OBAMA WOWS IRAN ON EVE OF TEHERAN'S BIG DAY: US PLACES NEW SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS.......

Tundra Tabloids.......Thursday, February 11, 2010

Obama: I hated to do it Moody, but it's politics

Moody: This latest aggressive move really 'shivers me timbers'

Well, today is the big day, the 31st year since the fall of the more moderate government and rule of the Shah of Iran, and the day that spider monkey Ahmadinejad is going to wow the world. Pro-government stooge supporters have already taken to the streets as this report states:

Iranians begin rallies marking 1979 revolution

TEHRAN, Iran (al-AP) - Hundreds of thousands of pro-government demonstrators gathered in the central square of Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution as Internet speeds dropped dramatically around the capital in government efforts to foil counter-demonstrations.

State television showed images of thousands upon thousands carrying often identical banners marching along the city's broad avenues toward the central Azadi, or freedom square, to attend a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In Azadi Square itself, massive crowds waved Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state, and his successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The opposition has vowed to stage counter demonstrations, but eyewitnesses say police have deployed hundreds of forces in central Tehran to confront them.

Iranian authorities again tried to squeeze off text messaging and Web links in attempts to cripple protest organizers. Internet service was sharply slowed, mobile phone service widely cut and there were repeated disruptions in popular instant messaging services such as Google chat.

Fox news is reporting that there were shots fired

Clashes Reported in Iran During Revolution Rally

TEHRAN, Iran — Witnesses say security forces fired paint balls to disperse anti-government protesters in one of the first clashes during ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Witnesses say that riot police fired the paint-filled balls after protesters began to chant opposition slogans in Sadeqieh Square, which is about a half-mile from a huge pro-government gathering where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech on Thursday.

Witnesses say there were no apparent injuries among the several hundred protesters.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-government demonstrators gathered Thursday in one of Tehran's main squares to mark the 31st anniversary of Iran's revolution as Internet speeds dropped dramatically around the capital in government efforts to foil counter-demonstrations.

State television showed images of thousands upon thousands carrying often identical banners marching along the city's broad avenues toward the central Azadi, or freedom square, to attend a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

In Azadi Square itself, massive crowds waved Iranian flags and carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state, and his successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

There is still no news of the big wow the Iranian government was promising the world, the day is still young though. The Tundra Tabloids will be following the develpments as the day proceeds. KGS

Christianity & Politics Examiner Add to favorites Examiner Bio As Iran’s Islamic Revolution anniversary draws near, intense Middle East events emerge

Next Thursday has the potential to be a rather interesting day. The date will be February 11th, it will be the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and a couple of interesting events are scheduled to take place.

Just as a quick recap from Monday, http://www.cnn.com reported that two top Iranian opposition leaders were calling for citizens of Iran to rise up on February 11th and demand that Iran return their rights to them as citizens of Iran. Ahmadinejad told Iran’s state-run television on Sunday that a blow to “global arrogance” would take place on that day.

Now for the fresh angle: the first event that seems worth mentioning involves the Cobra Gold war games. According to http://www.bangkokpost.com, this gathering of about 11,500 military personnel, 6000 of which are from the US, includes the participation of several countries. This year is its 29th anniversary and the Cobra Gold war games are described as a “regionally significant training event.” In addition, US Ambassador Eric G John said in a press conference that Cobra Gold is America’s “largest cooperative effort in the Pacific,” and illustrates “the US commitment to the security of our friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region.” Interestingly, the event is scheduled to end on February 11th.

A http://www.wsj.com article reported that Iran “test-fired a new satellite rocket and unveiled a series of what it said were homegrown advances in a space program that has worried Western officials because of possible crossover applications in the country’s weapons program.“ Iran’s state media also reported on Wednesday that Ahmadinejad unveiled “three new telecommunications satellites and a new satellite-carrier engine.” The event is being celebrated into next week, and is expected to reach its highpoint on February 11th.

In what appears to be a similar story with additional details, http://www.jpost.com reported that Iran launched a research rocket containing a mouse, two turtles and what looked like about 12 worms into space on Wednesday. The animals were apparently included just so that Ahmadinejad could say that Iran has accomplished putting animals into space, as a US defense expert stated that the animals have no real purpose. Ahmadinejad told Iran’s state-run television that “The scientific arena is where we should defeat the (West’s) domination.” He also stated that the launch is a “very big event. This is the first presence of animals in space launched by Iran. It’s the start of bigger achievements.”

One country that is being especially vocal in defense of Israel and about the need for the international community to impose tougher sanctions on Iran is Italy. The Jerusalem Post reported Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as saying that “We cannot accept the nuclearization of a country whose leaders have explicitly expressed their desire to destroy Israel, have denied the Holocaust and delegitimized the Jewish state.” He also stated that “We cannot make compromises. The path that must be taken is multilateral oversight, negotiations and sanctions.” And Berlusconi is certainly making the effort to lead by example. He announced that Italy has cut its business ties with Iran by a third and that Italy’s large ENI energy company decided against assisting Iran with developing an important oil field.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see what international events transpire leading up to and including next Thursday.