2019 News through August

August 5, 2019.  This article, “Iranian metalheads avoid prison, commence rocking Norway,” Justin Rohrlich, Quartz, August 3, 2019, has some interesting points, and along with the Canadian paroled hostage is instructive about the desire to flee Iran.  “But the men were already gone, and the sentencing symbolic. After their initial arrest and conviction in 2017, but before the appeals process began, Khosravi, who was under a state-imposed travel ban at the time, hired a smuggler to sneak him across the border into Turkey. Last December, Khosravi made his way to Harstad, a town of 25,000 in northern Norway.  Ilkhani, who had chosen to stay in Tehran for the appeals process, became extremely concerned after a contentious court hearing led him to believe he’d soon be jailed. In late February, he called Khosravi, who in turn contacted the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), the Norway-based NGO that got him to Harstad, and asked for help.  Unlike Khosravi, the Iranian government hadn’t imposed a travel ban on Ilkhani. He too fled to Turkey, where Dyvik said there is “always a fear that Iranian agents are operating” within the country. In early March, Ilkhani arrived in Harstad, which ICORN designated an “official city of refuge for musicians” in 2014.  Iran’s theocratic leadership does not tolerate dissent, and human rights groups have long decried its record on restricting freedom of expression. Women are regularly jailed for dancing or not covering their heads in public, and hundreds of journalists have been arrested, some even executed, for doing their jobs.  “Nikan and Arash are very good examples of how people who express themselves through the arts are soft targets for oppressive regimes,” ICORN program director Elisabeth Dyvik, who helped resettle the band, told Quartz. “The main source of their persecution are their words, their ideas, that in a country like yours or mine would seem mainstream.”  There are some 70 “cities of refuge” in the global ICORN network where artists and musicians at risk in their home countries can do two-year residencies. Applicants cannot choose their destinations, and are placed wherever there is room. Khosravi and Ilhkani ended up in Norway, where there is a thriving heavy metal scene, “by coincidence,” according to Dyvik, who said the band members were relieved to have ended up there.  …  Second, when a year later Khosravi and Ilkhani stood trial they were found guilty of blasphemy but the pair avoided death sentences thanks to a legal technicality.  “If you insult the Prophet you will get executed, because he’s dead and he can’t defend himself,” Khosravi told online metal magazine Loudwire last year. “But if you blaspheme God and question His existence, He can forgive you. That was why we didn’t get executed.”  It was during the subsequent appeals process that Khosravi snuck out of Iran to Turkey. He applied for an ICORN residency online, and eventually found his way to Harstad, where Ilkhani later joined him. They have reportedly been granted political asylum by the Norwegian government.” 

August 4, 2019.  Persons in Iran can see this “Iran Nation or Cause” blog, but only if they use a proxy server.  All blogs hosted on Blogspot (like this one) are blocked in Iran.  Most social networks like Facebook and Twitter are blocked, and WordPress is blocked.  Iran is “Not Free” per the Freedom on the Net 2018.

July 25, 2019.  Ah ha, back to the theme of this blog.  “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that Iran has to decide if it wants to act like a “normal nation” but that it showed “no indications” of changing direction amid increasing tensions. “The Iranian regime has to make a decision that it wants to behave like a normal nation,” Pompeo said at a news conference with Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno, according to a video of his remarks published by Reuters. Pompeo said that if the Iranians do that, The U.S. is “prepared to negotiate across a broad spectrum of issues with no preconditions,” but said there were “no indications that the Iranians are prepared to fundamentally change the direction of their nation.” “If they do the things we’ve asked them to do on their nuclear program, their missile program, their malign behavior around the world — I mean, you can just watch their actions. These are actions that threaten,” Pompeo said.”  See “Pompeo: There’s ‘no indication’ Iran will change direction,” Rachel Frazin, The Hill, July 20, 2019.

July 23, 2019.  There is no “reciprocal action” in international law.  The IRGC and Iranian FM may be referring to international relations—and what leads to force being taken by others.  But to be clear, there is NOTHING in international law that authorizes tit-for-tat state actions.  In fact, international law is designed for peaceful settlement of disputes, not escalating actions.  Note also that Iran (and some in the media are falsely reporting) a scenario of “A then B”, that the Gibraltar seizure of the Iranian tanker should logically be followed by the next news—the seizer of a British tanker.  That is a logical and legal fallacy.  The Syrian War sanctions by the EU against Iran for its actions in the Syrian Civil War are the “A”, leading to the “B” stopping of the Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar as it was taking oil to Syria in violation of those sanctions.  We call on the media to emphasize this fact and not let Iran get away with revisionist history.  “Iran calls seizure of British tanker a ‘reciprocal action’,” Rachel Frazin, The Hill, July 20, 2019.  Here is the verbatim story—“Iran reportedly called its seizure of a British oil tanker a “reciprocal action” after British assistance in the impounding an Iranian supertanker.  Iran’s Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei told the semi-official Fars news agency that the Friday seizure of the British tanker was a legal “reciprocal action,” according to The Associated Press.  Guardian Council comments are often seen as Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s views, according to the wire service.  Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, said Saturday on Twitter that the July 4 seizure of the Iranian supertanker was “piracy” and that Iran’s action was done “to uphold [international] maritime rules.””

July 13, 2019.  Why should news of Argentina be related to whether Iran will act as a normal country?  Because Argentina suffered a terrible terror attack at the hands of Iran, and Argentina is still coming to grips with that event.  See “Argentina To Designate Hezbollah As Terror Group—Report,” Rossella Tercatin, Jerusalem Post, July 12, 2019.  The Post reports, “Argentina’s government is planning on designating the Lebanese-based Hezbollah group as a terror organization for its role in the terror attacks against the Israeli embassy and the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentinian newspaper La Nacion reported on Tuesday.  “We are evaluating different possibilities. One of them is to pass a decree,” sources in the Ministry of Security and the Financial Intelligence Unit told the newspaper. The two entities have been tasked by President Mauricio Macri to find the “most rapid” solution to achieve the goal of including the Iranian-backed group in the list of terror organizations.  “We do not have a majority in Parliament, and it would take too long to pass a law there,” highly-placed sources in the Argentinian government explained to La Nacion.  July 18, 2019, will mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in the country’s capital. The attack left 85 people killed and 300 injured.  The report added that on that day Macri would pay tribute to the victims with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is scheduled to visit the country next week.  Pompeo will participate in the Western Hemisphere Ministerial anti-terrorism summit that the government of Argentina will host commemorating the bombing on July 19.  The United States and Argentina already held a workshop on countering Hezbollah’s terrorist activities in the western hemisphere in Buenos Aires in June.”  More on the same theme, with more details—“It’s time to hold Iran accountable for terrorism in Argentina,” Benjamin Gedan and Toby Dershowitz, op-ed, The Hill, July 11, 2019.

June 1, 2019.  Thank you NPR news for ending this piece on Iran with the main point of this blog—“The goal is to get Iran to behave like a normal country.”  “Pompeo’s Trip To Switzerland Could Signal The U.S. Is Working To Talk With Iran,” Michelle Keleman, All Things Considered,” May 30, 2019.

“Iran, Hezbollah Commanding Forces Located Along Golan Border – Report,” Tzvi Joffre, Jerusalem Post, March 3, 2019

“What does Iran want in Afghanistan?,” Maysam Behravesh, Al Jazeera, February 6, 2019

“President: Iran Ready to Invest in Africa,” Tasnim News Agency, February 2, 2019

“Iran displays new long-range missile,” The Week, February 2, 2019

“Iran Slams U.S. Over Venezuela. Secretly, Some May Be Relieved,” Golnar Motevalli  and Ladane Nasseri, Bloomberg, January 31, 2019

“Nearly All Of Iran’s Advanced Nuke Centrifuges Failing, Top Expert Reveals,” Yonah Jeremy Bob, Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2019

“Iran’s boat people — and why they’re coming to Britain,” Sohrab Ahmari, The Spectator, January 5, 2019