News from Iran 10/09/2005

An adventure that can backfire - The dangerous assumptions of Iran's war architect. Amir Taheri, Arab News:

Having secured most key positions in the past few months, the new generation of Iran's Islamic revolutionaries is now invited to prepare for playing "chicken" with the United States.

...the man who first came up with the analysis is Hassan Abbasi who has emerged as Ahmadinejad's chief strategic guru.

Abbasi heads the Center for Security Doctrines Research of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (RGC). His friends call him "The Kissinger of Islam", after Henry Kissinger who served as US secretary of state in the 1970s.

"To Iran's new ruling elite, Abbasi is the big strategic brain," says a European diplomat in Tehran. "More and more officials quote him in meetings with foreign diplomats.

"Last month Abbasi presented an outline of his analysis in a lecture at the Teachers Training Faculty in Karaj, west of Tehran.

The lecture merits attention because it offers an insight into the way the new leadership in Tehran approaches issues of international politics. READ MORE.

This is the same Hassan Abbassi who said:

We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization... we must make use of everything we have at hand to strike at this front by means of our suicide operations or by means of our missiles. There are 29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them.

With people like him serving as the architect of their so-called "war preparation plan," we must take these threats very seriously. This is a must read.

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

--The Financial Times reported that the European Union is considering restarting talks with Tehran.
--Middle East Newsline reported Britain is continuing to approve the export of military and security equipment to the Islamic republic.
--Karl Vick, The Washington Post reported on Iran's Supreme Leader's recent weakening of President Ahmadinejad and the strengthening of Rafsanjanji.
--Iran Press News reported on the regime-orchestrated protests in support of nuclear activities.
-Iran Press News reported that imprisoned activist; Payman Piran has had his visitation rights taken away.
--Iran Press News wife of imprisoned defense attorney, Abdolfatah Soltani has criticized the regime for failure to investigate the accusations leveled against her husband saying: Seventy days since Soltani's "temporary" arrest has passed and there have been no developments.
--Iran Press News reported that Mullah Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council of the regime, said: The problem with what we're doing is that sometimes fear gets the best of us and we can see that happening where the nuclear issues are concerned. We should not fear sanctions however.
--Iran Press News reported the 5th day of the Fine Arts University students' sit-in. After days of willful dereliction, the president of the university finally issued a statement.
--And finally, Winston, The Spirit of Man reported that Iran's justice minister spokesperson, angry that Canada is preparing a UN resolution condemning Iran's human rights record, said: Canada has a dark and poor record of human rights and these countries can't talk of human rights issues in Iran.

To read the entire briefing click here: The Daily Briefing on Iran.