Iran Update

UPDATED AGAIN:

Even more interesting!

Iran names new head of atomic energy body

"Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's former representative to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, was named to replace Gholamreza Aghazadeh as head of the Atomic Energy Organization... Ali Akbar Salehi ... was named the new head of the Atomic Energy Organization," the ISNA news agency said.

The mild-mannered politician is in favor of resolving Iran's nuclear row with the West through talks, an analyst said.

"Salehi's appointment is a positive signal to the West. Salehi is a logical and soft spoken person who is trusted by the IAEA," said the analyst, who asked not to be named."

Hmmmm. Is the beleaguered regime looking for a way out of the corner they've painted themselves into? Good news in and of itself but is it just a bargaining chip? It's not enough to make me forget about the Iranian people's desire for freedom, but if this assessment of his character is any indication of what he will do in his new job, at least the Iranian people have one less thing to worry about, as so does Israel.

I wonder what Gholamreza Aghazadeh will do with the insider knowledge that he has? Are they afraid of what he might tell the West or the IAEA? But then again, what do I know.

UPDATED:

Iran's nuclear chief resigns

Interesting in its own right, but this article contains some other nuggets at well, such as this one about the death toll at the hands of the regime:

"The human cost of the post-election protest may have been far higher than was previously thought. About 20 people were believed to have died when the regime's security forces suppressed the demonstrations on the orders of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader and Mr Ahmadinejad's crucial ally.

But eyewitness testimony on a website linked to Iran's reformists suggests the real toll might have reached hundreds. One women seeking the body of her child described being shown into a makeshift mortuary filled with bodies. "Although I didn't find my child's body, on seeing all those corpses dumped on top of each other, I passed out," she said.

Thousands of people were arrested after the elections and many are still missing."

There's also reference to a recent speech made by Ahmadinejad which shows how utterly whacko he is.
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Israeli navy prepares for potential attack on Iran

"The exercises come at a time when Western diplomats are offering support for an Israeli strike on Iran in return for Israeli concessions on the formation of a Palestinian state."

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"“Israel has chosen to place the Iranian threat over its settlements,” said a senior European diplomat."

Six more journalists detained in Iran

"The arrests make Iran "the world's worst jailer of journalists," according to the group, which publicized news of the arrests earlier this week."

Slain protester's mother speaks out...

"...appears to be gearing up for a full-fledged publicity war against the regime. ...Fahimi, an active member of Mothers for Peace, reportedly told the reformist news website Norooznews.org that she would seek justice in domestic and, if need be, international courts."

Hunger strike by a Coalition of Leading Iranian Intellectuals, Pro-Democracy Activists and Scholars

"In solidarity with the Iranian people's Green Movement and condemning the widespread electoral fraud, the merciless repression of the popular protests, and the illegal arrest of hundreds of citizens and activists in Iran, we the undersigned are going on hunger strike between 22 to 24 July in front of the UN building in New York. We intend to have the voice of the long-suffering Iranian people to be heard. We ask the responsible members of the world community to demand the release of all political prisoners. Considering the alarming condition of the recent detainees, with their health and even lives in jeopardy, we demand they be visited by representatives of the General Secretary of the UN and immediately freed.

In addition, we the undersigned call on all our compatriots living in the United States and people of conscience to join this protest, meeting on the above-mentioned dates in front of the UN to declare their solidarity with Iranian people's Green Movement during these dangerous and crucial days..."

It might not be as dramatic or visual as the massive rallies in Iran's cities over the past month, but the revolution is well and truly alive and ongoing.

KEEP. GOING. IRAN.