Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Fausta's Blog

October 20, 2010 By Fausta

Obama: Nuclear Venezuela is OK by him

Obama says Venezuela has right to Russian nuclear aid
President Barack Obama has said Venezuela has the right to develop a peaceful nuclear energy programme, but must “act responsibly”.

“We have no incentive nor interest in increasing friction between Venezuela and the US, but we do think Venezuela needs to act responsibly,” Mr Obama said at the White House.
…
Last week, Russian media reported the country will build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors at a plant in Venezuela

While Obama was saying that, the BBC notes,

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met Iranian leaders for talks expected to focus on energy.

All for “peaceful purposes”, of course: Iran welcomes Chavez as partner against Western “bullies”

A Russian-built reactor is due to start providing Iran’s first nuclear power early next year as part of a move into nuclear technology that Tehran says will allow it to export more of its fossil fuels. Iran denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb.

Russians, Iranians, nuclear power…what could go wrong?

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August 3, 2010 By Fausta

Iran turns down Brazil’s offer of asylum to woman sentenced to stoning

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (file photo)

On Sunday, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva offered to provide refuge to Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death,

“I call on…Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to permit Brazil to grant asylum to this woman,” Mr Lula said at a campaign rally for his party’s presidential candidate.

“If she is causing problems there, we will welcome her here,” he added.

While Lula has been eager to make business deals with Iran, hosted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year and visited Iran last May (link in Portuguese), the Iranian regime turned a deaf ear to his offer:
Brazil’s Plea for Asylum for Iranian Facing Stoning Seems to Fail

While no Iranian government officials commented on the Brazilian president’s plea, Jahan News, an ultraconservative news service in Iran that is regarded as credibly reflecting the government’s thinking, said Sunday that it was a “clear interference in Iran’s domestic affairs.”

Rather than kill an innocent woman by stoning,

Sakineh Ashtiani, 43, might not be stoned to death because Iran’s judiciary was reviewing the lower court’s sentence. She could be hanged instead.

Meanwhile, her lawyer has gone into hiding after his wife and brother-in-law were arrested without a reason.

Maybe Lula will remember “sleep with dogs…”

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May 18, 2010 By Fausta

The picture of bad news: Iran, Brazil, Turkey

Hugo Chavez is not the only Latin American leader in bed with the Iranians:

From the Wall Street Journal,

From left to right, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, joined hands after signing a nuclear fuel swap deal, in Tehran on Monday.

Iranian Nuclear Deal Raises Fears, as it well should:

A new Iranian offer to ship out about half of its nuclear fuel—in a surprise deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey—posed a fresh obstacle to U.S.-led efforts to punish Iran for its nuclear program, and underlined U.S. difficulties in affirming its global leadership amid the assertiveness of smaller powers.

Tehran agreed to the proposal during a weekend meeting between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the leaders of Turkey and Brazil—two developing economies aiming to wield more clout on the diplomatic stage, often by opposing the U.S. “Diplomacy emerged victorious,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Brazilian radio. “It showed that it is possible to build peace and development with dialogue.”

And possibly line one’s pockets in the process?

Here’s the deal:

The Obama administration is about to use some strongly-worded language,

The Obama administration said it had “serious concerns” about the new offer, a weaker version of one that Iran negotiated last October with a broader group of countries to avoid sanctions—but which Tehran’s government declined to approve.

For instance, in the previous agreement Iran would have halted its efforts to enrich uranium to a level of more than 3%-4%. In the new offer, Iran isn’t called upon to stop its higher enrichment, now at 20%. (Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90%.) Though Iran would still ship out the same amount of fuel to be enriched elsewhere for its use in medical research, it has more of the fuel now—so it would keep more.

U.S. and European diplomats worried Tehran’s renewed fuel-swap plan could upend progress toward enacting new sanctions on Iran’s program through the United Nations Security Council.

The Obama administration didn’t want to step on Brazilian and Turkish toes, either:

The U.S. has had to tread carefully around the efforts of Brazil’s President da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both countries are current members of the Security Council, and though they don’t hold veto powers, agreement of 10 of the 15 members is needed for the sanctions the U.S. seeks to take effect.

Washington has been aware of the two leaders’ forays, and some officials fear they are participating in a ploy by Iran to crack international unity. But the U.S. did not appear to press the countries to cease. They have said they are standing up for the right of smaller countries to gain civilian nuclear programs. The White House was cautious not to criticize the leaders Monday, acknowledging “the efforts” they had made.

The EU was underwhelmed by America’s stance and responded in equally strongly-worded language:

Still, some U.S. and European leaders spoke bitterly Monday of Turkey’s and Brazil’s actions, saying the Iran issue could imperil Ankara’s effort to join the European Union and Brasilia’s hopes of becoming a permanent Security Council member.

Considering how the EU is falling apart, and China and Russia have permanent seats in the Security Council, I’m sure the mullahs, Erdogan and Lula are quaking in their collective boots.

Meanwhile, Hillary says U.S. Reaches Iran Sanctions Agreement With Russia and China (emphasis added):

Mrs. Clinton said the new sanctions agreement was “as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide.”

Particularly when you consider,

Mrs. Clinton’s announcement was difficult to square with China’s embrace earlier Tuesday of the new nuclear fuel-swap proposal.

And let’s not forget Russia’s helpfulness, too.

UPDATE
While Brazilian President In Holocaust-Denying Iran, Thousands at Home Pay Tribute to Millions of Jewish Dead

May 18, 2010 By Fausta

The picture of bad news: Iran, Brazil, Turkey

Hugo Chavez is not the only Latin American leader in bed with the Iranians:

From the Wall Street Journal,

Iranian Nuclear Deal Raises Fears, as it well should:

A new Iranian offer to ship out about half of its nuclear fuel—in a surprise deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey—posed a fresh obstacle to U.S.-led efforts to punish Iran for its nuclear program, and underlined U.S. difficulties in affirming its global leadership amid the assertiveness of smaller powers.

Tehran agreed to the proposal during a weekend meeting between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the leaders of Turkey and Brazil—two developing economies aiming to wield more clout on the diplomatic stage, often by opposing the U.S. “Diplomacy emerged victorious,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Brazilian radio. “It showed that it is possible to build peace and development with dialogue.”

And possibly line one’s pockets in the process?

Here’s the deal:

The Obama administration is about to use some strongly-worded language,

The Obama administration said it had “serious concerns” about the new offer, a weaker version of one that Iran negotiated last October with a broader group of countries to avoid sanctions—but which Tehran’s government declined to approve.

For instance, in the previous agreement Iran would have halted its efforts to enrich uranium to a level of more than 3%-4%. In the new offer, Iran isn’t called upon to stop its higher enrichment, now at 20%. (Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90%.) Though Iran would still ship out the same amount of fuel to be enriched elsewhere for its use in medical research, it has more of the fuel now—so it would keep more.

U.S. and European diplomats worried Tehran’s renewed fuel-swap plan could upend progress toward enacting new sanctions on Iran’s program through the United Nations Security Council.

The Obama administration didn’t want to step on Brazilian and Turkish toes, either:

The U.S. has had to tread carefully around the efforts of Brazil’s President da Silva and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both countries are current members of the Security Council, and though they don’t hold veto powers, agreement of 10 of the 15 members is needed for the sanctions the U.S. seeks to take effect.

Washington has been aware of the two leaders’ forays, and some officials fear they are participating in a ploy by Iran to crack international unity. But the U.S. did not appear to press the countries to cease. They have said they are standing up for the right of smaller countries to gain civilian nuclear programs. The White House was cautious not to criticize the leaders Monday, acknowledging “the efforts” they had made.

The EU was underwhelmed by America’s stance and responded in equally strongly-worded language:

Still, some U.S. and European leaders spoke bitterly Monday of Turkey’s and Brazil’s actions, saying the Iran issue could imperil Ankara’s effort to join the European Union and Brasilia’s hopes of becoming a permanent Security Council member.

Considering how the EU is falling apart, and China and Russia have permanent seats in the Security Council, I’m sure the mullahs, Erdogan and Lula are quaking in their collective boots.

Meanwhile, Hillary says U.S. Reaches Iran Sanctions Agreement With Russia and China (emphasis added):

Mrs. Clinton said the new sanctions agreement was “as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide.”

Particularly when you consider,

Mrs. Clinton’s announcement was difficult to square with China’s embrace earlier Tuesday of the new nuclear fuel-swap proposal.

And let’s not forget Russia’s helpfulness, too.

UPDATE
While Brazilian President In Holocaust-Denying Iran, Thousands at Home Pay Tribute to Millions of Jewish Dead

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April 30, 2010 By Fausta

Hillary to Ahmadinejad: “Beee-have!”

Rather than deny the little toad a visa, Hillary’s telling Ahmadinejad to behave:
Clinton cool to Iran’s Ahmadinejad attending UN nuclear meeting
Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will likely receive a visa to attend next week’s Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference in New York. But Hillary Clinton says he won’t have a ‘receptive audience.’

Hillary believes that granting Ahmadinejad a visa “means little,” and she used strong language.

I’m sure they mullahs are quaking in their boots.

April 21, 2010 By Fausta

Iranian shock troops in Venezuela

The subject of today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern,

chavezahmadinejad

Bad news, no matter how you cut it,
Iran boosts Qods shock troops in Venezuela
Pentagon predicts U.S. clash with Islamist paramilitary

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon’s first report to Congress on Tehran’s military.

The report on Iranian military power provides new details on the group known formally as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests. The unit is aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa and Latin America, and the report warns that U.S. forces are likely to battle the Iranian paramilitaries in the future.

The Qods force “maintains operational capabilities around the world,” the report says, adding that “it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.”

“If U.S. involvement in conflict in these regions deepens, contact with the IRGC-QF, directly or through extremist groups it supports, will be more frequent and consequential,” the report says.

The report provides the first warning in an official U.S. government report about Iranian paramilitary activities in the Western Hemisphere. It also highlights links between Iran and the anti-U.S. government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has been accused of backing Marxist terrorists in Colombia.

~~Read the whole report here (PDF file).~~ (report does not come up at that link. My apologies.) Hat tip Doug Ross.

Jammie and Atlas Shrugs are also posting on it.

UPDATE
Via Power Line, Report to Congress Outlines Iranian Threats

April 2, 2010 By Fausta

Iran, Venezuela, and asymmetric war

chavezahmadinejad

Jon Perdue reports on The perils of peripheral warfare: Iran & Venezuela share the tactics of asymmetric war

Analysts in the region speculate that Chávez is searching for friends on the border with Colombia because he considers Colombian President Alvaro Uribe an enemy and a threat.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia actually won the 2006 presidential race against the Chavez-backed candidate, Ollanta Humala, by aggressively denouncing Chavez’s meddling in Peruvian politics and by properly portraying his opponent as a Chavez proxy. Prior to the election, Chavez had been infiltrating parts of Peru by opening “ALBA houses” – supposed medical centers for the poor that also serve as propaganda mills and recruiting centers for budding left wing revolutionaries. [1]

A more recent incident in the Amazon town of Bagua, Peru ended in a blood bath last June, when members and supporters of a far-left “indigenous rights” group slit the throats of police officers that had been sent to end the group’s roadblock that had closed the city’s only highway for over a month. Leaders of the group AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest), had ties to Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, and had previously traveled to Caracas to participate in a meeting of radical indigenous groups. [2]

This method of utilizing proxies and perimeter footholds has also been the modus operandi of Iran in its arms-length war with Israel. Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected in 2005, he has consolidated power in Iran by utilizing the Basij militia to suppress opposition while embedding the Revolutionary Guard Corps in positions within the government and the bureaucracies. This was part of the basis for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent comments that Iran is “becoming a military dictatorship.”[3]

Since the end of the Iran-Iraq War, Iran decided not to develop a conventional force structure, but to focus instead on missile capacity to harass its neighbors and naval capacity to be able to cause problems in the Persian Gulf. More importantly, Iran has invested heavily in supplying and training its international subversive forces via Hezbollah.

Similarly, after narrowly surviving a coup in 2002, Chávez first purged his military of any soldiers that appeared supportive of the coup, and soon after began to indoctrinate his military in “asymmetric warfare.” At the “1st Military Forum on Fourth Generation War and Asymmetric War” in 2004, Chavez instructed his soldiers to change their tactical thinking from a conventional style to a “people’s war,” which glorified the tactics used by revolutionary Islamists. [4]

Chávez then had a special edition of La Guerra Periferica y Islam Revolucionaria (Peripheral Warfare and Revolutionary Islam: Origins, Rules and Ethics of Asymmetric Warfare by Jorge Verstrynge) printed in Spanish and distributed to the Venezuelan Army to replace the U.S. Army training manual.

Verstrynge’s book idolizes Islamic terrorism, calling it, “the ultimate and preferred method of asymmetric warfare because it involves fighters willing to sacrifice their lives to kill the enemy.” [5] The manual also contains instructions for making and deploying a “dirty bomb.” Verstrynge, a Spanish socialist, is now a hired consultant to Chavez’s army, whose members must also now recite the Cuban-style pledge “Fatherland, Socialism or Death.”[6]

“Peripheral Warfare” strategy was recently tested by Iran in its proxy war with Israel, when two of its surrogate forces, Hezbollah and Hamas, utilized specialized missile crews to bomb Israeli civilians, as well as to cause a distraction while it fired upon Israeli border patrols in 2006 to start the Israel-Hezbollah War. Even prior to the decision to remove Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iran was perfecting the use of peripheral warfare by supplying and training Shiite groups in Iraq. [7]

One big difference between the two:

The major difference between Iran’s use of peripheral warfare in the Middle East and Venezuela’s is that the latter can much more easily find allies in the region willing to overtly offer support. Whereas Iran must maintain some semblance of plausible deniability in its subversive activities, the correspondingly lesser scrutiny and import given to Latin America allows Chavez to openly tout his “Bolivarian Socialism” throughout the region.

Go read the rest.

March 7, 2010 By Fausta

A-jad the truther, and his friends

Iran’s Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a ‘big lie’

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a “big lie” used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.

Ahmadinejad’s comments, made during an address to Intelligence Ministry staff, come amid escalating tensions between the West and Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. They show that Iran has no intention of toning itself down even with tighter sanctions looming because of its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

“September 11 was a big lie and a pretext for the war on terror and a prelude to invading Afghanistan,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by state TV. He called the attacks a “complicated intelligence scenario and act.”

The Iranian president has questioned the official U.S. version of the Sept. 11 attacks before, but this is the first time he ventured to label it a “big lie.”

Meanwhile, over in Brazil,

Iran and Brazil, Banking and Nuclear Energy

Iran and Brazil appear likely to tie up in two areas of cooperation that could be game changers for the United States: banking and nuclear energy.

As Iran faces escalating pressure over its nuclear program it is trying to circumvent threat the threat of tougher sanctions by setting up banking operations abroad to keep its assets safe and trade flowing.

In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez with use situation this to take on an opportunity to slap it to Washington, and in Panama, where banking transparency is an ongoing concern, Iran has forged ties between local banks and Banco Internacional de Desarrollo CA, a subsidiary of Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI), to give Iran indirect access to the US financial system.

EDBI has been Blacklisted by the US Treasury Department supporting Iran’s nuclear weapons program and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directly.

The Blacklist affords the United States both the ability for sanctions on Americans dealing with these banks and a pressure tool against foreign firms interested in keeping their US assets safe.

Iran is working on a similar banking tactic in Brazil now according to sources close to the situation. When Mr. Ahmadinejad paid a visit to Brazil in May 2009, Iranian EDBI and Brazilian banking officials drafted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that on its surface is just a agreement to facilitate trade between the two countries. But facilitating banking cooperation could mean a lot of things, including the establishment of Iranian banks in Brazil to bypass the US sanctions efforts.

It is believed that Brazil is setting up to direct most of its trade with Iran through the United Arab Emirates to avoid attracting negative attention, but Iranian banks on Brazilian soil would not be easy to hide and would not be ignored by the USA.

Just so you know.