{"id":295,"date":"2020-02-12T15:58:10","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T21:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/?p=295"},"modified":"2020-02-15T13:25:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T19:25:05","slug":"february-12-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coatesn\/2020\/02\/12\/february-12-2020\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

A really good way to lose your job.\u00a0 \u201cIran\u2019s information minister apologized Wednesday for posting a photo on Twitter of what appeared to be a Halloween-type costume representing a spacesuit, in an effort to promote the idea of a manned space program for his country. The official IRNA news agency quoted Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran\u2019s information and communications technology minister, as saying his department\u2019s advertising team \u201cundeniably made a mistake in choosing the image\u201d and expressed his apologies to \u201cthe people and space scientists\u201d of Iran.\u00a0 [He didn\u2019t even take personal responsibility but blamed the team].\u00a0 The photo, posted on Jahromi\u2019s Twitter account and depicting what looks like costume of a spacesuit with an Iranian flag sowed on the front, caused a stir on social media, with many Iranians turning to sarcasm and commenting about the fake spacesuit. After his apology, Jahromi removed the photo from his account.\u00a0 The timing of the minister\u2019s faux pas was also unfortunate. An Iranian rocket failed to put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, the latest setback for a program the U.S. claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program.\u00a0 The attempted launch followed two failed launches last year, of the Payam and Doosti satellites, as well as a launchpad rocket explosion in August. Also, a fire at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in February 2019 killed three researchers, authorities said at the time.\u00a0 Jahromi acknowledged the unsuccessful launch in a tweet shortly after the news broke on state TV, comparing it to a \u201cfew samples of US launch failures\u201d and insisting that Iran\u2019s space program was unstoppable.\u00a0 The failed launch had been planned amid celebrations ahead of this week\u2019s anniversary of Iran\u2019s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran routinely unveils technological achievements for its armed forces, its space program and its nuclear efforts during this time.\u201d\u00a0 See \u201cIranian minister apologizes over mock spacesuit post,\u201d<\/a> AP, WTMJ, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

Incredible reporting by Frantzman reveals what most of the press doesn\u2019t cover\u2014the sudden additional pressures on Hezbollah due to the removal of Qasem Soleimani from heading Iran\u2019s terror efforts.\u00a0 It is so significant to anti-terrorism efforts by multiple countries and to eventual peace that the linchpin of Iran\u2019s foreign policy use of terrorism was removed from the long war against terrorism.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the story, \u201cInside Iran\u2019s push to get Hezbollah to take a role in Iraq,\u201d<\/a> Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cFacebook removes accounts run from Iran targeting Americans,\u201d<\/a> Donie O\u2019Sullivan, CNN Business, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran FM stresses Tehran\u2019s rejection of US \u2018peace deal\u2019,\u201d<\/a> Middle East Monitor, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran government denies rumors of Rouhani resignation,\u201d<\/a> Al-Monitor, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cIran\u2019s 8000-Member Cyber Battalion Wages Online Propaganda War Against US: Report,\u201d<\/a> Venus Upadhayaya, Epoch Times, February 12, 2020.<\/p>\n

My former blog site at https:\/\/irannationorcause.blogspot.com is still active, and contains almost two years of archives.\u00a0 Those archived blog and news posts will be moved to this new blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A really good way to lose your job.\u00a0 \u201cIran\u2019s information minister apologized Wednesday for posting a photo on Twitter of what appeared to be a Halloween-type costume representing a spacesuit, in an effort to promote the idea of a manned space program for his country. The official IRNA news agency quoted Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, … <\/p>\n

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