On Iran and More (Call it the "Iran Propaganda Thread" if you wish)

I like to use this thread to discuss various issues that relate to Iran as well as its role in the larger international arena, leaving other threads to other people and other discussions. While the issues to discuss will be largely determined by the news of the day, the focus of this thread is to give an alternative view of the news from the perspective that is focused primarily on Iran.

In the meantime, a warning to the faint-hearted gang at BigSoccer who suffer from an allergy seeing pictures from or related to Iran: there will definitely be pictures of Iran, as well as products produced in or by Iran, posted in this thread! Indeed, every time I post a message in this thread, I will make sure I also post a picture, whether related to the particular message or not, with the objective of improving an understanding of Iran by those interested in such an improved understanding.


Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, was also in a way where the modern story of Iran all began



Tehran, Iran's capital city, is a modern metropolis and home to around 8.5 million people in the city itself and 12.5 million its suburbs


A pic of some of the attractions from Isfahan, a historic city famous for its Iranian Islamic architecture and monuments

 

The most important issues relating to Iran at this time are probably as follows:

First, there is the fate of the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 on Iran's nuclear program, and whether those negotiations can produce an outcome that removes the sanctions on Iran and sees the West adopt a different attitude and approach towards Iran more generally? Or, alternatively, whether those negotiations are leading to the kind of capitulation by Iran that will see Iran trade some modest pain relief for concessions that will endanger its national security and future well being? Or, perhaps, that there will be no deal at all, in light of the opposition to the deal by influential lobbies in the US and a seeming majority in the US Congress?

Second, what is the proper for Iran in the region generally, both as it relates to some of the festering wounds that have plagued the region for decades (e.g., Arab-Israeli conflict and the future of Palestine, Western imperialism and US meddling in the region's affairs) or more acute issues such as the fate of post Saddam Iraq, the war against ISIS, the civil war in Syria, or the present conflict in Yemen?

Finally, what kind of model of governance can Iran develop to promote the well being of its people, reflect their interests, while serving as a model that others in the region might emulate as well, and at what pace? Specifically, what reforms are needed and possible under current conditions, which ones can be implemented in the medium term, and which ideas about reform or other changes are merely a pretext to plunge Iran in turmoil?

My focus will be on these 3 issues. But as a subtext to all these issues, I will always try to remind those reading my posts what Iran is and what it isn't.

In the meantime, let me post more pictures of Iran, this time of the beautiful city of Shiraz, the city of poets and nightingales, of beautiful gardens and more. Some rate Shiraz even above Isfahan, but regardless, it ranks as one of Iran's most beautiful cities.




Eram Garden, Shiraz

 

On the surface, the situation appears to have defused with Iran backing down. Behind the scenes, I suspect a deal was negotiated, with the US agreeing to pressure the Saudis to agree to announce a halt to their bombing of Yemen (hence the abrupt Saudi announcement) as well as the US agreeing to cool down their rhetoric (hence the conflicting statements where the State Department denounced US media reports which had suggested the US warships intended to perhaps interdict the Iranian ships). Anyway, the latest reports suggest Iran's ships are heading back from actually delivering their cargo to Yemen and may be heading back home.

|http://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/iranians-leave-yemen-waters-n346901

Iranian Ships Turn Back From Yemen After Standoff

 

I should add that despite the Saudi announcement that indicated a halt in the bombing campaign , the Saudis continued bombing various targets in Yemen. This makes the whole situation all the more confusing. It seems the Saudis agreed to make the announcement they made under pressure and while I suspect the scale of their bombing activities will definitely slow, it doesn't seem they intend to halt their bombing.

http://news.yahoo.com/yemen-violence-death-toll-tops-1-000-143024146.html

 

Notwithstanding the hoopla and apparent opposition of Israel and the pro Israeli lobby to any deal with Iran, I am personally not sure the deal being negotiated in Iran's best interests. Indeed, absent a genuine improvement in relations between Iran and the US, I see this deal to offer Iran some short terms relief in return for a long term headache. This is particularly true if the terms of the deal, on inspections in particular, leave open the possibility of a future rue or disagreement over demands that Iran opens its military facilities to such inspections as well. Nonetheless, following a meeting with Iran's foreign minister, Kerry sounded optimistic about the prospects of a final deal coming together.

http://news.yahoo.com/nuclear-powers-gather-un-talk-disarmament-160131036.html

In the meantime, however, the Americans are continuing their misguided policies against Iran on other fronts. Already the fight against ISIS in Iraq, which was going ahead with great success until recently, has lost its focus after US efforts to sideline and limit Iran's role in the fight. Consequently, ISIS terrorists have made advances in Iraq since the fall of Tikrit last month. At the same time, the Saudis and the Turks have increased their coordination in the fight against Assad in Syria, in the process helping out ISIS allies, the al-Nusrat front, make advances in various areas in that country. All has not being going well in that front either, increasing the misery of the Syrian people while continuing to offer a further vehicle to drain Iran from valuable capital.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Midd...ding-by-its-weakened-and-expensive-ally-Syria

World Middle East

Finally, we have the situation in Yemen, a nation which has been sacrificed and plunged into the depths of chaos and misery by the Saudis and their so-called coalition, aided and abetted by the Americans who apparently feel that appeasing Saudi Arabia is somehow in American interests. After the Saudi air force prevented an Iranian civilian airliner from landing in Yemen, the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia worsened still. Ultimately, even though the Saudis began their campaign eliciting statements of support from a variety of sources, including from the US, as a means to deter Iran from taking any direction action against them, it doesn't seem tenable to me that Iran would sit quietly and do nothing about these recent Saudi moves. Especially since the Saudi announcement that their bombing campaign was coming to an end was clearly a lie. It seems to me the Saudis made the announcement under US pressure, as the Americans were working to convince Iran not to attempt to send its ships into Yemen, without ever intending to abide by it.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/n...ntion-in-yemen-will-not-go-without-a-response
Iran: Saudi intervention in Yemen will not go without a response

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/iran-s-revolutionary-guard-accuses-saudi-of-treachery-1.2347088
Iran's Revolutionary Guard accuses Saudi of 'treachery'

 

While I have noted my concerns about the so-called nuclear deal being negotiated, let me also add the following note on why a genuine deal that opens Iran to foreign investors and businesses, and opens foreign markets to Iranian producers, presents a completely win-win arrangement for Iran and the West. Put simply, everywhere you look, you see potential for lucrative trade and deals for both sides.

Iran's oil and gas industry needs hundreds of billions of dollars of new investment to develop its various oil and gas fields. Obviously, that makes international oil companies excited at the prospects of a deal that would give them the world's second largest reserves of natural gas to tap and develop, while Iran will be equally excited to find hundreds of billions of dollars of such investment pour into its economy. Iran's auto industry can also look forward to various joint ventures with foreign (including US) auto makers, allowing millions of Iranian consumers better products and cheaper prices, creating further employment opportunities for what is Iran's second largest industrial sector (after its oil industry), while opening the doors of a largely untapped Iranian market of 80 million people (who have hitherto been purchasing cars assembled and made in Iran) to foreign auto makers selling their products directly or in joint ventures with Iranian companies. And the prospects in other areas and ventures, from the most mundane products to the more sophisticated ones, is highlighted on the one hand by the expected growth in the Iranian stock exchange and on the other hand the myriad of foreign companies peddling all sorts of goods and services which are scrambling to get a piece of the pie once the deal between Iran and the US/P5+1 goes through.

Put simply, Iran presents a unique case of a developed economy with excellent infrastructure in a large nation of 80 million, with enormous natural resources, a large and well educated middle class, which has been largely cut off from the world economy due to sanctions. This is a country with the world's 4th largest oil reserves, second largest natural gas reserves, a regional leader with its auto industry, in steel and cement production, a nation that produces almost every item needed by its population and which enjoys a balance of trade surplus in practically every category imaginable, from basic food stuff, to consumers goods, to heavy industry, while its nuclear, space and military advances are notable as well. Put simply, it is this enormous potential of Iran that scares Israel and Saudi Arabia et al, because they know that once this market is opened and Iran's development and trade is no longer hampered by sanctions, Iran will simply pass everyone in the region by miles.

 

Apparently, a foreign vessel ventured into Iranian waters and after the Iranian navy fired warning shots, the cargo ship was seized and is being directed to an Iranian port. The Saudis initially claimed the cargo ship was a US vessel, although the US has denied any of its ships have been seized. The Pentagon, however, is quoted as saying that a Marshall Island flagged vessel was instead seized and while the US navy responded to distress calls from the ship, it didn't interfere with the ship being taken to Iranian waters. It should be noted that the Marshall Islands are no longer part of the US and gained independence in the 1980s, although they are apparently still under US protection.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102627185
Iranian forces have boarded the Marshall Island- flagged Maersk Tigris- Pentagon

 

While I initially thought the seizure was in response to the Saudi actions in Yemen, in particular preventing Iranian commercial flights from landing in that country to deliver humanitarian aid, apparently the ship was seized pursuant to an Iranian court order arising from a commercial dispute.

https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/i...ed-ship-legal-reasons-175320658--finance.html
Iran says Revolutionary Guards seized ship for legal reasons

p.s.

This is a pic of the cargo ship in question

 

It is bad enough that the Saudi are causing such suffering among the people in Yemen; that they be allowed to prevent humanitarian assistance to the people in Yemen is inexcusable. Yet, the world seems blind to their crimes and the US continues to be fully in bed with the Saudis in their operations against Yemen. This situation, however, cannot be allowed to persist. It is simply inhumane.

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-led-coalition-bombs-yemen-runway-stop-iranian-165553593.html
Saudi-led planes bomb Sanaa airport to stop Iranian plane landing

 

What I would suggest in response to the Saudi move is for Iran to try to create a joint aid flotilla with other countries which are interested in providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen, particularly Russia and China. Unlike the Iranian convoy of cargo ships that was tracked by the US navy and turned back from delivering its cargo, this would make it more difficult for the US, Saudis et al, from claiming that the convoy is seeking to provide arms to the Houthis. Nor will there be as much risk associated with the US and company engaging in hostile acts against such a joint aid flotilla. Indeed, while Iran backed down (apparently under false US promises that the Saudis would halt their bombing campaign) and didn't force the US hand on the issue, it is noteworthy that the US had publicly dismissed reports that it would have interceded with the Iranian aid convoy. If such a convoy is given a more broad based, international look, the chances of the US or anyone else engaging it would diminish even further.

The other option for Iran is to create a naval task force with sufficient firepower to increase the costs of any attempt to interfere with the maritime delivery of aid to Yemen. But that move does carry obvious risks of leading to war, at a time when Iran and the US/P5+1 are negotiating a deal on Iran's nuclear program and an end to sanctions against the country.

 

I didn't suggest Iran should be sending troops to Yemen, but Iran should not stand idly by as the Saudis interfere with Iranian flights and shipping seeking to deliver humanitarian aid. Otherwise, the Saudis will get emboldened and imagine they can get away with other malicious acts against Iran, which unfortunately they have been undertaking with greater frequency.

I should also mention, however, that a friendly government in Yemen is actually quite significant in terms of adding to Iran's deterrent leverage in case of a military conflict in the region. The Bab el-Mandab Strait is an important shipping corridor, perhaps only second to Strait of Hormuz. Iran having control over both straits gives it enormous leverage overall.

 

A quick review and look at the history of IRAN and the Middle East

I. From the Achaemenids to the rise of Islam

Persian empire under the Achaemenid dynasty (535 B.C. to 325 B.C.), who ruled over the entire Middle East region and beyond. A famous inscription from the time reads: "I am Xerxes, the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing many kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of king Darius, an Achaemenian, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan [Iranian], of Aryan [Iranian] stock....these are the countries of which I was king apart from Persia...."

The Persian empire was conquered by Alexander the Great, who nonetheless quickly adopted Persian costume, crowned himself in the model of Achaemenid emperors, and ordered his troops to marry Persian princes to create a new "master race" from the fusion of Macedonian and Persian blood to rule the world. After Alexander's death, however, his empire was divided between his generals and for close to a hundred years, the Greek Seleucids ruled Iran. Thereafter, Iran was liberated by an Iranian tribe, the Parthians.

Iran under the Parthians, who stopped the expansion of the Roman empire further in the region in the famous Battle of Carrhae (in present day Syria), inflicting one of the most embarrassing and disastrous defeats on the Romans. The Parthians, however, were often militarily in a disadvantaged position viz a viz the Roman empire and while their rule last for over 4 centuries, their borders suffered a lot of fluctuation.

Iran under the Sassanid dynasty (228-651). The other major power in the region at the time was Rome (later the Byzantine empire), which ruled the territories to the west of Iran and which fought with Iran for control of the Middle East and the Caucasus. While for a short time, the Sassanid were able to recreate the boundaries of the old Persian empire under the Achaemenid dynasty, constant warfare with Rome and the Byzantine empire only weakened both powers and paved the way for the speedy capture of their territories by the nomadic tribes of the Arabian peninsula who brought the new Islamic faith to the region.


Rock relief in Naqshe Rostam, showing the Roman emperor Valerian kneeling before Shapur, the Sassanid emperor of "IRAN and non-Iran". Valerian being the only Roman emperor ever to be captured and held captive by a foreign power, although other Roman emperors were killed in battle fighting the Sassanid as well. Shāpūr, no longer content to describe himself as “king of kings of Iran,” as his father had done, styled himself “king of kings of Iran and non-Iran”— that is, of non-Persian territories as well.

 

A quick review and look at the history of IRAN and the Middle East cont'd...

II. The Middle East from the Rise of Islam to the Mongol invasions



After the conquest of the Persian empire, as well as most of the territories of the Byzantine empire and beyond by the Arabs, the Umayyad caliphate ruled over the region (and well beyond, including over Spain) for a short time (less than a hundred years).

For Iran, however, the Umayyads were usurpers who had captured the legitimate throne of Iran. While the Persians did convert to Islam, they stubbornly held to their separate identity and never really accepted the legitimacy of Arab rule. The attitude of the times is captured best in the late Professor von Grunebaum's work, Medieval Islam, which has a chapter devoted mainly to Persian polemics and attitudes towards Arab rule, calling on them to "vacate the throne of the Persians, withdraw to Hijaz, eat lizard and herd camels."

The Ummayad caliphate, in any case, proved short-lived, as a revolution spearheaded by forces gathered in Iran brought the Abassids to power instead, ushering a period were Persian influences reigned supreme over the caliphate and which saw the golden age of Islam with the flowering of the arts and sciences.


Marking the rise of Persian influenced over the caliphate, a new capital was built near the site of the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon. This new capital was called Baghdad and while the caliphs were Arabs, Persian vazirs and administrators essentially ruled the realm and Persian scholars made great advances in mathematics, philosophy, medicine, and other realms of human intellectual endeavor. The greatest mathematician of the Islamic era, Kharazmi, was a Persian, who contributed to the development of algebra (whose name is derived from his work), trigonometry, as well as geography and astronomy. The most influential physician of the period, Avicenna, was another Persian, whose Canons of Medicine was the standard text for training of physicians in the West for centuries. Along with other scholars such as Razi, Farrabi and Umar Khayam, these Persians helped usher the golden of age Islamic civilization.

While the Abassid caliphs sat in Baghdad until the city was sacked by the Mongols, Iranian dynasties such as the Buyids and Samanids soon rose to assume actual power over the Iranian plateau.



Afterwards, the Seljuks came to power in the region. The Seljuks were an Iranicized dynasty of Turkish origin.

 

A quick review and look at the history of IRAN and the Middle East cont'd...

III. After the Mongols: The Gun Powder Empires to the Modern Era

The modern Iranian nation-state began to take shape under the Safavids, with Iran becoming a shia state, often in competition and war against the sunni Ottoman empire. The primary focus of these wars was over the same areas which were the subject of wars between Iran and the Byzantine empire prior to the Islamic period, namely the boundaries in the Caucasus and Mesopotamia (Iraq).




The collapse of the Safavid dynasty saw the rise of Nadir Shah Afshar, dubbed the Iranian Napolean for his exploits into India, sacking Delhi and bringing its treasures to Iran. India, itself, however, was returned to the Mughal emperors even if Nadir Shah's conquest paved the way for the British to take over India subsequently.



In the 19th century, a new dynasty in Iran, the Qajar, found itself overwhelmed by events, losing much of the traditional Iranian sphere in the Caucasus and elsewhere. The map below shows the territories which the Qatar lost (mainly to the Russians, as a result of the disastrous Russo-Persian wars of 1804-1813 and 1826-1828, but also as a result of the Anglo-Persian war of 1856-57) and what has since been the political map of Iran in yellow.

 

Some of the details of the legal case that led to the seizure of the Maersk Tigris vessel have be revealed by the Danish company, despite the company initially pretending it didn't know anything about any legal case. These details are actually quite revealing in some ways.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/world/middleeast/iran-maersk-tigris-container-ship-seizure.html
Iran Seizure of Maersk Container Ship Tied to Old Cargo Dispute

...

 

While the Saudis have been pretending to be opposed to Al Queda, ISIS, al Nurat, and other associated Wahabi groups which they have fostered and funded across the region, including in Syria and Iraq in particular, there is a growing sense among moderate and secular Sunni groups in these countries that they are being used as pawns by the Saudis. At the same time, various European countries along with the UN and even, more recently, to an extent the US (although the American posture remains duplicitous and ambiguous), have realized that any attempt to resolve the problems in the region (whether Yemen, or in Syria etc) cannot exclude Iran. Hence, while Saudi Arabia remains opposed to involving Iran in various peace initiates being pursued, everyone else is now beginning to see the folly of that posture.

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2385718&CategoryId=12395

I should note that past attempts to find a peaceful political solution in Syria floundered in large measure because those who could not advance their aims by force, nonetheless wanted to insist on talks that excluded Iran! Indeed, something similar is happening now in Yemen too!

http://news.yahoo.com/iran-calls-un-sponsored-talks-yemen-190424071.html
Iran calls for UN talks on Yemen at neutral venue
New York (AFP) - Iran proposed Wednesday to hold UN talks on ending the conflict in Yemen at a neutral venue, pointing to the success of the talks on Afghanistan held in Germany in 2001.


http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-asks-iran-to-help-bring-yemeni-parties-into-talks-2015-4
US asks Iran to help in Yemen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sought Iran's help to bring Yemen's warring parties into talks on a political settlement when U.S. and Iranian foreign minister's met on Monday, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti...15/May/middleeast_May1.xml&section=middleeast
GCC rejects Iran plea on Yemen talks, ministers insist on Riyadh as venue for parleys

 

I ran into an article in Business Insider, with some excellent pics of Iran, particularly Isfahan:

http://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-tourist-attractions-in-iran-2014-4?op=1#ixzz3YtOMED5q
21 Gorgeous Photos That Show Why Iran Is A New Tourist Hotspot

 

The US has announced that American and British ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf will henceforth be escorted by US naval warships. A posture that I personally find inappropriate and even provocative. But this decision will see American sailors come to contact with Iran, albeit a part of Iran which is quite different than the rest of the country.

While Iran has a large coastline bordering the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, this area of Iran is actually sparsely inhabited and largely neglected. The population in the area is eclectic mix of Arabs, descendants of African slaves, people of Dravidian and Indian origin, mixed in with Persians as well as some other ethnic groups. To be sure, the port city of Bandar Abbas, which hosts Iran's largest naval base, has enjoyed some growth, and the Qeshm island next to Bandar Abbas (which is trying to develop itself as a tourism destination to compete with Kish Island, the latter Iran's most popular tourist resort in the south of the country) are no longer quite the destitute backwaters they used to be. Nonetheless, despite some of the development in this area, this part of Iran is more or less underdeveloped still.


A view of the port city of Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's largest naval base in the Persian Gulf. The last time I was in Bandar Abbas was 8 years ago, coinciding with a wrestling tournament being held here. The American wrestling team was staying at the same hotel I was staying. That hotel is pictured below.


While I liked our hotel, and enjoyed taking a ferry to nearby Qeshm island with its interesting attractions, this area of Iran definitely lags behind the rest of the country.

Qeshm harbor. Qeshm island is Iran's biggest island (bigger in size than any other island in the Persian Gulf) but compared to the its potential and the many attractions it offers, the island is pretty neglected. Most of the development, instead, is concentrated in Kish island.

A view of Kish island. Kish has a lot of 5 star hotels. I have stayed at several of them, including the Marina Park hotel pictured below as well as the Dariush Grand hotel also pictured below.


Marina Park hotel, Kish island. Last time I visited Kish, which was a couple years ago, I stayed at this hotel. At the time, it was Kish island's most modern hotel.


Dariush Grand hotel, Kish island. I have stayed in this hotel a few times, although last time must have been 3-4 years ago. The rooms are alright but not as impressive as the rest of the hotel.