0625 GMT: Nuclear Watch. Our colleague Dave Siavashi of Iran News Now posts a snap analysis via Twitter of an apparent opening for the forthcoming nuclear talks between Tehran and the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, China, Russia):
Siavashi notes this statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday, after she was briefed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his talks last week with Iranian leaders:
They (the Turks) were told that the Supreme Leader viewed weapons of mass destruction as religiously prohibited, as against Islam. We are meeting with the Iranians to discuss how to translate what is a stated belief into a plan of action. It is not an abstract belief, but a government policy. That government policy can be demonstrated in a number of ways. ....The international community now wants to see actions associated with that statement of belief.
Clinton's acknowledgement of [Ayatollah] Khamenei's statement that Islam forbids WMDs is unprecedented. It's a positive signal to Iran.Last month, Khamenei gave an unprecedented nod 2 President Obama's ratcheting down of war talk [when he expressed appreciation for Obama blocking Israel's presentation of an imminent attack on Tehran, amidst a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington]. Seems both Obama Administration and Khamenei regime are leaving the door open to a deal on Iran's nuclear program. Let's see how it goes.
0610 GMT: Protests against discrimination have been common in Iran since the disputed 2009 Presidential election, and here is a distinctive example....
On Sunday, Iranians celebrated Sizdah Bedar, the celebration of nature on the 13th day of New Year. As they picnicked and played outside, there was a report that Afghans living in Isfahan had been banned from the mountainous Sofeh Park. The decision was announced on March 30 by Isfahan’s Committee to Facilitate Travel, which said the ban was "to ensure citizens' welfare". Ahmad Reza Shafiei, a police official, said "the extensive presence of Afghans" at the park in previous years and "the creation of insecurities for [Iranian] families".
While Iranian officials declare that the Islamic Republic has hosted more than two million Afghan refugees for two decades, reports of mistreatment, especially against those who enter Iran illegally, have increased. Some have been forcefully deported, and even Afghans who reside legally say they face discrimination and restrictions on their right to study and go to public places.
But here's the twist on Sunday's story. The news brought a reaction on Facebook and other social media, as Iranians condemned the "racist" and insulting order and declared, "I am also an Afghan." A symbolic protest at Sofeh Park on Sunday was reported.
In this picture, widely circulated on the Internet, three young men criticise the racism, with one of the signs bearing the "I am also an Afghan" slogan.
Posted via email from lissping
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