Phil Disley on Iran’s nuclear activities – Source: Guardian

* * Pets verboten! Ali-Reza Karimi,  Director of the bureau of Publicity department of the Ministry of Guidance and Culture has begun publishing advertisements and broadcasting commercials on the regime run media outlets forbidding the purchase, sale or having domesticated pets. He emphasized: “Due to religious advice sought from the office of one of our great Grand Ayatollahs regarding this issue, we absolutely forbid, the sale or keeping of any domesticated pets and all advertising for the sale of pet food is according to Sharia law problematic and prohibited. Article 21 of our advertising activities forbids any media outlets from accepting any such advertising as well. Various publications, sites, radio and television networks are from now on prohibited from accepting such publicity and anyone who overlooks this will be severely dealt with.”

* * A ranking member of the Iranian regime’s Parliament (Majles) confirmed on Sunday, August 22nd, that the Supreme Leader has been discredited among the various factions, adding that some are refusing to comply with his views.

According to the Iranian regime-run Fars news agency, Mohammad Dehghaan, a senior  member of the board of directors of the Majlis, said there are some who want to remain in the establishment yet refuse to follow the orders of the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and thus are harming the entire system.

Dehghaan said: “The deliberate refusal on the part of officials to align themselves with the views of the Supreme Leader means that they have rejected the entire establishment,” adding: “These kinds of people are occupying their positions illegitimately and their salaries are not permitted in accordance with Sharia. At present, the main goal of the hardliners is unity among officials, the three branches of government and the people. Those who disregard the need for unity would be dealing irreparable blows to the leadership.”

* * Confidential memo from the Ministry of Guidance and Culture to Iranian media outlets: No more reporting on military action or sanctions against Iran. Seyyed Ehsan Ghazizadeh, Director of Press and Internal Media Department of Ministry of Guidance and Culture issued the memo calling on all members of the Iranian press and media outlets to minimize all reports of sanctions and possible military action. Ghazizadeh has emphasized: “At present, it is important to maintain an upbeat social atmosphere by amplifying the hopes of the audiences; the coverage of the news of sanctions and military threats needs to be downplayed, while covering news that displays the might of the holy Islamic Republic takes precedence.”

* * Another campaign of anti-regime slogan writing on money and cash notes planned. The phenomenon of writing political slogans on cash notes, which has become widespread since the June 2009 fraudulent elections has kicked off a new campaign, this time focusing on political prisoners.The plan was devised by human rights activists in Iran who are calling on people throughout Iran to participate.

In October 2009 Morteza Talaii, chariman of the Tehran Municipality Guidance Council, proposed to put the slogan-bearing bills out of circulation which proved to be impractical, due to the popularity of the action and the fact that it could not be monitored. The proposal would have lead to an endless and exhorbitent circle of writing slogans on bills, collecting the invalidated bills, taking them out of circulation, and producing new ones.

Below are photos of cash notes from the various campaigns since June 2009.

* * Kamran Daneshjou, Iranian Minister of Science has dismissed a prominent university professor who chaired the Post-doctoral School of Physics and Sciences at the University in the city of Zanjan. Professor Youssef Sobouti was the founder of the current educational accreditation system in Iran and the architect of a famous observatory in the city of Shiraz. The Abu Reyhan Birouni Observatory, which was built in 1978, is the largest active observatory in Iran. In the past 19 years, Dr. Sobouti has prevented his university from becoming a haven of the Iranian regime’s Bassij Force and the intelligence service.

Daneshjou whose credentials as Minister has become something of a scandal for the Iranian government, has appointed Rasoul Khodabakhsh as the new dean of the Zanjan university, asking him to endeavour to educate “law-abiding students using an outlook respecting values and spirituality.

On Monday, during Professor Sobouti’s farewell ceremony, students protested his discharge and demanded that he be reinstated to his post immediately.