Yalda - the Iranian Christmas celebration

Happy Yalda to all Iranians!

Read more on this "Iranian Christmas" celebration - Yalda - by clicking HERE and HERE and HERE.

Persian programme on Yalda:



English programme on Yalda:

Tehran University - Student Demonstration

On Sunday up to 1500 Iranian students from Tehran University staged a demonstration against the occupational Islamic Republic.
The students broke through the university gates, that the Islamist security forces had sealed, inviting ordinary people to join their demonstration.
Chants that were heard included: "Death to the Dictator!", "Referendum is our right!", "Referendum is what the nation wants!", "Political prisoners must be freed!".

The students movement is alive and will remain so until the day this savage Islamic Republic is overthrown and a democratic referendum is held to determine the future of the nation. More power to the students movement and all democratic forces that oppose the terrorist Islamic Republic.


Winston's entry on Student Protests

Iranian child prisoner on death row's artwork

On Sunday, December 09, 2007, Reza Alinejad's older brother, Ali, contacted human rights lawyer, Lily Mazahery, via email and included photos of four pieces of artwork that Reza has produced from prison. In these pieces, Reza conveys his pain as a child prisoner on death row, and questions the justice system that has condemned him to death for accidentally killing a man in self-defense.

In December 2002, when Reza was only 17 years old, he and his friend were physically attacked -- without provocation ¡V by a group of men, one of whom was carrying deadly weapons. The boys were severely beaten and injured by their attackers. In an attempt to fend off his attackers and protect himself and his friend, Reza pulled out a pocket knife, and tried to ward off the attackers. As Reza struggled with his attackers in this manner, he accidentally stabbed one of them with the knife, ultimately resulting in the man's death.

Despite testimony from eyewitnesses stating that Reza was acting in self defense and that the stabbing was purely accidental, a judge in Iran's Fars province found the teenager guilty of murder, and sentenced him to death by hanging.

However, the court's ruling is in violation of international laws and standards, including the Covenant on the Right of the Child (CRC), to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a signatory. The CRC expressly prohibits the execution of individuals for acts or crimes committed before the age of majority. Because the IRI has accepted to abide by the governing international rules and treaties, it is prohibited from sentencing Reza to death for acting in self-defense when he was only 17 years old.

With the assistance of Reza's family, and Mohamad Mostafaei, one of the attorneys representing Reza in Iran, human rights lawyer, Lily Mazahery, initiated an international campaign to save Reza from execution. The campaign includes an internet-based petition that demands commutation of Reza's sentence and describes the circumstances of the case.

Last week, in a separate email to Ms. Mazahery, the Alinejad family announced that Iran's head of judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, has ordered mediation between the Alinejad family and that of the decedent. If the decedent's family agrees to accept a certain sum of "blood money" (Diyeh) from the Alinejads, Reza will be able to escape execution and will return to his family to begin a new life away from the horrors of prison.

Additional information about Reza Alinejad may be found on a website set up by Reza's family and friends: www.HelpReza.com

Click HERE to view Reza's other artwork from prison.

Related Information:

Amnesty International Urgent Action Alert for Reza Alinejad

HelpReza Blog (Farsi and English)

Transcript of Mino Hemati's Interview with Dr. Alinejad, Reza's father

Kamangir's entry on the recent execution of a child prisoner

Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi of Iran's message on Human Rights Day

Reza Pahlavi Of Iran’s Message On The Occasion Of 60th Anniversary Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
Sunday, December 9th, 2007
SOURCE

Dear compatriots,

Today on Human Rights Day and on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the United Nations prepares to launch a year-long programme of activities to celebrate the signing of this historic document, every principle of this Declaration is being trampled upon in our homeland.

It is ironic that while the moral and intellectual heritage of our nation was one of the major inspirations behind the genesis of human rights, Iranian citizens remain deprived and disinherited from their most basic freedoms.

Today Amnesty International and other monitoring organizations put Iran close to the top of their list of countries violating human rights. For the past twenty-eight years, no segment of Iranian society has been immune to abuses. Women, youth, workers, journalists, dissenting clerics, farmers, academics, religious and ethnic minorities have all at one time or another been target of flagrant violations.

The rulers of the Islamic Republic have done their utmost to distort the noble image of our country and present our people as promoters of terrorism, intolerance and hatred. They have sacrificed the individual rights of Iranian citizens at the altar of a fanatical ideology and for the preservation of their illegitimate hold on political power.

It is very clear to me that our nation will soon free itself from its present nightmare and claim its true heritage as a stronghold of human rights and defender of dignity and freedom. Giving my full support to the United Nations activities in the promotion of human rights, I call upon all my compatriots as well as the international community to stand together and oppose all manner of human rights violations against Iranian citizens perpetrated by the clerical dictatorship.

May God Bless Iran.

Reza Pahlavi

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

Arabo-Muslims face a meteorite in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) when they pray.
Iranians face the tomb of Cyrus the Great.
True descendants of Cyrus are awakening.

Forever Persian Gulf

The President of the Terrorist Islamic Republic - Mahmoud AhmadiNejad attending a meeting of Arab states.

The banner circled above is an arabic text that reads: "majlis al taavon al khalij al arabia" which translates into "meeting of Arab gulf states"! Now where on earth this Arab gulf exists is anyones guess! The only gulf which separates Iran and the Arab states is the Persian Gulf.
Before these motherless creatures like Mahmoud AhmadiNejad and his ilk hijacked our country (Iran) in 1979, the Imperial Government of Iran, and in particular His Imperial Majesty the late Shah of Iran, made sure that nobody disrespected the name of this historical body of water and that if they did harsh consequences would follow; in fact I've read that the late Shah imposed a trade embargo on an(y) Arab state whose shipping containers were marked "Arab gulf" and did not lift it before this fictitious name was removed.

Today the name of our country, thanks to occupational Islamic Republic and its cronies, has been reduced to being associated with terrorism and extremism, our maritime territorial claims in the Caspian Sea are about to be surrendered to the Russians in return for completion of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and Arab states feel free to go against any legal conventions by misrepresenting the historical and long-standing name of the Persian Gulf. Of course this is but a miniscule fraction of how the Islamic Republic has been successful in reducing Iran's dignity, pride, and culture. To further prove their anti-Iranian heritage, leaders in the occupational Islamic Republic (Khomeini, Bazargan, Khalkhali) even tried to change the name of the Persian Gulf to "Islamic Gulf" - but just as their efforts to ban Iran's ancient New Year, demolish our ancient capital Persepolis, and Islamize society failed so did this futile attempt.

I hope that Iranians can mobilize themselves to shed themselves of these terrorists that are occupying their country and that the dignified name of Iran is restored in the international community.

I'd like to bring the attention of my compatriots to the first part of this interview with the late Shah, where His Imperial Majesty proudly defends the name of the Persian Gulf unlike the non-Iranian/anti-Iranians that have occupied Iran from 1979 till today, and who without shame go sit under such banners with a smirk on their faces!



And a music video by Iranian singer "Ebi" dedicated to the Persian Gulf:

Shahanshah's resting site...

Credits for these recent photos go to an Egyptian friend of fellow blogger Winston.

Iranian woman being arrested by Muslim mercenaries

Video showing how chador-clad Muslim's arrest an Iranian girl on the grounds of "violating the imposed Islamic dress code". The notorious state organization that these criminal Muslim women belong to is the "Zeinab Sisters Brigade" which is a terrorist female-only-organization concerned with up-keeping Islamic value and whose primary target is Iranian women who dare to resist in what may seem the most insignificant gestures (such as pulling their headscarfs back slightly more revealing part of their hair or wearing tight overcoats etc). The Muslim women that are members of this organization are referred to by Iranians as "Fati Kommando's" which translated into english reads "Commando's of Fatameh" - Fatameh is the daughter of the Arabo-Muslim Prophet Mohammed whose backwardnesses, violent, and savage behaviour seems to have rubbed off on his offspring. There are many derogatory terms that Iranians use to label these creatures - apart from "Fati Komando's" there is also "Khaharane Zeinab" ( = Sisters of Zeinab) that is commonly used.

In this video the young Iranian lady asks the chador-clad (the black cloth that Muslim women wear) Muslim's who have surrounded her to show their ID badges so that they can be identified. The Muslim women ignore the request and tell her to be quiet and get in the car. At this point the Iranian woman begins to scream and plead to the crowd that has gathered to help her - however struck by the fear that the occupational Islamic Republic and its mercenary forces have instilled in the minds of Iranians the crowd feels helpless; all you can hear are whispers to "let her be", "let her go". This has not been the case in other recent cases where the crowd has actually intervened to save a young woman's life. The woman is eventually thrown into a police car by force. The car swiftly leaves the scene. These kind of abductions of Iranian women takes place daily by the occupational Islamic Republic.

Please spread and distribute this video-clip to wider audiences for them to witness what these savages are doing to the Iranian population resisting Islamic domination. The days of Islam, its adherents, and offspring are numbered in Iran. Iran will only be able to prosper once this historical misfortune that was imposed on our nation (Islam) is completely uprooted and disposed of into the waste bin of history.

More power to the Iranian people resisting this 2nd Arabo-Muslim Occupation in the history of Iranian nationhood.

Please sign this petition!

Petition for the leadership of our struggle to free Iran

This petition is organized by a group of concerned Iranians who want to see the present religious dictatorship regime in Iran to be replaced with a democratic secular regime. The group members have been active in various opposition groups throughout the past years and have finally decided that the only viable force against the mullahs' regime is one that is lead by Shahzadeh Reza Pahlavi.

We would like to collect as many signatures as possible, however we understand your concerns regarding security and confidentiality, for this reason we have provided many methods for you to use to achieve this goal, but ultimately we need your signature and vote to add to millions of others for freedom of our home land.

You can sign the Petition Online, download a copy of the Petition Form and corresponding petition text in Persian to sign and fax to us, or simply fax or email us with your vote.

For further information please see the INFORMATION page.

Long Live Iran

Memoirs of an Iranian Islamo-Marxist Rebel

ESCAPING A MAZE OF HATRED

by Amir Taheri
Asharq Alawsat
July 25, 2004


MASOUD: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel
By: Masoud Banisadr
473 Pages
Saqi Publications, London, 2004


Let's say it right from the start: this book is a masterpiece and a must-read for anyone interested in such subjects as sects, thought control, terrorism, and totalitarianism.

This book is a masterpiece not because it is well-written. In fact, it is not. Banisadr's style, a mixture of business reports and women's magazines' confessions, at times exasperating. Nevertheless, it is a masterpiece, perhaps, because it tells a moving story, what am I saying, a shattering story, honestly and unencumbered by the artefacts of literary style.

Masoud: Memoirs of An Iranian Rebel could remind some readers of Arthur Koestler's classic "Darkness at Noon", an account of how Communism can turn perfectly sane and well-educated men and women into delusional maniacs.

To tell the truth, however, I find " Masoud" even more moving, if only because the ideology that destroyed Masoud's life was more bizarre than Marxism-Leninism.

Masoud Banisadr, the writer of these memoirs, is a 51-year old Iranian-born science graduate who joined the Mujahedin Khalq (People's Combatants), one of a dozen or so guerrilla groups fighting the Shah in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Mujahedin had a special appeal because they mixed Islamic themes, which had become popular in Iran in the 1960s, with leftist slogans that had attracted some Iranian intellectuals between the 1940s and1960s. The Shah called them "Islamic-Marxists", a label which, though not accurate, was not off the mark either.

By 1978 when the Islamic revolution was bursting on the Iranian scene like a tsunami in a lagoon, the Mujahedin were regarded as selfless, and ruthless, fighters for the cause, whatever it was. They had murdered dozens of people, including bank officials, ordinary policemen, provincial clerks, and, more spectacularly, several American military technician hired by the Shah.

During the revolution, the Mujahedin acted as the vanguard of the movement. They attacked and burned banks, restaurants, bookshops, cinemas, and other "places of sin". They also assassinated army officers, policemen and gendarmes.

Throughout the revolution, which took less than a year to triumph, the Mujahedin praised Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini as a political idol. They invented the slogan " God is Unique, Khomeini is the Leader!" (Allah Wahed! Khomeini Qa'ed!) All along, however, the Mujahedin leaders believed that Khomeini, an old and apparently frail cleric, would seek no political role after the Shah.

When the revolution triumphed, it was only natural for the Mujahedin to expect a seat at the high table. By the spring of 1979, however, it had become clear that the new revolutionary regime would not only refuse the Mujahedin even a side-chair but also regarded them as something of a nuisance.

Struck by hubris, the Mujahedin leaders persuaded themselves that Khomeini had "stolen" their revolution. They could not admit that it was Khomeini's leadership and charisma, and not Mujahedin acts of terror, that had mobilised the masses and ensured the victory of the revolution.

Emboldened by a few allies in the new revolutionary establishment, notably a prominent mullah called Mahmoud Taleqani, the Mujahedin embarked on a policy of provocation against the new revolutionary regime which, in time, persuaded Khomeini that the only way to deal with them was to destroy their organisation.

While all that was happening, Masoud, our memoirist, was a student in England working on a Ph. D in a scientific subject. He had been attracted to the Mujahedin in 1977 and militated on their behalf in one of their many front organisations known as the Muslim Students Society in Northern England.

An Ideal Catch

Masoud was the ideal catch for the Mujahedin.

He had had a turbulent childhood marked by his parents' divorce and remarriage. Both his father and his step-father had been army officers who neither wanted to nor did manifest any hostility towards the Shah. Masoud, however, grew up in an atmosphere created by two decades of intense anti-Shah propaganda by the regime's many enemies: from the Tudeh (Masses) Communists to disgruntled mullahs and passing by the leftist guerrilla groups already mentioned.

Together they had created an anti-Shah culture based on a number of lies, misrepresentations, and hallucinations. They dreamed of revolution not only as a means of getting rid of the Shah but also, perhaps especially, to sort out their inner contradictions.

During the revolution the Mujahedin had told Masoud to love Khomeini and hate the Shah. He had done so with exceptional devotion. He recalls how he had not been able to go to sleep without cursing the Shah and praying for Khomeini.

But when the Mujahedin broke with Khomeini, the ayatollah became their chief object of hate. Masoud was told to hate Khomeini and start loving the Mujahedin leader Masoud Rajavi. He did so without any qualms. Suddenly, it was Khomeini that he cursed and Rajavi that he prayed for every night.

Masoud Banisadr had missed the revolution in Iran and felt almost cheated. This was why the idea of a second revolution, this time against Khomeini, a revolution that would give him a chancre to prove how selfless a fighter he is, appealed to him.

To sum up Masoud Banisadr needed four things to give his life meaning:

A set of lies that he could believe as absolute truth. These had been provided by the Shah's enemies for years. A new version of them was now manufactured by Khomeini's enemies. The Shah had been presented as an "American agent". It was now Khomeini's turn to be accused of being in cahoots with the Americans and the British.

Someone to worship and someone to hate. Until 1979 the Shah had provided the hate figure while Khomeini had represented the love idol. After that Khomeini became the symbol of hate and Rajavi of love.

The illusion that there was an historic or even a divine mission that one had to undertake on behalf of one's nation, if not mankind as a whole.

A cocoon in which to escape from the real world and build an alternative universe. The Mujahedin offered precisely such a cocoon.

From 1977 until he broke with the Mujahedin nearly 20 years later, Masoud Banisadr was a prisoner in a parallel world created by one of the most ruthless sects seen in the last century.

As a member of Mujahedin he was ordered to burn all his books, notes and documents, which he promptly did.

The typical Mujahed was ordered not to read anything not authorised or published by the Mujahedin. He could not even read the Koran unless asked to do so by the organisation with its own commentaries. The Mujahed could not go to cinema, unless on an organisational mission; could not watch television or listen to radio except those controlled by the organisation, and had to refrain from forging any relationship with "outsiders." The Mujahed's children had to attend special schools controlled by the orgasiation.

The idea was to totally isolate the Mujahed from the outside world and gradually kill his critical faculties. He was to be left with a single view of the existence: the fiction created by the " Supreme Leader" Masoud Rajavi and his aides.

At a later stage the Mujahedin were ordered to stop loving their wives or husbands and children because that would reduce from their love for Rajavi. But then Rajavi decided that that, too, was not enough. He ordered all Mujahedin to divorce their wives or husbands. Once they had complied, the " Supreme Leader" ordered the Mujahedin to eliminate their natural sexual desires. Special agents would check the Mujahedin's urine sample to see if it contained " traces of sexual excitement", whatever that means.

At a still later stage the male Mujahedin were ordered to transfer all the top jobs to their female colleagues and accept the superiority of women over men.

In the meantime, Masoud Rajavi had divorced his second wife, a daughter of Abol-Hassan Banisadr who had briefly served as President of the Islamic Republic under Khomeini. But Rajavi was not bound by the rules he fixed for others. He asked his number-two Mahdi Abrishmachi to divorce his wife, Maryam Azodanlu-Qajar; and the latter promptly complied. A few days later Rajavi announced that he had married Maryam, Abrishamchi's divorced wife. The Mujahedin were ordered to celebrate the event as a great revolutionary and historic event, which they did without zeal.

The idea was to show that Rajavi was the only person who was above all laws, man-made or ordained by God.

The Mujahedin not only accepted whatever Rajavi did but also went out of their way to present his deeds as sacrifices on his part. He had fled from Tehran to Paris, hidden in women's clothes aboard a hijacked aircraft, and presented his escape as " the most courageous act of heroism", and the Mujahedin had believed him. And when Rajavi signed a "treaty" with Tareq Aziz, then one of Saddam Hussein's top aides, to help Iraq in the war against Iran, the Mujahedin hailed the move as "a great patriotic act."

Needless to say the Mujahedin had no qualms to take up arms, enter Iran under the wing of the invading Iraqi armies, to kill Iranians and burn their villages in the name of their revolution. Rajavi had told them to hate America for years. But, after 1983, he urged the Mujahedin to do all they could to win Washington's support, including collecting information for the CIA. In the lexicon created by Rajavi, treason meant patriotism, and freedom was nothing but blind obedience of the chief.

The reader might assume that Banisadr wrote his memoirs to unmask and discredit Rajavi. Paradoxically, however, Masoud Rajavi emerges from this book with a less ugly image than that of his followers, including our talented memoirist.

Doing What He Did Best

After all, Rajavi did what he knew best: building his personality cult.
When he was propelled into the leadership of the Mujahedin in 1979, Rajavi was a 30-year old ex-student who had spent six years in prison.
He had virtually no higher education and his political experience was limited to a few armed attacks on isolated gendarmerie posts and a failed attempt to kidnap the American ambassador in Tehran. Nevertheless, he was hailed by tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of young Iranians, most of them students or graduates, not only as a political leader but also as a saviour.

In other words, it was those young enthusiasts who had a problem not Rajavi. All that Rajavi did was to comply with an old Iranian dictum: if the people act as a donkey, just ride them!

Masoud Banisadr, our memoirist, was roughly the same age as Masoud Rajavi. He was better educated than Rajavi because he had completed his university course, obtained a PH.D, and learned English. He had also more practical political experience because he had organised a student union , managed fund-raising events, and lobbied British parliamentarians, journalists and trade union leaders. And yet, Masoud Banisadr regarded Masoud Rajavi as almost a god. He was ready to lie, cheat, betray and even kill for Rajavi.

Banisadr was not alone.

Almost all the Mujahedin cadres were better educated and more experienced than Rajavi. But Rajavi was able to play with them like toys. He would order them to divorce their wives and they would do so without protest. He would tell them to hate each other and use abusive language against their closest comrades, and they would do so with zeal. He would ask them to laugh or to cry, and even, quite literally, to dance for him and they would do so like circus bears.

So: who was it who had a problem?

Rajavi or those who helped build his personality cult?

Lacking education and experience, Rajavi acted on animal instinct. He realised that the revolution, which many had dreamed of but few had really wanted, had produced large numbers of rootless people looking for a measure of certainty.

Rajavi was clever enough to know that only well-educated individuals could be deceived in a big way. Ordinary people, the illiterate peasants and semi-literate workers, could be deceived in small maters, but never on big ones, if only because they lacked the imagination needed to believe big lies. For example, no Iranian peasant shed a tear when Stalin died in 1953 while many Iranian poets wrote qasidas to mourn the Soviet dictator. No Iranian peasant or worker joined the Khomeinist movement until after the Shah had shown that he was no longer able to play the role of the " father."

At one point in 1988 Rajavi boasted that the Mujahedin were the only organisation in which people with university degrees were a majority. He was more right than he had imagined. His sect included famous poets, writers, entertainers, footballers, and scientists.

Among his worshippers were a grandson of the late Dr. Muhammad Mussadeq, the idol of anti-Shah bourgeoisie, several of Khomeini's closest former advisers, and numerous defectors from various Communist outfits.

Now put yourself in Rajavi's place.

You see that so many people, all of them your superiors by education and experience, come every day to worship you as an idol. They tell you are the greatest, the cleverest, the bravest, the best-looking, the most blessed of the human species EVER created.

What would you think?

If you have a sense of humour you might think that they are pulling your leg. But if you suffer from egomania, as Rajavi did, you would believe that you are doing them a favour by letting them worship you.

During the last 20 years of their activity, the Mujahedin caused the death of at least a quarter of a million Iranians. Their hit-squads and suicide-bombers killed hundreds of officials, religious leaders, and personalities of the Khomeinist regime. In their border attacks on Iran, from bases in Iraq, the Mujahedin killed large numbers of innocent Iranians. In turn, the regime executed thousands of Mujahedin members and sympathisers.

Masoud Banisadr's memoirs are particularly chilling because he makes it clear that there is no complete cure for political self-deception.

Masoud Banisadr managed to get out of the Mujahedin after almost 20 years. But he has not managed to get the Mujahedin out of himself. He still defends their criminal project and has difficulty hiding his hateful admiration for the sect.

The reader would be astonished that Masoud Banisadr still considers himself to be " in love", not physically of course, with Maryam, Rajavi's third wife who was appointed by the latter as " President of Iran."

Is it because Maryam symbolises the mother-figure that Masoud Banisadr had always craved for?

More importantly, Masoud Banisadr has not cured his initial ailment, the need for someone to hate irrationally and someone to love beyond reason. Today, his object of hate is Masoud Rajavi. And, if my reading is correct, his new object of love is Dr. Mussadeq.

Fortunately for Banisadr, Mussadeq is dead and would not be able to ride him as Rajavi had done.

The final chapters of this book read like a thriller. We see Masoud Banisadr trying to escape from the clutches of the sect. At one point he narrowly escapes being kidnapped by Mujahedin goons at Baker Street in London, and shipped to Baghdad.

Masoud: Memoirs of An Iranian Rebel is a book not to miss.

Please, please , someone translate it into Arabic, Persian and , in fact, all other languages of Islam. And quickly!

Shahanshah Aryamehr - "Meet the Press" 1973

His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shahanshah of Iran, on an MSNBC "Meet the Press" interview (1973)- declares the independence of the Iranian Government from any foreign powers despite intense propaganda from anti-Shah factions (Leftists/Islamists).

LINK

Freedom for Iran and Iranians from 1400 years of Islamic oppression and occupation!

¡Viva el Rey!

Long Live the Spanish King!

Shut up, Spain's king tells Chavez
Source

Spain's King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez to "shut up" as the Ibero-American summit drew to a close in Santiago, Chile.

The outburst came after Mr Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist".

Mr Chavez then interrupted Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's calls for him to be more diplomatic, prompting the king's outburst.

Latin American, Portuguese, Spanish and Andorran leaders were meeting in Chile.

'Democratically elected'

Mr Chavez called Mr Aznar, a close ally of US President George W Bush, a fascist, adding "fascists are not human. A snake is more human."

Mr Zapatero said: "[Former Prime Minister] Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people."

Mr Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, despite his microphone being turned off. The king leaned forward and said: "Why don't you shut up?"

According to reports, the king used a familiar term normally used only for close acquaintances - or children.

Later, Mr Chavez responded to the king's rebuke.

According to the Associated Press news agency, he said: "I do not offend by telling the truth. The Venezuelan government reserves the right to respond to any aggression, anywhere, in any space and in any manner."

Iranian women in the Imperial Armed Forces

The women of Iran (Persia) played a major role in society before the Arabs invaded Iran and imposed their ideology of Islam on Iranian society.

Pre-Islamic Iran had Empresses such as Pourandokht and Azarmidokht who were in charge of the Empire and were given the title of Shahanshah (King of Kings). The historical Iranian Navy of that time had a well-known female Commander by the name of Artemis; various other high positions of power in the Armed Forces were also held by women.

From the time of the Arab invasion of Persia (around 600 AD) up to the early 1930's (almost 1400 years) Iranian women were not allowed to play a role in society due to the foreign, backward and anti-Iranian ideology of Islam, which through its adversaries were in control of Iran.

Come the Pahlavi era (1930 -1979) Iranian women once again became involved in state-affairs - as the Pahlavi King's reduced the power and influence of the Muslim clergy, who up until the arrival of Reza Shah the Great had an immense control over Iranian society. Reza Shah the Great made sure to reduce the political grip which the Mullah's (Islamic clergy) had held confing them to a mere religious role in which they were restricted in as well since the King did not look positively upon this backward ilk and their detrimental ideology. As early as 1933 Mrs. Marzieh Arfaee (Doctor) joined the Imperial Armed Forces with the rank of Capt. and became the first Iranian woman after 1400 years of Islamic occupation to gain the rank of General in the Imperial Iranian military.

In 1935 Mrs. Ozra Asgar Gilani became the first woman in the Imperial Iranian Air Force.
In 1939 a group of 9 women were enrolled in a pilot training program in Iran and Mrs. Effat Tejaratchi became the first Iranian woman to be given a pilot license (trained with the Tiger Mouth aircraft).

The first helicopter license was issued to Princess Fatemeh (Gen. Khatami's wife).
In 1966 the first series of women graduated from the Imperial Iranian Airforce (IIAF) in several fields including Electronic, Radar, Medical, Air Craft Maintenance, Flight crew, Air Traffic Controllers and Communication.

The first Iranian woman to become a senior officer in the IIAF was Maj. Parvaneh Noorvar (Doctor).

With the advent of the foreign sponsored Islamic coup in Iran 1979 the status of Iranian women were once again reduced to that of half a man according to Islamic laws and were disbanded from the armed forces and many other sectors. Today the immense progress that had been achieved during the Pahlavi Dynasty has been severely set back but the mullah's have found it troublesome to revoke some of the rights which women gained during the Pahlavi Era.

With the ending of the 2nd Arabo-Muslim Occupation of Iran (1979-Present) and the establishment of an Iranian Government, one that safeguards Iranian culture, Iranian women will regain the honorable position which they hold in our society. God bless all Iranian women who have struggled and fought for their rights under the current anti-Iranian Islamic Republic.

Also see: The IIAF page on Iranian women

Islamic offensive against Iranian culture continues

Picture depicts the ransacking and looting of an ancient Iranian Imperial Capital - by the invading Arabo-Muslim forces.

Overnight Islamic Republic has wiped out 3000-Years of Iranian History

He stated: "despite all the previous meetings, communications and warnings, the authorities of the Ministry of Road and Transportation have chosen to ignore and in an unexpected move they have flattened and destroyed the historical site overnight."

He added "Lordegan was one of the most ancient cities in the region and in many historical accounts have talked about its prosperous past, but to this date we have not succeeded in identifying its original location, nonetheless, Pol-Borideh could have provided us with many invaluable answers and could have assisted archaeologists in finding the ancient city, but now we have lost that chance."

Another local archaeologist who wished to remain anonymous for his safety said: "Israel should not be worried about the [Islamic] regime's threat of wiping it out from the map, it is us [Iranians] who should be worried, as the regime is determined to wipe us out of the map."

He added "everyday this anti-Iranian regime is coming up with a new plot to destroy our heritage. One day our heritage is being threatened by dam projects, the next its road constructions. They claim these are development projects, if this is the case why is our heritage being destroyed in the darkness of night and in secret - and why don't they sit down with the cultural authorities to find a solution to carry out their so-called development projects, and at the same time safeguard our national heritage?"

See full article HERE.

************************


In other news the Georgian parliament will be discussing the possible restoration of the Georgian Monarchy which has been argued will bring peace and stability to that country. The motion which was first introduced by the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church has been received warmly by all opposition parties and by Georgians who remember the glory days of their ancient monarchy.

As a supporter of the monarchic system I believe the Georgian Monarchy can potentially bring peace and stability to a country that is torn by ethnic tension/separatist groups and wide-spread political corruption. On top of that the rich and ancient Georgian culture will once again find a patron in the Royal Institution which will represent and unite all Georgians irregardless of their backgrounds. The Monarchy can unite the Georgian Nation under one banner and steer the country towards a more prosperous and stable future.

For more news regarding this event please see:

Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5, Link 6

Campus clashes erupt in Iran - Students vs Islamist Forces

November 1, 2007 12:00 AM
Source: PajamasMedia

PJM Tehran: Reports of a series of clashes between university students and paramilitary forces outside Tehran are emerging writes PJM’s Ardeshir Arian, who is in regular communication with PJM’s Tehran correspondent.

By Ardeshir Arian in collaboration with PJM Tehran correspondent

Concentrated clashes took place yesterday between Allameh University students and the Basij paramilitary forces at the communications campus of Allameh Taba-tabaee University west of the city of Tehran.

According to sources inside the university, the unrest has not settled yet and the regime’s IRGC armored division has surrounded the campus by placing armored vehicles all around the troubled building.

Students chanting “Death to the Dictator” could be heard from a distance away. In some instance, local residents have came out in support of the students and against the regime forces.
(A video of students’ protest against Ahmadinejad in Tehran, after his Columbia University visit earlier this month is here)

On Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 the security forces arrested about twenty students from the same college, for protesting against the Islamic government actions against students.

All but three of the students arrested were released after signing prearranged repentance expressing remorse and agreeing to forfeit their civil rights if they reoffend.

Three of these students have refused to sign such documents which could turn into their legal death sentences if framed or arrested by the government agents again.

For that reason and other unspoken interests, the Ministry of Intelligence ordered the three students to be transferred to one of their undisclosed locations - presumably for interrogation and torture designed to break their spirits.


****

Also earlier this week Iranian students where staging anti-regime protests; for videoclips CLICK HERE.

Shahanshah's resting place - Oct 26, 2007

Many Iranians paid their respects at His Imperial Majesty's resting site on October 26, along with Egyptians and other foreigners in Cairo (Egypt). In the above photo Iranian girl "Yar" pays her respects. His Imperial Majesty will forever be the King of Hearts to true Iranians.

Source LINK

9 Aban - Zaadrooze Shahe Iran - Reza Pahlavi II

9 Aban Zaadrooze Shahe Iran, Reza Pahlavi II, Khojasteh Baad!

Shadravan Mahasti sings "Cheshm Be Rah" for Shah Of Iran - Reza Pahlavi II:

JAVID SHAH!

Cyrus the Great Day

October 29, the “Cyrus the Great Day” And the anniversary of his issuing the first declaration of human rights

Twenty five centuries ago, when savagery was the dominant factor in human societies, a civilized and compassionate declaration was written on clay and issued to the “four corners of the world” that dealt with important issues relevant to the rights of humans, the same issues that not only in those days but even today can inspire those who believe in human dignity and rights.

This document, known as “The Declaration of Cyrus the Great,” emphasized on the removal of all racial, national discrimination and slavery, bestowing to the people, freedom to choose their places of residence, faith and religion and giving prominence to the perpetual peace amongst the nations. This Declaration could actually be considered as a present from the Iranian people, expressed through the words of Cyrus, their political leader and the founder of the first empire in the world, to the whole humanity. In 1971, the general assembly of the United Nations recognized it as the first Declaration of Human Rights, thus, registering such an honor to the name of Iran as the cradle of this first historical attempt to establish the recognition of human rights.

Unfortunately, today, Iran is considered a country whose people are deprived of the very rights that were discovered, articulated and expressed by themselves. The body that holds the state apparatus in Iran not only does not recognize such “rights,” but has done much (intentional and/or unintentional) harm to the mausoleum of Cyrus the Great in Pasargad plains – the very monument that has been registered by UNESCO as a human heritage and a “shrine,” causing its immanent destruction in the future.

The International Committee to Save Pasargad that was shaped three years ago by a large number of people who appreciate national and world heritages, would like to use the opportunity of Cyrus’s Day to extend its best and warmest greetings for the occasion and repeat its plea to all those who appreciate the importance of Human Rights and its historical symbol in the shape of Cyrus’s mausoleum, to put maximum pressure on United Nations, and especially UNESCO, to use their utmost effective endeavors to save this invaluable treasure of human civilization.

With regard and best wishes,

The International Committee to Save Pasargad

October 2007

SAVE PASARGAD ORGANIZATION'S WEBSITE

4 Aban - Zaadrooze Shahanshah Aryamehr

Today we remember a man whose heart and soul was with us Iranians and our homeland. He served us to the best of his ability and loved us with all his might. Like a caring father he wanted us to excel in everything we did. He wished us nothing but the best and provided us with as much as he could in the little time he had with us. We were proud as his children and people looked at us with respect everywhere we went.

Today, if he was with us he would want us to fight to regain what he had wished for us and for Iran. It is up to us today to come together and respect his wishes. It is the least we could do for his legacy.

God Bless His Soul Our King of Kings Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi

-Khashm Organization U.S.A

Let us also on this occasion, honor the services of those men and women in the diplomatic corps and military cadre who loyally served their King and Country. May generations of Iranians to come dedicate themselves to the paths of these visionaries and protectors of Iran. God bless them.

YADESHAN JAVDAN BAAD!

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/aryamehr11/Shahanshah%20Aryamehr/

Lady Liberty meets Derafsh Kaviani

On Monday 15 Oct 2007 Lady Liberty in New York City met a similar Iranian symbol, the Derafshe Kaviani, or Royal Standard of the Sassanid Emperors. The Kaviani Standard is a symbolic representation for Iranian independence and resistance against foreign tyranny.

The story behind the Kaviani Standard has its roots in Iranian mythology and ancient history:

The name Derafš-e Kāvīān (Modern Persian: Derafš Kāvīāni درفش كاويانى) means "the standard of the kay(s)" (i.e., kavis "kings") or "of Kāva."^[1] The latter meaning is an identification with an Iranian legend in which the Derafš-e Kāvīān was the standard of a mythological blacksmith-turned-hero named Kāva (Modern Persian: Kāveh), who led a popular uprising against the foreign demon-like ruler Dahāg (Modern Persian: Zahhāk). Recalling the Sassanid-era legend, the 10th century epic Shāhnāma recasts Zahhak as an evil and tyrannical Arab, against whom Kāveh called the people to arms, using the blacksmith's leather apron on a spear as a standard. In the story, after the war that called for the kingship of Fereydun (Middle Persian: Frēdōn) had been won, the people decorated the apron with jewels and the flag became the symbol of Iranian independence and resistance towards foreign tyranny.

By the late Sassanid era (224-651), a real Derafš-e Kāvīān had emerged as the standard of the Sassanid dynasts. It was thus also representative of the Sassanid state - Ērānshāhr, the "Kingdom of Iran" - and may so be considered to have been the first "national flag" of Iran. The banner consisted of a star (the akotar) on a purple field, was encrusted with jewels and had trailing red, gold and purple streamers on its edges. The term akotar was significant since the star also represented "fortune", and the capture and destruction of the banner on a field of battle implied the loss of the battle (and hence the loss of fortune).^[2] Following the defeat of the Sassanids at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah, the Sassanid standard was recovered by one Zerar bin Kattab,^[1] who received 30,000 dinars for it. After the jewels were removed the caliph Omar is said to have burned the standard.^[1]

It's with this in mind that the Assembly of Iranian Cultural Renaissance launched a symbolic operation of flying this ancient Iranian banner over the Statue of Liberty and the UN Headquarters, as it represents the Iranian nation's struggle for independence and resistance against foreign tyranny - in this case the terrorist Islamic Republic which has occupied Iran for 28 years and oppressed its people with the foreign and anti-Iranian ideology of Islam.

The press release for this event read:

The Statue of Liberty in New York will on Monday October 15, 2007, proudly look on as Iran’s ancient flag of Kings, Derafshe Kaviani, flies overhead to signal the revolt of Iranians of every country, language, and religion against Iran’s repressive Islamist regime of Mullahs. The 25 x 25 foot Derafshe Kaviani will fly along Long Island, over the United Nations, and circle New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. The flight is timed to coincide with the ancient Iranian festival of Mehregan, the fall festival that also celebrates an ancient victory over oppression at which this flag was unfurled.

The flag of the Kings, Derafshe Kaviani remains an important motif in Iranian art and culture, although its meaning has been repressed by the current regime. We raise this flag now to call on Iranians to renew their pride in their ancient culture and to rise once more, as their ancestors rose against legendary demons and conquerors, to establish an Iranian nation that is truly free.
Derafshe Kaviani was first raised, according to legend, against the Satanic, evil dragon demon Zahak. In Iran’s national epic, Shahnameh Ferdowsi, the demon has become an oppressive Arab ruler. Kaveh Ahangar, the legendary blacksmith rallied the people against him, using his spear and leather apron to remake the ancient flag and lead the people to victory.

Assembly of Iranian Cultural Renaissance

• For more photos click HERE.
• See clip of the news report put on youtube HERE.
• The persian version of this press release can be downloaded HERE.
• A local newspaper "Staten Island Advance" reported on this event HERE.
• To view the website of the "Assembly of Iranian Cultural Renaissance" click HERE.

The Kaviani Standard has been unveiled in many symbolic acts of protests in past years - here's one where it was unfurled on top of the Arc de Triumph in Paris - click HERE. Similar actions have taken place outside the EU Parliament in Brussels and the International Criminal Court in the Hague and elsewhere across the world.

A comment by an Iranian regarding this event:

Derafshe Kaviani is our flag. It was the flag our Persian army, our pride and our identity. Those behind this beautiful act are real Iranians, real sons of Cyrus, Darius, Yazdgerd and Nikbanou, Irandokht. Our Persian ancestors were the envy of others, for their sofistication, culture and love. I'm proud of being their descendant. However, my country Iran was invaded by the dirtiest and lowest of the low, the Arabs. Who literally raped and destroyed our beautiful culture. I'm against their descendants in Iran, not elsewhere. Against their diffrent ramifications, Seyyeds, Hezbolahi, akhoond and many others who 'by default' hate Persians and hate our pre-islamic heritage. That's why some of you hate Drafshe Kaviani, hate our real calendar, hate our Persian and Iranians customs and culture. You descendants of the arab muhamad, ali the killer, hussain the jackass, you descendants of the lizard eaters of desert grab your crap and leave Iran, 'before' its our turn to take action.

Get this staright: Islam doesn't belong to Iran, your damn reza, hasan and hussain and fatemeh, belong to arab lands. Iran belongs to real Iranians, not the low-class garbage descendants of Arabs and Moghols. Iran belongs to: Ferdowsi, Babak Khorramdin, Yazdgerd, Sanbad, Nikbanou, Khosro, Cyrus, Xerxes, Pirooz, Rostam Farrokhzad, and to all other real Iranians.

You don't belong to Iran. We'll kick you OUT of our dear Iran. Damn Arabzadegane maflook.

Long live Derafshe Kaviani

Long live Iran

HIM Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi's 69th Birthday

I would like to extend my warm felicitations and sincere good wishes to Her Imperial Highness Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran who today celebrates her 69th birthday!

The Iranian people await the return of their Empress and with that a light of hope for a better tomorrow!

Shahbanouye Gerami Zaadroozat Farkhondeh Baad!

Dorood bar Banooye Banovan, Shahbanouye Mehraban!

Long Live Live the Empress!



*JAVID SHAHBANOU!*

See photo-album HERE.

Tehran University students "Death to Dicator" ref. AhmadiNejad

On October 8 this week Mahmoud AhmadiNejad the President of the occupational Islamic Republic arrived at Tehran University were he was scheduled to give a speech. Heavy security and screening processes was in place to ensure that the few students allowed into the auditorium were regime-loyalists or basiji (a paramilitary organization consisting mainly of young disenchanted/indoctrinated villagers) so that no disruptions or complications need take place during the speech; knowing full well that if Iranian students were allowed into the auditorium there would not only be a security risk towards the Islamic Republic's president but also the fact that students would be able to pose obviously relevant questions which the regime to date has not been ready to answer (regarding the non-existence of freedom and democracy in Iran etc).

Under the heavy presence of the terrorist Islamic Republic's armed security forces hundreds if not up to a thousand of Tehran University students were showcasing their public rejection of the illegal/occupational Islamic regime and its President Mahmoud AhmadiNejad within the university premises - the students were not allowed to leave the University premises but were locked onto campus. As Potkin says in his entry - the university was under a military siege as AhamdiNejad addressed his supporters.

Some of the chants, slogans, and poster's by the Iranian students were:

"Death to Dictator", "Free imprisoned students", "We have questions too, Why only Columbia?" , "Here is Columbia too", "In Columbia yes, in Tehran no?", "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad source of poverty and corruption", "Freedom is our definite right", "Fashist government should be destroyed", "Shame on the regime leave the university", "student torture is condemned". "we don't want dictator regime, we don't want mercenary police", "political prisoners must be freed", "shame on police, leave the university", "Fashist president, university is not your place".

The importance of this event was once again forgotten of or given minimalist attention to by the western media outlets who even then downplayed the size of the demonstration to a "handful" or "around 100". Again let the videos and pictures of the event tell the true story for all to see:

"Oh My Motherland..."

Mullah lobbyists penetrating U.S. Political System

Trita Parsi, Bob Ney, and Iran’s Oil Mafia:
Penetrating the U.S. Political System
By Hassan Daioleslam

See SOURCE for full list of references.

Inside the National Iranian-American Council.

Robert William (Bob) Ney is a current federal prisoner and a former Ohio Congressman from 1995 until November 3, 2006. On October 13, 2006 Ney pled guilty¹ to charges of conspiracy and making false statements in relation to the Jack Abramoff lobbying and bribery scandal. Ney reportedly received bribes from Abramoff, other lobbyists, and two foreign businessmen – a felon and an arms dealer – in exchange for using his position to advance their interests.

Conspicuously missing from this dossier of disservice to the country is Ney’s masterful creation of an active and disguised Washington-based lobbying enterprise for the Iranian theocratic regime, The National Iranian-American Council (NIAC). NIAC is an effective node of Tehran’s comprehensive US lobbying web. This article will address the creation of NIAC, the motives underlying its formation, NIAC’s manifesto, Tehran’s role, NIAC’s connection to Iran’s oil mafia, and NIAC attempts to penetrate the US political system.

Creation of NIAC

The National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) was founded by four non Iranian-Americans: Roy Coffee, Dave DiStefano, Bob Ney and Trita Parsi. Coffee and DiStefano, both Washington lobbyists, were investigated by the Justice Department for arranging a trip for Bob Ney to meet a known felon and a Syrian arms dealer in a conspiracy to circumvent sanctions to sell US-made airplane parts to Tehran.²

Roy Coffee sent a letter to the Dallas Morning News in February 2006 to justify his relationship with the two London-based felons. Part of the letter discussed the creation of NIAC in 2002. In this letter, Coffee described the events following the meeting of his former classmate Darius Baghai (who had just returned from Iran) with Bob Ney:

From that meeting, Darius, Dave and I began to work with Trita Parsi, another Iranian-American, to try to form a political action committee of Iranian-Americans to pursue a strategy of normalization of relations between the two countries. The 4 of us worked very hard for about 9 months to form this committee.

Trita Parsi at the time was a Swedish-Iranian graduate student in his early twenties with ties to Iran’s ambassador in Sweden.³ He was working part-time as a Congressional aid in Ney’s office in Washington on a temporary visa. Parsi was subsequently appointed president of NIAC. Should we believe that one of the most expensive lobbying teams in the US, one of the most corrupt lawmakers in Washington and a Congressional aid in his office, none of them Iranian-American, worked hard for nine months out of their humanitarian concern for the Iranian people?

The New Lobby

In the 1990’s, the American-Iranian Council (AIC), with backing from multinational oil companies, was a front for the Iran’s lobbying efforts in the US. Houshang Amir-Ahmadi served as its president. Amirahmadi has been an active pro-Tehran player in the US since the early 1980s. While residing in the US, he was also a presidential candidate in Iran’s elections. He officially collaborated with different Iranian institutions and notably the foreign ministry.⁴ In 1999 and 2000 Trita Parsi was closely working with Amirahmadi and was well positioned in the leadership of AIC.^5,6

In 2001, the pro-Iran lobby in the United States became intensely active to prevent the renewal of the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA), and to improve US-Iran relations. Despite extraordinary pressure from the lobby, ILSA passed overwhelmingly.

Prior to his imprisonment, Bob Ney, in concert with AIC, was Tehran’s dogged warrior in Washington as he relentlessly led Congressional efforts to end ILSA and initiate Tehran-friendly policies. Ney, disappointed and angered by the ILSA vote, began to plan for the next battle of the war.

The ILSA vote doesn’t look very promising, but that doesn’t mean the struggle should stop on this entire issue. It is a matter of education and re-education and people getting together and forming a citizen’s lobby to make sure that members of Congress and their offices are educated on this issue.
– Speech to AIC, June 2001,⁷ (Emphasis added).

While Ney was hard at work “forming a citizen’s lobby,” Trita Parsi claimed that the majority of lawmakers voted against their true wills. In a tone apologetic to Tehran, he expressed his hope that the Iranian regime understood that he and his colleagues had worked hard to prevent this result:

Hopefully, Tehran will recognize that an honest attempt was made to defeat or at least weaken the sanctions. The call for a review and Speaker Hastert's pledge to insist on Congressional action based on the review must also be interpreted by Tehran as a step in the right direction.
– IranAnalysis, July 2001, Peyvand’ Iran News.

Their failure to block the renewal of ILSA marked the start of a new era for the pro-Iran lobby in the United States. The lobbyists recognized that they must broadly reach out to Iranian-Americans. Iran became directly involved in creating, organizing and implementing a far-reaching lobbying campaign in the US, fundamentally different in its organization, which targeted the strategic needs of Tehran’s rulers. The creation of NIAC as the main executer of this new endeavor had been meticulously planned since the late 1990s. Parsi stepped down from the board of directors of the AIC. An influential US Congressman and a posh Washington lobbyist came to Tehran’s help to create NIAC. An unknown Iranian Swedish student was selected to serve as president of this new organization.

Trita Parsi was the regime’s trusted man within the new network. Tehran’s faith in Parsi was so profound that in 2003 when Iran decided to send a highly secret proposal for negotiations to the White House, Parsi was called on to arrange the delivery of the message through Bob Ney to Karl Rove.⁸ Parsi, moreover, was among the few chosen men (along with Mahallati, Iran’s former ambassador to UN) to present the results of a shady Tehran-friendly poll of the Iranian population which indicated the popularity of Iran’s nuclear program.^9,10

Trita Parsi and the Regime’s Inner Circle

During the eight years of Rafsanjani’s presidency, which ended in 1997, the Iranian regime had attempted without success to attract the Iranian Diaspora to its cause. Khatami’s presidency recharged Tehran’s efforts. With the Supreme Leader’s direct involvement, the High Council for Iranian Compatriots Overseas⁹ was created in 2000 under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry. The President heads the Council, and the Foreign Minister serves as its deputy director. The Ministry of Intelligence and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance collaborate to implement the decisions of the council. The objective was to create a network of organizations to infiltrate and seemingly represent the Iranian community abroad, and promote policies favorable to the Iranian government. Tehran anticipated that this strategy would neutralize opposition activities abroad and legitimize the new lobby.

State-sanctioned Iranian newspapers started a campaign to promote Trita Parsi and NIAC. Pro-government publications outside Iran followed suit. The former head of the Iran interest in Washington, Ambassador Faramarze Fathnejad, was thrilled about Trita Parsi’s efforts and NIAC, highlighting¹¹ “the importance of relations with Iranian organizations in the U.S. and specially pointed to NIAC and his young leader who is a consultant to CNN and has been very successful in his efforts.” The Iran Ambassador even claimed 20,000 members for NIAC (while only 150 is claimed by NIAC itself)!

But token rhetorical support would not alone turn an inexperienced graduate student and a corrupt Washington politician into a lobbying enterprise. Entities with ample financial resources and direct access to Iran’s top leaders had to enter the scene. Understanding the NIAC’s activities in the US necessitates familiarity with Trita Parsi’s main partner in Iran, Siamak Namazi, one of the most important figures of this new lobbying enterprise and a prominent member of the Iranian oil Mafia.

Namazi, along with his sister Pari and brother Babak, control the Atieh enterprise¹² in Iran and its three sister companies Atieh Roshan, Atieh Bahar and Atieh Associates, as well as numerous other direct and indirect partnerships, including¹³ Azar Energy, Menas companies in England, Atieh Dadeh Pardaz, FTZ Corporate services and MES Middle East Strategie.¹² Particularly noteworthy is the fact that Baquer Namazi¹⁴ (the father) is the Chairman of Hamyaran, an umbrella organization for the NGOs in Iran – a man of considerable influence in the internal and foreign affairs of the country.

Atieh claims to be a “. . . fully private strategic consulting firm that assists companies to better understand the Iranian market, develop business and stay ahead of competition.” People familiar with the oil industry in Iran know what this description is code for. In reality, Atieh is notorious for being a conduit for racketeering, bribery and money laundering, mainly for corrupt Iranian rulers. Atieh’s customers include the foreign corporations who wish to do business in Iran and find no choice but to bribe officials. One of their fiascos involved Norway’s Statoil,¹⁵ a customer of Atieh Bahar.¹⁶ Their bribery of Iranian officials through consultants was exposed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice. A number of high officials in the company were fired and the company had to pay tens of millions of dollars in penalties to the US and Norwegian governments for “payments to an Iranian official in 2002 and 2003 in order to induce him to use his influence to obtain the award to Statoil of a contract to develop phases 6, 7 and 8 of the Iranian South Pars gas field.”

The most recent debacle of Atieh enterprise was in March of 2007, when the CEO of the French oil company Total SA17 was charged for bribery of Iranian high officials to secure contracts. Total is one of the major customers of the Namazi’s Atieh enterprise and is mainly represented in Iran by Atieh and its affiliate companies. Tens of millions of dollars of bribes were paid by Total through individuals and third party corporations.

Tehran’s trust in Namazi is elucidated by the fact that his enterprise provides the network and computer services for almost all Iranian banks, parliament, and other important institutions. Namazi’s groups monitor¹⁸ nearly all Iranian economic or political activities and have access to the country’s most sensitive data. This is a clear indication of his prominent place inside the inner circle of power in Tehran.
While representing Tehran, Namazi, disguised as a scholar,^19,20 travels to the US to seemingly pursue academic activities through think-tanks close to the Iranian regime. This link between the Iranian oil Mafia and “scholarly” pursuits in the US is hardly isolated. Three former Iranian deputy foreign ministers currently live in Boston posing as “scholars:” Mohammad Mahallati²¹ who was also the Iranian ambassador to the UN in the late 1980s, Farhad Atai and, Abbas Maleki.²² In addition to his diplomatic past, Maleki has been one of the most important figures within the Iranian oil Mafia.

Trita Parsi and Namazi worked very closely on developing the details of the grand plan of forming an Iranian-American “Citizen’s Lobby” in the US. They traveled to Iran together.²³ They organized joint conferences and meetings, launched lobbying projects and wrote joint papers.²⁴

The Roadmap

In 1999, Parsi and Namazi presented a joint paper titled, “Iranian-Americans: The bridge between two nations,” at the DAPIA conference organized by the Iranian government in Cypress. This report comprises the manifesto and roadmap of the new Iranian lobby in the US. In this paper, the authors suggest that: “an Iranian-American lobby is needed in order to create a balance between the competing Middle Eastern lobbies. Without it, Iran-bashing may become popular in Congress again.” The “competing lobby” was AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee). The pillars of the road map were24:

• To have the appearance of a citizen’s lobby.

• To mimic the Jewish lobby in the US.

• To impede Iranian opposition activities.

• To infiltrate the US political system.

• To break the taboo of working with Iran’s cleric rulers for the Iranian Diaspora

• To improve the image of the Iran’s government abroad.

In their report, Namazi and Parsi admitted that the Iranian community by large rejects the clerical regime and there is no hope that this community will help a pro-regime lobby in the US.

This group’s [Iranian Americans] role has not been utilized anywhere close to its potential, however, for several reasons: A good portion of them were against the IRI [Islamic Republic of Iran], therefore would not do anything to help.

The point is, the said group [Iranian Americans] was not about to form a lobby group that would benefit the establishment in Tehran, or benefit the Iranian-Americans themselves as a community, nor was it for the most part interested in forming a pressure group against the Islamic Republic.

This was also underlined by Roy Coffee, one of the NIAC’s founders:²⁵

We [NIAC’s founders] found that most Iranians do not want to get involved in politics because of their experiences in Iran during and after the revolution. They have come to this country to make a better life for themselves and their children and don't want to get involved.

The lack of genuine participation from the Iranian-American community in this lobby has been overcome with a sophisticated machine of professional lobbyists and “friendly” circles who favor a rapprochement with the Iranian regime.

Tehran’s Advice: Mimic Jewish Lobby in Washington

One of the hallmarks of the new lobby was its desire to rival the “Israeli Lobby” in the United States. This aspiration was so strong that an organization²⁶ was created and called IAPAC (Iranian American Political Action Committee) as compared with AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee). Three of IAPAC’s board members came from the AIC’s leadership.²⁷

In their 1999 DAPIA paper, Parsi and Namazi analyzed at length the techniques used by AIPAC, and suggested that the same approach should be taken to create an Iranian lobby in Washington:

Creating similar types of seminars and intern opportunities to Iranian-American youth may not improve Iran-US relations in the short run, but it will help integrate the Iranian-American community into the political life of America. In the long run, a strong and active Iranian- American lobby, partly established through these seminars and by the participants of these programs, may serve to ensure that the US and Iran never find themselves in violent opposition to each other again.

Trita Parsi has been reciting this comparison to the Israeli lobby since the late 1990’s, about the time that the High Council was formed. At the beginning his tone was more contentious and resembled the mullah’s usual rhetoric. While he has toned down his anti-Israeli remarks in his English communiqués, the governmental newspaper Aftab published on December 28, 2006 an interview with Trita Parsi.²⁸ In his introduction, the reporter underlined the role of Parsi’s lobby on behalf of the Iranian regime. The article’s title is interesting: “The Iranian Lobby Becomes Active.” Translation:

The conflict between Iran and the West on Iran’s nuclear file has entered a critical state. The government must now utilize all the possible resources to defend the national interest. In this, we have not paid enough attention to the potentially significant influence of the Iranian American society in moderating the extremist policies of the White House. In comparison of this untouched potential to the influence of the Jewish lobby in directing the policies of Washington in supporting Israel, we see the difference between what is and what could be.

In coordination with Trita Parsi, Siamak Namazi also started singing the same songs:²⁹

I propose that we should start showing up to the leadership training seminars and other events organized by the American-Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) for their youth. Not only will this create an opportunity to learn the fine skills of community organization and grassroots lobbying, but it also takes away from AIPAC's ability to spread misinformation about Iran through a deliberate campaign to further its own political agenda.

Not Lobbyists?

As Ney’s criminal bribery and lobbying fiasco became more public, NIAC’s president Trita Parsi attempted to deny the lobbying nature of NIAC. NIAC was not registered as a lobbying organization, and lobbying activities would have been illegal. Furthermore, being lobbied by a former aid would have added to Ney’s already complicated and ugly situation and impede Parsi’s career in Washington! Therefore in an interview with Washington Prism in 2005, Parsi in response to a direct question asking whether his group lobbies the US congress, declared:³⁰

Our group does not do any lobbying at all. We do not contact the Congressmen to support or oppose a bill.

Reality exposes the falsehood of Parsi’s claim. NIAC has strived to penetrate the US political system as per the 1999 roadmap by Namazi and Parsi. NIAC’s actions lucidly reveal the nature of the organization. The Washington Post reported on June 25, 2006:³¹

The NIAC helped persuade a dozen conservative House members to sign a letter to President Bush earlier this month calling for unconditional negotiations with Iran's regime.

The external communications of Parsi and other NIAC leaders shed further light on NIAC’s lobbying activities.³²

The NIAC members have educational and experimental knowledge on the lobbying process and politics in America.

. . . we must establish connections on Capitol Hill to establish early-warning systems about proposed votes or bills that may oppose the best interests of Iranian-Americans.

Bob Ney, Roy Coffee, and Dave DiStefano arranged numerous workshops, training classes, seminars and speeches in which they themselves and others with experience prepared members and affiliates of NIAC to lobby and influence Congress. Parsi, Namazi and Ney organized public gatherings and discrete and exclusive fundraiser events (with $1,000 plates). They developed training manuals on lobbying.

NIAC itself admits that,³² “In 2002, Congressman Ney benefited from letters sent by Iranian-Americans through NIAC's Legislative Action Center in support of his resolution on US-Iran relations.”

Infiltrating Congress

Trita Parsi, Namazi and company fully intended to infiltrate the US Congress. Its methods included both engaging unsuspecting Iranian-Americans working in various Congressional offices and recruiting and placing young Iranian-Americans to serve as interns or pages in these offices by offering room, board and financial incentives. NIAC’s website brags of success stories in this venture. The young Iranian-American Press Secretary for Rep. Marcy Kaptur is drafted to help in improving the lobbying skills of NIAC members and affiliates. An Iranian-American student at the University of Minnesota receives a financial scholarship in his senior year and becomes an intern in Senator Norm Coleman’s (R-MN) Washington office.³³ Another intern, a graduate of the University of South Florida, is placed in Congressman Jim Davis’ (D-FL) Washington, D.C. office. Expanding the operation to penetrate the US political system, NIAC has now formally implemented a paid trainee program and is actively in search for unwary Iranian- American youth.

Conclusion

Since the early 1990’s, Tehran has embarked on developing a sophisticated lobby enterprise in the United States. Iran’s government has devoted significant manpower and financial resources to this cause. This lobbying enterprise consists of a complex, convoluted and intermingled web of entities and organizations with significant overlap of leadership and rank and file, and heavy involvement of the notoriously mafia-like inner circles of the Iranian regime. Disguised as scholars, many of the former Iranian government officials reside in the US and constitute an important piece of the lobbying machine. NIAC and its major figures, such as Bob Ney and Trita Parsi, are effective nodes of Tehran’s efforts to manipulate US policy toward self-serving ends.

Endnotes

1. Kiel, P. "Ney Faces Possible 2 Years Plus in Prison."
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001532.php (09-15-2006).

2. Bresnahan, J. "Casino Chips Sealed Ney’s Fate."
http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/pressclip-print.php?view=3266 (2006).

3. Dialog between Iranian Ambassador and Iranian exiles in Sweden.
http://www.payvand.com/news/00/mar/1050.html (03/13/00).

4. Parvin, M. "Boxed In on Iran."
http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MjhiYmYyOWM5ZTBjMDI5NWI0NjQwYzBhZTY3Nzk0MjY= (June 12, 2006).

5. "The Iranian Presidential Elections and Its Implications for US-Iran Relations."
http://payvand.com/news/01/jun/1009.html (6/4/01).

6. Javid, J. "Act as a community."
http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2002/May/Group/ (ed. Iranian, T.) (May 10, 2002).

7. AIC UPDATE - Vol. 2, No. 20.
http://www.american-iranian.org/pubs/aicupdate/05262005.html (May 2005).

8. Clemons, S.
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/001953.php (ed. Note, T.W.) (February 17, 2007).

9. "Council to defend Iranian expatriates: Iran's FM"
http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/?NewsCode=32645&NewsKind=Current+Affairs (June 18, 2005).

10. "Public Opinion in Iran and America on Key International Issues."
http://www.sfcg.org/documents/iranus.pdf (ed. World Public Oppinion, S.f.c.g.) (January 24, 2007).

11. http://www.topiranian.com/ngo/archives/009103.html.

12. http://www.atiehgroup.com/default.htm.

13. http://www.atiehgroup.com/Relatedcompanies.htm.

14. http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event_summary&event_id=152278.

15. "Statoil chairman resigns from anti-corruption group board after Iran bribery case," Intl. Herald Tribune - Europe (October 20, 2006).

16. http://www.atiehbahar.com/WhoWeAre/index.htm.

17. PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD, A. "Total CEO held for questioning over company's Iran activities." (March 21st, 2007).

18. http://www.adpdigital.net/content/en/adp/clientList.aspx.

19. http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1426&fuseaction=topics.profile&person_id=137618#Education.

20. National Endowment for Democracy.
http://www.ned.org/forum/past.html.

21. Ilex Foundation. http://ilexfoundation.org/.

22. Senoir Researcher. http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/.

23. Namazi and Parsi pictures in their joint Iran trip are on:
http://www.iranian.com/SiamakNamazi/2000/August/Water/index.html.

24. Namazi, S. & Parsi, T. "Iran-Americans: The bridge between two nations," in DAPIA Conference (Cyprus, November 1999).

25. http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/archives/013069.html.

26. http://www.iranianamericanpac.org/.

27. http://www.iranianamericanpac.org/leadership/ov.shtml.

28. "The Iranian Lobby Becomes Active." Aftab Newspaper (December 28, 2006).

29. Namazi, S. If Mahdi doesn't come.
http://www.iranian.com/SiamakNamazi/Nov98/Reform/index.html (November 9, 1998).

30. http://www.washingtonprism.org/eng/showarticle.cfm?id=50. Washington Prism (2005).

31. "Iran on the Potomac." Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062301345_pf.html(June 25, 2006).

32. http://www.niacouncil.org/.

33. http://www.niacouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=398&Itemid=2.

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Hassan Dai is an independent researcher and writer who worked closely with two experienced investigative reporters inside Iran to explore and expose Iran's lobbying enterprise in the United States.
hassan.dai@yahoo.com

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