#IranElection *

Personal Note: Please pray for those protesting in Tehran. The government is terrorizing its people. Pray that they will have freedom to assemble, to chant and to have the right to be peaceful. Protesters are not violent but must protect themselves from government thugs. Please pray. If you have not done so yet, please pray now! Thank you from a very concerned Christian. – Brian

Originally posted on VOA

Iranian authorities clashed with opposition supporters Thursday as huge crowds rallied in Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian opposition Web sites say security forces fired tear gas to disperse opposition supporters gathering in central Tehran.

There are reports that leading reformist politicians Mehdi Karroubi and former President Mohammad Khatami were attacked when they attended the rally.

The opposition also says authorities briefly detained Mr. Khatami’s sister-in-law, Zahra Eshraghi, and her husband Mohammad Reza Khatami. The reason was not reported. Eshraghi is the grand-daughter of the leader of the Islamic Revolution, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

At Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Square President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed hundreds of thousands of people amassed to celebrate the national holiday.

In his address, Mr. Ahmadinejad praised the achievements of the Iranian people, railed against the West, and announced that Iranian scientists had produced the first batch of higher-grade nuclear fuel.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi had urged their supporters to turn out on the streets for a peaceful demonstration.

The anniversary Thursday marks the 1979 ouster of Iran’s monarchist government. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Iranians take part in rallies to celebrate the anniversary.

Mass anti-government protests broke out after Iran’s disputed presidential election in June. Opposition leaders have accused President Ahmadinejad of stealing the vote.

The Middle East director at U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, Joe Stork, says the Iranian government is trying to use anniversary celebration to “deflect attention” from its human rights violations.

The rights group has released a new report that claims to show the Iranian government’s crackdown on dissent since the election has been worse than previously reported. The report documents cases of extra-judicial killings, rapes and torture, and other serious rights violations.

There also are reports that Iranian authorities have slowed down Internet service in the country and have blocked Google’s e-mail service, Gmail.

The California-based Internet company confirmed a sharp drop in e-mail traffic, and acknowledged that users in Iran are having trouble accessing Gmail.

In a statement, Google said it believes “people everywhere should have the ability to communicate freely online,” adding, “sadly, sometimes it is not within our control.”

Originally posted on VOA

Iran’s president has told a crowd gathered for the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that Iran has made its first batch of further-enriched uranium. The announcement is likely to provoke more criticism from from abroad, while the anniversary celebrations have drawn opposition at home.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said scientists have enriched a batch of uranium to 20 percent, a level needed to make fuel for an Iranian research reactor.

The International Atomic Energy Agency was not able to immediately confirm the announcement. Iran says IAEA inspectors have been monitoring the process, which it says got underway Tuesday.

The two-day turnaround is likely to raise doubts among Western engineers, who said Iran would need a substantial reconfiguring of its known processing capabilities.

But the timing allowed Mr. Ahmadinejad to add it to the list of Iranian achievements he hailed to massive crowds in Tehran gathered to mark the anniversary.

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for rallies around the country to observe the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Some of the pro-government gatherings were used to denounce long-time foes Britain and the United States.

Opposition demonstrators tried to hold their own rallies, but there are reports they have been met with tear gas, warning shots and arrests. One pro-reform Web site says the granddaughter of the Republic’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was briefly detained.

The government had warned it would not tolerate any counter-demonstrations, which sprang up after Mr. Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election last year.

The Iranian leadership has been criticized internationally for its crackdown on the opposition, as well as for its nuclear program. The government says the unrest has been fomented by foreign powers, and defends the enrichment as solely for civilian purposes.

Western nations are angry Tehran rejected a United Nations deal to enrich the uranium abroad, which supposedly could delay any Iranian attempt to gain nuclear weapons.

From UN Newswire

9 February 2010 – Iran has teamed with the United Nations anti-crime agency to set up a financial intelligence unit tasked with tackling the spread of money-laundering in the country, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced today.

The move is a major step forward towards fighting the use of illicit earnings in Iran – mostly connected to opium trafficking from neighbouring Afghanistan – to finance serious criminal activity, undermining peace and security in the country.

In a 2009 report, UNODC estimated that trafficking in opiates has created an illegal market worth some $65 billion annually, more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of at least 120 countries and 65 times the value of the market for firearms trafficking.

“The time has come to celebrate progress on anti-money-laundering by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” UNODC’s country representative Antonino De Leo said at the inauguration of the new unit.

“UNODC is proud of having contributed to these national achievements through its technical assistance programme,” added Mr. De Leo.

The new unit, initially consisting of 15 officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, will analyse suspicious domestic and international financial transactions, and help the judiciary investigate and prosecute those involved in money-laundering.

UNODC has also assisted Iran in establishing a computer-based training centre in its capital, Tehran, which is “a centre of excellence to train officials on international best practices in tackling money-laundering and financing of terrorism,” said Mr. De Leo.

NEW YORK, Feb. 9 (AScribe Newswire) — With anticipated demonstrations in Iran just two days away, and with the Iranian government’s media clampdown, a new website, insideIRAN.org, continues to provide commentary and analysis from experts both within and outside the country.

Earlier today, insideIRAN.org published an article highlighting opposition from conservatives in Iran towards President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad’s conflicting statements on Iran’s willingness to accept the uranium enrichment exchange program. Yesterday, the website published analysis arguing that Iran’s future is tied to its treatment of the Green Movement, a social movement that is largely made up of Iran’s urban middle class. From the article: “In the absence of free and independent media, and when political parties cannot operate legally and freely, these protesters pursue their demands on the streets of Iran’s cities.”

Century Foundation Fellow Geneive Abdo is the editor of insideIRAN.org. Before joining The Century Foundation, Abdo has served as a liaison for the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations, a project created by the U.N. secretary general to improve relations between Western and Islamic societies. She was a foreign correspondent for many years in the Middle East and the broader Islamic world, and was the first American journalist to be based in Tehran since the United States cut off ties with Iran in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As February 11 approaches, InsideIRAN.org (http://www.insideiran.org/) will continue to have exclusive content and updates from what’s happening within the country. You can keep abreast of these updates by signing up for InsideIRAN.org’s email newsletter for journalists. To do so, send an email to arafat@tcf.org, with “subscribe” in the subject line.

Abdo is available for interviews. Please contact Zaina Arafat at arafat@tcf.org or by phone at 212-452-7713. Abdo can also be reached at abdo@tcf.org .

The Century Foundation conducts public policy research and analyses of economic, social, and foreign policy issues, including inequality, retirement security, election reform, media studies, homeland security, and international affairs. The foundation produces books, reports, and other publications, convenes task forces and working groups, and operates seven informational Web sites. With offices in New York City and Washington, D.C., The Century Foundation is nonprofit and nonpartisan and was founded in 1919 by Edward A. Filene.