Thursday, Dec 4, 2008
Ahmadinejad To Introduce New Economic Plan -- Iranian Middle Class "Fear That The Plan Will Ruin Them"
The Washington Post wrote that "Ahmadinejad's plan to curb government subsidies threatens to alienate recipients." "Many members of Iran's urban middle class fear that the plan will ruin them. "If the subsidies are stopped, my family will be pushed into poverty. What the president plans to pay us in return will be far too little," said Payman Vatandoust, a technical manager at a battery factory in Tehran ... 'We showed them that we are serious about this. If they try again in a year, we will again close our shops,' Askari said. 'Life is hard enough without taxes.'" Read More
VOA reported that "Iran is conducting a second day of war games near the Strait of Hormuz." "The Fars News Agency reports fighter jets successfully launched air-to-sea missiles against a predetermined target." Read More
Iranian press reported that "Iran's Central Bank head announced the country's inflation rate has broken the record in the Middle East, reaching 24.3% this year." Read More
Iranian press quoted President Ahmadinjad questioning the cause of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and the U.S.'s motives in Afghanistan. "'[The U.S.'s] ulterior motive is to weaken India and China," suggested the president ... President Ahmadinejad said the 60-hour assault on Mumbai which killed nearly 172 people and injured almost 300 others was also orchestrated by elements outside the region. 'The main motive behind the terrorist attacks, which were orchestrated from outside the region, was to strain relations between Indian and Pakistan,' he said." Read More
Iranian press reported that "Iranian Majlis Speakert Ali Larijani on Wednesday warned India and Pakistan not to 'stumble into the trap of' countries which seek adventures in the region." "Larijani called the attacks 'brutal.' 'This event has created many ambiguities and sounds more like a preamble to new adventurous moves in the region.'The top lawmaker called on Islamabad and New Delhi to investigate the issue calmly." Read More
Reuters reported that "U.S. forces in Iraq captured two suspected members of an Iranian-backed network and killed a third Wednesday, part of U.S. efforts to target a group it says has attacked Iraqi citizens and foreign troops." "The U.S. military said Katai'b Hezbollah was thought to be a "surrogate" of Iran, a long-time foe of the United States. U.S. troops have caught more than 30 suspects the U.S. military says are sponsored by Iran in the last four weeks." Read More
AFP quoted Congressional sources doubting Speaker Larijani's recent claims that Iran was receiving letters from members of U.S. Congress. "'Everyone thinks this is dead wrong,' an aide to a senior Democratic senator who is a key voice in US foreign policy said after asking other congressional experts about Larijani's claim that US lawmakers had written him. The official, who requested anonymity, said some nongovernmental organizations had been 'trying to enlist House members' to support scientific or cultural exchanges with Iran, and that some might have written letters in support of such efforts. 'But I'm not aware of any such letters sent directly to the Iranians. And it'd be highly unusual to ever have Senators engaging directly with foreign governments this way, let alone rogue regimes,' the aide told AFP." Read More
Iranian press wrote that "An Iranian official warns that US forces, having pursued failed policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, are gearing up to harm the Islamic Republic." "'The US is still mulling over launching an attack on the Islamic Republic. It still seeks to create setbacks for Iran and has armed its forces to the teeth,' said the Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, on Tuesday. 'The US is still harboring animosity towards Iran, thus it remains our enemy,' added the former president, as he addressed a group of leading officials at the Iranian parliament." Read More
The Boston Globe profiled a group of Iranian bloggers whose trip to America to cover the Presidential election was cancelled by Iranian authorities. "But the canceled blogger trip also illustrates the significant role that the Internet is already playing in boosting communication between Iran and the United States, even as the two governments remain embroiled in internal debates about whether or not to reestablish relations." Read More
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