Passengers injured as US fighter jets buzz Iranian airliner

 (July 23) An unknown number of passengers on Iranian Mahan Air Flight 152 were injured on Thursday when 2 US fighter jets approached it over Damascus, forcing the plane to alter its direction to avoid a collision.

Passengers were tossed around

The abrupt change in course tossed passengers around, and several were injured in the process. Iran's official IRIB news agency quoted a passenger describing how his head had hit the roof of the plane during the change in altitude, and video showed an elderly passenger sprawled on the floor.

Reuters reports that after the plane landed at Beirut airport all the passengers left the plane some with minor injuries according to the head of the airport. The plane returned to Tehran without incident early Friday. There has been no further word on the condition of those injured.

Earlier report claimed the jet was a single Israeli plane

This would have been consistent with the fact there has been a string of Israeli actions against Iranians. However, the pilot of the Iranian plane said that he had actually contacted the US jets who carried out the buzz who verified that they were Americans. The appended video is an erroneous report attributing the buzz to an Israeli jet.

CENTCOM confirms airliner was intercepted

CENTCOM the US Central Command says that they had intercepted the airliner in accordance with international standards to ensure the safety of US ground troops stationed at the al-Tanf base within Syria near Damascus. CENTCOM confirmed the interception was of a Mahan Air flight but did not say whether there was any contact.

Mahan Air on US blacklist and sanctioned

The Iranian airline is both sanctioned and blacklisted by the US which accuses Mahan Air of smuggling arms. However, there is no indication that either of these punishments were a factor in the US action.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Former US officials speak at radical anti-Iran forum

 (July 19) The People's Mujahedin (MEK) a radical anti-Iran group that some consider a cult and was considered a terrorist organization until 2012 by the US held its annual Free Iran Conference on line.

Former present US officials featured speakers at the conference

The conference was held by the National Conference of Resistance of Iran a coalition headed by the MEK. The MEK is considered the premiere Iranian opposition group by the US. If hawks against Iran had their way they would have the MEK replace the current Islamic regime. US officials such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have appeared at events with MEK members.

Former mayor or New York Rudy Guiliani has been a frequent guest at MEK gathering. He spoke against the existing government in Iran claiming that the ruling mullahs are like those who ran the mafia that Guiliani prosecuted. Guiliani said: "They’re not only religious maniacs, they’re just plain common criminals, they are crooks, they are thieves. To me, the mullahs are like the people who ran the mafia, the people I prosecuted who ran the mafia, and extorted their people, the Italian American people and subjected them, except this is on a much bigger scale, and the Ayatollah is like the head of the mafia.”"

There were also two sitting members of the US Congress who spoke at the conference: Senator Martha McSally a Repulbican from Arizona, and Representative Lance Gooden also a Republican from Texas. Gooden praised MEK leader Maryam Rajavi and encouraged young people to join the fight. She also claimed that the people of the US were with her.

The MEK pays well for speeches

Among prominent former US officials who have spoken at MEK conferences are former speaker of the House New Gingrich and Senator from Connecticut. A February 2017 article notes: "Elaine Chao, confirmed this week as Trump's transportation secretary, received $50,000 in 2015 for a five-minute speech to the political wing of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously called a "cult-like" terrorist group by the State Department. Former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani also was paid an unknown sum to talk to the group, known as the MEK."

Although not at this year's conference, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and a prominent hawk has often spoken for the MEK. Records show he has been paid at least $180,000 for speeches over the years.

Rajavi speaks

In the MEK compound in Albania, in front of numerous screens, Rajavi spoke to the conference:. “Our first commitment is that we, the Iranian people and the Resistance, will overthrow the clerical regime and will reclaim Iran. The final word is that the mullahs have no solutions and their regime is doomed to fall in its entirety.”

Previous role of the MEK

The MEK started as a leftist organization in the 1960 in Iran. They attacked the US supported Shah's police force throughout the 1970s. The group also played a role in the 1979 overthrow of the Shah but ultimately came to oppose the new government of the Mullahs and carried out attacks against it. The MEK was driven out of Iran in the 1980's

The MEK was welcomed into Iraq by Sadam Hussein who provided them refuge at a military base Camp Ashraf. The group launched terrorist attacks into Iran and sided with Iran in the eight year war between Iraq and Iran. Many believe that the MEK has at present little support within Iran itself.

After the US 2003 invasion or Iraq the US government commissioned a report about the MEK inside their former headquarters at camp Asharaf. The report suggested that MEK was much like a cult noting “many of the typical characteristics of a cult, such as authoritarian control, confiscation of assets, sexual control (including mandatory divorce and celibacy), emotional isolation, forced labor, sleep deprivation, physical abuse and limited exit options.”

Previously  published in the Digital Journal

US refuses to ease economic sanctions on Iran despite negative effects of coronavirus pandemic

(March 22)US hostility toward Iran is so deeply ingrained in US policy, that the US refuses to even consider reducing sanctions on the country to help alleviate effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

US rejects any easing of sanctions on Iran

In themselves the US sanctions help create misery for many Iranians by making a poor economic situation even worse. During the coronavirus the sanctions cause an even worse humanitarian system as it hinders Iranian efforts to fight the pandemic. Even with Iranians dying and being infected at a high rate the US has said it absolutely would not consider any relief. The US warned Iran that the coronavirus would not save it from sanctions.

US Special Envoy Brian Hook added that if Iran was having troubles they should have spent more on health care instead of billions of dollars on war. Iran's expenditures on the military are a pittance compared to what the US spends. Many in the US may be wishing that their government spent more on health and less on wars.

Pompeo claims that US sanctions do not impact Iranian humanitarian aid

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insists that the sanctions have no impact on humanitarian aid. Pompeio said at a White House briefing on Friday: “The whole world should know that humanitarian assistance to Iran is wide open, it’s not sanctioned."

Pompeo pointed out that there are no sanctions on medicines going into Iran or humanitarian assistance. However, the sanctions mean that resources that could be used to help fight the virus are used for other purposes. So the sanctions in that way make a dire situation even worse.

Banking sanctions in practice make even humanitarian trade more difficult, including aid shipments. Added to this, items such as medical equipment are not considered humanitarian aid and are sanctioned but such equipment could be of great help in fighting the pandemic.

Ironically Iran has offered to help the US in its efforts to control the virus. The US has just recently added new sanctions on Iran.

Iran badly hit by the virus

Iran is the worst hit of all Middle East countries. Its recent death toll from the virus is 1,284. It is estimated by the Iranian Health Ministry that one person dies from the virus every 10 minutes and about 50 become infected every hour. While the situation may to some extent be caused by inadequate government action, the situation is made much worse by the negative effects of US sanctions. The US could help but it would seem it desires to make things worse for the government no doubt in the hope that the people will demand regime change. However, it is more likely to cause increased anti-American sentiment.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/politics/op-ed-us-refuses-iran-s-request-to-reduce-sanctions-due-to-corona-virus/article/569139#ixzz6PGNcCiU4

US Treasury Dept. issues new regulations on humanitarian trade with Iran

The US Treasury Dept, has announced a system of permissible trade with Iran that it claims will ease the shipment of food and medicine into the country for humanitarian reasons.

Regulations in effect will restrict humanitarian aid

Although there has never been any legal basis for restricting humanitarian aid according to US law, US hostility and sanctions against Iran have in fact made it all but impossible to ship anything to the country without incurring the wrath of the US including blocked access to bank financing.

A recent article claims: "The move announced Friday addresses concerns by aid groups and others that sanctions prevented shipments of food and medicine that were traditionally allowed to countries under sanctions.President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. a nuclear agreement with Iran and reinstated sanctions last year."

Brian Hook of the US State Department said: "A new humanitarian channel will make it easier for foreign governments, financial institutions and private companies to engage in legitimate humanitarian trade on behalf of the Iranian people while reducing the risk that money ends up in the wrong hands."

However, several non-governmental aid organizations (NGOs) said that the new regulations were likely to make it even more difficult to send humanitarian aid shipments to Iran.

The new regulations

The new regulations demand that institutions sending aid to Iran send "substantial and unprecedented" information including all invoices and details of all customers, and whether any of them were on UN, US, or EU blacklists. Some analysts are predicting that no bankers will be willing to accept these new conditions and as a result aid will be further impeded.

Criticism of the regulations

A former Obama official was critical of the regulations: "Brian O'Toole, a senior Treasury Department adviser dealing with sanctions under former president Barack Obama, said the measure looked like it was aimed more at gathering intelligence than helping ordinary Iranians and expected many foreign banks would be unable to provide the level of detail required."I think this is going to have a chilling effect. It will have the exact opposite effect of what they're claiming it will," said O'Toole, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank."

O'Toole, also claimed that the regulations looked like they were aimed at countering INSTEX, a channel set up by EU countries to skirt unilateral US sanctions.

The National Iranian American Council was also critical of the new regulations claiming that they would make humanitarian trade more difficult:"The Trump administration has sounded the death knell for humanitarian trade with Iran," the Iranian American group said in a statement...Let's be clear: There is unlikely to be a single banker in the world that will accept these conditions and participate in the trade..The Trump administration is surely aware of this fact, and its humanitarian channel should be viewed as nothing more than farce."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Trump says it would be OK with him if there were a war with Iran

(July 23) Trump often changes positions on issues quickly. His most recent change is on Iran. He has said several times that he does not want war with Iran. However, on Monday he has said that things could go either way that there may or may not be war with Iran.

Trump's new statements

To reporters in the Oval Office Trump said: "Frankly it's getting harder for me to want to make a deal with Iran, because they behave very badly. Ill tell you it could go either way, very easily... And I'm OK either way it goes."

Trump also said that it was getting more difficult for him to want to make a deal with Iran as he claimed they were behaving very badly.

Trump stated that Iran's government is "a religious regime that is badly failing," and that has "tremendous problems economically." Many of Iran's economic problems are due to US sanctions enforced as much as possible on all countries even those that have no sanctions against Iran themselves.

Hawks within the Trump administration such as Bolton and Pompeo will no doubt be pleased at this change in attitude by Trump towards Iraq, especially his saying that he is OK with a war with Iran. This is exactly what the hawks want to hear. Earlier, Trump insisted that he did not want war with Iran.

Trump cites recent conflicts for his change of stance

Trump mentioned the downing of the two drones, a US drone by Iran and an Iranian one by Iran. Iran denies any of its drones have been downed. Trump also mentioned the Iranian claim that it had arrested 17 people connected to a CIA spy ring, a claim that Trump called a lie.

The US and Iran have been in increasing conflict ever since the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew the US from a landmark 2015 deal the P5 plus 1, in which Iran agreed to put curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. The EU has tried to keep its part of the bargain after the US withdrew.

Currently, many companies will not trade with Iran because they may be cut off from business with the US. As a result, Iran has not had the promised sanction relief, and the country has begun to break the terms of the agreement in protest. Trump has warned Iran about breaking the agreement even though the U.S. is no longer itself part of the agreement.

Trump could also have mentioned the Iranian seizure of UK tanker Stena Imperio as changing his stance. However, the tanker was seized after the UK had the Iranian tanker the Grace 1 seized off Gibraltar. The seizure is alleged to have been at the request of the US.

John Bolton applauded the seizure: "The US national security adviser, John Bolton, who has long sought regime change in Tehran, exulted in the capture on Twitter. Add in the plentiful historical reasons for Iran to distrust the UK, and its anger that Europe has not mitigated the effects of US 'maximum pressure', and the scene was set for the Stena Impero’s seizure."

As noted in a recent Digital Journal article and also on the appended video, EU sanctions do not apply to Iran so the seizure of the Iranian vessel is arguably illegal. This is an obvious point usually studiously omitted in most mainstream media accounts of events.

The situation seems to be developing exactly as the hawks within the Trump administration desires although so far outright war between the two countries has not broken out.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

US tries to force other countries to follow its sanctions against Iran

The US special envoy to Iran Brian Hook spent the last week spreading the idea that Iran was a threat to the US and the world. Now, Hook is threatening other nations directly.

Choose to do business with the US or Iran

Hook is now warning that if countries do business with Iran they will not be able to do business with the US. In particular Hook warned the EU about trading with Iran.

The P5 +1 nations

Wikipedia describes the P5 +1 nations: "The P5+1 refers to the UN Security Council's five permanent members (the P5); namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; plus Germany. The P5+1 is often referred to as the E3+3 by European countries. It is a group of six world powers which, in 2006, joined together in diplomatic efforts with Iran with regard to its nuclear program."

The US withdrew from the agreement with Iran. However France Russia and Germany all members of the EU are put in a difficult position as the Iran deal gives it relief from sanctions. Now the US is demanding that the three countries implement US sanctions. This is an extraterritorial application of laws that apply only to the US. The US is not just itself refusing to trade with Iran but demanding that everyone else do so as well. Hook says that the US will sanction any country that tries to purchase Iranian oil.

The EU attempt to circumvent US power

Most financial arrangements arising from trading go through what is called the SWIFT system. This is described by Wikipedia as follows: "The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), legally S.W.I.F.T. SCRL, provides a network that enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in a secure, standardized and reliable environment. SWIFT also sells software and services to financial institutions, much of it for use on the SWIFTNet network, and ISO 9362. Business Identifier Codes (BICs, previously Bank Identifier Codes) are popularly known as "SWIFT codes". The majority of international interbank messages use the SWIFT network. As of 2015, SWIFT linked more than 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories, who were exchanging an average of over 32 million messages per day (compared to an average of 2.4 million daily messages in 1995). "

While SWIFT itself is neutral, the US will be able to see if banks are trading with Iran if transactions go through it and the US can take action against the bank by cutting off any business with the US. US threats frighten the banks so the EU has developed a clearing house that will allow trade with Iran without money crossing borders. With no role for the banks SWIFT is not involved either.

US threats may not be enforceable

China is continuing to buy oil from Iran despite US warnings about doing so. Other countries that need Iranian oil such as India may follow suit.

If the EU is to convince Iran to stay in the nuclear agreement it must continue trade in spite of the threats of the US. The US is creating a great deal of friction with its policies. It may end up not only creating new financial systems to avoid US power in the financial area but also encourage the use of monetary units other than the dollar in international trade. China and Russia have already agreed to trade in their national currencies.

Previously published  in the DIgital Journal

Iran refrains from shooting down US military plane with 35 aboard that accompanied downed drone

(June 23)Although Iran recently shot down a US Global Hawk surveillance plane, they reportedly did not fire at another US military plane with 35 aboard that the Revolutionary Guard's air defense claimed had accompanied the drone.

The US Boeing P-8

Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Guard’s Aerospace Force, was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency: “With the US drone in the region there was also an American P-8 plane with 35 people on board. This plane also entered our airspace and we could have shot it down, but we did not."

The P-8 Poseidon

The Boeing P-8 is not just a smaller plane with passengers it's a military aircraft owned and operated by the US Navy. It is used broadly for anti-submarine operations, but also general anti-shipping operations. It carries a number of weapons including torpedoes and other anti-surface weapons. So a US military aircraft accompanying the drone could have potentially carried out an attack.

The report was issued on Friday. Whether it is true or not it is probably intended to be conciliatory as has Trump's recent last minute decision not to attack Iran and also his suggestion that the downing of the Global Hawk drone was an error of some sort.

Certainly the downing of the PS 8 would no doubt have resulted in a violent response from the US. The Iranian side has never suggested the downing was a mistake.

Trump to add sanctions to Iran and launches cyber-attacks

While Trump has not yet taken military action against Iran the US is reported to have made cyberattacks on Iran. Trump is also increasing the number of sanctions on Iran on Monday. These moves are hardly likely to reduce tensions.

An Iranian general said the US was warned several times about the drones incursion into Iran's territorial space but no answer was received so the drone was shot down.

Previously  published in the Digital Journal

US buildup of arms amid claimed threat from Iran worries many analysts

(May 17)There is much discussion in the news about the US sending more forces to the Middle East to counter some unspecified threat to the US from Iran. This is escalating tensions between the two countries and war could potentially break out.

Little information about Iranian threat provided to the public

The Iranian threat is said to be a cause for alarm among many US lawmakers and top Washington officials. There is a wish among officials and everyone else for more information rather than idle speculation.

A few US Congress leaders have been given classified briefing

A recent AP article reports: "Congressional leaders received a classified briefing on Iran from the White House Thursday following criticism that lawmakers have been kept out of the loop about recent military moves in the Middle East. Members of the so-called Gang of Eight were tight-lipped as they left the briefing. The ranking member of the Senate intelligence committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, refused to comment on the classified information discussed, but said more lawmakers should be informed of the Iran threat.“I think obviously there are certain protections that have to be maintained for Gang of Eight but it’s very important that more members hear this story.""

There is to be a second classified briefing for the entire House and Senate planned for next week. Perhaps more information will lead from that.

Many concerned threats could lead to war with Iran

Representative Thornberry a Texas Republican said after the briefing that he is convinced of the threat from the briefing and that their is cause for greater concern that Americans might be targeted by Iran. However, other US Congress members are comparing what is happening to what the US did prior to the US 2003 invasion of Iraq. They are pushing for more information about what the US is doing and why.

Nancy Pelosi the House Speaker noted that Congress has never authorized a war against Iran. However, President Trump insists that he has all the authority he needs as Commander in Chief to order operations against Iran unilaterally.

It is ironic that the US considers Iran a threat to its forces in Iraq and elsewhere near Iran but the mainstream press never or hardly even seems to suggest that US forces and bases in such close proximity to Iran are an obvious threat to Iran. Imagine the US reaction if Iran had military bases, and naval forces in Cuba or Mexico. The US threatened war when the USSR tried to put missiles in Cuba.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

White House falsely accuses Iran of attack on US navy ship off Yemen

(February 2) On Wednesday National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn announced that he had "officially put Iran on notice" after it had carried out a ballistic missile test.

He also used an attack by Houthi rebels, whom Iran supports, on a Saudi naval vessel as a justification for putting Iran on notice. When White House Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, reported on Flynn' statement he used two "alternative facts" to create fake news about the event:

Sean Spicer asserted at Thursday’s press briefing that Iran had attacked a U.S. naval vessel, as part of his argument defending the administration’s bellicose announcement that Iran is “on notice.”

Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi pictured in September at the United Nations

Timothy A. Clary, AFP/File

However there was no attack on a US vessel but on a Saudi vessel. Iran was not involved but Houthi rebels who are involved in a civil war with the government of president Mansour Hadi supported by a Saudi-led coalition. Iran supports the Houthis. In answer to the question of what "on notice" made Spicer said: “I think General Flynn was really clear yesterday that Iran has violated the Joint Resolution, that Iran’s additional hostile actions that it took against our Navy vessel are ones that we are very clear are not going to sit by and take. I think that we will have further updates for you on those additional actions.”

While Major Garrett of CBS news corrected Spicer noting that it was a Saudi vessel. Spicer responded but almost inaudibly:“Sorry, thank you, yes a Saudi vessel. Yes, that’s right.” He did not correct his statement that it was an Iranian attack. The attack is described in an Al Arabiya article. A Pentagon spokesperson, Christopher Sherwood confirmed that the attack was on a Saudi warship by suspected Houthi rebels--not Iran. Fox News filed a report on the attack that suggested that the real target might have been a US ship. Spicer went further to invent the alternative fact that a US ship had been attacked.

The Intercept reminds readers that the story is like that behind the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The North Vietnamese were accused of attacking two navy destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam. Then-president Lyndon Johnson used these attacks to convince Congress to authorize military action in Vietnam. The second attack used to justify retaliation probably never happened and there was evidence at the time that the US had been firing at false blips on radar caused by weather conditions. There were no Vietnamese ships present. It was basically a manufactured alternative fact.

The US has been on the same side as the Saudis and the US has dispatched ships into the Gulf Area including into the Bab-ed Mandeb strait off the coast of Yemen to help reinforce a Saudi blockade, a blockade that has left up to 14 million people hungry. Rockets fired from Houthi-held territories appeared to be targeting a US warship. In response the Obama administration struck three radar sites in the Houthi-controlled area.

Iran claims that its recent missile tests do not involve any rockets that would carry nuclear warheads but are for self-defense, and as such the tests do not violate any terms of the agreement signed two years ago. Nevertheless the US uses these tests along with alternative facts about a Houthi attack on a Saudi vessel to "put Iran on notice".

t-iran/article/485088#ixzz4YhZneqe0

Iran retaliates against Trump travel ban by banning Americans

Iran announces in a Foreign Ministry statement that it will ban all Americans from the country. The action is a quick response to Donald Trump's executive order which bans nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

Iran is one of the seven countries named. They include as well, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Somalia, Syria, and Sudan. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said:

"The US decision to restrict travel for Muslims to the U.S., even if for a temporary period of three months, is an obvious insult to the Islamic world and in particular to the great nation of Iran. Despite the claims of combating terrorism and keeping American people safe, it will be recorded in history as a big gift to extremists and their supporters."The Iranian ban would remain in place until Trump's order is lifted. The Trump executive order also stops all refugees from being admitted to the U.S. for four months.

Other countries may also introduce retaliatory measures. Iraqis are also very angry with the move. Several Americans of Iranian descent are jailed in Iran. The order may make it more difficult to achieve their release.

Two key Iranian figures will be unable to attend the upcoming Oscars in the U.S. Actress Taraneh Alidoosti who stars in the Iranian film "The Salesman" that has been nominated for the best foreign language film tweeted on Thursday: "Trump's visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won't attend the Academy Awards 2017 in protest." The director of the film Ashgar Farhadi will be unable to attend the Oscars held in February because of the ban.

The Iranian statement also described the order as "illegal, illogical, and contrary to international rules." The Ministry said it had ordered Iranian diplomats to help Iranians who were being prevented from returning to their homes and places of work or study in the U.S. Travel agents in the Iranian capital Tehran said that foreign airlines had begun to bar Iranians from US-bound flights. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also criticized Trump after Trump had also announced the building of a wall on the Mexcican border. Rouhani said that now was not the time to build walls against other nations: "They have forgotten that the Berlin Wall collapsed many years ago. Even if there are walls between nations, they must be removed." There are more than a million Iranians living in the United States many of whom will be negatively affected by the Trump ban.

Many Iranians were puzzled by Trump's move. Mohsen Najari a 33-year-old resident of Tehran the capital said: "Americans themselves are mostly immigrants. To pick out a few countries and call them terrorist is not logical." Sima a 27-year-old said: "It's got nothing to do with terrorism. Iran and the U.S. just don't have good ties. The US has good relations with Saudi Arabia so it doesn't matter how many terrorists come from Saudi Arabia." The National Iranian American Council also criticized the ban as shameful and discriminatory. The group said:"We will not be silent and will use every resource at our disposal to fight these shameful actions and protect the values and people who make America great. Even if this were the right approach, it is notable that the list doesn’t include Saudi Arabia and would have done nothing to prevent 9/11 or the other terrorist attacks committed by radical Wahhabi jihadists in the U.S. But it does include Iran – from which no national has committed a terrorist act in America."The Iranian move will have a disastrous effect on the efforts of American business entrepreneurs to start new businesses in Iran.

British-Iranian BBC reporter not allowed to board flight to US.

Rana Rahimpour, a dual Iranian-British citizen was stopped from boarding a plane at Heathrow airport about to fly to New Jersey. She was told she needed a visa and was not eligible to fly under the visa waiver program since she was an Iranian citizen.

Rahimpour is a presenter with the BBC's Persian service based in London. Legislation was just recently passed by the US Congress that forces some dual citizens of some countries to obtain visas, whereas previously they could visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. The new regulations will apply to all dual Iranian nationals. Previously, the waivers could be obtained through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization(ESTA).

After she was stopped, Rahimpour tweeted: 3 days after lifting #Iran sanctions, #US denied #ESTA/visa waivers for me and another 2 #British citzns cos we have Iranian nationality too.

The law will also apply to those of UK and other nationalities who have visited Iran in the last 5 years. One commentator said: “Europeans who want to visit Iran for tourism purposes or European companies who want to do business in Iran now have to be worried about their travel to the US. Which EU businessman is prepared to jeopardise his or her ability to travel to the US by going to Iran?”Ironically, Rahimpour has not been able to visit Iran for more than seven years as Iran has been hostile to the BBC Persian service staff and is alleged to have mistreated family members in Iran.

Rahimpour said of the change in regulations: “I just feel it’s unfair, it’s unfair to many Iranians, My cousins who were travelling with me and faced similar problems have left Iran 20 years ago, they don’t know how to write or read Farsi and they are paying the price for the politics of a country that they have nothing to do with.”Rahimpour that the new regulations risk alienating many Iranians. The new regulations were confusing and even her Washington contacts were not sure what changes had been made. Rahimpour pointed out: “Iranians feel they are being treated very unjustly and over the last few weeks. They have said that there has never been a terrorist attack by an Iranian national on American soil. This is very unfair, they referred to the nationality of those involved in 9/11 and you can’t find any Iranians involved.”

Dr. Firouz Naderi an Iranian-American who has served at NASA for 35 years and landed a spacecraft on Mars and even met Michelle Obama at the White House says he now is being treated like a second-class citizen in the country he regards as his home.

Rahimpour had been told by contacts she has in Washington that the new rules would not take effect until April. She had then applied for the visa waiver through the ESTA visa clearance site. She was told she would have a response within 72 hours. Given the information from her Washington contacts she had bought a ticket to fly to New Jersery. The response from ESTA was still pending when she arrived at the airport. She called an ESTA official there to check on her status and was told that her request had been denied due to the new law.

Rahimpour was born in Iran but has lived in the UK since 2008. Her husband is British. She had planned to surprise her brother and her family by traveling to New Jersey to celebrate her nephews' sixth birthday. She was taking her two-year-old daughter and two cousins, also British-Iranian along with her.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/travel/bbc-iranian-british-reporter-unable-to-board-flight-to-usa/article/455323#ixzz3yDYEu8Xa

Public misled about drone downed in Iran

Early reports by NATO said that they were missing a drone. At the same time officials claimed that there was no evidence that Iran shot the drone down as they had claimed. ISAF(International Security Assistance Force) officials joined in the game of misleading the public.

The drone ISAF said was a U.S. unarmed reconnaisance aircraft on a mission over Afghanistan. So the mystery is explained. The U.S. launches many drone missions over Afghanistan and this drone just wandered off course.

Not mentioned is that this was a special drone. Not mentioned is that this was operated by the CIA. Not mentioned is that there has been secret spying missions over Iran for some time now. See this article.

The drone is not a garden variety reconassaince drone but a special secret stealth drone the RQ-170. The same drone was used to spy on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan before it was raided by U.S. special forces.

Apparently the U.S. has an air base at Shindad in Afghanistan from which it can launch surveillance missions and even special operations into Iran should the U.S. decide to do so. Sources say that they have contingency plans to mount secret operations into Iran should the need arise.

According to the Belfast Telegraph the U.S. is running covert operations in Iran already. Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has called not only for covert operations but also attacks on Iranian oil refinieries. With talk like that surely Iran has good grounds for attacking the U.S in self defense. Of course it will not. Only the stronger party can actually engage in that sort of action and then claim self defense. For more see this article

Obama now openly supports Iran Opposition

The problem is that this simply confirm Ahmadinejad's contention that the opposition is in league with foreign enemies of Iran. This is the last thing that the opposition needs. However this open support is probably more designed to enthuse US citizens rather than doing anything to actually help the opposition. This shows that the US is committed to promoting democracy etc.etc. It is part of what might be called the longstanding humanitarian brand imperialism that has been adopted by both main parties. Bush pushed the same rhetoric. It is used constantly in reference to Afghanistan and Karzai's manipulation of elections and corruption has caused a bit of pain at home on this score. Of course Saudi Arabia and Egypt can remain as they are without much scolding. This is from antiwar.com.

Obama Openly Embraces Iran’s Opposition
Posted By Jason Ditz

After months of not-so-secret backing of Iran’s “Green Revolution” opposition, the Obama Administration is moving away from the pretense of covert support and is now openly embracing the opposition as a central part of its strategy.

That strategy, which also includes calls for “crippling sanctions” against the nation, is aimed most directly at trying to get Iran to abandon its civilian nuclear program, and also speculatively as a path to regime change.

Not everyone is happy with this new approach to Iran’s opposition, but perhaps the most visibly upset group is the opposition itself, which is desperately trying to establish itself as a viable domestic opposition group amid government claims that it is little more than a front for the Obama Administration.

America’s funding for the groups is still officially secret, but the support is seriously undermining their standing in Iran, as the Iranian population suffers under the yoke of US-backed sanctions and hears, increasingly credibly, that the pro-democracy activists are being used by the US to undermine stability in the nation.

Karzai may help Iran join Afghan talks

Karzai trip may help Iran join US-led Afghan talks.

The United States, other world powers and neighbours of Afghanistan meet later this month to explore ways of restoring stability to a country where international forces are battling a resurgent Taliban insurgency.

In what is being seen as an overture by President Barack Obama's administration towards arch-foe Iran, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Tehran will receive an invitation to the gathering.

Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari will meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of a Tehran summit on Wednesday of the regional Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO).

Although supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has Iran's final say on issues of strategy, the meeting of the three presidents is expected to see Karzai urge Iran to accept the invitation to the March 31 talks.

"Karzai will push Iranians to attend this conference as it will reinforce his own position and also help to secure support in stabilising the situation in Afghanistan," Iranian political analyst Mashallah Shamsolvaezin told AFP.

A decision on whether Iran will attend is expected over the next few days.

Clinton did not say where the meeting would be held, but that Afghan and Pakistani officials would be invited, with NATO allies, donors, international organisations and "key regional and strategic" nations.

Karzai's trip gained added significance after his foreign minister, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi both called on Monday for Tehran's help in supporting Afghanistan.

"We definitely want the support and cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Spanta told AFP.

Shiite Iran shares close ethnic and religious ties with Afghanistan and opposed the Sunni Taliban before the US assault on Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Tehran is also concerned about drugs smuggling from Afghanistan to Iran.

Shamsolvaezin said if Iran attends the March 31 meeting and if the United States and Iran talk "it could have a positive influence from northern Afghanistan to south of Gaza," a region spanning Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Pakistan.

Iran has already developed close ties with neighbouring Shiite Iraq since its former foe Saddam Hussein's Sunni regime was toppled by US-led forces in 2003.

Its presence at the Afghanistan meeting would also be seen as acceptance of Tehran's influence in the region following attempts to isolate it because of its controversial nuclear programme.

The West, led by Washington, suspects the nuclear programme is aimed at making atomic weapons -- a charge Tehran strongly denies.

Since Obama took office, Washington has made overtures towards Tehran and even said it would be prepared to hold "face-to-face" talks within months. The two countries have had no diplomatic ties for three decades.

"Iranian attendance at the Afghanistan conference is one of the first rungs on the ladder to direct Iran-US negotiations, as it will be important to test goodwill and guarantees," Shamslovaezin said.