20 January 2010
Washington, DC—Iraq’s Supreme National Commission for Accountability and Justice has barred hundreds of legitimate candidates from running in upcoming parliamentary elections, perhaps at the behest of Tehran. The Commission is headed by Ahmad Chalabi, who has become close to the Iranian regime in recent years.
20 January 2010
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iran has sought to dominate Iraq politically, economically, and militarily. The most recent and visible manifestation of Iran’s meddling with its neighbor was the late December 2009 seizure of a portion of the remote Fakka oil field in Maysan Province in southeastern Iraq; although the Iranians, however, withdrew after three days, the seizure made it clear that Tehran has the capability to enforce its will on Baghdad. Also, there is the threat of suicide bombing in Iraq by foreign Arabs; in addition to Syria—Iran’s only Arab ally—Iran itself has become another entry point for foreign suicide bombers to enter Iraq, e.g., for Arabs entering Iraq from Afghanistan.
29 December 2009
Washington, DC—During the second half of December 2009, anti-regime protest in Iran accelerated. The latest and most brutally repressed demonstrations centered on the Shiite holiday of Ashura commemorating the death of Hussein, the most holy Shiite martyr. Regime security forces reportedly fired into crowds of protestors, killing at least ten, wounding hundreds, and arresting hundreds more.