Was Iran's Top Cyber Commander Assassinated? (Update)

Mourners at Mojtaba Ahmadi's funeral. Radio Free Europe

Iran Claims Cyber Warfare Expert Not Assassinated, As Israel Remains Cagey Over Involvement -- Independent

Mojtaba Ahmadi is the latest in a string of Iranian commanders and scientists to meet an untimely end

Israel has said it was “not necessarily” involved in the death of the head of Iranian cyber warfare, Mojtaba Ahmadi. He was killed north of Tehran on Saturday or early this week, becoming the latest in a string of Iranian nuclear and war effort experts to meet an untimely end.

“The fact that a cyber commander or this or that scientist was wiped out or killed in this or that assassination does not necessarily mean that Israel’s hand is in the matter,” Science and Technology Minister – and former head of Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet – Yaacov Peri told Israel Radio. “At the same time, it’s definitely the type of operation that can slow the danger in the Iranian issue both in the nuclear realm and in the realm of cyber.”

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Previous Post: Iran's Cyber Warfare Commander Killed In Suspected Assassination

More News On The Death Of Iran's Top Cyber Commander

Iran Guard Says Dead Official Wasn’t Assassinated -- Bloomberg
Iran denies cyber warfare chief was victim of 'assassination' but is investigating 'horrific incident' -- Daily Mail
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Deny Death Of Officer Was 'Assassination' -- Radio Free Europe
Iran denies assassination report -- UPI
Death of Iranian Revolutionary Guards officer shrouded in mystery -- The National
Iranian cyber warfare commander reportedly shot dead by men on motorcycle -- FOX News
Iran’s cyber warfare commander shot dead in alleged assassination – report -- RT
Chief of Iran's cyber warfare program found shot dead near Tehran -- Digital Journal
Iran’s cyber chief killed in ‘internal dispute,’ Israel speculates -- Times of Israel
Iranian cyberwar chief shot dead. Revolutionary Guard: Assassination? Don't 'speculate' -- The Register
Iran, the Mossad and the power of cyber-warfare -- The Telegraph
Reported Assassination Draws Attention to Iran Cyber-Warfare Growth -- The Tower

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Is Confronted By Protestors In Tehran Who Disapprove Of His 'Openings' To The West

Iranian protesters alongside President Hasan Rouhani's convoy after he returned from the UN General Assembly on Saturday. (photo credit: @sosha999, Twitter)

Clashes As Iranian President Returns To Tehran -- New York Times

TEHRAN — Hard-line protesters hurled eggs and a shoe at President Hassan Rouhani of Iran as he returned to Tehran on Saturday after supporters cheered him for reaching out to President Obama.

Mr. Rouhani was standing in his car, waving through the sunroof as he passed supporters at the airport. But moments later, security guards tried to shield the president with an umbrella as protesters threw eggs and a shoe at his car while others blocked the road by praying on the pavement.

“Long live Rouhani, man of change” the president’s supporters shouted, as a small contingent of police struggled to control the crowd.

The hard-liners responded by shouting “our people are awake and hate America.”

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Update #1: Shoes, eggs & rocks at Rouhani’s airport reception -- Times of Israel
Update #2: Iranians cheer, protest over Rouhani's historic phone call with Obama -- Reuters

My Comment: Unlike US press coverage that is cheering this new "rapprochement" between Iran and the U.S. .... focusing on those Iranians who are supportive of these overtures .... news reports from the Middle East and within Iran itself are painting a different picture. Hard core Islamist in Iran are definitely not happy .... and Israel/Saudi Arbia/Gulf sheikdoms/etc. .... are deeply concerned on where is all of this heading to.

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Iran's President Says That Iran Is Not Seeking War But Calls Israel An 'Occupier' And A 'Usurper' That Causes Regional Instability

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Iran's Rouhani Says Wants Peace, Blames Israel For Region's 'Instability' -- Reuters 

(Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a television interview, said his country is not seeking war but harshly criticized Israel for bringing "instability" to the Middle East and for questioning his government's intentions toward nuclear arms.

The comments from the new Iranian president came during the second part of an interview with NBC News that aired on Thursday, just days before he travels to New York for an appearance at the United Nations.

Rouhani called Israel "an occupier, a usurper government that does injustice to the people of the region" and said it "has brought instability to the region with its war-mongering policies."

But when asked further about Israel, Rouhani also said: "What we wish for in this region is rule by the will of the people. We believe in the ballot box. We do not seek war with any country. We seek peace and friendship among the nations of the region."

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More News On Iran's President Calling For Peace But Blaming Israel For The Region's Instability  

EXCLUSIVE: Iran president blames Israel for 'instability,' calls for peace -- NBC
‘Israel brought instability to the region,’ says Iranian president -- Times of Israel
Rohani: Israel an 'occupier' promoting 'warmongering policies' -- YNet News
Rowhani says Iran not seeking war with any nation -- France 24
Asked on Israel, Iran's Rouhani says we seek 'peace and friendship' in the region -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters Iran's Rouhani says does 'not seek war with any country' -- Reuters

Previous Post: Iran's President Vows That His Administration Will Never Develop Nuclear Weapons

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Iran Warns The West To Not Launch A Military Strike Against Syria

Iran Warns West Against Military Intervention In Syria -- The Guardian

Tehran threat comes as John Kerry says US would respond to 'undeniable' use of chemical weapons by Assad regime.

Iran has warned that foreign military intervention in Syria will result in a conflict that would engulf the region.

The threatening rhetoric from Tehran came in response to a statement by the secretary of state, John Kerry, on Monday that the US would respond to the "undeniable" use of chemical weapons in Syria.

In the strongest signal yet that the US intends to take military action against the Assad regime, Kerry said President Bashar al-Assad's forces had committed a "moral obscenity" against his own people.

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More News On Iran Warning The West To Not Launch A Military Strike Against Syria

Iran warns against military intervention in Syria -- Press TV (Iran)
Iran warns UN official Syria attack to imperil region -- Ahram Online/AFP
Iran warns against strike on Syria after gas attack -- Reuters
Iran warns US against action on Syria -- Sydney Morning Herald
Russia and Iran Warn Against Intervention in Syria -- Time

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Russia's Deputy Premier: West Acting Like A 'Monkey With Hand Grenade'

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. © RIA Novosti. Sergei Mamontov

Russian Deputy Premier Calls West ‘Monkey With Hand Grenade’ -- RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) – A firebrand Russian nationalist-turned-senior official said Tuesday that the West was acting in the Islamic world like a “monkey with a hand grenade.”

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s former envoy to NATO, did not elaborate on his comparison, made on his Russian-language Twitter page.

But Rogozin, who used to head a popular nationalist political party and now oversees Russia’s military industrial complex, has previously lambasted on Twitter the alleged plans of “Anglo-Saxons” to attack Syrian government forces.

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My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that my nationality is Russian, and I am always following Russian news .... sharing tidbits here and there in this blog. I have also corresponded with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin when he was Russia's representative in NATO ( I was usually critical of his positions) .... so I do know a "little bit" on what is happening in Russia. Bottom line .... the Russian leadership and media are deeply disturbed on what the U.S. is about to do in the Middle East. As far as they are concerned .... their "red lines" in the Middle East are now about to be crossed by the West, and they are responding accordingly. Not surprising .... the Western media is ignoring this firestorm in Russia, China, and elsewhere .... but it is happening .... everyone around the world is now looking at the White House and paying very close attention to whether or not the U.S. will respond to their red line being crossed by Syria last week .... and for protecting their own "strategic interests" are now issuing their own "warnings and threats".

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LaRouchePAC | Q3 - War danger from Israel, Egypt, Iran, Syria & Wall St's hysteria over Glass-Steagall, 9/11, August 16, 2013

Source: larouchepac.com



Question 3 from the August 16, 2013 LaRouchePAC webcast:
Q3 - On the war danger from the intersecting crises in Israel, Egypt, Iran, Syria, and Wall St.'s hysteria over your drive for Glass-Steagall. -LaRouchePAC.com

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Vladimir Putin | NSA, Syria, Iran, drones in exclusive RT interview (Full Video)

Source: RT.com



Vladimir Putin speaks to RT while visiting the channel in the capital. Various themes were discussed during the interview: Syria, Iran, data surveillance, drones and others.

Transcript of the interview here http://on.rt.com/aho27g

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Large 7.5 Earthquake Iran/Pakistan Border, April 16, 2013

Source: PressTV



The Iranian Seismological Center (IRSC) said the epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 15:14 local time at a depth of 18 kilometers on Tuesday, was situated 95 kilometers north of the city of Saravan.

The quake, unprecedented in the past 40 years, prompted officials to declare a state of emergency in the region.

Assessment and evaluation teams as well as rescue teams from the Iranian Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the quake-stricken area, which is a sparsely populated rural area between the provincial cities of Saravan and Khash.

The tremor was powerful enough to be felt as far away as New Delhi, India, where it rocked tall buildings. It was also felt in the Persian Gulf's littoral states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

According to Press TV correspondent, at least nine people have been killed and 100 others injured in Balochistan province of Pakistan near Iran border, after the major quake hit Iran's southeastern parts.

Officials and local sources told Press TV that several houses were destroyed due to earthquake in Panjgur District near Iran border on Tuesday, killing five people including two women.

Meanwhile, at least two people were killed because of the quake in Chahaai area also in Pakistan's Balochistan Province. M7.8 - 83km E of Khash, Iran 2013-04-16 10:44:20 UTC  

The number of casualties will be very high - No credible report as of now.
The earthquake was felt from India to Saudi Arabia.

Event Time
2013-04-16 10:44:20 UTC
2013-04-16 15:14:20 UTC+04:30 at epicenter
2013-04-16 06:44:20 UTC-04:00 system time
Location 28.107°N 62.053°E depth=82.0km (51.0mi)

Nearby Cities
83km (52mi) E of Khash, Iran
168km (104mi) NE of Iranshahr, Iran
192km (119mi) SE of Zahedan, Iran
232km (144mi) SSW of Rudbar, Afghanistan
606km (377mi) NE of Muscat, Oman

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Israeli warplanes bombed research center near Damascus - Syrian military

An Israeli F-15 fighter jet (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/israeli-warplanes-bomb-damascus-114/

Israeli fighter jets targeted a military research center near Damascus early on Wednesday morning, Syrian state news agency SANA said citing army officials.

The Syrian army’s general command has issued a statement, saying an air strike was launched by the IAF targeting a military research center in Jamraya, rural Damascus.­

“Israeli fighter jets violated our air space at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research center in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence,” the army statement said as cited by SANA.

The strike caused material damage to the center and a nearby building, killing two workers and wounding five others, the statement added.

The Israeli military has neither confirmed nor denied the reports of attacks on Syrian territory, an IDF spokeswoman said they “do not comment on reports of this kind.”

Earlier there were reports in the media of an attack by Israeli jets on Wednesday morning striking a target on the Syrian-Lebanese border amid repeated violations of Lebanese airspace. A US government official has confirmed reports that Israeli warplanes targeted a convoy headed from Syria to Lebanon, the Associated Press says.

The Syrian military however has denied this, saying there was no Israeli strike on a convoy of trucks on its border. It called the strike a “blatant act of aggression” against Syria and accused Israel of supporting terrorist activity in the country.

It is unclear whether this is the same air raid the Syrian military is now referring to or if there were two separate assaults.

­Although it has not yet been confirmed whether an air strike indeed targeted a military site near Damascus, experts believe that after months of constant rebel attacks on Syrian air defence systems an air strike would make sense.

“It finally makes sense because the rebels or as they like to call themselves the revolutionaries, they have been attacking air defence bases near Damascus for the past seven months,” Dr Ali Mohamad, editor in chief of the Syria Tribune news website told RT. “They’ve managed to attack the S-200 base and over four SM-2 and SM-3 bases. Now this followed by an air strike from Israel. So it all adds up, it makes sense. It only shows that Israel has a great interest in the instability in Syria and that it is being helped by groups of armed rebels in Syria."

 

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Iran slams international community's silence on Israeli crimes in Gaza

 

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/18/273009/iran-slams-international-silence-on-gaza/

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has slammed the international community’s indifference to the Israeli regime’s aggression against the Gaza Strip.

“The approach of the Zionist Regime [of Israel] results from the lack of a firm reaction by the international community, particularly human rights organizations, towards the war crimes [committed] by this regime in the past and present,” Salehi said on Sunday.

The Iranian foreign minister made the remarks at an opening address to Syria’s National Dialog meeting in Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Nearly 200 participants, including Syrian scholars, tribal and religious leaders, the representatives of different ethnicities, minorities and the opposition are participating in the meeting hosted by Iran.

Salehi added that the international community’s indifference has led to the continuation and escalation of Israel’s crimes.

He said regional institutions, particularly the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), can take firm measures to prevent the repetition of such aggression.

The Iranian foreign minister added that “Arab countries and particularly the Arab League and Muslim countries” should focus all their attention on the main enemy and take practical measures to help the innocent people of Gaza.

At least 50 Palestinians have been killed and more than 400 others wounded since Wednesday, when the recent Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip began. Many Palestinian women and children have been among the fatalities.

Israeli aircraft also bombed Hamas’ government buildings in the Palestinian territory on Saturday. The Tel Aviv regime also authorized the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian foreign minister said Syria’s National Dialogue meeting could be an important step toward resolving the country’s ongoing crisis and restoring peace and stability.

Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest since March 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the turmoil.

Iran has repeatedly voiced its opposition to any foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, calling for inclusive dialog and national reconciliation as well as free elections as the key to the settlement of the crisis in the country.

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Iran calls for international action to end attacks on Gaza

 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/16/272684/iran-urges-immediate-end-to-gaza-raids/

Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has called for immediate action by international organizations to end the Israeli regime’s savage assault on Gaza.

Salehi made the remarks during a speech at the 39th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in the Republic of Djibouti.

The Iranian Foreign Minister called on the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, current President of the Security Council Hardeep Singh Puri, and the European Union to act immediately to defend Palestine and Gaza against the damaging effects of the Israeli regime’s attacks on the peace and security of Palestinians.

He also urged the international organizations to provide all-out political and humanitarian support in order to alleviate the miseries of the Palestinians.

Salehi further called on the foreign ministers of OIC member states to issue a statement and condemn the atrocious acts committed by the Zionist regime and support the oppressed people of Palestine.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed in the new wave of Israeli attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip since November 14, and 250 people have been injured.

Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the military was preparing for a “significant widening” of its attacks against the blockaded coastal strip, the Tel Aviv regime has called up 30,000 army reservists, preparing 16,000 for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.

The Israeli regime conducts airstrikes and ground attacks against the besieged Palestinian territory on an almost regular basis.

Gaza has been blockaded since 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the living standards, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.

 

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Iran’s Jews – Iran

Video Release Date: May 2007

Video Link: Journeyman Pictures - YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngttxIzXRsE&feature=plcp

The fiercely Islamic Republic of Iran, is perhaps the last place you would expect to find a large Jewish community. But despite political use of anti-semitic, anti-Israeli slogans, Iran's Jews appear remarkably free.

"Anti-semitism has never been the general policy of the Iranian government" explains Maurice Mottamed, the country's sole Jewish MP. There are of course "glaring differences" in treatment between the majority Muslim population and religious minorities. But remarkably most of the time Iranian Jews are "comfortably doing everything they want to do here. We can perform all our religious celebrations." This is an image very much at odds with fashionable Western opinion.

Produced by SBS/Dateline
Distributed by Journeyman Pictures

-------------------------------------------

"Iran's problem with Israel is its government & policies, not its people"

Tony Cartalucci

http://landdestroyer.blogspot.ca/

November 12, 2012 - Despite the US and Israel openly subverting, encircling, unleashing terrorists and threatening war upon Iran - the nation, both its government and its people, hold a balanced view toward the people living under the governments threatening them. Because of the torrent of propaganda washing over global audiences, many might be surprised at the conditions under which Iran's Jewish community live (the largest population of Jews in the Middle Eastoutside of Israel) - surprised that they have representation in the government, protections, and an ancient, thriving culture.

Journeyman Pictures takes us into this community and offers us an alternative view of not only Iran's position toward Judaism and the world, but insight into the insidious, manipulative deceit of Western governments, including their Middle East client regime within Israel itself.

 

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Iran issues a warning for America after attacking spy drone

 

An Iranian couple hold a model of the captured US RQ-170 drone during the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Azadi (Freedom) square in Tehran on February 11, 2012. (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/usa/news/iran-drone-us-airspace-360/

Following confirmation from both sides that an American surveillance drone was fired at by Iranian jets, top brass with Iran’s military say the country won’t hesitate to shoot again next time a US craft enters its airspace.

“The defenders of the Islamic Republic will respond decisively to any form of encroachment by air, sea or on the ground," Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, a senior armed forces commander, told the Fars news agency in a report published on Friday.

One day earlier, the Pentagon admitted that an unmanned aerial vehicle managed by the US Defense Department escaped unscathed from enemy fire during a routine surveillance mission 16 miles outside of Iran on November 1. Iranians do not contest that account entirely, but do dispute America’s claim in regards to where exactly the incident occurred. According to the Pentagon, the drone was targeted last week while flying far enough off of the Iranian coast that it was considered to be in international territory. While Iran has declined to offer an exact number to counter America’s claims of being 16 nautical miles off land, remarks from foreign defense officials suggest that the US could have been closer.

Comments from both Gen. Jazayeri and Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, Iran’s minister of defense, suggest that the US aircraft was within 12 miles from the Iranian coast, making it fair game for that country’s air force to open fire.

"If any foreign aircraft attempts to enter our airspace our armed forces will deal with them," says Jazayeri, who also serves as the deputy chairman to the country’s chief of staff. Jazayeri failed to specifically imply he was discussing the drone, but made his comments hours after the Pentagon confirmed that their craft was fired at.

According to the New York Times, Iran also disputes where the shooting actually originated from. Initially, the US says two airplanes controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot at the drone. As far as Gen. Vahidi, the defense minister, is concerned, that’s incorrect. The Times writes that Vahidi believes “the two Iranian planes, which the Pentagon had identified as Russian-made Su-25 jets known as Frogfoots, belonged to the Iranian Air Force.” The paper notes that America’s insistence that the attack came from the Guard Corps pins the blame on a group “whose activities are routinely more aggressive than the conventional Air Force.”

George Little, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters on Thursday that the United States has every intention of continuing its routine spy missions from international territory outside of Iran.

"The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters, over the Arabian Gulf, consistent with longstanding practices and our commitment to the security of the region,” Little said.

Contesting Iran’s claims of being in their own airspace, Little added, "Our aircraft was never in Iranian airspace. It was always flying in international airspace.”

In a briefing released by the Stratfor intelligence group, they suggest that the US will do little to avoid any possible future altercations like last week’s. “It should be remembered that they were shooting at an unmanned aircraft, which was created in part so that no human life would be at risk if it was shot down. That doesn't mean the United States is casual about losing a very expensive piece of hardware. It does mean that the U.S. military is unlikely to suspend operations,” writes Stratfor.“Clearly the United States doesn't mind making the Iranians nervous.”

The assault is believed to be the first time during a 30-year plus standoff between the two countries that Iran opened fire on an American UAV. Last year, Iran hijacked one of those unmanned drones well within their territory during what the US called a routine reconnaissance mission.

 

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Election mandate in hand, Obama readies more Iran sanctions



 

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/iran-us-sanctions-drone-300/

Only days after President Obama won reelection, the US rolled out a new round of sanctions against Iran and accused it of attempting to shoot down an American drone in international airspace.

­The US State Department and Treasury announced on Thursday that the sanctions are aimed at senior Iranian officials and several related entities. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said they are “responsible for the abuses carried out against their own citizens.”

The alleged abuses include the jamming of international satellite broadcasts, blocking Internet access to services like YouTube, eBay, Facebook and Gmail, and monitoring online activities to identify “users who published material insulting government officials,” a US Treasury statement said. Tehran is also accused of attacking foreign websites, shutting down newspapers in Iran and detaining journalists.

Other countries in the region, including US allies, have blocked Internet users from accessing services and materials they deemed impropriate. Turkey blocked YouTube over videos insulting its first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Pakistan blocked YouTube for “blasphemous web content.” The United Arab Emirates did the same, taking offense at ‘adult content’ on the video-sharing site.

The four individuals targeted by the sanctions include Tehran’s Communication and Information Technology Minister Reza Taghipour, deputy commander of the Basij militia Ali Fazli and Iranian police chief Esmail Ahmadi Moghaddam. The five entities include the country’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Press Supervisory Board and the Center to Investigate Organized Crime.

Iranian software companies AmnAfzar Gostar-e Sharif and PeykAsa – which are involved in monitoring and blocking Internet traffic – and the companies’ founder Rasool Jalili were also targeted by the sanctions.

Tehran is engaged in a campaign to curtail freedoms and “prevent the free flow of information both into and out of Iran,” Nuland said. “Countless activists, journalists, lawyers, students and artists have been detained, censured, tortured or forcibly prevented from exercising their human rights.”

The US and some of its allies have leveled increasingly harsh sanctions against Iran. The restrictions have crippled Iranian oil exports, a major source of income for the country, by targeting any organizations worldwide that buy crude from the Islamic Republic.

Western countries are pressuring Iran in a bid to force it to stop enriching uranium. They allege that Tehran is trying to stockpile the material to produce a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists that it produces enriched uranium for civilian purposes only.

­Drone debacle

­On Tuesday, the Pentagon said that Iranian warplanes shot at a US Predator drone over the Gulf region, but failed to take it down. The encounter reportedly took place on November 1, about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast and in international airspace.

Pentagon spokesperson George Little said that this was the fist time the Iranian military had fired on a US drone. The incident initially went undisclosed because the US military does not discuss classified surveillance missions, he explained. The attack was officially confirmed only after it was reported in the US media.

Two Iranian Sukhoi Su-25 jets intercepted the unarmed drone as it was performing a routine – but classified – patrol over Persian Gulf waters.

The aircraft shot “multiple rounds” at the Predator, and after it moved away from the Iranian border they shadowed it “for some period of time before letting it return to base,” Little said.

The American military claimed the Iranian pilots intended to shoot down the drone.

"Our working assumption is that they fired to take it down. You'll have to ask the Iranians why they engaged in this action," Little said. He did not explain why the Iranian jets failed to hit their target, as drones are incapable of performing elaborate evasive maneuvers.

He said that the American drone “was never in Iranian air space,” which begins 12 nautical miles from the country’s coastline.

In December 2011, a CIA RQ-170 Sentinel stealth done was monitoring Iranian nuclear and military facilities when it was brought down and captured in eastern Iran. The US said it malfunctioned, while Tehran claimed they had downed the aircraft. The Iranian government later published photos of the captured drone, which appeared undamaged.

“The United States has communicated to the Iranians that we will continue to conduct surveillance flights over international waters over the Arabian Gulf, consistent with longstanding practice and our commitment to the security of the region,” Little said.

Chief of Staff Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, the Deputy Chair of the Iranian Armed Forces, said there would be a “firm response” to any air, ground and sea aggression against Iran. He vowed to confront any foreign aircraft that violated the country’s airspace, Iranian news channel Press TV reported.

US President Barack Obama (AFP Photo / Jewel Samad) 

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NATO airbase in Turkey to assume a central role in a possible war on Syria

 

By: Cem Ertür

Source: Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-airbase-in-turkey-to-assume-a-central-role-in-a-possible-war-on-syria/5310474

According to plans prepared by the US and Turkey, Pirinclik Air Base (*) , which is the closest NATO air base to Syria, will assume a central role in the event of an operation against Syria; reports Hurriyet daily.

A delegation of 20 officials from the United States European Command (EUCOM) inspected the air base in Diyarbakir for two days to assess its current readiness for a possible military action.

(*) Hurriyet’s report refers to the NATO base in Diyarbakir as “2nd Air Force Command” [headquarters], instead of ‘Pirinclik Air Base’. Although the US Department of Defence announced the return of the Pirinclik Air Base to the Turkish Armed Forces in 1997, the base is still being used as one of the 24 NATO bases across Turkey and hosts NATO’s early-warning radar system.

It is also worth noting that another NATO’s Incirlik Air Base in Adana (southern Turkey) is in a similar proximity to Turkey’s border with Syria. Incirlik is currently being used as a command center of NATO-led covert operations against Syria.

Sources:

1) Operasyonel mekanizmada ilk adım

[The first step through the operational mechanism]

Hurriyet, 31 October 2012

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/21820659.asp

2) Turkish military denies presence of US troops in Diyarbakır

Today’s Zaman, 31 October 2012

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=296791

[Notes: Excerpts from Hurriyet’s report have been translated and edited by Cem Ertür. Today's Zaman is the English version of the Turkish newspaper Zaman]

 

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UK considers deploying Eurofighter Typhoon jets in Persian Gulf region

 

Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/uk-gulf-region-warplanes-842/

Britain may deploy its warplanes in the Gulf region amid the mounting tension over a possible war between Israel and Iran and the overall turbulence in the wake of the Arab Spring, according to a British newspaper.

­The arrival of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets may be announced soon by Prime Minister David Cameron, who has been discussing the issue with rulers of the United Arab Emirates, says The Independent.

The warplanes may be deployed at the Al Dhafra airbase south of the capital Abu Dhabi, where American and French troops are already present. It’s not yet clear which country would pay for the Typhoons’ presence. The UAE foots operational costs for the French Mirage fighter-bombers stationed there, which is estimated at between 20 and 45 million euro annually.

The news comes as top Israeli politicians are touring European countries. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is in Britain, where he met military top brass in addition to politicians. He is said to be aware and supportive of the plan to deploy British warplanes in the region.

Barak earlier reiterated in an interview that Israel will attack Iranian nuclear facilities unilaterally when it feels it is necessary to prevent Tehran from creating a nuclear weapon. However, he said the deadline to launch such an attack will not come before spring or summer next year.

Israel’s Western allies, including the UK and the US, have been trying to restrain its hawkish ambitions, citing the mounting economic sanctions against Iran. The damage to the Islamic Republic’s economy appears significant ever since America and the European Union targeted its oil industry.

Tehran however remains defiant and defends its right to develop civilian nuclear program. It denies all allegations of secretly trying to weaponize its stockpile of enriched uranium.

UK’s Ministry of Defence insists the possible deployment of Typhoons has no connection with the tension around Iran’s nuclear program.

“We have a mutual interest with our GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] partners in ensuring peace and stability in the region, and exercises such as this allow us to practice working together,” it said.

However the warplanes may be needed to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a major oil transportation waterway, which Iran threatened to block in case of an attack against it. The British government said it wanted to be prepared for any contingency, although it favors sanctions against Iran over a military intervention.

UK already has a significant military presence in the Persian Gulf, including a number of warships and a nuclear submarine. The key military player in the region, the US, also built up its forces in the region over the past year amid the tension.

In addition to maintaining three aircraft carriers on patrol, the US Navy doubled the number of mine sweepers assigned to the region, moved a converted amphibious transport and docking ship there. Its Air Force has deployed additional F-22 and F-15C warplanes capable of striking on Iran’s territory.

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Mujahadin-e Khalq America’s protected terrorists gearing up against Iran (Op-Ed)

 

Members of the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) (Image from vkb.isvg.org)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/iran-mek-us-military-237/

Unsatisfied in "crippling" Iran with sanctions, the US looks to be set for active operations there - and already has an in: a group called the Mujahadin-e Khalq, which in the near future could become the Persian equivalent of the Free Syrian Army.

­On September 21, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton passed Public Notice 8050, de-listing the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK) from the State Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, effective September 28.

What is MEK? Mujahadin-e Khalq is an Iranian Islamic militant organization in exile that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since its inception in 1965 in Iran, the group conducted assassinations of US military personnel and civilians working in Iran in the 1970s, jubilantly supported the takeover of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979 and opposed the release of American personnel, calling for their execution instead, fought against the Islamic Republic together with Saddam Hussein during the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988) and set up headquarters in Iraq at Camp Ashraf.

In recent years, according to various sources including NBC, MEK teamed up with the Israeli secret service to kill Iranian nuclear scientists. NBC reported that US officials confirmed that “the Obama administration is aware of the assassination campaign but has no direct involvement”.

In 1994, the State Department sent a damning 41-page report to Congresson why the MEK is a terrorist organization; that designation was enacted in 1997. The report concluded: “It is no coincidence that the only government in the world that supports the Mujahadin politically and financially is the totalitarian regime of Saddam Hussein.” Well, the MEK’s mission to overthrow Iran’s leadership has not changed since, but the US agenda has: In a vertiginous about-face, Washington became the powerful protector of the Mujahadin-e Khalq.

Over the past few years, a formidable fundraising operation and campaign to de-list MEK from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist register gathered some high-caliber US supporters including General James Jones, President Obama's National Security Advisor from 2009 to 2010; Bill Richardson, Energy Secretary and UN ambassador in the Clinton administration and Obama's Special Envoy to North Korea; Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security; General Wesley Clark, former supreme commander of NATO; Louis Freeh, former director of the FBI; three former directors of the CIA – Michael Hayden, James Woolsey and Porter Goss; Rudolph Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City; former UN Ambassador John Bolton; General Hugh Shelton, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002; and many others.

Top Washington lawyers and lobbyists made the case for the terrorist group as well: Akin Gump, Strauss Hauer & Feld, Patton Boggs and others. Robert Strauss, of the firm of the same name, was US Ambassador to the Soviet Union during the critical months of August 2, 1991, through December 26, 1991. A senior member of the firm Tobi Gati was also head of the intelligence branch of the US State Department.

When speaking about terrorist groups, one might think of MEK as a ragtag bunch of cutthroats in shreds and tatters, confined to an unsanitary tent city. The truth is nothing of the sort. Watch this report by CNN’s Michael Ware dating back to 2007: You will see a marching army in crisp brand-new white-and-blue and khaki uniforms, entering a spacious parade ground framed by sculptures of lions. Camp Ashraf itself is one of the best-kept military facilities in Iraq and a sprawling city of 4,000 people, with shopping centers and hospitals, gardens, monuments, fountains and illuminations quite unexpected in the war-torn deserts of Iraq. The MEK is also armed with more than 2,000 well-maintained tanks, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and armored personnel carriers. Its supplies are guarded by US military police, and the camp itself is guarded by the American military.

Indeed, “The coalition remains deeply committed to the security and rights of protected people of Ashraf,” US Major General Gardner said, according to a Headquarters Multinational Force Iraq document dated March 11, 2006. Michael Ware calls the MEK “the US’ officially protected terrorists.” Another film of Australian origin shows Camp Ashraf’s own parliament and hundreds of tanks on the camp’s parade ground.

Well-versed in American political mores, the MEK’s leadership says the group is ‘pro-democracy.’ However, even the New York Times disagrees: In the middle of the 2011 de-listing campaign, it described MEK as “a repressive cult despised by most Iranians and Iraqis.”

‘Totalitarian cult’ is indeed the most frequent label applied to the MEK by people who come in contact with the group. And American support for MEK is not limited to military protection. Seymour Hersh, in his New Yorker piece“Our Men in Iran?” revealed that beginning in 2005, MEK fighters were trained in Nevada by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).

Why is Washington backing the MEK? As General Shelton said at a conference in February 2011, “When you look at what the MEK stands for, when they are antinuclear, separation of church and state, individual rights, MEK is obviously the way Iran needs to go. … By placing the MEK on the FTO [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] list we have weakened the support of the best organized internal resistance group to the most terrorist-oriented anti-Western world, anti-democratic regime in the region.”

In an interview with Germany’s WDR TV back in 2005, ex-CIA operative Ray McGovern explained the logic: “Why the U.S. cooperates with organizations like the Mujahadin, I think, is because that they are local, and because they are ready to work for us. Previously, we considered them a terrorist organization. And they exactly are. But they are now our terrorists and we now don't hesitate to send them into Iran …. for the usual secret service activities: attacking sensors, in order to supervise the Iranian nuclear program, mark targets for air attacks, and perhaps establishing secret camps to control the military locations in Iran. And also a little sabotage.”

Karen Kwiatkowski, formerly with the Department of Defense, makes a long story short for WDR TV: “MEK is ready to do things over which we would be ashamed, and over which we try to keep silent. But for such tasks we'll use them.”

Now is the time for Russia and the world community to take active political measures preventing the United States from launching another proxy war in the Middle East. The MEK is much better trained and prepared for war than the Syrian rebels were at the beginning of the conflict, or even today. The MEK has all the necessary capabilities to become the military arm of an American attack against Iran. This time – unlike in Syria – the world should not ignore the march to war, and must take steps to prevent it from happening again.

­Veronika Krasheninnikova, Director General of the Institute for Foreign Policy Research and Initiatives in Moscow, for RT

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

 

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Largest US-Israel military drill under way

 

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/268648.html

The U.S. and Israel simulated rocket attacks during their largest-ever joint military drill Wednesday.

U.S. military officials insisted the joint exercise, called Austere Challenge 2012, was planned long before.

It comes at a time when Israel and the U.S. have openly debated the merits of a strike on Iran's civilian nuclear facilities, and as U.S. support for Israel has emerged as a central issue in the upcoming American presidential elections.

In this week's presidential debate, President Barack Obama cited the joint drill, calling it testament to the strong military cooperation between the two countries. Presidential contender Mitt Romney has claimed that the Obama administration has undermined Israel as it faces threats from Iran and Arab countries.

About 1,000 troops brought in from the U.S. are in Israel alongside a similar number of Israeli troops. An additional 2,500 U.S. troops based in Europe and the Mediterranean are participating in the drill. The exercise will continue for about three weeks.

"Make no mistake. The U.S. is 100 percent committed to the security of Israel. That commitment drives this exercise," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin in a news conference at a training site near a beach in the Tel Aviv area.

Reporters were invited to view a large parking lot near the beach where large camouflage-colored trucks and a Patriot air defense battery launcher were deployed for Wednesday's exercise. ABC News

FACTS & FIGURES

The joint Israeli-American drill is being conducted throughout Israel and off-shore by the two sides comes with a combined bill of close to $40 million.

The U.S. has pledged $30 million to the exercise and the Israelis estimated their exercise costs at 30 million shekels -- around $7.9 million, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

A Congressional Research Service report shows that between 1968 and 2008, the United States gave Israel more than $67 billion of taxpayer-funded military aid grants and loans. In 2007 the Bush Administration signed an agreement with Israel to provide an additional $30 billion in weapons from 2009 to 2018. NBC News

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Iran threatens to stop oil exports, considers anti-Europe sanctions

 

A general view of Iran's first offshore oil platform, Iran-Alborz, in the Caspian Sea near city of Neka about 392 km (245 miles) north of Tehran (Reuters/Official website of the Iranian Oil Ministry)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/iran-stop-oil-export-sanctions-072/

Iran warns that it could stop exporting oil, driving global crude prices up, should the US and allied Europe tighten sanctions further. For such a case, Tehran says, it has a contingency strategy to carry on without oil revenues.

­“If you continue to add to the sanctions, we will stop our oil exports to the world,” Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi told reporters Tuesday. “The lack of Iranian oil in the market would drastically add to the price.”

Iran is currently under pressure from international sanctions, mainly in oil exports, imposed by the UN Security Council, the US and the EU in order to curb the Islamic Republic’s controversial nuclear program. Washington and some if its allies believe the program is being used to develop a nuclear weapon.

On October 15, the European Union foreign ministers approved a new package of sanctions targeting Iran’s financial, trade, energy, transportation and telecommunications sectors.

Earlier in October, American lawmakers also extended the already tough sanctions against Iran.

The measures have severely hurt the Islamic Republic’s economy.

However, Qasemi said that Iran has a “Plan B” which will enable the country to make due without profits from oil sales. He did not mention how long the economy could function, though, without selling oil.

Iran is still pumping oil at capacity and producing 4 million barrels per day (bpd), Qasemi said, denying OPEC’s report that the country's output has fallen to around 2.7 million bpd. He added that "Iran has been facing US sanctions for 30 years while successfully managing its oil sector."

Iranian Parliament considers sanctions on Europe

­Angered by a new round of sanctions, Iranian lawmakers are working on a “preemptive embargo package” which would hit European states, Press TV reported.

Officials plan to impose sanctions in three phases.

The first will deprive Iran’s enemies of its high-quality light and heavy crude oil. According to the report, 70 European oil-refining plants depend on Iranian oil.

The second phase is a ban on goods transported from European states that participated in imposing the sanctions against Tehran.

And the third would prohibit Iranian citizens from traveling to hostile countries.

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EU Censors Alternative News in Bid to Dominate US NATO War Narrative

Image: European Union is a Prison with no Free Speech

 

By: Tony Cartalucci

Source: Global Research
http://www.globalresearch.ca/eu-censors-alternative-news-in-bid-to-dominate-us-nato-war-narrative/5308461

Western media quietly attempts to censor growing global opposition, begins with Iranian media.

Iran’s Press TV reported in their article, “Press TV viewers slam EU move to ban Iran channels as illegal, hypocritical,” that “Press TV viewers have condemned as illegal and hypocritical the ban imposed by the European officials on the broadcast of several Iranian satellite channels.” Nearly no mention is made in the Western media regarding the blatant act of censorship – an act that runs contra to all perceived notions of “Western values,” and an act that directly undermines the narratives of the West supporting “freedom” and “democracy” around the globe

 

Image: The West has spent billions trying to leverage “freedom of speech” and “human rights” as a means to undermine, destabilize, overthrow, and replace governments around the world, from the US-engineered Eastern European “color-revolutions” after the fall of the Soviet Union, to the latest US-engineered “Arab Spring,” and all across Southeast Asia. Now with the West pursuing its own campaign of censorship, it is clear that these “values” were merely selectively and opportunistically manipulated.

….

The news has been buried under reports regarding a new round of sanctions passed by the EU which was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize even while pursuing multiple wars across the globe, including continuing operations in Libya, the subversion of Syria, and a decade long occupation of Afghanistan which sees weekly civilian massacres by NATO air strikes on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border. In fact, the most recent NATO atrocity occurred not even a week ago, killing 3 children in the Helmand province. Of course this was absent in Western headlines, but it did make headlines in Iran’s Press TV, and indicates a more realistic explanation to the EU’s decision to ban the Iranian news service.

Clearly the EU has no qualms over endangering civilian lives – its concerns over “human rights” are a selectively applied value it uses against its enemies with demonstrably no intention of holding itself to similar standards. Now, the EU has applied this same selective application of supposed “Western values” to “freedom of speech,” curtailing it when that speech endangers its own interests, and pursuing “freedom” when it advances their agenda. And it is this hypocrisy that the increasingly popular Press TV news service has been illustrating, as a counterweight to the uniformly biased and compromised Western press.

It was US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who stated that censorship incurred “long-term economic and social costs,” with oppression leading to “civil unrest and not security.” Many Western politicians executing corporate-financier driven policyhave stated that a regime’s pursuit of censorship was a sign of weakness and fear – an indicator that its opposition was gaining ground and that more overt, visible, even desperate measures needed to be implemented. Censorship, according to the West’s own narrative, is part of a self-defeating cycle where legitimacy and the mandate to lead increasingly is fading.

With that consideration in mind, the censorship of Iran’s Press TV should be a sign that Iran’s efforts to balance global public perception skewed by the vast resources of Wall Street and London are succeeding. Along with Russia Today (RT), Press TV has provided nations who aspire to live in a mulipolar world where the primacy of the nation-state prevails, a model to follow in combating the unwarranted power and influence of Western media houses.

Above all, it should be noted that a key contributing factor to Press TV and RT’s success is the growing alternative media – media by the people and for the people – whose legitimacy and reputation is measured in accuracy, consistency, and objectivity, not slick graphics, expensive suits, and million-dollar studios. The alternative media has provided content for growing national news agencies seeking to challenge the West’s hegemony over information, and while national news agencies ultimately pursue national agendas, the content they are drawing on generally come from people simply seeking the truth.

The EU’s act of censorship against Press TV is in turn a strike against the alternative media. Instead of being seen as a setback, it should be seen as a success and a signal to redouble our efforts as individuals to assert our own will and vision for the future over that of the miniscule global elite who have so far gone unchallenged in their designs and aspirations. The alternative media should be only the first in a series of people-driven alternativessystematically undermining and replacing existing corporate-financier dominated paradigms.

Ways to watch Press TV in Europe

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/18/267357/how-to-watch-press-tv-in-europe/

You can find more by Tony Cartalucci here:

http://landdestroyer.blogspot.ca/

NOTE:

Press TV is a voice that speaks for billions of people and should be allowed to express the views of others on air or we descend into another dark period when freedom of speech was not allowed in Europe.

Please sign the petition to maintain freedom of speech in Europe

http://www.change.org/petitions/press-tv-viewers-save-press-tv-in-europe

 

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