Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society, from the Elections to Abuses to a "Documentary" (Arseh Sevom)

Press TV's "documentary" on the Revolutionary Guards' Eye of the Fox operation arresting "agents" of BBC Persian

See also Iran Opinion: The Hunger Strike of Mehdi Khazali

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Last week's review spoke of hints by the Revolutionary Guards, via their site Gerdab, of revelations concerning BBC Persian.

With the release of the transparent propaganda film by the Islamic Republic's Press TV, “The Eye of the Fox" (see top of entry), the promise of new allegations is fulfilled. Press TV shows “shocking” photos of Iranian journalists receiving training from the BBC in Turkey. They blame the BBC Persian for the unrest following the 2009 elections, accusing the organization of espionage. The "documentary" broadcasts confessions, and shows the arrest of an Iranian female journalist in what appeared to be her home.

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US Super Tuesday Summary: Romney "Wins", But It's Not Decisive

Mitt Romney addresses supporters in Ohio on Super Tuesday

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I have just spoken with the BBC about last night's contests for the Republican nomination for President --- audio to be posted later this morning --- with the take-away points: 1) Romney may have narrowly won the biggest state, Ohio, but the race goes on; 2) Romney is especially vulnerable, if the supporters of Newt Gingrich move towards Rick Santorum; 3) it's "money" v. "motivation" --- Romney has the bankroll, but Santorum's voters are far more committed in their support.

And 4) The biggest winner on Super Tuesday? Barack Obama.

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Romney wins 5 states, including Ohio; Santorum takes 3; Gingrich nabs Georgia
Paul Steinhauser and Tim Cohen, CNN 

Mitt Romney won five Super Tuesday states including the big prize of Ohio, while Rick Santorum took three states and Newt Gingrich grabbed a vital triumph in Georgia, CNN projected.

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Iran Snap Analysis: The Election --- Still Confusing, Still Muddled

Even if one puts the general label "pro-Supreme Leader" and "pro-Ahmadinejad" on the factions, this outcome --- at least in the numbers for the blocs --- is far from the clear victory for Ayatollah Khamenei that international media were proclaiming at the weekend.

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Iran Opinion: The Hunger Strike of Mehdi Khazali

The first thing I notice about the photographs of Mehdi Khazali is the smile. In an Iran where people in their 40s and 50s, especially those with any kind of clout, tend to be serious men, his demeanour is one of calm, but relaxed determination.

That determination is not only evident on his face. It has been in his life. Soon it might be in his death.

Today will be the 58th day of Khazali's hunger strike, a response to a 14-year sentence with a mandatory 10-year exile and 90 lashes, a response to the deprivation of his rights and those of others.

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Syria (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Aid Delivered, but No Relief for Homs

2055 GMT: This may look like fireworks on a black screen, but it was posted by the LCCS who say that it was taken tonight in Qorieh, Deir Ez Zor. According to multiple sources, there is heavy fighting in the area, and we've been hearing unconfirmed reports that the battles between the Free Syrian Army and the Assad forces stretch as far north as Deir Ez Zor.

2037 GMT: The US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has posted more declassified satellite photos showing the extent of the crisis in Syria:

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Syria 1st-Hand: "The First Breakdown of Regime Control in Aleppo"

University of Aleppo students demonstrate against the regime on Monday

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I just had a long conversation with friends and family in Aleppo. It may not be long before the city joins the revolution, I believe. My father could not travel by car to the border with Turkey. No driver dares take the roads north any longer, [even though] the drive to Turkey is only a half-hour. The working-class neighborhoods of Azaz, Hreitan and Anadan have largely fallen out of government control. Friends who own factories in the industrial regions outside of Aleppo complain that for a week now they have been unable to visit them. Lack of security, frequent anti-regime demonstrations and clashes between militants and the army make the excursion impossible.

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The Latest from Iran (6 March): Is Ahmadinejad in Trouble?

See also Iran Opinion: The Hunger Strike of Mehdi Khazali
Israel Video, Transcript, & Snap Analysis: Netanyahu's Speech to AIPAC
Iran-Israel-US Video Special: "It's War!"
The Latest from Iran (5 March): The Election? So Far, It's a Muddle

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1805 GMT: Drumbeats of War Watch. Dave Siavashi of Iran News Now picks up a crucial alteration in a report by CNN's Jessica Yellin about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit on Monday to the White House. First, Yellin's report:

"Three Republican presidential candidates will be addressing the AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] conference on Tuesday. All three have accused President Obama of appeasing Iran. The president has said that that kind of language and other quote 'loose talk of war' only helps Iran by driving up oil prices which Iran relies on to fund its nuclear weapons program".

Now, Obama's actual quote:

Already there is too much loose talk of war. For the last few weeks such talk has only benefited the Iranian government by driving up the price of oil, which they depend on to fund their nuclear program.

Siavashi comments:

The President said nuclear program.

Not nuclear weapons program.

Now, some people may be inclined to ask, "what's the big deal?"

It's a big deal.

It has not been proven that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. But it is virtually being touted as absolute fact by these mainstream outlets that Iran's nuclear program --- one that the Iranian government claims is for civilian purposes only, and that has been under the protocols and monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency for years --- is a nuclear weapons program.

Whether one believes what the Iranian government says is not the issue at hand though. It is irrelevant to the point I'm making. It is also irrelevant whether Jessica Yellin was even aware of the fact that she so badly misquoted President Obama.

What's relevant is that she said it without the slightest hesitation, as if intrinsically, she.just knows that it is a nuclear weapons program. It was as if she felt she needed to fill in an assumed blank between the words "nuclear" and "program" when the President uttered them. Like she was doing him a favor.

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Iran-Israel-US Video Special: "It's War!"

OK, The Day Today in 1994 does not specifically name Iran, Israel, and the US, but this is a pretty good portrayal of the media's coverage --- and manufacture --- of "war" in 2012. It's also horribly funny.

Russia Feature: 100s Arrested in Protests over Putin Victory (Al Jazeera English)

See also Russia Feature: Putin Wins Election, But Will There Be Protests?

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Thousands of Russians have rallied in Moscow and other cities to challenge Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election, prompting hundreds of arrests.

Police said they had arrested 250 people in Moscow and 300 in Saint Petersburg on Monday after moving in roughly to break up demonstrations against what opposition activists say was a rigged vote.

About 20,000 anti-Putin protesters turned out in Pushkin Square in central Moscow chanting "Russia Yes! Putin No!".

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Israel Video, Transcript, & Snap Analysis: Netanyahu's Speech to AIPAC

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Last night Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington.

The take-away subject and line are predictable: when it comes to Iran, "We are determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We leave all options on the table. And containment is definitely not an option. The Jewish state will not allow those seeking our destruction to possess the means to achieve that goal."

Put another way: "if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then what is it? That’s right, it’s a duck –but this duck is a nuclear duck. And it’s time the world started calling a duck a duck.

At the same time, it is important --- though I suspect almost all the media coverage will miss the significance --- to know the subjects that Netanyahu did not address. Because he kept everyone's eyes and ears on Tehran, he did not have to refer to the changes in the Middle East because of the "Arab Spring" and Turkey's shifting position. He did not mention Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the status of Gaza, or the 1967 borders with Paletine --- indeed, he did not have to refer at all to negotiations with the Palestinians.

And that, rather than the headlines on Iran, is probably Netanyahu's greatest accomplishment last night.

THE PREPARED TEXT

Thank you for the warm reception. It could be heard as far away as Jerusalem – the eternal and united capital of Israel. More than two thirds of the Congress is in attendance here tonight. I deeply appreciate your being here.

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