Eye on Iran: Falling Oil Prices Put Iran over U.S. Sanctions Barrel

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Reuters: ”For most of this year, the threat of tough U.S. sanctions on Iran, the world’s third-largest oil exporter, helped push crude oil prices higher and higher, adding a menacing headwind for struggling global economies. But in the past few weeks, a combination of higher output from Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia and economic troubles in China and Europe have pushed oil prices down 25 percent, putting the threat of sanctions back squarely on Iran. As June 28 approaches – the day the law allows U.S. President Barack Obama to enforce sanctions on countries that do oil deals with Iran’s central bank – Washington is revving up efforts to tighten the squeeze on Tehran. Lawmakers in Congress hope to finalize in July a new package of sanctions aimed at further crippling Iran’s oil revenues after international talks in Moscow last week failed to convince Tehran to scale back its nuclear program.” http://t.uani.com/N1YkMa 

Ties forbidden in Iranian hospitals

The Iranian police force has announced that it will confront staff members at hospitals and private organizations that allow the use of make-up and ties.

R- zamaneh ) - ISNA quoted Ahmadreza Radan, the deputy head of Iranian security forces, saying: “I announced to the heads of the hospitals right here that those who systematically use heavy make-up and wear ties will be confronted.”

Ahmadreza Radan

He stressed that the administrators of hospitals and other organizations have been given several days to address the issue before the security police steps in.

Radan also criticized workplaces that require employees to wear ties.

In recent months, retail stores in Iran have been forbidden to sell ties, because the establishment views them as a Western symbol.

With the arrival of the summer season, Iranian morality police often work overtime to enforce Iran’s rigid public dress code, especially for women, who are required to fully cover their hair and body with loose-fitting attire.

Iranian Imam warns against spread of house churches !

The increasing spread of Christianity in Iran and the resulting growth of house churches among Iranians has turned into a big concern for Iranian religious experts and clerics. They use every means to warn against this issue.

According to Iranian Christian news agency, “Mohabat News”, in his latest remarks in a meeting with the leader and managers of the Organization of Islamic Propaganda in the religious city of Qom, Hojatol-Eslam Seyed Mohammad Saeedi, who is also the Friday prayer Imam, warned against “the enemy’s efforts” to establish “house-churches” and called on cultural authorities, especially those at the Organization of Islamic Propaganda to be pioneers in promoting religious teachings.

Qom is considered the religious capital of Iran and because the most prominent Shi’ite seminary is based in the city, it is also known as the center of the Shi’ite world.

Flüchtlings- und Migrationsgesetz wird Parlament vorgelegt

Die Hürriyet Daily News berichtete am 8. Mai 2012, dass die Türkei kurz vor der Verabschiedung ihres ersten Flüchtlings- und Migrationsgesetzes stehe. Der Gesetzesentwurf sei in der vorhergehenden Woche dem Parlament überreicht worden. Das Flüchtlingshilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen, UNHCR, begrüßte die ersten Schritte in Richtung der Verabschiedung des Gesetzes. Die Verhandlungen im Parlament dauern nach wie vor an.

Griechenland: Krankenhausärzte kündigen an, undokumentierte Migranten weiter zu behandeln

Vor den Wahlen am 6. Mai 2012 kündigte der griechische Gesundheitsminister, Andreas Loverdos, an, undokumentierte Migranten sollten keine Behandlung mehr in öffentlichen Krankenhäusern erhalten. Nur besonders schwere Notfälle sollten künftig medizinisch versorgt werden. Ärzte aus unterschiedlichen Kliniken taten sich als Reaktion darauf zusammen und veröffentlichten über ihre Gewerkschaft (OENGE) eine klare Stellungnahme, in der sie unmissverständlich erklärten, sich gegen Loverdos Aufforderung zu stellen. Undokumentierte Migranten und Flüchtlinge würden weiterhin ärztlich behandelt werden. In der Stellungnahme heißt es: „Wir kündigen an, dass wir die kürzlich geäußerten Instruktionen vor den Wahlen durch Herrn Loverdos ignorieren und unsere medizinischen Berufe weiter ausführen.“ Dimitris Varnavas, Vorsitzender der OENGE, sagte mit Bezugnahme auf die rassistische Hetze der rechtsradikalen Partei Golden Dawn: „Wenn Herr Loverdos seine politischen Obsessionen befriedigen oder den Unterstützern von Golden Dawn Zugeständnisse machen möchte, hat er jede Möglichkeit, dies zu tun – nicht jedoch, indem er sich die professionelle Verantwortung und Würde der Klinikärzte zu Nutze macht.“

Forum Abschiebungsbeobachtung Frankfurt zieht positive Bilanz in seinem Jahresbericht

Das Forum Abschiebungsbeobachtung am Flughafen Frankfurt hat im Mai seinen Jahresbericht vorgelegt und sechs Jahre nach Etablierung der Abschiebungsbeobachtung eine positive Bilanz gezogen. Die Abschiebungsbeobachtung schaffe Transparenz in einem ansonsten der Öffentlichkeit nicht zugänglichen Bereich und wirke deeskalierend. Probleme und menschliche Härten, die bei Abschiebungen entstehen, finden sich im aktuellen Bericht erneut. Stichworte wie in den Vorjahren: Mangelhafte Beachtung von Krankheiten bei Abzuschiebenden, Familientrennungen, Abschiebungen junger, integrierter Menschen nach jahrelangem Aufenthalt, Abschiebungen Mittelloser.

 

Deutscher Ärztetag fordert Abschaffung des Flughafenasylverfahrens

Der 115. Deutsche Ärztetag hat Ende Mai einen Entschließungsantrag zur Abschaffung des Flughafenasylverfahrens verabschiedet und gefordert, Asylsuchende in Deutschland in das normale Asylverfahren zu übernehmen. Insbesondere müssten bereits vor einer Gesetzesänderung besonders schutzbedürftige Personen bei der Einreise identifiziert und adäquat behandelt werden.

Ajatollah Dschawadi-Amoli: Lügen wir uns nicht in die Tasche

Ajatollah Dschawadi-Amoli

Kürzlich hat der alte und wiedergewählte Präsident des iranischen Parlaments Ali Laridschani den angesehenen Ajatollah Dschawadi-Amoli in Qom besucht, der wie er selbst aus der Stadt Amol im Norden Irans kommt. Ajatollah Dschawadi-Amoli gehört zu denjenigen, die den Religionsführer Ajatollah Chamene‘i stets in der Öffentlichkeit verteidigen.
Umso beachtlicher ist, was er jetzt gegenüber Ali Laridschani geäußert hat. Er sagte:
„Lügen wir uns nicht in die Tasche. Wir gleichen einem Menschen, dessen Herz zu 80% nicht mehr funktioniert und mit den restlichen 20% weiter arbeitet. Wir wollen nichts beschönigen. Wir sind mit 20% am Leben, die übrigen 80% bringen wir mit Wucherzins und dergleichen rein. Nehmen wir nur die Veruntreuung von 3000 Milliarden Tuman in der Export-Bank und das Verfahren wegen Korruption bei der Angestellten- und Beamtenversicherung des Irans. (…)“

 

Source: Ali Schirasi

General Radan (Iran): Nackte Frauenhaare gefährden die Sicherheit

General Radan, stellvertretender Polizeichef des Irans, erklärte jüngst auf einer Pressekonferenz, die Bürger sollten Frauen bei der Polizei denunzieren, die in Privatautos schlecht verschleiert zu sehen seien. Er erklärte, die Polizei werde dann diesen Fällen nachgehen. Er sagte auch, dass Frauen in Privatfirmen ebenfalls auf die Verschleierung achten müssten, die Polizei werde das kontrollieren. Wenn die Frauen sich nicht daran hielten, seien sie zu entlassen. In öffentlichen Parks würden die Kontrollen ebenfalls verschärft, denn Frauen mit offenen Haaren gefährdeten die öffentliche Sicherheit.
Es zeigt sich einmal mehr: Die Wahlen sind vorüber, die kleinen Lockerungen werden wieder aufgehoben.

by Ali Schirasi

Iran Both Fights and Facilitates Narcotics

Garrett Nada

After struggling for decades to combat narcotics, Iran is today both fighting and facilitating narcotics, according to reports by the United Nations, the United States and Iran. Tehran has escalated its campaign against narcotics use and trafficking with help from the United Nations.

At the same time, however, an elite Revolutionary Guards force has reportedly allowed traffickers to smuggle drugs through Iran in exchange for helping Tehran arm Taliban forces fighting NATO troops in Afghanistan. In 2012, the United States sanctioned a senior Revolutionary Guard commander for facilitating drug smuggling that also aided an extremist group.

The Islamic Republic now openly admits having a drug problem that it denied for years. “For a long time nobody wanted to admit it, but drug abuse was ravaging our society…Now the scourge is so bad that we are finally reaching the point where the government is getting really involved,” Abbas Deylamizade, managing director of Rebirth, told The Toronto Globe and Mail in May 2012. Rebirth is Iran’s largest non-governmental organization working on drug treatment.

International Olympic Committee warns Iran

Source: Tehran Times

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has warned Iran’s National Olympic Committee to respect the Olympic Movement, otherwise Iran could be banned from the Games.

www.olympic.org

The Olympic Movement states that national sports federations should not be directed by central governments. Some national sports federations in Iran are directed by the government authorities. According to IOC’s rules, this case is a gross violation of the fundamental principle of autonomy of the Olympic Movement.

“Should these basic principles not be respected, the Olympic Movement in your country would regrettably be exposed to the measures and sanctions laid down in the Olympic Charter and in the rules of the respective International Sports Federations, which could seriously damage the representation of your country in the London 2012 Olympic Games and in any other upcoming international sports events…” said the latter sent by the IOC to Iran’s National Olympic Committee on Tuesday.

Morsi Interview Controversy Highlights Iran’s Press Rift

By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL (Source)

One day after Muhammad Morsi was declared the winner of Egypt’s presidential election, Iran’s Fars news agency issued an alleged interview with him in which the president-elect expressed interest in strengthening ties with Tehran.

A screen grab from the Fars website of its alleged interview with Egyptian President-elect Muhammad Morsi

The controversial piece, in which Morsi was also quoted as saying that he wants to reconsider Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, was quickly picked up by major news outlets, including Reuters, “The Christian Science Monitor,” and the Israeli daily “Haaretz.”

It seemed to be quite a scoop for the semi-official news agency, which claimed its reporter spoke to Morsi a few hours before he was declared the victor. Fars, however, didn’t get to enjoy the coup for long. The veracity of the interview was questioned by several news organizations, including BBC Arabic and Al-Arabiyah, which quoted a Morsi spokesman as denying that he spoke with Fars. Egypt’s official MENA news agency would later also report that the interview was false.

But perhaps more significantly, Iran’s official state-run news agency, IRNA, was also quick to cast doubt on the interview. The incident provides the latest example of how the ongoing power struggle in the Iranian establishment has apparently pitted IRNA, which is pro-President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, against Fars, which is said to be affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Flood Destroys 60 Homes in Tabriz

Photos by Mahsa Jamali, Mehr News Agency

Flooding triggered by heavy rains has caused heavy damage in the northwestern city of Tabriz in Iran and destroyed at least 60 houses.

Tabriz governor’s office in a statement on Monday said that the city suffered losses to the tune of almost $400,000 due to the flooding, IRIB reported. It said that the flood damaged crops in Tabriz and other cities of East Azarbaijan province. There were no casualties in the flooding, it added.

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Deutschland: JobCenter Anschriftenverzeichnis

Baden-Württemberg

Links zu Jobcentern und zugelassenen kommunalen Trägern im Bundesland Baden-Württemberg:

• Jobcenter Landkreis Esslingen
• Jobcenter Landkreis Göppingen
• Jobcenter Landkreis Schwäbisch-Hall

Bayern

Links zu Jobcentern und zugelassenen kommunalen Trägern im Bundesland Bayern:

• Aschaffenburg
• Cham
• Nürnberg
• Traunstein

Berlin

Links zu Jobcentern im Bundesland Berlin:

• JobCenter Berlin Charlottenburg – Wilmersdorf
• JobCenter Berlin Friedrichshain – Kreuzberg
• JobCenter Berlin Lichtenberg
• JobCenter Berlin Marzahn – Hellersdorf
• JobCenter Berlin Mitte
• JobCenter Berlin Neukölln
• JobCenter Berlin Pankow
• JobCenter Berlin Reinickendorf
• JobCenter Berlin Spandau
• JobCenter Berlin Steglitz – Zehlendorf
• JobCenter Berlin Tempelhof – Schöneberg
• JobCenter Berlin Treptow – Köpenick

What Happened when Putin and Netanyahu talked Iran?

Mark  N. Katz

On Iran, what came out of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel? What specifically did each leader want from the other?

The Putin-Netanyahu summit made little progress in bridging vast differences between Russian and Israeli differences over the Iranian nuclear program—or what do about it.

Israeli Prime Minister wanted Russian President Putin to support four specific demands on Iran:

• Expansion of sanctions against Tehran,
• A halt to all enrichment of uranium by Iran,
• Removal of all enriched uranium from Iran,
• Dismantling of Iran’s new underground nuclear facility near Qom.

In contrast, Putin did not advance any particular demands with regard to Iran.

On what did the men agree on Iran? And on what about Iran did they disagree?

In a joint press conference after meeting Putin, Netanyhau claimed that the two leaders agreed that a nuclear-armed Iran “presents a grave danger first of all to Israel, and to the region and the world as a whole.”  Putin said “the talks were detailed and very useful.”  But he was much more non-committal about their discussions of Iran’s nuclear program. He did not publicly support Netanyahu’s warning that Iran represents a grave danger or his four specific demands.

Is the meeting likely to change the dynamics of diplomacy by the world’s six major powers, especially given the stalemate during their talks with Iran on June 18-19?

West’s Demands, Iran’s Unrealistic Goals Sink Nuclear Talks

by MUHAMMAD SAHIMI

26 Jun 2012 01:080 Comments

An analysis of the failure in Moscow, and the framework for a solution.

Muhammad Sahimi, a professor at the University of Southern California, is a columnist for Tehran Bureau and contributes regularly to other Internet and print media.

The latest round of negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group — the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany — in Moscow was a failure. Nothing significant was achieved, except for an agreement to have a low-level “experts” group meet on July 3 in Istanbul. Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief who heads the P5+1 negotiating team, did not even agree to a request by Saeed Jaili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and secretary-general of the Supreme National Security Council, to meet again after the experts’ meeting. New E.U. sanctions are supposed to go into effect on July 1, which will surely worsen the economic plight of the Iranian people, but probably make no difference in the Islamic Republic’s defense of its nuclear program. Why did the negotiations, which began so promisingly in Istanbul on April 14, fail?As I had predicted, the negotiations failed mainly because the United States and its allies made demands that would have been practically impossible for any government to accept, let alone the Islamic Republic, which has not been willing to retreat from its stance regarding the nuclear program after nearly a decade of Western threats and sanctions. It seemd as if the United States is interested only in dragging out the negotiations until after the November presidential election, at which time either an Obama or Romney administration will have to decide what to do if Iran has not changed its position. In the following, I discuss those demands as well as other factors that contributed to the failure of the negotiations.

Iran Agency’s Morsi ‘Interview’ Denied; Death Sentences for Drinking

by DAN GEIST

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Farsi and Arabic press and excerpts where the source is in English. 

6:30 a.m. IRDT, 6 Tir/June 26 The Fars New Agency, which is controlled by a foundation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Monday published a purported interview with Egyptian president-elect Mohamed Morsi that quoted him as wanting to “create a strategic balance” in the Middle East through closer ties with Iran, but a Morsi spokesman has denied the interview ever took place. According to Reuters, Morsi aide Yasser Ali said, “There was never a meeting with the Iranian news agency Fars and what was taken as statements has no basis in truth.” The Reuters reportcontinues,

On its web page, Fars published a transcript and an audio of the conversation. Reuters was unable to verify the recording but the man purported to be Morsi did not sound exactly like him. [...]In what looked like a reversal of comments Morsi made in a televised address after his victory was announced on Sunday, Fars news quoted him as saying Egypt’s Camp David peace accord with Israel “will be reviewed”, without elaborating.

Egypt’s military council lacks political legitimacy: Iranian general

TEHRAN, June 25 (Mehr News Agency) – Chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Hassan Firouzabadi said on Monday that the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has no legal or political legitimacy.

General Hassan Firouzabadi

Legitimacy either comes from God, which is peculiar to divine religions, or from people’s vote, Firouzabadi stated.

However, he said, “The measures by the military council, which itself had been appointed by (former Egyptian president Hosni) Mubarak, have no legal validity or political legitimacy.”

The remarks by the top Iranian general came after the SCAF released the results of the Egyptian presidential election after much delay in which Mohamed Morsi, the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, was declared the winner of the election.

It is widely believed that the SCAF has put a brake on the process of democratization in Egypt. Seventeen months after the uprising that toppled Mubarak, the military has set the country back where it was at the beginning of its hoped-for transition from dictatorship to democracy.

23 Iranian provinces wrestling with dust storms

Source: Radio Zamaneh

There are 23 Iranian provinces grappling with a dust phenomenon, the Environment Organization of Iran reports.

Photos: Ahvaz Hit by Dust Storm again

The deputy head of the organization, Ali Mohammad Shaeri, told IRNA: “Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchistan, Yazd and Kerman are among the provinces that have been most affected by the dust phenomenon from domestic sources; the other provinces are affected by foreign centres such as Iraq.”

Carpet Bazaar in Tabriz, Iran

Photos by Farshid Tighehsaz, ISNA

The Bazaar of Tabriz is one of the oldest bazaars of the Middle East and the largest covered bazar in the world. It was inscribed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2010.

Tabriz has been a place of cultural exchange since antiquity. Its historic bazaar complex is one of the most important commercial centres on the Silk Road. Located in the center of the city of Tabriz, Iran, this spectacular structure consists of several sub-bazaars, such as Amir Bazaar (for gold and jewelry),Mozzafarieh (a carpet bazaar), a shoe bazaar, and many other ones for various goods.

Iran Snap Analysis: A Fight Within the Regime Over Egypt

On the surface, the public-relations campaign was straightforward. Ever since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, regime figures have trumpeted that the Egyptian uprising was following the model of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. So when the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi was finally confirmed as Egyptian President on Sunday, it was natural that he and the Brotherhood should be welcomed as Tehran’s partner..

On Monday morning, the Iranian military took the lead on the effort. Commanders proclaimed that Iranian strength would support the emerging Egypt, an example of how US and Israeli efforts to control the region had failed. Fars, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, headlined that it had an interview with Morsi, in which the President-elect had called for better relations with the Islamic Republic as part of a new “strategic balance”.

The Latest from Iran (26 June): The Oil Squeeze

0720 GMT: Nuclear Watch. Ali Bagheri, Iran’s deputy nuclear negotiator, has told Fars, “If the 5+1 Powers (US, Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China) act outside their agreements, it will be more costly for them.”

Following the statements at last week’s formal talks in Moscow, the two sides are due to hold technical discussions in Istanbul on 3 July.

0700 GMT: Foreign Affairs (Iraqi Front). An intriguing attack in the Iranian press on the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq….

Roundup of Today’s International News 25/06/12

IRAN

IAEA Access To Iran Military Complex A Priority, Amano Says
Iran granting access to its military complex of Parchin remains a “matter of priority” for nuclear inspectors, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano said.

Iran Officials Assert Defiance of West in Aftermath of Nuclear Talks
Iranian politicians and military commanders said Wednesday that their country would never relinquish what they called its nuclear rights, a day after talks between Iran and world powers in Moscow failed to make substantive progress in the dispute over Iran’s uranium enrichment.

Insight: Iran talks – across the table, a wary stalemate
The talk can be blunt and the rhetoric can be flowery, with invocations of deity and Persian poetry. Sometimes, it has been suggested, there is the sense of a well-worn cast acting out a script.

Imprisoned HR activist Narges Mohamadi: The Officials Are Responsible For My Slowly Dying

By persianbanoo

Narges Mohamadi, the deputy head of Iran’s Defenders of Human Rights Center has written a letter to Tehran’s Prosecutor General .

While emphasizing her illegal detention in Zanjan prison, she stresses that if any traumatic incident happens to her while in detention, she holds the officials solely responsible.

Narges Mohamadi, serving a six years sentence in Zanjan prison (N. W. Iran), is in dire health and physicians have indicated she can not tolerate prison conditions and must be hospitalized.

Following is a translation of Narges Mohamadi’s letter:

In the name of God,

Mr. Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi
Prosecutor of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court

Hereby, I inform you that, I, Narges Mohamadi while out on bail, under a six year prison sentence, was arrested at my home on April 21 by the Intelligence Ministry’s agents.

From April 21 to May 16, I was incarcerated in the high security Ward 209 in Evin. During this time I was transferred to the Women’s General Ward for 24 hours and returned back to Ward 209.

During this period, I wrote to you three times, protesting the incarceration of a person who has already been sentenced, in Ward 209, and have asked for my transfer to Women’s General Ward.

In a meeting I had with Mr. Reshtehahmadi on May 8, I urged that I be transferred to Women’s ward. I also gave him a signed letter requesting my transfer to the women’s ward.

I have always stressed the point that incarceration of a person already tried and sentenced, in the high security ward (209) is illegal and I according to law should be transferred to the general ward.

I have never, neither verbally, nor in writing, have requested to be transferred to any other city, certainly not Zanjan.

On May 16, at 6:00 AM, agents woke me up, blindfolded and handcuffed me, and placed me in a car.

Unaware of what was going on, during the long distance of travel, I realized we had left Tehran. It was in a Court in Zanjan that I realized I was in Zanjan.

It has been alleged that Narges Mohamadi personally requested her transfer to Zanjan. This is a total fabrication.

It has been claimed that, due to her illness, Narges Mohamadi requested to be transferred to Zanjan; this is also totally false.

Hereby I inform you:

1- I, strongly protest my illegal transfer to the women’s ward in Zanjan which holds criminals, and request you take the necessary action for my immediate transfer to the women’s ward in Evin prison that holds non-criminal inmates.

2- It should be noted that I entered Evin prison on June 10, 2010 in complete health, and on July 1, 2010, I was transferred to hospital suffering from serious neurological and psychological disorders.

After intensive medical care and using 18 pills a day, I was discharged from hospital. I currently am on 11 pills a day, but since my latest arrest, these medications do not control my illness and my illness has worsened.

I currently am incarcerated among fifty female murderers, death row prisoners (on narcotic charges), and immorality charges and even women with mental disorders ((psychological).

Since I have entered this ward, I have experienced nothing but anxiety, nervousness and fear, which has exacerbated my illness moment by moment.

My medical records and the opinion of my treating physicians suggest that my illness has a direct relationship with the escalation of anxiety.

And even while this is so, since entering this ward, I have encountered horrible situations that I am not even able to describe and write about.

Putting me under such a stressful situation is equivalent to feeding me cups of poison that help to destroy me moment by moment.

I persistently and emphatically proclaim that such treatment and actions towards me are in fact causing my slow death and the responsibility lies with the authorities.

The respected officials who are in possession of my medical records, know very well that keeping me in the stressful conditions of prison, especially where criminals (murderers, death row inmates, drug traffickers, etc…) are held, conditions that, for the good of society I will not describe in detail, is equivalent to intentional murder, for which the officials will be directly responsible.

I certainly hope that this won’t be another case like the martyrdom of Haleh Sahabi and Hoda Saber which was said to be as a cause of hot weather and hunger strike!

If another incident occurs, even if it seems due to natural causes, I hereby proclaim that not only won’t it be due to natural causes, but the exacerbation of my illness or the occurrence of any traumatic event for me in this situation is quite deliberate.

3- My legal residence, and more importantly my doctors and specialists (neurologist, psychologist, pulmonary, heart and gynecologist), are all in Tehran. Because I am under their care and treatment, I must be seen by them at least every two months, for they hold all my medical records and I am under their care and treatment.

My illegal transfer to Zanjan has denied me such medical care and treatment. The complications and damages arising from this action would be irreversible and is an inhumane act.

4- My 5 year old children, Ali and Kiana do not reside in Zanjan and must inevitably travel a long distance for many hours to visit with their mother. This is very difficult for Mrs. Rahmani (my mother-in-law) and for my small children and perhaps will be impossible in the heat of summer and the cold of winter.

This in itself is putting severe psychological stress on an imprisoned mother.

The Honorable Mr. Prosecutor, the above mentioned conditions plus the issues that I hope to share with Your Excellency in person, are the plight of a mother and your fellow citizen who writes to you and looks forward to hope of justice.

I hope that at the earliest possible time I am afforded the proper conditions for sending me to my treating physicians before my health deteriorates even more and I hope I am afforded my freedom.

With much gratitude,

Narges Mohamadi

Source: Melimazhabi

Eye on Iran: Iran’s Oil Ships Sail Into Troubled Waters

Top Stories

WSJ: ”Iran, already braced for escalating sanctions in coming days, is facing another challenge to ship its oil that could ultimately curtail its crude sales more than expected. Under pressure from lobbying groups campaigning against Iran’s nuclear program, some specialized companies that supply the safety certificates required for ships to dock at foreign ports are terminating their dealings with Iran. Tankers from Iran and elsewhere can’t sail without a stamp of approval from these ‘classification societies,’ which survey the vessels to ensure they are safe and environmentally sound. The move is narrowing the number of foreign vessels willing to load Iranian oil at Iranian terminals, which could hit Iran’s already declining oil exports and ultimately push prices upward… ‘It is of the utmost importance that we maintain our good reputation,’ Germany’s Germanischer Lloyd said in a letter sent to advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, announcing its termination of Iranian ship surveys.” http://t.uani.com/MP8Qdl 

Iran News Round Up (June 25)

Commander warns Iran to use Strait of Hormuz as instrument if threatened; Rafsanjani meets Spain’s new ambassador to Tehran; IRGC calls Iran’s deterrence ‘all inclusive’

Diplomacy Houshang Tale, Pahlavi era parliamentarian and member of the long-dissolved Pan-Iranian Party, reiterates Iran’s claims on Bahrain. Military and Security Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, Islamic Republic of Iran Army commander: “In case of threats, we will use the Strait of Hormuz as an instrument.” Revolutionary Guards Deupty Hossein Salami says the Islamic Republic controls the world economy. Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Saidi, representative of the Supreme Leader to the Revolutionary Guards, says the IRGC only enters the field of economic and financial activities, particularly in the banking sector, when competitors in the private sector are incapable of competing with the IRGC. Ramezan Sharif, Revolutionary Guards Public Relations directorate commander, complains about commanders who do not cooperate with the IRGC to explain theeconomic and cultural dimensions of the work of the IRGC to the public. [E] The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces in a message felicitated the Egyptian nation on the election of Mohammed Mursi as the country’s new president, and urged Egypt’s Armed Forces to accept election results. [E] Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said that Iran’s deterrent power enjoys different military, social and economic elements. [E] Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said that enemies’ propaganda campaign to accuse the IRGC of interfering in Iran’s political structure and elections is part of “non-stop psychological war” to demonize the military force.

Wegen Alkoholkonsum zum Tod verurteilt

Teheran (RPO). Zwei Männer aus dem Iran sollen hingerichtet werden, weil sie Alkohol getrunken haben. “Wir behandeln das Trinken von Alkohol als Schwerverbrechen”, erklärte ein Geistlicher. Eine endgültige Entscheidung steht noch aus.

“Die beiden Personen wurden zum dritten Mal des Konsumierens alkoholischer Getränke schuldig gesprochen und wurden zum Tode verurteilt”, sagte Hassan Schariati, das Oberhaupt der Justiz der Region Chorassan Rasawin im Nordosten des islamischen Landes am Sonntag.

“Das Todesurteil wird vollstreckt, sobald es vom Obersten Gerichtshof bestätigt ist”, sagte Schariati, ein Geistlicher, der iranischen Agentur Isna zufolge. “Wir behandeln das Trinken von Alkohol nicht anders als andere Gesetzesbrüche und betrachten es als Schwerverbrechen.”

weiterlesen bei rp-online

Apple’s ‘Iran Policy’ Shows Why We Can’t Shy Away from Politics

by JAMAL ABDI and NOBAR ELMI

U.S.-Iranian relations affect the entire community.

Nobar Elmi is the director of community outreach and programming at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). She previously served as a legislative liaison for a Texas state agency and worked seven years at a prominent Los Angeles public affairs and lobbying firm. Jamal Abdi is NIAC’s policy director. He previously served as a policy adviser on Capitol Hill.

Earlier this week, news broke about an incident in which a 19-year-old Iranian American girl was denied the right to purchase an iPad simply because she was speaking Farsi with her uncle.As additional stories emerged of similar experiences encountered by Iranian Americans and Iranians at Apple stores, our community was understandably outraged. But what makes it even more disturbing is that similar stories have gone unnoticed. Why is this happening? Is this similar to the racism Iranians and Iranian Americans encountered during the hostage crisis in the 1980s or after 9/11? Or is there more to it?

Iranians Flash Mob Against APPLE’s Discriminatory – Fifth Ave ….STOP APPLE!

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Iran’s Nuclear Calculus

by ALI VAEZ

Mutual perceptions of weakness yield little progress.

Ali Vaez is the International Crisis Group’s senior Iran analyst. Before joining ICG, he headed the Iran project at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C., focusing on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Trained as a scientist, Vaez has more than a decade of experience in journalism, including as a foreign correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Switzerland.

Tehran’s nuclear calculus has fluctuated significantly since negotiations between Iran and the world powers resumed in April. Iran first appeared eager for a deal that could check the damaging momentum of sanctions and avert a war. The run-up to the Istanbul meeting was marked by positive signs, ranging from Ayatollah Khamenei’s rare praise of President Obama’s defense of diplomacy and the reiteration of his nuclear fatwa, to Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi’s constructive commentary in the Washington Post indicating commitment to diplomacy, and the conciliatory remarks by Fereydoun Abbasi Davani, chief of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, on halting high-level enrichment. At the same time, Iran’s confidence was bolstered by its recent advances in nuclear technology and the completion of the undergrounduranium enrichment facility at Fordow.In the wake of the Istanbul meeting, and despite its concentration on generalities, the mood in Tehran became Pollyannaish. The West’s renewed interest in diplomacy, based on a step-by-step reciprocal process, was interpreted as a sign of weakness — a desperate attempt to tame oil prices and avert a military confrontation ahead of the U.S. presidential election and amid an unprecedented economic crisis in Europe. Tehran consequently orchestrated a messaging campaign to up the ante in Baghdad by simultaneously demanding the removal of sanctions and conditioning the public for a compromise.