UANI

Bloomberg reported that “The U.S. Senate voted to punish companies that sell gasoline to Iran by prohibiting them from supplying the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The measure passed yesterday as an amendment to the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The Senate agreed by unanimous consent to the amendment, sponsored by Republican Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, according to the Library of Congress Web site. Iran, holder of the world’s second-largest oil reserves, must import gasoline because it lacks sufficient refining capacity to supply motorists. The country is under three sets of United Nations sanctions for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment…Iran has developed an emergency gasoline plan that can be in place within 48 hours should the U.S. adopt fuel sanctions against the Persian Gulf country, Oil Minister Gholamhossein Nozari said in May. The bill must be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the President Barack Obama before it becomes law.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601207&sid=aGLAIFLUxh_8)

The New York Times reported that “Thousands of people gathered in Tehran on Thursday to commemorate those killed in Iran’s post-election crackdown, but a vast deployment of police officers used tear gas and wooden batons to disperse them, in some of the largest and most violent street clashes in weeks. The mourners gathered at the freshly-dug graves of protesters, including Neda Agha-Soltan, a young woman whose bloodied image has become an icon of the opposition movement. As opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi arrived at the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery, the police barred him from entering, and angry mourners chanted ‘Neda lives! Ahmadinejad is dead!’ referring to Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, witnesses said. Later, large crowds massed in several areas in central and northern Tehran, but riot police mostly beat them back, and there were reports of a number of arrests.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/world/asia/31iran.html?_r=1&ref=todays...)

AFP reported that “Iran on Friday lashed out at foreign governments, accusing them of complicity in crimes and killings in the aftermath of the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The fresh anti-West salvo by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki comes a day after violent clashes between thousands of mourners and riot police in central Tehran and as the Islamic republic prepares to put around 30 protestors on trial on charges of rioting and vandalism. ‘Western and European countries, with their overt and covert capabilities, interfered in Iran's election...the worst among them being Britain,’ Mottaki was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster's website. ‘The countries who interfered through their television networks by telling how to instigate riots, build explosives and other tension creating activities are accomplices in all the committed crimes, murders and are held responsible.’ Iran has consistently blamed foreign countries, especially Western and European nations, for fuelling the post-election violence in Tehran in which officials say about 30 people died and several hundred were wounded.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090731/wl_mideast_afp/iranpolitics_2009073...)

The Wall Street Journal reported that “A privately owned German company, Knauf Gips KG, warned its Iranian employees working in Iran that they would be immediately dismissed if caught in antigovernment protests, according to a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Iran's government pressured Knauf to issue the order after a senior executive was arrested during Friday prayer demonstrations two weeks ago, according to people familiar with the case. The company, which has 22,000 employees around the world, was told that such a letter would be a condition for the executive's release. The order by Knauf, a drywall-manufacturing company with decades of business history in Iran, shows how foreign companies in Iran are vulnerable to severe repercussions if they don't comply with demands from the regime. Since protests following Iran's June 12 presidential election, Iran has cracked down on opposition supporters, particularly Iranians or dual nationals employed by Western companies, embassies and the media. Iran has accused some of fomenting a ‘velvet’ revolution and acting as links between opposition leaders and foreign countries...Germany is Iran's third-largest trading partner after the United Arab Emirates and China” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124900417227095813.html#printMode)

The AP reported that “President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at critics within his own hard-line camp on Friday, denying any rift with Iran's supreme leader, who he said was like a father. The bitter feud with conservatives has shaken Ahmadinejad's government at a time when he is already trying to fend off a major challenge from the other end of the political spectrum — the pro-reform opposition, which says his victory in June 12 presidential elections was fraudulent and that his government is illegitimate. Conservatives have cast doubt on Ahmadinejad's loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because of a dispute over a controversial vice president Ahmadinejad appointed two weeks ago. Hard-liners were outraged by the appointment of Esfandiar Rahim Mashai because he once made comments saying Iranians and Israelis were friends. Khamenei ordered the dismissal of the vice president, but Ahmadinejad stalled for days, trying to keep Mashai, who is his in-law and a close associate. His defiance further goaded hard-liners. The president finally obeyed the dismissal order, but he promptly appointed Mashai as his chief of staff.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_election_38)

The AP reported that “Iran's human rights activists say they live in dread of the midnight knock on the door or the car that pulls up next to them on the street, fearing that at any moment they might be arrested in the government's post-election clampdown. They take precautions: moving only in small groups of two or three and positioning themselves near corners where there are several routes to make a dash for safety. They avoid telephones, purge e-mails and frequently change passwords. ‘We fear for our lives. We can be detained at any moment,’ said Zahra Saeidzadeh, a human rights activist, in a telephone interview from Tehran. ‘There's not much more we can do,’ she said, adding that the government is intent ‘on silencing us.’ The crackdown unleashed after the disputed June 12 election went far beyond the young protesters who took to the streets crying fraud in the vote. The government has used the opportunity to target a wide range of figures who have long been a thorn in its side — pro-reform politicians, critical writers and the community of activists who have long pressed for greater civil liberties and rights for women.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_activists_cra...)

AFP reported that “Some 30 people accused of rioting in the turbulent aftermath of Iran's presidential election face trial on Saturday, a report said, as a senior cleric called Friday for all protestors to be freed. The trial in a revolutionary court come amid simmering tension in Iran following clashes between thousands of mourners and riot police during a memorial service at a cemetery and at a demonstration in central Tehran. According to the ISNA news agency, ‘about 30’ people will be put on trial on Saturday. They are alleged to have ‘participated in riots and are accused of acting against national security, disturbing public order and vandalising public and government property,’ ISNA said. It added without elaborating, that several of the accused are alleged to have links with mohareb (enemies of God) groups. Iranian officials had earlier said that 20 people would be put on trial from Saturday…Most of the detainees have been released but about 250 remain behind bars and their continued detention has become a rallying point for the anti-Ahmadinejad movement. A top Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, said on Friday the key to restoring calm in the country was to free all those rounded up in the aftermath of the mass demonstrations.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090731/wl_afp/iranpolitics_20090731100233/...)

The Wall Street Journal reported that “Members of an Iranian dissidents' group formed a human blockade to successfully prevent Iraqi troops from seizing more territory in their camp north of Baghdad, in the third day of a confrontation that showed no sign of ending soon. Hundreds of Iraqi forces occupy just a sliver of territory within the sprawling camp, which is home to over 3,000 members of Mujahedin e-Khalq, or MEK. The Iraqi government said Wednesday it had asserted sovereignty over the entire camp following Tuesday's raid. But camp residents have blocked soldiers from patrolling beyond the land around an Iraqi police station established in an administrative building next to the camp's water-treatment plant. The government appears wary of trying to push deeper into the camp after the initial assault triggered deadly clashes. ‘If we try to leave this area without permission from the MEK they will block us, lie in front of our vehicles,’ said Col. Saady Husseini, the commander of the police station.” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124899705341095423.html)

AFP reported that “Prominent Iranian film director Jafar Panahi was arrested at a cemetery where mourners gathered on Thursday to commemorate slain election protesters, a source close to the family said. ‘Panahi, his wife Tahereh Saeedi and daughter Solmaz were arrested today at Behesht-e Zahra,’ the source who declined to be named told AFP. The award-winning director of ‘Offside’ and ‘The Circle’, Panahi is a vocal critic of Iran hardliners and his movies have been banned for a decade from domestic cinemas despite their international success. Several other mourners were also arrested by Iranian riot police who beat the crowds gathered to commemorate protesters killed in post-election violence last month, witnesses said.” (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hCiMXWvKwQvIo4JRRP28k...)

Reuters reported that “Iran's OPEC governor said if oil prices continued to drop some cartel members may demand further production cut of its oil output, the official IRNA news agency reported on Friday. ‘If the (oil) prices continue to decrease, some OPEC members may ask for a further production cut,’ Mohammad Ali Khatibi was quoted as saying...‘Because of the international economic situation, oil prices are not expected to increase by the end of the year (January),’ he said. ‘Also for the same reason demand is not expected to increase.’” (http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Oil/idUSTRE56U1O520090731)

The Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board wrote yesterday “Three clocks are ticking for the rattled rulers of Iran. One clock, which they see in their favor, is a countdown to the day, perhaps a year or so away, when the country's scientists gain the capacity to produce a nuclear weapon. A second counts the time until a September deadline, set by President Obama, for Tehran to respond to an offer of talks on the nuclear issue or face a stern response. But it is the third clock, one that will influence the other two, that matters most to the regime of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It measures the moments until their legitimacy runs out. It is counted in the number of popular demonstrations since a flawed June 12 election, the instances of power struggles among the divided rulers, and the occurrences of stinging criticisms from respected Islamic clerics. The Islamic Republic is in trouble as it struggles to ruthlessly stamp out dissent. And that was made clear again during the crackdown Thursday during a march by thousands of Iranians to the graveside of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman killed in a June 20 protest.” (http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0730/p08s01-comv.html)

Abolhassan Bani-Sadr wrote in today’s New York Times “Historically, the Iranian government has enjoyed four sources of legitimacy: its competence in managing state affairs, its official religious authority, its commitment to Iran’s independence, and its ability to provide a stable base of social support. All of these have now been irretrievably undone...Several outcomes are possible. Historically, the regime’s top tactic for maintaining control has been to divide the country’s elites into two competing groups and eliminate one. Now, as this process has reached into the heart of the regime, that has become lethal. The regime’s own cadres oppose Mr. Ahmadinejad, and the deepening economic crisis has deprived the regime of resources and spurred further public discontent. This has provided an opening in which the Iranian people can determine the outcome of the struggle. If the people cease resisting, times will become even harder; if they continue, their uprising will be transformed into a full-fledged revolution. This would make the establishment of democracy a real possibility. And all indications point to the determination of the Iranian people to see this uprising through.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/opinion/01iht-edbanisadr.html?hpw=&pag...)

Michael Singh of the Washington Institute wrote in today’s Real Clear World “The strategic logic behind the Obama administration's threat of sanctions is presumably to induce the Iranian regime to weigh the potential benefits of engagement against the cost of refusing talks and incurring penalties. Brandishing sanctions while appearing to rule out military action, however, may reduce the credibility of the sanctions threat and even suggest that the United States is only willing to go so far in the use of pressure. This risks emboldening the Iranian regime to maintain its confrontational stance rather than to engage. With Iran continuing to rebuff offers to negotiate, and power increasingly resting in the hands of hardliners associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the United States should seek opportunities to remind the world of President Obama's May 16 statement that no option is off the table with respect to Iran. Ultimately, invoking the threat of a military conflict may end up being the key to avoiding one.” (http://www.realclearworld.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearworld.c...)

Trita Parsi yesterday wrote in Foreign Policy “The dispute between the Ahmadinejad government and the opposition is about far more than a disputed election. It goes to the core question of whether there is a peaceful path toward changing Iran's political system from within. For a population that is highly critical of the government, but values stability, the existence of such a path has been important. It enabled Iranians to push for gradual, controllable change without risking another revolution that could end up like the previous one, when one unpopular, repressive political system was replaced with another. If Ahmadinejad succeeds in silencing his internal critics and opponents, many will conclude that this path has been closed. Iran cannot be changed through the ballot box if people's votes won't be honored. The likely result will be a radicalized population whose opposition to the government will be met with increased repression at home and more adventurism abroad.” (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/07/30/make_them_wait?print=ye...)

David Lee yesterday wrote for the BBC “It has been 40 days since Neda Agha-Soltan, a young Iranian woman, was killed during an anti-government protest in Tehran. Within hours, graphic scenes showing her final seconds of life dominated newspapers and bulletins over the world. Yet this moment wasn't recorded by a professional journalist working for a big news organization. Instead, a regular bystander captured the powerful footage and uploaded it online. The clip of Agha-Soltan's death is just one of hundreds of pieces of citizen journalism to come from Iran in the past few months. With journalists forced to stay in their hotel rooms, or even leave the country, these amateur recordings quickly became the only means of getting uncensored news out of Tehran. With no correspondents allowed on the ground, the BBC, like almost all major news organizations, is forced to rely on the honesty of citizen journalists to provide details from the protests.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8176957.stm)