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Sanktionen: Mit Risiken und Nebenwirkungen – gestern im Irak und heute in Iran

Posted on 04 March 2013 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

 

Abendveranstaltung, 28. Februar 2013, Governance Center Middle East | North Africa, Humboldt–Viadrina School of Governance, Berlin

Governance-Gespräche des Governance Center Middle East | North Africa

Sanktionen – Mit Risiken und Nebenwirkungen: Dynamiken und Auswirkungen der Embargos im Iran und im Irak

Begrüßung durch:

Vorträge und Diskussion mit:

  • Dr. h.c. Hans-Christof Graf von Sponeck ist ein deutscher UN-Diplomat. Er ist Autor politischer Sachbücher, so z.B. von Ein anderer Krieg: Das Sanktionsregime der UNO im Irak (Hamburg: Hamburger Edition, 2005). Er lehrt gegenwärtig an der Universität Marburg und am United Nations System Staff College in Turin. Von 1968 bis 2000 war er an verschiedenen Einsatzorten für die Vereinten Nationen tätig, zuletzt in Bagdad (Irak) als UN-Koordinator für Humanitäre Hilfe im Irak. Im Februar 2000 reichte er seinen Rücktritt aus Protest gegen die Sanktionspolitik des UN-Sicherheitsrates ein, die er verantwortlich für das Sterben von mehreren hunderttausend irakischen Kindern sah.
  • Ali Fathollah-Nejad, 1981 in Iran geboren, ist ein deutsch-iranischer Politologe. Er studierte Politikwissenschaft, Soziologie und Rechtswissenschaft an der Universität Münster, der Sciences-Po Lille und der University of Twente. Zurzeit promoviert er an der School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) der University of London über den Einfluss globaler Machtverschiebungen auf Irans internationale Beziehungen. Fathollah-Nejad ist Autor der Studie Der Iran-Konflikt und die Obama-Regierung (Universitätsverlag Potsdam, 2010 & 2011). Schwerpunktmäßig beschäftigt er sich mit den Auswirkungen der Iran-Politik und des Sanktionsregimes auf Entwicklungs-, Demokratie- und Friedensaussichten.
  • Matthias Jochheim ist Vorsitzender der deutschen Sektion der IPPNW. Er war im November 2012 im Rahmen einer internationalen Ärztedelegation in Iran und hat dort u.a. das Labbafinejad-Krankenhaus in Teheran, das Opfer des irakischen Chemiewaffeneinsatzes während des achtjährigen Krieges gegen Iran behandelt, besucht und sich über die Folgen der Sanktionen informiert.

Veranstalter:

IPPNW Deutschland (Deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung e.V.) & Governance Center Middle East | North Africa, Humboldt–Viadrina School of Governance.

Photos von der Abendveranstaltung

Photos von der Pressekonferenz am Vormittag

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Pressemitteilung der IPPNW Deutschland vom 28.2.2013:

Sanktionen sind ein langsames Gift, keine Medizin: Nach den Verhandlungen über iranisches Atomprogramm

Auszug: “„Sanktionen sind weder in politischer noch in gesellschaftlicher Hinsicht eine Heilung versprechende Medizin, sondern eher ein langsames Gift. Die laut US-Präsident Obama härtesten Sanktionen, die je in der Geschichte auferlegt wurden, treffen die einfachen Menschen in Iran und nicht etwa das Regime. Die Zivilbevölkerung leidet massiv unter den Folgen, der Humus der Zivilgesellschaft wird langsam aber sicher ausgetrocknet. Somit wächst der Machtvorsprung des Staates gegenüber zivilgesellschaftlicher Widerstandskraft“, kritisiert der deutsch-iranische Politologe Ali Fathollah-Nejad. Wie auch zunehmend in den USA zugegeben werde, sei diese Druck- und Drohpolitik gegen Iran gescheitert.”

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Medienecho (Auszug)

 

INFO IN ENGLISH

This is a collection of information surrounding the panel discussion on “Sanctions – With Risks and Side Effects: Dynamics and Effects of the Embargoes in Iran and Iraq” with Ali Fathollah-Nejad & Dr.h.c. Hans von Sponeck (fmr. UN Assistant Secretary-General & UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq), chaired by Prof. Udo Steinbach (Director, Governance Center Middle East | North Africa, Humboldt–Viadrina School of Governance, Berlin), organized by IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) Germany & the Governance Center Middle East | North Africa, Humboldt–Viadrina School of Governance. The event took place on 28 February in Berlin.

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Iran Willing to Resume Nuclear Talks as Sanctions Bite Hard

Posted on 09 January 2013 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

 

Henry Rigewell | Voice of America | 9 January 2013

 

LONDON — Iran says it is prepared to return to talks, possibly later this month, with major world powers over its nuclear program.  As the country’s uranium enrichment program continues, Western countries have tightened economic sanctions against Tehran.

U.S. President Barack Obama last week signed off on a new round of sanctions targeting Iran’s energy and shipping sectors.  They build on a range of unilateral and multilateral sanctions against Iranian industry and banks.

The measures are aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.  The West claims Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons; Tehran says the program is for civilian purposes.

Iran has indicated it is ready to hold a fresh round talks with international powers – the so-called P5+1 – the United States, Britain, Russia, China, and France, plus Germany.

Jamie Ingram, of IHS Global Insight, says the sanctions are forcing Iran to the negotiating table.

“This is hitting Iranians hard in the pocket,” said Ingram. “Also, with the restrictions on imports, there are growing food shortages.”

EU trade with Iran – even in permitted commodities – has fallen off dramatically in recent months.  That’s because European banks fear the wrath of the U.S., says Nigel Kushner, chief executive of W Legal which advises firms on trading with Iran.

“The Americans will have a quiet word with them, one suspects, and asks them not to do it,” said Kushner. “So they won’t do it even though they are permitted to do it.  I was speaking yesterday with a Swiss bank who have said, ‘We want to accept payments for medical goods, or humanitarian goods that are going to Iran, but we’re too scared to do it.’ ”

Kushner says Iran is looking to countries beyond the jurisdiction of the sanctions to get what it needs.

“It might take longer, it might more cumbersome, and it might cost them more, but they will often look to countries like China, possibly Turkey, who don’t need to comply,” said Kushner.

The banking sanctions are causing the most pain in Iran, says analyst Ali Fathollah-Nejad of the University of London.

“You have huge financial and banking sanctions, which is the eye of the storm from which every other civilian branches of the economy are then crippled,” said Fathollah-Nejad.

He argues the West must put the sanctions up for negotiation at any upcoming talks if a diplomatic solution is to be found.

“In terms of its economic development, in terms of the well-being of its population, in terms of the well-being of its civil society, is something that Iranians inside and outside the country do care a lot about,” said Fathollah-Nejad. “And this is something that has to be put on the table.”

If the talks between Iran and the P5+1 go ahead, analysts expect a focus on short-term confidence-building rather than a solution to the crisis.

The sanctions against Iran, meanwhile, are a hot topic in Washington after President Obama announced his pick of Chuck Hagel to be the new secretary of defense.

Hagel, a former Republican senator, is on record in the past as opposing unilateral sanctions against Iran.  And if international talks with Iran fail, Hagel and the Pentagon would find themselves in the midst of a U.S. decision of whether to strike Iran militarily.

SOURCE

Henry Rigewell (2013) “Iran Willing to Resume Talks as Sanctions Bite Hard“, Voice of America (VOA), 9 January.

▪ republished on The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition) (South Korea), 10 January 2013;

▪ republished on The Cutting Edge, 12 January 2013;

▪ republished on The Jewish Voice (New York), 16 January 2013.

 

TRANSLATIONS

 

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Economic Sanctions against Iran – Pargar (BBC Persian TV)

Posted on 08 November 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

“Pargar” - Weekly roundtable in which our guests try to answer some of the challenging and controversial questions in modern society.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Moderator: Daryoush Karimi

Guests:

Panel 1

  • Dr. Hassan Hakimian (Director, London Middle East Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS], University of London & Reader, Economics Department, SOAS)
  • Dr. Djamshid Assadi (Burgundy School of Business, France)

Panel 2

  • Ali Fathollah-Nejad (PhD candidate in International Relations, SOAS)
  • Fariba Shirazi (journalist, London)

 

 

Economic Sanctions against Iran – Pargar (BBC Persian TV) – October 2012 from Ali Fathollah-Nejad on Vimeo.

Download the audio file (26 MB; 56 mins).

 

NOTES BY ALI FATHOLLAH-NEJAD

  • The program has been edited towards the end. What I said at the end were basically two points: (1) I reacted to the debate at the end of the show about the Iran-West stand-off by merely pointing out that the West’s approach towards Iran is called “coercive diplomacy” in Diplomatic Studies not without a reason; (2) I asked whether “smart bombs” would follow in the wake of “smart sanctions.”
  • As to the number of children dying from the effects of the sanctions regime on Iraq (which lasted from 1991 to 2003), here is a collection of sources taken from the Wikipedia article “Sanctions against Iraq: Effects on the Iraqi people during sanctions” (accessed on 17 November 2012), which can provide the basis for both my own indication of 500,000 and the one by Dr. Hakimian’s of 250,000:

‘Researcher Richard Garfield estimated that “a minimum of 100,000 and a more likely estimate of 227,000 excess deaths among young children from August 1991 through March 1998″ from all causes including sanctions.[27] Other estimates have put the number at 170,000 children.[14][28][29] UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said that

if the substantial reduction in child mortality throughout Iraq during the 1980s had continued through the 1990s, there would have been half a million fewer deaths of children under-five in the country as a whole during the eight year period 1991 to 1998. As a partial explanation, she pointed to a March statement of the Security Council Panel on Humanitarian Issues which states: “Even if not all suffering in Iraq can be imputed to external factors, especially sanctions, the Iraqi people would not be undergoing such deprivations in the absence of the prolonged measures imposed by the Security Council and the effects of war.” [30]

Estimates of deaths due to sanctions

Estimates of excess deaths during sanctions vary depending on the source. The estimates vary [30][37] due to differences in methodologies, and specific time-frames covered.[38] A short listing of estimates follows:

- Unicef: 500,000 children (including sanctions, collateral effects of war). “[As of 1999] [c]hildren under 5 years of age are dying at more than twice the rate they were ten years ago.”[30][39]
- Former U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq Denis Halliday: “Two hundred thirty-nine thousand children 5 years old and under” as of 1998.[40]
- “probably … 170,000 children”, Project on Defense Alternatives, “The Wages of War”, 20. October 2003[41]
- 350,000 excess deaths among children “even using conservative estimates”, Slate Explainer, “Are 1 Million Children Dying in Iraq?”, 9. October 2001.[42]
- Economist Michael Spagat: “very likely to be [less than] than half a million children” because estimation efforts are unable to isolate the effects of sanctions alone due to the lack of “anything resembling a controlled experiment”[43], and “one potential explanation” for the statistics showing a decline in child mortality was that “they were not real, but rather results of manipulations by the Iraqi government.”[43]
- “Richard Garfield, a Columbia University nursing professor … cited the figures 345,000-530,000 for the entire 1990-2002 period”[8] for sanctions-related excess deaths.[44]
- Zaidi, S. and Fawzi, M. C. S., (1995) The Lancet British medical journal: 567,000 children.[45] A co-author (Zaidi) did a follow-up study in 1996, finding “much lower … mortality rates … for unknown reasons.”[46]
- Iraq expert Amatzia Baram compared the country’s population growth rates over several censuses and found there to be almost no difference in the rate of Iraq’s population growth between 1977 and 1987 (35.8 percent), and between 1987 and 1997 (35.1 percent), suggesting a much lower total.[47]‘

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Iran, Israel and the West | Iran, Israel und der Westen

Posted on 11 August 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

Das deutsche Original befindet sich weiter unten.


Iran, Israel and the West: Is There a Way Out of the Crisis?

Interview with Ali Fathollah-Nejad & Hillel Schenker

 

Possible alternatives and the perception of the spiral of violence discussed in Berlin by German–Iranian political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Israeli journalist and peace activist Hillel Schenker at the invitation of German branch of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW Germany) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). The debate on which the following text is based upon was held on 23 April 2012 at the FES before an audience of over 150 diplomats, politicians, academics, students, NGO activists and other concerned citizens.

Moderator: Does the Middle-East face an armed, nuclear conflict between Israel and Iran? In the public discussion there are only three options: military action with conventional weapons, a nuclear attack or a continuation of the sanctions policy against Iran.

Ali Fathollah-Nejad: From the beginning, the West has used coercive diplomacy against Iran. This strategy does not aim at reconciliation of interests, but at a de facto capitulation of Iran. From the Iranian perspective, there has been a security deficit, which was enforced by the neoconservative wars of the last decade through the increased military presence of the Americans in the region. Due to the fact that the West didn’t take into account Iran’s legitimate security interests, coercive diplomacy has failed. The lack of any solution to the conflict has led to a continuing escalation.

Moderator: What are the effects of the sanctions policy of the West in Iran?

Ali Fathollah-Nejad: To put it briefly, sanctions have made legal trade illegal. The situation in Iran has dramatically tightened in the last few months. Prices are rising and the currency has lost nearly half of its value. It is the population who has to pay the price of sanctions. The élite owns the resources and has ways to withstand the sanctions. Hence, the sanctions actually widen the power gap between the ruling structures on one side and the civilian economy and society on the other. As a result, civil society finds itself in a state of siege, pressured by both an authoritarian regime and by sanctions and the permanent threat of war. Overall the policy of the West in the region pushed forward a process of securitization in the country. Instead of running towards an armed conflict, the focus should be on the process of balancing interests and perspectives for security and collaboration. It is alarming that there are no clear signals for de-escalation and conflict resolution, and this is true for Germany as well.

Moderator: Which are the reactions of the Israeli population on the debate around a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities?

Hillel Schenker: In Israel everyone is frightened of the possibility of Iranian nuclear armament. Public opinion surveys show this. For example the Israeli population was asked how they would react in case of a nuclear armament of Iran. 25% of the questioned answered they would possibly leave the country. Another survey shows that the majority of Israelis would be for giving up the Israeli nuclear weapons and becoming a part of a nuclear-free zone if this would prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

Moderator: Is the statement from Iran that they are only interest in nuclear energy is the civil use convincing?

Ali Fathollah-Nejad: Due to its geography, its demography and its long cultural history, Iran has a particular place in the region. The country has a quasi-natural geopolitical influence. An important component of the strategic thinking in Tehran is that a nuclear bomb is counter-productive to their grand-strategic interests. If Iran went nuclear, it is probable that other states in the region, states which Iran is not friends with, like the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), such as Saudi Arabia, would get nuclear weapons. Such a nuclear stand-off would lead to the loss of the natural geopolitical importance of Iran.

Moderator: Which options about the Iranian nuclear program are discussed in the Israeli public?

Hillel Schenker: In the public discussion there are currently two strategies of how to deal with the Iranian nuclear program. One idea is an Israeli or American or coordinated nuclear attack against the Iranian nuclear facilities. A large amount of military experts expect that this will lead to a spiral of violence in the region with a lot of civilian victims without leading to success. Another option would be a combination of sanctions and negotiations. But there is a third: direct negotiations between the two parties on neutral ground. These negotiations should aim to create a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. In 2010 at a NPT (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) review conference, it was decided that an international conference should be held to create such a nuclear weapons-free zone. The conference will be held at the end of this year, 2012, or at the beginning of next year in Finland, with the facilitation of Finnish Under-Secretary of State Jaakko Laajava.

Moderator: How can civil society help lead this conference to success?

Hillel Schenker: From the point of view of the civil society it is essential that Israel and Iran will be attending this conference. If either does not attend, the conference will be a failure. The second point is the conference should not be a one-time event. It has to be the beginning of a process. Thirdly, all the participants have to recognize that a nuclear and mass destruction weapons-free zone and peace in the Middle East are not mutually exclusive; they depend on each other and they have to take place simultaneously.

* * *

A previous version has been posted on the website of the Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture on 25 July 2012. Fathollah-Nejad’s statements were originally made in German; the present version presents an edited translation thereof.

 

SOURCE

Ali Fathollah-Nejad & Hillel Schenker (2012) “Iran, Israel, and the West: Is There a Way Out of the Crisis?“, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture (online), 25/07

▪ slightly edited version republished on Fair Observer, 27/08 ▪ Global Research, Montreal: Centre for Research on Globalization, 28/08 ▪ Arab Spring Collective (Cairo), 29/08.

▪ posted on Red Horse Down, 12/09, Alex(ander) Patico (co-founder of the National Iranian American Council [NIAC] and member of the Board of Advisory of the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran [CASMII]).

 

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Iran, Israel und der Westen: Auswege aus der Bedrohungsspirale

Ein Interview mit Ali Fathollah-Nejad und Hillel Schenker

 

Droht im Nahen Osten ein militärischer Konflikt mit unabsehbaren Folgen, eine nukleare Auseinandersetzung zwischen Israel und dem Iran? Wenn man die öffentliche Diskussion aufmerksam verfolgt, dann scheint es im Nahen Osten zurzeit nur drei Optionen zu geben. Einen Militärschlag mit konventionellen Waffen, einen Nuklearschlag oder weiterhin eine scharfe Sanktionspolitik gegen den Iran.

Welche Alternativen möglich sind und wie die Spirale der Gewalt in beiden Ländern wahrgenommen wird, darüber diskutierten der israelische Journalist und Friedensaktivist Hillel Schenker und der deutsch-iranische Politologe Ali Fathollah-Nejad in Berlin auf Einladung der IPPNW und der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

[Lesen Sie hier weiter.] (pdf)

 

QUELLE

Ali Fathollah-Nejad & Hillel Schenker (2012) “Iran, Israel und der Westen: Auswege aus der Bedrohungsspirale” [Iran, Israel and the West: Exiting the Dangerous Spiral], interview, IPPNWforum, Berlin: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Germany, No. 130 (June), pp. 10–11.

 

REAKTIONEN

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Iran-Termine der IPPNW Deutschland

Posted on 09 April 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

Eine Dokumentation

IPPNW-Jahrestreffen 2012

22. April 2012

Der Iran-Atomkonflikt: Gibt es einen Weg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? | Öffentliches Symposium mit Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Hillel Schenker (Mitherausgeber, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) & Prof. Dr. Udo Steinbach (ehem. Direktor, Orient-Institut [später: German Institute of Global and Area Studies GIGA], 1976–2006) | Jahrestreffen der deutschen Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung (IPPNW Deutschland), Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum.

Video-Aufzeichnung

Medien

Erklärungen der IPPNW Deutschland

Photos

 

Pressekonferenz

23. April 2012 Iran, Israel und der Westen: Gibt es einen Ausweg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? | Pressekonferenz mit Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Hillel Schenker (Mitherausgeber, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) & Dr. Jens Wagner (Vorstandsmitglied der IPPNW Deutschland | Veranstaltet durch die deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung (IPPNW Deutschland) | IALANA-Hauptstadtbüro, Schützenstrasse 6a, 10117 Berlin, 11 Uhr.

Medien

 

Podiumsdiskussion in der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

23. April 2012 Iran, Israel und der Westen: Gibt es einen Ausweg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? | Diskussion mit Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Hillel Schenker (Mitherausgeber, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) | Veranstaltet durch die deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte für die Verhütung des Atomkrieges/Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung (IPPNW Deutschland) und der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), FES, Berlin.

 

Bericht der FES (23. April 2012)

  • Diskussionsveranstaltung mit Hillel Schenker, israelischer Journalist und Friedensaktivist, und Ali Fathollah-Nejad, deutsch-iranischer Politologe und Iran-Experte

Zwar ist die Debatte um einen Angriff auf Iran etwas abgeflaut, doch wenn die derzeitige Gesprächsrunde mit Iran scheitert und die im Juli einsetzenden Sanktionen gegen den Öl- und Finanzsektor keine Wirkung zeigen, werden Möglichkeiten und unabsehbare Folgen eines Angriffs auf iranische Nuklearanlagen erneut diskutiert werden. Was sind die Hintergründe dieser Bedrohungswahrnehmung? Was sind Ergebnisse bisheriger westlicher Iranpolitik und was kann getan werden, um weitere Regelungsmechanismen, wie zum Beispiel eine nuklearwaffenfreie Zone in der Region, zu forcieren? Über diese und weitere Fragen diskutierten Hillel Schenker, israelischer Journalist und Friedensaktivist, und Ali Fathollah-Nejad, deutsch-iranischer Politologe und Iran-Experte, im Rahmen einer Diskussion in der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Beide Teilnehmer betonten die bisher kaum gehobenen Potentiale zivilgesellschaftlicher Initiativen für eine Konfliktregelung, etwa die einer massenvernichtungsfreien Zone im Nahen und Mittleren Osten. Dabei hoben sie hervor, dass westliche Politik mittel- und langfristig dann erfolgreich sein kann, wenn mit Blick auf Iran und Israel mehr für gegenseitige Anerkennung und Gewaltverzicht geworben würde – auch mit aktiver Beteiligung der Zivilgesellschaft.

FES-Audio-Podcast

Medien

  • Deutsche Welle TV Arabic, Interviews mit Hillel Schenker und Ali Fathollah-Nejad, 24. April 2012;
  • Xanthe Hall [Koordination der politisch-strategischen Arbeit, Internationales, Frieden, Atomwaffen für die IPPNW Deutschland], “Was tun mit Iran und Israel?“, atomwaffenfrei.jetzt (Blog des Kampagnenrats “unsere zukunft – atomwaffenfrei”), 26. April 2012.

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Dangerous War Games: Iran on the Brink

Posted on 09 March 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

23 February 2012 | Quadriga – The International Talk Show (Deutsche Welle’s international talk show)

 

Dangerous War Games: Iran on the Brink | TV debate with Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Prof. em. Michael Stürmer (Chief Correspondent of the German daily Die Welt & former Director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, 1988–98) and Dr. Andrew B. Denison (Director of Transatlantic Networks) | “Quadriga: The International Talk Show” – Deutsche Welle TV English.

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Vor allem das Volk leidet: Irans Führung gibt sich vom Öl-Embargo der EU unbeeindruckt und hat jetzt einen Sündenbock (Badische Zeitung)

Posted on 11 January 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

Michael Wrase | Badische Zeitung | 25. Januar 2012

 

LIMASSOL. Irans Offizielle demonstrieren nach dem am Montag verhängten Öl-Embargo der Europäer Gelassenheit. Die einfachen Menschen in dem längst schwer von Sanktionen gezeichneten Land müssen sich indes auf neue Erschwernisse einstellen.

Der Iran werde nicht ein Jota seiner atomaren Rechte aufgeben, erklärte Vize-Außenminister Abbas Araqchi. Regierungssprecher Rahim Mehmamparast wiederholte Teherans bekannte Position, wonach das Land lediglich über ein ziviles Atomprogramm verfüge. Fortschritte dabei könnten auch durch das ungerechte Öl-Embargo der EU niemals verhindert werden. Man habe gelernt, mit Sanktionen zu leben, betonte Mehmamparast. Das Embargo werde nur die Ölpreise in die Höhe treiben, der Weltwirtschaft schaden und insbesondere die westlichen Staaten treffen, heißt es in einer Erklärung des Ölministeriums. Ähnlich äußerte sich der Vizekommandeur der Revolutionsgardisten, Hossein Salami. Er erinnerte an den Krieg mit Irak, in dessen Endphase die irakische Luftwaffe mit Hilfe Frankreichs den iranischen Erdölexport fast zum Erliegen gebracht habe. Auch damals habe man sich nicht vom richtigen Weg abbringen lassen.

Tatsächlich muss der Iran seit der islamischen Revolution vor fast genau 33 Jahren mit Zwangsmaßnahmen leben. Die Leidtragenden waren niemals die Regierenden; es litt das einfache Volk, das Engpässe bei der Versorgung murrend hinnahm und dafür in der Regel den Westen verantwortlich machte. Auch der von der EU beschlossene Stopp der Ölimporte wird die Regierung von Mahmud Achmedinedschad nicht schwächen, sondern eher stärken, glaubt Paul Stevens, Iranexperte bei der Londoner Denkfabrik Chatham House. Dem in die Kritik geratenen Staatspräsidenten biete sich nun eine goldene Gelegenheit, die EU für die Unzulänglichkeiten und Fehler seiner Regierung verantwortlich zu machen.

Auch Opposition gegen Strafmaßnahmen

Es sei eine Illusion, wenn der Westen glaube, die ums Überleben kämpfenden Iraner würden sich jetzt gegen ihre Regierung erheben, sagte der iranische Politikwissenschaftler Ali Fathollah-Nejad. Auch die von den Oppositionspolitikern Mussawi und Karrubi geführte grüne iranische Bewegung lehne Sanktionen ab, weil darunter das Volk leide, das Regime aber gestärkt werde.

Nach Angaben iranischer Ökonomen hat der iranische Rial in den vergangenen zwei Monaten fast die Hälfte seines Wertes gegenüber dem US-Dollar verloren. Die Hauspreise stiegen im gleichen Zeitraum um mehr als 20 Prozent, die Preise für Lebensmittel um fast 40 Prozent. Fleisch sei für die meisten Iraner inzwischen unbezahlbar. Private Importeure hätten mit gravierenden Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen. Nutznießer der Misere seien die iranischen Revolutionsgardisten, deren Unternehmen den aufblühenden Schwarzmarkt mit den im Iran so begehrten westlichen Gütern versorgen.

Da angesichts der iranischen Halsstarrigkeit im Atomstreit mit dem Westen eine Aufhebung der Sanktionen nicht in Sicht ist, werden in Teheran immer lauter Gegenmaßnahmen diskutiert. Die Drohung, die Straße von Hormus zu sperren und so rund 25 Prozent des internationalen Ölexportes zu blockieren, bleibt nach Ansicht westlicher Analysten zwar eine ernstzunehmende Option. Nach der Ankunft eines US-Flugzeugträgers beschwichtigte Irans Regierung aber: Niemals habe man beabsichtigt, die Meerenge zu sperren, stellte Außenminister Ali-Akbar Salehi am Montag in Teheran klar.

 

QUELLE

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Talks & Lectures

Posted on 01 January 2012 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

LAST UPDATE: 1 May 2012

 

9 May 2012 Der Konflikt zwischen dem Iran und dem Westen: Hintergründe und Perspektiven [The Conflict between Iran and the West: Backgrounds and Perpectives] | Studium Generale Lecture Series: »Die Entwicklungen in der islamischen Welt und die Rolle des Westens« [Developments in the Islamic World and the Role of the West] | Business and Information Technology School (BiTS), Iserlohn (Germany).

30 April 2012             Droht ein Krieg des Westens gegen den Iran? Was Deutschland und Europa für eine Deeskalation der angespannten Lage tun können | Discussant: Dr. Rolf Mützenich (German MP), Foreign Policy Spokesman of the Parliamentary Group of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Co-Chair of the German–Iranian MP Group of the German Bundestag, Chair of the Socialist International (SI) Committee on Disarmament | Organized by the Cologne Forum for International Relations and Security Policy (KFIBS, Kölner Forum für Internationale Beziehungen und Sicherheitspolitik) | Chaired by Sepideh Parsa (KFIBS) | Institute of Oriental and Asian Studies (IOA), University of Bonn.

23 April 2012             Iran, Israel und der Westen: Gibt es einen Ausweg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? (Iran, Israel and the West: Is There a Way Out of the Crisis?) | Panel discussion with Hillel Schenker (Co-Editor, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) | Moderated by: Peter Philipp (journalist, fmr. Chief Correspondent for DW-Radio/DW-World.de) | Organized by the German section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) & the Friedrich Ebert Foundation | Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Berlin, 18 h.

23 April 2012             Iran, Israel und der Westen: Gibt es einen Ausweg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? (Iran, Israel and the West: Is There a Way Out of the Crisis?) | Press Conference with Hillel Schenker (Co-Editor, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) & Dr. Jens Wagner (board member of IPPNW Germany) | Organized by the German section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) | Office of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), Berlin, 11 h.

22 April 2012 Der Iran-Atomkonflikt: Gibt es einen Weg aus der Bedrohungsspirale? [The Iran Nuclear Conflict: Is There Way Out of the Spiral of Threats?] | Public symposium with Hillel Schenker (Co-Editor, Palestine–Israel Journal of Politics, Economics and Culture) & Prof. Udo Steinbach (former Director, German Orient Institute [renamed as: German Institute of Global and Area Studies GIGA], 1976–2006) | Annual meeting of the German section of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), Braunschweig (Germany).

9 March 2012            Drohungen – Sanktionen – Krieg: Eskalationsstrategie gegen den Iran [Threats – Sanctions – War: Escalation Strategy against Iran | Podium discussion with Kuros Yalpani (Webmaster, politube.org) | Organized by Münchner Bündnis gegen Krieg und Rassismus, EineWeltHaus, Munich (Germany).

8 March 2012            Iran im Auge des Orkans [Iran in the Eye of Storm] | Podium discussion with Kuros Yalpani (Webmaster, politube.org), Moderator: Thomas Pany (Editor, Telepolis) | Import Export, Munich (Germany).

6 March 2012            10 Jahre Iran-Konflikt: Gibt es noch Hoffnung auf eine friedliche Lösung? [The Iran Conflict 10 Years On: Is There Still Hope for a Peaceful Resolution?] | Organized by Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft – Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG-VK), Forum für gesellschaftlichen Frieden in Karlsruhe (FgF), Friedensbündnis Karlsruhe, Internationales Begegnungszentrum (ibz) | ibz, Karlsruhe (Germany).

7 Dec. 2011                Interest-Driven Policy Versus Human Rights To Be Continued? A Review of and Lessons from Western Policy towards Northern Africa and Western Asia [Weiterhin Interessenpolitik versus Menschenrechte? Rückblick und Lehren aus der westlichen Politik gegenüber Nordafrika und Westasien] | Organized by the Iran working group (AK Iran) of the Amnesty International Campus Group Bonn | Dies Academicus, University of Bonn.

30 Nov. 2011             Der Iran-Atomkonflikt und Europa: Eine vermeidbare Krise und Lösungsaussichten [The Iran Nuclear Conflict and Europe: A Preventable Crisis and the Prospects for a Settlement] | Conference on »Iran – als mögliche Atommacht eine Gefahr für Europa?« [Iran – As a Potential Nuclear Power a Threat to Europe?] | Europäische Akademie Nordrhein-Westfalen in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung), Bonn (Germany), 27/11–02/12/2011.

30 Nov. 2011             Außenpolitische Zielsetzung Irans und Europa: Ein historischer Abriss [Iran’s Foreign-Policy Goals and Europe: A Historical Account] | Conference on »Iran – als mögliche Atommacht eine Gefahr für Europa?« [Iran – As a Potential Nuclear Power a Threat to Europe?] | Europäische Akademie Nordrhein-Westfalen in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung), Bonn (Germany), 27/11–02/12/2011.

26 Nov. 2011 Iran und Israel: Auswirkungen der US-Iran-Krise und des »Arabischen Frühlings« [Iran and Israel: Consequences of the U.S.–Iran Crisis and of the »Arab Spring« | Israel und seine Nachbarn: Ressentiments – Feindschaften – Koalitionen [Israel and its Neighbors] | DIE HEGGE – Christliches Bildungswerk | Willebadessen-Niesen (Germany), 25–27/11/2011.

12 Nov. 2011             The Methodology of Citizens’ Panels and its Perspectives in Migration Matters | Keynote Speech in Part 1 “Migration and Citizens’ Panels” | International Workshop »Improving the Situation of Immigrants – Citizens and Experts Debate«, concluding the project GOAL (Granting Opportunities of Active Learning), led by ALDA (Association of Local Democracy Agencies) | Bucharest, 12–13 November 2011.

24 Oct. 2011              Chairing the panel discussion on »The Road to Regional Security and Cooperation in the Middle East« with Ziad AbuZayyad (Co-Editor & Co-Publisher, Palestine–Israel Journal [PIJ] & Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East [CSCME], Palestine), Hillel Schenker (Co-Editor, PIJ & CSCME, Israel), Gen. (rtd.) Mohammad K. Shiyyab (Founder & General Manager, Middle East Studies Center, Amman/Jordan), Prof. Mohssen Massarrat (CSCME, Germany/Iran) | 6th SOAS/British Pugwash London Conference on a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 24/10/2011.

13 July 2011                Panel discussion on »The Challenge of Dealing With Iran« with Stephen Twigg MP (Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs & fmr. Director and currently Senior Research Associate, Foreign Policy Centre, London) & Mark Fitzpatrick (Director of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Programme, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), London | Organized by the Young Fabians Middle Eastern Programme | House of Commons, London.

17 April 2011              The End of the American Empire? The Arab Revolutionary Process and the Threat to U.S.-Led Western Hegemony | Panel on “Structures of Power and Strategies of Resistance in North Africa and West Asia”, ‘Sunday of Resistance’ event, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

27 Jan. 2011               Sanktionen und Kriegsdrohungen gegen Iran: Facetten eines globalen Konfliktes [Sanctions and Threats of War against Iran: Facets of a Global Conflict] | Organized by Münchner Bündnis gegen Krieg und Rassismus & Münchner Friedensbündnis | EineWeltHaus, Munich, Germany.

4 Dec. 2010                Friedens- und entwicklungspolitische Auswirkungen der Iran-Politik [Peace and Developmental Ramifications of the Iran Policy] | 17th nationwide and international »Friedenspolitischer Ratschlag 2010« [Federal Committee Peace Counsel]: Globaler Kampf um Rohstoffe, Wasser und Energie [Global Fight for Resources, Water and Energy] | University of Kassel (Germany), 4–5/12/2010.

30 June 2010              Iran und wir: Ein Blick hinter die Schlagzeilen [Iran and Us: Taking a Look Behind the Headlines] | LOGE | Essen (Germany).

25 June 2010             Iran im Visier: Sanktionen, Propaganda, Kriegsdrohungen [Targeting Iran: Sanctions, Propaganda, Threats of War] |  Organized by Heidelberg Forum gegen Militarismus und Krieg; DieLinke.SDS; Heidelberger Friedensratschlag; DIE LINKE HD-Rhein-Neckar; VVN/BdA Heidelberg (Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten, Kreisvereinigung Heidelberg) |  University of Heidelberg (Germany).

13 Apr. 2010              Iran – demokratische Reform oder Krieg? Die innen- und aussenpolitischen Zukunftsperspektiven Teherans [Iran – Democratic Reform or War? Future Perspective of Tehran’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs] | Invited by & discussion with Andreas Zumach, Geneva-based UN correspondent & author | “Politik am Stehtisch” | Theater Winkelwiese, Zurich.

15 Feb. 2010              Iran in World Politics | Organized by Imperial College Union Political Philosophy Society (PPS) | Panel with Shirin Shafaie (PhD Candidate, School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS], University of London) | Imperial College London.

3 Feb. 2010                What Lies Ahead? The Movement, Sanctions and the West | Organized by Campaign Iran | Panel with Prof. Ali Ansari (Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies, University of St. Andrews, Scotland & Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House) and Lindsey German (Convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, UK) | Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, London.

13 Jan. 2010               Panel discussion on »Iran – Revolution 2.0? Die Bewegung gegen Ahmadinedschad und die Rolle der neuen Medien« [Iran – Revolution 2.0? The Movement Against Ahmadinejad and the Role of New Media] with Yalda Zarbakhch (media researcher), Sara Dehkordi (Network of Young Iranians in Berlin), Sam T. Fard (Journalist, taz), Rüdiger Göbel (deputy editor-in-chief, junge Welt daily, Berlin) | Organized by Helle Panke, LiMA (Linke Medienakademie) and Die Tageszeitung (taz) | tazcafé, Berlin.

5 Dec. 2009               Die Obama-Administration und der Iran-Konflikt in einer multipolaren Welt [The Obama Administration and the Iran Conflict in a Multipolar World] | 16th nationwide and international »Friedenspolitischer Ratschlag 2009« [Federal Committee Peace Counsel]: Kapitalismus, Krise und Krieg [Capitalism, Crisis and War] | University of Kassel (Germany), 5–6/12/2009.

22 June 2009             Jenseits »kollektiver Konfusion«: Erklärungsmuster und Kontinuitäten iranischer Außenpolitik [Beyond »Collective Confusion«: Explanatory Patterns and Continuities of Iranian Foreign Policy] | Symposium on »Der Iran in der internationalen Politik: Internationale Krisen als Blockade regionaler Entwicklung« [Symposium: Iran in International Politics: International Crises as Blockade for Regional Development] | Österreichische Orient-Gesellschaft Hammer-Purgstall in cooperation with Österreichischen Institut für Internationale Politik (OIIP, Austrian Institute for International Affairs) | Diplomatische Akademie Wien (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna / Vienna School of International Studies).

18 June 2009             Der Iran-Konflikt und die Rolle Europas [The Iran Conflict and the Role of Europe] | Organized by Visions d’Europe | University of Münster (Germany).

30 Apr. 2009              The West–Iran Conflict and the Centrality of International Law | Debate on »Iran: Diplomacy and the Rule of Law« with Douglas Murray (Director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, UK & author of Neoconservatism: Why We Need It [2006] | Organized by The Law and Justice Forum, College of Law The College of Law, London.

27 Apr. 2009              Obama and Iran | Panel discussion with Jon Snow (Channel 4 News journalist and presenter), Dr. Mehri Honarbin–Holliday (Canterbury Christ Church University & Campaign Iran leading member), John Rees (co-founder of the Stop the War Coalition), chaired by Baroness Prof. Haleh Afshar | Organized by Campaign Iran | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

17 Mar. 2009             A European Idea for Euro–Iranian Relations | Conference on »Iran and Europe: Green Visions for the Future« | Organized by The Greens / European Free Alliance (EFA) | European Parliament, Brussels.

4 Feb. 2009               Obama and Iran: What Policy Recommendations the New U.S. President Has On Offer | Discussant: Dr. Elaheh Rostami-Povey (SOAS) | Organized by SOAS Persian Society – School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London.

6 Dec. 2008               Kriegsgefahr gebannt? Die neue US-Administration und der Iran [Danger of War Averted? The New U.S. Administration and Iran] | 15th nationwide and international »Friedenspolitischer Ratschlag 2008« [Federal Committee Peace Counsel]: Die Welt nach Bush: Friedlicher? Gerechter? Ökologischer? [The World After Bush: More Peaceful? More Just? More Ecological?] | University of Kassel (Germany), 6–7/12/2008.

26 May 2008             Der Iran im Blickfang der Weltpolitik: Perspektiven von Krieg und Frieden in einer eskalierenden Situation [Iran in the Eye of World Politics: Perspectives on War and Peace in an Escalating Situation] | Katholische Studierenden- und Hochschulgemeinde (KSHG) Münster | Münster (Germany).

16 April 2008             Das Atomprogramm des Iran: Propaganda und Wirklichkeit [The Nuclear Program of Iran: Propaganda and Reality] | Essener Friedens-Forum (EFF) | Essen (Germany).

10 April 2008             Zwischen Kriegsdrohungen und Sanktionen: Die westliche Politik gegenüber Iran [Between the Threat of War and Sanctions: The West’s Policy vis-à-vis Iran] | Organized by Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft – Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG–VK), Forum für gesellschaftlichen Frieden (FgF) in Karlsruhe, Friedensbündnis Karlsruhe | Karlsruhe (Germany).

3 March 2008            Droht mit einer Aggression der USA gegen den Iran der Dritte Weltkrieg? [Is the Third World War Impending With a U.S. Aggression against Iran?] | Organized by Linker Dialog Köln, Förderverein Kölner Friedensforum, Arbeitskreis Hiroshima-Nagasaki, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation North-Rhine-Westphalia | DGB-Haus, Cologne (Germany).

28 Feb. 2008             Iran im Fadenkreuz: Fragen zu Krieg und Frieden [Iran in the Crosshairs: Questions on War and Peace] | International Center, University of Münster (Germany).

4 Feb. 2008               The Iranian Science Community in the Crosshairs: An Action Against Whom? | CES Café | Centre for European Studies (CES), University of Twente (NL).

31 Aug. 2007              Die Iran-Krise [The Iran Crisis] | Evangelische Gemeinde zu Düren [Protestant Community of Düren] | Düren (Germany).

2 Oct. 2006                Konfliktherd Iran: Droht der Krieg? [Hot Spot Iran: On the Verge of War?] | Panel discussion with Senior Consistory Steinhäuser (Appointee of the Protestant Churches at the Parliament and Government of Saxony-Anhalt) | Organized by Magdeburger Bündnis 50 plus e.V. & Ökumenischer Friedensarbeitskreis | Magdeburg (Germany).

1 Sep. 2006                Iran, Libanon: Krisen und Kriege – Was sind die Alternativen? [Iran, Lebanon: Crises and Wars – What Alternatives?] | Anti-War Day event organized by ATTAC Rüsselsheim, DGB Rüsselsheim, Arbeit und Leben Starkenburg | Rüsselsheim (Germany).

31 Aug. 2006             Aktuelle Krisen im Nahen Osten [Current Crises in the Middle East] | Organized by WASG (Wahlalternative Arbeit & Soziale Gerechtigkeit) Groß-Gerau | Groß-Gerau (Germany).

29 May 2006             Krieg im Iran? Hintergründe und Einblicke [War on Iran? Backgrounds and Insights] | Organized by WASG (Wahlalternative Arbeit & Soziale Gerechtigkeit) Gütersloh | Gütersloh (Germany).

10 May 2006             Iran-Atomkonflikt und Perspektiven [Iran Nuclear Conflict and Perspectives] | Ringvorlesung: Umwelt, Entwicklung, Frieden [Lecture Series: Environment, Development, Peace], studium generale, SS06 | University of Osnabrück (Germany).

14 Feb. 2006             Iran in the Eye of Storm: The Nuclear Issue and Beyond | Institute of Political Science (IfPol), University of Münster (Germany).

20 Jan. 2006              Iran im Brennpunkt: Das Atomprogramm und der Westen [Iran in Focus: The Nuclear Program and the West] | Speaker’s Corner, Peperoni, Münster (Germany).

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Nuclear Power: Iran Inaugurates Bushehr Plant (TV interview with Russia Today)

Posted on 11 September 2011 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

12 September 2011

Iran has celebrated the launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Monday. The facility, which was completed with Russia’s help, came on line last year and has been connected to the national power grid in early September.

The facility, which was completed with Russia’s help, came on line last year.

The ceremony is attended by Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko, head of the Rosatom nuclear agency Sergey Kirienko, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, and head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani.

Sergey Shmatko praised the efforts in working together, and promised more similar projects in the future.

“Together with our Iranian counterparts, we went through difficulties and problems building the Bushehr power plant. And today we can be proud of the results that are drawing the attention of the whole world. I’m sure our further co-operation in operating the station and developing other nuclear energy projects will be distinguished by the atmosphere we created while working together,” he said.

Iran expects that the Bushehr power plant will reach its planned capacity in two to three months, Salehi said on Sunday.

The construction of the power plant in Bushehr is viewed with suspicion by many nations, who believe that the entire Iranian nuclear program is aimed at creating a nuclear weapon.

To alleviate these fears, Russia is providing fuel rods for the plant and will return the spent fuel back for recycling.

“The Bushehr power plant project is exemplary in terms of observing non-proliferation regime. Over the whole its lifetime it will be supplied fuel by Russia on the condition of its return,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed on Monday.

Tehran says its atomic ambitions are peaceful and have no military agenda.

­Ali Fathollah-Nejad, researcher at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London believes the opening of the plant bears special significance because it was brought into operation against the background of political interference from many outside powers.

“We have now a decades-long stand-off between Iran and the West over the Iranian nuclear program,” he told RT.  “The nuclear issue was recently hyped for political reasons, in order to be able to gain support to put pressure on Iran for achieving other political ends. So, I think the nuclear issue is still being hyped, but it loses much credibility against the evidence that we have.”

Fathollah-Nejad also stressed that the sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program are more of a geo-political and geo-economic nature.

“If you cannot control or influence a country, you might go for isolation and weakening of the country. And the best way to do that is through economic sanctions. This is rational of sanctions,” he stated.

 

SOURCE

“Nuclear Power: Iran Inaugurates Bushehr Plant“, Russia Today (RT), 12 September 2011.

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Going Nuclear (Interview with The Majalla)

Posted on 09 September 2011 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad


22 September 2011

By Maryam Ishani (Senior Editor of The Majalla)

The completion of the Bushehr nuclear plant has stirred up further controversy over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran continues to emphasize its entitlement to explore atomic energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, but the US remains skeptical while Russia attempts to seize the advantage.

Last week Iran celebrated the inauguration of its first operational nuclear power facility after long delays in construction and controversy over the aims of Iran’s nuclear program. The Bushehr plant, located on the Persian Gulf, is the first of what Iran hopes will be a network of similar facilities that will help reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The ceremony was attended by Russia’s Energy Minister, Sergei Shmatko, who praised the joint project as an understanding that “has come about after three years of cooperation between our experts” which will allow the Russia and Iran to “prepare the grounds for future cooperation in this field.” But the collaboration has been a far more complicated than the two governments have admitted to.

In a deal between Iran and Russia, Russia took over the completion of the plant after the German venture Kraftwerk Union AG pulled out under pressure from the US. However the agreement initially would have seen the plant completed in 2007 not 2011. According to Iran geopolitical expert, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, the delays continued because of the introduction of Russia’s own objectives in the project. “There is a lot of frustration in Iran because of Russia beginning to play its own games as a sort of intermediary between the West and Iran.”

Most notably, the arrangement Iran has agreed to with Russia includes provisions for returning fuel that Iran has purchased for the operation of the plant back to Russia after processing. It cannot remain in Iran, despite the fact that Iran technically owns the fuel—making the program particularly costly and according to Fathollah-Nejad, makes Russia’s role as a broker between the West and Iran, a hypocritical one.

This is due in large part to the ongoing UN Security Council “Zero Enrichment” sanctions—renewed in June—that remain imposed upon Iran, which are aimed at barring Iran from enriching uranium regardless of the aim. Russia voted in favor of the resolution but later used the same resolution to bar Iran from joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2009, saying that Iran’s eventual membership could be “one of the carrots that is part of a larger deal” to resolve the nuclear crisis with Iran.

“Even though the facts have changed on the ground,” says Fathollah-Nejad, “the sanctions continue because of claims that the program is not transparent enough. The removal of the sanctions needs a whole re-thinking of the dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program. There is a new reality on the ground.”

Bushehr’s start-up comes after Iran declared its readiness to re-start talks on its nuclear project with major powers, in a letter to the European Union Foreign Affairs chief. But that dialogue seems out of reach. The inauguration of the plant only adds to what was already a very tense standoff between the United States and Iran over the intentions and capabilities of Iran’s program.

At the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, the two countries traded accusations at a meeting of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with US Energy Secretary Steven Chu accusing Iran of “a long-standing pattern of denial, deceit, and evasion, in violation of its non-proliferation obligations. Time and time again, Iran has refused to satisfy legitimate concerns about the nature of its nuclear programme—selectively rejecting IAEA requests for access to, and information about, its nuclear facilities.”

Iranian nuclear energy chief Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani rebuffed Chu’s comments with a reference to the recent murders of high-level nuclear scientists in Iran, placing the blame squarely on the West: “Some countries and their intelligence terrorist organisations have focused on assassinating our experts,” he said. His comments refer to the most recent murder of a University lecturer in July, Darioush Rezaie. His was the third murder since 2009 of a scientist with connections to Iran’s nuclear program. The first was killed by a car bomb, the second by a remotely detonated explosive device and Rezaie was killed by gunmen near his home.

Speaking to press after the meeting, Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who is Iran’s Vice President and head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency, said that the “hostile positions” of western states could only force countries like Iran to conduct their nuclear activities secretly or “underground,” according to translations of his comments at the UN. Abbasi-Davani has been subjected to UN sanctions because of his involvement with Iran’s nuclear program and was even wounded in a car bomb blast in 2010, an incident he has accused the West and even the IAEA of orchestrating.

Fathollah-Nejad sees the challenges of the last decade as an example to developing economies, “The fact that Bushehr has been finalized indicates to the success of Iran’s insistence to use its internationally legally recognized rights to develop a nuclear energy programme, despite heavy and continuous pressures from big powers. As such Iran can be seen as an example. Hopefully it will propel the West to abandon coercive diplomacy on Iran.”

Iran says the one billion US dollar, 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant is part of a peaceful atomic program and will be enriching uranium only at levels suitable for medical and agricultural uses. The plant is not yet operating fully but is on track to be operating at maximum capacity within three months.

Still, Iran has begun moving uranium enrichment centrifuges to a bunker buried in the mountains near Qom as part of an effort to increase capacity and protect the equipment from a strike by foes of the nation’s nuclear program, namely Israel. Washington has denied involvement in the murder of the scientists and Israel has said that it is “increasingly concerned” with the Bushehr plant.

Fathollah-Nejad points out, “For almost a decade, the IAEA has been investigating if there is a weaponization element to Iran’s nuclear program, but has found no evidence,” making the official justification for sanctions illegitimate. “The dropping of sanctions,” according to Fathollah-Nejad, “would be the first indication that the policy on Iran is changing.”

 

SOURCE

Ishani, Maryam (2011) “Going Nuclear: Iran Completes Construction of Bushehr Nuclear Power Facility“, The Majalla: The Leading Arab Magazine (online), 22 September.

 

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Congress Contributions

Posted on 11 September 2009 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

LAST UPDATE : 21 October 2011
10 December 2011 A Conference for Security and Cooperation in the Middle East: Chances and Challenges in the Wake of the “Arab Spring” | Symposium on European Union, Turkey, Central Asia, Middle East and Africa | Organized by Bosphorus Research Center (BRC) | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 10/12/2011.
25 October 2011 Speaking on the panel “The Role of Israel and Iran in the Potential Success of the 2012 Conference” | Workshop: “Towards the 2012 Conference on a Nuclear- and WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East” on the sidelines of the “6th SOAS/British Pugwash London Conference on a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone” | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 25–26/10/2011.
7 October 2011 The United States’ Policy towards Iran under Obama: Why the Lack of “Change” was Not Surprising | Panel: “The International Conflict Surrounding Iran: The United States, the Nuclear Issue and Beyond” [chaired by myself] | 18th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) | Free University of Berlin, 06–08/10/2011.
7 October 2011 Targeted or Crippling? The Iran Sanctions Regime and its Effects on Broader Economic Development | Panel: “Iran and its Economic Challenges” [organized & chaired by myself] | 18th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) | Free University of Berlin, 06–08/10/2011.
29 June 2011 Targeted or Crippling? The Iran Sanctions Regime and its Multifaceted Repercussions | Panel: “Issues in Contemporary Iranian Politics” | British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Annual Conference 2011 “The Middle East: Aspirations and Challenges” – in association with the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES) and the Asian Federation of Middle East Associations (AFMA) | Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, 27–29/06/2011.
28 June 2011 Iranian–Arab Relations and the U.S.–Iran Conflict Since 2003: Impacts and Prospects | Panel: “Beyond the Challenges of the Discourse of ‘New Emerging Regional Power’: Iran and the Arab World” | British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Annual Conference 2011 “The Middle East: Aspirations and Challenges” – in association with the European Association for Middle Eastern Studies (EURAMES) & the Asian Federation of Middle East Associations (AFMA) | Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, 27–29 June 2011.
8 May 2011 Ambivalent Episodes in Iran’s Post-‘9/11’ Foreign Policy | LMEI Middle East PhD Students Conference “State, Society and Economy in the Modern Middle East” | London Middle East Institute (LMEI), School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 7–8/05/2011.
12 March 2011 Academia and Activism in Germany | 2011 SOAS Research Student Conference “The Relation between Activism and Academia” | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 12/03/2011.
26 Feb. 2011 The Effects of Iran Sanctions in the Field of Energy | SOAS 2011 Postgraduate Symposium on Central Asia, the Caucasus and Eurasia | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 26/02/2011.
10 Dec. 2010 Iran | Panel: Das Völkerrecht, der UNO-Sicherheitsrat und die Entwicklungen im Nahen und Mittleren Osten (Afghanistan, der Irak und der Iran) [International Law, the UN Security Council and Developments in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran] | 3. außenpolitische Konferenz der Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: Die UNO und das Völkerrecht in den internationalen Beziehungen der Gegenwart [3rd Foreign-Policy Conference of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation: The UN and International Law in Today’s International Relations] | Berlin, 10 – 11/12/2010.
21 Sep. 2010 The Iran Sanctions Regimes: Politico-Economic and Conflict-Sensitive Ramifications | Panel: Economies of War and Destruction: Political Conflict and its Economic and Social Repercussions in the MENA Region (Pt. 2)  [organized by the DAVO Working Group “Economics of the MENA Region”] | 31st German Oriental Studies Conference & 17th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) | University of Marburg, 20–24/09/2010.
20 Sep. 2010 The Iran Conflict in the Obama Era: Strategic Considerations | 31st German Oriental Studies Conference & 17th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) – University of Marburg, 20–24/09/2010.
20 July 2010 & Miriam Shabafrouz The Geo-Economic Dynamics of Iran Sanctions in a Multipolar World | Panel: Iran and Foreign Policies | World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) – Barcelona (Spain), 19–24/07/2010.
9 Oct. 2009 Iran als »Indispensable Nation« im Westasien der Post-Irak-Invasion [Iran as »Indispensable Nation« in the Western Asia of the Post-Iraq Invasion] | Panel: Der Nahe Osten nach dem Sturz Saddam Husseins [The Middle East After the Fall of Saddam Hussein] | 16th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) | University of Bonn, 8–10/10/2009.
9 Oct. 2009 Explanatory Models for Understanding Iranian Foreign Policy | Panel: Iran and the World: The Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic and the Domestic Factors Influencing it (I) | 16th International Congress of DAVO (German Middle East Studies Association for Contemporary Research and Documentation) | University of Bonn, 8–10/10/2009.
5 June 2009 The »Middle East«: From Past and Present Attributions to a Future Regional Identity? | First Research Students Society Conference: Regional Studies and Critical Perspectives on Regions | School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, 5–6/06/2009.
7 June 2008 Die US-»Grand Strategy« von Pakistan bis Iran [U.S. »Grand Strategy« from Pakistan to Iran] | Panel: Die historische Entwicklung der Konflikte in und um Afghanistan | Internationaler Afghanistan-Kongress [International Afghanistan Congress] | Hanover (Germany), 7–8/06/2008.
19 Jan. 2008 Der »Krieg gegen den Terror«: Geheimdienste und Terrorismus im Nahen und Mittleren Osten [The »War on Terror«: Intelligence Services and Terrorism in the Middle East] | Netzwerk Terrorismusforschung: 2nd Workshop | University of Kassel (Germany), 18−19/01/2008.
14 Sep. 2007 Iran in the Eye of Storm: Origins, Course, and Implications of a Global Crisis | Plenum 3A: Globalisierung des Kriegs / Krieg um Ressourcen [Globalization of War / War for Resources] | 25th Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association: War | University of Basel (Switzerland), 12−14/09/2007.
30 June 2007 Über die Notwendigkeit einer partizipativen Demokratie [On the Necessity of a Participatory Democracy] | Panel 4: Wege zur Integration von Migranten, Tagung Migration steuern oder verwalten? Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich | Research groups on migration of the Graduate School of Politics (GraSP) at the Institute for Political Science (IfPol) and DFG (German Research Foundation) research training group »Zivilgesellschaftliche Verständigungsprozesse« [Processes of Dialogue in Civil Society]  at the Center for Netherlands Studies | University of Münster (Germany), 29−30/06/2007.

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Radio & TV Appearences

Posted on 09 September 2009 by Ali Fathollah-Nejad

 

LAST UPDATE: 5 Apr. 2010
29 June 2009 Ein offenes Ende im Iran [An Open Ending in Iran] – Interviewed for “Praxis – Religion und Gesellschaft”, Österreich 1 [“Europe’s most successful cultural radio show”], Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF)
24 & 26 June 2009 Iran, its neighbors and the West after the Iranian presidential elections – Interviewed by ORF Radio FM4, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF)
19 June 2009 Iran und der Westen nach den Präsidentschaftswahlen – “Coffeeshop”, Radio Q (Münster & Steinfurt, Germany)
30 May 2009 Newspaper Headlines on Iran, Kenya and Pakistan – Debate with Dilip Hiro (author) – “Between the Headlines” – Press TV
26 Feb. 2009 Iran’s Nuclear Programme – Debate with Prof. Hooshang Amirahmadi (Pres. American–Iranian Council) et al. – “Safhe-ye 2” – BBC Persian TV
3 Feb. 2009 The Iranian Revolution 30 Years On – Obama and Iran, debate with Farrokh Negahdar – “Let’s Talk”, hosted by Ajmal Masroor – Channel S (largest Asian TV network in UK & all over Europe) – 1h30min
26 Nov. 2008 American Foreign Policy Project’s Iran Advice for Obama, debate with Dr. Jim Walsh (MIT Security Studies Program) & Dr. Richard Hellman (Pres. Middle East Research Center, USA) – “FinePrint” – Press TV
28 Sep. 2008 Be Souy-e Solh? [Toward Peace?] – Radio Zamaneh
16 Sep. 2008 Khâvar-Miyâneh, Bâ Negâhi be Tajrobe-ye Jang dar Orupâ [The Middle East, With a View to Europe’s War Experiences] – Radio Zamaneh
12 Sep. 2008 Kârzâr-e Dâneshamoukhtân-e Âlmân va Irân Aleyh-e Jang va Tahrim – Deutsche Welle Persian service
10 April 2008 Die Krise um den Iran [The Crisis Around Iran], „Schlebusch am Mittwoch“ –  CampusFM, Essen & Duisburg – 1h
28 Feb. 2008 Iran-Krise und Sanktionen [Iran Crisis and Sanctions], “Coffeeshop” – Radio Q (Münster & Steinfurt, Germany)
1 Feb. 2008 Iranische Studenten im Fadenkreuz [Iranian students in the crosshairs], “Coffeeshop” – Radio Q (Münster & Steinfurt, Germany)
17 Sep. 2007 Kriegsgefahr im Atomstreit mit Iran [Threat of war in the nuclear dispute with Iran] – “Echo der Zeit”, Schweizer Radio DRS (Switzerland)
18 June 2006 Interview on the Iran crisis [de] – Radio Rüsselsheim (Rüsselsheim, Germany)
17 Jan. 2006 Interview on the Iran conflict [de] – “Coffeeshop”, Radio Q (Münster, Germany)
29 Nov. 2005 Interview on the Saddam court case [de] – “Auf den Spuren fremder Kulturen”, Radio Q (Münster, Germany)

 

 

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↓ ABOUT “FEATURED” ↓

In a book chapter just published, Ali Fathollah-Nejad deals dealt with the issue of sanctions and state–society relations. This is what the book editors, responding to the interview question on how the book feeds into current Iranian realities, have said: "[…] of particular relevance is the insight being delivered by Ali Fathollah-Nejad [...] on the nefarious effects of the international sanctions on Iran’s civil society. He convincingly shows that economic sanctions widen the gap between the authoritarian state and civil society, cementing and even boosting existing power configurations while hollowing out social forces indispensable to a process of democratization."

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↓THEMES | THEMEN↓

"smart sanctions" Arabic Arabischer Frühling Bushehr Power Plant China Coercive Diplomacy CSCME Deutsch English EU Français German neoconservatism German peace movement Germany (political culture) grand strategy Hillel Schenker IAEA Iran Iran (civil society) Iran (Staat) Iran (Wirtschaft) Iran-Konflikt Iran-Krieg Iran-Politik Iran-Sanktionen iranische Wirtschaft Iran sanctions Iran War Israel Israel-Iran conflict Joschka Fischer KSZMNO Norman Finkelstein nuclear deterrence NWFZ Obamas Iran-Politik peace research Persian Russia security studies statement strategic studies U.S. Iran policy Udo Steinbach Zwangsdiplomatie

↓NEWS↓

(Jan. 2013) Ali Fathollah-Nejad has become an Associate Member of the Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
(Dec. 2012) Ali Fathollah-Nejad is among the signers of a statement calling for an international peace initiative on the Syrian crisis: http://www.peaceinsyria.org/

↓PRESSE-BERICHTE↓

Bericht des Iran-Vortrages von Ali Fathollah-Nejad am 26.11.2012 in Backnang (nahe Stuttgart), veranstaltet von der Friedensinitiative Backnang, dem Politischen Arbeitskreis des 'club junges europa (cje) Backnang e.V.' und den Naturfreunden:
Melanie Lang, "Erschreckend ähnliche Krisenabläufe: Iranforscher Ali Fathollah-Nejad beleuchtete Hintergründe eines komplexen Konflikts", Backnanger Kreiszeitung, 8.12.2012.
Abrufbar unter: http://www.bkz-online.de/node/479344

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