Ahmadinejad: Iran's Man of Mystery Oct 1, 2009
He refused to say what he had done during the national trauma of the Iran-Iraq war, whether he had seen combat or lost friends. When I asked his opinion of former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's famous 2001 Quds Day speech, in which he called for an "Islamic bomb" to counter Israel's nuclear arsenal, Ahmadinejad denied that Rafsanjani had ever made such a speech. (Time.com)
British confirm death of 'Chemical Ali' Sep 30, 2009
" Hazem al-Youssefi, Cairo representative of the opposition Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, described al-Majid as a standout in a regime of criminals. Al-Majid was a warrant officer and motorcycle messenger in the army before Saddam's Baath party led a coup in 1968. He was promoted to general and served as defense minister from 1991-95, as well as a regional party leader. In 1988, as the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war was winding down, he commanded a scorched-earth campaign to wipe out a Kurdish rebellion... (FOX61, CT)
Iran: Ready to Defy Sep 30, 2009
That parade, which marked the anniversary of the beginning of the 1980-89 Iran-Iraq war, showed off sophisticated Russian-made TOR-M1 air defense systems and the Shahab-3 and Sejil ballistic missiles, which are thought to be nuclear capable and can range Israel and southern Europe. Then on Sunday, Iran s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) successfully test fired short-range missiles to punctuate their readiness for the showdown talks. (Human Events Online)
Iran atom facility to be operational soon - report Sep 26, 2009
He was speaking at a ceremony marking the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. (Reporting by Hossein Jaseb and Hashem Kalantari; writing by Fredrik Dahl; editing by Robin Pomeroy). (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Plane crash kills 7, mars Iran military parade Sep 23, 2009
Abedin Taherkenareh / EPAIranian Army soldiers march during a military parade marking the beginning of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in Tehran, on Tuesday. During the parade,a military plane crashed near Tehran. (MSNBC -- International)
Iran to 'cut off hands' Sep 23, 2009
"No power will ever dare to think of launching aggression against Iran. Today, Iran is experienced and powerful," the hardliner said in an address to the nation on the anniversary of the eruption of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980 ... Ahmadinejad said the Iran-Iraq war, which killed about a million people on both sides, and which Iran describes as the "Sacred Defence", was a "humiliation to Satanic forces." Iranian officials refer to the United States as the Great Satan. (iAfrica.com)
U.N.: Can halt violence against women Sep 23, 2009
Latest news, Latest News Headlines, news articles, news video, news photos - UPI.com (Yahoo News -- Women's Issues)
Germany wants U.N. walkout if Amadinejad denies Holocaust Sep 23, 2009
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks as Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief Mohammad Ali Jafari (R) attends a military parade to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in southern Tehran September 22, 2009. (REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi). (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Iranian Exiles’ White House Hunger Strike Continues Sep 23, 2009
Camp Ashraf became a refuge for Iranian dissidents fleeing their country in 1986, during the Iran-Iraq War. The camp remains the home of exiled members of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK), a guerilla group opposed to the government of the Shah. (Human Events Online)
Women's rights prove to be progressive everywhere Sep 22, 2009
Satrapi is the author of the famous, autobiographical graphic novel series, "Persepolis." It is the story of a young female growing up in Iran during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and Iran-Iraq war. The main character, Marji, takes us through her daily life with illustrations that are often more powerful than the actual words on the page. (Daily Orange, NY)
Full Story » Sep 22, 2009
Ahmadinejad warns against any attack on Iran - Yahoo. Search Type Choose a search type from the items below. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Ahmadinejad warns against any attack on Iran Sep 22, 2009
"Iranian armed forces will cut off the hands of any attackers before they pull the trigger," he said in an address at a parade broadcast on state television to mark the start of the Iran-Iraq war in September 1980. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks before Friday prayers in Tehran September 18, 2009. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Iraq-Syria dispute jeopardizes progress on stability, trade Sep 19, 2009
During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Syria backed Tehran, and following the US invasion in 2003, Syria granted shelter to many Baathists from the Saddam Hussein regime. It also facilitated the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, allowing up to 100 militants to cross the border each month at the height of violence in 2006. (Christian Science Monitor)
CORRECTING and REPLACING Tango Diva Announces Shams Ensemble Touring the U.S. Promoting "Voices of Freedom" Sep 10, 2009
But after entertaining troops in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the ensemble was able to secure permission to perform in public once. Now, due to the uprising during the elections, all permits have been cancelled. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Ammar al-Hakim, Iraq's Newest Shi'ite Leader Sep 4, 2009
While in exile, al-Hakim's uncle and father formed the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (formerly the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq) during the Iran-Iraq War. Al-Hakim's father returned to Iraq in April 2003, a year after the U.S. invasion, and the SIIC quickly rose to prominence there. (Time.com)
Irans women not sold on female Cabinet picks Aug 28, 2009
Ajorlu served as a nurse for the elite Revolutionary Guard in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war and has been a loyal member of the pro-government Basij militia. Hard-liners used both groups to violently crack down on protesters following the disputed presidential election. (MSNBC -- International)
Shiite Leader Dies Aug 27, 2009
In Iran, his older brother, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, founded the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the forerunner of the SIIC. Abdul-Aziz headed the group's military wing, the Badr Brigade, which fought alongside Iranian forces during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War. The al-Hakim brothers returned to Iraq soon after the collapse of Saddam's government. (Fox News)
Iran tries to crack games market Aug 21, 2009
There were a number of different types of game on offer, including a tank shooter set at the start of the Iran-Iraq war, a platform adventure set in Persia, an adventure game where you play the role of a girl called Sara; a young student caught up in events during the early stages of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and a role-playing game called Age of Pahlevans based on Iranian mythology. Bahram Borgheai, head of Ras Games who make Age of Pahlevans, told the BBC that Iran has a rich history... (BBC News -- Technology)
Neda in Black-and-White Aug 21, 2009
Marjane Satrapis graphic novel memoir, released in the United States in 2003was a clear-eyed, sensitive portrayal of the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war, seen through the eyes of a young girl. Now Satrapis to tell the story of the recent disputed elections in Iranending with the death of. (Slate)
Tehran dispatch: Basijis for Mousavi Aug 20, 2009
The principal, a disabled Basij veteran of the Iran-Iraq war and campaign organizer for presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, was visibly shaken. "I thought that when the Imam died there could be nothing worse. But what has happened these past few days ..." A week after the disputed Iranian presidential election, many of Omid's friends and fellow campaign workers had already been arrested or brought in for questioning, men he had served with at the front lines during the war a quarter... (Salon)
THE MAN BEHIND A'JAD Aug 15, 2009
During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, the general recalled, the Islamic Republic stopped Saddam Hussein's armies by sending hundreds of thousands of teen "volunteers for martyrdom" to their deaths, clearing minefields and stopping the enemy's tanks. The Islamic Republic, Firouzabadi argued, had to realize Khomeini's dream of creating a reserve army of 20 million, whose members know that if they die in battle they'll go straight to Paradise. (New York Post -- Opinions)
Iran's enforcers Aug 14, 2009
It is clear the Basij have been preparing to deal with this sort of internal unrest for many years, quite different from their role as frontline soldiers in the Iran-Iraq war. Militia often mingled with crowds in plain clothes before striking. (BBC News)
Tehran's Trials: Blaming the West, Google and Twitter Aug 9, 2009
One 60-year-old veteran of the Iran-Iraq War, who lives in Qom, one of the most openly conservative cities in Iran, whole-heartedly agreed with the regime's scripted story. "Our current problems are all because of foreign agents like the BBC ... This country is now under attack.". (Time.com)
The West has its own suicide bombers Aug 8, 2009
But states and their armies, when outnumbered, will also launch such missions against their enemies, as Preble did against Tripoli or the Japanese attempted near the end of World War II. To make up for its technological disadvantages, the Iranian regime sent waves of young volunteers, some unarmed and some reportedly as young as nine years old, against the then-US-backed Iraqi army in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Non-state actors are even more prone to launch suicide missions against... (Asia Times Online)
Why Iran's Revolutionary Guards mercilessly crack down Aug 7, 2009
A force to reckon with in President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads second term, the Guards are led by commanders whose worldview was forged during the devastating Iran-Iraq war ... Established in 1979 as a parallel army to preserve the Islamic Revolution's ideals, the IRGC is led mainly by commanders who were profoundly shaped by the devastating 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Blogger exposes Iran militia members Aug 6, 2009
Ebrahimi was a founding member of the Ansar-e Hezbollah group, which like many others has its roots in the Iran-Iraq war in the late 1980s. In 1988, when Ebrahmi was just 13 years old, he says he forged his ID and went to the frontline against Saddam Hussein's army. (CNN -- World)
Iran's Wall Street: Whom Does the Bazaar Back? Aug 4, 2009
Older bazaaris can still remember Mousavi the firebrand leftist, who as Prime Minister in the 1980s was associated with price controls and food cooperatives during the Iran-Iraq war. But younger managers and workers generally express support for Mousavi, even though, as one pointed out, "Mousavi never visited the bazaar before the election." Bazaaris felt slighted by the snub, and since the bazaar's merchants are still a main conduit to Iran's smaller towns and rural areas, this was undoubtedly... (Time.com)
Iraq’s Kurds and Arabs struggle to defuse tensions Aug 3, 2009
The Iraqi government has said it wants the Iranian exiles to leave the country and the police action last week raised concerns from human rights groups who say it is a step toward repatriating the exiles, who helped Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war and could face punishment or even death if they are sent back to Iran. Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. (Boston Globe)
Profile: Mir Hossein Mousavi Aug 3, 2009
He was also seen as having steered a good course for the economy during the Iran-Iraq war. When the war ended in August 1988, Mr Mousavi argued heatedly with Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the speaker of Iran's parliament at the time, over his suggestion that Iran should accept the offer of Western help with reconstruction. (BBC News)
Iran Detains 3 Americans Aug 2, 2009
The CIA's senior political analyst for the Iran-Iraq war, Stephen C. Pelletiere, co-authored an unclassified analysis of the war, which contained a brief summary of the DIA study's key points. The CIA altered its position radically in the late 1990s and cited Halabja frequently in its evidence of weapons of mass destructions (WMD) before the 2003 invasion of Iraq. (CBS News)
Kurd-Arab Conflict Intensifies in Iraq Jul 28, 2009
It is fostered by a fight with Baghdad that dates to the British era, and reinforced by the massacres Hussein unleashed at the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988. "Is their policy of procrastination and delay for the sake of [allowing] them to get stronger to impose their will on us?" asked Falah Mustafa Bakir, a Kurdish minister. (CBS News -- US)
On Tehran's Streets, the Basij's Fearsome Reign Jul 24, 2009
The militia, which emerged during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s as a religious youth group that sent its members to sacrifice themselves by clearing land mines, has now become Iran's Big Brother, mafia, and neighborhood hooligans all rolled into one. During the street protests, they barged through the crowd Mad Max style, brandishing wooden batons. (Time.com)
Newsweek: Is Iran's 'green' revolution doomed? Jul 15, 2009
Nothing could have been more sickening to Iranians who braved batons and bullets than to see the head of the MEK (a largely despised pseudocult on the U.S. terrorism list that supported Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq War) hold a press conference in Paris with a poster of the brutally murdered protest-martyr Neda Agha-Soltan as her backdrop. And nothing could have pleased the enemies of reform in Iran more. (MSNBC -- International)
Next flash point in Iran face-off: Friday prayers Jul 14, 2009
"We are ready to sacrifice our lives as we showed during the time of the Sacred Defense [the Iran-Iraq war].". The next flash point in the face-off is expected this Friday during prayers at Tehran University when Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, an influential former president, will be leading them for the first time since the election a month ago. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
7 US soldiers hurt in bombing in N. Iraq Jul 14, 2009
The report found that life expectancy had fallen to 58 years in 2008 - seven years less than during the height of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Rates of poverty, tuberculosis, hunger, unemployment, and infant mortality have all increased substantially. (Boston Globe)
One Reason We Fight in Afghanistan Jul 11, 2009
If anything, American foreign policy during the Iran-Iraq War concentrated chiefly upon getting oil tankers through the Gulf and onto the world market, with stronger disapproval of Iran (for mining the waters of the Gulf and threatening to block the Straits of Hormuz) than of Saddam Hussein's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party regime in Baghdad. Bear in mind the fact that we'd had our own little dust-up with the mullahs of Iran from '79 through '81. (Townhall.com)
Britain and Iran: My Uncle Albion Jul 11, 2009
In the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, Iran reckoned that Britain backed Saddam Hussein. In 1989 Iran s supreme cleric, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, urged Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, a British writer. (The Economist)
What's the tipping point for revolution? Jul 3, 2009
In 2009, however, Iran's Guardian Council was not answerable to any outsider, nor did it face the kind of existential threat it had come under in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. The council sees Iran as a rising power, one well on the way to restoring its rightful historical hegemony in the region. (Yahoo News)
Iran arrests 7 allegedly tied to exiles Jul 3, 2009
The compensation is to come from the state-funded Martyrs' Foundation, a body that helps families of those who died in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, in which more than a million people from the two countries were killed and far more wounded. Providing funds to dead Basijis would raise them to the same level of national heroism as the war dead. (MSNBC -- International)
Iraqis celebrate US troops' pullback Jul 1, 2009
In the background, the crossed swords of Saddam Hussein's monument to the Iran-Iraq war modeled after his own fists rose over the parade ground. It was a far cry from the massive parades highlighting dozens of tanks and missiles that the late Iraqi leader presided over before he was toppled in 2003 but much more heartfelt. (Christian Science Monitor)
Obamas Middle East Challenge Part II Jul 1, 2009
This was particularly true of the one between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi, who was Iran s prime minister during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. At one point Mousavi derided Ahmadinejad s foreign policy as one founded on adventurism, illusionism, exhibitionism, extremism and superficiality. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
Iran Revolutionary Guards Augment Economic Power While Backing Ahmadinejad Jun 30, 2009
Following the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, the parliament enacted legislation permitting the corps to use its engineering capability in rebuilding the countrys economy. According to the Web site of , the company has been awarded more than 780 construction contracts. (Bloomberg)
Click to read:Iraqi Forces Take Control of Baghdad Jun 30, 2009
remember the iran iraq war, what kind of fools believe that only they have the solutions. oh yes, they are called republi'con's. (CBS News)
Elite Iraqi military unit steps up Jun 27, 2009
Al-Kenani, a 59-year-old veteran of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War and the first Gulf War, is a Shiite, his deputy is a Sunni and one of his top generals is a Kurd. The force has sought to reinforce its nonpartisan makeup by refusing to accept recruits who previously served in sectarian militias. (MSNBC -- International)
Report: Iran Tries to Charge Slain Man's Family $3,000 for Bullet That Killed Him Jun 27, 2009
The elder Alipour eventually convinced morgue officials that he couldn't afford the fee and that they should waive it due to his service in the Iran-Iraq war. But was told that the family was forbidden from having a funeral or burial in Tehran, relatives told the Journal. (Fox News)
John Simpson: Secret voices Jun 26, 2009
I first encountered Rafsanjani during the Iran-Iraq war, and I must confess I liked him. He's very amusing and charming, though I wouldn't like to have him as my enemy. (BBC News -- Africa)
UK and Iran: Fraught history Jun 25, 2009
During the Iran-Iraq war, which the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein started, western support for Iraq was deeply resented in Iran. Business as usual. (BBC News)
Can the U.S. Deal With a Divided Iran? Jun 25, 2009
It was also the Western support for the Shah and, worst of all in the minds of Iranians, the U.S. support for Saddam Hussein in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, including the provision of chemicals that Saddam used to concoct poison gas ... Indeed, the war defines the current division at the top of the Iranian establishment: the breach is between the generation that made the revolution of 1979 leaders like , the former Presidents Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammed Khatami, among others and... (Time.com)
Iran's streets are lost, but hope returns Jun 25, 2009
Tehran and Paris puts it, "People in the West don't seem to understand that the political struggle in Iran is not about liberals versus conservatives, but conservatives against a fascist tendency uniting some sectors of the clergy, and this state within the state which are the Pasdaran [IRGC - Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps]. Both the nuclear program and the missiles are under the control of the Pasdaran. And who are they? They are former fighters in the Iran-Iraq war [of the 1908s], the... (Asia Times Online)
Why Iran's Changed Forever Jun 25, 2009
Since the end of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), which almost destroyed the Islamic Republic and forged the reputation and character of then-Prime Minister Mousavi, most Iranians have been exhausted revolutionaries ... Ahmadinejad's undiminished Islamic zeal, which he marries with Iranian nationalism, appeals to many, especially those who fought in the ghastly Iran-Iraq war and retained their faith ... For the poor-boy former Revolutionary Guardsman who fought in the Iran-Iraq war, Rafsanjani is... (CBS News)
Neo-cons blast Obama's line on Iran Jun 24, 2009
Obama and his defenders have argued that more aggressive US support for the opposition led by former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi could prove counter-productive, particularly in light of the fraught history between the two nations, notably the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) role in the overthrow of the democratically elected government of prime minister Mohammed Mossadeq and the restoration of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1953, not to mention US support for Iraq during the bloody Iran-Iraq... (Asia Times Online)
How Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, sees the world Jun 24, 2009
"Clearly, he views the world as aligned against Iran, he talks about the Iran-Iraq war as a war of the world against Iran, not a war of two states," says Maloney. "He talks about Ahmedinejad's term in office in very glowing terminology, as someone who brought the revolution back to its roots and returned Iran from the brink of vulnerability.". (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Stand-off just the latest chapter in a 30-year feud Jun 20, 2009
As the two leading political players under Khomeini, Mousavi and Khamenei were renowned for their frequent policy clashes on economic management, the conduct of the Iran-Iraq War, and the extent to which Iran should open up to Western companies when postwar reconstruction began. Mousavi was usually the winner because he had the ear and the support of Khomeini. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
News of Iran, edited in Newton Jun 20, 2009
Niknejad s family emigrated from Iran to San Diego when she was 17, after living through the Iranian Revolution and the first stage of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. She went on to study law, and then got two master s degrees from the Columbia Journalism School. (Boston Globe)
Iran 'craves to be recognized,' scholar says Jun 20, 2009
"The pessimists will tell you that has been tested as prime minister during the Iran-Iraq War" from 1980 to 1988, Badiozamani said. Moussavi served as Iran's prime minister in the 1980s, during the infancy of the Islamic Republic, which came to power out of the 1979 revolution. (CNN -- World)
Will Iran militia transform showdown? Jun 20, 2009
Formed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Basij became one of Iran's most zealous forces in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, often leading charges through minefields. The group, which is controlled by the elite Revolutionary Guard, also was unleashed on dissidents in the 1990s, when teenagers and young men in plainclothes beat protesting students with batons. (Huntington WSAZ-TV, WV)
Morals enforcers take aim at unrest Jun 19, 2009
Basij units were first formed to provide volunteers for "human wave" attacks during the Iran-Iraq war in the early 1980s. Instead of using mine-clearing equipment, Basiji were ordered to go through minefields and told they would become martyrs and go to paradise. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Divine assessment vs people power Jun 19, 2009
According to the Cyrus news agency, in Farsi, no less than 16 senior IRGC commanders - three of them "veterans of the Iran-Iraq war [of the 1980s]" - were arrested because they were blatantly supporting (green) people power. It's fair to assume many are supporters of losing presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai, who was an extremely respected head of the IRGC.. (Asia Times Online)
SHOWDOWN AT PRAYER CALL Jun 19, 2009
Khamenei was appointed Friday prayer leader of Tehran in 1986, a position he has jealously guarded since -- even though, over the last 23 years, he has attended the prayers on few occasions, mostly during the Iran-Iraq war. His decision to jump into the fray now shows that he's genuinely worried. (New York Post -- Opinions)
statement against the elections Jun 19, 2009
Following the announcement of [election] results, which cannot be accepted by anyone of sound mind - and, based on reliable evidence, substantial alterations have been made in the votes of the people - and subsequent protests by some parts of society against such a conduct, and before the eyes of these very people - who have endured the heavy load of the victory of the Revolution and eight years of an imposed war [1980-88 Iran-Iraq War], and resisted the bullets of the Shah's regime and the... (Harper's Magazine)
Who hates who in Iran Jun 19, 2009
Most famous for their "human wave" attacks during the Iran-Iraq War, these thugs are recruited in mosques and schools and possibly number in the millions. Basij paramilitaries, supervised by the IRGC, have been the. (Salon)
What's behind Iran's power struggle Jun 18, 2009
Shaped by the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, they have brought the Revolutionary Guards and ideological basiji militia into government like never before resulting in a deliberate "securitization" of Iranian society. With them are a number of arch conservative clerics. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Commentary: Fractures in Iran Jun 18, 2009
himself has quite a number of nasty skeletons in his closet, from his years as the prime minister during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), with his brutal suppression of dissident movements, ideological purging of the universities, and so on. He and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, are indeed emerging as widely popular among a significant constituency. (CNN -- International)
Khamenei rides a storm in a tea cup Jun 18, 2009
Khamenei virtually reminded Mousavi of their old association, when the latter served as Iran's prime minister under him and the two were not only close comrades-in-arms for the preservation of the Iranian revolution through the critical years of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s but also worked together to frustrate the cunning ploys of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who as the powerful speaker of the Majlis (parliament) constantly conspired to arrogate state power ... Mousavi, in fact, found... (Asia Times Online)
Profile: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Jun 18, 2009
His financial policies aimed to move Iran from the state-controlled economy of the Iran-Iraq war years to a more market-based system. In recent years he has condemned Mr Ahmadinejad's economic policies, accusing them of having seriously damaged Iran. (BBC News -- Africa)
