Archive

Strikes, Sanctions and Scapegoats

For the pundits, there are only two questions about U.S.-Iran relations that are of any importance: (1) Will Israel and/or the United States attack Iran? and (2) will the new sanctions have enough bite to persuade Iran to change its nuclear policy? Despite all the printers ink spilled on these two issues, the answers are an easy no and no. Neither the United States nor Israel will take the military option off the table, thereby giving the pundits (and the crowd that is dying to repeat Iraq) latitude to keep the distant prospect of military action on the front pages, where it has been for years>>>

Who's isolated?

We have argued for some time that the policy debate about Iran here in the United States is distorted by a number of "myths" -- myths about the Islamic Republic, its foreign policy, and its domestic politics. We were reminded of this by Jim Hoagland's column Sunday in the Washington Post -- particularly the passage in which he chastises President Obama for citing sanctions "as the cause of unrest" in Iran. In Hoagland's view, this reading "does a disservice to the humanity of Iran's simmering revolt," which is playing the "dominant role in the popular uprising" that is taking place in the Islamic Republic>>>

Iranian Minister Criticizes Free Exchange of Technical Information

Professor Reza Mansouri, Iran’s Deputy Science Minister during 2001-05, has written a very thoughtful response (or, as we say in Persian, a “tooth-shattering” response)>>>

Getting paid in Rials instead of Dollars or Euros

Iran to expunge 'dirty' Dollar and Euro reserves and get paid in Rial. Ingenious! >>>

سرزمین مردم نیک (قسمت آخر)

خورشید بر بام آسمان جای گرفته بود. زنی در سایه درختی نشسته گریه می کرد. مرد از تاَثر به هم آمد. سوی زن رفت و نشست: گریه ات از چیست زن؟ این مویۀ غمناک آواز کدامین غم درون قلب تنگ یک زن تنهاست. زن چشمهای به اشک نشسته اش را به مرد دوخت: اگر شوی من بود این چنین غم را به قلب من نمی افکند. دیروز گاو را هم فروخت و به شهر رفت. عیاش مردی است>>>

برده (2)

ژولیو در بخش بیرونی ایوان کاخ جاماسپ منتظر ایستاده بود تا شاهزاده او را به حضور بپذیرد. با آنکه سراپا خیس بود اما احساس سرما نمی کرد. بجز صدای بارش باران صدایی به گوش نمی رسید. ژولیو در آن فضای خلوت و آرام به ریزش باران و برخورد قطرات آب با زمین خیره شده و در افکار خود شناور بود که ناگهان آذرخشی سهمگین اندیشه هایش را از هم گسست. متعاقب آن چند آذرخش دیگر هم آسمان را که با ابرهای سیاه پوشیده شده بود روشن ساختند>>>

آیا میر حسین موسوی خواهان جدایی دین از حکومت است؟

A delusional bilingual note to the unseen lady who was so pretty (2)

I feel like I have a lot to say to you, but I’ll only hold you in my arms, hoping you get them all at once physically, not verbally. I’m not going to ask where have you been all these days?>>>

Death and I

I don’t know exactly what life is
A hollow recurrence perhaps
But death is a decayed reminiscence  
“Live as if you’ll die tomorrow”
This advice I took to heart all along
A precarious life I lived
Erratic behavior, whimsical in my thoughts >>>

زنده یاد محمد نوری

یادش گرامی باد >>>

Teaching Iran a lesson

The tuition to be paid by…>>>