Arrested demonstrators facing torture and forced televised "confessions"

Reza Pahlavi's "IRAN REALITIES AND PRESPECTIVES"

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Thank you for coming. Thank you for your time, and attention to the cry for freedom and democracy in Iran. The past three weeks, my brave compatriots have paid in blood the price of ripping the facade of acceptability of the regime in Iran, and its legitimacy to speak for the people of Iran abroad. The ensuing murderous oppression can silence the streets, and media blackout can reduce world attention. In the West you may see headlines declaring the end of the protests. Some will say a family quarrel inside the Islamic ... Read More

Neda, Obama and the Power of Pictures

The Issue: At a White House press conference last week, a reporter asked President Obama about Iran and whether he had watched the video of Neda Agha-Soltan being shot in the chest and bleeding to death on a Tehran street. Obama said he had, and added: "It's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking." He went on to condemn Iran's suppression of demonstrators, saying, "There are certain international norms of freedom of speech, freedom of expression." That's when the reporter Helen Thomas started to say, "Then why won't you allow the photos..." ... Read More

Time for an Israeli Strike?

By John R. Bolton - With Iran's hard-line mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unmistakably back in control, Israel's decision of whether to use military force against Tehran's nuclear weapons program is more urgent than ever. Iran's nuclear threat was never in doubt during its presidential campaign, but the post-election resistance raised the possibility of some sort of regime change. That prospect seems lost for the near future or for at least as long as it will take Iran to finalize a deliverable nuclear weapons capability. ... Read More

Iran hangs 12

Iran has hanged 12 people for murder and drug trafficking over the last two days, according to Iranian media reports on Thursday. Six people were put to death for murder in Tehran's Evin prison on Wednesday morning, the Etemad newspaper said, adding two others due to be executed at the same time were spared by the families of their victims. On Thursday, six drug traffickers were executed in prison in Qom, a Shi'ite Muslim holy city south of the capital, the Fars News Agency quoted a judiciary official as saying. Amnesty International has ... Read More

Merkel seeks "strong message" by G8 leaders to Iran

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that she wanted the leaders of the Group of Eight [G8] to send a strong signal to Iran, when they meet next in Italy. "I hope the meeting sends a strong message of unity, a united message that the right to demonstrate and human rights cannot be separated and that they apply to Iran," Merkel told parliament, according to Reuters. At the same time, Merkel stressed that it was important to keep open the possibility of talks with Tehran on its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at ... Read More

Mousavi to seek rally permits

Iran's increasingly isolated opposition leader said he'll seek government approval for future protests, even as he complained of unfair restrictions- a new sign that he is backing away from confrontation with Iran's rulers over a bitterly disputed election. Mir Hossein Mousavi, who says he is the real winner of the June 12 presidential vote, has sent mixed messages to supporters, as protests have become scattered amid a tough government clampdown. Mousavi has urged supporters not to break the law, but also insisted he won't drop his challenge ... Read More

Iran 'lifts block on SMS texting'

Reports from Iran say that SMS text messaging services have been unblocked for the first time since disputed presidential elections. However, Iranian news agencies say there are still technical problems. Text messaging and social networks were widely used by protesters in mass rallies following the election. Defeated opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi this week called on the government to end its interference in phone networks and the internet. Correspondents say texting has been restricted since 11 June - the day before disputed ... Read More

IAEA chooses Japanese as new head

The 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency chose a veteran Japanese diplomat as the agency's next head on Thursday, in a tight vote reflecting stubborn North-South divisions of the U.N. nuclear monitoring organization. Yukiya Amano collected 23 votes, compared to 11 for Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa, with one abstention, barely giving him the two-thirds majority needed for victory.Even that tight margin came only after hard-fought preliminary sessions. A March vote between the two men - Amano, backed by the U.S. and ... Read More

In Iran, acts of defiance are growing

In new displays of defiance, Iran's opposition leader told supporters Wednesday that "it's not yet too late" to push for their rights and joined a reformist ex-president in condemning the regime for a post-election crackdown both said was tantamount to a coup. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said he considered Iran's cleric-led government illegitimate, and he demanded that it release all political prisoners and institute electoral reforms and press for freedoms. Former President Mohammad Khatami, meanwhile, lashed out at what he termed ... Read More