Stirrings near Iran's oil fields in Khuzestan
The Daily Star Middle East | Iason Athanasiadis
Beirut
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There is no triumphalism in his voice as he states the obvious fact that Washington and its British ally are foundering in the Iraqi morass. Their difficulties were demonstrated once again, last month, as the pressure was turned up in the predominantly Shiite south which is under British military control. Early this month, British Prime Minister Tony Blair publicly mused that Tehran might be behind attacks that have killed eight British soldiers recently and noted that the timing coincided with the breakdown in nuclear negotiations between Iran and the EU-3.
While Tehran denies any role in Iraq, Iranian officials privately confess that they are deeply involved in Iraq and that their western neighbor must neither be allowed to fully stabilize, nor fall apart. They point to Western collusion in the sudden spike this year in ethnic unrest in the strategic, oil-producing province of Khuzestan and describe it as proof of a shadowy war that is receiving far less coverage in the international press than events in Iraq. Since the beginning of 2005, riots and a bombing campaign timed to coincide with the June presidential elections rocked Khuzestan's major cities. Iranian Kurdistan has also seen violent protests and clashes with the central government. In September, a visiting TV crew was treated with suspicion in many Kurdish-dominated areas, despite being accompanied by well-regarded locals. Their guides explained the frosty reception as proof of the tensions with central government that the province is experiencing.
As diplomatic tension mounts on Tehran over its nuclear energy program, the Bush administration insists that its spy planes are not over-flying Iran to electronically map its target-rich environment - a Pentagon planner's dream after the sparse pickings of Iraq and Afghanistan. But Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine who was head of the United Nations inspection team in Iraq, insists that the war with Iran has already started. Not only are covert operations ongoing, he insists, but the Pentagon's planners are right now drawing up an air-strike and invasion strategy that will see a period of concerted bombardment followed by four divisions of U.S. troops invading Iran through Azerbaijan and heading straight for the Iranian capital. Although little-discussed by the international media, the Azerbaijan invasion route is the most practical as it bypasses conflict-wracked launch-points such as Iran or Afghanistan. It also has the added advantage of being the quickest route to Tehran.
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It's all part of a fundamental transition that Iran's Revolutionary Guard (RG) is undergoing, as it moves away from focusing on waging its defense of the country on the borders (unrealistic in view of the vast gulf that separates Iranian and U.S. military capabilities) and toward drawing the enemy into the heartland and defeating it with assymetrical tactics. At the same time, the RG is moving away from a joint command with the ordinary army and taking a more prominent role in controlling Iran's often porous borders. One London-based, opposition group called the British-Ahwazi Friendship Society claims that the Revolutionary Guard is establishing a 5,000-square-kilometer exclusive zone along the Khuzestan-Arab border on the Shatt al-Arab River which will facilitate supporting additional covert operations in the Basra area.
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http://www.iht.com/getina/files/283042.html Mystery! Iran riots linked to shiny new British website
by LondonYank
Thu Apr 21, 2005 at 04:40:45 AM PDT
The Mystery deepens!
Yesterday I questioned the source of a forged letter purporting to be from an Iranian offical which proposed ethnic cleansing of Ahwazi Arabs in the southern Iran region of Khuzestan. I wondered if it might have come from the forgery shop set up with CIA funding by Ahmed Chalabi in nearby Kurdistan.
News of the letter led to riots, 340 arrests and 5 deaths in Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan. Khuzestan has 90 percent of Iran's oil production, 8 percent of total global reserves.
Today I dug around a bit to find the source of the forged letter. The letter was first published in English on the website of the newly-founded British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) and then broadcast into Khuzestan over BAFS-supported Al-Ahwaz TV into Iran. It was also provided to Al-Jazeera, which has now had its southern Iran operations closed down while the events around the forgery are investigated.
It could all be coincidence, of course, but I kept digging.
snip
LondonYank's diary :: ::
In December 2004 Daniel Brett, journalist and Young Fabian, founds BAFS because of his strong affection for the poor, downtrodden Ahwazi people. The BAFS website goes live in March 2005. Within a couple weeks BAFS receives an explosive letter which appeared to be from the Tehran leadership proposing ethnic cleansing against the Ahwazi Arabs. Shortly thereafter there are protests, riots, arrests and deaths over in Iran.
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/21/74045/1543 Results 1 - 10 of about 25 for British-Ahwazi-Friendship-Society. (0.05 seconds)
Iran Regime's Qods Day Hypocrisy
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - 13 hours ago
... Palestinian issue for his own expansionist goals, while simulatenously ethnic cleansing Arab areas of Iran, claims the British Ahwazi Friendship Society, a UK ...
Iran uses Ahwazi Homeland as Terrorist Smuggling Route British Ahwazi Friendship Society
all 2 related »
Iran 'sponsors assassination' of Sunni pilots who bombed Teheran
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 8 hours ago
... The British Ahwazi Friendship Society, a British-Iranian human rights group, claims it will help Iran's Revolutionary Guard militias to influence Shia areas of ...
Iran begins ethnic cleansing of Minoo Island Arabs
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 23, 2005
... A report by the British Ahwazi Friendship Society on the implications of the Arvand Free Zone as well as the official documents commanding Arabs to surrender ...
Iran Minorities Participate in AEI Debate
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 27, 2005
Representatives of various Iranian minorities, including Ahwazi Arabs, participated in a panel discussion chaired by Michael Ledeen at the American Enterprise ...
Iran Prepares to Execute Tribal Ahwazi Arab Family
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 25, 2005
Two close relatives of the Ahwazi Arab tribal leader, Haj Salam Bawi, are facing imminent execution as the Iranian regime attempts to tighten its grip on the ...
Ahwazi: European Parliament Condemns Iran's Persecution of Arabs
UNPO, Netherlands - Oct 14, 2005
The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) joined forces with Paulo Casaca, a Member of the European Parliament representing Portugal's ruling Socialist Party ...
Iran-UK Relations Threatened as New Bomb is "Discovered"
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 18, 2005
... Nasser Ban-Assad, spokesman for the British Ahwazi Friendship Society, said: "The situation in Iran was bad under Khatami, but Ahmadinejad is prepared to go ...
British condemn Ahwaz attacks, Arabs fear more violence
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 16, 2005
... The British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS), a lobbying group that works with Ahwazi Arab political parties and human rights groups, has suggested the attacks ...
Iran Claims "British Agent" Arrested Over Ahwaz Bombings
British Ahwazi Friendship Society, UK - Oct 17, 2005
... Nasser Ban-Assad, spokesman for the British Ahwazi Friendship Society, said: "Whoever is responsible for the bombings does not have the best interests of the ...
Ahwazi: Iran's Militarisation of the Shatt Al-Arab
UNPO, Netherlands - Oct 20, 2005
... official plans for the Arvand Free Zone, along with a translation, are contained in a document published today by the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS). ...
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