Iran

Yes, We Really Must Talk With Iran

If American troops are ever to come home from Iraq and Iraqis are to have a decent chance at peace and prosperity, the United States must open up a new chapter in its Middle Eastern diplomacy. The Iraq Study Group in 2006 made this point when it called for "diplomatic dialogue, without preconditions." The Bush administration has largely ignored this advice.

Posted in Politics, War/Empire, Iran, Iraq

Bipartisanship and Threats of War Toward Iran

Two former Senators -- conservative Democrat Chuck Robb and conservative Republican Dan Coats (that's what "bipartisan" means) -- have a jointly authored Op-Ed in The Washington Post today decreeing what the U.S.

Posted in election 2008, Politics, War/Empire, Iran, Nuclear Weapons

F Is for Failure

On the brief occasions when the President now appears in the Rose Garden to "comfort" or "reassure" a shock-and-awed nation, you can almost hear those legions of ducks quacking lamely in the background. Once upon a time, George W. Bush, along with his top officials and advisors, hoped to preside over a global Pax Americana and a domestic Pax Republicana -- a legacy for the generations. More recently, their highest hope seems to have been to slip out of town in January before the you-know-what hits the fan. No such luck.

Posted in empire, Human Rights, military industrial complex, Politics, War/Empire, Afghanistan, Guantanamo, Iran, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Nuclear Power, Pakistan, Somalia, Torture

Attack on Iran Off the Table?

On Sept. 23, the neo-conservative chiefs of the Washington Post's editorial page mourned, in a tone much like what one hears on the death of a close friend, that "a military strike by the United States or Israel [on Iran is not] likely in the coming months." One could almost hear a wistful sigh, as they complained that efforts to stop Iran's nuclear program has "slipped down Washington's list of priorities...as Iran races toward accumulating enough uranium for a bomb."

Posted in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2008
4:15 PM

CONTACT: Amnesty International
AIUSA media office, 202-544-0200 x302,
lspann@aiusa.org

Amnesty International Welcomes Announcement of End of Child Executions in Iran

WASHINGTON - October 16 - Amnesty International calls on the Head of Iran's Judiciary to apply with immediate effect today's announcement that it will end the death penalty for those under the age of 18, irrespective of the type of crime allegedly committed.

Iran has instructed all courts to cease the execution of juvenile offenders who have committed crimes punishable by death, according to Hossein Zabhi, Assistant Attorney General for Judicial Affairs.

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Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

Posted in Human Rights, Iran

Iran Fighters Force Plane To Land

TEHRAN - Reports that the jet was a US warplane with military personnel on board were contradicted by other sources inside the country, which said its nationality was in fact Hungarian.

Reports said five people were interrogated, but allowed to leave the following day after it became clear their trespass into Iranian airspace had been a mistake.

They added that the interrogation revealed that they had strayed over the border unintentionally en route to Afghanistan.

Posted in Iran

The VP Debate: Dishonest Foreign Policies

The October 3 debate between Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Delaware Senator Joe Biden was disturbing for those of us hoping for a more enlightened and honest foreign policy during the next four years. In its aftermath, pundits mainly focused on Palin's failure to self-destruct and Biden's relatively cogent arguments. Here's an annotation of the foreign policy issues raised during the vice-presidential debate, which was packed with demonstrably false and misleading statements.

Posted in Politics, War/Empire, Election 2008, Iran, Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Pakistan

Obama's Missed Opportunity

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama missed a number of key opportunities during the presidential foreign policy debate on September 26 to challenge the dangerous and reckless foreign policies of Republican nominee John McCain.

Posted in Politics, Election 2008, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan

Iran Resolution Shelved in Rare Defeat for "Israel Lobby"

WASHINGTON - In a significant and highly unusual defeat for the so-called "Israel Lobby", the Democratic leadership of the House of Representatives has decided to shelve a long-pending, albeit non-binding, resolution that called for President George W. Bush to launch what critics called a blockade against Iran.

House Congressional Resolution (HR) 362, whose passage the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) had made its top legislative priority this year, had been poised to pass virtually by acclamation last summer.

Posted in Iran

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008
11:44 PM

CONTACT: CODEPINK
Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder, 415-235-6517
Jodie Evans, CODEPINK co-founder, 310-621-5635

Leading CODEPINK Activists and Peace Group Representatives Meet with Iranian President in New York

NEW YORK - September 24 - Calling it a "major step forward" in relations between Iran and the United States, leading activists Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans of CODEPINK Women for Peace -- along with more than 150 other U.S. peace group representatives -- met Wednesday afternoon with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here following his appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

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Posted in Activism, Iran