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Assad's Fall Would Create Shockwaves from Tehran to Tel AvivTHE OBSERVER: Unrest in Syria has greater potential consequences than any other event in the Arab Spring so farAs decades-old dictatorial regimes crumbled around him in January, Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, denied that revolution would spread to his country. Balhermep, the Ba'athist concept of "the ruling of the people", would

Saudi Concerned by Regional StrifeThe Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and major US ally sits in the center of a region of turmoil

The Ice Melts In Iran's Cold War With EgyptRADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY: The 2,400 kilometers or so separating Cairo from Tehran might have been enough to keep relations at arm's length. But for the past three decades, the realities of geography dividing Egypt and Iran have been stretched into a yawning chasm by the shadow of one Khalid Islambouli.The Islamist army officer who assassinated

Bahrain in the Shadow of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United StatesCNN: There are disturbing accounts from major human rights organizations about abuses in Bahrain and the systematic state violence that has been unleashed on the opposition movement against the monarchy of the Al-Khalifa family.And yet Bahrain has not become the story because the movement for social justice, government

Iranian Viewpoint: Omanis Urge Reform While Saudis Denounce Bahrain CrackdownMassive anti-government demonstrations took place in Oman and Saudi Arabia today. In Oman's southern port city of Salalah, thousands of demonstrators demanded better wages and jobs, saying the government's promised reforms are not enough. In Saudi Arabia's eastern city of Qatif, hundreds protested in solidarity with

Israeli views on Iranian Elections

One of the most popular newspapers in Israel, Haaretz, is publishing Israeli opinions on Iranian elections. This reporter writes on how the election protests have suddenly made Iranians appear more human and humane to Israelis ordinarily jaded by news of Iran's Holocaust - denial and nuclear agenda.

Which Iran would Israel bomb?

By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent

Suddenly, there appears to be an Iranian people. Not just nuclear technology, extremist ayatollahs, the Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad, and an axis of evil. All of a sudden, the ears need to be conditioned to hear other names: "'Mousawi' or 'Mousavi,' how is it pronounced exactly?"; Mehdi Karroubi; Khamenei ("It's not 'Khomeini'?"). Reports from Iranian bloggers fill the pages of the Hebrew press. Iranian commentators - in contrast to Iranian-affairs commentators - are now the leading pundits. The hot Internet connection with Radio Ran (the Persian-language radio station in Israel) is the latest gimmick. And most interesting and important is that the commentary on what is taking place in Iran is not being brought to the public by senior intelligence officers, but via images transmitted by television.

Click here to read the full article on the Haaretz website.

At a Peace Rally for Iran on June 25th, 2009

by Kenneth Reveiz

NEW YORK - June 28, 2009

I found out about the rally through an old high school acquaintance’s Facebook status:

“PEACE RALLY FOR IRAN NEW YORK Candle Light Vigil for NEDA and all those who have been so BRAVE in IRAN. Please come and support them. Wednesday, Jun 24 - 7:00pm New York Metro Union Square NYC www.freeiranbracelet.org”

The website sells, as the Live Strong campaign did, bracelets. It plans on “donating the proceeds to Reporters without Borders, who have continuously put their lives at risk in various countries throughout the world, so that the truth can be shown to all the citizen’s [sic] in the world.”

After work—still dressed in suit and tie—I took the subway to Union Square and watched as, at around 7:10PM, under a slowly graying sky, scores of Iranians and non-Iranians stretched columns of green across the plaza. Green, of course, is the color of Islam.

“This is solidarity for Iranian people,” one woman explained in a British-schooled accent to her daughters, who were dressed like twins but weren’t twins. The shorter girl held an unlit candle, a perfect white circle.

At the edges of the expanding display of color, a bearded man held a large sign. It read “DEATH TO DICTATORS,” around which words he had pasted black-and-white computer-printed pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, among others I did and didn’t recognize.

I was surprised to find opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi on the poster. In fact, the bearded man was speaking to a tough-looking, white-haired police officer, complaining that he had been “pushed away” from the general demonstration. The others—one woman was near tears: “This is hurting! This is not our message!”—had been incensed by his “message of violence.” Claiming he had every right to be there as they did, it was determined that he should stand a little off to the side.

He spoke to a young woman with a tape recorder, explained that all those pictured on his poster were “basically the same,” explained that Mousavi was a hard-line dictator, no different from Ahmadinejad. I had heard one student call Ahmadinejad a “monster,” an “inhumane form of human being,” as “not deserving any kind of respect,” and “not part of Iran anymore.” I wondered if this man felt the same way about Ahmadinejad as she did, and still thought the comparison to Mousavi valid, I should have asked. In any case he spoke into the recorder with conviction, gently affirming his opinion, answering questions with the self-assurance of a serene and special truth.

An older, visibly distressed woman tried to interrupt the interview. “So aggressive—why is he so aggressive?” she asked after he and the reporter ignored her. Her husband cautioned her to not “entertain him.” I realized that, with black pen, he had scribbled into the eyes of his dictators.

There had been other rallies, in front of the United Nations building, at Union Square. This is what one tall, bespectacled redhead told me as she stretched a paper bag filled with pins to the crowd of at least a hundred.

One pin read, “NEDA Your voice will never die,” referring to a girl who was shot dead, allegedly by a Basij soldier. Videos and pictures of the brutal killing of the Iranian—now a martyr—circulate all over the Internet. “Neda” is Farsi for “voice.” A computer graphic of a dove, whose ruptured heart had plummeted centimeters below its body, accompanied the words.

The other pin read “WHERE IS MY VOTE?”

Sure enough, at the center of Union Square, which slowly grew darker, was, surrounded by a perimeter of young, white roses, a perimeter of white candles slowly being lit, which itself held down a banner, green and large: “WHERE IS MY VOTE?” with a splatter of blood; above the words were pictures of a brutalized Neda and more words: “Rest in Peace;” “Free Iran.”

As I walked back to the subway a man drew, with a compass, inky circles into a notebook.

Twitter Solidarity

If you're on twitter, set your location to Tehran & your time zone to GMT +3.30. Iranian security forces are hunting for bloggers using location/timezone searches. The more people at this location, the more of a logjam it creates for forces trying to shut down Iranians' access to the internet. Please copy & paste & pass it on.

Pwr 2 the Pple: Txts, Facebook, Twitter

By Oscar Pocasangre -

we've decided to donate blood. there is a serious lack of blood in hospitals. #iranelection about 13 hours ago from web, Twitter
News from the election scandal in Iran are flooding the internet. But the news are not coming from the New York Times bureau in Tehran or a CNN special reporter. Instead, they are coming from people like you and me through social networking tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Text Messages. Over at Ted, NYU Professor Clay Shirky analyzes the role of Twitter on the ongoing events in Iran. Check it out!

Song for Iran

Song for Iran
Kenneth Reveiz

Leonardo can you hear me
The women are talking brightly about you
Dreaming nightly of your new
Eyes and marble body

Understand how much it appeals
To such untouching girls
To stroke your graying curls
To feel how your muscles feel

I beg you dress their wet
With a towel’s embrace
Kiss each soft face
And chest until this crimson sun has set

Leonardo you are in high demand
Defy this tragic start
Apply your heart and magic
Leonardo this is a song for Iran



NY, NY
6-16-09

Tweet 4 Iran

Get a taste for the tweet on Iran: http://twitter.com/persiankiwi

Wanna #help# IranElection? Twitter is our media. Make a xul-runner app from TwitterFox!!! 200px TwitterFox is a disaster! #Mozilla43 minutes ago from TwitterFox

Logging off - must keep phone line open - will update asap #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

reliable source Isfahan hospital - many injured from last 24 hours- #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

Shiraz university reports of unrest and governor resignation #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

Gov is planning ANejad rally also today afternoon - close to Valli Asr - new tactic #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

we cannot confirm that university exams cancelled - you must check with your uni directly - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

unconfirmed rumours - army generals arrested - many rumours of coupdetat by army - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

Saeid Hajarian - rumour - arrested last night - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

are hearing that all foreigner visas are being cancelled by gov - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

confirmed - today 5pm Valli Asr sq - supporters of freedom - wear black in respect of fallen - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

حمیات از آزادی - میدون ولی‌ عصر - امروز ساعت ۵ بعد از زهر - همگی‌ با لباس عزا - تائید شد - #Iranelectionabout 2 hours ago from web

I must log off now - will log on when I have more info - need phone line - no mobile cover, no sms, no satellite, no radio #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

anyone with camera or laptop is attacked in street #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

Tehran hotels under high security to stop Iranians from contacting foreign press #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

rumours that foreign embassys preparing to leave Iran #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

most roads out of Tehran blocked #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

confirmed - Tabriz - Baseej headqurters set fire - 'many' dead #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

Abtahi reported arrested - concerns for Khatami #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

security in Jamaran is unbelieveble - hundreds of Baseej guarding Khamenei #Iranelectionabout 3 hours ago from web

All last night we hear shooting accross Tehran - everyone is full of rumours and stories - many arrests in night #Iranelection

Where Are Their Votes?

-- Sarika Arya

"Ahmadinejad called us dust, we showed him a sandstorm." #iranelection About 14 hours ago, Twitter

Iran is on fire. Text messaging and phone calls have been suspended, the internet is barely functioning, and the only media outlets still running are the state news network and radio station. Despite attempts by those in power to cast the protests of Iranians into darkness, civilians, especially Iranian students, are burning. And their flame is bright. The students are leading the revolution, sending messages on Twitter like the one above, starting Facebook groups supporting Mr. Mir Houssein Mousavi, whom they believe is the actual democratically elected President. While the polls suggest that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the true winner with 66% of the vote (leaving Mousavi with a mere 33%), the number and scale of recent demonstrations and escalating violence suggests that the country has been deceived by poll rigging and corruption. Now Iranians, led by their young people, are utilizing an inalienable right of man: freedom of expression. They are taking to the streets, and paying the price.

Exhilarating and terrifying reports are escaping Iran via the internet of clashes, dormitory raids, five deaths, and even "a massacre" at the University of Tehran between students and militiamen. In the 1970s, students had the power to overthrow the Shah in the Iranian Revolution. The students, depending on their determination, organization, and strength and unity of their voices, may carry the same weight this time around too.

The protesters may be outnumbered and overpowered by the pistol-carrying and baton-waving officers who unreservedly use their weapons, but nonetheless, the protestors persevere. Driven by their progressive spirit and thirst for freedom, this young, embittered, and impassioned crowd is standing defiant in the face of unjust authority. It is outrageous that as a young person, as someone with the most personal stake in the well being of one's country, the opportunity to cast a vote has become a farce, that supporting a particular political candidate can mean one's death, and that intellectual freedom and societal well being is stifled and prevented because of one man's tyrannical greediness for absolute power.

Students all over the world should unite behind these young Iranians. In moments like these, clichés are often overused, but they wield great truths: The future is in our hands. It is impossible not to empathize with the fear, excitement, and hope of these young Iranians.

As Robert Fisk reports for The Independent:

"Moin, a student of chemical engineering at Tehran University – the same campus where blood had been shed just a few hours before – was walking beside me and singing in Persian as the rain pelted down. I asked him to translate.

'It's a poem by Sohrab Sepehri, one of our modern poets,' he said. Could this be real, I asked myself? Do they really sing poems in Tehran when they are trying to change history? Here is what he was singing: 'We should go under the rain. We should wash our eyes, And we should see the world in a different way.'

He grinned at me and at his two student friends. "The next line is about making love to a woman in the rain, but that doesn't seem very suitable here." We all agreed."

It is especially remarkable to follow the Twitter feed. Twitter itself has even acknowledged the importance it bears in the Iranian elections, forgoing scheduled maintenance work (apparently under the request of the US State Department) so that activists may salvage the last outlet they have to make their voices heard. The live updates are invigorating and remarkable: it is unbelievable to follow at every instant a victory or a defeat, whether it is one for the students or one for the army. The latest tale of protest, the latest tale of trickery, is known to one and all - "only official march today is valli asr. others may be a trap- avoid others-#iranelection 7 minutes ago." But there it is. The live mobilization of young activists. Each "tweet" carries with it the weight of the mantra many Mousavi supporters have adopted: One Person = One Broadcaster. That is, each of us has a voice, and each of us has the right to use it responsibly.

This generation must remember that responsiblity, and must take advantage of this right.

For we are a modern generation: fighting our battles both on the street and online. We are also a young generation: we like to show off our intellect and liberal attitude to change the minds of those older and more powerful than us, and to persuade those younger than us to follow our lead. We are all Iranian students today. We must be if we believe in human rights. Use the internet to post on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, news outlets, anything – even talk to your friends – demand a call for freedom of expression, the right to democracy, and a recount of the vote on behalf of Iran. Even if you are not in Tehran, baring the physical brunt and brute force of authority, mending the broken bones and bloody wounds of your fellow classmate, there is another way to nurture and channel your revolutionary spirit.

If you are a student and if you value your freedom, then get educated, feel enraged, and take action.

More Reading on the Iranian Election Uprising:
Live Iran Updates on the Huffington Post (Contributed by David Schlussel)
The BBC follows the Iranian Election
The Daily Dish: Images and Videos from Iran
Claims of Student Massacre Spread