IRAN:Poll Finds Dwindling Support for Govt
    on 28/07/2010 22.23.24 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Jul 28 (IPS) - A recent poll conducted by a credible Iranian university centre concerning the post-election events of 2009 has found that 56 percent of participants believe President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's popularity has declined over the past year, while just 22 percent believe it has increased.... (continue)

IRAN:Worries Mount over Sanctions' Ripple Effect
    on 08/07/2010 19.43.00 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Jul 8 (IPS) - Although the United States and its allies insist that the latest round of U.N. sanctions against Iran targets high-level government officials rather than the general population, interviews with a number of analysts, activists and journalists in Tehran reveal a growing concern over the impact on the country's middle class.... (continue)

Iranian Diaspora Struggles to Find Unified Voice
    on 29/06/2010 22.07.56 GMT
Barbara Slavin WASHINGTON, Jun 29 (IPS) - Iranians should be forgiven for not coming out en masse to demonstrate on the anniversary of their disputed presidential elections.... (continue)

Iran Pressured to Open Doors to U.N. Rights Investigators
    on 11/06/2010 22.04.16 GMT
Omid Memarian GENEVA, Jun 11 (IPS) - The Iranian government rejected charges that it has violated human rights and freedom of speech and assembly before a session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva Thursday - the same day that the Iranian opposition's request to hold a peaceful protest was denied by authorities.... (continue)

Divisions Sharpen as Iran Girds for Renewed Protests
    on 07/06/2010 19.55.58 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Jun 7 (IPS) - A week before the first anniversary of Iran's contested presidential elections, the disruption of a speech by the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini during a memorial service for the founder of the Islamic Republic on Jun. 4 has once more publicly exposed the rift within the top level of Iran's leadership.... (continue)

Iran's Hijab Crackdown Intensifies as Election Anniversary Nears
    on 27/05/2010 19.09.16 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, May 27 (IPS) - It might be hard to imagine that a woman's attendance at a university would be contingent upon the way she dresses.... (continue)

New Software Could Outwit Tehran's Censors
    on 22/04/2010 18.34.22 GMT
Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, California, U.S., Apr 22 (IPS) - While the Iranian government has intensified its aggressive efforts to expand Internet filters, Austin Heap, a young programmer in the U.S., says he has developed software that would enable Iranians to evade their censors.... (continue)

Q&A:"They Knew I Was Not a Spy"
    on 05/04/2010 16.51.24 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews journalist and author ROXANA SABERI... (continue)

RIGHTS:Iran Rebuffs U.N. Criticism, Denies Abuses
    on 18/02/2010 18.57.18 GMT
Omid Memarian GENEVA, Feb 18 (IPS) - International human rights groups and Iranian activists say Iran's decision to reject major recommendations made by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council on Wednesday is disappointing and signals that Tehran has no intention of easing the crackdown on dissent in the country.... (continue)

US-IRAN:Ahmadinejad's Offer for Prisoner Swap Angers Families
    on 03/02/2010 21.59.12 GMT
Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 3 (IPS) - Six months after Iranian authorities arrested three U.S. citizens who mistakenly crossed the unmarked border between Iran and Iraq, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Iran could be willing to exchange them for Iranians imprisoned in the United States.... (continue)

Q&A:Attack on Karrubi Was a "Coordinated Effort"
    on 08/01/2010 19.50.34 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews HUSSEIN KARRUBI, son of Mehdi Karrubi... (continue)

Q&A:"The Government Took My Sister Hostage"
    on 31/12/2009 19.05.48 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews Iranian Nobel Prize Laureate SHIRIN EBADI... (continue)

IRAN:Revolutionary Guards Tighten Economic Hold
    on 29/12/2009 22.32.34 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Dec 29 (IPS) - News that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is withdrawing a billion dollars from the country's Foreign Reserve Fund in order to complete Phases 15 and 16 of the gigantic South Pars gas project has generated concern among Iranian analysts, who believe the move reveals the military organisation's excessive power over Iran's economy.... (continue)

IRAN:Ahmadinejad Victory Sparks Protests and Claims of Fraud
    on 13/06/2009 18.52.28 GMT
Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, Jun 13 (IPS) - Just a few months after a right-wing government gained power in Israel, Iran's hardliner president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was declared the winner in Friday's election, although his main rival has not accepted defeat and reformist supporters were skirmishing with security forces in the capital Tehran Saturday.... (continue)

IRAN:Reformist Candidates Complain of Too Many Ballots
    on 09/06/2009 20.19.12 GMT
Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, U.S., Jun 9 (IPS) - Fears that the state apparatus controlled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is laying the groundwork for possible fraud in Friday's presidential election appear to be growing among his two reformist challengers and their supporters.... (continue)

Q&A:Notes From Iran's Underground Music Scene
    on 04/06/2009 20.20.26 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews ARASH SOBHANI, lead singer of the rock band Kiosk... (continue)

IRAN:Lawyers Seek Reversal in Second "U.S. Spy" Case
    on 26/05/2009 17.57.10 GMT
Omid Memarian SAN FRANCISCO, May 26 (IPS) - In a case that human rights activists say echoes that of recently released journalist Roxana Saberi, the Iranian government has imprisoned a woman employed by a U.S.-based non-profit organisation working to improve child and maternal health in the country, alleging that she acted as a spy for the United States.... (continue)

Q&A:Islamophobia Alive and Well in the U.S.
    on 24/04/2009 18.11.54 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews DR. MUNIR JIWA, director of the Centre for Islamic Studies... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Intl Support Mounts for Jailed Journalist
    on 20/04/2009 23.13.08 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Apr 20 (IPS) - Since Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison last week on the charge of spying for foreign governments, human rights and press freedom groups have become increasingly critical of the political nature of her case and the harsh and unprecedented penalty.... (continue)

Q&A:U.S.-Iran Détente Unsettles Persian Gulf States
    on 17/03/2009 16.44.20 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews DR. KAZEM JALALI, Iranian MP... (continue)

Q&A:"U.S. and Iran Share an Equal Monopoly on Violence"
    on 23/01/2009 21.10.32 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews former CIA operative ROBERT BAER... (continue)

Q&A:"I Feared I Could Be Killed in the Mayhem"
    on 07/01/2009 20.58.28 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews Iranian Noble Prize Laureate SHIRIN EBADI... (continue)

Q&A:"I Feared I Could Be Killed in the Mayhem"
    on 07/01/2009 20.48.26 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews Iranian Noble Prize Laureate SHIRIN EBADI... (continue)

Q&A:"I Feared I Could Be Killed in the Mayhem"
    on 07/01/2009 20.29.04 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews Iranian Noble Prize Laureate SHIRIN EBADI... (continue)

IRAN:'I Want to Present a Different View of the Women in My Country'
    on 02/01/2009 23.10.28 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews Iranian activist SUSSAN TAHMASEBI... (continue)

ECONOMY-IRAN:From Bad to Worse?
    on 19/12/2008 19.41.50 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Dec 19 (IPS) - As the price of crude oil continued its tumble to less than 35 dollars a barrel Friday, Iranian economists are warning that the fourth-largest oil producer in the world will enter an even deeper crisis should the price remain low, with many also blaming the government's economic policies.... (continue)

Q&A:"Prison Made Me Even More Determined"
    on 11/12/2008 17.53.24 GMT
Omid Memarian interviews ABDOLFATTAH SOLTANI, Iranian human rights lawyer... (continue)

IRAN:Ahmadinejad Open to U.S. Talks, Denounces Threats
    on 24/09/2008 15.34.22 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Sep 24 (IPS) - At a press conference following his speech to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would welcome discussions with the U.S. presidential candidates, but added that "the condition is that our meeting should be open so that all media know what happens."... (continue)

RIGHTS:Activists Spotlight Rights Abuses on Eve of U.N. Meet
    on 23/09/2008 02.12.02 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Sep 22 (IPS) - A day before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses world leaders at the United Nations, human rights activists criticised his government's record and urged the international community to hold the president accountable during his visit to New York.... (continue)

POLITICS:Iranians Hope for Temperate President at the U.N.
    on 18/09/2008 20.27.30 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Sep18 (IPS) - When Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends the 63rd session of the General Assembly next week in New York, many Iranian academics and political activists hope he will avoid the kinds of controversial statements that have hurt Iran's international image since he was elected to the office in 2005.... (continue)

Q&A:A Holiday in Iran
    on 26/08/2008 13.23.04 GMT
Interview with blogger and globe-trotter Michelle May... (continue)

Q&A:Hezbollah's Triumph Is Blowback for Israeli Policy
    on 18/08/2008 18.53.56 GMT
Interview with journalist and author Deborah Campbell... (continue)

US/IRAN:Nothing Behind U.S. Allegations?
   Analysis by Omid Memarian on 13/08/2008 15.33.50 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 13 (IPS) - While the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of providing lethal weapons to Shiite militias, last week, U.S. officials once again failed to provide solid evidence for this charge, raising questions about the actual level of Iran's meddling in Iraq.... (continue)

GEORGIA:Saakashvili Asked To Step Down
    on 12/08/2008 15.25.00 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Aug 12 (IPS) - A few hours after the 15 member U.N. Security Council discussed a draft resolution aimed to ask Russia to stop using massive force in Georgia Monday evening behind closed doors, Russia said it would stop military action. This came Tuesday, after five days of bombing and destruction of cities and military bases in Georgia and the deaths of more than 2000 people.... (continue)

CHINA:Greening of the Games
    on 07/08/2008 14.39.20 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Aug 7 (IPS) - Though human rights and environmental issues -- such as censorship and pollution in Beijing -- have been the two major focuses of criticism levelled against the Chinese government during the lead up to the Olympic games, Achim Steiner, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is expected to address some of Beijing's environmental successes during the opening ceremonies.... (continue)

Q&A:"Longing for the Past Yet Belonging to the Present"
    on 01/08/2008 17.41.00 GMT
Interview with Niloufar Talebi, editor of Iranian literature... (continue)

POLITICS:U.N.'s Darfur Force Left Stranded, Critics Say
    on 31/07/2008 23.26.40 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 31 (IPS) - As the U.N. Security Council debated the wording of a resolution extending the peacekeeping force in Darfur, Sudan for another year, a coalition of human rights groups and NGOs criticised the world body and the international community for failing to back up the mission with basic equipment.... (continue)

RIGHTS:Iran Condemned for Ongoing Juvenile Executions
    on 29/07/2008 19.52.02 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 29 (IPS) - A week after the execution of two juvenile offenders in Iran, who were under 18 at the time of their crime, a coalition of human rights organisations is urging the Iranian parliament to move swiftly to ban such executions.... (continue)

Q&A:Iran's Islamic Revolution Had Western Blessing
    on 26/07/2008 22.05.06 GMT
Interview with Iranian journalist and author Roozbeh Mirebrahimi... (continue)

MIDEAST:Poverty in Gaza Hits "Unprecedented" Level
    on 25/07/2008 18.05.06 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 25 (IPS) - In both the West Bank and Gaza, young people aged 15 to 24 are the most likely of any group to be unemployed, while the number of households in Gaza below the poverty line has reached an historic high of nearly 52 percent, according to a new report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) issued Thursday.... (continue)

DEVELOPMENT:Progress on Water, Less on Sanitation
    on 17/07/2008 22.44.44 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 17 (IPS) - The number of people globally who lack access to an improved drinking water source has fallen below one billion for the first time since data was compiled in 1990, according to a report released Thursday by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.... (continue)

Q&A:"Iran Won't Wait for Obama to Talk to U.S."
    on 16/07/2008 19.57.14 GMT
Interview with Hooshang Amirahmadi, President of the American Iranian Council... (continue)

RIGHTS:Israeli Magnate Draws Activists' Ire
    on 15/07/2008 19.11.18 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 15 (IPS) - Having successfully lobbied the U.N. Children's Agency UNICEF to stop accepting donations from Israeli billionaire Lev Avnerovich Leviev, activists are urging celebrities who have made public appearances with Leviev to cut all ties with him.... (continue)

ZIMBABWE:Fears Grow that Sanctions Could Derail Mediation
    on 09/07/2008 01.00.04 GMT
Omid Memarian* UNITED NATIONS, Jul 8 (IPS) - U.S. and European efforts to achieve unanimity among the 15-member U.N. Security Council to adopt a sanctions resolution against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his top aides has run into opposition from African leaders who argue that it will only increase tensions there and in neighbouring countries.... (continue)

Q&A:Will Olympics Break China's Human Rights Paralysis?
    on 07/07/2008 20.32.06 GMT
Interview with Minky Worden, media director of Human Rights Watch... (continue)

POLITICS:Iranian Envoy Calls New Offer "Constructive"
    on 02/07/2008 19.59.08 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 2 (IPS) - Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday that Tehran is finalising its response to the European Union's latest offer to suspend uranium enrichment, as European officials called for more pressure by the U.N. Security Council if Iran rejects the incentives package.... (continue)

POLITICS:Iranian Envoy Calls New Offer "Constructive"
    on 02/07/2008 19.58.52 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 2 (IPS) - Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday that Tehran is finalising its response to the European Union's latest offer to suspend uranium enrichment, as European officials called for more pressure by the U.N. Security Council if Iran rejects the incentives package.... (continue)

POLITICS:Iranian Envoy Calls New Offer "Constructive"
    on 02/07/2008 19.54.28 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jul 2 (IPS) - Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Wednesday that Tehran is finalising its response to the European Union's latest offer to suspend uranium enrichment, as European officials called for more pressure by the U.N. Security Council if Iran rejects the incentives package.... (continue)

OIL:Prices Won't Be Falling Anytime Soon
    on 28/06/2008 10.43.36 GMT
Omid Memarian UNITED NATIONS, Jun 28 (IPS) - Although some policy-makers have blamed producing countries for steadily rising oil prices, many experts say more fundamental factors are a growing demand-supply imbalance, a weak dollar, and market speculation.... (continue)

Q&A:"Neglecting Democracy Is More Dangerous Than Nuclear Weapons"
    on 20/06/2008 22.34.04 GMT
Interview with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:List Sheds Light on Death Row Children
    on 18/06/2008 18.34.04 GMT
Omid Memarian* UNITED NATIONS, Jun 18 (IPS) - A human rights group has published the first detailed list of juvenile offenders on Iran's death row, finding that at least 114 children under the age of 18 are awaiting the ultimate penalty.... (continue)

Q&A:"Grand Bargain With Iran Was a Missed Opportunity"
    on 17/06/2008 20.14.42 GMT
Interview with U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman... (continue)

IRAN:Corruption Scandal Could Become a "Gladiator's Game"
    on 13/06/2008 19.45.58 GMT
Omid Memarian* NEW YORK, Jun 13 (IPS) - An Iranian official who accused more than 40 high-ranking officials and grand ayatollahs of financial corruption in a speech to a student group early last month in the city of Hamadan was arrested in Tehran Wednesday.... (continue)

IRAN:Ahmadinejad Faces Heavyweight Foe in Larijani
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 10/06/2008 22.41.26 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Jun 10 (IPS) - This week, Iran's new speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, proposed forming two joint committees of the legislative and judiciary branches in an effort to reconcile new legislation with the Islamic penal code.... (continue)

US/IRAN:Necessity is the Mother of Negotiation
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 30/05/2008 20.21.18 GMT
BERKELEY, California, May 30 (IPS) - Republican presidential aspirant John McCain's recent criticism of Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama's foreign policy platform exposes contradictions with the George W. Bush administration's own actions.... (continue)

US/IRAN:Changing of the Guard Key to Talks
    on 29/04/2008 20.40.02 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKLEY, California, Apr 29 (IPS) - A week after Senator Hillary Clinton's harsh remarks that if hardliners in Tehran were to launch an attack on Israel, it would result in the "total obliteration" of Iran, a Republican member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, Peter Hoekstra, suggested on CNN that "engaging in a full-court diplomatic press with Iran is a good thing to begin the process" of reaching out to Tehran.... (continue)

POLITICS-IRAN:"The Government Suffers From Delusions"
    on 17/03/2008 21.22.44 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Mar 17 (IPS) - If your grandfather was the founder of the first Islamic Republic of Iran, you would probably expect to have a very comfortable life in the land of Ayatollahs, where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is president and Khomeini's successor has absolute power. But you would be wrong.... (continue)

IRAN:Candidate Purge Smacks of a "Vendetta", Critics Say
    on 12/02/2008 15.14.22 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Feb 12 (IPS) - The mass disqualification of reformist parliamentary candidates by Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees the electoral rolls, has diminished the possibility of fair elections on Mar. 14, observers say.... (continue)

POLITICS-US:Iranian-Americans Seek Least-Hawkish Candidate
    on 06/02/2008 21.20.40 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Feb 6 (IPS) - Jaded toward their government back home and cynical of the current U.S. administration and the Republicans they historically supported, a new generation of Iranian-Americans appears to be looking to Barack Obama to bring about change, especially with regards to U.S. foreign policy toward Iran.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Gov't "Leading by Fear", Activists Say
    on 17/01/2008 21.37.10 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, U.S., Jan 17 (IPS) - Iran's recent use of extreme punishments such as amputations and public executions has deepened concerns about the situation of human rights amid the strict enforcement of Islamic law, which has worsened since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's hardliner government came to power in June 2005.... (continue)

POLITICS-US:West Coast City Formally Rejects Iran Attack
    on 07/11/2007 21.40.06 GMT
Omid Memarian* OAKLAND, California, Nov 7 (IPS) - The eight-member city council of Oakland, home to nearly half a million people, unanimously passed a symbolic resolution opposing any U.S. attack against Iran Tuesday, in a bid to pressure lawmakers in Congress to reestablish their constitutional authority over U.S foreign policy and war policy and funding.... (continue)

RELIGION-US:Keeping the Muslim Faith - And a Low Profile
    on 16/10/2007 20.49.14 GMT
Omid Memarian* OAKLAND, California, Oct 16 (IPS) - Ali Hanif is an African-American Muslim living in Oakland, California. On Fridays, his day off, he attends group prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Northern California (CCNC). But Hanif says that he never volunteers his religion to strangers.... (continue)

MEDIA-US:Cockroach Cartoon Crossed the Line, Iranians Say
    on 18/09/2007 21.45.20 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, Sep 18 (IPS) - As the war of words between Western nations led by United States and Iran's hardliner government over its nuclear programme has escalated in the last few weeks, a cartoon published on the editorial page of the Columbus Dispatch on Sep. 4 has created a furor amongst Iranians worldwide.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:"Blood Was Everywhere, the Smell of Death"
    on 13/07/2007 14.43.26 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, United States, Jul 13 (IPS) - Criticism of Iran's judiciary is mounting following the brutal execution of a man who was convicted of adultery more than a decade ago and stoned to death on Jul. 5. Although the head of the judiciary branch, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, issued a written order stopping the execution almost a month ago, the judge in the case insisted on stoning Jafar Kiani to death.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Dark Days for Women
    on 09/07/2007 19.01.08 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, United States, Jul 9 (IPS) - Judicial authorities in Iran have sentenced two women activists who participated in a peaceful protest against discriminatory laws in June 2006 to more than 30 months in jail and ten lashes.... (continue)

IRAN:Charges Against Renowed Scholar Called "Absurd"
    on 16/05/2007 00.44.02 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, United States, May 15 (IPS) - The arrest of Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Middle East programme director at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Centre, by Iranian security forces in Tehran on May 8 has sparked grave concerns among Iranian-Americans with dual citizenship who travel to Iran.... (continue)

POLITICS:A Softer, Gentler Era of U.S., Iran Relations?
    on 03/05/2007 20.33.18 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, United States, May 3 (IPS) - Tehran's high-level presence at the meeting this week in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt to discuss Iraq's security boosts the chances for eventual negotiations between Tehran and Washington over their long-running disputes, say analysts here and in Iran.... (continue)

IRAN:Nobel Peace Laureate Calls for Nuclear Referendum
    on 25/04/2007 20.13.04 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, United States, Apr 25 (IPS) - Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is urging the Iranian government to hold a national referendum on the country's controversial nuclear programme, because it "has a direct impact" on the lives of millions of Iranian citizens.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Journalist Gets the Kafka Treatment
    on 05/04/2007 18.10.56 GMT
Omid Memarian* OAKLAND, United States, Apr 5 (IPS) - In a continued effort to suppress reform-minded critics, the Iranian government has sentenced yet another prominent journalist, Ali Farahbakhsh, to three years in jail and slapped him with a huge fine, partly due to a typo in the court documents.... (continue)

POLITICS:U.S. City Takes Stand Against War With Iran
    on 17/03/2007 00.48.52 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, United States, Mar 16 (IPS) - As thousands of Iranians in northern California celebrated the Persian tradition of "Chaharshanbeh Souri" on Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council adopted a resolution opposing the use of military force against Iran and urging that Congress attach an amendment barring such action to the Pentagon's 93-billion-dollar supplemental funding request.... (continue)

Q&A:"U.S. Funding Armed Groups to Overthrow Iranian Govt"
    on 16/03/2007 16.57.48 GMT
Interview with Reese Erlich... (continue)

MEDIA:Journalists Targeted for Traveling Outside Iran
    on 31/01/2007 21.45.20 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Jan 31 (IPS) - In a new blow to free expression in Iran, security forces arrested three members of a 15-woman delegation of journalists en route to a training workshop in India last week, accusing them of infringing national security interests and threatening them with trial.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Bloggers Rebel at New Censorship
    on 10/01/2007 18.22.48 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Jan 10 (IPS) - In a bid to clamp down even harder on information disseminated through the Internet, Iran's hardliner government has demanded the registration of all websites and weblogs sourced in the country by Mar. 1, drawing objections from many Iranian bloggers who say the move clearly violates free speech.... (continue)

POLITICS:Gulf Security Hinges on Axis of Realpolitik
    on 07/11/2006 17.24.32 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Nov 7 (IPS) - As the sectarian conflict in Iraq escalates, along with stepped up attacks on U.S. troops and civilians, Dr. Houchang E. Chehabi, an international relations professor at Boston University and expert on Persian Gulf issues, says Iran could step in to stabilise Iraq -- if offered an incentive to do so.... (continue)

POLITICS-IRAN:Ahmadinejad's Divine Inspiration
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 26/10/2006 16.53.06 GMT
BERKELEY, California, Oct 26 (IPS) - Amid a struggle between two major clerical factions for control of Iran's influential Assembly of Experts, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to shore up his conservative base by portraying himself as a man with a direct link to god.... (continue)

POLITICS-IRAN:Hardliners Try to Steer Crucial Polls
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 05/10/2006 18.19.46 GMT
BERKELEY, California, Oct 5 (IPS) - Iran's government is attempting to suppress its critics and consolidate its power before two key elections on Dec. 15 -- for the Tehran city council and the national Assembly of Experts.... (continue)

MEDIA-IRAN:Ban on Newspaper Portends Tighter Censorship
    on 12/09/2006 07:34:58 GMT
Kimia Sanati TEHRAN, Sep 12 (IPS) - Few were surprised by Monday's ban on Iran's leading reformist newspaper 'Shargh' (East), which has for some time been boldly voicing dissatisfaction with the outcome of last year's elections that brought President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.... (continue)

RIGHTS:Nobel Peace Winner Threatened With Arrest
    on 28/08/2006 17:38:46 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Aug 28 (IPS) - Nine Nobel Prize laureates have sent a letter to the Iranian government asking it to retract its threat to prosecute Iran's most prominent independent human rights organisation founded by Dr. Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize.... (continue)

BOOKS:Starting a New Conversation About Iran
    on 10/08/2006 19:51:26 GMT
Omid Memarian BERKELEY, California, Aug 10 (IPS) - Amid the overwhelmingly negative media coverage of Iran in the west, a chorus of new literary voices has emerged that portrays a far more complex image of that nation and its culture.... (continue)

MIDEAST:Iran Walks Razor's Edge in Israel-Lebanon Conflict
    on 31/07/2006 20:20:08 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Jul 31 (IPS) - Despite Iran's strong rhetoric condemning Israel's military onslaught against Lebanon, Tehran, which is accused by the U.S. of supplying weapons to Hezbollah, has become cautious in supporting its most flourishing investment abroad.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:No Winners in False Confession Game
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 19/07/2006 15:36:00 GMT
BERKELEY, California, Jul 19 (IPS) - On Jul. 15, a conservative Iranian newspaper with strong ties to the Iranian Intelligence Ministry reported that Ramin Jahanbegoo, a prominent scholar, had confessed to having collaborated with foreigners to spark a "Velvet Revolution" in Iran.... (continue)

IRAN:Civil Society Feels Conservatives' Wrath
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 30/06/2006 18:57:24 GMT
BERKELEY, California, Jun 30 (IPS) - Nearly a year has gone by since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to office, and his establishment is continuing to suppress civil society, intimidate the press and arrest activists.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Braving Threats, Women Demand Legal Reforms
    on 11/06/2006 15:56:32 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Jun 11 (IPS) - On Monday, Iranian women activists will again demonstrate in Tehran to demand changes in the oppressive laws that are written into the country's constitution.... (continue)

RIGHTS-IRAN:Braving Threats, Women Demand Legal Reforms
    on 11/06/2006 15:51:22 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Jun 11 (IPS) - On Monday, Iranian women activists will again demonstrate in Tehran to demand changes in the oppressive laws that are written into the country's constitution.... (continue)

IRAN:Letter to Bush Lands With a Resounding Thud
   By Omid Memarian* on 24/05/2006 23:08:24 GMT
BERKELEY, California, May 24 (IPS) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent letter to U.S. Pres. George W. Bush, which was quickly dismissed by the administration as offering no useful concessions, has found new critics in Tehran amid the uncertainties surrounding Iran's nuclear programme.... (continue)

IRAN:Activists Fear U.S. "Help" Could Spur Crackdown
   Analysis by Omid Memarian* on 09/05/2006 14:55:40 GMT
BERKELEY, California, May 9 (IPS) - The United States is struggling with Iran's fundamentalist government on two fronts -- while U.S. diplomats are negotiating with other members of the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Tehran, Washington has allocated 75 million dollars to inspire "regime change".... (continue)

MIGRATION:Many Iranians Embrace Asylum as a Way Out
    on 27/04/2006 17:33:56 GMT
Omid Memarian* BERKELEY, California, Apr 27 (IPS) - Increasingly, Iranians hoping for a brighter future and disappointed with the conservative direction of their homeland are seeking asylum abroad. They're crossing the border into Turkey and some are even employing human smugglers in their rough journey to Europe and even the United States.... (continue)

MEDIA:Censored, But Not Silenced
   By Katherine Stapp on 21/07/2005 21:42:40 GMT
NEW YORK, Jul 21 (IPS) - When Nigerian reporter Isioma Daniel heard that a fatwa (Islamic ruling) had been issued against her, she "felt calm... then realised that there was no going back."... (continue)

RIGHTS:Iran Tries to Quell Internet Media Wave
   By Jim Lobe on 20/12/2004 16.25.14 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (IPS) - Iran's judiciary has threatened Internet journalists with torture and prison if they do not renounce accusations that authorities abused members of the electronic media and dissidents who were rounded up months ago.... (continue)