Misc

Are all Anonymi the same?

There seems to be a confederation of Anonymous commentators here saying the same thing: anonymous 7, 8, ... and many more to come. Can I ask the IRI lobbyists to be more imaginative and choose different names - this is so boring a name.

Thank you Hooman

What we need is more Iranians Like Hooman.And the only lobbyest here is Ardemoosh Ariana the Israel lobbyest.Long live Iran. Hossein

Thanks Hooman

Thanks Hooman for standing up and defending Iran. You don't have to be an apologist to defend a country against Israel lobby's propaganda machine i.e. portraying Iran as Germany of 1939 hell-bent on destroying mankind.

Folks, please don't let your hate cloud your judgments. Do you guys consider professor Chomsky, Gideon Levy, Norman Finkelesin, Time's editor in chief, Washington post's editor in chief, etc. to be the agents of Mullahs?

Stop watching 'daee jaan napelon' and get a life.

Hooman Majd

Homan Majd & Vali Nasr are both IRI lobbyist, please beware of these traitors whom are trying to penetrate into American Congress & Media in order to convince Obama to keep IRI for another 30 years + !
That's why i like to establish a Persian lobby in Washington DS asap with help of those Iranians who truly understand the politics. Let me know please ...

Ba sepas,

Ardeshir Ariana

Wake up and smell the yellow cake in the neighborhood

Ruled by monarchy, IRI or Social Democrats ... Iran must and should have several bombs to counter all threats from West, East, Arab countries and most importantly Israel. There must be a balance of power to repel any attack and that is the responsibility of any Iranian government in power. Unfortunately It's in our national and regional interest and we have to do what we have to do in order to survive.

I disagree with IRI

I disagree with IRI on its treatment of religious minorities (Bahahis in particular), its lack of control on inflation, its ideology, .... etc. However I wish IRI total success in its nuclear program, specially if it is geared towards producing nukes. Iran needs the strongest deterrence there is.

Farah Khanoom

How can you randomly credit UK's guardian as the authority for rendering an unbiased truth about Iran or that region?

Was their reporting on Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, or Britten's unselfish military participation in using Iraq's oil revenues to fund reconstruction projects for Iraq's newly freed society that makes you such an informed opposition to your so called IRI apologists?

You've become so polluted with western media's propaganda I doubt you have any real feathers left yourself. Not to mention your random adoption of an elementary cliché like "IRI apologist" is another indication of your objectivity.

The only problem with Iran possessing nukes is that the west will no longer be able to attack it at will.

a more recent article by a better source

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said separately yesterday that Iran was "not close" to obtaining a weapon. "I think that there has been a continuing focus on how do you get the Iranians to walk away from a nuclear weapons programme. They're not close to a stockpile. They're not close to a weapon at this point," he told NBC.

//www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/02/iran-n...

it appears mr. Majd is correct after all.

He's a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Something seems very peculiar and fishy about this guy. It may be the way he seems so Americanized but at the same time so intertwined and supportive of IRI.

He wouldn't know how advanced the nuclear program is in Iran -- since he is not an ispector -- so why is he putting out this propaganda? Very fishy...

I agree with Fred and bk's comments about him. The slimey car salesman smile with a mullah face is a good description for Hooman.

On a lighter side, perhaps he is keeping the ugly beard so that he could play a role as George Clooney's dad. See photo:

//www.digitalhit.com/cr/georgeclooney/

To All the Islamic Regime's Beauticians ...

 So the character calling himself Ostad boasts that the Islamic regime's nuclear program is open and legal!!!. Well the number one supporter of the Islamic regime, meaning the British Guardian begs to differ: This is the excerpt from its issue precisely a month ago:

"The IAEA said that Iran had put a roof over a "heavy-water" nuclear reactor being built near the town of Arak and was preventing agency inspectors from carrying out ground inspections, meaning that they no longer had any way of seeing what was being done at the facility, which could potentially produce plutonium. "

//www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/19/iran-iaea-united-nations-nuclear-weapon

Some openness, some legality!!

Now keep ranting the usual rants 

Oh yes - sorry to have ruffled a few of your remaining feathers  You guys should practise to lie better than this.

FR

hey Tsion,

you said: "And what's withe the unshaven face? Is it part of the conditions of the masters in Tehran that their corrupt apologists should like as filthy as they themselves too? What is this?"

when you say "filthy unshaven face", are you talking about these guys? //farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/3254166894_c18...

-- just doing my part to point out RACIST hypocrisy whenver I see it.

They said the same stuff

...about the "unjustly treated poor" Germans after WWI too, also to oppose the "alarmists" who were concerned about the rise of the Nazis over there.
Oh the IAEA doesn't think there are secret facilities. Really? And how is the IAEA to know exactly? The IAEA has spies and informants inside to leak the hidden sites or an intelligence organization to organize them nowadays? IAEA can only pass judgment on the sites the Islamic Regime chooses to show them.
But hey, why fear his pay masters in Tehran anyway, even if it turns out [surprise surprise!] that they actually do get their hands on nukes. They are nice people. Like how they support the genocidal maniac Bashir in Sudan as a hero! You see their "bleeding hearts" here and elsewhere find anything wrong with that? No. So it's all about the brave nature of the lovely Islamists, and proves what big "mucho" balls they have.
Why be an "alarmist"?

I love the smile though. SO lovely. So reassuring. Like the Devil's own! ;->
[And what's with the unshaven face? Is it part of the conditions of the masters in Tehran that their corrupt apologists should like as filthy as they themselves too? What is this?]

Zion

Mousavi

Is going to be the best president EVER.

Iran Uber Alles

if Ahmadinejad wins again

then maybe the Western world will finally understand that they are dealing with the majority of Iranians and not just one or two "leaders".

this election is a refrendom on Ahmadinejad. he is still very popular by the same people who elected him the first time. if he wins, it would be because of that.

it would mean Iranians listened to Ahmadinejad, and liked his message.

it would mean Iranians listened to Euro-American anger and didn't care.

i wish good luck to old saltanat talabs who will try to say he does not have the support of the people. everyone would laugh for sure.

Farah Rusta, I have to hand it to you

It takes a lot of nerve to argue an acute case of intellectual laziness is a plus, the way you have demonstrated it in your post.  You seem to have trouble realizing that people are having an honest and serious discourse about current events in Iran, then you jump in with stale information trying to make a point. Once Reza calls you on that you come back with an asinine answer that you don't follow the events on "hourly basis" and you are "only interested in the end result"! What is your favorite frequency to follow the "daily news", once a year?!!! The one who's hoodwinking oneself is you since the "end result" might arrive but you'll be too clueless to realize it.

With regard to the Iranian nuclear program, the IAEA's latest report is here for you and anyone who's interested to know. The following is the summary of the report delivered by ElBaradei:

//www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Multimedia/Videos/B...

Here's the full report:

//www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2...

It may be news to you but NOTHING in politics is %100, and you are revealing your naivite by even bringing it up. A close look at this report and the ones before it, as well as the now famous NIE, should convince everyone that Iran's nuclear program is legal and open. Of course there are some unsubstantiated accusations and baseless suspicions about Iran's diverting resources to military use. I don't think Iran is under any obligation to open its military installations to be inspected at the behest of those who have openly announced they intend to attack it . Doing so would be of utmost irresponsibility for the current or any regime in Iran. In case you were napping and waiting for the "end result", Iran publically announced during Rafsanjani's presidency that it its nuclear weapon policy is to be a "screw driver" away from them. That to me is prudent, legal and rational considering the kind of neighborhood Iran lives in.

Finally, Iran's rulers have indeed claimed they would like to see Islamic values to be resurrected, but they have never said they want to blow up the world with nuclear weapons first in order to bring in "universal Islamic salvation". I'm sure you've heard voices in your head that say things like that and I'm sure it all happened when you were not following the daily news. 

I can't wait for

I can't wait for Ahmadinejad's second term. Please don't forgetr to vote for the pious monkey if you are compelled to do so.

Farah khanoom, you said,

"First, my condolences to the all those Khatami lovers on this site who were disappointed with the U-turn of their hero and his sudden dismissal from the presidential circus. Unlike Reza and other Khatamites I don’t get thrilled or excited by the daily news about Khatami and so I don’t follow his vacillating moves on an hourly basis. To me they are all the same and their joining and dropping out of the election circus is the same."

All that BS instead of "Sorry, I actually don't even follow the news before writing unlearned stuff?"  A simple "Thanks for the information," would have been a more honest reply to Reza.

AND, from the news you might have learned that the most probable  reason that Khatami went out was the realization that the Iranian people wouldn't have given a chance to someone who has compromised on Iran's nuclear right over Ahmadinejad who didn't! 

Farah jan, I share your condolences

on behalf of myself and other Ahmadinejad lovers on this site.

To Reza et. al.

First, my condolences to all those Khatami lovers on this site who were disappointed with the U-turn of their hero and his sudden dismissal from the presidential circus. Unlike Reza and other Khatamites I don’t get thrilled or excited by the daily news about Khatami and so I don’t follow his vacillating moves on an hourly basis. To me they are all the same and their joining and dropping out of the election circus is the same. I am only interested in the end result: their collective disappearance from Iran’s political and social life. So, sorry for disappointing you in not sharing your adulation.  Now, as for the rest of your comments let me ask you a simple question: since when have you decided that Iranians and their ruling regime are one and the same? You and the rest of the regime beautician (in the words of Abbas Milani) on this page seem to have taken it for granted that the Islamic regime in Iran is the true and democratically elected representatives of the Iranian nation. You obviously have no clue about the meaning of your words or have no belief in the democratic system within which you are living in the West.  Can you show us a sample of your seemingly vast knowledge about IAEA’s verdict on the Islamic regime that the Islamic regime’s nuclear ambitions are one hundred percent peaceful and have no potential for developing into the weapon stage? And those of you who come up with this preposterous excuse that Iran has not attacked any country for the last 150 years should answer this question first: has Iran in the last 150 years been ruled by a fundamentalist Islamic regime bent on fulfilling their misguided notion universal Islamic salvation and their resurrection of Islamic values when their twelfth Imam returns to material life.. You may continue dismiisng these facts by such lame cliches as "you know better" or "you should know that ..." and hoodwinking yourself for as long as you wish but as Mr Majd says The Ayatollah Begs to Differ :))

FR

How does he know all that?

How does he know all that? IRI concealed its nuclear program for many years until it was disclosed a few years ago. Secondly, nothing is a disincentive to IRI’s ambition to have an A-Bomb, because it wants to export the revolution.
Thirdly, I recommend this mr Majd to either grow a full beard or shave this ugly stuff off of his face. He looks like a fake hezbullahi with a cheap tie.

Reza thank you for excellent reply

in defence of Iran's nuclear programme. I would just add to your penultimate paragraph that amongst those who should stop fomenting dissent and arming separatists groups to disintegrate Iran, is also Israel which has been fomenting, arming and training Kurdish separatists, as well as boasting about its terrorist campaign of sabotage and assassinations in Iran.

Thank you also to Jaleh as usual! Israel must join the NPT, open its nuclear installations to international inspection and dismantle its nuclear and biological weapons programme. This colonial state with its psychotic mindset is the most dangerous threat to international peace.

سال نو مبارک

Who knows

Iran has bought KSH missiles before that could have had nuclear tips. The missile cooperation with North Korea could have had some progress there in regards of having nuclear weapons. Highly enriched uranium is easily available in that part of the world. And so on, the Mullahs arent stupid to engage Israel like they do without something in their sleeve.

Hooman should stop smiling and laughing when talking about bombing Irans facilities. The puclic in the US or Israel should know that any such action will not be taken lightly like if its a natural right/option for Tel Aviv or Washington.

AAhh too bad!

I was hoping that Iran might already have one or two nuclear bombs hidden somewhere to make Israelis like Fred and other Zionists who constantly threaten Iran with pre-emptive nuclear annihilation, think twice!

Israel might need its entire arsenal to annihilate Iran, but they know that one is enough for Iran!  Israelis must learn that Iran is not "Palestinians" whom they can masscare anytime they wish because all they have is pebbles to fight the genocidal Israelis!

After all, we know that Iranians by culture are very responsible nation, they have not attacked any country for over a century, and despite having the capablities, they did not use chemical weapons on Iraqi savages who used it against Iranians. On the other hand, Israel has invaded all its neighbors and acquired land illegally during its illegitimate existence of only 60 years!

Iran must have enough bombs to thwart any threat from Israel---the history of Israel shows that unless you have the equal mean to defend yourself, if Israelis have the power over you, they'll use it in the most evil manner!

The best way of course is for the international community to force Israel to destroy its nuclear arsenal for a clean Middel East. But, unless that is done, I for one am for Iran acquiring at least as many nuclear weapons as needed to be in a good defensive posture agaisnt Israel, in particular given Israeli repeated pre-emptive threats and its history of doing so.

Mrs. Farah Rusta, First, I

Mrs. Farah Rusta,

First, I strongly suggest to you to - at least - follow Iran's daily news before making political comments in a public forum. For your information, Mr. Khatami quit the electoral race a few days ago. Khatami's departure has been Iran's number one topic of discussion in recent days. Please get a little updated if you insist on getting all "political" on us. I think you are probably the only Iranian who doesn't know this yet.

Secondly, it's really sad to see Iranians, such as yourself (I presume), insisting so much on portraying their own country as a dangerous irrational state that seeks nuclear weapons to destroy the world. How are you so sure?! Do you know something that the IAEA doesn't know? Because the IAEA has been inspecting Iran for almost a decade now and its inspectors have not reached your conclusion yet. Or maybe you know something that the American intelligence community doesn't know. If so, tell them, because 16 of their intelligence agencies concluded last year in their NIE report that Iran is not going after nuclear weapons.

And please spare us of your "Iran is run on by an ideology" that aims at taking over the plant cliché. You know full well that this is not true. This is just a catch phrase that might scare a drunk audience at a rodeo game in Texas but we all know here that it is not true. Iran is not operating on any particular ideology, especially not one that would threaten the world. You know full well that what they say is all talk. Even the "death to Israel" slogan is all routine talk in sponsored rallies. We all know that, and I'm sure, so do you. Iran, like any other country, is operating on geopolitical considerations and nothing else. Everything else is just rhetoric over there, as it is over here. In fact, most academics and foreign policy experts agree that Iran's foreign policy has been, and is, a rational pragmatic one that - like any other State - operates on a cost-benefit basis. Iran is not a crazy pariah state that would risk its own existence and launch war against the West. So please, stop scaring us with your apocalyptic prophesies.

Thirdly, Iran's energy crisis is a national dilemma that needs to be solved for the future generation. You and people like you don't have the right to stop that because of your bitterness towards the current Iranian political establishment. It's a matter of "national interests" that should transcend petty politics. Ask yourself what your position would have been had you lived under Fath-Ali Shah Qajar during the Russian wars? Would you have endorsed the Golestan and Torkamanchi treaties just because you were against Fath-Ali Shah's human rights record or his domestic policies?! Knowing what I know of you from your little piece here, I assume you would. But the rest of us are more patriotic than that.

Fourth; As for your question "what should the West do to dis-incentivise Iran from going towards building nuclear weapons", the answer is clear: The West should first address Iran's insecurity. US troops should not surround Iran from its four borders; US warships should not be navigating at a 5 minutes distance of our shores in the Persian Gulf (they must leave our region); Israel (as Iran's main rival in the Middle East) should open its doors to nuclear inspections and eventually disarm; the West should stop funding and arming separatist groups in Balouchestan, Khouzestan, etc.

Once we settle these fundamental issues - which no other country would have tolerated so peacefully - then and only then it would be fair for you to expect Iran to act in a different manner.

Wow! Is this the best an apologist can offer?

Is this really the best argument that the Islamic republic’s apologists can put forward? That Iran is “soooooo” far away from manufacturing an atomic bomb that the Western democracies can sleep easy for another decade until perhaps Mr Majd’s second cousin, i.e. Mohammad Khatami, has gone through another two terms of his presidency, and extended the reign of the Islamists over Iran for another thirty years? I would have thought those propagandists in charge of beautifying the regime’s face and figure were more subtle than this. But clearly Mr Majd thinks that such water-logged arguments are good enough to convince his American audiences. Can he perhaps tell us how he is so sure that Iran’s nuclear ambitions are soooooo far away from becoming nuclear explosions! Is he a nuclear scientist closely involved with the Islamic nuclear programme? Does he expect his audiences to be reassured by the 18 years of secretive, nuclear development, 8 years of which was carried out under his cousin’s, Khatami, watch? Or perhaps he thinks that the Islamic regime’s rants against Israel or their never ending mantra “Death to Israel, Death to America” should be taken as sample of their peaceful intentions? A year ago, the former British foreign minister, Jack Straw, whose friendship with Khatami and other Islamic regimes’ authorities was the nearest one could get to these figures, explained that Khatami was so powerless that when Straw asked him to remove the slogan “Death to Israel” on the regime’s long distance ballistic missiles to be paraded in their Quds Day celebrations, Khatami replied that it was beyond his power to do it. Only the Supreme Leader, Khamenei could give such orders, Khatami said. This is why the West is so reluctant to see Khatami re-elected as he, unlike Ahmadinejad, is not speaking on the authority of the ultimate power, meaning Khamenei. The fundamental flaw in Mr Majd’s babble is this: If there are no reasons to be worried over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, why should there be any exercise of diplomacy or negotiations in the first place? But if there should be such worries, for reasons that Mr Majd apparently has a secret knowledge of, perhaps he would do us all a favour and tell us how the West should dis-incentivize the Islamic regime from having a nuclear weapon? His comparing the case of the Islamic regime with Japan and South Africa is meaningless because neither of these  two countries is run on by an ideology, or unlike the Islamic regime, by a misguided faith in their superiority over all other faiths. Mr Majd, you’d better come up with a convincing argument before the time runs out on cousin Khatami’s re-election ambitions. – he is showing signs of being dropped out before being dragged in.

FR

Everyone should read this article

hooman majd is a fine guy. do you people know anything besides slander?

if you think it's only "islmists" who want to protect the national rights of iran, you are all mistaken.

please read this:

//www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1829...

Irandokht

This guy's defense of Iran's nuclear program is like the kiss of death.

It's sad to see that pro Israeli millions ($) are spent on the other side of the game to demonize Iran and this is what is produced as a rebuttal.What made you post this? Real experts such as Scott Ritter have done a much better job talking about the invalid claims of Israel about Iran's nuclear program. Sometimes defending something in a half assed way is worse than no defense at all.I have questioned Hooman Majd's motives since the beginning, but what are yours?

To Clueless Fred

If you want to talk about who is the maniac here, lets talk about numbers and reality. Your zionist buddies have killed and oppressed far more innocent people than the Islamists inside iran ever will. You people lack credibility.

The only thing you guys are good at is playing the victim card in the media and guilt tripping the Europeans into bending over for the zionist agenda. Wake the hell up...

You guys have lots of money - and as a result lots of influence on the capital hill and the european union - it is easy naturally easy to push your own zionist agendas further. I feel sorry for all the progressive jews who have to put up with people like you.

I say o hell with the mullahs, but to hell with all the zionist warmongerers. You deserve one another.

Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing

Isn’t he reassuring, if nothing else that used car salesman smile nails the deal. Lets as he keeps harping on it “incentivize” and live happily ever after.

After all what is a nuke or two in the hands of the maniacal messianic Islamists? It is not as though they kill their own people at the drop of a hat or continuously threaten to annihilate others and put this intention as a logo on their mass produced long range offensive missiles. Lets boogie, “incentivize” and be merry.