M Ahmadinejad

[Rasputin]

Iran’s radical president is sinking fast, and he knows it. Now, there’s only one man who can keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad out of the unemployment line: George W. Bush.



Majid/Getty Images News
It hurts: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is feeling the political pain.
In Tehran, the mood is quickly shifting. And it’s easy to feel it every time you stop to buy a newspaper, have a coffee, or wait in line at the grocery store. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s star is fading fast.

Since his election in June 2005, Iranians have had conflicted feelings about their president. At first, he evoked interest and curiosity. And there were great expectations from this humble man who was promising economic reform, an anticorruption campaign, and a rigid moral scheme for daily life. Then came fear—when Ahmadinejad began to destroy any chance of good relations with the outside world.

But today in Iran, laughter is supplanting fear. Mocking the president has become a pastime not only for rebellious university students, but also members of the establishment and the government itself.

Behind the high walls of Iranian palaces or in the quiet of Tehran’s parks, Iranian elites will indulge in a quick laugh about the president’s intelligence or his populist bombast. Jokes about his résumé are especially popular. Many refer to his “Ph.D. in traffic” or his letter last May to U.S. President George W. Bush, in which he proclaimed, “I am a teacher.”

The jokes—and who is delivering them—tell the story of a man whose power is on the decline as Iran’s economy collapses around him. Prices for basic goods are skyrocketing, and the government is unable to cope with increasing poverty. Just last month, over 50 Iranian economists sent an open letter excoriating the president’s mismanagement of the economy.

For each public gathering, his loyalists must now arrange hundreds of buses from the remotest and poorest regions of the country. The president’s rented crowds shuffle off the buses for an hour or two and then enjoy Tehran sightseeing, lunch, and dinner paid for by Ahmadinejad’s inner circle in the administration.

Perhaps the best evidence of the president’s decline, though, is the single-digit support obtained by his party in last December’s administrative elections. A personal defeat for Ahmadinejad, the loss reduced his base of support to an elite minority inside the powerful, hard-line Revolutionary Guards, also known as the Pasdaran. It’s this same minority that struggles against any attempt to open Iran’s economy and political system; with their extensive oil holdings, they are unperturbed by the country’s isolation or its economic woes. But even inside the Pasdaran, one can find distinct viewpoints and conflicting interests, which is why Ahmadinejad’s political stronghold is far from secure.

In fact, there are already signs that his job is in jeopardy. Tehran is rife with speculation that Ali Larijani, who is now widely seen as positioning himself for the post-Ahmadinejad era, and Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, who competed against Ahmadinejad in 2005 and is still popular with members of both conservative and reformist camps, are already working to undermine the president. The next presidential elections are scheduled for June 2009. As a pragmatic conservative and one of Iran’s most prominent politicians, Larijani in particular is likely to do well. To be sure, he is no reformist along the lines of Ahmadinejad’s charismatic predecessor, Mohammed Khatami; in fact, Larijani was happy to see the reformists swept from the political scene following Ahmadinejad’s election. And as his tenacity as Iran’s top nuclear negotiator shows, he would be no shrinking violet on the international stage. At the same time, however, Larijani fairly drips with disdain for his boss, a president he sees as devoid of skill or rational stratagem in dealing with the rest of the world.

But it’s likely that Ahmadinejad’s power will decrease dramatically even before 2009. The elections for Iran’s parliament in March 2008 could represent a turning point if the majority inside the parliament shifts against him. Ahmadinejad still has a strong supporter in Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads the 12-member Guardian Council that holds the political reins in Iran. The Council must clear all candidates for the presidency and parliament. But the Council itself is not monolithic, and it will be impossible to keep all the reformists and pragmatist conservatives out of the electoral race. But even if Ahmadinejad makes it through next spring, many analysts in the country are ready to bet that he won’t be reelected in 2009; the opposition is just too strong, and the economy will likely be in worse straits by that time.

In fact, the only thing that could save him now is the United States. Nobody knows this better than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As his support within Iran has evaporated, he has cranked up the anti-American rhetoric, and the U.S. military has publicly accused the Pasdaran of arming insurgents in Iraq and even Afghanistan. At this point, the only way Ahmadinejad can revive his flagging fortunes is by uniting his country against an external threat. U.S. officials adamantly maintain that Washington is committed to using diplomacy to resolve the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program and its aggressive role in the region. Yet pressure is mounting in some branches of the Bush administration to take military action against Iran. That pressure should be resisted. For military action would give Mahmoud Ahmadinejad exactly what he wants most: job security.

[Rasputin]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nearly did not make it onto the list of candidates for the 2005 presidential elections. Other candidates, such as Ali Larijani (current head of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Tehran’s current mayor), and Mohsen Rezai (Deputy Head of the Expediency Council), who belonged to the same faction as Ahmadinejad, were trying to push him out of the race at the time because he was crowding the field. Having four people from the same faction meant that they would have been stealing votes from each other, enabling outside competitors such as Rafsanjani to gain an advantage. Ahmadinejad was singled out because he was the least-known candidate among the public. They assumed no one would notice if he dropped out.

Ahmadinejad’s saving grace was a poll taken by Mehr News three days prior to the election. It showed that Ahmadinejad was the third most popular candidate of the seven running for president. This legitimized his position as a candidate, and he stayed on to win the election.

While Ahmadinejad owes his initial success to polls, his presidency has since to come to rightly fear them. Although many have ruled out polls in Iran as an objective yardstick, the very fact that politicians are nevertheless scared of them shows that they do present some valid information.

This was demonstrated recently when Radio Javan, an Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) owned radio station, asked its listeners, on the second anniversary of Ahamadinejad’s victory, to SMS the candidate they would vote for if the election were held again. The listeners had the same seven candidates to choose from as they did in 2005. The results of this poll were never publicized. According to reports from Iran, this was due to pressure from Ahmadinejad, who had been informed of his performance.

Ahmadinejad is a well-connected man in the IRIB. Ezzatollah Zarghami, the current head of IRIB, is a Revolutionary Guard comrade of Ahmadinejad’s. However, being a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Gaurds Corp (IRGC) does not mean that Ahmadinejad can always get what he wants.

Baztab.com, which is one of the best sources of news from Iran, is owned by Mohsen Rezai, another IRGC veteran. Rezai does not allow Ahmadinejad to abuse his position. As one of the best connected politicians in Iran, Mohsen Rezai has the freedom to scrutinize and criticize Ahmadinejad’s plans and policies like no other. Although he does praise Ahmadinejad where he sees fit; his fearlessness has won him respect in and outside of Iran. This is one man that Ahmadinejad cannot push around, a fact that Rezai does not hesitate to remind him of.

Baztab recently ran a poll asking users if they would vote for Ahmadinejad or not. Each computer was only allowed one vote, and 20,177 voters took part. Unlike Radio Javan, Baztab did publish its results.

There were four questions and each voter could choose only one. The votes were broken down into two categories — those who for Ahmadinejad in 2005 in Category One, and those who did not in Category Two:

Category One
1. I voted for Ahmadinejad in 2005, and would vote for him again: 37.5%
2. I voted for Ahmadinejad in 2005, but would not vote for him again: 62.5%

Category Two
1. I did not vote for Ahmadinejad in 2005, but would vote for him next time: 5.3%
2. I did not vote for Ahmadinejad in 2005, and would not vote for him next time: 94.7%

The results are an astounding setback for Ahmadinejad. 62.5% of voters who said that they voted for him in 2005 would not do so again. This is first and foremost due to the combination of the abysmal performance of his economic policies and his inability to cut corruption, as he promised to do in 2005.

The rationing of petrol has only made things worse. Far worse. On the day the rationing plan was started, a popular SMS was doing the rounds of millions of mobile phones in Iran. The message read, “No petrol to drive your car to work? Don’t worry. Use one of the 17 million donkeys who voted for Ahmadinejad to ride to work.” This message worried the administration so much that the entire SMS system was shut down for a day in order to enable the Ministry of Communication to delete the insulting messages from the network.

Although Ahmadinejad is unpopular, the West must not think that it has a blank to check to do what it wants in Iran. Every time the words “regime change” are uttered by neocons in Washington the extremists score political loyalty points. Something they desperately need. The UN may seem toothless from the perspective of Washington. But it is one of the most useful and powerful organizations for tackling extremists in Iran due to its international composition, and the very fact that Iran itself is a member. Such legitimacy strikes fear in the heart of Ahmadinejad’s government like no other foreign organization can.

[Rasputin]

پرز: احمدی نژاد 'يک جوک باورنکردنی' است


شيمون پرز می گوید اقتصاد ايران ضعيف تر از آن است که بنظر می رسد و تحريم های شديد تاثير گذار خواهد بود
شيمون پرز رئيس جمهور جديد اسرائيل گفته است محمود احمدی نژاد رئيس جمهور ايران 'يک جوک باورنکردنی' است.
وی که روز دوشنبه در گفتگو با راديو ملی آمريکا (ان پی آر) صحبت می کرد ايران را متهم به تلاش برای دستيابی به سلاح اتمی کرد.

شيمون پرز گفت: 'او (محمود احمدی نژاد) ادعا می کند که فردی مذهبی است. برداشت من اين است که در چشمان او بمب اتم برتر از الله جای دارد.'

رئيس جمهور اسرائيل گفت رئيس جمهور ايران 'بمب (اتم) را بيش از خدا در بهشت می پرستد.'

وی ایران را بزرگترین تهدید پیش روی اسرائیل خواند.

ايران همواره اعلام کرده که تنها بدنبال استفاده صلح آميز از انرژی هسته ای است.

اما شيمون پرز اين ادعای ايران را رد کرد و از جامعه جهانی خواستار ايجاد يک جبهه متحد برای جلوگيری از برنامه های اتمی اين کشور شد.

او از کره شمالی و ليبی بعنوان نمونه هايی ياد کرد که جامعه جهانی به کمک ديپلماسی و تحريم توانست برنامه سلاح های کشتار جمعی آنها را متوقف کند.

بسياری از تحليلگران نسبت به کارآيی تحريم های شورای امنيت عليه ايران که از سال پيش اعمال شده است ابراز ترديد کرده اند.

اما شيمون پرز گفت اقتصاد ايران ضعيف تر از آن است که بنظر می رسد و تحريم های شديد تاثير گذار خواهد بود.

او گفت: 'نرخ بيکاری در ايران رقمی بين ۲۰ تا ۵۰ درصد است و نرخ تورم نيز بسيار بالاست.'

رئيس جمهور اسرائيل افزود: 'بنابراين همه اين توجهات برای بمب است و مردم نمی توانند با بمب ارتزاق کنند و هزينه های زندگی خود را با توليد بمب و موشک تامين کنند.'

[Rasputin]

احمدی نژاد درتلويزيون:
درکنار 8 قدرت
سهم جهانی ما هم بايد برسد!
سيامک زند





قسمت اول جلسه آقای احمدی نژاد با خبرنگاران خودی را در تلويزيون ديدم. اقای احمدی نژاد با همان ساده انگاری هميشگی خود و با يک حساب سر انگشتی به اين نتيجه رسيد که 5 درصد مردم بيش از اين سهميه بندی بنزين مصرف دارند و بايد خودشان را تطبيق دهند با بقيه مردم. اين درحالی است که فردای روز سهميه بندی بنزين آقای احمدی نژاد اين بخش از مردم را 15 درصد اعلام کرده بودند . پرسش اينست که اگر نه 5 درصد کنونی و نه 15 درصد گذشته بلکه فقط 10 درصد مردم بيشتر از سهميه بندی بنزين مصرف دارند پس اصلا چه نيازی بود به سهميه بندی؟

نکته بعدی اينست که اقای احمدی نژاد همانند تمام مصاحبه های قبلی خودش سعی داشت با زبان بی زبانی به مردم بفهماند که اين سهميه بندی بنزين دست پخت مجلس هفتم است. گفت : "بالاخره مجلس اين سهميه بندی را تصويب کرده و اين موضوع تبديل به قانون شده و وظيفه دولت هم اينست که قانون را خوب اجرا کند و من وقتی با مردم صحبت می کنم همه از اين طرح راضی هستند"

پرسش ديگر اينست که اگر واقعا مصرف مردم همين مقدار است که سهميه بندی شده و اصلا بر اقتصاد مملکت فشار نمی آيد مردم هم زجر نمی کشند پس چرا اينقدر اصرار داريد که تقصير را بر گردن نمايندگان مجلس بياندازيد و از مهلکه فرار کنيد ؟ هر کاری که دولت حس کند با رضايت مردم روبروست فورا آن را تبديل به بزرگترين تبليغ برای خود می کنيد. پس چرا اين دستآورد را که بقول رئيس جمهور اکثريت مردم ازآن راضی اند و استقبال می کنند به حساب دولت نگذاشته و به حساب مجلس واريز می کنيد؟

در ادامه اين مصاحبه دوباره اقای احمدی نژاد با يک حساب سر انگشتی فرمودند که ما اگر مصرف را کنترل کنيم می توانيم صادر کننده بنزين شويم.

من در همين راستا پيشنهادی دارم و آن اينست که اگر با تحريم بنزينی مردم می شود صادر کننده شد، خوب چرا يکسال مردم را از نظر گندم هم تحريم نکنيم تا در گندم هم به خودکفايی رسيده و صادر کننده آن شويم؟

البته اقای احمدی نژاد يک مصاحبه ديگر هم چند روز پيش داشت. در آن مصاحبه مجری در مورد قطعنامه ها پرسيد و رئيس جمهور گفت:

" بالاخره ما می خواهيم اتمی شويم و در کنار 8 کشور قدرتمند دنيا بنشينيم و بگوييم انا شريک. يعنی ما هم در اداره جهان شريک هستيم و ما هم سهم می خواهيم. آنها ناراحتند که قبلا به 8 قسمت تقسيم می کرده اند و حالا بايد به 9 قسمت تقسيم کنند".

خُب اقای احمدی نژاد وقتی شما هنوز نرسيده به چاه لباس را در می آوريد و می گوئيد ما هم در غنيمت های بدست آمده از کشور های ستم ديده شريک هستيم، امثال من حق نداريم از شما بپرسيم:

آن کشورهايی که دارند غارت می کنند لااقل مثل شما جرات نمی کنند بيايند جلوی دوربين و بگويند ما هم از اين غارت ها سهم می خواهيم.

اين ادعا حال و هوای فکری رئيس جمهور مملکتی است که در آن خانه، قيمتی افسانه ای پيدا کرده است و کم مانده من و همسرم برای آغاز زندگی مشترک برويم زير يکی از پل ها چادر بزنيم. البته اگر شهرداری اجازه بدهد. مملکتی که بيکاری از هر زمان ديگری در آن بيشتر شده است، افسردگی و نا اميدی از زندگی در چشم های مردم موج می زند. انگار که گرد مرگ در خيابان ها پاشيده اند. بگير و ببند و اعدام خيابانی بيشتر از هر زمان ديگری شده است. نمی دانم چرا اينروزها به ياد ان داستان جالب می افتم که پسری از سفر ميايد و ميرود خانه از مادرش می پرسد پدر کجاست؟ مادر می گويد رفته مسجد روغن بگيرد. پسر می گويد مسجد که جای عبادت و نماز خواندن بود. مادر می گويد نماز را در دانشگاه بر پا می کنند. پسر می گويد دانشگاه که جای دانشجو بود. مادر می گويد دانشجوها در زندان هستند. پسر می گويد زندان که جای دزدان بود. مادر می گويد آنها حکومت می کنند

[Rasputin]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied US allegations that Iranian weapons are finding their way into the hands of the Taleban.
Mr Ahmadinejad, on a visit to Kabul, said that Tehran strongly supported the political process in Afghanistan.

He held talks with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, on the first leg of a tour that will also take him to Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

This is Mr Ahmadinejad's first visit to Afghanistan since he was elected.

Kabul's main ally, the United States, recently alleged that Iranian-made weapons were reaching the Taleban.

"I doubt seriously if there is any truth in it," Mr Ahmadinejad told journalists in Kabul, the AFP news agency reported.

"With all our force, we support the political process in Afghanistan," he said.

Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran's security depended on the situation in Afghanistan as the two nations shared a long border.

"For us, a secure and stable Afghanistan is the best," he said.

Mutual interest

During his recent visit to the US, Mr Karzai said Iran had been playing a positive role in his country, putting him in dispute with President George W Bush.

Tehran helped to establish an interim government in Kabul after the fall of the Taleban and since then has donated large amounts of aid to Afghanistan.

Issues of mutual interest include continuing reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Kabul's ongoing fight against Taleban insurgents, says the BBC's Pam O'Toole in Tehran.

The continuing presence of almost one million Afghan refugees in Iran and Tehran's current operation to expel other groups of Afghans who are living in Iran illegally are also key issues.

From Afghanistan Mr Ahmadinejad will travel on to Turkmenistan, where he is expected to sign a number of co-operation agreements.

Mr Ahmadinejad's final port of call will be a meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan, where he is expected to bid for Iran's status to be raised from observer to full member.

While there he is due to hold talks with leaders of full members of the organisation, who include Russia and China.

[Rasputin]

Iranian president sacks ministers to deflect blame for policy failure

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has sacked his oil and industry ministers in an apparent attempt to tighten his grip on power while deflecting blame for failed economic policies.
In a major cabinet shakeup, Mr Ahmadinejad announced he had "accepted the resignations" of Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh and Alireza Tahmasbi. Despite the diplomatic wording, there appeared little doubt yesterday that the two men had been forced out, to be replaced by interim ministers until permanent successors are appointed.

Their departures follow widespread criticism of the president for presiding over an economic landscape of rising inflation and high unemployment, in contrast to his pre-election promises to alleviate poverty and generate prosperity.
Mr Vaziri-Hamaneh, the oil minister, may have been a victim of June's introduction of petrol rationing, although he is not believed to have been responsible. The decision triggered widespread unrest and the destruction of dozens of filling stations by protesters.

Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, said the move was essential to cut the costs of importing heavily subsidised petrol. In recent days, Mr Ahmadinejad has rebuffed pressure to allow motorists to buy fuel at market prices, saying this will further stoke inflation. Mr Vaziri-Hamaneh was the president's fourth choice oil minister after parliament rejected his first three nominees. His departure gives Mr Ahmadinejad a chance to install a more favoured candidate at a time when MPs will be distracted with preparations for next March's parliamentary elections.

The exit of Mr Tahmasbi as industry minister had been widely anticipated after he tendered his resignation letter last week. His departure is thought to have been engineered after he resisted demands to replace ministry officials with the president's hand-picked appointees.

Saeed Leylaz, an economic analyst, said the two ministers were victims of Mr Ahmadinejad's policies. "This is because the policies of Mr Ahmadinejad have failed and he has not fulfilled his promises," he said. "He has to make a lot of noise to tell people that these are the guys responsible for the failures. At the same time, he is trying to rearrange his government in time for the next parliamentary elections."

Mr Ahmadinejad may now seek a radical shakeup in the foreign ministry. He is also expected to replace the governor of Iran's central bank, Ebrahim Sheibani, after he reportedly opposed a recent presidential decree cutting interest rates.

[Rasputin]

انتقاد وزير مستعفي صنايع از محمود احمدي نژاد

وزير مستعفي صنايع و معادن ايران، اختلاف نظر با رييس جمهوري در زمينه سياست ها و تغييرات اداري را دليل كناره گيري خود عنوان كرده است.

طهماسبي از اصرار بر تغييرات اداري و بي توجهي به نظرات خود گله كرده است
خبر استعفاي عليرضا طهماسبي و كاظم وزيري هامانه، وزيران صنايع و معادن و نفت، اول هفته جاري انتشار يافت و در حاليكه آقاي هامانه به سمت مشاور رييس جمهوري در امور نفت و گاز منصوب شد، ظاهرا رييس جمهوري سمت رسمي ديگري براي آقاي طهماسبي در نظر نگرفته است.

به گزارش خبرگزاري فارس كه متن استعفانامه عليرضا طهماسبي را انتشار داده، وزير سابق صنايع و معادن اين استعفانامه را روز چهاردهم مرداد (5 اوت) تسليم رييس جمهوري كرده بود.

آقاي طهماسبي در استعفانامه خود اظهار داشته است كه در طول تصدي وزارت صنايع، همراه با مديران اين وزارتخانه كوشيده است هدف هاي سند چشم انداز بيست ساله جمهوري اسلامي، ابلاغيه هاي آيت الله خامنه اي و برنامه هاي اعلام شده دولت را به طور كامل در بخش صنايع و معادن به اجرا بگذارد.

وي تلويحا به تعارض بين دستورالعمل هاي اجرايي دولت با اهداف بلند مدت فوق اشاره داشته و گفته است كه "وجود برخي مغايرت ها در هدف گذاري هاي ميان مدت و مقطعي عملا موجب عدم استفاده از توان كامل بخش صنعت و معدن" شده است.

وزير مستعفي وزارت صنايع و معادن مواردي مانند اصرار دولت بر تثبيت نرخ برخي كالاها مانند سيمان، شكر، لبنيات، خودرو، لوازم خانگي بدون توجه به افزايش هزينه تمام شده اين محصولات و ناتواني وزارت هاي نيرو و نفت در تامين نياز صنايع به آب و برق صنعتي و گاز طبيعي را نيز از موانع رشد بخش صنعت و معدن برشمرده است.

رشد بخش صنعت كه در دوران رياست جمهوري محمد خاتمي به طور متوسط به ده و نيم درصد مي رسيد، در دو سال اخير و با وجود افزايش چشمگير درآمدهاي نفتي، به نصف كاهش يافته است.

آقاي طهماسبي دولت را متهم مي كند كه اعتبارات ريالي و ارزي بانكي كافي در اختيار بخش صنعت و معدن قرار نداده است و در اشاره اي تلويحي به رشد سريع واردات كالا، نا هماهنگي سياست هاي تجاري و توليدي را از دشواري هاي اين بخش توصيف كرده است.

در اين استعفانامه، "دخالت اجرايي بعضي ستادهاي ايجاد شده (نظير ستاد تبصره 13) در وظايف تعريف شده وزارت صنايع" هم از جمله موانع پيشرفت كار در وزارت صنايع و معادن عنوان شده است.

عليرضا طهماسبي در نامه خود به محمود احمدي نژاد يادآور مي شود كه در خلال دو سال گذشته، مشكلات وزارت صنايع و معادن را همراه با راه حل هاي پيشنهادي خود به اطلاع رييس جمهوري رسانده است.

آقاي طهماسبي در استعفانامه خود به رييس جمهوري، بي توجهي به نظرات خود و "اصرار به بعضي تغييرات" در وزارت صنايع را از عوامل اصلي تصميم به كناره گيري از وزارت صنايع عنوان كرده است.

پيش از اين برخي ناظران گفته بودند كه آقاي طهماسبي تحت فشار قرار داشت افراد مورد نظر رييس جمهوري را به سمت هاي مديريتي در اين وزارتخانه منصوب كند.

نظرات انتقادي رييس قوه قضاييه

در خبري ديگر، رييس قوه قضاييه جمهوري اسلامي هم در سخناني از جنبه هايي از عملكرد اقتصادي و اداري دولت انتقاد كرده است.


آيت الله شاهرودي: ما تنها شعار اشتغال مي دهيم و وزارت خانه و اداره ايجاد مي كنيم


به گزارش خبرگزاري دانشجويان ايران - ايسنا - آيت الله محمود هاشمي شاهرودي در سخناني در روز چهارشنبه، 15 اوت، كندي روند خصوصي سازي، توقف برخي از قرارداد ها و آنچه را كه "تغيير مكرر مدير و وزير" مي خواند، مورد نكوهش قرار داد.

از جمله موارد ديگري كه مورد انتقاد رييس قوه قضاييه قرار گرفت رشد بخش دولتي و افزايش شمار حقوق بگيران اين بخش بود.

وي گفت كه هر روزه بر تعداد حقوق بگيران دولتي افزوده مي شود و اظهار داشت در حاليكه در ساير كشورها، حتي برخي از وظايف حاكميتي دولت به بخش خصوصي واگذار شده است، در جمهوري اسلامي كارهاي غير حكومتي نيز در اختيار حكومت قرار گرفته و به جاي عمل، تنها به دادن شعار بسنده مي شود.

رييس قوه قضاييه ناديده گرفتن منافع ملي را مورد انتقاد قرار داد و با اشاره به خبرهاي حاكي از تخلفاتي در قرارداد جمهوري اسلامي و شركت كرسنت براي صدور گاز طبيعي به امارات عربي متحده، هشدار داد كه نبايد شعار مبارزه با فساد به وسيله اي براي جلوگيري از اجراي قراردادهاي خارجي و در نتيجه، الزام ايران به تحمل ضرر و زيان ناشي از عدم اجراي تعهدات خود منجر شود.

آيت الله شاهرودي عدم بهره برداري از امكانات اقتصادي كشور را نيز مورد انتقاد قرار داد و گفت "ما تنها شعار اشتغال مي دهيم و وزارت خانه و اداره ايجاد مي كنيم در حاليكه راهمان به بيراهه مي رود."

رييس قوه قضاييه در سخنان خود به موضوع برخورد با مديران متخلف هم پرداخت و گفت كه اين برخورد نبايد باعث "بي انگيزگي" در مديران شود و تاكيد كرد كه نبايد مديران كارآمد را به دليل تخلفات كوچك حذف و "آدم هاي بي عرضه" را جايگزين آنان كرد.

اظهارات آيت الله شاهرودي در حالي انتشار مي يابد كه عملكرد اقتصادي دولت محمود احمدي نژاد هدف انتقادات فزاينده اي قرار گرفته است و با نزديك شدن زمان برگزاري انتخابات مجلس، مي تواند باعث شود طرفداران دولت اكثريت خود را در مجلس آينده از دست بدهند.

برخي ناظران گفته اند كه تصميم آقاي احمدي نژاد در ترميم كابينه ممكن است به معني تلاش وي براي اجراي برنامه هايي در جهت بهبود شرايط اقتصادي يا دست كم جلب رضايت منتقدان از طريق بركناري كساني باشد كه مي تواند آنان را مسئول ناكامي هاي اقتصادي جلوه دهد.

[Rasputin]

Got a problem? Dial 111 and speak to Ahmadinejad

His critics say he is dogmatic and deaf to expert advice. But now Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is attempting to rebrand himself as a listening politician by establishing a hotline for ordinary voters.

Citizens wishing to voice their "problems, complaints and proposals" to the president will be able to do so by dialling 111. The service will be run by aides in the presidential office.


It is the latest in a series of gambits designed to bolster Mr Ahmadinejad's man-of-the-people persona, which helped him to win the 2005 presidential election.

While continuing to ignore the views of Iran's elites - who have criticised his economic policies as an ill-conceived melange of populist promises - the new call-in facility promises to reinforce the image of a leader engaging with the masses.


Its announcement comes at a time when Mr Ahmadinejad's popularity has been sliding against a gloomy economic backdrop of rising inflation, high unemployment and petrol rationing.


Mr Ahmadinejad has previously attempted to communicate directly with the public through his own blog, which is available in English, Arabic, French and Farsi. He has also instructed aides to compile his opinions and speeches for publication in what may be an attempt to convey his message free from the filter of a critical media.


The hotline will be launched next February during the annual 10-day fajr period, when Iran marks the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution.


The idea emerged from the president's provincial tours, during which he has addressed tens of thousands of people at dozens of open-air rallies across Iran. Mr Ahmadinejad has encouraged those attending to submit letters with views and requests to his aides.


About 40% of the 7.2m letters received have been requests for money, while others have appealed for jobs, housing and medical treatment. Mr Ahmadinejad's staff have struggled to deal with the volume of correspondence and have so far answered around half of it.

Hashem Gharghi, head of a unit formed to follow up the letters, said phone lines and public relations offices had been opened to allow correspondents to pursue unanswered letters.

[Rasputin]

Iran government dismisses top cleric's criticism

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government has shrugged off unprecedented criticism from the head of the judiciary, telling the high-ranking cleric not to interfere, media reported on Sunday.



Judiciary head Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi warned in a speech last week that the government was needlessly changing top officials, in a rare intervention from a cleric who usually stays out of day-to-day politics.

"Ayatollah Shahroudi, as head of the judiciary, knows more than anyone about the correct separation of powers," between Iranian institutions, Ahmadinejad's top advisor Ali Akbar Javanfekr told the governmental Iran newspaper.

"It is wrong for these powers to interfere in each other's affairs. It is expected that this is rectified and its repetition prevented," he told the newspaper's Saturday edition in remarks picked up by other media on Sunday.

"High ranking officials should take extra care with their choice of words so that some statements cannot be exploited by those who cannot bear the unity between our pillars of the system," the daily added in an editorial.

Shahroudi on Wednesday complained that the country was being harmed by frequent changes of ministers and top managers, in remarks seen by the reformist press as a direct attack on the president's style of government.

The ayatollah is one of the most respected clerics in Iran and is renowned for his depth of knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).

Since Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005, a host of mid- to high-ranking officials have been replaced in sensitive ministries, most notably foreign affairs and oil.

"It should not be done in a way that if we want to groom an eyebrow we end up by poking out the eye," Shahroudi commented, using a traditional Persian proverb.

His comments also came in the same week that Ahmadinejad unexpectedly reshuffled his cabinet, replacing Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh as oil minister and Ali Reza Tahmasebi at industry.

Capping an unusually turbulent week in Iranian domestic politics, both Vaziri Hamaneh and Tahmasebi criticised the president's policymaking after their departures.

Javanfekr however maintained it was the government's right to dismiss officials whose performance was deemed unsatisfactory and could not ignore "offences" committed by managers.

Such open exchanges between government officials and heads of other power centres are highly unusual in Iranian, where political discourse is usually marked by the utmost discretion.

The Iranian press has also speculated that central bank governor Ebrahim Sheibani and Economy Minister Davoud Danesh Jaafari would be next to go after disagreeing with an unexpected decision to cut interest rates.

However First Vice President Parviz Davoudi denied the reports, and insisted that no more changes in the cabinet were planned.

The reshuffle came amid criticism of the government from across the political spectrum in Iran for fuelling inflation and ploughing extra revenues from high crude oil prices into high-spending infrastructure projects.

[Rasputin]

Hamed Mousavizadeh is pushing 30 and still has to ask his parents to have a friend over for dinner.

Mousavizadeh is a reluctant lodger in his mother and father's Tehran apartment, not just a dutiful son. With housing prices soaring and no stable job, he can't afford a place of his own.

``I have thought about having my own flat many times, but I have never acted on it because I know it's impossible,'' says Mousavizadeh, who ekes out a living importing industrial parts.

Mousavizadeh is typical of Iran's increasingly restless young people, who make up two-thirds of the country's 70 million residents. Educated, ambitious and connected to the outside world by the Internet, people under 30 are pressuring President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to create jobs and ease a housing shortage in Tehran after two years in power. The war in Iraq and Iran's nuclear program do little to distract them.

Official statistics show that 21 percent of 15- to 24-year- olds are unemployed. The figure is probably higher, locals say.

Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a working-class neighborhood of Tehran averages 4.2 million rials ($450) a month, 50 percent more than a year ago, property agents say. Landlords demand 23 million to 46 million rials as a security deposit, up from 14 million rials.

The monthly household income in the capital is about 5.3 million rials, according to Central Bank statistics.

The lack of prospects for young people is leading many onto the streets. In June, rioters torched gasoline stations to oppose rationing in the world's fourth-largest oil producer. A few months earlier, dozens of teachers were arrested when they gathered in front of parliament to protest low wages.

`Impatient'

Ahmadinejad, 50, was once a member of the Revolutionary Guard, which in March captured 15 British sailors in the Persian Gulf. He told a religious conference in Tehran last weekend the U.S. was ``war mongering'' in the name of democracy and branded Israel as ``the flag of Satan,'' Iran's state news agency said.

A former Tehran mayor who favors beige suits and open-necked shirts, Ahmadinejad came to power in August 2005, promising to revive a deteriorating economy. He attracted support from backers of the Islamic Revolution and the poor.

``He pledged to take action fast,'' says Saeed Laylaz, a political analyst in Tehran and former economist at the Ministry of Industry and Mines. ``Those who voted out of frustration can't wait for the long term and are now getting seriously impatient.''

Young people mark the start of the weekend on Thursday night by gathering at a friend's home -- one who has managed to get his or her own place -- to watch DVDs such as the Hollywood hit Little Miss Sunshine and smoke Bahman cigarettes.

Dubai Bound

That's not enough for Maryam Moghadam, who works for an international packaging firm that she declined to name. Moghadam returned to her parents after her divorce four years ago. Her next move may take her away for good, she says.

``I'm thinking of leaving for Dubai to gain my independence,'' says the 31-year-old. ``Here, with the salary I get I'm not having the life I want.''

The Housing Ministry aims to build 1.5 million houses and apartments in the 12 months through March, the Sarmayeh newspaper reported.

Ahmadinejad has handed out what he calls ``justice shares'' in state-owned companies to give about 5 million Iranians a stake in the economy, says Mohammad Paryab, head of the government's information council office. The president also started the Imam Reza fund to give the equivalent of $2,000 in loans to young couples getting married and ordered banks to cut interest rates.

Even for people with a job, that's not enough to get their own place, says Shahram Adlparvar, who earns the equivalent of $400 a month as a warehouse manager at a company that imports Swiss muesli.

Forget Tehran

``How far can a couple go with their $2,000? The groom will purchase the ring and the bride can buy a stove and a fridge,'' says Adlparvar, 30, who shares sleeping quarters with his 28 year- old brother at their parents' two-bedroom apartment. ``Forget about getting a flat anywhere in Tehran.''

The professional class is also feeling the squeeze. Ahmadinejad's spending could have ``heavy costs'' for the economy, a group of 57 economists, including the former head of Tehran's stock exchange, wrote in a letter published in June in at least three local newspapers.

``In the public's opinion, there is the feeling that things are getting worse,'' says Heydar Pourian, editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine ``Iran Economics.'' Ahmadinejad ``has good intentions but the outcome may be different from what the president had intended.''

For now, Mousavizadeh, 28, can only dream of setting up his own home and will continue to rely on his mother and father's support. He lives in a beige room with a bed and table and every night dips into U.S.-style self-development books.

``You can earn money but not a stable income to count on,'' he says. ``If I meet a girl I'm serious with, I'll have no other way but to ask for my parents' help to get married and move out.''

[Rasputin]

Iran's Ahmadinejad defiant... over his culinary skills

TEHRAN (AFP) - Better known for his defiance on Iran's nuclear programme, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday revealed he was a handy cook who prepares "delicious" food and regrets not spending more time at home.

In a television interview aimed at showing his personal side, Ahmadinejad made no mention of Iran's disputes with the West and instead portrayed himself as a hardworking husband who only leaves his job in the small hours.

"Before (I became president) I used to do the grocery shopping. Now sometimes I help in the kitchen and I know how to make all the Iranian food," Ahmadinejad said.

Pressed by the interviewer for more details, Ahmadinejad continued in typically defiant fashion.

"Of course what I make is delicious -- ask everyone who has eaten it! I can make all the different kinds of soups and Iranian stews," said the president.

Ahmadinejad, who has long boasted of his ability to work hard, said he is often at his desk by 5:30 am and sometimes does not leave until after midnight.

"I used to visit my relatives more but now I do so less. I see them when they are all in one place, but I regularly visit my mother and when I visit her the rest come to see me."

While sparking international controversy for comments predicting that Israel is doomed to disappear, Ahmadinejad has also sought to cultivate an image as a simple peace-loving man who offers friendship to everyone.

But like almost all Iranian politicians, Ahmadinejad's private life remains a closely guarded secret, and his wife, two sons and daughter are rarely seen in public.

[Rasputin]

Iran leader denied on WTC wreath request

NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked permission to lay a wreath at the World Trade Center site when he comes to New York City next week, but the request was denied, a police official said Wednesday.


Ahmadinejad, who is arriving Sunday to address the United Nations' General Assembly, had asked this month for permission to visit the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, police spokesman Paul Browne said.

The request to enter the fenced-in site was rejected because of ongoing construction there, Browne said.

"Requests for the Iranian president to visit the immediate area would also be opposed by the NYPD on security grounds," Browne said.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters Wednesday that the United States would not support Iran's attempt to use the site for a "photo op."

"Iran can demonstrate its seriousness about concern with regard to terrorism by taking concrete actions," such as dropping support for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and suspending their uranium enrichment program, Khalilzad said.

Browne said Ahmadinejad had asked permission from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, U.S. Secret Service and police department. The police and the Secret Service provide security to visiting heads of state.

The Port Authority, which owns the trade center site and is the only agency that could grant him permission to go inside, said it never received such a request, contradicting the police statement.

"We have not been asked to accommodate the president of Iran," Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said.

It wasn't clear whether Ahmadinejad wanted to descend to the base of the trade center site, where the twin towers once stood, or lay a wreath on a public sidewalk outside the site.

Telephone calls to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations were not immediately returned.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said a visit to ground zero "is a matter for the city of New York, but it seems more than odd that the president of a country that is a state sponsor of terror would visit ground zero."

Iran and the U.S. have not had diplomatic relations since Washington cut its ties with Tehran after Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979. The Bush administration has accused Iran of arming Shiite Muslim militants in Iraq and seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

In a television appearance earlier this week, Ahmadinejad said his country wanted peace and friendship with the United States, as tensions continued to mount between the two countries.

[Rasputin]

داستان اینبار درخواست برای بازدید از برجهای دوقلو توسط احمدی نژاد و رد شدن آن توسط مقامان محلی است. شهردار سابق نیویورک گفته است: کمک به احمدی نژاد برای دیدار از محل حملات 11 سپتامبر - محلی مقدس برای همه آمریکایی ها - مایه انزجار است. خوب بیاد دارم که وقتی از خاتمی برای سخرانی در دانشگاه هاروارد و یا کلیسای شهر واشینگتن دعوت شد با اینکه سخرانی ایشان با استقبال مقامات محلی و صاحب نظران همراه بود٬ دو گروه دست به اعتراض زدند. یکی گروه مجاهدین خلق بودند که با همه چیز و همه کس غیر از خوشان مخالفند و گروه دیگر راستی های داخل یا همان رفقای رییس جمهور فعلی بودند که همانند مجاهدین یا به گفته آنها منافقین با همه کس و هم چیز که از ایشان نباشد مخالفند. رییس جمهور علاقمند به مسافرت ما برای سومین بار به نیویورک سفر می کند و به گفته بعضی دوستان در این سفر درخواست گرین کارت خود را هم به دولت آمریکا تسلیم خواهد نمود.

[Rasputin]

رئیس جمهور ایران رهسپار آمریکا شد


این سومین حضور احمدی نژاد در سازمان ملل متحد خواهد بود
محمود احمدی نژاد رئیس جمهور ایران، صبح روز یکشنبه (اول مهرماه) برای شرکت در نشست سالانه مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل متحد در نیویورک، عازم این شهر شد.
آقای احمدی نژاد قرار است در این مجمع که روز سه شنبه آغاز به کار خواهد کرد، سخنرانی کند.

ایرنا، خبرگزاری دولتی ایران گزارش داده است که آقای احمدی نژاد را در این سفر، هیاتی از مقامات بلندپایه ایرانی، از جمله منوچهر متکی وزیر امور خارجه و غلام حسین الهام سخنگوی دولت و شماری دیگر از مقامات دولتی و نمایندگان مجلس همراهی می کنند.

رئیس جمهور ایران در حالی به نیویورک سفر می کند که مقامات این ایالت، با درخواست او برای بازدید از محل حمله شش سال پیش به ساختمانهای مرکز تجارت جهانی مخالفت کرده اند.

پلیس نیویورک گفته است که محل حادثه حملات یازدهم سپتامبر، به علت عملیات ساختمانی به روی بازدیدکنندگان بسته است و افزون بر آن، این درخواست به دلایل امنیتی نیز رد می شود.

سخنرانی در دانشگاه کلمبیای شهر نیویورک نیز، از دیگر برنامه های مهم سفر محمود احمدی نژاد به این شهر است.

'ممانعت' آمریکایی ها


درخواست بازدید احمدی نژاد از محل حادثه یازدهم سپتامبر، رد شده است
خبرگزاری دولتی ایران می گوید که این سخنرانی، به دعوت یک تن از مقامات دانشگاه صورت خواهد گرفت، اما "دولتمردان آمريكايی *برای ممانعت از این سخنرانی سخت تلاش می *كنند".

اما یک سخنگوی دانشگاه کلمبیا روز پنجشنبه گفت که برنامه ای برای لغو حضور محمود احمدی نژاد در این دانشگاه وجود ندارد.

رئیس دانشگاه کلمبیا نیز در جریان اعلام برنامه حضور رئیس جمهور ایران در این دانشگاه گفته بود که وی موافقت کرده است به سوالات درباره اسرائیل و هولوکاست پاسخ گوید.

رئیس جمهور ایران صراحتاً از سیاستهای آمریکا در منطقه و جهان انتقاد می کند و خواهان حذف اسرائیل شده است.

دعوت از چنین شخصیتی برای سخنرانی در دانشگاه کلمبیا، مخالفتهایی را نیز به دنبال داشته است.

کریستین کوئین رئیس شورای شهر نیویورک گفته است: "احمدی نژاد منکر هولوکاست (واقعه قتل عام یهودیان به دست نازی ها) است، و فقط به یک دلیل اینجاست - تا به نفرت پراکنی زننده خود در صحنه جهانی بپردازد."

این سومین سفر آقای احمدی نژاد به نیویورک، دست کم از زمان بدست گفتن قدرت در سال 2005 است.

محمود احمدی نژاد، پس از نخستین سخنرانی خود در مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل متحد در سال 2005، گفته بود که در هنگام سخنرانی، "هاله ای از نور" او را احاطه کرده بود و "همه سران مبهوت مانده بودند".

[Rasputin]

Iran president in NY campus row

Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran was "a peaceful nation"
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has clashed with the head of New York's Columbia University while making his controversial appearance at the campus.
Columbia President Lee Bollinger described Mr Ahmadinejad as a "cruel dictator" who denied the Holocaust.

In response, Mr Ahmadinejad called the remarks "an insult", adding that more research was needed on the Holocaust.

He again defended Tehran's nuclear ambitions and said it had every right to pursue a peaceful programme.

Washington accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb and arming insurgents in Iraq - Tehran rejects the charges.

Many Americans said the Iranian leader should not have been invited to speak at Columbia University.

But his appearance was popular - crowds flocked to a large screen set up on university grounds, and tickets to the actual event were quickly snapped up.

In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mr Ahmadinejad's appearance sparked protests in New York, with demonstrators saying it provided a platform for hate.

Mr Ahmadinejad has been denied a visit to the site of the 11 September attacks in New York in 2001, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying that "it would have been a travesty".

"This is somebody who is the president of a country that is probably the greatest sponsor - state sponsor - of terrorism," Ms Rice told CNBC television.

'Brazen'

Mr Ahmadinejad was invited to Columbia University to address its students at the university's World Leaders Forum.

He received a hostile welcome from Mr Bollinger, who described the Iranian leader as "a petty and cruel dictator".

"You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Mr Bollinger told Mr Ahmadinejad, referring to his denial of the Holocaust.

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Lee Bollinger's behaviour toward his guest [Ahmadinejad] was simply so rude

Saeed, Tehran


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In response, Mr Ahmadinejad said that Mr Bollinger's remarks were "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience".

The BBC's Jon Leyne, in New York, said Mr Ahmadinejad was visibly annoyed. At one point he demanded to know why raising issues about the Holocaust or the existence of Israel was not compatible with freedom of speech, our correspondent says.

Mr Ahmadinejad has called in the past for an end to the Israeli state and described the Holocaust as a "myth".

Addressing the Holocaust issue, Mr Ahmadinejad said he simply wanted more research to be done.

He also said the issue was abused by Israel to justify what he said was its mistreatment of the Palestinians.

'Evil has landed'

Asked about executions of homosexuals in Iran, Mr Ahmadinejad replied: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."

Reacting to laughter and jeers from the audience he added: "In Iran we don't have this phenomenon, I don't know who you told this."

The New York Daily News's front page headline on Monday read "The Evil Has Landed", while the New York Post described Mr Ahmadinejad as "Madman Iran Prez".

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the university on Sunday, but Mr Bollinger defended the university's invitation, saying it was a question of free speech and academic freedom.

The Iranian leader is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, where he is due to speak on Tuesday.

Our correspondent says Mr Ahmadinejad firmly believes he can convince global opinion and the American people of the rightness of his cause.