Irán aspira a ingresar en la Organización de Cooperación de Shanghai

Irán no abandona su aspiración a ingresar en la Organización de Cooperación de Shanghai (OCS), informó hoy el Embajador de Irán en Moscú, Gholamreza Ansari.

En la OCS participan Rusia, China, Kazajstán, Tayikistán, Uzbekistán y Kirguizistán, mientras que Irán, Pakistán, India y Mongolia tienen el estatuto de observadores.

“Irán espera que en un futuro pueda ser miembro pleno de ese organismo”, declaró el embajador a la emisora de radio “Eco de Moscú”.

Téhéran souhaite devenir un membre à part entière de l’OCS (ambassadeur iranien)

L’Iran aimerait rejoindre l’Organisation de coopération de Shanghai (OCS), a déclaré lundi l’ambassadeur d’Iran à Moscou Gholamreza Ansari.

L’OCS réunit la Chine, le Kirghizstan, le Kazakhstan, la Russie, le Tadjikistan et l’Ouzbékistan. L’Inde, l’Iran, la Mongolie et le Pakistan ont le statut d’observateurs.

“Nous espérons que l’Iran deviendra un jour un membre permanent – d’ailleurs très actif – de cette organisation”, a fait savoir l’ambassadeur sur les ondes de la radio Echo de Moscou.

Selon lui, les lenteurs dans l’admission de l’Iran au sein de l’OCS ne se répercutent nullement sur ses relations bilatérales avec les membres de cette organisation.

Iran bewirbt sich weiter um Vollmitgliedschaft bei Schanghaier Organisation

Trotz der vorläufigen Absage verliert Iran nicht die Hoffnung, der Schanghaier Organisation für Zusammenarbeit (SOZ) als Vollmitglied beizutreten.

“Wir hoffen, dass Iran in Zukunft Vollmitglied dieser Organisation wird”, sagte der iranische Botschafter in Moskau, Gholamreza Ansari, am Montag dem Radiosender Echo Moskaus.

Dass die SOZ die Entscheidung über eine Aufnahme Irans aufgeschoben hat, hat dem Botschafter zufolge keine Auswirkungen auf die Beziehungen Teherans mit den einzelnen SOZ-Mitgliedern. “Wir betrachten diese Staaten als unsere Freunde. Sie müssen die Entscheidung entsprechend ihrer Nationalinteressen treffen.”

Iran still wants to join Shanghai group

 

Iran’s plans to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) remain unchanged, the country’s ambassador to Moscow said on Monday.

The SCO is a regional security group comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, as well as Pakistan, observer states at the SCO since 2005, have been seeking full membership of the organization.

“We hope Iran will become a permanent and active member of this organization,” Gholamreza Ansari said on the (jewish-russian) Ekho Moskvy radio station.

Iran executes 29 convicted criminals in jail hangings

Iran executed 29 people convicted of murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking and other crimes, national television said on Sunday. All the convicts were executed by hanging on Sunday morning in Tehran’s Evin prison, the television said. Iran holds the second place in the world after China by the number of executions. Iran rejects accusations by the West that it is violating human rights.

British PM Brown warns Iran over nuclear program, Israel

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Iran on Monday of new sanctions if it refuses to suspend its nuclear program, and condemned the Iranian leadership’s threats directed at Israel.

Brown’s address to the Israeli parliament, the first ever by a British prime minister, rounded off his two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank.

“Iran now has a clear choice to make: suspend its nuclear program and accept our offer of negotiations or face growing isolation and the collective response not just of one nation but of all nations round the world,” Brown said.

Rice spreekt oorlogstaal tegen Iran

Iran heeft twee weken de tijd om een ernstig antwoord te formuleren op de internationale voorstellen om zijn uraniumverrijking op te schorten, anders komen er strafmaatregelen (=oorlog). Dat heeft de Amerikaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Condoleezza Rice maandag uitgespuwd. ‘Als er over twee weken nog geen ernstig antwoord is, hebben we nog altijd de mogelijkheid om de piste van New York te bewandelen’, zo refereerde ze aan een tussenkomst van de VN-veiligheidsraad. Rice reist op dit moment door het Midden-Oosten.

Ahmadinedschad für engere Kooperation mit Russland

Der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad plädiert für die Erweiterung der Kooperation mit Russland in allen Bereichen.

“Die Beziehungen zwischen unseren Ländern entwickeln sich, wir haben ein großes Potenzial für die Zusammenarbeit in verschiedenen Bereichen, so in Wirtschaft, Energie, Politik und Verteidigung”, erklärte der iranische Staatschef in einem Telefongespräch mit Russlands Präsident Dmitri Medwedew, das am Vortag stattfand.

Der Iran und Russland hätten gemeinsame Sphären des ökonomischen und politischen Zusammenwirkens in der Region des Nahen Ostens. “Der Iran betrachtet die Beziehungen zu Russland als strategisch wichtig. Unsere Staaten sollen eine beliebige Möglichkeit nutzen, um diese Beziehungen zu vertiefen und auszubauen”, sagte Ahmadinedschad nach Angaben seines Pressedienstes vom Samstag.

Der iranische Präsident sagte ferner, dass im Ergebnis der engen Kooperation zwischen Teheran und Moskau “äußerst positive Maßnahmen zur Gewährleistung des festen Friedens und der Stabilität auf der Erde” ausgearbeitet werden könnten.

Wie die Pressestelle des Kremls am Samstag mitteilte, hatte Medwedew seinen Gesprächspartner aufgerufen, mit der Internationalen Atomenergieorganisation (IAEO) im vollen Umfang zusammenzuarbeiten, um alle offenen Fragen des iranischen Atomprogramms zu klären. “Der russische Präsident bekräftigte seine Position, nach der die Situation um das iranische Atomprogramm nur mit politischen und diplomatischen Mitteln geregelt werden kann.”

Ajatollah Chamenei: Iranische Vergeltung trifft US-Präsident Bush immer und überall

Entscheidet sich George W. Bush für einen Militärschlag gegen Teheran, kann er selbst nach seinem Abschied aus dem Weißen Haus der Vergeltung nicht entkommen, versicherte die iranische Führung.

“Einige sagen, der heutige US-Staatschef werde in den letzten Monaten seiner Präsidentschaft diesen Militäreinsatz billigen, um der nächsten Regierung in Washington Kopfschmerzen zu bereiten”, wurde Ajatollah Ali Chamenei am Mittwoch im iranischen Fernsehen zitiert.

“Sollte sich jemand aber für solch eine Aktion entscheiden, wird ihn das iranische Volk verfolgen und bestrafen, selbst wenn er nicht mehr an der Macht ist”, so der geistliche Führer des Iran.

In letzter Zeit kursieren immer neue Gerüchte um einen Angriff seitens Israels und der USA auf iranische Atomanlagen. Präsident Bush hatte mehrmals gesagt, er ziehe alle möglichen Lösungen des Iran-Problems in Erwägung, bevorzuge aber eine diplomatische Regelung.

Medwedew und Ahmadinedschad erörtern Atomprogramm Teherans

Russlands Präsident Dmitri Medwedew und sein iranischer Amtskollege Mahmud Ahmadinedschad haben die mit dem Atomprogramm Teherans zusammenhängenden Probleme erörtert.

In einem Telefongespräch, das am Freitagabend auf Initiative der iranischen Seite stattfand, rief der russische Präsident den Iran auf, mit der Internationalen Atomenergieorganisation (IAEO) im vollen Umfang zusammenzuarbeiten, um alle offenen Fragen des iranischen Atomprogramms zu klären. Das teilte die Pressestelle des Kremls mit.

Iran’s Air Force to stage large-scale war games

Iran’s military will hold a major air exercise soon to demonstrate its military and defense capabilities, the commander of Iran’s Air Force said on Tuesday.

Ahmad Mighani said the war games, dubbed Protectors of Velayat Air, “will demonstrate our strength and will send the message to our enemies that if they contemplate an attack, they will meet a powerful blow.”

He said the Air Force was operating at full combat readiness and claimed that Iran had developed aircraft that were capable of evading radar detection, which “would increase the country’s air strength.”

US admiral urges caution on Iran

America’s top military officer has said opening up a new front in the Middle East through a strike on Iran would be “extremely stressful” for US forces.

Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was commenting on the likelihood of US or Israeli military action over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Tensions have risen amid reports Israel could be planning a possible strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran denies its nuclear programme is anything other than peaceful.
The BBC’s Justin Webb in Washington says it has been clear for some time that Adm Mullen does not want to attack Iran.
But his latest remarks suggest he is fighting hard behind the scenes for both the US and Israel to think carefully about the consequences of an attack before considering mounting it, he says.

At a US defence department news conference, Adm Mullen refused to say what Israeli leaders told him during meetings last week about any plan to strike Iran.
But he warned that opening up a third front, after Iraq and Afghanistan, would be “extremely stressful, very challenging, with consequences that would be difficult to predict”.
Asked if he was concerned Israel would strike before the end of the year, he said: “This is a very unstable part of the world and I don’t need it to be more unstable.”
The admiral said that if a conflict began, he believed Iran would have the capability to disrupt ship traffic through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway near the Gulf, but he would not say if the US Navy was stepping up its patrols in the region.
He said: “I believe [Iran is] still on a path to get nuclear weapons and I think that’s something that needs to be deterred.”

He added: “My position with regard to the Iranian regime hasn’t changed. They remain a destabilising factor in the region.
“But I’m convinced that the solution still lies in using other elements of national power to change Iranian behaviour, including diplomatic, financial and international pressure.”
He called for dialogue between the US and Tehran.
Adm Mullen’s boss, US President George W Bush, has also been asked about recent speculation that there might be a military strike on Iran.
The president has said all options were on the table but that military action would not be his first choice. His senior soldiers will be pleased to hear it, our Washington correspondent says.

Iran bald im Abseits? Saudi-Arabien lockt Russland mit Milliardendeals – „Kommersant“

Saudi-Arabiens Sicherheitsgeneralsekretär Prinz Bandar bin Sultan hat mit Präsident Dmitri Medwedew und Premier Wladimir Putin die militärtechnische und Wirtschaftszusammenarbeit erörtert, berichtet die Zeitung „Kommersant“ vom Dienstag.

Bei den gestrigen Gesprächen in Moskau ging es um die eventuelle Unterzeichnung umfangreicher Waffenverträge und über die Beteiligung russischer Firmen an Projekten in Saudi-Arabien.

Bereits im Februar dieses Jahres besuchte der Außenminister Saudi-Arabiens, Saud al-Faisalm, die russische Hauptstadt und überbrachte ein persönliches Schreiben des Königs Abdullah. In diesem Schreiben brachte der Herrscher Saudi-Arabiens seine Besorgnis über den wachsenden Einfluss des Iran im Nahen Osten zum Ausdruck. Die Führung des Königreichs empfiehl Moskau mit Nachdruck, die Zusammenarbeit mit Teheran einzustellen, und stellte im Gegenzug gewinnbringende Verträge in Aussicht.

Ahmadinejad on his way out?

Political scientist Ilgar Velizade for RIA Novosti

One year from now Iran will hold presidential elections. Political changes are not frequent in that country, but each of them is invariably associated with the major political event of a five-year period.

This time that applies to a recent article in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. It was written by one of the most influential Iranian politicians, Ali Akbar Velayati, who served as Iran’s foreign minister for almost 17 years. Although Velayati has not played a prominent political role in the last few years, he has retained his political influence as a diplomatic advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme religious leader.

In his article, Velayati writes that from now on Khamenei will himself conduct talks on the nuclear program. In other words, he has relieved Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of this responsibility. Velyati says the Iranian leader’s decision was prompted by the need to search for compromise over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran says Shahab-3 missile has longer than reported range

Iran’s Shahab-3 missiles have a range greater than the reported 2,000 km (1,240 miles), Iran’s Fars news agency said on Monday, quoting the country’s deputy defense minister.

Iran successfully launched last week an upgraded Shahab-3 ballistic missile as part of the Great Prophet III military exercises in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, drawing a new wave of international criticism.

“The recently tested Shahab-3 ballistic missile has a flight range of over 2,000 kilometers and features a high kill probability,” Brig.-Gen. Nasrollah Ezzati said.

An Iraqi website has claimed that Israeli warplanes have been using Iraqi airspace to practice for possible bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran Warns It Would Destroy Israel And 32 US Bases If Attacked

File photo: Iran test fires it’s missiles during military desert games in 2006. Photo credit: AFP.

Iran’s armed forces would launch devastating strikes against Israel and 32 American bases in the Mideast if these countries were to attack, a senior military official said on Saturday.Iran carried out a series of missile tests this week in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the United States to issue a warning that it would defend Israel in the event of an Iranian attack. Israel’s Air Force last month conducted drills seen as a rehearsal for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

If the U.S. and Israel were to attack Iran, “before the dust from these attacks settles on the ground, our armed forces will strike the very heart of Israel and 32 U.S. military bases in the region,” the Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Mujtaba Zolnur, said.

“If our enemies take such a misguided step and attack Iran, our armed forces will give a devastating response,” he was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying.

Iran test-fired on Friday several missiles with a range of 350 kilometers (217 miles). The tests came on the fourth day of the Great Prophet III military maneuvers involving the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval and air units.

Iranian state media said earlier this week that the IRGC had successfully test-fired various classes of missiles including shore-to-sea, surface-to-surface and sea-to-air missiles.

The Shahab-3 missile, launched on Wednesday, has a range of 2,000 km (1,240 miles) and would enable Iran to strike at Israel, as well as U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf region.

The exercises provoked harsh criticism from the West, particularly the U.S., which demanded that Tehran cease work to develop ballistic missiles as potential vehicles for the delivery of nuclear weapons.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions for defying demands to halt uranium enrichment, which it says it needs purely for electricity generation. The U.S. and other Western states have claimed that the program is geared toward the creation of nuclear weapons.

Israeli jets use Iraqi airspace to practice Iran strike

An Iraqi website has claimed that Israeli warplanes have been using Iraqi airspace to practice for possible bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.Nahrainnet.com, quoting unnamed sources in the Iraqi defence ministry, said that for the past month Israel has been using US bases in Iraq to conduct overflights.

Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari dismissed the report on Friday.

“We have no information about Israeli jets using Iraqi airspace for rehearsals,” he told AFP.

In Jerusalem, meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesman told AFP he was aware of the report and said, “I have no information on this.”

The US military did not comment on the report.

Nahrainnet.com, a news portal, said the defence ministry sources were told by retired army officers that Israeli jets had been entering Iraqi airspace from Jordan and landing at an airport in Haditha in the western province of Anbar.

The report said its sources estimated that should the Israeli jets take off from the American bases in Iraq it would take them no more than five minutes to reach Iran’s nuclear reactor in Bushehr.

The economical and political effects of an Iranian Threat

http://www.stratfor.com

The rumors and denial of rumors continue to swirl around Iran. Endless leaks of decisions made by the United States and/or Israel to strike at Iran’s nuclear facilities continue. In the latest variants, Americans warned that Israel might already have decided to attack Iran, with the date set sometime between the U.S. election and Inauguration Day. Or it might be the Americans attacking. It is not clear what effect this is having on Iran, but it is certainly making others players nervous, not the least of which are the oil markets.

There is an important interaction going on between two geopolitical elements. One is the attempt by Israel and the United States to force the Iranians to capitulate on the nuclear issue by convincing them that an attack is inevitable if they don’t. The other is the impact of oil prices on the global economy and thereby on international power relations. An attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would obviously spike oil prices. The real question would be whether that spike in prices would last and how high it would go. The answer to that question rests in what the Iranians would do in response. The Iranians have now been duly warned that an attack is coming. One would think that they have considered their response.

The obvious response, if the Iranians are capable of it, would be to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which Saudi and Kuwaiti oil flows to the world markets. The obvious means for this, as we discussed in an analysis Tuesday, would be to mine the Strait. That might not be as easy as it appears, since the U.S. Navy could deploy in the Strait en masse and block any Iranian ship that might try to approach the channel. But the Iranians would likely retain the ability to mine parts of the Persian Gulf itself. Iran has a long coast and a lot of small boats. It wouldn’t take much to scatter mines.

Most importantly, it would not have to be effective. The mere possibility of mines — the uncertainty factor — would not only slow down the movement of tankers in the Gulf, but also spike insurance rates. Tankers cost a lot of money and their cargoes these days are incredibly expensive. Risking both ship and cargo is not something tanker owners like to do. They buy insurance. If the possibility of mines in the Gulf existed, insurance rates would not only rise, but might become altogether unavailable. Insurance and re-insurance companies these days do not have enormous appetites for unpredictable risk involving large amounts of money. And without insurance, as we saw during the tanker wars in the 1980s, owners won’t take the risk themselves.

Iran’s counter could be to increase the potential risk to the point where insurers back off. At that point, governments would have the option of insuring tankers themselves. Given how quickly governments move, particularly in what would have to be an international undertaking, oil supplies could be disrupted for days or even weeks. At this point, speculators and psychology aside, prices would spike dramatically. The creaking sound would turn into a cracking sound for the world economy.

Herein lies the fear for markets. The longer the psychological warfare goes on, the more nervous they will become and the more pressure there will be on the global economy. The thought of this going on until after the November election may or may not panic the Iranians. But it is certainly worrying the markets at a time when the markets should be calmed. It is hard to figure out whether months of uncertainty or rapid action would have more soothing results.

Conducting an extended psychological campaign against Iran makes complete politico-military sense. It does not make politico-economic sense. It creates a massive unknown in a situation where no action may actually be taken. Here is the problem. It is clear that Israel and the United States don’t really want to attack Iran. If they wanted that, they would shut up and do it. But that’s a guess. So the markets must take into account a possible attack and an Iranian counter. Hitting Iran fast, taking the hit and then calming the markets by showing that the Iranians can’t disrupt tanker traffic makes more sense from an economic standpoint than constantly creating unknowns.

The problem is that neither Israel nor the United States is certain that Iran can’t disrupt tanker traffic. And they don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons. Some decisions have to be made. Attack, don’t attack — but stop threatening to attack.