Comments on: Khamenei Again Decries Nukes as Illegal in Islamic Law

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:34:13 +0000

You should be quite surprized by the bus depot image. 5000 buses to bring in the rent-a-crowd.

Here's your bus terminal on a normal day. On 22 Bahman--as can be seen here- the terminal is totally empty. The 2 kilometer long line of buses parked on the street, end to end and sometimes several across, show the extraordinary efforts of the regime to bring "safe" crowds to the speech.

http://iranian.com/main/2010/feb/azadi-square

Bus depot on a normal day:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.satimagingcorp.com/galleryimages/worldview-1-iran-tehran-azadi-tower.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.satimagingcorp.com/gallery/worldview-1-iran-tehran-azadi-tower.html&usg=__eK007fqJh1IxNCceUZ-Iwrxy6_c=&h=1600&w=1600&sz=547&hl=en&start=2&itbs=1&tbnid=pO-O5_RGR8uYhM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daerial%2Bazadi%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1

http://iranian.com/main/2010/feb/keeping-eye-repression

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 12:42:55 +0000

What Juan Cole says is correct. All these things are also un-Islamic and un-Christian and un-Jewish. So let us jointly campaign as Jews, Christians and Muslims to the respective leaders of US, Israel and Iran to clean up their acts and be true to the teachings of their faith. Since nukes can actually maim & kill millions in one go as well as causing genetic defect in the generations to come and have a lasting impact on other species and the pristine environment that God has bequeathed us. If we are to change the world for the better, we have ourselves to show a good example. As the US is the only country that has actually used a nuke, let it unilaterally dismantle its nukes and as the Bible says turn the 'swords into ploughshares'. Let Israel sign up to the NPT and give up its undeclared nukes and embrace their semitic brethren, the Arabs as equal to them in their dignity and belonging to the same father Abraham(peace be with him) and jointly share the riches of this holy and revered land with all its inhabitants and extend the right of return to all Palestinians who became homeless when Israel was created. Let thereby Israel truly become God's chosen through the nobility of its actions.
As for Iran, all it needs is for the US to offer continuation of its 'Atoms for Peace' programme under which the US aided the founding of Iran's repeatedly proven peaceful nuclear programme. Better relations with Iran would not only aid and abet improvement in human rights in Iran and bringing the necessary reforms, for Iranians as a people are not intrinsically hardline or hostile to Americans or foreigners in general, but they are vehemently independent minded and devout Shias and will not tolerate being dictated to by foreign powers. The US has no option but to tone down its rhetoric and work towards a pragmatic long term solution to Iran-US relations which will be to the benefit of both peoples and countries but not to those who are benefactors of the Israeli and war mongering lobbies under whose tutelage Washington's policies seem to be directed.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:25:23 +0000

Juan Cole: So is executing, maiming, raping, torturing, raiding, thieving, pillaging your own muslim brethers and citizens of your country are all un-Islamic…But Khameni et al do it on a daily basis.

Enough misleading…

By: Arjay

Arjay — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:32:35 +0000

I'm of a mind to believe that the brouhaha over Iran's nuclear program has more to do with Bechtel or Halliburton being cut out of the action, so to speak, than any danger of Iran developing a nuclear weapons program.
On the other hand, Iran lives in a dangerous neighborhood where a nuclear-armed thug, Israel, bullies, attacks and robs it's neighbors with impunity. Israel, in it's bombing of Osirak in September 1980, shows it will go to any length to remain the only nuclear power in the region.
American history in the region, beginning of the Mossadegh coup d'état in 1953, the support of the Shah through the 70s, the use of Saddam Hussein's Iraq in a proxy war against the people of Iran in the 80s, all at the behest of a few Texas oil billionaires, is not one of which to proud of.
Great amends must be made to the Iranian people, and normalization of of relations with the Iran state is the only path to solution of this dilemma.

By: Don Bacon

Don Bacon — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:08:59 +0000

Hillary Clinton in Doha, Qatar
February 15, 2010
"We have made it clear -- and it's on the front page of the paper in Doha, what I said yesterday -- that Iran, as any country, has a right to peaceful, civil nuclear power. . .we are still hoping that Iran will decide to forgo any nuclear ambitions for nuclear weapons. . .We have to work to take action to try to convince the Iranian government not to pursue nuclear weapons. . .we want the world united in sending an unequivocal message to Iran that, "We will not stand idly by while you pursue a nuclear program that can be used to threaten your neighbor, and even beyond." And we hope to try to influence the decision making within Iran. And that is our goal."
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/02/136690.htm

The US SecState has made it clear.
1. Clinton made it clear that Iran, despite US demands and US/UN mandates to halt its enrichment program, has a right to nuclear power.// The NPT Iran signed of course goes a bit further: Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with articles I and II of this Treaty.
2. Clinton also made it clear that the US hopes that Iran will forgo any ambitions for nuclear weapons, and in the meantime the US has to work convince Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons and influence the decision making within Iran. // Iran, of course, has repeatedly stated its desire to not pursue a nuclear weapons program, and there is absolutely no evidence of one, and Clinton doesn't claim that there is, and Iran has not threatened its neighbors, so in effect this US goal has already been accomplished.

Since the US goals made clear by the SecState have been accomplished, it's time to normalize relations with Iran and remove the sanctions, isn't it?