Can you explain whats goin on here. Something shady is going on. This election brought out their split in the forefront, yet now this???? Rumor in Iran has it that Khaemini has cancer and Rafsanjani is paving the way to take over. Who knows. Can you comment on these recent events. Thanks http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=36236&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/10/076A7F86-A275-488F-914F-AF0C8D58652D.html
- By: ali on October 4, 2005

BS about Pakistan. Long term threat from Pakistan? Pakistan probably shared nukes with Iran, and this is what you get for the hollow notions of pan islamisim. As your president said the day before, "we are greatful to India and Pakistan, without them Iran's nuclear capabilities wouldn't have been possible.
- By: Aisha Sarwari on September 27, 2005

You are nuts! What the hell are you talking about. This pathetic "reform" crap you talk about has never had a say in anythinh even remotely connected to the nuclear issue, nor ever would be able to. They accept and work under the "constitution" that gives the authority of such matters to teh unelected real holders of power. Go ffol somebody else, we all know what YOOUR agenda is in this!
- By: n Iranian on September 27, 2005

America can't forgive Iran's and NK's nuclear development. Stupidly, America can give license to more risky 2 Japanese (Jsat's) satellites on America's sky. I really want USA to dominate Japan again. TV propagandizes admirations and lies about Koizumi today in Japan. (I can't believe TV news about Koizumi and Toshiba Corp after 2000.) Toshiba spy PM Junichiro Koizumi used Toshiba's mind-control system and won at Sep 11, 2005 election, samely as 2001. Koizumi might support Toshiba's cartel in Japan's post office when he was the Post Office and Telecommunication Minister from 1992 to 1995. In Dec 1997 Japan's Fair Trade Commission investigated and sued Toshiba Corp in Nov 1998 for a cartel of Japan's Post Office and the trial continues now. (The current Japan's Post Office President Masaharu Ikuta is a Toshiba' spy, I strongly believe.) Koizumi's government gave Toshiba Corp an maximum concession, license for satellite Mbsat in 2003. (No one clearly can speak out the truth of Koizumi except me in Japan.) On Sep 11, 2005, anti-Koizumi politician Shizuka Kamei said "PM Junichiro Koizumi used mind-control and got a big won at Japan's Sep 11, 2005 election.". On Sep 12, 2005, some brave newspapers informed but TV and many newspapers cut Kamei's word "Mind-control". (Japanese politicians and masmedias have understood that Mind-control exists.) On Sep 13, 2005, Mr. Itsuro Furutachi of TV Asahi's night line news introduced a Chinese news web at http://www.dfdaily.com/ReadNews.asp?NewsID=65277. (He wants to say the truth for Justice. Please protect him, the World.) So NY times criticismed that Japan (Koizumi) is worse than South and North Koreas on Sep 22, 2005. (That's right. But NY times might support Koizumi amid a Japanese election.) Japan was really dominated on Sep 11, 2005 by Toshiba Corp ? I suspect many good Japanese politicians and many good journalists in media have been mind-control-abused by Koizumi like me by Toshiba Corp. (If Toshiba-led HD DVD will be defeated by Bluray Disc and Toshiba-led SED TV set won't be a boom like LCD TV set and Plasma TV set and Toshiba won't sell nuclear equipments (under the name of GE and someone) to USA, I can get hope with Japan.) Why does USA support Koizumi ? USA got only troop for Iraq from Koizumi's Japan. Koizumi got many like yen depreciation. Saying a lie "Koizumi is a Bush's follower." but Koizumi is really a Toshiba's follower. Koizumi badly uses America's bad reputation as Toshiba's way to conceal his truth. Saying "I will quit his post in Sep 2006.", Koizumi mind-controls others and they said "Stay your post, PM Koizumi !.". Many Japanese Liberal politicians say "Mr. Koizumi is a good man." It couldn't be that politicans are so fool. It scares me. I want USA to dominate Japan again to regain Japan from dominant, crazy, evil freemason Toshiba Corp. Please read all of my message at http://newsworldorder.hostedboard.com/read.php?forumid=28&id=823. (Mr.) Seitaro Kanamaru, a Japanese, from Tokyo, Japan I am an Mind-Control Victim by Toshiba Corp since 1997. http://www.perc.ca/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=794 (My face is at http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?p=838876.)
- By: Kanamaru on September 26, 2005

Oh and btw, there are no long term threats from Russia, China and Pakistan. Are you kidding me? You of all people should be aware of the glorious trade relations Iran enjoys with China. As for Russia, maybe you have forgotten who gave Iran a head-start in all this nuclear research to begin with. And Pakistan? That country is so desperate to make a name for itself in the "Middle East" that it would sooner declare itself a Shia republic than bomb Iran.
- By: anon on September 24, 2005

Absolutely wrong. The problem is the bombs. I think you're knowledge of Cold War history and the background and content of the NPT is limited. Iran has every right to pursue civilian nuclear technology and in fact the NPT explicitly states that NWS (Nuclear Weapon States) must assist developing countries if they express a desire to develop peaceful nuclear technology. The bomb is the fundamental problem here because it's very existence has set a moral agenda which is trumping international law. US moral norms and standards are overriding any legal imperative that stands in Iran's favour. Who care's if its Khatami, Rafsanjani or Ahmadinejad, the fact is that the Iranian people want nuclear technology more than ever. And now that Iranian society feels slighted by the international community their desire has only strengthened. What I think is really worrying and what you ought to draw attention to in your blog is how Iranians themselves, by and large, refer to WEAPONS and ENERGY as interchangeable entities. They are not. They represent completely different things morally, ideologically, technically and symbolically. The Iranian people themselves need to be aware of the gravity of the situation they are in and they are the most powerful opponents to the bomb right now. They need to understand that energy is a legal right, but proliferating the bomb is a morally frought agenda. Personally I believe that the concept of the NWS must be scrapped if the US/EU3 want to be taken seriously by Iran. As long as the idea of the NWS exists, Iran should pursue the bomb on the basis of there being an ambiguous moral consensus in the international community at the present. Developing energy is almost a non-issue, Iran has every right to it. The question surely is, why do they need energy right now and why have they allowed their own public to believe that energy and weapons are basically the same thing.
- By: anon on September 24, 2005

I'm curious how the issuance of various nuclear "fatwas" play into the Iranian administration decisions whether or not to pursue nukes. Clearly such "fatwas" provide no international confidence building, and if not, what value are they?
- By: Nema on September 22, 2005

No, the problem is not only who controls them. The bombs, and more importantly, the knowledge outlasts changing governments, whether they are peaceful democratic governments, oppressive theocracies or military dictatorships. Iran really doesn't want the bomb. I'm very convinced that no population is served by having the bomb. The bomb can only serve the purposes of the ruling elite. Also, note that many generals of the cold war, as well as many scientists, both people who helped develop the bombs and political scientist reject the idea that deterrence effectively kept the cold war from becoming hot. Deterrence simply doesn't work against a a madman (such as Hitler), and the reason why we still exists is that no real madmen rose to power in that brief time-span the cold war lasted. Non-prolifaration is a worthy goal in itself, but as you note, it may, at this point, not be a good idea to pursue as single-mindedly as the west currently does. Since Iran's population apparently does support getting the bomb, pushing this agenda may in fact jeopardize non-prolifiration goals. So, yeah, we do not have any other option than open the Iranian society to public debate. Some US experts recently claimed it would take Iran ten years to get nuclear arms. That sounds a long time to me, but OK. We need to spend those ten years wisely, then. I'm pretty sure that bringing about reform will open the Iranians eyes to the fact that having the bomb is bad for them, and so, achieve that goal.
- By: Kjetil Kjernsmo on September 22, 2005