Letter from Iran

(The better informed everybody becomes the greater the chance that war can be prevented and propaganda can not distort reality. With a couple of clicks you can do your part by simply forwarding this to others.)

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(Clearly it seems those in a position of power have decided against war with Iran and are now working towards resolution and peace. This is very encouraging. Once things have settled down and military conflict is no longer on the horizon the work towards bringing about true democracy and rule of law in Iran can begin because as long as this form of government holds power in Iran military conflict will always be around the corner. Iranians themselves must decide on their own future not a small handful of unelected self-appointed rulers. "Saahbe Iran khodeh Iranian bayaad bashe.")

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U.S. signals major shift on Iran nuclear program

By Paul Richter

//www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-f...

In what would be a significant concession, Obama administration officials say they could support allowing Iran to maintain a crucial element of its disputed nuclear program if Tehran took other major steps to curb its ability to develop a nuclear bomb.

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Israel's former Shin Bet chief: I have no confidence in Netanyahu, Barak

By Barak Ravid

//www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/isra...

"They are misleading the public on the Iran issue. They tell the public that if Israel acts, Iran won't have a nuclear bomb. This is misleading. Actually, many experts say that an Israeli attack would accelerate the Iranian nuclear race," said the former security chief.

"I don't believe in either the prime minister or the defense minister. I don't believe in a leadership that makes decisions based on messianic feelings,"

"Over the past 10-15 years Israel has become more and more racist. All of the studies point to this. This is racism toward Arabs and toward foreigners, and we are also become a more belligerent society."

(Wow! Strong words. You have to respect Israeli society for allowing such statements; having the freedom to speak the truth without fearing jail or death...something that is very much lacking here.)

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Understanding Iran's diplomatic strategy

By Dr. Gareth Porter

//www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/04/2...

(This is an excellent article and a MUST read.)

Contrary to the convenient argument that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei resists agreement with the United States, he and leading officials on the Supreme National Security Council have long viewed negotiations with the United States as the only way that the Iran can achieve full security and emerge as a full-fledged regional power.

The demands for an end to official US enmity towards Iran and for a seat at the table in future regional security discussions have continued to be the ultimate aims behind Iranian efforts to manoeuvre the United States into serious negotiations.

The Obama administration's failure to grasp the logic underlying Iran's negotiating strategy ensured the failure of the first round of US-Iran negotiations in October 2009.

In the present negotiations with the P5+1, Iran is still pursuing the same objectives with the same hope of cashing in its accumulated negotiating chips. That is why Syed Hossein Mousavian, who was spokesman for Iran's nuclear negotiating team between 2003 and 2005 and foreign policy adviser to the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, has warned that the "piecemeal approach" so dear to the hearts of US officials is a formula for diplomatic failure.

Iran "needs to know the entire game plan, including the end goal, before committing itself to anything", Mousavian wrote. The history of Iranian efforts to achieve a negotiated settlement supports Mousavian's warning. It is time for the United States to shed its shallow propagandistic view of Iranian strategy, and accept the necessity for real bargaining with Iran on fundamental issues.

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Kerrey’s Opposition to Attacking Iran — Straw in the Wind?

By Jim Lobe

//www.lobelog.com/kerreys-opposition-to-attac...

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey, who is running to reclaim his seat has come out strongly against war on Iran.

This deserves some notice for a few reasons. First, Kerrey, who was highly decorated for his service in Vietnam, was an Iraq War hawk and even served on the notorious Committee for the Liberation of Iraq. Second, he’s a moderate Democrat identified more with the interventionist wing of the part than the more non-interventionist and anti-war McGovernite wing. Third, he’s running to replace retiring Sen. Ben Nelson, perhaps the most conservative member of the Senate Democratic caucus and a reliable supporter of AIPAC-backed legislation and resolutions.

(I don't know how many Iranian-Americans live in Nebraska, if any, but if you do, make sure to vote for Kerrey.)

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Fear Itself: Americans Believe Iran Threat on Par With 1980s Soviet Union

By Max Fisher

//www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2...

A new poll shows that Americans today are more afraid of Iran than they were of the USSR in 1985, a peak of the Cold War.

(It is astonishing how effective the warmongering propaganda has become that Iran which does not even have the ability to inflict ANY military damage on the United States is feared more than the Soviet Union that had the ability to wipe out America within a couple of hours with its thousands of nuclear warheads. The ignorance of the American pubic never ceases to amaze.)

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(Staying on the same topic .... ignorance and American society....)

Bravo’s ‘Shahs Of Sunset’ Renewed For Second Season

//www.deadline.com/2012/04/bravos-shahs-of-su...

(And in case you are wondering what the film and television industry in Hollywood thinks about "Shahs of Sunset" read the comments to this post:)

Bravo’s ‘Shahs Of Sunset’ Slammed By West Hollywood For “Negative Stereotypes”

//www.deadline.com/2012/03/bravos-shahs-of-su...

(I have to confess I downloaded "Shahs of Sunset" and have watched the first five episodes. It's like watching the past; the same exact types who were the "upper class" in Iran during the 70's just before the revolution. Same exact values and mindless materialism. Fortunately most of them I knew have finally grown up and developed a brain but some have not and it's obvious they are miserable. Still showing off, still ignorant, still trying to live in the past. Sad.)

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Amanpour interviews former Iranian nuclear negotiation insider about weaponization plans

CNN

//cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/25/amanp...

MOUSAVIAN: (Inaudible) at the beginning I had President Obama had a positive message, mentioning the rights of Iran, respecting the rights of Iran and respecting the Iranian leaders' fatwa. Already President Obama made an interview with "Atlantic," where he said we count on the fatwa. And American delegations also in the meeting, they reiterated on the fatwa. But some people like Israelis, they are questioning the fatwa.

AMANPOUR: So we're talking about the fatwa, the religious edict that the Supreme Leader issued?

MOUSAVIAN: Yes.

AMANPOUR: People are saying, well, how do we know it's real? It's not written down. What is it/ I mean, there's a certain group who are saying –

MOUSAVIAN: See, Christiane –

AMANPOUR: - just –

MOUSAVIAN: - Christiane, you remember in 1980 to '88, Iran was invaded by Iraq. Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran. This was the first use of weapons of mass destruction against a country after the Second World War. Iranian army asked the Supreme Leader, the then-Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, to reciprocate (inaudible).

But even that time, the supreme religious leader said using chemical weapons, weapons of mass destruction are Haran (ph). I believe the time that a country invaded Iran, used chemical weapons against Iran, weapons of mass destruction, and Iran did not respond, based on religious fatwa. This is the best indication about the credibility of the fatwa.

(What Mousavian failed to mention is that those chemical weapons were allowed to be sent to Iraq through the direct intervention of the United States. European suppliers of those weapons of mass destruction would not have been able to send those weapons to Saddam Hussien if America had not given a green light. This has been extensively documented. One hundred thousand Iranians are still suffering from injuries from those chemical weapons. When is America going to admit to this war crime?)

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Iran, Istanbul and the future

By Thomas R. Pickering

//www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/ir...

Iran and the P5+1 are off to a start that is positive enough to show promise and indefinite enough to leave open doubts about what will happen next. There are enough signs of continuing interest on both sides to require each to think through carefully the next steps. An idea proposed by Iran reasonably recently of a cessation of 20 percent enrichment in return for fuel for its Tehran Research Reactor seems a possible beginning. Expansion of that idea by steps and stages also holds promise, if both sides are ready to look at win-win possibilities, but there is a long, hard path before the negotiators, and they are many miles from a "victory lap."

(Pickering is an influencial voice and is on the side of settling matters through negotiation, not war.)

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Iranian Hard-Liners Send Positive Signals on Talks

By Laura Rozen

//www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-...

Something unusual has happened in the wake of the recent Iran nuclear talks in Istanbul: Iran hardliners have taken to the Iranian media and Friday prayers to put a positive gloss on the talks and signal interest in a compromise.

Iran analysts said the flurry of positive signals from Tehran is, however, striking—albeit, as always when dealing with the Islamic Republic—read with a healthy dose of caution. In the near term, "both Iran and the United States need time in order to stop a potential military confrontation, and for the Iranian regime, to stop the European oil embargo," Nader said.

Still, he cautioned, negotiating even an intermediate deal is going to involve some diplomatic heavy lifting, given the tremendous mistrust and strategic rivalry between the two sides. And he remained skeptical of the prospects for broader rapprochement anytime soon. "Getting to the initial compromise may be hard, but what comes after could prove even more difficult," he said.

(Clearing the Iranian side is ready to bargain and I think what they are facing is a potential uprising on their hands if they don't fix the economy soon because ordinary Iranians are really under tremendous pressure. And the regime fears an uprising even more than a military attack by Israel.)

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(Final item...a trully heart breaking slide show with audio commentary that you must see but be prepared for some very disturbing photographs. This needs to be made in Farsi and every Iranian in Iran should see it. Nuclear power is not the answer. Iran must close down its nuclear energy program. And when you see this slide show you will understand why.)

Chernobyl Legacy

By Paul Fasco

//inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/chernobyl