In Iran, Maliki discusses deal to boost security Jun 8, 2008
Sadr declared a freeze on the fighting in Basra in late March after a delegation of Iraqi lawmakers met him in the Iranian holy city of Qom. Sadr's followers deny that the cleric is in Iran. (Boston Globe)
Tens of thousands of Shi'ites protest US security agreement Jun 7, 2008
Sadr is believed to be living in the Iranian city of Qom. Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, has also denounced the agreement. (Boston Globe)
Iraq Security Pact Pits U.S. Against Iran Jun 4, 2008
Al-Sadr is believed to be living in the Iranian city of Qom, and U.S. officials believe Iran has been arming and training Shiite militiamen. Iran denies the allegation. (CBS News)
Opinion: Why Iranians like America again Jun 3, 2008
I watched Ahmadinejad on television as he addressed Iranians from the holy city of Qom. He blamed everyone the hostile West, a domestic "cigarette mafia" for the economic downturn, just as he had previously claimed that a "housing mafia" was driving up real estate prices. (Christian Science Monitor)
Iran: Theological Controversy in Islamic Republic Could Have Profound Political Ramifications May 31, 2008
In early May, Ahmadinejad s allies among the clergy forced Gharavi s resignation as the spokesman for the influential Qom Theological Teachers Association ... Perhaps the most significant indicator of a power struggle within the religious leadership was the recent exclusion of Ayatolloh Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, who is widely believed to be Ahmadinejad s principle spiritual advisor, from the nine-member high council of the Qom Theological Center ... Pro-Ahmadinejad clerics seemed to counter... (EurasiaNet.org)
Larijani elected Iran's parliament speaker May 28, 2008
Larijani, who won a seat in parliament as MP for the holy city of Qom in the March general election, was elected without any contest after being chosen by the dominant conservative faction as their candidate. Conservatives chose Larijani in favour of previous speaker Gholam Ali Hadad Adel for reasons that have yet to be publicly explained. (Yahoo! Asia News)
46 comments May 20, 2008
Israel, conversely, has more than 10 Iranian cities on its hit list including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Qazvin, Shiraz, Yazd, Kerman, Qom, Ahvaz, and Kermanshah. Cordseman also noted that Iran would have lower fission yields, and less accurate force into cluster targeting on Israels two largest urban complexes, and that the Iranian side would also most likely be thwarted by Israels missile defense systems. (Human Events Online)
Iran hard-liners come out against Iraqi-US deal May 13, 2008
The hard-line papers are closely affiliated with Iran s clerical establishment, based in the country s religious capital of Qom, 80 miles south of Tehran. Jomhuri-e-Eslami is supportive of the anti-West faction in the government. (Leesville Daily Leader, LA)
Five Iranians hanged for raping, burning woman May 12, 2008
The five men aged 19 to 24 were executed in a prison in the city of Qom, southwest of the capital Tehran, on Sunday, the Iran daily said. It said one of them had confessed to the crime, saying the woman was kidnapped after stepping out of a bus on her way home in August last year, then molested and stabbed before being doused with gasoline and set on fire. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
* Iran looks to boost cycling profile with Presidential Tour May 11, 2008
WHEELS: Competitive cycling for women is off-limits in Iran, although it was reported that bikes especially for females were being designed DPA, QOM, IRAN Sunday, May 11, 2008, Page 18 ... Yesterday, some 70 cyclists started from the holy city of Qom, 135km south of the capital Tehran, and cycled the Qom-Tehran highway. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Alireza Jafarzadeh: Tehran's Terror Inc. May 8, 2008
IRGC Brigadier General Ahmad Forouzandeh, known by his nickname "Abu Shahab in Iraq, is in charge of the training program. IRGC Brigadier General Mohammad Shahlaei, a veteran Qods commander, supervises the recruitment of Iraqi militias. To minimize the risk of exposure and logistical bottlenecks, the Qods Force scatters these would-be terrorists in several of its bases near the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Qom, and Isfahan. Qods bases in provinces close to the Iraqi border, such as Kermanshah, Ilam,... (Fox News)
Ahmadinejad is Iran's Jim Jones May 6, 2008
- As Ahmadinejad spoke at the UN, construction in Iran -- he had funded -- was underway to expand a small mosque outside the holy city of Qom where, in his apocalyptic vision, al-Mahdi is to make his re-appearance, marking the end of the world. In a nearby well, believers deposit messages for al-Mahdi. (Human Events Online)
How under-the-gun Iran plays it cool May 3, 2008
Geography is destiny: Whenever I go to the holy city of Qom, bordering the central deserts in Iran, I am always reminded, in no uncertain terms, that, as far as the major ayatollahs are concerned, their supreme mission is to convert the rest of Islam to the original purity and revolutionary power of Shi'ism - a religion invariably critical of the established social and political order ... Members of the Iranian upper middle classes in north Tehran might spin dreams of Iran recapturing the... (Asia Times Online)
Iraq PM sends team to Iran May 2, 2008
American officials say al-Sadr himself is living in the holy Iranian city of Qom. Al-Sagheer denied reports the delegation would meet the cleric. (MSNBC -- International)
Ahmadinejad In Rows With 3 Leading Officials Apr 23, 2008
"Is it right to attack the government, which is severely under fire by the corrupt ones for its justice-seeking and obtaining the nation's rights and dignity? "If it (your action) was not a clear violation of the constitution I would never have initiated this correspondence," he said. Hadad Adel, whose daughter is married to the son of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a powerful figure in Iran who has only occasionally gone public with explicit criticism of the president. Ahmadinejad... (Newsmax)
Fired Minister Angrily Slams Ahmadinejad Apr 23, 2008
"Peripheral issues which were not of dire importance to the nation were given priority. "For example, changing the nation's time took months of our time," he complained. The government had scrapped daylight saving time for a year only to have to back down after parliament passed a bill forcing the cabinet to resume the time change. Ahmadinejad has been criticised by moderates for pumping excessive liquidity into the economy to fund infrastructure projects, causing huge money supply growth and... (Newsmax)
Najaf may hold key to Iraq's stability Apr 21, 2008
Aspiring clerics flock to study in Najaf's revered hawza, a loose network of illustrious seminaries, rivaled only by Qom in Iran. "Moqtada would covet the kind of Shi'ites Najaf holds," said Vali Nasr, an expert on Shi'ite Islam at Tufts University. (Boston Globe)
Afghanistan moves to center stage Apr 19, 2008
On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said during a visit to the holy city of Qom that the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq "under the pretext of the September 11 terror attack". A day earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, who was on a visit to London, publicly expressed skepticism over the conduct of the Afghan war by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (Asia Times Online)
Iran casts doubt on 9/11 Apr 17, 2008
"Four or five years ago, a suspicious event occurred in New York. A building collapsed and they said that 3,000 people had been killed but never published their names," Ahmadinejad told Iranians in the holy city of Qom. advertisement. (MSNBC -- International)
Iran Leans on Shiite Leader Apr 16, 2008
The rebel cleric has been in Iran for several weeks, and possibly longer, ostensibly to perfect his religious training at a Qom seminary ... The government-owned Aftab newspaper broke the news that same day that Sadr had decided to remain in Iran to concentrate on his religious studies in Qom. (Newsmax)
Iranian Casts Doubts on Sept. 11 Attack Apr 16, 2008
"Four or five years ago, a suspicious event occurred in New York. A building collapsed and they said that 3,000 people had been killed but never published their names," Ahmadinejad told Iranians in the holy city of Qom. Under this pretext, the U.S. "attacked Afghanistan and Iraq and since then a million people have been killed only in Iraq," Ahmadinejad said in the speech broadcast live on state-run television. (Newsmax)
Ayatollah Al-Sadr? Apr 15, 2008
Muqtada al-Sadr has gone to Iran to hit the books -- and the consequences could reach far beyond the quiet halls of the Shi ite theological schools of Qom, Iran ... And it is significant in this regard that the meeting between the three clerics took place not in Iraq at all, but in Qom, a Shi ite theological center apparently for the last year ... Two notable alumni of Qom s centers of Islamic learning are the Ayatollah Khomeini, who spent ten years there, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the... (Human Events Online)
US edges closer to engaging Iran Apr 12, 2008
And there are rumors Muqtada is sheltering at present in the holy city of Qom in Iran. How do these trends add up. (Asia Times Online)
Evil Iran, the new al-Qaeda Apr 10, 2008
Lieberman-Graham laud Maliki's "political will" to "take on the Shi'ite militias and criminal gangs, which he recently condemned as "worse than al-Qaeda". Here pops up for the first time the dizzying amalgam now relentlessly established by the Bush administration and McCain himself of Wahhabi, al-Qaeda and Shi'ite Iran - the Islamic Republic branded guilty, with no evidence, of supporting these militias and gangs. Lieberman-Graham seem to believe the Iraqi security forces have "shown significant... (Asia Times Online)
Iraq violence shows al-Sadr power Apr 10, 2008
Al-Sadr had retreated to the Iranian city of Qom in early 2007 to burnish his religious credentials in hopes of returning to politics with the authority of a senior cleric. His followers largely have abided by the cease-fire, opened a political office and declared their intent to run in the provincial elections. (USA Today)
Iraqi rogues and a false proxy war Apr 9, 2008
Fadel reported that Brigadier General Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds (Jerusalem) brigades of the IRGC, brokered a ceasefire with Muqtada after representatives of the Shi'ite parties now supporting the Maliki government traveled secretly to Qom, Iran on March 29-30, to ask for his intervention. Suleimani's role in reducing the violence in Basra underlines the reality that Iranian power in Shi'ite Iraq is based on its having worked with and provided assistance to all the Shi'ite parties... (Asia Times Online)
COLUMN: H.A. doesn't like to be out flip-flopped whenit comes to war in Iraq Apr 7, 2008
" Al-Sadr controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation. Al-Rubaie said the threat was so serious that a delegation might have to discuss the issue with al-Sadr in person. The young cleric, who has disappeared from the public eye for nearly a year, is believed to be in the Iranian holy city of Qom. ---------- Hey Question, did you catch that last line? Al-Sadr "who has disappeared from the public eye for nearly a year, is believed to be in the... (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Iran Claims Role In Recent Iraq Truce Apr 6, 2008
The Iranian government helped broker the truce during high-level talks in Iran's holy city of Qom with Shiite Iraqi officials and senior supporters of al-Sadr, said a prominent Iraqi party official based in Tehran ... The meetings in Qom also included representatives from Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, he said ... Al-Sadr is believed to divide his time between Qom and Najaf, another Shiite holy city in Iraq 100 miles south of Baghdad. (CBS News)
Basra battleGovernment and militia versions conflict as the dust settles Apr 4, 2008
The source said that as the bloodshed in Basra began early last week, Moqtada Sadr tried to telephone Prime Minister Maliki from Qom, in Iran - and the prime minister refused to take his call. But a delegation from the United Iraqi Alliance, the parliamentary bloc that supports Mr Maliki, flew to Tehran, where they told representatives of the Iranian leadership that Iran's involvement in stirring up the militia violence was unacceptable and would have to stop, the source said. (BBC News -- Africa)
Iran torpedoes US plans for Iraqi oil Apr 3, 2008
The deal was brokered after negotiations in the holy city of Qom in Iran involving the two Shi'ite factions - the Da'wa Party and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) - which have been locked in ... The fact that the representatives of Da'wa and SIIC secretly traveled to Qom under the very nose of American and British intelligence and sought Quds mediation to broker a deal conveys a huge political message ... Most important, he called for negotiations - which had already commenced in Qom by... (Asia Times Online)
The other Iraqi civil war Apr 3, 2008
President George W Bush's self-described "defining moment" in Iraq amounted to this: General Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) , brokered a deal in Qom, Iran, between Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's envoys and Hadi al-Amri, the head of the Badr Organization and number two to Adbul Aziz al-Hakim, the head of the the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) and a key player of the government in Baghdad. That sealed the end of the battle of... (Asia Times Online)
DoD News Briefing with Ad... Apr 3, 2008
And do you have your own sources of information that Maliki's people went across to the city of Qom, met with Sadr there. With -- we're hearing reports that it was the head of the Qods Force who oversaw that. (DOD DefenseLINK -- News)
Truce Calms Iraq, Weakens Prime Minister Apr 1, 2008
According to one Shiite official, the deal was struck after hours of negotiations in the Iranian holy city of Qom involving key figures in Iraq's major Shiite parties and representatives of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard ... The Iraqi officials would not elaborate on Iran's role, and efforts to contact Iraqi representatives who took part in the Qom meetings were unsuccessful. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Iranian who brokered Iraqi peace is on U.S. terrorist watch list Apr 1, 2008
Iraqi lawmakers said that Suleimani had participated in weekend meetings in the Iranian holy city of Qom that resulted in Sadr ordering his followers to draw back after nearly a week of clashes with government troops. While Iran flexed its political and diplomatic muscles, the United States at times appeared to be a bystander in the crisis. (Anchorage Daily News)
Observers interpret Iraq cease-fire Apr 1, 2008
But Othman said the government was clearly involved, with al-Maliki sending a delegation to Qom in Iran. For months, Mehdi Army militia fighters have been battling security forces largely controlled by the Badr Organization, considered an ally of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. (CNN -- World)
Al-Sadr Trumps In Latest Showdown Apr 1, 2008
Al-Sadr is believed to divide his time between Qom in Iran and Najaf, another Shiite holy city 100 miles south of Baghdad. Prior to the interview, he was last seen in May when he delivered a fiery sermon in Kufa, Najaf's twin city. (CBS News -- World)
Iranian general played key role in brokering Iraq cease-fire Mar 31, 2008
BAGHDAD Iraqi lawmakers traveled to the Iranian holy city of Qom over the weekend to win the support of the commander of Iran's Qods brigades in persuading Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to order his followers to stop military operations, members of the Iraqi parliament said ... The backdrop to Sadr's dramatic statement was a secret trip Friday by Iraqi lawmakers to Qom, Iran's holy city and headquarters for the Iranian clergy who run the country ... In addition to Sadr, who is in Qom pursuing... (Anchorage Daily News)
Iran to hold run-off parliament votes April 25 Mar 26, 2008
A woman holding her identification waits to enter a polling station in Qom, 120 km south of Tehran, in this March 14, 2008 file photo. (REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl). (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Why Iranian Centrists Could Derail Ahmadinejad Mar 20, 2008
Another potential presidential contender is Ali Larijani, who captured a Majlis seat with a landslide victory in a district in the holy city of Qom. A pragamtic conservative, Larijani resigned as Iran's nuclear negotiator last year after several public clashes over policy with Ahmadinejad Larijani had reportedly agreed to a temporary freeze of Iran's uranium-enrichment program as a good-faith gesture in talks with Western countries; a stalemate in those negotiations led the U.N. Security Council... (Time.com)
Khomeini's grandchild breaks her silence Mar 19, 2008
Eshraghi, responding to protests initiated in the Iranian religious center of Qom, later denied making the remarks. Her family also advised her not to pick fights with conservative hardliners, and she has put aside the idea of creating a blog. (Asia Times Online)
A Rival for Iran's Ahmadinejad Mar 19, 2008
He was someone who had lived both in the West as well as in the Qom seminaries. He was an open-minded intellectual fully confident in Islamic teachings as well as Western matters. (Time.com)
A new political space opens Mar 18, 2008
At the same time, how the Majlis elections will impact next year's presidential elections is an open question that depends on several variables, for example, whether or not potential presidential candidates such as Ali Larijani, the former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who opted to run from the holy city of Qom instead of Tehran, will be able to shine as an effective lawmaker. Larijani's legislative coalition-building will be his dress rehearsal for the presidential race... (Asia Times Online)
Iran reformists plea for large vote turnout Mar 18, 2008
A line of women ready to vote in Qom. Many Iranians who support liberal reforms spent the day deliberating with friends and family, going back and forth between two options: vote and give legitimacy to an election many of them saw as unfair, or boycott and ensure an even stronger conservative domination of parliament. (CNN -- World)
New challengesElection outcome could spell problems for Iran's president Mar 17, 2008
The former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who fell out with Mr Ahmadinejad last autumn, secured an impressive victory in the holy city of Qom. He will head a powerful bloc of more pragmatic conservatives inside the Majlis. (BBC News)
Iran election: hard-liners hold on, despite high inflation Mar 17, 2008
Analysts say that it will pit less hard-line conservatives led by former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani who won by a 70 percent landslide in the religious city of Qom against Ahmadinejad loyalists. Out of 30 seats in Tehran, early results showed the 14 highest vote getters were the conservatives who call themselves "principlists" for their adherence to the principles of the 1979 Islamic revolution. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
EU deems Iran poll unfair Mar 17, 2008
Ali Larijani, Iran's former senior nuclear negotiator standing for conservatives in the holy city of Qom, was elected in a landslide victory with 76 per cent of the vote, the Fars news agency said. Tehran contest. (Aljazeera.Net)
Iran: Vote is victory against West Mar 17, 2008
Larijani, who left the nuclear post after differences with Ahmadinejad, won a seat in the clerical city of Qom, according to state television. Ahmadinejad's critics accuse him of having no clear plan for fixing the economy, hit by high inflation and unemployment. (CNN -- World)
Iran Elections: Hard-Liners in Lead Mar 16, 2008
In one key race, Ali Larijani the former top nuclear negotiator, who stepped down after differences with Ahmadinejad won a seat in the clerical city of Qom, the Fars news agency said. Some have speculated the conservative Larijani will run for president in 2009. (Time.com)
Iran conservatives dominate parliament polls Mar 16, 2008
Iran's former top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, standing for conservatives in the holy city of Qom and tipped as a future speaker, was elected in a landslide victory with over 70 percent of the vote. Not all conservatives are wholeheartedly supportive of Ahamdinejad, who has unsettled even hardliners with his provocative rhetoric in the nuclear standoff and expansionary economic policies. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Low Turnout Seen In Iranian Election Mar 15, 2008
Larijani, who is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's personal representative on the Supreme National Security Council, is running for parliament from the city of Qom and has sometimes also been cited as a possible presidential candidate in 2009. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)Palmer says Larijani, seen at left, has indic 00003333 ated a desire to try and mend the virtually non-existent diplomatic relationship with the West, including the United States government, should he come to power. (CBS News)
Iran election finds hard-liners split over president's policies Mar 15, 2008
"There might be an iota of change," Mullah Fazel Mibodi, a reformist supporter, said by telephone from the holy city of Qom. "But the motivation for me to go out and vote was zero.". (Boston Globe)
Battle of the conservatives Mar 15, 2008
Ali Larijani, who has his eyes set on becoming the next speaker (after having failed in the presidential elections of 2005), feared that he would not win in Tehran and therefore is running for Parliament from Qom. He is teaming up with Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, and Mohsen Rezai, the ex-commander of the IRGC.. (Asia Times Online)
Iran counts votes, gains for conservatives seen Mar 15, 2008
Fars said Ali Larijani, a conservative seen as a potential presidential challenger to Ahmadinejad, had won 76 percent of the vote in his Qom constituency south of Tehran ... "The conservatives are closer to the goals of the Islamic revolution and the supreme leader," said Ali Rahbarkhah, a young cleric in Qom, Iran's centre of Shi'ite Muslim learning. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Conservatives forge ahead in Iran parliament vote Mar 15, 2008
Some conservatives, such as former nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani who Fars News Agency said won a seat in Qom south of Tehran, have also questioned the president's approach. However, Ahmadinejad has won public backing from Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, especially for his handling of the nuclear row. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Iran counts votes, conservatives tighten grip Mar 15, 2008
A cleric holds up his identification for as he waits to cast his vote at a polling station in the city of Qom, 120 km south of Tehran, March 14, 2008 ... Fars said Ali Larijani, a conservative seen as a potential presidential rival to Ahmadinejad, had won 76 percent of the vote in his Qom constituency south of Tehran. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Iran conservatives set for landslide victory Mar 15, 2008
Iran's former top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, standing for conservatives in the holy city of Qom, was elected to parliament in a landslide victory with 76 percent of the vote, the Fars news agency said. The first results were for towns and cities outside Tehran. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Iranian Elections See Spotty Turnout Mar 15, 2008
Larijani, who is Khamenei's personal representative on the Supreme National Security Council, is running for parliament from the city of Qom and has sometimes also been cited as a possible presidential candidate in 2009. 2008 Associated Press. (Newsmax)
Iran debate: Who owns the revolution? Mar 7, 2008
Heard on the Street: Clerics chat in Qom, a city known for its seminaries and religious teaching ... At the Shrine: A cleric smiles at a boy playing with a toy car in the courtyard of the shrine to Masoumeh in Qom ... Qom and Tehran, Iran - Rival factions contesting Iran's parliamentary elections next week are breaking longstanding taboos and using once-sacred icons to challenge opponents in a vote that is likely to set the tone for the presidential contest in 2009. (Christian Science Monitor)
Iranian nights Feb 22, 2008
The next morning, you'll set out on an hour-and-a-half drive to the holy city of Qom and then continue to Kashan, where you'll see the Fin Gardens and have free time to wander the bazaars before checking in to your hotel. You'll spend the two following nights in Esfahan, the picturesque onetime capital. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Factions and friction Feb 16, 2008
Concerning the latter, a case in point is Hojat ol-Eslam Seyed Mohsen Mousavi Tabrizi, from a theology faculty in Qom, who was approved to run for the Experts Assembly (that selects the leader) and yet has seen his bid for a Majlis seat denied pursuant to items of the elections law pertaining to "lack of allegiance to Islam and the constitution". This makes no sense and a more rational candidate selection process is needed whereby recently approved candidates for any national position would... (Asia Times Online)
Underestimating al-Sadr — Again Feb 14, 2008
He is likely in the Shi'ite religious center of Qom studying to achieve the higher rank of ayatollah, a position that would allow him to issue fatwas, and garner more respect from the Shi'ite establishment. Such a rank usually requires two decades of study, but Sadr, say aides, wants to complete it within two years. (Time.com)
Public hangingsRights groups condemn Iran's rising number of executions Feb 12, 2008
Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi, a professor of Islamic law based in the holy city of Qom, explained this interpretation of Islam. They want to use this to frighten people, to make people afraid of voicing criticism. (BBC News -- Africa)
THE 'MANCHURIAN MULLAH' Feb 1, 2008
The scene takes place at the Shiite seminary in Qom, Iran's holy city ... From there, he travels 90 minutes to Qom twice a week, for a crash course designed to transform him first into a Hojat al-Islam (Proof of Islam) and then a full-fledged ayatollah (Sign of God) ... For a while, Sadr sought clerical cover from two ayatollahs whom his father had named "worthy of trust": Ayatollah Bashir Fayyadh, an Afghan-born cleric who lives in Najaf, and Ayatollah Muhammad Ha'eri Yazdi, an Iranian... (New York Post -- Opinions)
Iraqi cleric in militia activity threat Feb 1, 2008
Sadr is currently believed to be continuing his theological studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom. Full coverage. (Guardian Unlimited)
Stance on dress code stains Ahmadinejad Jan 17, 2008
"The number of women wearing the black veil or men with beards is clearly very small, except in places like Qom, a religious capital, where tradition reigns hard. Ahmadinejad is a very clever man and he realized this fact, so in his campaign he stressed he was not going to impose tighter enforcement of the dress code," she said. Crackdowns on hijab are a regular feature of life in Iran. (Asia Times Online)
