Ahmadinejad’s Office Reacts to Accusations over US Seizure of Iranian Assets.

Ahmadinejad’s Office Reacts to Accusations over US Seizure of Iranian Assets. (IranFrontpage).

The office of Iran’s ex-president has reacted to the recent criticisms against Ahmadinejad’s government over the mistakes that have allegedly led to a recent US court ruling to seize Iran’s assets.

Since the recent move by the US to confiscate nearly $2bn of Iranian assets in order to give it to the families of the victims and survivors of 1983 Beirut bombing, Iranian media has been covering the issue from two perspectives. The conservatives have been blaming the incumbent administration of President Hassan Rouhani and have criticized the government’s excessive optimism towards the West (the US in particular).

On the other hand, the pro-government and reformist media, while strongly condemning the move by the US Supreme Court, have been pinning the blame on the former government for their purchases of US bonds in spite of the hostile relations at the time between Tehran and Washington.

Among the critics who have blamed the former administration are the current Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif, as well as the former CBI Chief Tahmasb Mazaheri, two of the most important figures in finance.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Public Relations Department of the office of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the ex-president, rejected these criticisms and claimed that Rouhani’s government has made the country seem weak enough for the US to dare to make such a move.

Here is IFP’s translation of excerpts from the statement published by the website of Ahmadinejad’s office.

The recent move by the authoritarian US government … has become a new pretext for [Iranian] statesmen and political and media figures close to them to attack the former government. 

The US administration has looted the Iranian nation’s assets in the current year and under the incumbent government, while the pretext for which the court ruling was issued dates back to 1983. It is not clear why, and for what hidden motivation, this cruel move by the US is being attributed to Ahmadinejad’s government. 

They have claimed the managers of Iran’s Central Bank during the previous government were not careful enough, and should not have trusted in the international rules and regulations governing the global banking ties. They claim such trust has resulted in the assets seizure this year. 

The US government did not dare to encroach upon the Iranian nation’s resources at that time, because the government of Ahmadinejad always behaved in a wise way and maintained the country’s honour and dignity. 

The Iranian nation, however, has been portrayed as a weak nation in the international arena in recent years, and this has emboldened US statesmen. So the question is: isn’t this the reason behind the recent “plunder”? 

The money was stolen right at the time when the Iranian foreign minister was in the US, holding private, long, secret, and repeated meetings with his US counterpart. Isn’t the seizure of assets related to the meetings and the topics discussed by the two? Isn’t this the continuation of a long-running drama to humiliate the Iranian nation and government? 

The incumbent government says that Ahmadinejad’s cabinet members should not have trusted the Americans, or even in international rules and regulations. If that is true, why did they curb, dismantle, and shut down the country’s nuclear program, including facilities that were worth almost $30bn, based on the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s ambiguous promises without any guarantees? 

The government’s trust in US statesmen and their promises, and the subsequent weakening of Iran’s international position in the past three years have led to a sharp drop in the Iranian nation’s most valuable asset, crude oil, from $105 to $35. 

If this remains unchanged, almost $150m a day and almost $55bn a year will be picked from Iran’s pocket and given to the negotiating sides [from the nuclear talks] or their allies. 

People expect the government to avoid illogically pinning the blame on others, accept their own responsibilities, try to pursue the issue, and reclaim the nation’s rights.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Ahmadinejad’s Gov’t Is to Blame for US Seizure of Iranian Assets: Governor of the Central Bank of Iran.

Ahmadinejad’s Gov’t Is to Blame for US Seizure of Iranian Assets: Governor of the Central Bank of Iran. (Iranfrontpage).

The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Valiollah Seif, held the former Iranian administration responsible for a recent US court ruling to seize near $2bn of Iran’s frozen assets, saying Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government was too negligent in making investments in the US.

“Unfortunately, in the previous government, there was negligence in buying bonds and making investments in the US dollar,” Seif said.

Seif noted that “u-turn” transactions with the Islamic Republic were exceptionally permitted in the US dollar sanctions against Iran, but Ahmadinejad’s administration was not careful and cautious enough in making the investments.

The former government’s officials should have considered the issue and exercised enough caution, but in spite of warnings by CBI experts against investments on dollar-based bonds, they (the then officials) made the purchases and set the stage for the Iranian nation’s loss, he added.

“The warnings by those experts came true, and unfortunately, the ban on dollar-based transactions with Iran was once again imposed in 2008, and American banks were banned from having such transactions with Iran,” Seif said.

If the bonds had not been purchased at that time, there would have been no money to be seized by the Americans, he added, as reported by the CBI’s website.

The measures taken by the forerm government led to other hostile moves by the US, including the 13599 Executive Order against the CBI, he noted.

He was referring to an executive order issued in 2012, based on which the US Treasury blocked “all property and interests in property of the Government of Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran, and of all Iranian financial institutions, regardless of whether such persons are located or incorporated inside or outside of Iran”.

Therefore, he concluded, all these unfair and illegal measures by the Americans took place under Ahmadinejad’s tenure, which was a time when the Iranian government considered sanctions to be barely effective, even futile.

If any of these moves had been prevented at that time, the recent US court ruling could not have happened, he noted.

Rouhani’s Gov’t Evading Responsibility by Pinning Blame on Predecessors: Analyst.

Meanwhile, Kezem Anbarlouie, a political analyst, believes that the incumbent government of President Hassan Rouhani is trying to blame Ahmadinejad’s to whitewash its own deficiencies.
in a comment published by Tasnim and translated by IFP, Anbarlouie referred to similar remarks by First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri on the responsibility of the former government for the asset seizure, describing his remarks as “shocking”.

“The First VP said the previous government was not prudent enough, and spent part of the CBI’s resources on purchasing bonds, even if it knew the Americans were not committed to international regulations,” Anbarlouie said.

He further argued that if Americans are not committed to international regulations, Rouhani’s government should also have refused to sign the recent nuclear deal (JCPOA) with them.

“The previous government was in conflict with the US, and everyone in the world knew that; however, the US government did not dare to seize Iran’s money at that time,” he went on to say.

“The 11th government has made an agreement with the Americans and shaken hands with them while they promised to release Iran’s frozen assets, but now, they have not only refused to release them, but they are also stealing and seizing the country’s money once again,” the analyst added.

“To those who say the former government is to blame for the US seizure of Iranian assets, one should say, ‘What were YOU doing? Do not blame the former government for your own imprudence’.”

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Iran's FM Zarif: 'US government must protect Iran’s assets'.

Iran's FM Zarif: 'US government must protect Iran’s assets'. (Taz).

Iran thinks that the US government responsible for protecting Iran's assets in that country, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki on a visit to Iran, Zarif said that Iran does not recognize the recent verdict of a US court on its assets, Iran's state-run IRINN TV reported Apr. 25.

The US Supreme Court last week ruled the transfer of nearly $2 billion of frozen Iranian assets to the American victims of terrorist attacks, including the 1983 truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Investigators of the court concluded that Iran was responsible for that attack, which Tehran has denied.

The assets belong to the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), blocked under the US sanctions.

The verdict is against international laws, Zarif said, adding Tehran will spare no effort to prevent the US to gain access to its assets."Iran will pursue the issue via legal channels," he added.

"We have announced that the US government is responsible to protect Iran's assets, and if they fail, Iran will claim compensation in due time," Zarif said.

He further said that the Iranian government has established a special committee to consider the issue.
The committee will investigate the reason of the former government's making investments recklessly in a way that US can block that, the way of Iran's ability to prevent reoccurrence of the similar issues in the future and "encroaching on Iran's assets".

The CBI President Valiollah Seif said Apr. 24 that the former government is the one that is actually responsible for the recent US blockade of Iranian assets.

The former government of Iran paved the way for the court ruling by being ignorant of the facts while buying bonds and making investment in dollar, Seif said.


"If the bonds which had been valued in the dollar hadn't been bought with the indirect brokerage of Americans, there would not have been any money for the US to block," he added. More on this story here.

Related:

Ahmadinejad’s Gov’t Is to Blame for US Seizure of Iranian Assets: The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI)

Iran to build its own manned spacecraft.... next ICBM's?

Iran to build its own manned spacecraft.... next ICBM's? (VOR).

Iran has announced that it is planning to build its own orbital spaceship, the Fars news agency reports citing the head of the Iranian national space project, Mansur Kabganian.

He said that "the first Iranian spacecraft will weigh at least 100 kg." According to the head of the project, the spaceship will be put into a low Earth orbit by a rocket of domestic production, which will be equipped with engines running on liquid fuel.

"The whole program," Kabganian noted, "can be conditionally divided into several stages: launch, orbiting, reentry and safe landing."

"Our experts are currently working on all the phases to reduce the risks from emergency situations" he added. Engineers from the Iranian Haji Nasir Institute have already developed a prototype of a manned spacecraft. Judging by reports in the Iranian press, it may be a space capsule with an emergency bailout system that has room for up to three people and a minimal amount of scientific and measuring equipment.

The new Iranian spaceship will not be built "from scratch." According to the Fars news agency, it may represent an enlarged copy of a ship that has already been into space in 2013 and carried a small capsule with a monkey on board. That spacecraft, put in a 120 km orbit by the rocket carrier Pishgam (Pioneer), remained in the space for 15 minutes, and then made a soft landing. The monkey was not harmed. The agency emphasizes that during the whole flight, information about the monkey's health was continuously broadcast from the spaceship to the Earth.

The next step in the ambitious Iranian space program is to carry out a manned mission, according to the Iranian Space Agency. Its former director, Hamid Fazeli, told the media that Iran plans to put send a human into space in 2020. 

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed: Ahmadinejad told me nuclear weapon is ‘of the past’

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed: Ahmadinejad told me nuclear weapon is ‘of the past’ HT: TOI
ormer Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not aim to develop a nuclear weapon since hitting Israel would mean killing Palestinians as well, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum said in an interview with the BBC broadcast Monday.

Al-Maktoum said that in a conversation with him, Ahmadinejad had told him Iran would have no use for a nuclear bomb.“What will I do? If I have a means of transporting this weapon to Israel, how many Palestinians will I kill?”, Sheikh Mohammed quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

He said Ahmadinejad was well aware of the ramifications of using a nuclear weapon.

“The Europeans and Americans will finish my cities in Iran,” Ahmadinejad reportedly told al-Maktoum. “I am not crazy, to go for that. The weapon is of the past.” Hmmm.....recently read an article there's a push by the Shiites to remove Mecca as a 'holy place', wouldn't matter much to nuke a 'normal' place full of devout martyrs?Read the full story here.

Nukes are useless because nobody dare use them – Ahmadinejad to RT.

Nukes are useless because nobody dare use them – Ahmadinejad to RT.HT: Russia Today.

“This is something that I said many times before. It is not of any use to us to have nukes. Where can we use nuclear weapons? They are useless, nobody can use them. The US has most of the nukes in the world – where can it use them?” he said.

The Iranian President believes society is “well over this one”. “It is so 20th century, even the people of the US are not going to allow the government to make use of them,” the Iranian president suggested, because “It is the most brutal and inhumane weapon that can be used against others.”

Throughout its history Iran “has always been a defender and has always used conventional weapons only,” claimed President Ahmadinejad. 
“Iran has never used chemical weapons. Iran is still defending itself with mostly a political-cultural defense,” Ahmadinejad said.
However, the outgoing president whose term finishes on August 3 warned that “one cannot get away with bombarding” Iranian nuclear facilities. 
“[Nuclear facilities] are securely localized in the heads of our scientists,” he said, referring to American and Israeli threats to carry out unilateral strikes on Iran in recent years.

The west headed by the US has been putting pressure on Iran over the country’s controversial nuclear program. Though Tehran always stressed the program is peaceful, Washington as well as Tel Aviv have suspected Iran of building nuclear weapons, something Tehran has consistently denied.
While the US has frequently stated that “all options are on table” while dealing with Iran, Israel threatened a unilateral strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Iran’s territory is 1,873 million square kilometers, that’s a vastness, are they going to bomb them all?”
“This is a psychological war and of course we’re ready to defend ourselves,” Ahmadinejad concluded.
However, the Iranian leader remarked that a direct dialogue between Iran and the US would be possible – if Washington agrees to “equal circumstances” dialogue, not a dictate.
“If somebody comes to you and holds a hammer over your head and forces you to have a dialogue – that is not right. A dialogue is about gaining understanding and resolving differences. It should not be used as a method to impose on others,” President Ahmadinejad said.

‘Every country will be affected by economic recession’

The world is facing an economic recession, the current economic crisis is an international one and it affects every country, be it Iran, Russia, the US or the EU, Iranian leader said.
“Iran has been under unilateral, one-sided, unfair sanctions, but despite severe unprecedented sanctions the country develops economically – nothing short of a miracle. All economic indexes are improving, per capita income is going up, the human development index is on the rise,” he said.
In late 2011 - early 2012, the US and EU imposed sanctions on Tehran targeting its banks and oil industry effectively banning the oil trade between Europe and Iran, and putting significant barriers to trade. Iran is still exporting oil, it has also begun to export electricity, steel and cement and the total exports, excluding oil, has grown seven fold, Ahmadinejad revealed.
“In many fields related to technology we are among the top 10 in the world,” Ahmadinejad said adding that in terms of scientific progress the country rose from 32nd to 14th in eight years and scientific growth is 11 times higher than the world average.
Western countries started to ignore Iran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and continued to do so over the last 34 years, but they have not succeeded in halting Iran’s economic development, President Ahmadinejad stated.

‘Fighting cyber war has become Iran’s second nature’

During the interview with RT, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also talked of Tehran having always been aware of the cyber warfare conducted against it.
In March, law and technology experts agreed that the Stuxnet worm used against Iran in 2009-2010 was a cyber-attack. Stuxnet was allegedly used to change the speeds of around 1,000 gas-spinning centrifuges without being detected, thus sabotaging Iran's nuclear research. The US and Israel have been accused of collaborating on the virus in a bid to damage Iran’s nuclear program.
“This is a world of communications. Once you get connected to the internet – there are going to be problems of a kind,” Ahmadinejad said.
“We’re talking to each other right now, right?” he told RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze. “Do you think that we’re being bugged? That this place is bugged? Maybe we’re bugged, it is not difficult to do,” laughed the problem off the president.


“Naturally, there is a software war going on in the virtual world, our agencies are doing this – if it is necessary,” Ahmadinejad said.
Iranian electronic communication networks, banking systems, nuclear research network, electricity networks have all been attacked, but Iranian specialists “diffused the threats and counter-attacked,” Iranian President said. “This is a routine for us. These are the harms and disadvantages of communication technology.”

‘No ruler should feel safe’

As for a possibility of an uprising similar to the Arab Spring, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that such revolutions were managed from the outside.
“No ruler should feel safe, nowhere in the world, not only Iran,” he concluded adding that saying there is no ideal place despite humanity’s constant strife for perfection.
The planet with about seven billion population is being ruled by maybe 1,000 people, while the governments just come and go, the Iranian President declared, so legislation is imperfect everywhere in the world and the rulers should think about ordinary people – or be overthrown.
“In the next five-six year the countries run in a limited way by narrow-minded rulers will witness revolutions – including the US,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted.
In this regard the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is a historical movement, a popular way of thinking that is going to stay in power unless something else of a comparable size and power emerges, Iranian President pointed out. “It cannot be eliminated completely.”
The same applies to the situation in Syria, where people should have a right “to choose elected rulers themselves,” Ahmadinejad said. Those who want to come to power militarily should be ready that the same rules of war would be applied to them.

“The westerners do not want the Syrian issue to come to an end,” he said, and the west would like to redraw the Middle East map through developing the Syrian crisis – even if it would last for 20 years, believes the Iranian President.

Ahmadinejad Will Return (With Imam Mehdi)--Government Spokesman.

Ahmadinejad Will Return (With Imam Mehdi)--Government Spokesman.HT: UskowiOnIran.

The Iranian Government's spokesman, Mr. Gholam Hossein Elham, is making headlines in the Iranian media. He said that his boss, Mr. Ahmadinejad, will return to govern when Emam Mehdi, the Shiite 12th Imam, returns. He apparently said that in a form of a prayer at a speak in front of a group of supporters .

Mashregh newspaper has published a detailed report of this get-together of Ahmadinjead and Mashai supporters. It apparently ends with his loyal supporters surrounding him while sobbing (1).

This episode provides a rare glimpse at the bizarre "personality cult" tradition revived by the Islamic Republic. 

The continued open support for Ahmadinejad among some conservatives, despite his falling out of favor with the supreme leader, is setting the stage for a potentially bloody purge within the regime's inner circle. Hmmm......I wonder if he gives the Lotto Numbers for next week's draw as well?Read the full story here.

Iran’s Ahmadinejad could face 74 lashes over election ‘violation’.

Iran’s Ahmadinejad could face 74 lashes over election ‘violation’.(AA).After accompanying his former chief of staff to register for June’s presidential vote, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may face punishment if charged with breaking electoral rules, the country’s electoral watchdog said.

The president had accompanied Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie on Saturday to register at the Interior Ministry.

Photographs in the Iranian media showed them gripping hands and making peace signs.

Mashaie said the president had accompanied him on “a day off” from work, Reuters news agency reported.

But according to a report by Iranian news site Khabar online on Monday, the president had “introduced an individual as an election candidate.”

Abbas Ali Kadkhodai, a spokesman for the Guardian Council, said the council’s supervisory board unanimously agreed “the...actions of the president in introducing an individual as an election candidate constituted a violation and were criminal,” according to Khabar.

“We reported the facts to the judiciary,” Kadkhodai said.

The Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists, vets all candidates for elections.

Iranian electoral law forbids the use of state resources on behalf of or against any candidate, and bans individuals from supporting candidates in an official capacity.A conviction could bring a maximum punishment of six months in jail or 74 lashes, according to local press reports.

Ahmadinejad cannot run for a third term on constitutional grounds in the June 14 presidential.

According to the Mehr news agency, Kadkhodai said election violations could affect the Guardian Council’s vetting process, suggesting Mashaie’s candidacy could be under threat.

Since the 2009 ballot, Ahmadinejad has fallen foul of Iran’s ruling conservatives, who believe he is trying to maintain influence via a Mashaie presidency.

Mashaie, who is still part of Ahmadinejad’s entourage, is viewed with suspicion by conservatives who accuse him of leading a “deviant current” that seeks to sideline clerical power in favor of a more nationalistic doctrine.Read the full story here.

President Ahmadinejad to Unveil Iran's Most Advanced Drone Tomorrow.

President Ahmadinejad to Unveil Iran's Most Advanced Drone Tomorrow.(Fars). Iran plans to display its most advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed and manufactured by the country's engineers in a ceremony on Thursday.

The drone, named Hemaseh (Epic), will be unveiled in a special ceremony due to be held in the presence of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi in Tehran tomorrow.

The ceremony will be held on the sidelines of a conference to commemorate the defense ministry's martyrs.

Hemaseh is a reconnaissance and combat UAV which has been produced by local experts at the country's defense industries organization.

Earlier, Deputy Defense Minister for Industrial and Research Affairs Mohammad Eslami had told reporters that Hemaseh enjoys higher capabilities compared with other Iran-made UAVs and can fly at higher altitudes and enjoys longer flight endurance.

Iran has recently made giant advancements in aerospace industries, specially in designing and manufacturing pilotless drones.

"It's a Zionist plot" - Ahmadinejad Blames Jews For Erectile Dysfunction.

"It's a Zionist plot" - Ahmadinejad Blames Jews For Erectile Dysfunction.(DC).Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blamed Jews today for the "global scourge of erectile dysfunction."

In a speech broadcast on state television, the Islamic firebrand claimed an international Jewish cabal is provoking male impotence though chemicals in bottled water and then making billions by treating the syndrome with pharmaceutical drugs like Viagra.

In the middle of one of his more typical rants against Israel, the United States, and global Zionism, Ahmadinejad unveiled his latest conspiracy theory.

"One of the most insidious new methods of global Zionist oppression is the effort to sap the life-forces of non-Jews around the world," he thundered.

"According to my closest advisers, almost 95 percent of Iranian men now have difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection. I have to admit that on very rare occasions, I have had such trouble myself, despite my legendary virility.

"Clearly we see the work of the Zionists in this situation. Why else would good Muslim and Christian men everywhere be suffering this embarrassing lack of manly function?"

Ahmadinejad then detailed how he believes Jews have created this epidemic of male impotence.

"Jewish interests have taken financial control of all the bottled water companies in the world," he explained. "They have used the dominance to slip chemicals into our bloodstreams, which destroy our ability to become erect.

"Very attractive, sexually vibrant men have unwittingly become victims of this humiliating condition. But the Jew is not content to humiliate his enemies. He must bankrupt them too. And so they have created a cure for this induced disease - drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra.

"Hard working men all over the world are spending billions on such cures just to keep themselves sexually viable. Many are facing complete financial ruin.
"And who sells these drugs? Just look at these pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glaxo Smith Kline - these are all Jewish names!

"We must unite to fight this conspiracy, beginning with a complete ban on bottled water in our country and a lawsuit seeking compensation for all the money Iranian men have spent on these terribly expensive erection pills."Hmmmmm......I drink about 4 liters of bottled water a day, must be drinking the wrong stuff i guess?Read the full story here.

Close shave: How the US almost gunned down Iranian president Ahmadinejad.

Close shave: How the US almost gunned down Iranian president Ahmadinejad.(RT).A Secret Service agent re adjusting a shotgun mounted on a vehicle in former President George W. Bush’s motorcade discharged the weapon by accident as President Ahmadinejad left the Inter Continental Hotel in New York.

A new book entitled ‘Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry’ by Marc Ambinder and DB Grady has lifted the lid on the Secret Service blunder and the reasons it was covered up.

“A US Secret Service agent, in an apparent accident, discharged his shotgun as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was loading his motorcade at the Inter Continental Hotel yesterday,” wrote Bush’s daily intelligence brief the day after the incident according to an official cited in the book.

“Everyone just stopped,” the official said.

“The Iranians looked at us and we looked at the Iranians. The agent began to apologize. Ahmadinejad just turned his head and got into his car.” The book proposes that some Washington officials interpreted the Iranians’ silence as evidence that Tehran was acting cautiously and strategically.

The incident was quickly swept under the rug by the Bush administration which was, at that time, discussing how to deal with Tehran’s alleged atomic weapons program. The gunshot issue had the potential to spark a major international scandal, but was confined to an item in one of the president’s daily intelligence briefs.

Iran’s supposed nuclear weapons program has been a significant obstacle to US-Iranian relations over recent years. The Obama administration has sought to curtail Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by ratcheting up economic sanctions on Iran, while US ally Israel has made numerous calls for a preemptive strike on its nuclear facilities.Read the full story here.

Iranian cleric says Ahmadinejad Chavez remarks that he would be resurrected with Jesus Christ 'heresy'

Iranian cleric says Ahmadinejad Chavez remarks that he would be resurrected with Jesus Christ 'heresy'.(HD).A senior Iranian cleric accused President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of "heresy" on Friday by saying in his tribute to late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez that he would be resurrected with Jesus Christ.

"Those comments on Chavez's return with Christ were heresy," Ayatollah Ahmad Janati, the hardline chief of the influential Guardians Council, told worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran.

Janati was referring to comments by Ahmadinejad on March 6 in which he called Chavez a "martyr" who would "return, along with the righteous Jesus and the perfect human." The last was an allusion to Shiite Islam's 12th imam that Iran's majority faith believes will return with Christ to bring peace and justice to the world.

Janati said Iran's clergy had been "upset" by the remarks."Should people say whatever comes to mind? I wish (Ahmadinejad) had spent a few days in a seminary before discussing such issues," he said.

"Chavez was a populist and anti-American. His political agenda was completely acceptable. But he was not a Muslim," Janati added.

Janati's Guardians Council is charged with overseeing elections and interpreting the constitution. Iran has scheduled a presidential election for June 14 to find a replacement for Ahmadinejad, whose disputed re-election in 2009 sparked street protests and a deadly crackdown by the regime in response.Hmmmm......I never thought i would say but i hope iran enforces their 'blasphemy' laws in this case.Read the full story here.

"Forward" - Karzai 'ordered' U.S. special forces To Leave Key Afghan Province.

"Forward" - Karzai 'ordered' U.S. special forces To Leave Key Afghan Province.(NPR).HT: AstuteBlogger.We're getting word that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered U.S. special forces to leave Wardak Province within two weeks amid allegation of torture and disappearances centering on Afghans who are part of the U.S. forces.

NPR's Sean Carberry is reporting on the move for our Newscast unit. Here's what he says:

"The order came after the governor of Wardak presented a report to the Afghan National Security Council today. The report alleges that special forces and armed groups created by them have committed a range of abuses in the volatile province that neighbors Kabul. President Karzai has long criticized U.S. raids on Afghan homes, but the claims in the report appear to go far beyond his previous allegations. The president's order says all special forces must cease operations immediately and leave the province within two weeks. A U.S .forces official says they have not seen the report and cannot comment until they can discuss the issue directly with the Afghan government."

The BBC says that the central province has been the focus of recent counterinsurgency operations.

Al Jazeera reported that the order to remove U.S. special forces extended to Logar Province.

Hmmm.....My thoughts go out to the women of Afghanistan that after been given hope will be thrown back to the Medieval times in which the Taliban dwell.It's nothing but 'Betrayal' Mr. President, no matter how many times you state: "The Koran teaches that, Be it man or woman, each of you is equal to the other."Read the full story here.

Second man attacks Ahmadinejad in Cairo.

Second man attacks Ahmadinejad in Cairo.(INN).An Egyptian citizen attempted to assault Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Cairo on Thursday evening.
According to a report in the website of the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, the assault occurred at the residence of Mojtaba Amani, the acting Iranian ambassador in Cairo, during a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution.
The attacker attempted to physically assault Ahmadinejad as he chanted, “Down with Iran, he must leave,” Al-Masry Al-Youm reported.
A security source told the Anatolia news agency that the identity of the attacker was not immediately known, although the source said he an Egyptian accent. “Death to Ahmadinejad and death for Bashar [al-Assad],” the source quoted the attacker as saying. He did not carry a weapon , according to reports.
A journalist for the Turkish news agency Anadolu who was present at the scene said that the aggressor was swiftly removed by security guards.
This is the second attempted attack on the Iranian president during his stay in Cairo.
Earlier this week, a young Syrian man tried to assault Ahmadeinjad as he was coming out of a mosque, throwing his shoe at the Iranian president.
Egyptian security forces arrested four men on suspicion of involvement in the first attack.
Ahmadinejad’s visit to Cairo marked the first visit of an Iranian president to Egypt in over thirty years, since the 1979 Iranian revolution ruptured diplomatic ties between the two countries.
During his visit the Iranian president met with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohammed Morsi, as well as with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
The meeting between Ahmadinejad and Abbas came on the same day that the Iranian president proudly declared that the Iranian people are ready to march on Israel to “wipe it out” if the Jewish state attacks the Islamic Republic.
“The people of Iran are ready to march on Israel to wipe it out if it launches into an adventure against Tehran” and attacks the country, the Iranian president told Egyptian media.Read the full story here.

Video - Sunni-Shiite Differences Exposed at Press Conference with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Al-Azhar Officials.

Sunni-Shiite Differences Exposed at Press Conference with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Al-Azhar Officials.Source: Memri.

Ahmadinejad's historic Egypt visit prompts Salafist concerns.

Ahmadinejad's historic Egypt visit prompts Salafist concerns.(AO).Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was greeted at Cairo airport on Tuesday by counterpart Mohamed Morsi, in the start of an historic visit by the leader of Shia Iran to Sunni Egypt.
Ahmadinejad, who is on a three-day visit to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Cairo, is the first Iranian leader to visit Egypt since diplomatic relations were broken off in 1980, a year after Iran's Islamic revolution and Egypt's peace agreement with Israel.
According to state-owned news agency MENA, the two leaders discussed regional issues and ways to enhance Egypt-Iran relations in a short meeting at the airport.
They further discussed means to resolve the Syrian crisis without relying on military interference. Iran is a close ally of the Syrian regime, while Egypt under Morsi's rule backs the Syrian opposition.
The two presidents met previously in Tehran last August, during the Non-Aligned Movement summit.
President Mohamed Morsi had earlier stated during his 2012 presidential campaign, that he would "never meet with Ahmadinejad until he changes his stance towards the Syrian regime." Members of Egyptian group the Salafist Call criticised the historic visit, stressing their opposition to any "Shia influence on Sunni Egypt."
In a statement, the group also voiced its opposition to the planned visit by the Iranian president to Tahrir Square, describing it as "having the possibility of sending out negative messages given the current critical situation in the country."
"He [Ahmadinejad] must not forget that one of Egypt's global commitments and [part of] President Morsi's presidential programme is to protect all Sunni nations from political, cultural or military penetration."
The influential Salafist group also stated that Ahmadinejad needed to be "confronted with his responsibility regarding the killing of women and children in Syria through, his backing of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad."
The statement also raised relations with the largely Sunni Gulf. Ahmadinejad must realise that "the security of the Gulf is one of the main pillars of Egyptian national security," read the statement.
The Salafist statement went on to demand that the Iranian leader not to be allowed to visit any places or mosques that are claimed by Shia to be affiliated with their doctrine.
Last November, during the Shia holiday of Ashura, when Shia Muslims commemorate the killing of Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohamed, Egyptian police barred a number of Shia from entering Al-Hussein Mosque in Cairo to celebrate the religious holiday.
The decision to ban the Shia reportedly came after a number of Salafist youth and some Sunni movements filed a complaint requesting that Shia be blocked from entering the mosque.
Hmmmm....Morsi next will meet Obama in the White House.A frightening thought came to my mind, what if Morsi is the 'Middle Man' for talks between Obama and Ahmadinejad?Read the full story here.

Iran - Pres Ahmadinejad Humiliated as Parliament Dismisses Minister.

Iran - Pres Ahmadinejad Humiliated as Parliament Dismisses Minister.(EAWorldview).Let's be clear. Sunday's confusion over whether Iran will attend renewed talks on its nuclear programme was not the most important story of the day.
That honour was taken by Parliament's removal of the Minister of Labour. Or, rather, it was the humiliation of President Ahmadinejad as he tried to prevent that dismissal.
The sudden announcement that the Majlis would consider the fine of Minster Abdolreza Sheikholeslami --- accused of a refusal to remove controversial Ahmadinejad aide Saeed Mortazavi from an important Government position --- had brought Ahmadinejad to the floor of Parliament.
After all, this was really an attack on him, given his "red line" that he would not allow an political attack on his inner circle.
Ahmadinejad decided not to defend, but to go on the attack. Attempting an extraordinary bit of political theatre, he finally brought one of the "secret" files that he has threatened for 18 months to bring out against his rivals and enemies.
And this was not just an enemy. It was no less than the Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, and his family.
The President claimed he had an audio tape --- "Should I tell? Should I tell?" --- that implicated Larijani's brother in an attempt to get a political favour from Mortazavi, the supposed source of Parliament's anger.

Larijani called the bet: "Go ahead."
And soon it was clear that Ahmadinejad did not hold the high cards. His audio tape was inaudible, so he attempted to describe the supposed hypocrisy and corruption of Fazel Mortazavi. Doing so, he was trying to paint the wider picture: the stories spread of the financial crimes of Ali Larijani, brother and head of judiciary Sadegh Larijani, and brother and senior judiciary official Mohammad Javad Larijani were true.
But Ahmadinejad could not establish his own story. Ali Larijani let him run out of steam, and struck. Far from being the criminal, the Speaker was the victim of a devious and malicious man --- the real criminals were next to the President:

You were supposed to talk about impeachment of your minister, but instead you accused me. Even if my brother has done this, then what does it have to do with me and what does it have to do with this impeachment session?I also met your brother Davoud, and he has spoken about you and your "relatives" [such as Ahmadinejad's controversial right-hand man Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai] about their relationship with fitna [sedition] and [the "terrorist" organisation] MKO. Does this allow me to tell everyone about these meetings?

Gathering himself, the President asked if he could continue. Larijani said no: it was time to vote on the fate of the Minister of Labor.
Then the Speaker put in the telling farewell attack. Ahmadinejad had shown he had no ethical and moral standards. He had betrayed velayat-e faqih, the Iranian system overseen by the Supreme Leader. Ahmadinejad should leave.
The President left. The Minister was dismissed.
Of course, this is not Ahmadinejad's final act. He has four more months left in his term, and he is not the type who will go quietly.
However, his authority is now gone. Increasingly boxed by political opponents chipping away at his economic programme and his political manoeuvres, he will watch as the politics that matter move to the Presidential campaign.
The months of chatter that Ahmadinejad will have his plans and his machinery to promote a successor can be put aside. The Supreme Leader has blessed the three-man committee --- his senior advisor Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, and leading MP and Khamenei relative Gholam Ali Haddad Adel --- to pick the winner.
After the vote, Ahmadinejad will still have some allies in Parliament and in the bureaucracy, but they will be a minority, under the threat of the humiliation that the President received yesterday.
On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad will get one more burst of headline glory when he will attend an Islamic summit in Cairo, thus becoming the first Iranian President to step foot in Egypt. Next week, he will take his place for the ceremonies on the 34th anniversary of the Islamic Republic.
But that will be ceremony only, not authority, and it will be one of his last.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after almost eight years of Presidential political drama, has effectively been thrown off the stage.Hmmm... In times like these contemplating space travel seems like a good idea.Read the full story here.

"Space the Final frontier, To Boldly Go where no Twelver Went Before" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to be Iran's first astronaut.

"Space the Final frontier, To Boldly Go where no Twelver Went Before" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to be Iran's first astronaut.(NDtv).President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday he was ready to be the first human sent into orbit by Iran's fledgling space program, Iranian media reported.
Iran declared last week that it had successfully launched a monkey into space and retrieved it alive, which officials hailed as a major step towards their goal of sending humans into space.
The launch added to Western concerns about Iran's space program because the same rocket technology could potentially be used to deliver a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile.
"I am ready to be the first human to be sent to space by Iranian scientists," Ahmadinejad said on Monday, on the sidelines of an exhibition of space achievements in Tehran, according to the Mehr news agency.
"Sending living things into space are the result of Iranian efforts and the dedication of thousands of Iranian scientists."
Ahmadinejad is known for provocative public comments and it was unclear whether the suggestion was a serious one.
His second and final term as president ends in June, and his political star has been on the wane since he fell out with parliament early in his second term and appeared to lose the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Hmmm.....Jim are we in search of the 'hidden imam'?Read the full story here.

"Pakistani Spring" - Prime Minister's Arrest Ordered amid 'Revolution.'

Tahir-ul-Qadri announced that he wanted to turn Islamabad into a "Tahrir Square," a reference to the epicenter of the protests in Egypt in the spring of 2011.More Pictures here.

"Pakistani Spring" - Prime Minister's Arrest Ordered amid 'Revolution.'(Spiegel).Pakistan has plunged into a leadership crisis. As hundreds of thousands demonstrate against corruption, the country's high court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Ashraf. Populist cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri has declared a "revolution."

The streets of Pakistan were packed on Tuesday, when hundreds of thousands of demonstrators joined the protest called by Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, a self-proclaimed revolutionary leader. Indeed, it was to be his day of "revolution.
He likely wasn't expecting help from the country's highest court, but in the middle of the march, the news suddenly broke that the court had ordered the arrest of Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on suspicion of corruption and nepotism. The demonstrators cheered wildly when they heard the development.

The order issued by the Islamabad-based court came following hearings in a corruption case in which Ashraf, who has been prime minister since last June, stands accused of having received bribes in connection with an energy project during his stint as minister of water and power from 2008 to 2011. He is said to have purchased property in London with the money he received.

Pakistan now finds itself deep in crisis. Already, a power struggle had been brewing. The religious leader Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has been leading a protest march since Sunday, the goal of which is to overthrow of the government. He is hoping to create an interim government, force new elections an push through voting reforms. At 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning local time, Qadri called for a revolution in Pakistan that would remove the Ashraf government from office.

When the announcement of the court order was made, demonstrators celebrated it as a victory for their cause. Pakistan's economy, on the other hand, did not reflect their elation. The country's stock market index immediately plunged.
The news of Ashraf's impending arrest arrived right in the middle of Qadri's speech at noon on Tuesday, during which he declared a revolution. Moments before, the cleric had praised the positive role of the military and the judiciary in a system otherwise pervaded by corruption. Tahir-ul-Qadri, a moderate Muslim and the founder of the organization Minhaj-ul-Quran, or "the path of the Koran," is seen by critics as a pawn of the country's generals and justices.Hmmmm.........."A moderate Muslim and the founder of the organization Minhaj-ul-Quran, or "the path of the Koran,"....Sounds real 'Moderate'.India better prepare for Big Trouble Ahead.Read the full story here.


Related: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan demanded President Asif Ali Zardari’s immediate resignation while announcing his seven-point agenda to the media.
The party chairman also called for implementation of Supreme Court’s recent order of arresting Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the Rental Power Plants case. “We will come out on the roads if orders are not implemented.”

What Qadri is really against While Dr Qadri has been tight-lipped about his whole agenda, he has made it clear that he wants elections in strict adherence of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution and wants dissolution of the Election Commission of Pakistan. Just these demands should alarm us.

Twitter alert: Qadri's deadline and PM Ashraf's arrest


While Tahirul Qadri called for a revolution in Islamabad, in an interesting turn of events, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s arrest in the rental power case.
A mere coincidence?
The local twitterati begged to differ as they began buzzing about a well-thought out conspiracy.
As #longmarch, #KSE, PM Ashraf and #tuQ began trending on twitter, the local twitterati began to put the pieces together.
Top tweets:

Ali Dayan Hasan

Is the Supreme Court of #Pakistan mounting a judicial coup in league with Tahirul Qadri?
Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri
Congrats to Pak nation! Half speech delivered & half goal achieved. Tomorrow, I’ll deliver second half & you’ll achieve remaining goals.
omar r quraishi
Coincidence much? Tahirul Qadri had been asking for SC to have say in formation of caretaker govt – also called PM ‘former PM’ earlier today

Rezaul Hasan Laskar

Asma Jahangir: Only a naïve person will think that there’s no connection between order for PM’s arrest and #TuQ‘s protest.

Chavez Names Successor Ahead of New Surgery........ Psalm 109:8 ~ "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

Chavez Names Successor Ahead of New Surgery.......... Psalm 109:8 ~ "Let his days be few; and let another take his office."(RN).Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced on national television late on Saturday he was flying to Cuba for a new cancer surgery and named Vice-President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro as his possible successor.
"If something were to happen that would incapacitate me in some way, in that situation, Nicolas Maduro should not just complete, as the constitution requires, the term, but my firm opinion, full like a full moon, absolute and total, is that in that situation that would require new presidential elections to convene, as the constitution requires, you should elect Nicolas Maduro as president," he said.
Chavez, 58, who has ruled Venezuela for 13 years, underwent three operations for cancer in the pelvic area and four courses of chemotherapy in Cuba and Venezuela within a year.
He said the recent tests had showed a return of some malignant cells in the area where tumors were previously removed.
Chavez, who was reelected for another six-year presidential term in October, said the swelling and pain he felt were due to the strain during the election campaign and the radiation therapy treatment, adding a new surgery was vital and an illness like this always carried risk.Hmmmm....."And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." ~ Genesis 12:3.Read the full story here.