Iran News and Discussions

The Strategic Issues & International Relations Forum is a venue to discuss issues pertaining to India's security environment, her strategic outlook on global affairs and as well as the effect of international relations in the Indian Subcontinent. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

^^ The border is porous, numerous smuggling routes, soldiers at the border are corrupt etc. In fact, India and Iran have been working closely for the last 2 years. Iran has helped in investigations of terror meetings and so on. Iran is probably our closest partner on Afghanistan.
krisna
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5868
Joined: 22 Dec 2008 06:36

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by krisna »

India stood up for dear friend Iran: WikiLeaks
India lobbied the US against imposing sanctions on Iran for trying to develop nuclear weapons while it expressed concern over the emergence of Bangladesh and the Gulf countries as terrorist-funding routes into India, according to a latest batch of US diplomatic cables leaked by whilstleblower site WikiLeaks.
abhishek_sharma
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9664
Joined: 19 Nov 2009 03:27

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by abhishek_sharma »

The Smiling Cleric's Revolution: Iran's optimistic reformers realize they've hit a dead end.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... revolution
abhishek_sharma
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9664
Joined: 19 Nov 2009 03:27

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by abhishek_sharma »

The Spl. Envoy of Iranian President and Minister of Economic Affairs & Finance, Dr. Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini calling on the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on February 24, 2011.

http://pib.nic.in/release/phsmall.asp?phid=33870
abhishek_sharma
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9664
Joined: 19 Nov 2009 03:27

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by abhishek_sharma »

Iran tells India: Can’t lower gas price

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Iran- ... ce/758134/
Christopher Sidor
BRFite
Posts: 1435
Joined: 13 Jul 2010 11:02

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Christopher Sidor »

abhishek_sharma wrote:Iran tells India: Can’t lower gas price

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Iran- ... ce/758134/
One more nail in the coffin of IPI. Good riddance I would say. If we want to buy Iranian Gas then we can use ships or an undersea pipeline. While an undersea pipeline would be under the threat of Pakistani Agosta Submarines, Ships would be safer as they could be escorted by our navy. But this so called peace-pipeline, i.e. IPI seemed from day one as a mad scheme thought up by nut. And Really if China is willing to join IPI to convert it to IPC we should welcome it. Why
1) Let China face the terms that Iran is offering, including price
2) 1000 kms of Chinese pipeline directly under the eyes of our LCA/Mirage/Guns for hire. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

We stand to loose nothing if this IPI pipeline is canceled.
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

IPI was again about exposing India's democracy, economic power to Pakistan, if Pak and its people were fully reliant on India, gradually our troubles in Kashmir and between each other would reduce. At least thats the theory.

About the gas price issue, is actually Iran trying to do good business. It has to do with Qatar's pricing strategy, Qatar won't even sell to their brotherly nations due to price. Iran is just exploiting that. Because of this issue GCC is actually looking at sourcing gas from Iran and looking at nuclear energy to meet electricity needs.
Christopher Sidor
BRFite
Posts: 1435
Joined: 13 Jul 2010 11:02

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Christopher Sidor »

^^^
Making Pakistan and Pakis reliant on India, economic or in any other way, would not ease any of our troubles as far as Kashmir or any of the Indo-Pak irritants are concerned. Prior to 1965 war Pakistan's biggest trading partner was India. So big was this trade that it is claimed in certain quarters that about 65% of Paki international trade was with India. I have heard stories of People from then Indian Punjab going to Pakistan Punjab to take care of their factories and trading after the partition. In spite of all of this look what happened. Never ever has history proved that countries who trade with each other or are each others biggest trading partners or are economically interdependent do not fight. Nor has history proved that economic interdependence has prevented a conflict or moderated tensions.


Pakistan allowed IPI pipeline to go through for one reason only. To earn transit fees. On its own Pakistan will not be able to pay for the gas being transported via IPI. It would require India's economy of scales to actually make this pipeline feasible, just as India is required to make the TAPI pipeline feasible. But we in India linked it up to some or the other crap including calling it "peace pipeline". If the article is to be believed Iran is asking for 8 USD for gas, for the gas which was originally priced at USD 3. Also it seems that Iran is washing its hands off from delivering gas to Indian border. Rather its responsibility will be at Pakistan border only. If Pakistan steals the gas or disrupts the gas, then it is India's problem. No wonder we have said no to the IPI gas pipeline.


We should not in any way end up propping up Pakistan economy or the abomination called Pakistan.
somnath
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3416
Joined: 29 Jan 2003 12:31
Location: Singapore

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by somnath »

With the new discoveries in the KG basin, it isnt even clear that India would need a lot of imported gas in the medium term...Plus there is the long term contract with Qatar...To get into a politically complicated, commercially challenging (its doubtful if the project would be "banked") project therefore makes little sense...Good riddance...
Christopher Sidor
BRFite
Posts: 1435
Joined: 13 Jul 2010 11:02

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Christopher Sidor »

We tend to believe that KG basin has all the gas that India needs. That is far from the truth. What KG basin has given us is a breather. India's Gas consumption will rise with time. It is not static. This increase in gas demand, KG basin will not be able to fill. That is why we need access to Qatar and central Asian gas reserves. There is a growing misconception in the planet that we are cut off from central Asia due to Iran and Pakistan. We can still access central Asian petroleum reserves via Russia and/or via the southern/nabucco pipeline project. It will increase the transportation costs of the gas but it will be better than the alternative of propping up unwanted countries.
abhishek_sharma
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9664
Joined: 19 Nov 2009 03:27

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by abhishek_sharma »

The Shark Stops Swimming: Iran's supreme leader has just ousted his most formidable rival. Are the Islamic Republic's political games over? Or are they just beginning?

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... s_swimming
Kailash
BRFite
Posts: 1083
Joined: 07 Dec 2008 02:32

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Kailash »

Strategic shift
Delhi seemingly buckled under pressure although it was patently obvious that the US was crudely attempting to throttle India-Iran trade and economic relationship as a whole. But in life, shock sometimes prompts awakening.
India’s energy ties with Iran, unsurprisingly, assume an altogether new meaning. Thanks to the US pressure tactic on ACU, Delhi, overcoming its bureaucratic lethargy towards innovative ideas, was compelled to negotiate a new energy relationship with Tehran. But Iran is one of those strange countries with which business can be developed only within the matrix of an overall political relationship.
Put simply, it’s an ancient habit of the ‘bazaar’. Menon knows it. What probably encouraged him is that despite the breakdown of the ACU mechanism, Iran continued to sell oil to India on deferred-payment basis. Now, somewhere hidden in it was a profound Persian message, which Menon understood.
Kailash
BRFite
Posts: 1083
Joined: 07 Dec 2008 02:32

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Kailash »

Ahmadinejad Underscores Iran, India's Significant Roles in Int'l Relations
"Iran and India which hold a humane view about international relations should strive to form a future world order and system in which justice and friendship are dominant," Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with India's National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon here in Tehran on Monday.

"How to form the world's future order and system has posed a crucial issue to the independent countries under the current conditions, and care must be taken to prevent those who have imposed an oppressive order on man would not impose the same notions and relations in a new form," he added.

During the meeting, Menon reiterated that promotion of relations with Iran is one of the main priorities of India, and said, "India seeks strategic and all-out ties with Iran."
Salehi calls for activation of Iran-India ties, develop cooperation
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

Is this India asserting itself and forming an independent position on Iran, at the same time implement the law - i.e UN sanctions on Iran?

Why should India not assert itself independently considering other countries continue to trade with Iran and arm it?
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

x post:
India - Iran:

What does the recent visit by SS Menon mean?

Some quick points:
- Strategic ties appears to be mentioned in the letter to Ahmadinejad. What does that entail? Complete integration of economic, security, intelligence, defence, counter terror etc. This is on par with other strategic partners in the region such as Oman, Qatar (who both incidentally share strategic ties with Iran) and KSA.

How realistic is this?
- Economic: LOL! Pretty tough at the moment given UN sanctions. Unlikely to yield more than oil trade.
- Defence: We already have agreements in place which would have been quietly upgraded with a quiet defence delegation visit to Tehran last year.
- Intelligence/counter terror: Already in place. RAW chief was due to visit post elections last year. We have an agreement in place and we share inputs on Af-Pak as we have complementary capabilities. Iran has already provided us input on certain terror investigations and has prevented terror suspects onward travel to Pakistan on a few occassions.

Geopolitically, over the next 2 years its good to warm up relations and cool them once the heat switches on.
Cosmo_R
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3407
Joined: 24 Apr 2010 01:24

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Cosmo_R »

Kailash wrote:Strategic shift
Delhi seemingly buckled under pressure although it was patently obvious that the US was crudely attempting to throttle India-Iran trade and economic relationship as a whole. But in life, shock sometimes prompts awakening.
Bhadrakumar is right up there with MSA. He blames India for Pakistan's behavior. IMHO, the 'rapprochement' probably has more to do with India agreeing to hold composite talks with the pakis and the quid pro quo from unkil is to overlook the Iranian entente.
A_Gupta
BRF Oldie
Posts: 12069
Joined: 23 Oct 2001 11:31
Contact:

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by A_Gupta »

C. Christine Fair on India & Iran
http://bit.ly/e7LHaU (PDF document)
svinayak
BRF Oldie
Posts: 14223
Joined: 09 Feb 1999 12:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by svinayak »

A_Gupta wrote:C. Christine Fair on India & Iran
http://bit.ly/e7LHaU (PDF document)
They are more interested in India's relationship with other countries. They feel they can mould it.
The long term goal is to keep India with 2nd largest population on earth with very limited influence in the world.
Indian leadership may be only ones who allow such things.

They do not think in this way with PRC. Very interesting.
RoyG
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5620
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 05:10

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by RoyG »

US forces Germany to stop Indian oil payments to Iran

NEW DELHI: India is exploring paying for crude oil it buys from Iran in rupee after the US forced Germany to stop routing payments through a Hamburg-based bank.

India in February had begun clearing past dues to Iran by making euro payments through German-based Europisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG ( EIH Bank )). But EIH, which is owned by Iran, is a banned entity in the US and Washington used its influence on Germany to stop payments.

"We are working with Iran to evolve an alternate payment mechanism. We hope to firm up plans very soon," a top finance ministry official said.

The problem had arose after Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in December last year scrapped a long-standing payment mechanism used to pay for Iranian crude imports.

Early in March, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy had told Parliament that "pending dues of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) are now being cleared and as of March 1, 2011, payment of euro 1.5 bn has been made to the Central Bank of Iran."

But that was the last payment made to Iran as soon after the news broke out, the US clamped down.

Oil supplies from Iran have, however, not been affected and the Persian Gulf nation continues to sell oil on credit backed by corporate guarantee.

"We are considering various alternatives... making payments in rupee is one of them," the finance ministry official said.

Reddy on March 3 stated in the Lok Sabha that "consequent to the withdrawal of the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) mechanism by the RBI with effect from December 23, 2010, all payments to Iran for import of crude oil have to be settled in any permitted currency outside the ACU mechanism."

India imports 12 million barrels of crude oil every month from Iran, which is the nation's second-largest supplier after Saudi Arabia.

After the scrapping of the ACU, Iran, which makes up for over 12 per cent of India's oil needs, had continued to supply oil on credit despite the outstanding amount crossing a staggering $ 3 bn.

Reddy then stated 21.2 million tons of crude oil was imported from Iran in 2009-10 fiscal. Mangalore Refinery imported 6.9 million tons, Essar Oil 5.3 million tons, Reliance 3.3 million tons, Hindustan Petroleum 3.2 million tons and Indian Oil 2.5 million tons.

This fiscal, Reliance has completely stopped using Iranian oil and in first six months 8.9 million tons of oil was imported from Iran, Reddy said.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 865593.cms
shyamd
BRF Oldie
Posts: 7101
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 18:43

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by shyamd »

I get the feeling GoI is going to tell US to take a hike. There are plenty of other countries that are trading with Iran. Next time GoI should keep secret how it is paying them.
krisna
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5868
Joined: 22 Dec 2008 06:36

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by krisna »

India Faces Fresh Hurdles in Paying For Iranian Crude Oil Imports
Indian officials say they may explore the option of making payments in yen through a Japanese bank. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, who is currently visiting Tokyo, is expected to discuss the issue with Japanese officials.
Energy experts also say that in the long run, India will have to consider alternative sources. But they say that may not be easy because of the political turmoil in some oil-producing Middle East countries, such as Libya.
India exploring of option of making payments thru yen caught my eye in this article which is similar to RoyG post.
RamaY
BRF Oldie
Posts: 17249
Joined: 10 Aug 2006 21:11
Location: http://bharata-bhuti.blogspot.com/

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by RamaY »

Catching up with the thread...

ShyamD garu,
It is not wise to trust a PRC sponsored TSP.

Somnathji,
The KG basin estimates are a sham; used to jackup share prices. Read latest news and they are not able to honor their current commitments.
Klaus
BRF Oldie
Posts: 2168
Joined: 13 Dec 2009 12:28
Location: Cicero Avenue

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Klaus »

Apologies if this article has been posted earlier on other threads:

Operation Odyssey Dawn and a Nuclear Instruction Undone.
I remember my professor at Florida International University referring to the Qaddafi regime's scuttling of its nuclear program following the 2003 invasion of Iraq as an example par excellence of international education through overwhelming U.S. power. A pressing question at this juncture is whether Operation Odyssey Dawn has undone that teaching and, if so, what the unintended but foreseeable consequences of this will be for Iran's future nuclear behavior.

If recent remarks by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are any indication, the primary lesson the Iranians have derived from the Libyan operation is to make an inextricable, mutually reinforcing link between nuclear defiance and national sovereignty.
Even if it was no more than obliquely expressed, buried in Tehran's unofficial offer was an unprecedented readiness to disengage Iran's national security interests from its nuclear program and forge a nuclear-free modus vivendi with the United States in the Middle East. The way the military intervention against Libya has been received in Tehran so far marks a drastic departure from those conciliatory sentiments. Operation Odyssey Dawn, as far as Iran's conservative old guard are concerned, vindicates a time-honored and deeply seated perception among the Islamic Republic's political elite that the international system does not enjoy a credible, institutionalized mechanism to reward good behavior on the part of non-status quo regimes. Moreover, it demonstrates to the Iranian regime that whereas appeasement yields temporary breathing space, as it did for Qaddafi's regime, a policy of nuclear contumacy, à la North Korea, or -- even better -- nuclear ambivalence, as with Israel, accrues more tangible and longer-term security dividends.

If this is genuinely the way the Libyan case is being internalized in Iran's power corridors, as the Supreme Leader's remarks indicate, it will probably further reinforce the deeply ingrained feeling in Tehran that the United States' bedrock disagreement with Tehran is not behavioral and issue oriented, but categorical, driven by the essential nature of the Iranian regime, and hence not amenable to change via diplomatic bravura. This framework dovetails rather well with the Supreme Leader's much-quoted argument that the Iranian nuclear issue is a tool of convenience opportunistically utilized by the West to encroach on Iran's national sovereignty.

Perhaps the most consequential, albeit counterfactual, internal debate in Iran right now -- with massive implications for the future trajectory of its nuclear program -- is whether Operation Odyssey Dawn would have been unleashed on Qaddafi had he not dismantled Libya's nuclear program. If the answer is no, and the Supreme Leader seems to be gravitating toward this position, then one should expect Iran to further calcify its nuclear posture and inch even closer toward a credible deterrent capability. If the "grand bargain" was an embryonic sign of Iran's educability into a novel reward-and-punishment atmosphere set in motion by Operation Iraqi Freedom, the ongoing Operation Odyssey Dawn marks the abolishment of that framework, undermining the new factors the West tried so dearly to interject into Iran's nuclear cost-benefit calculus.

Along the same lines, the operation against Libya also points to a more fundamental pathology international relations realists associate with moralistically driven humanitarian interventions: creating dilemmas in prioritizing foreign policy objectives and compromising more strategic security interests. From that perspective, one would be hard put not to recognize the detrimental impact of the United States' humanitarian interventionism in Libya on its more pressing non-proliferation interests in Iran and possibly beyond.

Has Obama blurred the contrast the Bush administration worked so hard to draw between Iraq's WMD intransigence and Libya's nuclear complaisance and the consequences thereof? I believe he has and the unintended consequences will, retrospectively and panoramically viewed, loom even larger than they appear to now.
Read it all. Some comments are not germane but are thought provoking nevertheless.
RoyG
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5620
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 05:10

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by RoyG »

Heading for the Black List

Germany Bows to International Pressure over Iranian Bank

SPIEGEL ONLINE
EIHB offices in Hamburg. Berlin is reportedly dropping its opposition to EU sanctions against the bank.
The German government will abandon its resistance to the EU's imposing sanctions on a Hamburg-based Iranian bank that is regarded as key to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Berlin had been opposing the step owing to the economic importance of German exports to Iran.


It has been a bone of contention between Germany and its allies for months. Berlin had been resisting pressure from the US, Israel and other European Union countries to shut down a Hamburg-based Iranian bank that is considered a financial lifeline for Tehran's nuclear program -- until now.

According to information obtained by the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German government has now decided to drop its opposition to putting the European-Iranian Trade Bank (EIHB) on an EU black list during an upcoming review of EU sanctions against Iran.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesman would not confirm the step, saying only that the bank was subject to "strict controls." Should there be evidence that the bank was engaged in behavior that fell within the scope of sanctions, "that would naturally have an impact on the ongoing sanctions review," he said.

In its report Friday, the Süddeutsche quoted sources in government circles as saying that "if evidence continues to accumulate, the conditions for a listing (on the EU black list) will soon be fulfilled." The newspaper said that internally, however, the German government had already made the decision to put the EIHB on the black list.

International Pressure

In recent months, US and European Union officials have stepped up pressure on Germany to close down the EIHB. In February, 11 US senators sent a letter to German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle urging immediate action. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also raised the issue with Chancellor Angela Merkel during their meeting in Berlin last week. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Germany had also rejected a French proposal to blacklist the EIHB in February.

The US considers the bank to be an important financial conduit for Iranian companies involved in Iran's nuclear and missile programs. Last year, the US Treasury placed the EIHB on its black list of institutions banned from the US financial system.

Until recently, the German government had refused to include the bank on the EU's black list, claiming that there was not enough proof of the bank's engaging in sanction-worthy behavior. Berlin argued that the case would not stand up in court if the EIHB took legal action against being added to the black list.

But according to the Süddeutsche report, the British government, which had already applied in Brussels to get the bank put on the black list, apparently has enough evidence to justify sanctions, should the bank appeal to the European Court of Justice. A British delegation presented the proof to the German government in March and apparently managed to convince Berlin that the step was justified.

Germany's Foreign Ministry had also sent a high-ranking official to Washington to view incriminating evidence in the possession of the US government. In the light of the growing evidence of the bank's illegitimate activities, it became increasingly hard for the German government to stick to its position, the Süddeutsche reported.

Dubious Oil Deal

Berlin has also faced pressure over the EIHB's role in a controversial oil deal between India and Iran. India, which imports some $12 billion (€8.3 billion) worth of oil from Iran each year, had been looking for an alternative channel to process transactions with Tehran, after the US forced it to break off direct business relations with the country. Delhi found a solution in the form of the EIHB and planned to process a multi-billion payment for Iranian oil via the Hamburg-based bank. The German central bank, the Bundesbank, would provide support in processing the transaction.

The deal was apparently made in connection with the release of two reporters from the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag from Iranian detention in February. German government sources recently told SPIEGEL ONLINE that Berlin approved the Bundesbank's help in the Iranian-Indian transaction in exchange for the release of the two prisoners.

Washington pressured Berlin to stop the payment, arguing that Tehran channels revenue from oil sales into its nuclear program. In the meantime, India has decided not to process the payment via Germany in response to a request from Berlin.
Economic Value of Exports

Observers believe that German reluctance to support sanctions against the EIHB had to do with the importance of Iranian business deals for the German economy, especially for the country's famous small and medium-sized firms, which are responsible for most of the exports to Iran and which provide millions of jobs. Those companies need payment guarantees for their deals with Iran, and the EIHB, which was founded by Iranian businessmen in 1971 and is owned by four Iranian banks, was one of the few banks in Germany able to redeem letters of credit from Iranian trading partners.

Despite Iran's pariah status, Germany is still the third-largest exporter to the country, after the United Arab Emirates and China. Last year, German exports to the Islamic republic were worth €3.8 billion ($5.5 billion). Still, a number of major companies, such as Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, have recently decided to stop doing business with Iran.

dgs -- with wire reports

http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 76,00.html
ManishH
BRFite
Posts: 974
Joined: 21 Sep 2010 16:53
Location: Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democractic republic

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by ManishH »

x-posted from TSP thread :

Iran to build border fence with Pakistan

The strategic symbolism of two out of three neighbours of Pakistan needing to build a fence with it is very high. If Afghanistan could, I'm sure it too would.
Samudragupta
BRFite
Posts: 625
Joined: 12 Nov 2010 23:49
Location: Some place in the sphere

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Samudragupta »

Iranian Nationalism Rediscovered
In the fall of 2007, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad welcomed President Vladimir Putin on the first state visit by a Russian leader since Joseph Stalin came to Iran to attend the Tehran Summit in 1943 along with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. The Iranian press was in no doubt as to the significance of the visit, which for many illustrated not only Iran's importance but its return to the world stage as a power with which to be reckoned. If the press commentary echoed aspirations more commonly associated with the pre-Revolutionary monarchy, a more startling symbol of continuity soon became apparent. As the two Presidents took their positions for the official welcome and opening press conference, observers were faced with a backdrop constructed to look like the Achaemenid Persian guards that adorned the ruined walls of Persepolis.
The celebrated site of the ancient Persian ceremonial capital had remained popular within the Iranian consciousness, though it had been kept at arm's length by the official ideologues of the Islamic Revolution. For them, Persepolis was tainted not only by the fact that it represents pre-Islamic Iran, but perhaps more crucially because of its close association with Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Few would have dared to exploit the symbolism as explicitly as Ahmadinejad - an unambiguous statement that Iranian nationalism, always a staple of the social consciousness, had returned to the political stage.



Yet it is also remarkable how few have noticed the significance of the transformation taking place in the Islamic Republic of Iran. To be sure, Iranian nationalism has never been far beneath the political surface, although at the onset of the Islamic Revolution it tended to be buried within layers of Islamicized rhetoric. While many have debated the relationship between religion and nationalism, and particularly the importance of Shi'ism to the development of a specifically Iranian identity, there has perhaps been less appreciation of the process by which religion has effectively been nationalized over the last 30 years, such that now more than ever we can talk of an "Iranian Shi'ism." There has been a tendency in the West to essentialize the Revolution, to view it through an Arab or Islamic prism, and above all to see it as unchanging. There are obvious pedagogic reasons for this, such as the need to simplify a complex and at times bewildering political dynamic. But at the same time, it does little justice to the reality of social change.



The ideologues of the Islamic Republic did not dismiss nationalism. Instead, they sought to define nationalism in such a way that it would play a subservient role to the dominant Islamic narrative. However, this proved to be difficult. With the onset of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, it became apparent that the people could not be mobilized by religion alone. Confronting an Iraqi regime that had a clear interest in defining the struggle in ethnic rather than sectarian terms, the Islamic Republic was quick to adapt. The "nation" became sacred.



The impact of the eight-year war, along with the dramatic growth in literacy, the emergence of a truly mass media, and the consequent rise in political consciousness, all encouraged a vibrant popular discussion of the nature of national identity and the meaning of being Iranian. Some of this related to notions of development, especially reflections on under-development. Of equal, if not greater importance was the relationship between religion, specifically Islam and identity. Some have interpreted this development simply as the reaction of society against the oppressive Islamic dogma of the state. While this interpretation has some validity, it tends to disguise the role played by the state, if only inadvertently, in harnessing this transformation. It was, for example, the Islamic Republic that encouraged its acolytes to research the history of early Islam in Iran. It was these very devotees of revolution who began to uncover realities that were at odds with the dominant orthodox narrative promoted by the new Islamic Republic. As in the case of students of religious history in the West, it was a short step for the acolytes of the Islamic Republic from studying the history of Islam to contextualizing that history. By extension, this development was more complex than a simple return to the equally dogmatic and somewhat stale state ideology of the Pahlavis. Indeed, one of the real strengths of this rediscovered nationalism was the pluralistic character and the intensity of the intellectual debates it engendered.



As Ahmadinejad's press conference revealed, while the Achaemenids had enjoyed a gradual if emphatic rehabilitation in the eyes of the state, what was now different was the intellectual depth of the debates, and the crucial fact that in this case, the state was more often than not responding to social sentiment. Moreover, it wasn't simply the Achaemenids who were basking in a new-found attention; it was the entire social and culture milieu of the Iranian world prior to the rise of Islam along with a reassessment of its legacy for the world of Islam. Through the decade of the 1990s to the present, there has been a gradual synthesis of the various narratives of Iranian history - drawing on developments in modern historiography and the rehabilitation of traditional mythologies of descent as encapsulated in the national epic, the Shahnameh (Book of Kings). It is a view of Iran's place in the world which has been reinforced by the apparent reality of the growth of Iranian influence in the region. This renewed Iranian national project is ongoing and far from complete. Like all developing ideologies, it is inconsistent and contradictory. President Ahmadinejad has been the most blatant in his exploitation of this sentiment, and there is little doubt that the ruling elite will seek to harness and control it. However,

history suggests that this may not be as easy as they may think.
http://www.payvand.com/news/09/feb/1176.html
Samudragupta
BRFite
Posts: 625
Joined: 12 Nov 2010 23:49
Location: Some place in the sphere

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Samudragupta »

Iranian President's New 'Religious-Nationalism' Alienates Hard-Line Constituency


'Iranian Islam'
The approach has been spearheaded by Ahmadinejad's controversial chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, who has previously angered hard-liners with conciliatory statements about Israel and other actions deemed to be out of step with Iran's Islamic ideology.

Earlier this month, Rahim-Mashaei -- who was forced to resign as Ahmadinejad's vice president in 2009 after his appointment provoked an uproar among clerics -- caused fresh outrage by telling Iranian expatriates that true Islam was embodied only in the Shi'ite faith embraced by Iran.

"There are different interpretations of Islam but our understanding of the real nature of Iran and of Islam is the Iranian school," Rahim-Mashaei said. "From now on, we must present to the world the school of Iran."

He went on to say that "without Iran, Islam would be lost" and added, "If we want to present the truth of Islam to the world, we should raise the Iranian flag."
Well the ideology for the Renewed Persian push has alredy started....And the name of the new ideology is "Iranian Islam"

Less Islamic Society

Hushang Amirahmadi, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey and president of the American-Iranian Council, says the tensions reflect a profound social shift that is seeing the country enter a fourth phase of its development since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in which national interests trump Islamist ideology.



Many young Iranians reject police enforcement of Islamic dress."I believe we are entering into a new stage in the life cycle of the Islamic republic, which I call the Iran-Iran stage, where Iranian nationalism certainly dominates the Islamic interests and pan-Islamism," says Amirahmadi, who argues that the country has come a complete circle from the revolution's early years, when it began with a stage he calls "Islam-Islam" before progressing successively to "Islam-Iran" and "Iran-Islam" phases.

"I am not saying that this new stage means no Islam," Amirahmadi adds. "It simply means that Iran and Iranian nationalism has become a dominant factor in decisions that the Islamic republic makes."

http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Pr ... 31415.html
Samudragupta
BRFite
Posts: 625
Joined: 12 Nov 2010 23:49
Location: Some place in the sphere

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Samudragupta »

Mullahs, Guards,and Bonyads

An Exploration of Iranian Leadership Dynamics

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG878.pdf
abhishek_sharma
BRF Oldie
Posts: 9664
Joined: 19 Nov 2009 03:27

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by abhishek_sharma »

Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Iran Urges Implementation of Security Agreements with Pakistan

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9002260885
Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

arun
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10248
Joined: 28 Nov 2002 12:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by arun »

RoyG wrote:Heading for the Black List

Germany Bows to International Pressure over Iranian Bank

SPIEGEL ONLINE

EIHB offices in Hamburg. Berlin is reportedly dropping its opposition to EU sanctions against the bank.

The German government will abandon its resistance to the EU's imposing sanctions on a Hamburg-based Iranian bank that is regarded as key to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Berlin had been opposing the step owing to the economic importance of German exports to Iran.


It has been a bone of contention between Germany and its allies for months. Berlin had been resisting pressure from the US, Israel and other European Union countries to shut down a Hamburg-based Iranian bank that is considered a financial lifeline for Tehran's nuclear program -- until now. {Snipped} ........................

http://www.spiegel.de/international/wor ... 76,00.html
Meanwhile talks between Iran and India on the matter of how India would pay Iran for oil imports are ongoing now that the EIHB route for payments to Iran for oil imports has shutdown:

India, Iran fail to decide on mode of crude oil payment
RoyG
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5620
Joined: 10 Aug 2009 05:10

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by RoyG »

I feel that India at this stage has no choice but to use the rupee. Perhaps they have unofficially agreed to do so. I think the problem now lies in setting down some ground rules for Iran on what they can do with it. US pressure to pull out of the ACU and shutting down the EIH bank in Hamburg b/c of Euro payments for Iranian oil has really been a thorn in the a**. RBI probably feels that limiting its exposure overtime to the US dollar is probably in Indias best interest given that it has been going through a slow and steady devaluation.
Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

X-post

Ahmadinejad says it out loud:

"America wants to vandalize Pakistani atomic installations"
احمدی نژاد: آمریکا می‌خواهد در تأسیسات اتمی پاکستان خرابکاری کند
(Translated) On the 17th of Khordaad (June 7), at a news conference in Tehran, he said: "We have precise reports that America wants to vandalize the atomic installations of Pakistan in order to dominate that country and weaken its government and nationhood, and then create grounds to further entrench itself in the region, using the Security Council and other international organizations as a lever.
Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Iran builds security fence along Pakistan border
Iran is building a 435-mile wall along its border with Pakistan in an effort to curb drug trafficking and the cross-border movement of terrorists, the country’s defense minister told the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
[..]
“The fence will prevent villains from crossing into the Islamic republic,” General Vahidi said. :mrgreen:

Iran-Pakistan Relations in Light of Popular Uprising in Bahrain
What touched Iran’s nerves was Pakistan’s recent decision to authorize the recruitment of thousands of its retired security officers by the Bahraini regime in an attempt to quell the public uprising there. Following this announcement, Iranian foreign ministry officials summoned the Pakistani charges d’affaires in Tehran and conveyed Iran’s strong reservations over Pakistan’s move and warned his government of serious diplomatic consequences if Pakistan followed through with its decision. The recent trip by the Pakistani interior minister to Tehran to deliver a special message from the Pakistani president to his Iranian counterpart can be understood as an effort to patch up political differences between the two countries over Bahrain and to prevent further diplomatic fallout between them.
[..]
The degree of Pakistani concerns about Iran’s possible retributions over its position on Bahrain has been to the extent that some Pakistani media interpreted the recent announcement by the Iranian defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi, that Iran plans to build a concrete security fence along its border with Pakistan to prevent border crossing by terrorists and drug traffickers as a response to Pakistan’s decision to deploy security personnel to Bahrain. Although building a security fence along its common border with Pakistan would make Iran less reliant on the not-always-forthcoming Pakistani security cooperation, such a strategic and long-term plan may clearly not have been motivated by short-term developments in the region. Nonetheless, border security arrangements were a major issue on the agenda of the Pakistani interior minister’s meeting with his Iranian counterpart. In this line, the Iranian interior minister Mostafa Najjar has reportedly called on the Pakistani government to step up efforts in disrupting the safe haven of the Jundallah terrorist group across the Iranian border in Pakistan.
[..]
Although Pakistan suffers from a by far worse security condition in its own tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, to the extent that it presents the impression of a failed state to observers in those regions, it is capable of providing wider cooperation to Iran in fighting cross-border terrorism by dismantling Jundallah’s terrorist network in its border areas or allowing Iran’s security forces to use its soil in border areas to pursue and eradicate Jundallah’s terrorist elements.

Pakistani officials may think that putting a decisive end to Jundallah’s terrorist activities in its border areas may not be in their best interests, as it might dampen Iran’s incentives for cooperation with Pakistan in other issue areas, especially in the energy sector, once the threat of terrorism is gone for good. In other words, Pakistan may consider its cooperation over combating cross-border terrorism as a bargaining chip for gaining economic concessions from Iran and would thus prefer to keep the option open for a long time by extending a limited rather than full-fledged security cooperation to it. While this may work in Pakistan’s interests for a short while, its drawback is that it would erode Iran’s trust and jeopardize Pakistan’s long-term interests in its relations with Iran. Under such a situation, Iran may be forced to seek a permanent and long-term solution to the threat of cross-border terrorism and thus end its reliance on security cooperation with Pakistan. Iran’s recent decision to build a concrete security fence along its entire border with Pakistan can be interpreted as a response to Pakistan’s irresolute cooperation with Iran in dismantling Jundallah’s terrorist safe haven in its border areas.
Agnimitra
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5150
Joined: 21 Apr 2002 11:31

Re: Iran News and Discussions

Post by Agnimitra »

Iran busts U.S.-linked spy
TEHRAN, June 10 (MNA) -- Iranian Intelligence agents have arrested a foreign spy who planned to form a social network for creating riots in the run-up to the Majlis election, Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi stated on Friday.

The criminal, who is from one of Iran’s neighbors, was to receive millions of dollars from the United States to form such a network, Moslehi said.

AA/EP/PA
MNA
Post Reply