Tag Archives: Iran

If you haven’t been following Andrew Sullivan on the crisis in Iran, you are missing some of the most astounding blogging seen since the medium was invented. His coverage has been exhaustive, contemplative, and nothing short of Pulitzer-worthy, in my opinion. It’s a bit daunting just as a reader to follow his dozens of Iran updates a day, and while …

As Andrew Sullivan has exhaustively documented over the last few days, the most fascinating aspect of the brewing revolution in Iran is the way that internet social media, particularly Twitter, has worked to unite, inform, and inspire the rebels. Twitter, the online service designed to tell the world – in 140 characters or fewer – how your day is going …

Israel plans to use the plight of gays in Iran as part of their campaign to whip up international condemnation of Tehran’s government. The new campaign, to be overseen by the Foreign Ministry, aims to appeal to people who are less concerned with Iran’s nuclear aspirations and more fearful of its human rights abuses and mistreatment of minorities, including the …

President Obama sends this message to the Iranian people as they mark Nowruz, the Iranian new year holiday which comes on the first day of spring. Only Nixon could go to China; only Obama would use YouTube to speak to Iran.

Things in Iran aren’t as uptight as Imadinnerjacket wants us to believe. A sociologist at an Iranian university has presented a new study that shows high levels of homosexual experiences among the country’s population. Iran has strict laws against sex outside marriage and other sexual acts such as masturbation. Adultery and same-sex acts are punishable by death. Startling new research …

Iran President Ahmadinejad was interviewed by Larry King last night, where he said he didn’t think the US or Israel would make the “big mistake” of attacking. Then King steered the conversation to gays and human rights. (Around the 1:40 mark.) AHMADINEJAD (through translator): What do you mean by human rights problems? KING: People protesting that they don’t have the …

Iranian rapper Hitch-Kas does a pretty good job copying American-style gangsta rap. Except that he’s rapping about God and the “martyrs of the war.” I think I understand rap in Farsi about as well as I do in English. Another bit of American imperialism: thug life.

Saddle them horsemen up. Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Several American officials said the Israeli exercise appeared to be an effort to develop the military’s capacity to carry out long-range strikes and to demonstrate the seriousness with …

On Good Morning America today, Hillary Clinton was asked what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons: “I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the president, we will attack Iran. In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them.” Well, …

A least a temporary reprieve has been granted the gay Iranian 19 year old I mentioned yesterday. Britain halted deportation proceedings Thursday against a gay Iranian teenager who has said he would probably be hanged because of his sexual orientation if he is returned to Iran. Mehdi Kazemi, 19, moved to Britain in 2005 to study and has said he …

There’s a new website in support of Madhi Kazemi, the gay Iranian teen facing deportation back to Iran after the UK ruled denied his asylum request on the grounds that Iran doesn’t persecute homosexuals. We all know the truth about that. Kazemi has the support of world-famous gay activist Peter Tatchell. Kazemi is presently in Holland and is set to …

I knew it. And you knew it. And now even the Pentagon has to admit that the speedboat incident is fishy. The list of those who are less than fully confident in the Pentagon’s video/audio mashup of aggressive maneuvers by Iranian boats near American warships in the Strait of Hormuz now includes the Pentagon itself. Unnamed Pentagon officials said on …

Dubya is continuing to raise the stakes in his latest attempt to convince us that we’re long overdue to invade Iran. JERUSALEM (CNN) — The war of words between United States and Tehran continued Wednesday, with President Bush repeating his assertion that Iran is “a threat to world peace.” President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the airport …

We celebrated prematurely. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has learned today that despite an order by the Iranian Chief Justice to nullify his death sentence, Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Kermanshah Central Prison at 5 a.m. this morning, Iranian time. Neither Mr. Mouloodzadeh’s family or his lawyer were told about the execution until after it …

From the NY Times: WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb. Senator Harry Reid said the assessment was “directly challenging some of …

Crediting the pressure of its global protest efforts, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission announced yesterday that the impending execution of a gay Iranian man has been halted. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has learned that the Iranian Chief Justice, Ayatollah Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, has nullified the impending death sentence of Mr. Makvan Mouloodzadeh, …

THIS WEEK: In a private meeting with British members of Parliament, an Iranian official has said that gays in Iran deserve to be tortured and executed. Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranked Iranian politician to admit that that the death penalty for homosexuality exists in Iran. Last year the hanging of two teenage boys for alleged homosexual crimes caused an outcry …

Yesterday Russian president Putin warned against outside military interference in Iran’s nuclear program. In response, today our ignoble leader ratcheted up the war-with-Iran rhetoric, saying, “If Iran had a nuclear weapon, it’d be a dangerous threat to world peace. So I told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested …

Photo via Free Republic’s “Homsexual Agenda” file, where the “No homos in Iran” quote is getting lively reaction. A sampling: “Knowing how Iran treats the homos, why don’t we send Barney Frank over?” “Sounds like a good destination for a “Rosie Cruise”!” “Sounds like a vacation hotspot… Love it! Just what I’m looking for.” “Besides, in the Arab world, men …