RFE/RL Iran Report – 2/23/2012

Iranians Told To Vote, Don’t Vote, In Next Week’s Election  The head of Iran’s Basij force, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, has congratulated Iranians on their “epic” turnout in the country’s parliamentary elections. The only problem is that the elections aren’t until March 2. More  Iran’s National Internet Gets Late Spring Launch Date  Iran’s so-called “national Internet” will be launched in either in late May or June, according to an announcement by Iranian Telecommunications Minister Reza Taghipour. More  A Student Takes On The Iranian Regime  An Iranian student, who publicly challenged the regime and then fled to Turkey, talks to Persian Letters.More  The Iran Conflict Comes To The Caucasus  Incidents involving Jewish diplomats being targeted for attack in the South Caucasus illustrate how Georgia and Azerbaijan risk being drawn into the conflict between Tehran on one side and Israel and the West on the other. More  Iran Honors Its ‘Nuclear Martyrs’  Tehran appears to be trying to develop a personality cult around the four nuclear scientists who have been assassinated over the past two years. More  Basij Commander Addresses New Poem To ‘Great Satan’  On “Persian Letters,” we’ve previously reported about the artistic skills possessed by the head of Iran’s Basij force, Mohammad Reza Naghdi, who, along with cracking down on opposition activists, appears to be a budding poet. More