I agree with Barbara Slavin, who argues in a piece for The Washington Note that the United States should grant visas to Iranian reporters seeking to cover the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference in New York this month.
From Slavin’s piece:
Throughout the long Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, journalists from both countries interpreted each other’s policies and helped domestic audiences see adversaries as human beings. What’s more, Russian journalists based in the U.S. came to understand the strengths of the U.S. political system. That sort of experience should be available to Iranian journalists, particularly those who work for hard-line outlets that routinely denigrate the United States.
The situation for journalists in Iran has never been easy and has deteriorated significantly since fraud-tainted presidential elections in Iran last year. More than 30 Iranian journalists remain in prison and foreign reporters based in Tehran must exercise care for fear that they will also face prison or be expelled. Still, U.S. officials who rightfully criticize Iran’s crackdown should jump at the chance to allow Iranian reporters to experience U.S. freedoms.
Let the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency open a Washington bureau, let its reporters go to White House and State Department briefings and have President Obama and other top U.S. officials give interviews to its editors and writers. That would make it harder for Iran to censor information about U.S. policies and make it easier for U.S. media outlets to demand reciprocal rights in Tehran. At a time when confrontation appears to be building again between the two countries, the more access their journalists have to each other, the better.
You can read the entire article here.
– Ben Katcher
kooshy,
Thanks. I seem to recall reading that one of ObL’s wives, and several children, had sought refuge in Iran, but years ago. I didn’t make a note of it at the time.
Dan,
Excellent point about dangerous (and seriously stupid) US efforts to subvert the IAEA in order to use it to demonise Iran. Another instance of subversion of US national security by the “Israel first” crowd.
Video
Ahmadinejad Interview With Russian Television.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25386.htm
Politicizing the IAEA against Iran
On February 18, 2010 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its latest report on Iran’s nuclear program.
The tone of the latest report, as well as its speculations and unfounded allegations, are in sharp contrast with those in the past issued under the former IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
The new Director General, Yukiya Amano, has set aside ElBaradei’s cautious approach and measured tone and uses blunt language. But, while the blunt language is not a problem, the fact is that, as the latest report indicates, the IAEA is being transformed from an objective international organization to a politicized one to be used by the United States and its allies to advance their agenda regarding Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
http://original.antiwar.com/sahimi/2010/03/12/politicizing-the-iaea-against-iran/
James FYI
This is what was reported in RFE/ an American government radio station/ Dec. 25-2009
“Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki told Iranian television the Saudi Embassy informed Iranian authorities “some time ago that one of Bin Laden’s daughters is at the embassy in Tehran.”
“We do not know how the individual they referred to as Bin Laden’s daughter entered the Saudi Embassy and Iran in the first place,” Mottaki said. “The Foreign Ministry has taken measures as per the Saudi Embassy’s request and informed the foreign nationals’ office accordingly.”
“Her real identity is not yet clear to us,” Mottaki said. “Upon determination of her real identity she will be able to leave Iran with proper permits.”
kooshy,
The reports I saw were that several members of the bin Laden family took refuge in Iran after the US attacks began (in wake of “9/11″). I was not aware this was in doubt. A huge number of refugees have gone to Iran from Afghanistan. Iran, of course, is hostile to al-Qaeda (a fact unknown to Condoleezza Rice when she was being questioned during the Senate confirmation hearings).
A agree with Barabar Slavin that Iran should have a press bureau open in Washington, and New York for that matter. In fact, the Iranian embassy in Washington should be reopened (and the US embassy in Tehran). And the Iranian request for direct NYC/Tehran air connection should be approved.
James, are you assuming that other members of Bin Laden family in fact are in Iran? Or do you have proven facts of this allegation?
Iranian government has never officially confirmed that any member of Bin Laden family lives in Iran.
There have been a few media rumored articles in recent months that one of his daughters has escaped to the Saudi embassy in Tehran but that was denied by Iran
Iran asserted if true then if she can produce a valid Saudi passport she can leave Iran, assuming she was in the custody of Saudi embassy if Saudis wanted to validate this claim they could have easily issued her a passport and have this alleged person leave Iran and tell her story, have you heard of her since? I didn’t
K. Voorhees,
Many Iranians expect the ultimate failure of Israel as a “Jewish” state, due to its inability to end the occupation of the West Bank. Ergo, demography does its work.
The Israelis deluded themselves into believing they could have complete tranquility in Gaza even in the face of continued proliferation of illegal colonies of Jews in the West Bank.
kooshy,
Did George Stephanopolous think Osama bin Laden was in Tehran? Other members of the bin Laden family were in Tehran, but surely George knows that Iran is hostile to al-Qaeda. Or is that too much to assume?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/iran-president-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-defiant-face-sanctions-israeli/story?id=10556122
Ahmadinejad told Stephanopoulos the Zionist regime is finished because they cannot even deal with Gaza and thus would not want to take on Iran. Hope Race for Iran comments on that. It seems that Israel wants the US to attack Iran and if Hillary Clinton was President, she’d have done it.
How do they allow Press TV and not allow IRNA? Based on what laws/statutes is this justified?
The best of American Main Stream Media, for this kind of serious and professional reporting the unprofessional armature propagandist Iranian reporters were decided at the high level of our government to be denied Visas, Kudos to our American values and congratulations to our state department.
Ahmadinejad ‘Heard’ bin Laden Is in D.C.
By John Hudson on May 05, 2010 11:37am
ABC News Fact: When you put ABC host George Stephanopoulos and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a room together, it makes for hysterical television. In an interview this week on Good Morning America, Stephanopoulos’s commitment to conducting a serious conversation runs afoul when confronted with the Iranian leader’s unpredictable conjectures.
Stephanopoulos wants Ahmadinejad to clear up allegations that Osama bin Laden is hiding in Iran. Sounds like an easy enough denial to produce, right? Wrong.
Attempt #1
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is Osama bin Laden in Tehran?
AHMADINEJAD: Your question is laughable.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Why?
AHMADINEJAD: The U.S. government has invaded Afghanistan in order to arrest Bin Laden. They probably know where Bin Laden is.
Straying from the subject, Stephanopoulos and Ahmadinejad proceed to argue about U.S. intelligence. Stephanopoulos gets back on topic:
Attempt #2
STEPHANOPOULOS: What I think is that you didn’t answer my question. Is he in Tehran or not?
AHMADINEJAD: …Maybe you know, but I don’t know.
STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m asking you. You’re the President of Iran.
AHMADINEJAD: I don’t know such a thing, you are giving news which is very strange.
Stephanopoulos brushes himself off and tries again. This time he is rewarded with a truly mystifying comment from Ahmadinejad.
Attempt #3
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, let me ask it a different way. If you did know that Osama bin Laden was in Tehran, would you show him hospitality? Would you expel him? Would you arrest him?
AHMADINEJAD: I heard that Osama bin Laden is in the Washington, D.C.
STEPHANOPOULOS: No, you didn’t.
AHMADINEJAD: Yes, I did. He’s there. Because he was a previous partner of Mr. Bush. They were colleagues in fact in the old days. You know that. They were in the oil business together. They worked together. Mr. Bin Laden never cooperated with Iran but he cooperated with Mr. Bush–
Clearly agitated, Stephanopoulos asks him one more time:
Attempt #4
STEPHANOPOULOS: You deny categorically that he’s in Tehran today? He is not– Osama bin Laden is not in Tehran today?
AHMADINEJAD: Rest assured that he’s in Washington. I think there’s a high chance he’s there.
Well that’s a relief. To think, we were more concerned that Stephanopoulos would transform GMA into a serious show.
Liz,
“Barbara Slavin is a discredited and dishonest reporter. The elections in Iran were free and fair and she was little more than a propaganda tool.”
I do agree with you that Slavin is wrong on the 2009 election, and I saw no point in her gratuitous reference to the “fraud” in those elections, since “disputed” would have been sufficient to make her point in that sentence. I don’t know that we need to label her as “discredited,” “dishonest” or a “propaganda tool,” however. I’m concerned that if we apply those labels to every journalist or analyst who reached the same mistaken conclusion about the 2009 election, we’d hardly have anyone left to read.
Liz,
I guess we just have to be grateful that at least the stupidity of the Clinton State Dept. is underlined, even if a dose of foolish Iran bashing goes with it.
Yes, I thought it was remarkable stupidity on the part of Hillary Clinton to deny the visas requested by the Iranian delegation that was supposed to accompany Ahmadinejad to New York.
Barbara Slavin is a discredited and dishonest reporter. The elections in Iran were free and fair and she was little more than a propaganda tool.
One month ago the Iranian Professor Zibakalam praised the two late Pahlavi Shahs in live TV deabte. Nothing happened with him. Controversey the state run Channel 5 invite him again to have a scientific discussions.
In most of the country of the world it is unpossible to praise the old lordship. Even in democratic societies, in Germany you ca not praise Hitler.
Iran ist not black, not green, and not white. Iran is coloured, much more than personsn loke slavin know.