The Caspian Kids

A radical religious cleric known as Iranian President Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor has declared that attacks on Israeli civilians permissible and suicide bombings are a Muslim duty. In addition, he has urged followers to continue suicide attacks against Israelis, including children.



Catholic Online - Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah, considered one of the Islamic Republic's most radical clerics, has issued a religious edict on his Web site whereby suicide attacks are not only legitimate but are a must for every Muslim.

The senior cleric was responding to a question from a follower regarding the difference between "martyr's death" and "suicide." The anonymous post noted that "some people say that martyrdom operations are considered suicide and that they are haram (forbidden) because they contradict Islam."

Mesbah expressed his regret in his response that his follower has fallen victim to "propaganda of the enemies of Islam." He added that the follower was wasting his time instead of focusing on "uprooting the Zionist regime.

"When protecting Islam, the Muslim people depend on martyrdom operations. It not only is allowed, but even is an obligation," Mesbah wrote.

The follower presented another question regarding Islam's position on harming Israelis, wondering whether Hamas and Jihad actions against Israeli civilians are forbidden. He also asked: "How about the Israeli children killed in such attacks?"

Ayatollah said he did not see fit to forbid the killing of children, only noting that Israelis can be harmed unless they openly express their objection to their government's position. He added that even in such cases, harming civilians is permissible if "they are used as human shield and fighting the aggressors depends on attacking those civilians."

Beyond these insights, the cleric did not offer further instructions and failed to censure the killing of children.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's trip to India was delayed when the Islamic Republic refused to let her plane enter Iranian airspace

AFP reports that German government spokesman Steffen Seibert, in a short Twitter message, revealed that the Islamic Republic took the unprecedented step against the German chancellor's Airbus 340.

Der Spiegel reported that the Chancellor's plane, with a large German delegation on board, was denied permission to fly over Iranian territory. The plane was forces to circle over Turkey for two hours while Turkey mediated negotiations between German diplomats and Iranian authorities.

Another aircraft carrying several members of the German cabinet, including Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere and Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, was able to fly over Iran without any delays.

Calling the incident "unacceptable," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said he has summoned the Iranian ambassador to inform him that "such a breach of international conventions will in no way be tolerated by Germany."

Iran did not give clear reasons for the delay; however, the incident comes days after the EU voted to impose further restrictive measures against Iran over its nuclear program.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadenejad claims European powers have created technology that allows them to steal the rain from clouds headed for Iran.

“According to reports on climate, whose accuracy has been verified, European countries are using special equipment to force clouds to dump” their water on Europe prematurely, Ahmadenejad said.

The Iranian president said unusual amounts of rain and snowfall in Europe, combined with a dry spell during Iran’s normal rainy season during the fall, proved his claim.

Ahmadenejad then cited “a certain politician, who is not an expert of water or construction” who wrote an article 7-8 months ago predicting a water crisis in the region within the next 30 years.

“This is precisely the area they [the West] are afraid of, due to the creation of [our] civilization and culture,” he said.

“This was not a scientific forecast,” Ahmadenejad said, “this is a premeditated event.”

While Ahmadenejad has been known for repeating wild conspiracy theories in the past, it should be noted that the practice of cloud seeding, a technology that has been in development since the 1950s, has effectively created and prevented rain.

The UK Telegraph reports that “moments after the Iranian president made the startling claim at the inauguration of a dam in a central province, it started to rain.”

Mullahs apparently know how to use the internet.. and destroy it..

By James Plafke | 12:00 pm, May 29th, 2011

According to observers of Iranian policy, Iran is looking to further censor its Internet by, basically, preventing access to the regular ol’ Internet and creating a national Internet to take its place. Newser reports that Iran’s telecommunications chief claimed that in two years, all Iranians “would be forced to use a state-censored, fully-internal Internet,” and about sixty percent of Iran’s homes and businesses are expected to be using their national Internet sooner than the speculated two years.

Iran believes creating their own Internet is a move toward “upholding Islamic moral values,” but it remains to be seen if it can actually block the Internet, especially considering it doesn’t take much to access the Internet in this day and age. Iran plans to launch their national, censored Internet alongside the regular one, but intends to make a full switch to their national Internet somewhere down the line.

Even more interestingly, the current 11% of citizens who do have access to the Internet will be forced to use an alternative to Google, called “Ya Hagh,” as well as a non-Microsoft operating system. So far, the plan is just that — a plan — but considering Iran has already created and implement their own alternative to Google, it would seem the more difficult obstacle to overcome would be to cut off rogue Internet users, rather than actually create their own national Internet.

After an extended delay - The Caspiankids is pleased to announce that they back and rockin' at full speed! Stay turned for the stories and analysis you have come to expect from us...

In the meantime, please enjoy some excellent persian music : Raam - Shekarchi

Since Mahmud Ahmadinejad was first elected president in 2005, censorship has intensified, targeting a wide range of literature, including Persian classical literature as well as works by contemporary Iranian writers and classics of world literature


Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini has announced plans to create a new five-person board that will approve the content of all books prior to publication, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

Hosseini said on September 20 that the new board would be similar to Iran's Press Supervisory Board, and its members would decide which books can be published.

The five board members will be appointed by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.

Faraj Sarkouhi, a prominent writer and journalist living in exile, told RFE/RL on September 21 that "it appears that the five members of the new board are going to be in charge of supervising book censorship."

He added that censorship by the Culture Ministry, without whose approval nothing is published in Iran, had no legal basis. "Even according to the laws of the Islamic republic, censorship is illegal," he said.

The Office to Examine Books, which is subordinate to the Culture Ministry, was responsible for censoring books, Sarkouhi said, but "with the establishment of the five-member board, another institution, too, will be in charge of censorship in Iran."

Since Mahmud Ahmadinejad was first elected president in 2005, censorship has intensified, targeting a wide range of literature, including Persian classical literature as well as works by contemporary Iranian writers and classics of world literature.

The Islamic Republic seeks help for struggling, fledgling automobile industry and space program in its infancy from friends in Ankara. 
  
            

By ADAM GONN / THE MEDIA LINE

Iran has invited Turkey to jointly produce a car and cooperate in the development of Iran’s space program, the Iranian Labour News Agency reported.

Iranian car maker Iran Khodro plans to open a joint production plant for its ‘D8’ model with Turkish auto manufacturer Tofas. A delegation from Tofas is scheduled to leave for Teheran shortly to close the deal, and production is expected to start in two to three years

The car, D8, is the namesake of an economic cooperation organization made up of Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria. The D8 countries will be the car’s principal market.

The news came as Iran has also invited Turkey to take part in its space program, which aims to have a man in space by 2017, the Turkish newspaper Haberturk reported.

Iran’s space program is in its infancy, and to date has only test launched a satellite rocket. Turkey has not formally replied to the offer.

But while trade between Turkey and Iran has risen from $1.2billion in 2002 to $10 billion in 2010, analysts said the new car deal was less a sign of warming relations than a sign of bad times for Iran’s fledgling car industry.

“Iranian car manufacturer giant, Iran Khodro, is experiencing tough times, struggling with government debts and employees unpaid salaries,” Emad Honarparvar CEO of Iran’s Import-Export Business Directory told The Media Line.

“The problem with Iran Khodro is not the market… where you have to pay 110 percent or higher custom tax for imported cars,” he said. “What Iran Khodro suffers from is mismanagement of resources and high end costs of production for the factory, which makes their profit margin very low. The prices are so high because the government is subsidizing the industry.

“As an example, Hyundai can import cars in Iran, paying 100 percent or even more for luxury cars custom clearance tax,” Honarparvar continued, “while Iran Khodro sells cars with less than 20 percent tax. Yet they are still unprofitable!”

Iran Khodro Company was founded in 1962 under the name Iran National and its first model was the Paykan. Today Khodro controls 65 percent of the local car market.

Over the years the company has signed a number of deals with the French car giant Peugeot to produce several of its models under a different name. For example the Samand, sometimes referred to as the Iranian national car, is based on Peugeot’s mid-size 405 model.

Yusuf Kanli, former chief columnist of the Turkey Daily News and an expert on Turkish politics, said the new deal should not be seen as Turkey turning its back on Europe.

“I don’t think Turkey will be leaning away from the west any time soon,” Kanli told The Media Line. “It’s about business.”

Iran has been facing increased sanctions from the United Nations over the nature of its nuclear program, which according to Kanli is affecting Turkey as well.

“Any sanctions against Iran will hurt Turkey equally,” he said.

TEHRAN — At least 29 people were killed when a bus overturned on a road south of the Iranian capital Tehran early on Wednesday, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The number of people dead in today's accident reached 29, while 10 have been injured," the head of city of Saveh's medical network, Habibollah Rezai, was quoted as saying.

The injured were taken to hospitals nearby.

Traffic police Colonel Rasoul Ziaoddin was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying the accident occurred around 4:00 am (2330 GMT Tuesday) on the road from Tehran to Saveh and that driver fatigue was suspected as the cause.

Roads in Iran, with its 74 million people, are among the most dangerous in the world. According to official figures, around 23,000 people died in car accidents in the 12 months to the end of March, the Iranian year.

Iran has agreed to donate $25 million (£16 million) to Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a move that will increase fears that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to abandon the country's secular constitution.

Con Coughlin - http://telegraph.co.uk

Western diplomats say they are alarmed by reports that Mr Erdogan has negotiated a deal with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Tehran to make a substantial contribution to the campaign funds of Turkey's leading Islamic party.

Under the terms of the deal Iran has agreed to transfer $12 million to the AKP, with further payments of up to $25 million to be made later in the year. The money is to help support Mr Erdogan's campaign for re-election for a third term in next year's general election.
The Turkish prime minister announced he would stand for a historic third term following his success in last weekend's referendum on constitutional reform.

The government argued that the reforms were necessary to improve Turkey's chances of membership to the European Union. But secular critics of the reforms, which provide the government with powers to overrule Turkey's powerful judiciary, argue that they will pave the way for a key Western ally to become an Islamic state.

The judiciary is widely regarded as the guardian of Turkey's secular constitution. In 2008 it came close to banning the AKP after it campaigned for women attending university courses to wear Islamic headscarves.

Western diplomats now fear that the AKP's deal with Iran will heighten fears among Turkish secularists that Mr Erdogan will exploit the government's new powers to drive through the AKP's radical Islamic agenda.

"The agreement between the AKP and Iran is a very worrying development," said a senior Western diplomat. "It will increase the suspicions of many Turks that the government is deepening its ties with Islamic states.

Earlier this year Turkey annoyed Washington after it publicly backed Iran's controversial nuclear programme. Relations between Turkey and Iran have deepened following Ankara's backing for the aid flotilla which attempted to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza strip.

Apart from transferring funds to the AKP, diplomats say Iran has also agreed to provide financial support for the IHH, the Turkish Islamic charity IHH which supported last May's aid flotilla which ended in disaster when it was intercepted by Israeli commandos, which resulted in the deaths of nine activists.

SEOUL — South Korea's Kia Motors, whose Pride model is ubiquitous on Iranian roads, said Tuesday it had suspended exports to the Islamic state partly in response to Seoul's nuclear-related sanctions.

"South Korean government sanctions... were part of the decision," Kia spokesman Michael Choo told AFP, declining to comment further.

Kia's Pride, a small hatchback, accounts for 30-40 percent of all vehicles on Iran's roads, according to the company. The firm last year exported 4,210 complete vehicles to Iran and 17,040 cars in kit form for local assembly.

Kia suspended all exports to Iran last month, including completed vehicles, kits and spare parts -- before South Korea's government announced its detailed measures but after it announced its intention to impose sanctions.

According to a survey issued Sunday, more than three-quarters of South Korea's small and mid-size exporters have partly or totally discontinued shipments to Iran following Seoul's sanctions.

The survey of 88 smaller exporters conducted by the Small and Medium Business Administration showed 28 percent had halted exports. Another 48 percent said they had partially suspended shipments.

The cut-off was due to fears they would be unable to receive payments for shipments.

South Korea last week announced its package of sanctions over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme, in line with US-backed United Nations action.

The finance ministry said it would impose a "severe" penalty on the Seoul branch of Bank Mellat for violating laws on foreign exchange transactions. It did not elaborate but Yonhap news agency said the Iranian bank would likely face a two-month suspension.

The measures included blacklisting 24 individuals and 102 Iranian entities, including 14 other banks, as well as the strengthening of inspections of cargoes related to Iran.

There were also restrictions on new investment in Iran's oil and gas industry, but no ban on oil imports, which provide 10 percent of South Korea's needs.

Transactions with Iranian entities not subject to sanctions will require approval from Seoul if they exceed 40,000 euros (51,000 dollars).

South Korea also said it would reduce export guarantees for shipments to Iran. Trade between the two countries was worth 9.74 billion dollars last year.

In July, South Korea's GS Engineering and Construction announced that a 1.42 trillion won (1.2 billion dollar) gas plant project in Iran had been cancelled by the Iranian side due to the UN sanctions.

Kia, with its larger partner Hyundai Motor, forms the world's fifth largest automaking group.

Kia's second-quarter net profit this year soared 61 percent year-on-year thanks to strong sales in domestic and overseas markets. It makes cars in the United States, Slovakia and China as well as South Korea.