Disgusting: Iranian Woman Sentenced to be Beaten for Photo of Her Without Head Scarf

Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, an Iranian woman who had been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, will be lashed 99 times for "corruption and indecency."  The charge: being photographed without a hijab covering her face.

The Iranian government suspended Ms. Mohammadi-Ashtiani's death sentence after protests in Europe and an international campaign organized to save her life.  However, the British newspaper the Times soon after published a photograph of her without a head scarf.  Though her lawyers deny that the picture is of her, the sentence was handed down.

There are conflicting reports of whether she has been whipped yet.  The Iranian government has not confirmed or denied is she had been whipped yet.

As for her escape from death, international observers fear that she still may be hanged for adultery.

Could be lashed for photo and hung for adultery

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Mideast Nations Lining Up Against Iran

 The German news magazine Der Spiegel has an interesting article about the nations of the Middle East that are lining up to oppose Iran. Der Spiegel is usually a left-wing publication, but their article here seems to capture the fear that is permeating the Arab nations in the region.

The understanding that Iran cannot get nuclear weapons seems to be almost universal:

Almost all Arab neighbors have a hostile relationship with the Islamic Republic. Saudi Arabia suspects Iran of stirring up the Shiite minority in its eastern provinces. The Arab emirates accuse Iran of occupying three islands in the Persian Gulf. Egypt has not had regular diplomatic relations with Iran since a street in Tehran was named after the murderer of former Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat.

Jordanian King Abdullah II warns against the establishment of a "Shiite crescent" between Iran and Lebanon. And Kuwait, fearing the Iranians, installed the Patriot air defense missile system in the spring.

It will be interesting to see how the Arab nations in the region will react if the United States or Israel does not act militarily to stop Iran's nuclear ambition. Saudi Arabia is the only one strong enough and close enough to strike the nuclear sites effectively.

Cross-posted at World Threats.

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Iran Builds "Human-Like" Robot

Iran is at it again. Aside from its nuclear program, it is also attempting to send a man into space and propel stem-cell research. Apparently, they're bragging about building a "human-like" robot, the Soorena-2.

"Walking slowly like human beings with regular arm and leg movements are among its characteristics," it said. "Such robots are designed and developed to be used in sensitive and difficult jobs on behalf of a person or as help." 

Wow. So they put a guy in a robot costume. Sounds like they're the techie leaders of the world now.

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Iran Nuclear Deal?

Fox is reporting that Iran has agreed to a nuclear deal after a trip from Brazilian President Lula da Silva. Apparently, Teheran has assented to send partially enriched uranium to Turkey for nuclear fuel rods.

The deal would deprive Iran — at least temporarily — of the stocks of enriched uranium that it could process to the higher levels of enrichment needed in weapons production. The material returned to Iran in the form of fuel rods cannot be processed beyond its lower, safer levels. Iran needs the fuel rods to power an aging medical research reactor in Tehran that produces isotopes for cancer treatment.

The plan would send over a ton of uranium out of Iran. But what could be pushing this?

• Iran might be feeling the economic crunch and needs sanctions reversed to save their ailing economy.
• Iran might legitimately want to give up nuclear weapons ambition (not likely).
• Iran has another source of uranium which it will enrich while international focus is gone.

 Cross-posted at World Threats.

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Iran: Sleeping Around Causes Earthquakes

So that's why there's all those earthquakes in California. Not only that, but apparently wearing "immodest clothing" causes them as well. Once again, California. Damn-- Iran doesn't even need a nuclear weapon, they can just wait for California and Ibiza to fall into the sea.

But surely the clerics must be joking. There must be some other explanation:

"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?" Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon Friday. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
Seismologists have warned for at least two decades that it is likely the sprawling capital will be struck by a catastrophic quake in the near future.  

 Man, so according to Iran's own religious leaders, Iran is screwing itself. Someone get the popcorn and wait for an Iranian woman to show a shoulder.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9F698N00&show_article=1

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Russia Against Strong Iran Sanctions

Some more good news. From CNN:



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Iran: 'We've Produced a Small Amount of Enriched Uranium.' Seriously, that's the Big Surprise?

Wow, what a "surprise" Iran, nobody would've guessed that your "devastating blow" to the West had something to do with nuclear weapons. And I'm just shocked by that small amount of uranium you have enriched. What a punch.

But seriously Iran, is that it? You did something that you've been planning on anyway? And a small amount? And this is supposed to topple our Western system? Hell, because of this, we can put harsher sanctions on you. We are now on watch and know what you're capable of. This is more beneficial for us than it is you.

You blow, Ahmadinejad.

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BREAKING: Iran Suspends Email

As Iran is readying for the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution, we don't know what it is going to do or how the people of Iran will react.

But this is a bit disturbing, even after speculation of an Iranian fake-attack:

WorldThreats is reporting that Iran has shut down Gmail, a popular Google service:

Police have confiscated satellite dishes from residential rooftops, according to opposition Web sites. Some pedestrians have been quoted saying that their mobile phones were searched and, in some cases, taken by police patrolling areas of the capital where protests have erupted in the past. Iranians have also reported widespread service disruptions of text messaging services, though mobile phones appeared to be operating normally Wednesday.

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Is it Possible that Iran Will Fake an Attack Against Itself?

All right, bear with me on this one. Iran has declared that tomorrow it will deliver a 'devastating blow' to the West. Speculation has spread across the internet. Most assume some sort of major move or unveiling, such as the revealing of a nuclear weapon or a massive strike on protectors that are swarming the streets since their election.

But what if Iran were to fake an attack on itself?

It is quite possible that any major belligerent move would cause a backlash against Iran. The unveiling of a nuclear weapon could cause sanctions, the same goes for squashing protests. However, it could be plausible that, should fear be great enough, that a so-called "western" power could preemptively strike Iran.

But more, what if Iran were to fake a preemptive strike against themselves? It would cause a perfect storm. They could easily claim that Israel attacked them in fear of the "blow" that they were going to unleash. What if Iran were to kill some of its own citizens, I mean kill more of its citizens, by blowing up a bomb and saying it was an Israeli terrorist? In the eyes of the world, if Israel were to deny it, it would be a he-said she-said scenario in which it may be hard to concretely disprove Iran.

The potential backlash against our ally in the Middle East could be devastating. Unable to disprove the accusations, Israel could be admonished world-wide. Iran would look the victim, Israel the aggressor; Iran would have its "devastating blow" without any major side-effects. Think about it.

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World Threats Reports on Iranian Nuclear Situation

World Threats has an interesting article citing a report that Iran may be facing an attack by Israel soon.

Check it out.

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Interview: Richard Radcliffe on International Threats to the United States

Jumping in Pools is proud to present its twenty-first interview in our series. This interview is with Richard Radcliffe. Radcliffe is a retired Air Force officer living in Apple Valley California. Richard graduated from the University of Southern California in 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Richard accepted an assignment to Kunsan Air Base, Korea flying the F-4D as a Weapons Systems Officer. He was also the Air Show Coordinator and in 1986 the Project Officer for the Ramstein Air Base Open House: Flugtag. He retired August 1, 1990. Since then Richard has kept busy with his own small computer business. He has maintained his interest in foreign affairs and occasionally posts on the Asia Times on Line blog: The Edge. Richard also writes on a site that I contribute to, World Threats.

1. President Obama stated on Friday that Iran was cheating on nuclear obligations. Do you believe that Iran is likely to stop building the facility near Qom?

No. They do not care if their facility is public or not other than it becomes a known target. The Iranians have a goal and a plan to get there. They believe that nobody will challenge them because of the threat threat they pose to 40 percent of the World's oil and support from Russia and the People's Republic of China. I believe the Iranians are wrong.

2. Do you believe that the Obama Administration will approve extra combat troops for the NATO mission in Afghanistan?

This is a tough call. Both the Army and the Marines are suffering from continued deployments with no end in sight. Units are being deprogrammed from Iraq and reprogrammed for Afghanistan. They all need a rest. They all need to get their equipment fixed. The huge backlogs at Anniston and Barstow of vehicles requiring total refurbishment is a whole lot larger than it should be. They all need to retrain to be combined arms soldiers and not cops.

My personal answer is to leave Afghanistan.

3. Do you believe that Russia will now back strong sanctions against Iran?

No. We haven't given them enough yet. They want Ukraine and Georgia. They may be talking about tougher sanctions but that is what we bought with the cancellation of the missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.


4. Do you believe that Venezuela's nuclear program is for nuclear weapons?

Yes. I don't believe that they will get to it.

5. What is the largest relatively-unknown threat to American security in the next ten years?

I won't talk about a relatively unknown threat but a roundly ignored threat: Hezbollah. As we found out in the last few days, there are illegal aliens here from the Middle East. Smadi, the Dallas bomber, is from Jordan. We have no idea who is in this country. The good news is that the FBI managed to find this guy before he found a real terrorist cell and used real C-4 instead of modeling clay. Anybody remember the Holy Land Foundation? They were located in Dallas.

Hezbollah is Iran's Ace in the Hole. They are worldwide. They are being allowed into Nicaragua without documents. They have been in South America in the tri-border area of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil since before the Jewish Center in Buenos Aries was allegedly bombed by a group including the current Defense Minister of Iran. They are now able to freely roam Venezuela.

Cross-posted at World Threats.

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Obama Running Out of Time on Iran

Iran has announced a major breaking of international laws and agreements with the disclosure of a second nuclear enrichment facility. This facility is too large for just civilian nuclear power and was hid from the West for years.

President Obama, British PM Brown, French President Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Merkel have all made strong statements condemning Iran's actions. However, it is yet to be seen what the West will do about this growing threat.

I recently wrote that the President's weak actions pertaining to Iran have placed us closer and closer to a crisis. And what will the United States do about it. From my September 1st article:

Things are quickly becoming more similar to the situation before the Iraq War in 2003. In 2002, President Bush demanded verification of the end of Saddam's WMD program. Flanked by Western nations, inspectors returned, but Saddam moved to delay any further action. President Obama is again supported by many nations in his attempt to verify Iran's nuclear suspension, but if he acts further, he may be more isolated, just as President Bush was in 2003.

Well, one thing's clear. We have to do something.

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Canada to Iran: Stick It

Canada, who participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944 now has another great moment in foreign policy. Our northern neighbor, usually seen as restrained and friendly, has now adopted a stronger anti-Iran approach than the United States.

That's right-- Canada has informed its delegates to the United Nations to boycott Iranian "President" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech today. All of the other nations except for Israel are expected to be here, but Canada is setting an excellent precedent for all of us to follow.

In other good news, Germany has stated that it will walk out of Ahmadinejad's speech if he again says that the Holocaust never happened. This is also a firm stance. Not as good as Canada, but good nonetheless.

Which brings us to America. Obama is planning to.... to....

Speak and have the US delegates listen to Ahmadinejad's speech.

Not to mention that Iran is building nuclear weapons.

Not to mention that Iran is threatening to destroy Israel.

Not to mention that Iran is killing American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not to mention that Iran rigged its last election and killed dozens of protestors.

I guess it's okay with Obama.


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Good News: North Korea In Final Stages of Uranium Enrichment

Chalk another foreign policy success up for the Obama Administration. Not only is the situation in Iran nearing critical stages, but now we hear rumblings from North Korea.

The past several months have not been great for the foreign policy of the United States. First, there was the botching of supporting opposition in the fraudulent Iranian election. Next, America sided with a wannabe dictator in Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. Now, North Korea has kickstarted its uranium enrichment program after attempting to ship illegal arms to Iran, against United Nations approval.

This comes after new sanctions were placed on the Communist nation. It was a good idea to place sanctions on the country, but there was no effective enforcement mechanism. So what happened was the sanctions were enough to anger the North but not stop its economy. This is similar to what happened in Germany after the Treaty of Versailles-- France punished Germany enough for the German people to turn to the Nazis, but not enough to halt an economic-- and military recovery.

As the North stated: "We are prepared for both dialogue and sanctions. If some permanent members of the UNSC wish to put sanctions first before dialogue, we would respond with bolstering our nuclear deterrence first before we meet them in a dialogue."

President Obama needs to put down a firm set of punishments if the North (and Iran for that matter) continue to enrich uranium. Telling Iran that the Strait of Hormuz would be blocked or telling the North that all economic aid will be revoked may do the trick.

President Obama's supporter(s) tell us that he's strong on foreign policy. After a group of blunders, it's about time to prove it.

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Vote in Our Poll: What Will Obama Do About Iran?

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On the Verge of a New Iran Crisis

Information is increasingly coming in that tension regarding Iran's nuclear program may be near a breaking point. Western powers have been attempting to negotiate an end to Iran's nuclear program for five years, with Iran building thousands of centrifuges.

Sources of the tension are varied. One of the smaller examples includes arms illegally en route to Iran from North Korea, seized by the UAE. This contravenes UN resolutions and is a material breach of international law.

In addition, Iran's nuclear program may be revealed to be larger and more expansive than previously believed. IAEA chief Mohammed El-Baradei (who won the Nobel prize for 'ending' Iran's nuclear program) was deliberately hiding information which stated that the Iranian military was also assisting the nuclear program. The United States, Britain, Holland, and Japan may assist in releasing this information.

Diplomatic pressure is building as more sanctions are being considered against the Iranian theocracy. France and Germany are now threatening Iran with stiffer economic punishments if it does not cooperate with international mandates regarding its nuclear reactors. This also comes as President Obama placed a September deadline for Iranian agreement.

This also comes as Iran is attempting to gain support for a ban on attacks on nuclear reactors. Over 100 non-aligned nations have already agreed to this in principle.

Feeling the heat, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "elected" again in June in a horrible fraud, is expected to visit the United Nations on September 23, just eight days after a US deadline to open talks.

A top Iranian professor recently stated: "Iran won't recognize any unilaterally set deadline. "It is planning to give a set of proposals to solve outstanding issues in the near future."

Things are quickly becoming more similar to the situation before the Iraq War in 2003. In 2002, President Bush demanded verification of the end of Saddam's WMD program. Flanked by Western nations, inspectors returned, but Saddam moved to delay any further action. President Obama is again supported by many nations in his attempt to verify Iran's nuclear suspension, but if he acts further, he may be more isolated, just as President Bush was in 2003.

Does President Obama have the courage and determination to stop the Iranian nuclear program?

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When Three Terrorists Were Waterboarded, Obama Raised Hell. In Iran, Protesters Against a Rigged Election are Tortured to Death. Obama's Response: Uhh

Something that I saw on BBC that really pisses me off if that an unspecified amount of people who protested against the rigged 'elections' in Iran two months ago were apparently tortured to death by security forces. Even worse, both males and females who opposed the regime were systematically raped.

The opposition has claimed, and probably correctly, that at least 69 people have been killed by the Iranian government for protesting the 'election' results. In addition, over 100 political prisoners are being held and could be put to death.

Candidate and President Obama went out of his way to apologize that the United States waterboarded three terrorists. Yes, it's torture, and it's bad, but these people included an operations chief and the man who planned out the September 11th, 2001 attacks which killed almost 3,000 people. Quite frankly, if I was in a room with Khalid Mohammed, waterboarding would be the least of that fuckwit's worries.

Obama also torturously blamed the United States for the Guantanamo Bay terrorist holding facility. For years the whining about 'torture' by the US reached a fevered pitch by many on the Left. Now that true torture, including murder, rape, and politcal prisoners, is occuring... where's Obama?

Is he on a flight to the Mideast to discuss with regional leaders the illitimacy of the Iranian theocracy? No. Is he meeting with allies to discuss the nuclear weapons program? No. For a guy who supposedly stands against torture and for treating allies well, he's doing a really, really poor job of it.

Obama: get out a book and learn something about Iran. If I have to hear you say that the proud 'Arab' people of Iran.... and how it's all America's fault while innocent people are getting raped and tortured to death by terrorist fundamentalists, I think I'm going to vomit.

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Did Iran Attack Twitter?

Twitter was recently put offline due to an online attack. The attack overloaded the system and gave the message of "denial of service."

So far Twitter does not know exactly who launched the cyber-attack, but it appears coordinated and malicious.

So who would have the resources to attack Twitter? An online corporation or a country would definitely fit the bill. What about motive? Facebook has had its market curtailed by Twitter, but still remains on the top of the heap. Other corporations use/are in partnership with Twitter.

Which leads us to Iran. Iranian dissdents have famously used Twitter to circumvent the blocking of communications by the theocracy. Iran would have two reasons to attack Twitter: One is to punish the site for helping dissidents, including a famous delay of site maintenance to help the resistance. In addition, Twitter is still being used to coordinate anti-mullah activities.

Shutting down such a powerful site, even temporarily, would show that Iran does not joke around and intends to, as President Ahmadinejad recently said, will punch their enemies in the face.

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Ahmadinejad: Let's Talk

Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was recently "re-elected" to a new four year term, is reaching out to the US leadership. According to an Iranian source, Ahmadinejad is calling for talks with president Obama.

"I will go to the United Nations and will invite Obama to negotiations," Ahmadinejad said, adding that such talks would be "in front of the international media, not a sit-down behind closed doors in order to talk about matters."

What does it mean if President Obama accepts this offer? In the diplomatic world it could be described as a shrewd move to try and halt the Iranian nuclear program. However, it seems more likely that this will be an overt yet unintentional legitimization of the Iranian theocracy. With Iran dangerously close to nuclear arms, any potential long-term talks could simply be a cover for the completion of a functional nuclear bomb. When Iran has such a a weapon, then it is possible that it will see itself as invincible, as North Korea currently does.

We may need to talk, but we also need to set a deadline. How about December 31st, 2009. If no significant progress is made, the EU will stop buying Iranian petroleum. That would get their attention.

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Obama Quick to Condemn Overthrow of Wannabe Dictator, Students Still Waiting in Iran

President Barack Obama was swift to condemn the Constitutional and legal overthrow of a leader in a small, strategically unimportant country. This former leader of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, attempted to force a referendum on his country deemed illegal by the Honduran Supreme Court.

When Zelaya went forward with his threats, he was summarily removed by the military, as provided by the democratic Constitution. However, the President, who seems to becoming more and more astute on foreign policy, condemned the action. From BBC:

And [Obama] said a "terrible precedent" would be set if the coup were not reversed.

Earlier on Monday, speaking in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez spelled out his opposition to the situation in Honduras.

"We cannot allow a return to the past. We will not permit it," Mr Chavez said.

Meanwhile, in Iran, which holds the world's second-largest oil reserves, Obama has still to call on support on the 'democratically-elected' leader of that country. Instead, he is leaning towards recognition of Ayatollah Khamenei's dictatorship and his lapdog Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Students in Teheran are attempting to fight back against the oppressive theocracy, braving threats of death. President Obama has been very quiet on this subject, letting the students dangle.

I think we're in trouble.

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