Tag: iran

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US adopts Israeli demand on Iran’s missiles

Mohammed Abbasi

By Gareth Porter  WASHINGTON – The Barack Obama administration’s insistence that Iran discuss its ballistic missile program in the negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear agreement brings its position into line with that of Israel and senators who introduced legislation drafted by the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC aimed at torpedoing the negotiations.  But the history of the issue suggests that the Obama administration knows that Iran will not accept the demand and that it is not necessary to a final agreement guaranteeing that Iran’s nuclear program is not used for a weapon.  White House spokesman Jay Carney highlighted the new US demand … Continue reading US adopts Israeli demand on Iran’s missiles

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US sanctions bleed Iran’s health system

Mohammed Abbasi

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi  Slowly but surely, in a scenario reminiscent of pre-invasion Iraq, unilateral Western sanctions on Iran are having devastating effects on Iran’s healthcare sector, adversely affecting the well-being of millions of ordinary Iranians – cancer patients first and foremost. [1]  According to the latest reports from Iran, despite a recent US easing of sanctions for the export of food and medicine to Iran, the current financial restrictions continue to prove a formidable obstacle for the delivery of medicine and medical equipment to Iran.  Not only that, the US and its allies have blocked an offer by the oil … Continue reading US sanctions bleed Iran’s health system

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Bibi’s bluff and Pastorised Americans

Mohammed Abbasi

Israeli experts back Bibi’s bluff By Gareth Porter  TEL AVIV – A striking feature of the Israeli political landscape in recent months has been the absence of a serious debate on the issue of the threat of war with Iran led by national security figures. It is well known that many prominent former military and intelligence officials believe an attack on Iran would be disastrous for Israel. After an initial blast at the idea of striking Iran by two former high-ranking officials last year, however, very little has been heard from such national security figures.  The reason for this silence on the … Continue reading Bibi’s bluff and Pastorised Americans

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Amir Hekmati – CIA? The Truth?

Mohammed Abbasi

  Iran ends 2011 with a blaze of intelligence By Mahan Abedin The appearance on Iranian state TV on Sunday of alleged Central Intelligence Agency spy Amir Hekmati is yet another twist in a string of apparent Iranian counter-intelligence successes at the expense of US espionage. The 28-year old Arizona-born man of Iranian origin has been accused by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) of trying to feed disinformation to the ministry with a view to gaining a foothold on the outer reaches of the MOIS. A former member of the United States Marines Corps, Hekmati was apparently detained … Continue reading Amir Hekmati – CIA? The Truth?

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US and Iran: From enemies to partners

Mohammed Abbasi

By Kaveh L Afrasiabi At the closure of 2011, with the US Congress declaring economic warfare against Iran through tough new sanctions targeting the country’s central bank, 2012 could easily be predicted as a decisive year for Washington and Tehran locking horns in escalating tensions. But an important question is: can policymakers in Iran and the US chart a different path, whereby they could become partners for peace in the Middle East, instead of warring parties? As much as this question appears cut off from reality by the sheer weight of animosities piling up at the gate of US-Iran (non) … Continue reading US and Iran: From enemies to partners