid" (Child of a Martyr) says it's a pity that Iranian youth don't know or care much about the so-called martyrs, those Iranian soldiers and members of the Basij and Revolutionary Guard who died in the Iran-Iraq War. More  Russia Backs Iran Over Sanctions Russia has indicated it will torpedo a Western push for sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. The announcement comes amid speculation that former Russian military officers tried to sell Iran air-defense missiles, and raises fresh doubts about Moscow's role in the international effort to resolve the crisis over Iran. More  What To Do About Iran's Nuclear Program The United States says its intelligence shows that Iran has enough nuclear fuel to make a single nuclear weapon -- known as "breakout capacity." But it appears that Tehran isn't taking the steps to reach that goal. Radio Farda's Hossein Aryan spoke with Mark Fitzpatrick, the chief of the nonproliferation program at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, about the significance of this development, and what the international community can do about it. More  The Supreme Leader May Not Be So Supreme Mahmud Tehrani, the nephew of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, tells RFE/RL's Radio Farda he thinks President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guard are running the show in Iran, not Khamenei. More  Why Wasn't Iran Invited To Caspian Summit? An interesting event is taking place in Kazakhstan's Caspian port city of Aktau starting September. The Caspian littoral states are holding a first-ever "informal" summit. But one of the countries -- Iran -- has not been invited. Also, there seems to be an unusual sense of urgency on the part of some of the leaders who will be in Aktau. At the same time, however, Kazakhstan officials have suggested there is no set agenda. So what's about to happen in Aktau? More  Supreme Leader's Authority Is Key To Divisions In the view of the conservatives, Khamenei is above the law, a status he inherited from the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who said the supreme leader can suspend or set aside even basic tenets of Islam to protect the Islamic republic. The reformists, however, seek checks on the leader's vast authority, and some have even challenged the notion that the supreme leader's authority comes directly from God. More  The Sorrow Of Bread Blogger Close-Up was surprised when he saw people standing in line for many hours for a little bit of soup. More  Neda's Fiancé Released From Tehran Prison, Amnesty Reports Caspian Makan, the fiance of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman shot and killed during postelection unrest in June, has reportedly been released on bail from Tehran's Evin prison. More  Fresh Arrests, Raids Further Squeeze Iran Opposition A senior aide to Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi and an aide to reformist cleric Mehdi Karrubi have been arrested in Tehran. It's part of an ongoing campaign against groups and individuals who continue to dispute the reelection of Mahmud Ahmadinejad as president. More  Love In The Time Of Politics Blogger "Rahe Sabze Omid" (Green Path Of Hope) describes a scene in which a young woman who supports opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi spurns a suitor who backs hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. More  How Not To Do Your Official Bio The official biography of Iran’s new state prosecutor, Hojatoleslam Mohseni Ejei, has been receiving a good deal of scrutiny in the Iranian blogosphere. More  Powerful Revolutionary Guard Chief Comes Under Fire In Iran, the war of words between hard-liners and reformists shows no sign of letting up, with the head of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard now getting involved. But reformists have struck back, denouncing military "interference" in politics. More  How To Get Ahead In Iranian Advertising Thursdays are peculiar days in Iran. They are part of the weekend, and yet officially they are not. More Neda's Fiance At Risk Of Torture In Tehran Prison, Amnesty Says Amnesty International says Caspian Makan, the fiance of Neda Agha Soltan, the young Iranian woman whose death was caught on video during the recent protests in Iran, has been held in detention since June 26after he made a statement linking her murder to the pro-government Basij militia. More |
