Iran

[Endovelico]

The stupidity of political leaders in Europe and the US is a continuing source of wonder for me. If there is something really stupid to be done, which will have exactly the opposite effect of what one wishes, you may be sure someone will carry out that stupidity.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.

The stupidity of political leaders in Europe and the US is a continuing source of wonder for me. If there is something really stupid to be done, which will have exactly the opposite effect of what one wishes, you may be sure someone will carry out that stupidity.

.

Endo ,

I hear you loud and clear

and

you are right , the whole thing, as that article clearly says, is stupid

so

what is the explanation ? ?

unfortunately, Endo, all signs point to a big war in that space , a war that is the initial phase for WW3, world powers, China, US, Europe, Russia and and first fighting each other by proxy and later directly

Turkey acting weird, Syria suddenly overrun by Muslim extremist financed by Qatar and Saudi the evil center of Islam, Israel threatening Iran with no cause, Putin mad as hell, world drifting towards depression and and and

If one would think above, in that case European behavior makes sense, Europe pushing things towards war .. that article says that clearly, war ahead

Obama trying to avoid war, but Europeans seems thinking war will save heir economy . Libya but in world scale

Europeans mistaken ..badly mistaken



.

[Hoosiernorm]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 61343.html

If there is a man who brings together all the fears of the West, it is General Mohammed Ali Jafari, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

ANZEIGE
Hardened by torture in the prisons of the former Shah, Jafari was among the students who stormed the US Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979. He later fought in the Iran-Iraq War, and in 2007 Jafari, who has a degree in architecture, assumed command of the Revolutionary Guards, also known as the Pasdaran. The group, founded by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei to defend the Islamic regime, has since developed into a state within the stat

[Ibrahim]

Hardened by torture in the prisons of the former Shah,

This is what makes it a nice Karmic loop.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


University of Mashhad - Faculty of engineering , "Urban development"

University of Mashhad - Facutly of Urban development engineering.jpg (55.29 KiB) Viewed 1417 times

Need affirmative action .. for MEN



.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 61343.html

If there is a man who brings together all the fears of the West, it is General Mohammed Ali Jafari, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Hardened by torture in the prisons of the former Shah, Jafari was among the students who stormed the US Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979. He later fought in the Iran-Iraq War, and in 2007 Jafari, who has a degree in architecture, assumed command of the Revolutionary Guards, also known as the Pasdaran. The group, founded by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei to defend the Islamic regime, has since developed into a state within the stat

.

Main pillar of Iranian confrontation against the western aggression, is not, General Mohammed Ali Jafari, neither the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, nor Ayatollahs, nor any rulers of past or present Iran.

Confrontation is between Iranian people and West

Iranians people are ALL very knowledgeable about western (and Russian and Ottoman) history towards Iran last 300 years .. every farmer, worker, even kids know the history of west towards Iran.

That is why Iranian people holding tight behind Ayatollahs and will do so to bitter end no matter what

in that sense

West is confronting Iranian people

and

The more west pushes Iran, the more west comes up with all those atrocities against Iranian nation, the more Iranian people will feel vindicated in their conviction that they ARE right

Iranian people are the key

and

to show you how stupid western (American) policy makers towards Iran are, consider this :

Mujahedin Khalgh .. people who fought with Saddam against Iran, people who killed so many Americans @ Shah's time (so far, not a single American got a blood nose by mad mullahs), people who all Iranians hate to the bone .. those people are now America's darling in fight against Iranian nation .. and Obama sends NoRooz congratulations to Iranian people

America, West, losing Iranian people



.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


Interesting article :


Foreign Affaires : How to Avoid Repeating the Iraq Debacle

.

So what should the United States and its allies do ?

In recent years, Iran has developed the capability to enrich uranium to 20 percent and has explored aspects of weaponization.

The most recent IAEA report shows that Iran's enrichment capability is increasingly diversified and robust.

Faced with these new facts on the ground, the United States will have to rethink making an agreement with Iran.

The alternatives are worse.

Military strikes will effectively remove the domestic constraints on the effort to develop nuclear weapons. Iran's weapons program will go from dormant to overdrive.

.

.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


.. , we saw an Iranian ex-Revolutionary Guard insider outlining - in remarkable detail - discussions he claimed had been held between the United States and Iran. These apparently culminated within the past three weeks in high level contacts in Qatar between a close confidante of President Barack Obama - Valerie Jarrett, who was actually born in Iran - and one or more high level Iranian officials.

.

The outcome of these talks, in respect of which the source was allegedly at the highest level in Iran, was that an agreement between the US and Iran would be announced before the US presidential election takes place on November 6, provided that Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei receives the written guarantees he requires from President Obama.

Secondly, and following close on the heels of the first announcement, we saw a New York Times exclusive report - also allegedly founded on a very high level source - that bilateral meetings between the US and Iran had been agreed in principle, but would take place after the election.

Within hours the White House had denied the latter story, although stating that the US has been prepared throughout to engage bilaterally with Iran. Trailing in a few hours later, we then saw denials from Iran that any agreement had been reached.

Otto Von Bismarck's cynical warning comes inescapably to mind: "Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied".

We may then then add to the mix the recent meeting in Istanbul - solicited by Iran - between their negotiator, Saeed Jalili, and Catherine Ashton, the representative of 5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany), and recent conciliatory noises in New York from the unlikely source of Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Everything I have heard from Tehran supports the case that Iran does indeed - as a result of the economic turmoil - urgently wish to come to terms, but will not begin to do so until US electoral uncertainty is over after November 6.

Romney on the spot
President Obama is in a position, if he has the killer instinct, to make life very uncomfortable for the challenger in the upcoming final debate, which will cover foreign policy.

Firstly, Romney would be forced to agree that he too will be prepared to negotiate bilaterally with Iran since he would find it very difficult to hide behind the coat-tails of the 5+1. Secondly, he would find it very difficult to explicitly support a negotiating position that leads to regime change, such as imposing zero enrichment.

Once these issues have been publicly conceded, I have no doubt that Iran will make - whoever is elected - whatever concessions are necessary to meet the requirements of Russia, China, and above all, the European Union. I do not believe that the US is any longer in any position to act unilaterally in the way desired by its long-standing Israeli partners.

Oil Prices
The market is over-supplied with physical crude oil but prices have been supported by speculative money betting on the Iran Risk Premium. Once again we have seen the Saudis delivering cargoes of crude oil to the US Gulf, which is awash in crude oil, at prices well below the North Sea Brent/BFOE benchmark price, which they state they wish to reduce.

This could be a very interesting week if the market perceives a reduction in "Iran Risk".

.

.

[Hans Bulvai]

Iran mosque suicide bomb kills two Basij: reports

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... ports.aspx

A suicide bomb outside a Shia mosque in Iran killed two Basij militiamen and wounded five people, in an area that has been the target of deadly attacks by Sunni rebels in recent years, media reported.

"Two Basijis were killed and five other people were wounded" when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the mosque in Chabahar, in Sistan-Baluchestan province, said Deputy Interior Minister Ali Abdollahi, according to ISNA news agency.

"A man wanted to commit a suicide attack at the Imam Hussein mosque, but the Basij and security forces spotted him. As they chased him, he detonated an explosives belt and was killed instantly," said Abdollahi.

He said that authorities were working to identify the assailant.

Media reported that three children figured among those wounded.

Official news agency IRNA said the "terrorist, who did not manage to enter the mosque, detonated his explosives belt few hundred metres (yards) away."

Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and home to a strong Sunni minority in overwhelmingly Shia Iran, has been the scene of bloody attacks by the Sunni rebels from the group Jundallah.

Jundallah chief Abdulmalek Rigi was hanged in June 2010 after he was captured on board a plane that was forced by Iranian armed forces to land as it crossed the Islamic Republic's airspace.

Tehran accuses US, British and Pakistani intelligence of supporting the group.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


Fact Check : 5 Myths


1 .. Does Iran have fissile material for five nuclear weapons ?

2 .. Do the U.S. and Israel Believe Iran is Developing Nuclear Weapons ?

3 .. Is an Iranian nuclear weapon imminent ?

4 .. Do Israel and the U.S. Consider Iran Irrational ?

5 .. Does Israel Consider Iran an “Existential Threat” ?



.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.

"If sanctions intensify we will stop exporting oil," Iranian oil minister Rostam Qasemi told reporters in Dubai.

.

"We have prepared a plan to run the country without any oil revenues," he said, adding, "So far to date we haven't had any serious problems, but if the sanctions were to be renewed we would go for 'Plan B'.

"If you continue to add to the sanctions we (will) cut our oil exports to the world."

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[Jnalum Persicum]

.


The real problem with Iran is history

.

What is missing from the narrative surrounding Iran and its nuclear program is a discussion of history and identity that might help to clarify why the US-Iranian relationship is so dangerous today.

Why does Iran want or need a nuclear program in the first place? Is it to threaten the US or its allies, to end Western influence in the Middle East, to support terrorist activities, or to project Iranian power and export the revolution? Or is it much deeper than that ?

Iran's history is ancient. Names like Cyrus the Great, Xerxes, and Darius leap from the pages, as immortal figures integral to the formulation of Iranian national identity that link today with the glory and resplendence of its past.

Cyrus the Great established what was to become the largest empire in history up to that point: the Achaemenid Empire. This eventually conquered Babylon, and other regional powers like Macedon, Athens and Thermopylae. Ultimately it came to embrace parts of Libya, Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Levant, and stretched as far East as the Indus River.

The greatness of the empire established by Cyrus has remained a part of the intellectual and traditional psyche of Pomegranates throughout the millennia. However, some of the greatest conquerors in history have decided Persia's fate. First, Alexander the Great plundered and burned Cyrus's capital of Persepolis in 334 BC.

Then, for the next ten centuries, the Pomegranates absorbed the influences of those around them, especially Greece, Egypt and India.

The Byzantines exhausted Persia, making it that much easier for the next great conquerors, the Arabs, to sweep into Persia around 630 AD, forever altering the makeup of the Middle East

There is oftentimes a frustrating effort for Iranians to find a link between Islam and their rich pre-Islamic history.

That said, a legacy of being conquered time and again has certainly affected Iran today, and the imperialism of last century is part of that as well.

At the turn of the 20th century, Russia and Great Britain were vying for access to the wealth of Iranian oil. In the end, the British won out and established the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC).
The nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), formerly the APOC, in March of 1951 became a giant factor in Iranian history, shaping its identity. In the minds of Iranians, oil and its benefits belonged to them.

Iranians perceived the British government as manipulating Iran through the AIOC, manipulation that was designed to keep the bulk of the population impoverished, docile and on the sidelines of this power politics game.

The nationalization of AIOC and the consequent CIA and British intelligence overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh cemented the image of Iranian martyrdom at the hands of foreign powers.

It also signaled that Iran was still a weak player in world politics, susceptible to manipulation and coercion by great power politics.

This episode, as many authors acknowledge created a lasting effect on Iran, and the role that rising US power was to play in the Middle East.

After the devastating Iran-Iraq war, which lasted most of the 1980s, the new face of the Islamic Revolution was to be a nuclear power program.

An indigenous nuclear program, nuclear energy and even the possibility of the eventual development of nuclear weapons capability would signal once and for all that Iran was again standing tall on the world stage and would be a beacon for all Muslim countries to follow.

Iran's vast natural resources and unique geographical position are what brought upon it the desire of outsiders to control Iran over the centuries. Nuclear power would be a step toward producing an energy source that was potentially unlimited.

Nuclear power, in the minds of Iranians, signaled an end to the ability of foreigners to dictate Iran's future.

A nuclear program, like the oil industry, was something Iranians could own; hence they would be the sole beneficiaries. The regime plays on these sentiments as national interests.

[..]

. . in order to understand the problems with Iran, a policy maker has to know both sides of the story. Too often, history is lost in the rhetoric and we find ourselves beating a repetitive and dangerous drum. We must make a concerted effort to deal with this problem in an appropriate way, one that recognizes not only our own history and identity, but the history and the identity of those we seek to influence. Without this, we are truly blind.

.

Yes,

right @ the money

Can not say it better



.

[Enki]

.


The real problem with Iran is history

.

What is missing from the narrative surrounding Iran and its nuclear program is a discussion of history and identity that might help to clarify why the US-Iranian relationship is so dangerous today.

Why does Iran want or need a nuclear program in the first place? Is it to threaten the US or its allies, to end Western influence in the Middle East, to support terrorist activities, or to project Iranian power and export the revolution? Or is it much deeper than that ?

Iran's history is ancient. Names like Cyrus the Great, Xerxes, and Darius leap from the pages, as immortal figures integral to the formulation of Iranian national identity that link today with the glory and resplendence of its past.

Cyrus the Great established what was to become the largest empire in history up to that point: the Achaemenid Empire. This eventually conquered Babylon, and other regional powers like Macedon, Athens and Thermopylae. Ultimately it came to embrace parts of Libya, Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Levant, and stretched as far East as the Indus River.

The greatness of the empire established by Cyrus has remained a part of the intellectual and traditional psyche of Pomegranates throughout the millennia. However, some of the greatest conquerors in history have decided Persia's fate. First, Alexander the Great plundered and burned Cyrus's capital of Persepolis in 334 BC.

Then, for the next ten centuries, the Pomegranates absorbed the influences of those around them, especially Greece, Egypt and India.

The Byzantines exhausted Persia, making it that much easier for the next great conquerors, the Arabs, to sweep into Persia around 630 AD, forever altering the makeup of the Middle East

There is oftentimes a frustrating effort for Iranians to find a link between Islam and their rich pre-Islamic history.

That said, a legacy of being conquered time and again has certainly affected Iran today, and the imperialism of last century is part of that as well.

At the turn of the 20th century, Russia and Great Britain were vying for access to the wealth of Iranian oil. In the end, the British won out and established the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC).
The nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), formerly the APOC, in March of 1951 became a giant factor in Iranian history, shaping its identity. In the minds of Iranians, oil and its benefits belonged to them.

Iranians perceived the British government as manipulating Iran through the AIOC, manipulation that was designed to keep the bulk of the population impoverished, docile and on the sidelines of this power politics game.

The nationalization of AIOC and the consequent CIA and British intelligence overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh cemented the image of Iranian martyrdom at the hands of foreign powers.

It also signaled that Iran was still a weak player in world politics, susceptible to manipulation and coercion by great power politics.

This episode, as many authors acknowledge created a lasting effect on Iran, and the role that rising US power was to play in the Middle East.

After the devastating Iran-Iraq war, which lasted most of the 1980s, the new face of the Islamic Revolution was to be a nuclear power program.

An indigenous nuclear program, nuclear energy and even the possibility of the eventual development of nuclear weapons capability would signal once and for all that Iran was again standing tall on the world stage and would be a beacon for all Muslim countries to follow.

Iran's vast natural resources and unique geographical position are what brought upon it the desire of outsiders to control Iran over the centuries. Nuclear power would be a step toward producing an energy source that was potentially unlimited.

Nuclear power, in the minds of Iranians, signaled an end to the ability of foreigners to dictate Iran's future.

A nuclear program, like the oil industry, was something Iranians could own; hence they would be the sole beneficiaries. The regime plays on these sentiments as national interests.

[..]

. . in order to understand the problems with Iran, a policy maker has to know both sides of the story. Too often, history is lost in the rhetoric and we find ourselves beating a repetitive and dangerous drum. We must make a concerted effort to deal with this problem in an appropriate way, one that recognizes not only our own history and identity, but the history and the identity of those we seek to influence. Without this, we are truly blind.

.

Yes,

right @ the money

Can not say it better



.

That is about how I see it.

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


The real problem with Iran is history

.

What is missing from the narrative surrounding Iran and its nuclear program is a discussion of history and identity that might help to clarify why the US-Iranian relationship is so dangerous today.

Why does Iran want or need a nuclear program in the first place? Is it to threaten the US or its allies, to end Western influence in the Middle East, to support terrorist activities, or to project Iranian power and export the revolution? Or is it much deeper than that ?

Iran's history is ancient. Names like Cyrus the Great, Xerxes, and Darius leap from the pages, as immortal figures integral to the formulation of Iranian national identity that link today with the glory and resplendence of its past.

Cyrus the Great established what was to become the largest empire in history up to that point: the Achaemenid Empire. This eventually conquered Babylon, and other regional powers like Macedon, Athens and Thermopylae. Ultimately it came to embrace parts of Libya, Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Levant, and stretched as far East as the Indus River.

The greatness of the empire established by Cyrus has remained a part of the intellectual and traditional psyche of Pomegranates throughout the millennia. However, some of the greatest conquerors in history have decided Persia's fate. First, Alexander the Great plundered and burned Cyrus's capital of Persepolis in 334 BC.

Then, for the next ten centuries, the Pomegranates absorbed the influences of those around them, especially Greece, Egypt and India.

The Byzantines exhausted Persia, making it that much easier for the next great conquerors, the Arabs, to sweep into Persia around 630 AD, forever altering the makeup of the Middle East

There is oftentimes a frustrating effort for Iranians to find a link between Islam and their rich pre-Islamic history.

That said, a legacy of being conquered time and again has certainly affected Iran today, and the imperialism of last century is part of that as well.

At the turn of the 20th century, Russia and Great Britain were vying for access to the wealth of Iranian oil. In the end, the British won out and established the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC).
The nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), formerly the APOC, in March of 1951 became a giant factor in Iranian history, shaping its identity. In the minds of Iranians, oil and its benefits belonged to them.

Iranians perceived the British government as manipulating Iran through the AIOC, manipulation that was designed to keep the bulk of the population impoverished, docile and on the sidelines of this power politics game.

The nationalization of AIOC and the consequent CIA and British intelligence overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh cemented the image of Iranian martyrdom at the hands of foreign powers.

It also signaled that Iran was still a weak player in world politics, susceptible to manipulation and coercion by great power politics.

This episode, as many authors acknowledge created a lasting effect on Iran, and the role that rising US power was to play in the Middle East.

After the devastating Iran-Iraq war, which lasted most of the 1980s, the new face of the Islamic Revolution was to be a nuclear power program.

An indigenous nuclear program, nuclear energy and even the possibility of the eventual development of nuclear weapons capability would signal once and for all that Iran was again standing tall on the world stage and would be a beacon for all Muslim countries to follow.

Iran's vast natural resources and unique geographical position are what brought upon it the desire of outsiders to control Iran over the centuries. Nuclear power would be a step toward producing an energy source that was potentially unlimited.

Nuclear power, in the minds of Iranians, signaled an end to the ability of foreigners to dictate Iran's future.

A nuclear program, like the oil industry, was something Iranians could own; hence they would be the sole beneficiaries. The regime plays on these sentiments as national interests.

[..]

. . in order to understand the problems with Iran, a policy maker has to know both sides of the story. Too often, history is lost in the rhetoric and we find ourselves beating a repetitive and dangerous drum. We must make a concerted effort to deal with this problem in an appropriate way, one that recognizes not only our own history and identity, but the history and the identity of those we seek to influence. Without this, we are truly blind.

.

Yes,

right @ the money

Can not say it better



.

That is about how I see it.


.

The Great Famine and Genocide in Persia, 1917-1919 [Paperback]

61DOYTVl+nL._AA1500_.jpg (19.93 KiB) Viewed 1342 times

.

As many as eight to ten million Pomegranates perished because of starvation and disease during the famine of 1917-1919, making it the greatest calamity in Persia's history.

In this book, Mohammad Gholi Majd argues that Persia was the greatest victim of World War One and also the victim of possibly the worst genocide of the twentieth century.

Using U.S. State Department records, as well as Persian and British sources, Majd describes and documents a veritable holocaust about which practically nothing has been written.

.

Monster, in your view, who probably has a bigger "Samson complex" .. Iranians or Zionist



.

[Parodite]

Amnesty warns over health of Iran's jailed Sakharov winner

LONDON) - Iran's jailed activist Nasrin Sotoudeh who won a European human rights prize on Friday has been on hunger strike and in ailing health in protest at the authorities' refusal to allow face-to-face meetings with her children, Amnesty said.

It said that Sotoudeh, a 47-year-old lawyer, has been on hunger strike for 10 days and was transferred to the medical facility of Tehran's Evin prison on Monday because her health had deteriorated.

[...]

http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/rights-prize.kb4

EU lawmakers cancel Iran visit in row
From: AAP October 28, 2012 12:27AM

A VISIT to Iran by five Euro MPs has been called off after Tehran refused to let them meet with a jailed activist lawyer and a filmmaker, just a day after the two were awarded a prestigious European human rights prize.

[monster_gardener]

.


The real problem with Iran is history

.

What is missing from the narrative surrounding Iran and its nuclear program is a discussion of history and identity that might help to clarify why the US-Iranian relationship is so dangerous today.

Why does Iran want or need a nuclear program in the first place? Is it to threaten the US or its allies, to end Western influence in the Middle East, to support terrorist activities, or to project Iranian power and export the revolution? Or is it much deeper than that ?

Iran's history is ancient. Names like Cyrus the Great, Xerxes, and Darius leap from the pages, as immortal figures integral to the formulation of Iranian national identity that link today with the glory and resplendence of its past.

Cyrus the Great established what was to become the largest empire in history up to that point: the Achaemenid Empire. This eventually conquered Babylon, and other regional powers like Macedon, Athens and Thermopylae. Ultimately it came to embrace parts of Libya, Egypt, the Mediterranean, and Levant, and stretched as far East as the Indus River.

The greatness of the empire established by Cyrus has remained a part of the intellectual and traditional psyche of Pomegranates throughout the millennia. However, some of the greatest conquerors in history have decided Persia's fate. First, Alexander the Great plundered and burned Cyrus's capital of Persepolis in 334 BC.

Then, for the next ten centuries, the Pomegranates absorbed the influences of those around them, especially Greece, Egypt and India.

The Byzantines exhausted Persia, making it that much easier for the next great conquerors, the Arabs, to sweep into Persia around 630 AD, forever altering the makeup of the Middle East

There is oftentimes a frustrating effort for Iranians to find a link between Islam and their rich pre-Islamic history.

That said, a legacy of being conquered time and again has certainly affected Iran today, and the imperialism of last century is part of that as well.

At the turn of the 20th century, Russia and Great Britain were vying for access to the wealth of Iranian oil. In the end, the British won out and established the Anglo Persian Oil Company (APOC).
The nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), formerly the APOC, in March of 1951 became a giant factor in Iranian history, shaping its identity. In the minds of Iranians, oil and its benefits belonged to them.

Iranians perceived the British government as manipulating Iran through the AIOC, manipulation that was designed to keep the bulk of the population impoverished, docile and on the sidelines of this power politics game.

The nationalization of AIOC and the consequent CIA and British intelligence overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh cemented the image of Iranian martyrdom at the hands of foreign powers.

It also signaled that Iran was still a weak player in world politics, susceptible to manipulation and coercion by great power politics.

This episode, as many authors acknowledge created a lasting effect on Iran, and the role that rising US power was to play in the Middle East.

After the devastating Iran-Iraq war, which lasted most of the 1980s, the new face of the Islamic Revolution was to be a nuclear power program.

An indigenous nuclear program, nuclear energy and even the possibility of the eventual development of nuclear weapons capability would signal once and for all that Iran was again standing tall on the world stage and would be a beacon for all Muslim countries to follow.

Iran's vast natural resources and unique geographical position are what brought upon it the desire of outsiders to control Iran over the centuries. Nuclear power would be a step toward producing an energy source that was potentially unlimited.

Nuclear power, in the minds of Iranians, signaled an end to the ability of foreigners to dictate Iran's future.

A nuclear program, like the oil industry, was something Iranians could own; hence they would be the sole beneficiaries. The regime plays on these sentiments as national interests.

[..]

. . in order to understand the problems with Iran, a policy maker has to know both sides of the story. Too often, history is lost in the rhetoric and we find ourselves beating a repetitive and dangerous drum. We must make a concerted effort to deal with this problem in an appropriate way, one that recognizes not only our own history and identity, but the history and the identity of those we seek to influence. Without this, we are truly blind.

.

Yes,

right @ the money

Can not say it better



.

That is about how I see it.


.

The Great Famine and Genocide in Persia, 1917-1919 [Paperback]

61DOYTVl+nL._AA1500_.jpg

.

As many as eight to ten million Pomegranates perished because of starvation and disease during the famine of 1917-1919, making it the greatest calamity in Persia's history.

In this book, Mohammad Gholi Majd argues that Persia was the greatest victim of World War One and also the victim of possibly the worst genocide of the twentieth century.

Using U.S. State Department records, as well as Persian and British sources, Majd describes and documents a veritable holocaust about which practically nothing has been written.

.

Monster, in your view, who probably has a bigger "Samson complex" .. Iranians or Zionist



.

Thank You Very Much for your post, Azari.

Off hand, I would still say the Israelis/Jews/Zionists do........

To the Best of My Knowledge, Pomegranates have not been at risk of being totally exterminated because they had a Persian Grandparent or two even if they had adopted a Desert Devil Killer Ape religion, taken a Desert Devil Killer Ape Name and spoke the Desert Devil Killer Ape language etc......

That happened to some of the Jews in near mid 20th Century Germany..... They had converted to branches of the official Cloudy Ice Devil Killer Apes of Germany, they often had the same names as other Cloudy Ice Devil Killer Apes living in Germany, they spoke the almost unbearably UGLY Cloudy Ice Devil Killer Ape language known as Deutsch/German whose poems have the reputation of sounding better when translated , they had even been Cloudy Ice Devil Killer Ape patriots in the last big war........ Didn't matter they were still on the list to be killed........

Taught them that trying to ASSimilate only made a silly Ass of you to be led to the slaughter......

Recharged the Samson Meme which is basically telling your enemy "See you in Hell because I'm taking you there with me" .........

"Then Samson prayed to God, "remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes" (Judges 16:28)".[4][11][16] "Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines!' (Judges 16:30)[11][18] He pulled the two pillars together (or possibly pushed them apart[19]), and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.[4][8][11][17][18] Thus he killed many more as he died than while he lived." (Judges 16:30)

Given that IMVHO the Israelis have WMD that can make the Earth not that inhabitable for all the Killer Ape Devils on this planet, I am not enthused about attempts to harass them about a piece of land smaller than a "Persian Pistachio Plantation" even if it pleases the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Persian IrreDental Association and others of a Malignant Muslim Meme intent of restoring an empire or conquering the world and ruling it in accord with a Dungpile of Dumb Desert Devil Decrees......

Keep doing things that push a rationally Paranoid People over the edge into war with you instead of concentrating Persia's Prodigious talents on things like Space Travel....... Try to get your Trophy by putting the first colony on the Moon, Mars, or the Asteroids... I hope the effort will get our Uz rears in gear again.......

Most likely IMHO.....Israel attacks Persia because Killer Klowns Khomenei & Khamanei's Stupid Satan & Rain Fire on You talk & similar combined with that nuke power/weapons program....... the Israelis don't do the job sufficient enough to Put Paid to the Persian threat Permanently........Pomegranates strike back with a nuke/nukes bought from the Russian Mob or North Korea or something else that seriously damages/destroys Israel now or later.... Israel uses salted nukes to destroy Persia and probably much of the Northern Hemisphere........ That is if we are are "lucky" and the Southern Hemisphere escapes civilizational or worse damage.....

But don't say that Pomegranates weren't warned about Pushing G_d's Very Peculiar People over a Precipice too far and being Pulled over it with them

We Uz and the Russian Bears came VERY Close to Destroying the Northern Hemisphere/World more than once....... IMVHO the fact that we didn't may be more thanks to the Bears than to uz.........

Not sure the world will be that lucky if MADhi Mad Pomegranates and Rationally Paranoid* Israelis infected with the Samson Meme play the way we did.....

**People are out to get them.......

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


" The Gulf states' one great fear is Iran going nuclear. The other is a regional war that would destabilise them," said a source in the region. "They might support a massive war against Iran, but they know they are not going to get that, and they know a limited strike is not worth it, as it will not destroy the programme and only make Iran angrier "


"Ladies and gentlemen, the relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb," Netanyahu said

.

Lieberman is an outspoken nationalist who openly admires Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition, there has been speculation that the hawkish Lieberman could be moved to the Defense Ministry. Centrist politician Tzipi Livni told the "Jerusalem Post" that "Lieberman is the one who threatened to bomb the Aswan Dam [in Egypt]. Is this the defense minister that Israel needs right now?"

The editor in chief of "Haaretz," Aluf Benn, wrote that the alliance would create a "war cabinet that will lead Israel into a confrontation with Iran."

.

“There is no iron dome in the world that we cannot pierce. What is said about this dome (Israel’s Iron Dome) is mostly psychological warfare and propaganda,” Deputy Chairman of Iranian Armed Forces' Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Thursday





.

[monster_gardener]

.


" The Gulf states' one great fear is Iran going nuclear. The other is a regional war that would destabilise them," said a source in the region. "They might support a massive war against Iran, but they know they are not going to get that, and they know a limited strike is not worth it, as it will not destroy the programme and only make Iran angrier "


"Ladies and gentlemen, the relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb," Netanyahu said

.

Lieberman is an outspoken nationalist who openly admires Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In addition, there has been speculation that the hawkish Lieberman could be moved to the Defense Ministry. Centrist politician Tzipi Livni told the "Jerusalem Post" that "Lieberman is the one who threatened to bomb the Aswan Dam [in Egypt]. Is this the defense minister that Israel needs right now?"

The editor in chief of "Haaretz," Aluf Benn, wrote that the alliance would create a "war cabinet that will lead Israel into a confrontation with Iran."

.

“There is no iron dome in the world that we cannot pierce. What is said about this dome (Israel’s Iron Dome) is mostly psychological warfare and propaganda,” Deputy Chairman of Iranian Armed Forces' Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Thursday





.

Thank you Very Much for your post, Azari

The best post from the commenters......

eman
Nov 2, 2012 7:8 AM
This is true. There is an old saying "the bomber will always get through" - it even has it's own encyclopedia entry, go read it. Basically, offensive systems capabilities have always been and still are just vastly beyond the defensive capabilities and possibilities. Basically, all it takes it's one that gets through to do the job, whereas all it takes is one failure in the defense side and the whole thing is toast... basically, offense is the best defense and the best, most advanced defense systems in the world all have weaknesses and can all be defeated. defense only does so much..not much.

Of course that applies to Iran and Uz too...............

Lots of bad comments but this is one of the most ignorant and sadly funny..........

yepin reply to Jamal
11/1/2012 6:27:48 PM
I agree. So long as Iran has a super powerfull and technologically advanced military. Western terror in the region will stop and there will finally be Peace in the middle East. Ever single problem in the ME is because a few Rats in the West realized it had a ton o OIL.

Peace in the Middle East....... Am reminded of an X files episode where a man asked for "Peace on Earth" as one of his wishes after unrolling a Genie ..... He became the only human on an empty Earth.......... Was lucky to have 2 wishes left.......

Yes I know, then it will be a family matter...... Which can be even worse....... not always...... but often.........

Every single problem....... He doesn't know history as well as you do Azari..........

[Jnalum Persicum]

.

True

That space, from Uighur to Bosphorus and Tangir, had many wars

but aslo

ME lived 1000s of yrs in peace, prosperity and high civilization .. though, that period was (always) under Pomegranates administration (intentionaly did not say rule)

but

Monster

be fair

when did WEST, last 10,000 years, did not have blood shedding in a row .. has West, Europe, America, Russia, you guys, had any period that you were not killing others on mass ? ?

Just look last 200 yrs of European killings : Colonial enslavement of 4/5 of world population, Napoleon in Moscow, Hitler, Vietnam, Cambodia, Opium war, enslavement of Africa to this day, killing 1 million Iraqi children for Oil, Pakistan, Afghansitan .. AND .. chasing 10+ million Palestinians out of their homes and making them refugy and terrorist

It's going on & on & on

Contrary to your assertion, once West leaves ME , Middle east is going to enter a peacefull period, UNDER PERSIAN LEADERSHIP


.

[monster_gardener]

.

True

That space, from Uighur to Bosphorus and Tangir, had many wars

but aslo

ME lived 1000s of yrs in peace, prosperity and high civilization .. though, that period was (always) under Pomegranates administration (intentionaly did not say rule)

but

Monster

be fair

when did WEST, last 10,000 years, did not have blood shedding in a row .. has West, Europe, America, Russia, you guys, had any period that you were not killing others on mass ? ?

Just look last 200 yrs of European killings : Colonial enslavement of 4/5 of world population, Napoleon in Moscow, Hitler, Vietnam, Cambodia, Opium war, enslavement of Africa to this day, killing 1 million Iraqi children for Oil, Pakistan, Afghansitan .. AND .. chasing 10+ million Palestinians out of their homes and making them refugy and terrorist

It's going on & on & on

Contrary to your assertion, once West leaves ME , Middle east is going to enter a peacefull period, UNDER PERSIAN LEADERSHIP


.

Thank you Very Much for your Post, Azari.

AFAIK the history of almost all Killer Apes tends to be bloody to a greater or lesser degree.......

Except Perhaps areas of high environmental stress where they are kept busy just trying to survive may militate toward getting along to survive......
Reportedly science colonies in Antarctica....... And perhaps traditional Eskimos among themselves..... though they fought with the North American Indians and sometimes had to kill madmen and mad women who could not be trusted inside when there was a blizzard outside.......

As to your question......... The doors to the Temple of Janus in Rome were almost always open except IIRC under Augustus and some but not all of the Antonine Emperors.......

Contrary to your assertion, once West leaves ME , Middle east is going to enter a peacefull period, UNDER PERSIAN LEADERSHIP

Maybe........ But most Pomegranates for all their admirable qualities tend to be depraved, sinful Killer Apes/Chaotic Ego Monkeys just like we Mongrel Uz and Very Peculiar Iz do...

Most likely barring miracles, the Peace that the Middle East will find is the Peace of Death........ Likewise much of the Northern Hemisphere........ Maybe more.....


Need to get off planet in a serious way........

Soon..........

[Jnalum Persicum]

.


A surprise bright spot for Iran

.
International efforts to isolate Iran and force it to halt its uranium enrichment program are having an impact that is both unintended and, for Iranian officials, very much welcome : a jump in tourism.

Although most sectors of Iran’s economy are struggling and oil revenue has steeply declined, foreign purchasing power is at an all-time high in Iran due to a plunge in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial. As a result, international travelers sensing a good deal are venturing to a country that for decades has been considered off-limits to all but the most intrepid tourists.

Although Iran’s travel industry still has not reached what many here think could be its true potential, the trend in recent years has been one of growth exceeding global averages. From 2004 to 2010, the annual increase in tourists visiting foreign countries was 3.2 percent worldwide, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Iran’s figures over the same period show tourism here grew at a much faster clip — 12.7 percent.

The number of foreign tourists in Iran reached 3 million last year, contributing more than $2 billion to the national economy, according to Iranian data. Tour operators here say the number has risen this year. The tourists have injected badly needed fuel into a country that has been hobbled by runaway inflation, limited export markets and difficulty in obtaining raw materials.

“This is one of our only ways right now to earn hard currency,” said tour guide Niloofar Ghatei from the southwestern city of Shiraz, a top tourist destination due to its climate, mausoleums and grapes. “If we can’t sell our oil, at least we can bring more tourists here.”

The vast majority of Iran’s visitors come for religious reasons, making pilgrimages to Shiite holy sites. Only about 20,000 visitors last year came for nonreligious tourism, according to Iranian data. Of those, most came from China and Germany. More than 1,000 Americans visited Iran as tourists last year, according to the Iranian Tour Operators Association.

Due to its many restrictions, including required head coverings for women and a prohibition on alcohol, Iran is not an obvious choice for most Westerners. The country’s allure lies in its seemingly countless ancient sites, its reputation for hospitality and, for some, its forbidden quality. Although the U.S. State Department has a long-standing warning against travel to Iran, there are no restrictions on Americans visiting Iran, as there are for Cuba or North Korea.

Still, a vacation to Iran might strike many as strange and even risky.

“Horror” was the reaction that Margarette Beckwith, a retired landscape architect from Ohio, said she received from friends and relatives when she told them that she planned to visit Iran.

“Some told me to cancel and not to go,” she said. “Others were afraid for me. A very few were excited. Most of them knew that I was the adventurous type.”

According to Beckwith, who visited Iran and Uzbekistan in October, Iran has no shortage of appeal for travelers. “The people stand out as the best part, but also the history, historic sites and, of course, the gardens,” she said.

Iran’s official stance on developing its tourist industry has always been murky. In the early years after the 1979 Islamic revolution, hard-line elements in the clerical establishment advocated destroying some of the country’s most important pre-Islamic sites, including the ruins of Persepolis, a 2,500-year-old palace complex.

But in a sign that authorities understand the importance of tourism, they have made the process of visiting Iran easier than it had been.

Obtaining an Iranian visa was, for many years, the biggest problem in attracting visitors. Would-be travelers complained of an opaque visa application process that often drew no response from Iran’s embassies. But the process has become simpler, with travel agencies handling most visa requests.

For American visitors, however, there are more rules. An official guide must accompany U.S. tourists throughout their journey in Iran, driving their costs up. And Iranians cannot host Americans in their homes. Still, the number of American visitors is increasing, and many have reported good experiences.

“Sometimes, it was embarrassing how much attention we got as Americans,” said Audrey Scott, co-founder of the popular travel blog Uncornered Market, who visited Iran last year. “The Australians in our group felt a bit left out sometimes.”

.

Monster, you should take a trip to Iran .. will open your eyes


.

[Jnalum Persicum]

Ka-Wu1jYY9U
91xuueQ7RmI
3hHfV19kXcQ


Still unfolding


.

[monster_gardener]

.


A surprise bright spot for Iran

.
International efforts to isolate Iran and force it to halt its uranium enrichment program are having an impact that is both unintended and, for Iranian officials, very much welcome : a jump in tourism.

Although most sectors of Iran’s economy are struggling and oil revenue has steeply declined, foreign purchasing power is at an all-time high in Iran due to a plunge in the value of the Iranian currency, the rial. As a result, international travelers sensing a good deal are venturing to a country that for decades has been considered off-limits to all but the most intrepid tourists.

Although Iran’s travel industry still has not reached what many here think could be its true potential, the trend in recent years has been one of growth exceeding global averages. From 2004 to 2010, the annual increase in tourists visiting foreign countries was 3.2 percent worldwide, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Iran’s figures over the same period show tourism here grew at a much faster clip — 12.7 percent.

The number of foreign tourists in Iran reached 3 million last year, contributing more than $2 billion to the national economy, according to Iranian data. Tour operators here say the number has risen this year. The tourists have injected badly needed fuel into a country that has been hobbled by runaway inflation, limited export markets and difficulty in obtaining raw materials.

“This is one of our only ways right now to earn hard currency,” said tour guide Niloofar Ghatei from the southwestern city of Shiraz, a top tourist destination due to its climate, mausoleums and grapes. “If we can’t sell our oil, at least we can bring more tourists here.”

The vast majority of Iran’s visitors come for religious reasons, making pilgrimages to Shiite holy sites. Only about 20,000 visitors last year came for nonreligious tourism, according to Iranian data. Of those, most came from China and Germany. More than 1,000 Americans visited Iran as tourists last year, according to the Iranian Tour Operators Association.

Due to its many restrictions, including required head coverings for women and a prohibition on alcohol, Iran is not an obvious choice for most Westerners. The country’s allure lies in its seemingly countless ancient sites, its reputation for hospitality and, for some, its forbidden quality. Although the U.S. State Department has a long-standing warning against travel to Iran, there are no restrictions on Americans visiting Iran, as there are for Cuba or North Korea.

Still, a vacation to Iran might strike many as strange and even risky.

“Horror” was the reaction that Margarette Beckwith, a retired landscape architect from Ohio, said she received from friends and relatives when she told them that she planned to visit Iran.

“Some told me to cancel and not to go,” she said. “Others were afraid for me. A very few were excited. Most of them knew that I was the adventurous type.”

According to Beckwith, who visited Iran and Uzbekistan in October, Iran has no shortage of appeal for travelers. “The people stand out as the best part, but also the history, historic sites and, of course, the gardens,” she said.

Iran’s official stance on developing its tourist industry has always been murky. In the early years after the 1979 Islamic revolution, hard-line elements in the clerical establishment advocated destroying some of the country’s most important pre-Islamic sites, including the ruins of Persepolis, a 2,500-year-old palace complex.

But in a sign that authorities understand the importance of tourism, they have made the process of visiting Iran easier than it had been.

Obtaining an Iranian visa was, for many years, the biggest problem in attracting visitors. Would-be travelers complained of an opaque visa application process that often drew no response from Iran’s embassies. But the process has become simpler, with travel agencies handling most visa requests.

For American visitors, however, there are more rules. An official guide must accompany U.S. tourists throughout their journey in Iran, driving their costs up. And Iranians cannot host Americans in their homes. Still, the number of American visitors is increasing, and many have reported good experiences.

“Sometimes, it was embarrassing how much attention we got as Americans,” said Audrey Scott, co-founder of the popular travel blog Uncornered Market, who visited Iran last year. “The Australians in our group felt a bit left out sometimes.”

.

Monster, you should take a trip to Iran .. will open your eyes


.

Thank you Very Much for your post, Azari.

And Thank you Very Much for the Invitation........

But isn't Iran under the mad mullahs bad enough already without a Monster like me there

But again Thank You for the invitation but I don't think given my views as a non-Dhimmi infidel that Iran would be good for my health unless I brought more Black Forest Chocolate Cakes than my luggage allotment......

Think Somewhere South Might be better for me.... Maybe Oz/NZ... Or ABC in SA ...... Maybe a Moon Colony near Southern Lunar Pole and the Peaks of Eternal Light.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_of_eternal_light

[Antipatros]

Roby C. Barrett, Iran: Illusion, Reality, and Interests

https://jsou.socom.mil/Documents/Iran%2 ... 0FINAL.pdf
(Right click, "Save target as...")

Foreword

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has perhaps been the United States’ most intractable foreign policy issue. Once a key U.S. ally, the revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini overturned this relationship, casting the U.S. and Iran into competition for influence in the oil-rich and strategically significant Gulf region. In response, the U.S. built closer relationships with Arab allies, especially Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iraq had been the major check on Iranian regional aspirations; with the end of Saddam Hussein’s regime Iran’s influence increased dramatically. This shift in the regional balance of power and Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear program has brought the U.S. and Iran into increasing conflict marked by diplomatic saber rattling, heated rhetoric, competition for influence in the region, and the potential for military conflict between Iran and Israel.

It is tempting, and perhaps expedient, to view Iran’s actions solely through the lens of recent history and to assume, because of the Iranian Revolution, that Shi’a Islam is the primary explanation for Iran’s goals and actions. However, Dr. Roby Barrett provides a deeper analysis of Iran’s motivations and finds that they are not the result of irrational messianic religious thought, but rather are based on a rational worldview developed over centuries of history. Iran’s actions can only be understood — and possibly predicted and countered — through this historical lens.

Looking back over the course of history Barrett argues that a strong sense of victimization and humiliation, rooted in Persia’s loss of its historical preeminence in the Gulf, shapes the Iranian psyche. This sense of a lost glorious past under the Persian Empire, and desire to reestablish Iran’s supremacy, is consistent across regimes, from the Safavids, to Reza Shah’s Pahlavi, to Khomeini and Khamenei. In this construct Iran’s attempt to project influence in the region is a rational foreign policy for a state that views itself surrounded by hostile neighbors, which are predominantly Arab and Sunni.

Dr. Barrett also provides insight into the inner workings of the typically opaque Iranian regime. Most importantly he suggests that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds little actual power. Ahmadinejad’s controversial statements and threats aside, the Iranian constitution vests the highest political and religious authority in the supreme leader; this includes the power to declare war and dismiss the president. As such the United States must be prepared to deal with the paradigm of an entire regime, not just the president.

With the looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, Dr. Barrett posits four potential outcomes of this situation: (1) Sanctions force the Iranian regime to the brink of collapse, and Tehran agrees to end the nuclear program and those related to delivery systems; (2) after extended negotiations the Iranians continue to reject Western claims and circumvent Western sanctions; (3) a containment approach to a nuclear Iran; or (4) Israel or the United States initiate a pre-emptive strike to end the Iranian nuclear program. Any of these scenarios may require Special Operations Forces (SOF) involvement, and as such, it is important for SOF to understand the context in which Iran operates. From that context SOF can better understand the complexities of the region.

Kenneth H. Poole, Ed.D.
Director, JSOU Strategic Studies Department

[Nonc Hilaire]

Honestly, I think the U.S. and Iran have always been paramours. Reagan controlled Carter's hostage problem, and there was plenty of back channel communication during the two Iraq conflicts.

Both country's governments have more to gain by appearing to be unattached. The U.S can hold the Iranian threat over Israel and Saudi Arabia, which I imagine is pretty important. Uniting the public behind a common enemy is an ancient method of controlling the public, so why not?

Outside of public scrutiny, I would not be surprised to find Iran and the U.S. genuflecting like bunnies.