The WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO) has released a new poll on how Iranians view their nuclear program. The poll has some interesting revelations; the most pertinent being that two-thirds of Iranians would favor their government precluding the development of nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against Iran. The poll also found that only […]
Anytime there is a Shia rebellion in the Arab world, Iran gets excoriated. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for fomenting Shia unrest in their country, and now Yemen is following the same footsteps. A leading Yemeni religious leader has accused Iran of inciting violence in the north of the country, where a predominantly […]
This Al Jazeera program provides a very interesting discussion on the whether there has been a loss of legitimacy since the disputed election and if the escalation of protests will affect Iran’s regional role. The program also provides a background on the Iranian history and Iran’s influence in the region. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/k-F_9qV0AYE” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” […]
Yesterday was a very historical day as the Iranian delegation met with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Russia in Geneva. It is a little too soon to judge the efficacy of these talks, but there has been some positive news. As the New York Times reported, Iran has agreed to […]
Tomorrow Obama administration’s essay at diplomacy with Iran will take place. While some are applauding this move as a new era in the Iran- U.S. relationship, the Wall Street Journal is reminding people that this is not the first time the United States has reached across to negotiate with Iran. In his Op-ed, We’ve Been […]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/URFn9IdecLY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Last week ended on a huge Iran shocker: discovery of a new enrichment plant near the city of Qom. This week is also starting with a bang: Iran has tested two long-range missiles which defense analysts say are capable of hitting Israel or US bases in the Gulf region. […]
All the newspapers are buzzing with one news: the disclosure of a clandestine uranium enrichment plant in Iran. Here is President Obama’s statement on the Iranian nuclear facility that he made along with UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Sarkozy today at the G-20 meeting. PRESIDENT OBAMA: Good morning. We are here to […]
Iran is replacing the U.S. dollar by the euro in the country’s foreign exchange accounts. The Arabian Business reported that the euro will be used to calculate the value of the country’s Oil Stabilization Fund (OSF). The OSF, which forms part of Iran’s foreign exchange reserves, is a contingency fund set up to help the […]
Looks like this year Qaddafi will be the center of attention at the UN. While Ahmadinejad’s speech had some classic “blame West” moments, it just did not match the diatribes found in Qaddafi’s speech (For more on Qaddafi’s speech, check out the Foreign Policy Association’s Human Rights Blog). Ahmadinejad’s speech was more subdued, but that […]
Last week, Iranian President Ahmadinejad once again outraged the world by calling the Holocaust a “myth”. To be honest, it is embarrassing to me as a Muslim when I see a Muslim leader espouse such vitriol. This summer I went to the Dachau concentration camp and it was one of the most heart wrenching experience. […]
Since Iran is such a vibrant country and is constantly in the news, there are plenty of news and analyses that I read while researching my blog but am unable to write about. So here is my first installment of stories about Iran that “slip through the cracks” (yes- I am quoting Lewis Black from […]
Here is President Obama’s message to Muslims celebrating Eid all around the world: STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE OCCASION OF EID-UL-FITR As Muslims in the United States and around the world complete the month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, Michelle and I would like to extend our personal greetings on this joyous occasion. Eid […]
The Newsweek has published an article revealing that Iran has not restarted its nuclear-weapons development program. According to the article: U.S. intelligence agencies have informed policymakers at the White House and other agencies that the status of Iranian work on development and production of a nuclear bomb has not changed since the formal National Intelligence […]
Both taekwondo and volleyball associations have announced that they will allow women wearing hijab to compete. There is a definite tendency in the West to vilify hijab. And while I am against women being forced to wear hijab, I am also against women being denied equal rights due to the fact that their head is […]
Mark your calendars. October 1st is the date when Iran and the five UN Security Council members plus Germany will hold talks about the Iranian nuclear program. The State Department spokesman Ian Kelly announced yesterday that Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns – who was also at the Geneva talks – would […]