March 19th, 2012 by Oman Views

Ahmadinejad grilled by hostile Iran parliament

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was summoned to parliament on Wednesday for an unprecedented grilling by lawmakers who accused him of economic mismanagement and making “illegal” appointments.

Less than two weeks after a drubbing in parliamentary elections, Ahmadinejad became the first president in the Islamic Republic’s history to be called before the legislature which has the power to impeach him if unsatisfied with his answers.

Factions who express complete loyalty to Iran’s most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been trying to summon the president for months over what they say are repeated challenges to the supreme leader’s authority.

Emboldened by their success over Ahmadinejad supporters at parliamentary elections this month, they finally had the chance to interrogate him about the near-stagnant, high-inflation economy and concerns over his allegiance to Khamenei.

Asking the questions, lawmaker Ali Motahari asked why Ahmadinejad had stayed at home for several days last April after Khamenei overturned the president’s decision to sack his intelligence minister – an absence seen by some as a protest against the supreme leader’s decision.

Belying his weakened standing, Ahmadinejad responded in a confident and, at times, flippant tone that did little to calm the excitement of the hearing, broadcast live on state radio.

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By Marcus George | Reuters

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March 3rd, 2012 by Oman Views

Trial opens in $2.6 bn Iran banking fraud case

The trial in a $2.6 billion dollar banking fraud case that the Iranian media describe as the country’s biggest ever opened on Saturday with some of the 32 accused facing possible death sentences.

The accused were charged with involvement in taking bribes and financial corruption, Iranian media reported.

The lead defendant, who was identified only by the initials MA, is accused of being “corrupt on earth,” a charge which carries the death penalty under Iran’s penal code, the reports said.

The fraud, as it surfaced last September, allegedly saw a private consortium amass trillions of rials through forged letters of credit approved by half a dozen Iranian banks.

At the centre of the fraud is a company called the Aria group, which was founded in 2005 with a mere $50,000. In 2011, estimates put its value at more than $3.5 billion.

The scandal took a political turn after media opposed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad published a letter attributed to his chief of staff and principal advisor, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, reportedly asking Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini to facilitate the Aria group’s operations.

On September 14, Ahmadinejad spoke in spirited defence of Mashaie and urged the judiciary to launch an “honest” probe into the case.

The fraud almost forced Hosseini from office but in November he survived an impeachment vote in parliament after being accused of lax oversight of the banking sector in relation to the fraud.

During the impeachment hearing, Hosseini received unexpected support from one of Ahmadinejad’s main political rivals in the conservative camp – parliament speaker Ali Larijani – who said the legislature should “not create new conflicts” in the current political atmosphere.

No indication was given about the likely length of the trial.

AFP

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February 20th, 2012 by Oman Views

U.S. Drew a Clear Line for Iran : It Won’t Dare Cross It

COMMENTARY| There is nothing like waking up on Monday morning to the latest round of threats from the Iranian navy to shut off the world’s oil supply. To hear it speak, we’d all think it were a world superpower in the water.

Fortunately, Iran is not. But that hasn’t stopped it from preparing a new offensive weapon, Reuters reported. The latest assault on freedom of the seas appears to come in the form of small attack craft the Iranian navy is arming with a single bomb to be used on suicide attack runs against large U.S. Navy ships.

As World War II as that sounds, that’s what the U.S. naval commander said was discovered.

Vice Admiral Mark Fox commands the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Gulf region. He is comfortable there is nothing Iran can muster to close the vital Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. I like that confidence – it shows all the billions we spend on the Navy haven’t gone to waste.

Fox said he believes Iran could be a nuisance for a brief period but it had no weapon or strategy the U.S. couldn’t handle.

There is no doubt that should Iran lose its mind and attack a U.S. vessel – or any vessel for that matter – the response from Fox’s forces would be overwhelming, immediate and complete. With that strategy, the U.S. would insure there wasn’t a second attempt from Iran.

But rest assured: Tehran already knows this. That is why it contains its attacks to diplomatic salvos that are noted but largely ignored. Somehow, I believe the U.S. position and the point of no return have been very clearly communicated to all the powers that be in the Islamic Republic.

There is little doubt Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows how far the U.S. is going to allow him to push the issue – and how we will respond if he crosses the line.

After 10 years of watching U.S. capabilities and commitment to the region, Iran has learned to never cross the line – at least not the line the world’s only superpower has drawn.

By Dan McGinnis | Yahoo! Contributor Network

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