Iranians Posed As Anti-Trump Americans On Facebook- Accounts deleted

Looks like Iran was following the Russian bot playbook to influence American politics, but in this case it was anti-Trump.  According to The Daily Caller, 

Facebook on Friday deleted 82 pages, groups and accounts that it determined were part of an online influence operation located in Iran.

The Iranians operated 30 Facebook pages, 33 individual accounts and three groups, as well as 16 accounts on Facebook-owned Instagram, Facebook head of cybersecurity policy Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement Friday.

The pages had over a combined 1 million followers and the groups had more than 25,000 members, Gleicher said.

Facebook provided several examples of the Iranian propaganda, which promoted former National Football League (NFL) quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s activism while criticizing President Donald Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

For more info and photos of some of the memes posted on various accounts that have been deleted- like Wake Up America and No Racism No War read on Daily Caller.

Iran Will Force Female Chess Players To Wear Hijabs At 2017 World Championships

In March 2017, Iran is hosting the Women's World Championship of Chess, and the female players are being forced to wear the hijab if they want to compete.

What I'd like to know is why the heck are we honoring a country that oppresses women, with a world Chess championship? A country that executes homosexuals and child criminals? A country that will arbitrarily arrest and jail foreigners without reason, and sometimes execute them?

Chess’ governing body, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), has come under criticism for its decision to host the tournament in Iran and was accused of failing to stand up for women’s rights.

English chess champion Nigel Short tweeted that the FIDE was flouting its own statutes against sex and religious discrimination.

The body’s Commission for Women’s Chess defended the move, calling on participants to respect “cultural differences”.

Apparently, there are some competitors who are saying they will boycott:

US Women’s Champion Nazi Paikidze also expressed her frustration that she would “have to miss her first Women’s World Championship for many reasons” and tweeted a link to the US State Department’s warning about American citizens still being at heightened risk of arrest.

The Georgian-born champion told The Daily Telegraph: "It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women's tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab.

"I understand and respect cultural differences. But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women's rights are being severely restricted in general.

"It does not feel safe for women from around the world to play here.”

She said she felt “honoured” to qualify for the event but that she was unlikely to attend.

Carla Heredia, from Ecuador agrees.

The former Pan American champion, Ecuadorian Carla Heredia, agreed with Ms Paikidze, telling the newspaper: “No institution, no government, nor a Women's World Chess Championship should force women to wear or to take out a hijab”.

But there are others who don't have a problem with being forced to wear a headscarf.

.. Hungarian Grandmaster Susan Polgar said in a statement that she would have “no issues with wearing a headscarf as long as it is the same for all players”.

She said: “When I visited different places with different cultures, I like to show my respect by dressing up in their traditional style of clothing . No one asked me to do it. I just do it out of respect.”

Perhaps we should force hijab-wearing women coming to the U.S. to remove their head coverings because it doesn't jibe with our Western culture.

Shame on the FIDE for even thinking of holding the competition in Tehran!

Source: The Independent UK

Iranian Women's Soccer Team Mostly Men

Here's an interesting story: many of the players on the Iranian women's soccer (football) team are actually men. Eight, to be exact, and possibly the goal keeper. They're either waiting for sexual reassignment surgeries or suffering from sexual identity disorders.

And sex changes are apparently legal in Iran thanks to a fatwa from head religious honcho Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Who would have thought that in a country where homesexuality is punishable by death, transgenders are cool.

Go figure.

Actually all the players in the above photo look like males.

More on UK Telegraph.

Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Wants Western Youth To Study Quran

After all the recent horrors perpetrated in the name of Islam, Iran's head honcho, ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, to reach out to the youth of Europe and North America with an invitation to:  read the Quran, learn about Islam, don't believe what the politicians and media tell you about his religion.

He, of course, is deluded.

Message of ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of The Islamic Republic of Iran

In the name of God, the Beneficent the Merciful

To the Youth in Europe and North America,

The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them. I am addressing you, [the youth], not because I overlook your parents, rather it is because the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands; and also I find that the sense of quest for truth is more vigorous and attentive in your hearts.

I don’t address your politicians and statesmen either in this writing because I believe that they have consciously separated the route of politics from the path of righteousness and truth.

I would like to talk to you about Islam, particularly the image that is presented to you as Islam. Many attempts have been made over the past two decades, almost since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, to place this great religion in the seat of a horrifying enemy. The provocation of a feeling of horror and hatred and its utilization has unfortunately a long record in the political history of the West.

Here, I don’t want to deal with the different phobias with which the Western nations have thus far been indoctrinated. A cursory review of recent critical studies of history would bring home to you the fact that the Western governments’ insincere and hypocritical treatment of other nations and cultures has been censured in new historiographies.

The histories of the United States and Europe are ashamed of slavery, embarrassed by the colonial period and chagrined at the oppression of people of color and non-Christians. Your researchers and historians are deeply ashamed of the bloodsheds wrought in the name of religion between the Catholics and Protestants or in the name of nationality and ethnicity during the First and Second World Wars. This approach is admirable.

By mentioning a fraction of this long list, I don’t want to reproach history; rather I would like you to ask your intellectuals as to why the public conscience in the West awakens and comes to its senses after a delay of several decades or centuries. Why should the revision of collective conscience apply to the distant past and not to the current problems? Why is it that attempts are made to prevent public awareness regarding an important issue such as the treatment of Islamic culture and thought?

You know well that humiliation and spreading hatred and illusionary fear of the “other” have been the common base of all those oppressive profiteers. Now, I would like you to ask yourself why the old policy of spreading “phobia” and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. Why does the power structure in the world want Islamic thought to be marginalized and remain latent? What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam? Hence, my first request is: Study and research the incentives behind this widespread tarnishing of the image of Islam.


My second request is that in reaction to the flood of prejudgments and disinformation campaigns, try to gain a direct and firsthand knowledge of this religion. The right logic requires that you understand the nature and essence of what they are frightening you about and want you to keep away from.

I don’t insist that you accept my reading or any other reading of Islam. What I want to say is: Don’t allow this dynamic and effective reality in today’s world to be introduced to you through resentments and prejudices. Don’t allow them to hypocritically introduce their own recruited terrorists as representatives of Islam.

Receive knowledge of Islam from its primary and original sources. Gain information about Islam through the Qur’an and the life of its great Prophet. I would like to ask you whether you have directly read the Qur’an of the Muslims. Have you studied the teachings of the Prophet of Islam and his humane, ethical doctrines? Have you ever received the message of Islam from any sources other than the media?

Have you ever asked yourself how and on the basis of which values has Islam established the greatest scientific and intellectual civilization of the world and raised the most distinguished scientists and intellectuals throughout several centuries?

I would like you not to allow the derogatory and offensive image-buildings to create an emotional gulf between you and the reality, taking away the possibility of an impartial judgment from you. Today, the communication media have removed the geographical borders. Hence, don’t allow them to besiege you within fabricated and mental borders.

Although no one can individually fill the created gaps, each one of you can construct a bridge of thought and fairness over the gaps to illuminate yourself and your surrounding environment. While this preplanned challenge between Islam and you, the youth, is undesirable, it can raise new questions in your curious and inquiring minds. Attempts to find answers to these questions will provide you with an appropriate opportunity to discover new truths.

Therefore, don’t miss the opportunity to gain proper, correct and unbiased understanding of Islam so that hopefully, due to your sense of responsibility toward the truth, future generations would write the history of this current interaction between Islam and the West with a clearer conscience and lesser resentment.

Seyyed Ali Khamenei
21st Jan. 2015

Yes, thankfully most of us are ashamed of our past- slavery, colonialism, and oppression of people of color, but he fails to acknowledge that Arab Muslims were slave traders, oppressed people of color, homosexuals, women, non-Muslims and Muslim-minorities, and continue to do so to this day. At least we left that in the past. He also fails to mention that the Ottoman Empire was a form of imperialism, as bad as colonialism, and the quest for a global caliphate by radical Muslims continues that imperialism to this day.

Maybe if Iran made a major effort to clean up its act and evolve, people might take him up on his invitation.

He's even been posting on Twitter about this. In Spanish, to boot.

Iranian Women Being Stabbed By Paramilitary Basij Forces

Women in Iran are once again being targeted, but rather than acid, they are being attacked with knives- this time in Jahrom, in the southern part of the country. Around 12 or so young women, five of whom were university students, have been stabbed in their hips in recent days.

Of four attackers, only one has been identified, and he happens to be the son of the head of the notorious paramilitary Basij Force in that region. They're the ones who are now the enforcers of the Islamic dress code and conduct.

Mohamad Beheshtifar was identified through recorded footage from a security camera near where he attacked one victim.

Mohamad Beheshtifar’s father is IRGC Colonel Jalil Beheshtifar who heads the Basij force in Ghotbabad district in Jahrom County, south of the city of Jahrom.

This criminal act followed recent protests by 300 students in Jahrom University where students protested against the suppressive measures in the university.

The attacks on university students are also taking place as university students across Iran are expected to take part in the annual protest on the occasion of Student Day on December 7 – known locally as 16 Azar – to demand political freedom in Iran.

Beheshtifar's motive:

The attacker has said he had been motivated to attack after one cleric has said “killing of a Bad-Hejab (improperly veiled women) is permissible” and he has done this to act to “prevent vice”.

The rest here.

Acid Attacks On Iranian Women For "Bad Hijab"

There has been an upsurge in acid attacks on Iranian women in the historic tourist town of Isfahan for allegedly being "badly veiled."

Police have declined to comment on a motive but suspects have been arrested and an investigation is ongoing, General Hossein Ashtari was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

He said four acid attacks had been reported in Isfahan, 450 kilometres (280 miles) south of Tehran, but he gave no other details.

The violence led to chatter on social networks that there had been up to 13 acid attacks against women drivers who were "badly veiled" with accompanying warnings against leaving car windows open.

The rest here.

Jail Time And Lashes For Iranians Dancing To Pharrell's "Happy"

Remember those seven young Iranians (including several unveiled women) who were arrested for offending "public chastity" by dancing to Pharrell's hit song "Happy" back in May? Six of the dancers were just sentenced to 91 lashes and 6 months in jail, while the director was sentenced to 91 lashes and a year in jail.

The arrest of the six dancers and one director sparked the hashtag #FreeHappyIranians, and the following day hashtag creator Kambiz Hosseini tweeted that all but the director had been released.

IranWire reported on Wednesday, however, that the six dancers in the video have been sentenced to six months in prison and 91 lashes, while the director has been sentenced to one year in prison and 91 lashes.

Farshid Rofugaran, the group's lawyer, told IranWire that the sentences have already been suspended, but that he could not be sure of group's fate until he received official notification. Rofugaran said:

“A suspended sentence becomes null and void after a certain period of time. When it’s a suspended sentence, the verdict is not carried out, but if during this period a similar offense is committed, then the accused is subject to legal punishment and the suspended sentence will then be carried out as well.”

Though the sentences have been suspended, they have three long years to not make any waves. How nice to live in fear that one wrong move might land you in jail again, along with 91 lashes.

Apparently, the group was not treated well during their incarceration, especially the women.

Shortly after their release three days after being arrested, members of the group spoke out on their harsh treatment while in prison. IranWire reported that a source close to the group said they were interrogated and not permitted to use toilet facilities. The women in the group were also reportedly forced to strip naked and perform squats in front of female guards.

Pharrell had this to say:

"It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness."

Video and more on Huffpo.

Krav Maga Martial Art A Zionist Plot Claims Iranian News Site

Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defense martial art form developed for the IDF. Even though there are at least 5 training centers within a 20 mile radius of where I live, and it's been around for years, the Iranians are only now warning of a 'zionist' plot to spread it worldwide.

Mashregh News, which is close to Iran’s security and intelligence organizations, reported that Israel is secretly promoting Krav Maga in Europe and North America for “unknown purposes.”

According to Mashregh, Israel has previously kept the existence of Krav Maga, which the site described as a dangerous martial art of “Zionist Jewish origin,” under wraps.

“Why, after nearly a century of [Krav Maga] being kept quiet and limited to the boundaries of this regime, it is suddenly being promoted, is a question that has drawn the attention of experts,” it said.

The news site claimed that Krav Maga is the dominant sport in Israel, and is taught to the military, police, Mossad, and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).

“Jewish settlers in the occupied territories” are also given serious training in Krav Maga, it reported, adding that the martial art is designed to cause maximum damage and cripple an opponent, lacking “tolerance and compassion.”

Krav Maga is also practiced by “women Zionists,” and is used in war and against “resistance groups,” the latter being a reference to Palestinians, it said.

Apparently, it has only come to light since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's interest in Krav Maga.

That same new site promotes other wacky conspiracy theories.

The news site regularly features articles accusing Israel and Hollywood of various covert plans for world domination. In 2012, it wrote that the two were working together to promote homosexuality as part of a global scheme to subjugate humankind in a plot based in Tel Aviv, which Mashregh described as the “gay capital of the world.”

Now wait for all the local, western, anti-Israel conspiracy theorists to jump on that bandwagon.

Source

Hardliners Still Think In "Stone Age Terms", Claims Iran's President Rohani

Video compilation of Iran's President Hassan Rohani talking about the threat of terrorism from the likes of ISIS, though he doesn't specifically mention the group, and how they will help Iraq if asked.

Interesting to note: he refers to a "certain group" (Iranian hardliners, one would assume) as still thinking in "Stone Age terms." And mentions that if Iranians want the world to speak to them courteously, they must speak courteously to the world.

MEMRI video here.

Iranian Men Post Bizarre Photos In Response To Women Posting Photos Without Hijab

It didn't take long for  Muslim males to respond to those brave Iranian women who have been posting photos of themselves hijab-free on the Facebook page My Stealthy Freedom.  With 374 thousand likes, the page was created by Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist living in London, to "give voice" to thousands of women in that country who have no choice in the matter.

Some media sites, including Al Arabiya and Telegraph UK, are claiming that there's been a conservative backlash, and that men have created their own Men's Stealthy Freedom Facebook page where they too are posting photos of themselves. In their case, many of the photos posted are of silly men wearing various makeshift head coverings.

Along with other truly bizarre pics including men picking their noses (who knows what that represents), and a man licking whipped cream off the face of another male. Uhuh. Doesn't look too conservative to me.

Whether it's a mockery of the women or not, and whether the men are conservative or not is difficult to determine, since the page is not in English.  Those pics have to be seen, though.

In protest, there have been several small rallies by those conservatives happy with the compulsory hijab laws.  And conservatives have created another Facebook page: Real Freedom of Iranian Women. Those enlightened souls have no problem demanding freedom to wear hijab, but condemn those who would like the choice not to.  They posted the following:

Members write that the hijab is freeing and women should not be given the right to choose whether to wear it. Others posting on the page say they should be compulsory to protect women's modesty.

In one post, the word rape has been written over the photos of three prominent Iranian journalist who work abroad and appear unveiled in their broadcasts. It was accompanied with a message warning that women who do not wear the hijab are more likely to get raped.

Charming.

Iran Apoplectic Over Actress' Peck On Cheek At Cannes Festival

A simple peck on the cheek has landed an Iranian actress in a bucket load of trouble. Leila Hatami was photographed at the Cannes Film Festival kissing the cheek of the president of the fest, head covered mind you, and now the Iranian authorities have their panties in a bunch.

Apparently, the ho has ruined the reputation of Iranian women. According to Iran's Deputy Culture Minister Hossein Noushabadi:

“Those who attend intentional events should take heed of the credibility and chastity of Iranians, so that a bad image of Iranian women will not be demonstrated to the world."

But it seems it wasn't just the kiss that was so offensive, he went on to say:

“Iranian woman is the symbol of chastity and innocence,” he said. Hatami's “inappropriate presence” at the festival was “not in line with our religious beliefs.”

Jacob then took to social media to explain exactly what a peck on the cheek means to normal people.

“I kissed Mrs. Hatami on the cheek. At that moment, for me she represented all Iranian cinema, then she became herself again,” Jacob tweeted.

“This controversy over a usual custom in the West has therefore no reason to be.”

Hatami is a judge at this year's festival, and the poor thing has still lives in Iran.

Source: Al Arabiya

Iranian Lawmaker Says The US "Kidnapped" Missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370

For days people have been wondering and speculating about what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and the 239 poor souls who boarded that plane in Kuala Lumpur headed to Beijing on March 8. Well, a prominent Iranian official knows exactly what happened: Hossein Naghavi Hosseini claims the United States "kidnapped" the plane in order to "sabotage the relationship between Iran and China and Southeast Asia."  Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29,  and Pouria Nourmohammadi Mehrdad, 19 - those two Iranians with fake passports that were passengers on the missing plane-  part of "the plot."

“Documents published by the Western media about two Iranians getting on the plane without passports is psychological warfare."

“Americans recruit some people for such kinds of operations so they can throw the blame on other countries, especially Muslim countries.”

Guess we don't have to investigate any further, the U.S. probably has that plane sequestered somewhere in Guam, just to make trouble for Iran.

Source: NY Daily News

Iran: "We Did Not Agree To Dismantle Anything!"

Did we really think the Iranian government would agree to dismantle its nuclear programme? Apparently the Obama administration did, but according to Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif they  agreed to no such thing.

In a CNN interview in Davos, Zarif claims the U.S. "tried to create a false impression" regarding the P5+1 Interim Agreement saying:

"...the White House version both underplays the concessions and overplays Iranian commitments.”

“The White House tries to portray it as basically a dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. That is the word they use time and again." “If you find a single, a single word, that even closely resembles dismantling or could be defined as dismantling in the entire text, then I would take back my comment.”

Problem is, no-one will have the opportunity to prove him wrong since the document will never be released  since it allegedly has classified information.

We either have liars or some incredibly naive and stupid people leading this country. I think we have both.

Fancy Shoes Get Afghans Deported From Iran

All it took for half of an Afghan family to be deported  from Iran, where they had lived legally for the past 15 or so years, was a pair of pink sneakers and platform shoes. 17-year-old Zohrah wore the platform sandals and her 15-year-old sister Hasina donned a pair of pink sneakers on a 35 kilometer pilgrimage to the Shia holy city of Qoms.  They were arrested after they argued with a policeman in Qoms who noticed the shoes and the makeup, found it offensive, and charged them with not abiding by Islamic dress code. Zohrah immediately called her fiance' who then called their father to come help, but they too were arrested when they arrived at the station, and three or four days later the four found themselves on the border of Iran and Afghanistan waiting deportation.

According to Human Rights Watch, Afghans are not allowed Iranian citizenship, and even though they might be there legally (like Zohrah and Hasina's family), and Hasina was born there, they can be easily deported.

Iran detains and deports hundreds of thousands of Afghans every year with without any legal proceedings or the opportunity to seek asylum, according to a new Human Rights Watch report, Unwelcome Guests. Members of the Iranian security forces have absolute power to deport Afghans. Afghans facing deportation are typically bused to Afghanistan within a couple of days of being detained without any opportunity to prove that they have a legal right to live in Iran or to lodge an asylum claim. These days, Afghans are systematically denied the opportunity to apply for refugee status when they first enter Iran, leaving them vulnerable to deportation at any moment. Some deportees are beaten during the deportation process, and all are charged exorbitant fees.

Zohrah and Hasina's mother and 3 other young siblings (12, 8, 3) have been left behind to fend for themselves. And the girls are facing an even worse hell-hole for women, in Afghanistan. And now the father has to figure out what to do about his family in Iran (including an aunt and grandparents), and his two girls in Afghanistan.

“We don’t have any money in Afghanistan,” he said. “We don’t have any money to go back to Iran. My wife does not work, she’s uneducated. What will she do?”
“What will we do?” he said.

All of this because of some shoes.  Gotta love the Islamic Republic of Iran.

More on Human Rights Watch.

Iranians Still Hate Us Lots- Largest Protest Ever On Anniversary Of 1979 US Embassy Takeover

Today was the anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy takeover in Tehran (the highlight of the Iranian revolution) and as they have done every year since, Iranians took to the streets with anti-U.S. placards to show just how much they still hate the "Great Satan".  Protesting in front of the former U.S. Embassy, the largest crowd ever gathered at these annual US bashing demonstrations burned American and Israeli flags, carried effigies of Barack Obama and John Kerry, and shouted "Death To America."  All this in spite of the fact that current President Hassan Rohani is trying to reach out, sort of, to the U.S. and the West, with the blessing, sort of, of Supreme Leader Ali Khameini.

Some of the more moderate elements in Iran asked that the "Death To America" chants be dropped, but hard-liners refused,

...including commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), [who] have rejected those calls and said that the habitual refrain of "Death to America" will remain eternal.

Though Rohani did not attend the rallies taking place in other cities besides Tehran, Said Jalili was there.

Among the main speakers at the rally were former senior nuclear negotiator and defeated presidential candidate, hard-liner Said Jalili, who said the capture of the U.S. Embassy, called "the nest of spies" by some officials, showed that the revolution was on the right path.

Jalili defended the "Death to America" slogan as the slogan of the most "thoughtful and honest" Iranians and added the slogan was not directed against the American people but against its government officials.

He also said that Iranians monolithically support the clerical establishment, the government, and the team in charge of nuclear negotiations.

Video of the protests on Washington Times.
Photos and twitter comments on BuzzFeed.

Still so  many haters out there.

Did Iran's President Rouhani Wish Jews "A Blessed Rosh Hashanah"?

Did Iran's supposed "moderate" new Prez Hassan Rouhani really wish the Jews a blessed New Year via Twitter?

As the sun is about to set here in #Tehran I wish all Jews, especially Iranian Jews, a blessed Rosh Hashanah.

According to NPR's Scott Neuman maybe, maybe not.

If true, quite a departure from his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hatred of the Jews, including his Holocaust denial claims.

Iranian Councilor Barred For Being Too Pretty and Sexy For Office

Hassan Rowhani, duly elected president of Iran, promised change in his country, especially for women.  One of his campaign promises was:

“Discrimination against women will not be tolerated.”

He also said in a campaign debate:

“I will form a women’s affairs ministry to return their trampled rights to them.”

But good luck trying to find one female member of his cabinet.

And the government of this so-called champion of women's rights has barred Nina Siakhali Moradi, city councilor for the city of Qazvin, from taking office because she's too pretty and  "too sexy."  Even though Moradi was fairly elected, the religious hardliners overturned it.

Even with more than 10,000 votes in the June election, putting her 14th out of 163 candidates and winning her a council seat, the 27-year-old engineer and website designer had her political career cut short because she was deemed too attractive to take up the post.

“We don’t want a catwalk model on the council,” a senior official in Qazvin told local press.

Moradi ran under the slogan “Young ideas for a young future,” pushing for better women’s rights in Qazvin, the restoration of the old city and greater youth involvement in town planning. She had been vetted and approved as a candidate by Iran’s judiciary and intelligence services. Her liberal views appeared popular with the electorate, The Times reported.

And  even though she adhered to strict Islamic dress code (full hijab with no hair showing) in her campaign posters, the conservatives complained to the governor calling them  “vulgar and anti-religious,” and anti-Islamic.

Others took umbrage with the fact that her headquarters

... became a gathering place for local young people, whose behavior and clothing provoked criticism from her opponents, mostly older conservative men.

The complaint was challenged but ultimately upheld. She was disqualified for not “observing the Islamic norms.”

She wasn't the only female candidate targeted. Maryam Nakhostin-Ahmadi and Shahla Atefeh both were detained and questioned and had their campaign posters removed.

Zimbabwe To Sell Uranian To Iran - Update

UPDATE 8/12/13:  Zimbabwe officials deny any such deal with Iran. If you can believe them.

Word has it that Zimbabwe is planning on shipping uranium to Iran.  

Gift Chimanikire, the Zimbabwean Deputy Mining Minister, told the Times newspaper that a memorandum of understanding had been signed to export uranium to Tehran, a move likely to prompt alarm in western capitals, particularly in Washington.
[snip]
A report compiled by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog more than two years ago warned of such an outcome, detailing a visit from Iran's then Foreign and Co-operative Ministers to Zimbabwe to strike a deal, with the Iranians also sending engineers to assess uranium deposits.

The rest here.

So much for sanctions.

Iran's Khamenei Issues New Anti-Baha'i Edict

Iran's religious head honcho Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is making things even worse for followers of the banned Bahai faith, if that's at all possible. They're already severely persecuted for their religious beliefs- they are jailed for no reason, and earlier this year were banned from access to higher education.  Now Khameini is telling Iranians to "avoid all dealings" with the Baha'is.  Many fear this will lead to more arrests.

Khamenei was said to have called Baha'i adherents "deviant and misleading."  Ironic, since Sunnis consider Shiites (of which Khamenei is one) to be "deviant."

Sources: Baha'i Rights, Al Arabiya

Israel A Wound That Needs To Be Removed- Says New Iranian President Rohani

Anyone who thought things might change under the leadership of the new so-called 'moderate' Iranian president Hassan Rohani (Rouhani) can lay those hopes to rest. At least when it comes to Iran's relationship with Israel. Rohani claimed that Israel is "a wound" that must be excised.

"The Zionist regime has been a wound on the body of the Islamic world for years and the wound should be removed," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

The president-elect also expressed doubts about the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal even as the two sides resumed negotiations in Washington this week, ending a five-year freeze in Mideast talks.

"Israelis show a compromising face to the world but continue their expansionism in practice," Rouhani said, according to Fars, another semi-official news agency.

Talk about showing one face to the world, but he's simply echoing what most every Muslim in the Middle East believes.

Peace in that region? Never. The Muslims will always hate the Jews/Israelis, and the Sunnis will always hate the Shia and vice versa. They're incapable of embracing peace. There are a few exceptions, but not enough to make a difference.

Read more here.