Israel Matzav: Confirmed: Obama encouraged stolen Iranian election

Confirmed: Obama encouraged stolen Iranian election

This is from David Ignatius' column in Thursday's Washington Post (Hat Tip: Jennifer Rubin):

One Iranian political figure has told a Western intermediary that the Obama administration may have unwittingly encouraged the regime's power grab by sending two letters to Khamenei before the June election. The first, delivered through Iran's mission to the United Nations, was a general invitation to dialogue. Khamenei is said to have taken a month to answer, and then only in vague terms. A second Obama administration letter reiterated U.S. interest in engagement. According to the Iranian political figure, this may have emboldened Khamenei and Ahmadinejad to think they had a free hand on June 12.

In other words, seeing how weak Obama is, Khameni and Ahamdinejad figured they could get away with stealing the election.

But Iran is taking advantage of what it perceives as Obama's weakness in another way. Writing in the New York Post, Amir Taheri explains why Iran may 'talk' to the United States.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Confirmed: Obama encouraged stolen Iranian election

The Ink Tank: Editorial cartoon roundup

Published in Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/cartoons/20090615_ink_tank/)

Israel Matzav: Iran's 'establishment' split over election results

Iran's 'establishment' split over election results

Writing in Sunday's Times of London, Iranian ex-pat Amir Taheri points out how much of Iran's religious establishment is opposed to the high handed tactics of Ayatollah Ali Khameni (pictured) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On Friday, the 20% democratic part disappeared, as Iran was transformed from an Islamic republic into an Islamic emirate headed by the Emir al-Momeneen (Commander of the Faithful) Ali Khamenei. As Iranians marched in the street in support of more freedom and democracy, Khamenei served notice that he was determined to lead the country in the opposite direction.

Read All at:

Israel Matzav: Iran's 'establishment' split over election results

Israel Matzav: Surprise: Khamenei blames 'dirty Zionists' for Iran protests

Surprise: Khamenei blames 'dirty Zionists' for Iran protests

It should surprise no one that Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni is blaming 'dirty Zionists' for the riots currently gripping his country.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s top Muslim leader, accused “dirty Zionists" and “Zionist media” for being behind charges that the results of the election were rigged. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner two hours after the voting stations closed a week ago on Friday. His opponent, Mir Hussein Moussavi, lost even in his own city, according to official election results.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Surprise: Khameni blames 'dirty Zionists' for Iran protests

Israel Matzav: Glick: Why Israel should support the Iranian revolution

Glick: Why Israel should support the Iranian revolution

The argument that has been used in much of the West for the past week for sitting and watching the Iranian revolution on television without taking action is that Mir Hossein Mousavi, the 'reformist' candidate, is no better than Ahmadinejad. While the pictures from Iran have been hard to watch, I made the same argument regarding Mousavi here.

In Friday's JPost, Caroline Glick makes a fair argument that Israel ought to take the lead in supporting the Iranian revolution. She argues that Mousavi is no longer relevant, and to the extent that he is, he is moving far away from Islamic revolutionary doctrine.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Glick: Why Israel should support the Iranian revolution

Israel Matzav: JPost reporter who reported from Tehran now out

JPost reporter who reported from Tehran now out

Sabina Amidi, who wrote for the JPost from Tehran, has now left the Iranian capital. She writes briefly of her experiences here.

I debated whether I should get out of the country right away, even though I had not participated in the "riots." I had actually witnessed a plainclothes official slap down a young woman who was standing a meter in front of me. All I could do was watch; I have never felt so helpless. The woman's screams will stay with me.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: JPost reporter who reported from Tehran now out

No Matter Who Is President of Iran, They Would Stone Me | CommonDreams.org

No Matter Who Is President of Iran, They Would Stone Me

by Lila Ghobady

Why didn't I vote in the latest elections for the president of the country of my birth, Iran? Because no matter who is the president of Iran, they would stone me!

As a young Iranian woman, I require big changes in order to convince myself that a change in president would mean an improvement of my basic rights as human being inside Iran.

Here are some simple facts that demonstrate that irrespective of who is president, I would be stoned to death in Iran:

Continue the reading at ;

No Matter Who Is President of Iran, They Would Stone Me CommonDreams.org

Israel Matzav: Iran using Hamas mercenaries on street protestors

Iran using Hamas mercenaries on street protestors

Several Iranians involved in street protests in their country have told Israel's Jerusalem Post that 'Palestinian' thugs affiliated with Hamas have been helping the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to quash the protests.

Palestinian Hamas members are helping the Iranian authorities crush street protests in support of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, two protesters told The Jerusalem Post On Tuesday.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Iran using Hamas mercenaries on street protestors

Israel Matzav: How Obama convinced the Mullahs to steal the election

How Obama convinced the Mullahs to steal the election

Despite its total lack of support for the Iranian demonstrators, the Obama administration and the doting American mainstream media would like us to believe that the President's pronouncements about 'hope and change' have somehow inspired what's going on in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities. In The Corner, Bill Siegel argues that Obama didn't inspire what's going on in the streets of Iran, but he may have inspired the Mullahs to believe that they could steal the election.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: How Obama convinced the Mullahs to steal the election

Israel Matzav: The Iran situation removes 'Middle East peace' from the agenda?

The Iran situation removes 'Middle East peace' from the agenda?

Ironically, says the Washington Post's Ezra Klein, the current situation in Iran is likely to remove American attempts to resolve the Israeli-'Palestinian' dispute from Washington's agenda.

There are a couple things to say about this, all of them depressing. First, those of us who have long argued for the fundamental rationality of the Iranian regime have seen our case fundamentally weakened. A rational regime might have stolen the election. But they would not have stolen it like this, where there is no doubt of the theft. This is like robbers leaving muddy footprints and a home address. Tehran's evident vote-tampering is tempting both domestic revolution and international isolation. That they appear to fear neither says something very unsettling about the mental state of the regime.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: The Iran situation removes 'Middle East peace' from the agenda?

Israel Matzav: The end of 'engagement' with Iran?

The end of 'engagement' with Iran?

In Sunday's Los Angeles Times, Paul Richter suggests that the Iranian election results will lead to pressure on the Obama administration to bring its efforts at 'engagement' with Iran to a rapid conclusion:

Congress and pro-Israel conservatives, already strongly critical of Ahmadinejad, will undoubtedly press Obama to put a tight deadline on his overture to Iran. They are expected to urge him to move on to tougher measures, such as economic sanctions or military action, to try to compel Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: The end of 'engagement' with Iran?

Israel Matzav: Ahmadinejad refuses to guarantee Mousavi's safety

Ahmadinejad refuses to guarantee Mousavi's safety

Iranian junta leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a press conference today, and in response to a question by CNN's Christiane Amanpour, he refused to guarantee the safety of his political rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Ahmadinejad refuses to guarantee Mousavi's safety

Israel Matzav: Secretary of State Clinton on the Iranian election (video)

Secretary of State Clinton on the Iranian election (video)

Here's US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talking about the Iranian election. Spineless.

See the video and read all at :

Israel Matzav: Secretary of State Clinton on the Iranian election (video)

Israel Matzav: Why it's best that Ahmadinejad won

Why it's best that Ahmadinejad won

In an article written on Friday during the elections, Daniel Pipes explains why it was best that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad be the winner:

The rahbar controls key institutions (foreign policy, the military, law enforcement, the justice system) of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In contrast, the president primarily concerns himself with the softer domains such as economics and education. (A contrast I discussed in 2003 at "The Iranian President's Power.")

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Why it's best that Ahmadinejad won

Israel Matzav: Riots in Tehran

Riots in Tehran

There are riots in the streets of Tehran tonight after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was 're-elected' yesterday. The government announced this morning that Ahamdinejad had won yesterday's election, even though all the polls showed otherwise.

I have a couple of videotapes for you. Here's the 'victor' speaking to the Iranian people on television after the election results were announced.

See All at :

Israel Matzav: Riots in Tehran

Israel Matzav: Mousavi started Iran's nuclear program

Mousavi started Iran's nuclear program

Presidential elections are being held in Iran on Friday, and the media are abuzz with the possibility that 'reformist' Mir Hossein Mousavi could oust incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But what would Mousavi's election mean for Iran's nuclear program? It's doubtful that it will mean anything at all - in all likelihood, the nuclear program will continue as before. Please consider this.

International Atomic Energy Agency documents revealed that Iran began a secret nuclear program during the tenure of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the opposition leader running against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Read All at :

Israel Matzav: Mousavi started Iran's nuclear program