Global anti-Israel protests on Quds Day

EHRAN/GENEVA  - Iranians rallied nationwide on Friday in a show of support for Palestinians as archfoe #Israel pursued its deadly campaign against the #Gaza Strip.

Demonstrations were held in Tehran and more than 700 towns and cities across the country on the last day of prayer and rest of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramazan, state television reported.
In the capital, footage showed demonstrators, carrying placards proclaiming "Death to Israel" and "Death to America", converging from nine different points on Tehran University in the city centre.

Iran holds Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) rallies in support of the Palestinians every year on the last Friday of Ramazan, but this year's demonstrations came on the 18th day of Israel's deadly campaign against rocket-firing fighters in Gaza.

More than 800 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the assault on Gaza and the Hamas movement that dominates it and has long been supported by Iran.

Rockets and mortar rounds fired into Israel have killed three civilians - two Israelis and a Thai farm worker - and fighting in and around Gaza has killed 32 Israeli soldiers.

"The Islamic world must in unison declare this day one of anger, hatred, unity and resistance against Israel," President Hassan Rouhani said at the Tehran demonstration.

Rouhani, who has overseen a fledgling rapprochement with the West condemned, "those who stay silent in the face of the Zionist regime's crimes". "The world demands an end to the Gaza blockade, opening the Rafah crossing and halting attacks on Gaza so its people can live normally," he said.

He was referring to the demands of Hamas for any truce with Israel to end the deadly violence. The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt is the territory's only one not controlled by Israel.
General Hossein Salami, second in command of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, struck a defiant tone in a speech broadcast on state television.

"Now no place in the occupied territories is safe for the Zionists. The missiles of Palestinian fighters have a range well beyond what the Zionists believe," he said. "We will continue house by house and avenge the blood of martyrs shed in Palestine." Salami's sentiments were echoed by demonstrators. "My message to the Palestinians is this: continue the struggle until your last drop of blood. Islamic countries, especially Iran, are behind you to save you," a young protester called Hassan told AFP.

Iran does not recognise Israel's existence, and supports Palestinian Islamist groups that fight it. On Thursday, the speaker of Iran's parliament, Ali Larijani, told state television's Arabic service that Tehran had provided Hamas with the technology it has used to rain down rockets on Israel. "Today, the fighters in Gaza have good capabilities and can meet their own needs for weapons," he said. "But once upon a time, they needed the arms manufacture know-how and we gave it to them."

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday called on the Palestinians to keep fighting Israel and to expand their resistance from Gaza to the occupied West Bank. During the last major conflict in and around Gaza in November 2012, Larijani said Iran was "proud" to have provided "both financial and military support" to Hamas.

Israel accused Iran of supplying Gaza fighters with its Fajr-5 missile, which has a range of 75 kilometres (45 miles), for use during that conflict. But the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, General Mohammad Ali Jafari, said at the time it was not the missiles that had been supplied but their technology.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization urged on Friday the creation of a humanitarian corridor in the besieged Gaza Strip to allow for the evacuation of the wounded.
"WHO is calling for the creation of a humanitarian corridor ... to reach various crossings and to help in the evacuation of the large number of injured people," said Paul Garwood, a spokesman for the UN health agency.

"There's a daily increase in casualty figures," he told reporters.
Garwood said WHO representatives had been in contact in recent days with Israel as well as Egypt to discuss the possibility of setting up a corridor.

He said that as of Thursday, the total number of people injured in Gaza since the start of the Israeli offensive on July 8 stood at 5,118, among them 1,561 children, 1,700 women and 203 elderly.
"The huge strains on the facilities inside Gaza, coupled with the challenges to get replenishments to those facilities, and the increasing insecurity on a daily basis is increasing the number of people who are getting injured, and they need better medical care," he added.

A further concern is attacks on health facilities and medical staff, with hospitals, clinics and ambulances being damaged or destroyed. "This underscores the need for health facilities, patients and staff to be protected. It's a humanitarian right," Garwood said.
On Friday, the Palestinian death toll since Israel launched its offensive reached 815, the overwhelming majority of them civilians. Nearly 100 Palestinians were killed on Thursday, one of the bloodiest days of the conflict.

Rockets and mortar rounds fired into Israel by Palestinian fighters have killed three civilians - two Israelis and a Thai farm worker - and fighting in and around Gaza has killed 33 Israeli soldiers.
The conflict has also displaced tens of thousands of people in Gaza, many of whom have sought refuge at UN shelters. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu cancelled a scheduled trip to France and flew to Qatar on Friday to help efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a Turkish official said.

The decision comes after Davutoglu held a "teleconference with his counterparts from the United States and Qatar Thursday night and also spoke separately with the Palestinian groups," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The minister made an abrupt decision to fly to Qatar to contribute to efforts for an immediate ceasefire."

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday reached out to Hamas allies Turkey and Qatar to push for a ceasefire. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal is based in Doha.
Turkey, a staunch critic of the Israeli assaults in Gaza, is pressing for involvement of Hamas in any negotiations for a ceasefire.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who presents himself as a rare global Muslim leader who stands up for Palestinian rights, has accused Israel of carrying out a "genocide" in Gaza.
His rhetoric sparked condemnation from Israel and severe criticism from Turkey's NATO ally the United States.

Meanwhile, French police said Friday that a protest planned for the weekend in Paris against Israel's Gaza offensive has been banned, following several similar rallies that turned violent.

Organisers of the rally scheduled for Saturday immediately lodged a legal challenge, their lawyer, Hosni Maati, said. Three pro-Palestinian rallies, two of them which had been banned but took place anyway, degenerated earlier this month, with some protesters looting, hurling anti-Semitic slogans and clashing with police.

Jewish Iranian MP: Israel behaving like Nazi Germany

Jewish Iranian MP: Israel behaving like Nazi Germany

The designated representative of the Iranian Jewish community in #Iran’s parliament lambasted Israel’s actions in #Gaza on Monday, and drew comparisons between the Jewish state and Nazi Germany.

The Zionist regime’s crimes are reminiscent of the actions taken by the German Nazis during the first and second world wars,” Siamak Moreh Sedgh told Fars News Agency.

The legislator added that Israeli treatment of the Palestinians reminded him of the Saddam Hussein’s crimes against Iran and Iraq’s Shiite community.

In Iran, five seats in parliament are reserved for recognized religious minorities — one for a Jew, two for Christians and two for Zoroastrians. Moreh Sedgh, a 50-year-old physician, who also serves as director of the Tehran Jewish Committee, has represented his community in parliament since 2012.

Moreh Sedgh has criticized Israel on numerous occasions, and has dubbed the Jewish state’s treatment of Palestinians “inhuman.”

In May 2008, Moreh Sedgh said that Iran’s Jewish community would not mark Israel’s 60th anniversary. “We are in complete disagreement with the behavior of Israel,” Moreh Sedgh said at the time, adding that in Gaza Israel displayed “anti-human behavior… they kill innocent people.”

In an interview with Russia Today in 2010, Moreh Sedgh denied that anti-Semitism existed in Iran, claiming it was a uniquely European phenomenon.

“Jews are safe in Iran. There has never been a single instance of anti-Semitism in Iranian society. This phenomenon belongs to the European, Christian world,” he said.

At least 186 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, intended to stop rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. There have not been any Israeli fatalities from some 1,000 rockets fired by Hamas into Israel, with Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepting dozens of rockets heading into residential areas, though 2 people died of heart attacks when sirens sounded, and several have been injured by missile shrapnel. The Times of Israel

Bitten by sanctions, Iranians support nuclear compromise

After years of tough sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme, many in the country now say they want the government to make compromises that could satisfy world powers and allow a semblance of prosperity to return.

Although many Iranians still fervently believe in their country’s right to all aspects of a civilian nuclear programme, including those regarded with suspicion in the West, they are increasingly tired of the high economic price.

That weariness will form the backdrop on June 16 when Iran’s political leaders send negotiators to Geneva for talks with six world powers aimed at hammering out an agreement that swaps concessions on uranium enrichment for sanctions relief.

‘I love my country but I love my family more, and for years I have worked hard to cope with the rising prices,’ said Ali Mirzai, a father of three in the northern city of Rasht. ‘I am tired. My only hope now is (President Hassan) Rouhani. He is trying to improve the economy by resolving the nuclear issue. I believe in him and his policies.’ Mirzai, like millions of Iranians who bore the brunt of the sanctions, voted last year for pragmatist Rouhani after he promised to improve the flagging economy in part by striking a deal with the outside world.

Although there are no reliable opinion polls in Iran, Rouhani’s large margin of victory on a platform of compromise, and anecdotal evidence gleaned from recent telephone interviews across the country suggest strong public appetite for a deal.

‘Rouhani and his team will solve this issue. I am sure his moderate and compromising policy will work. We don’t need hostility,’ said Arvin Sadri, 31, who runs his father’s furniture factory in the northern holy city of Mashhad. After several rounds of talks last year, a preliminary deal was penned in Geneva in November, including a limited easing of sanctions in exchange for Iran halting some nuclear activities.

The agreement took effect on Jan. 20, and was designed to buy time for a final deal within six months. As the deadline fast approaches, the lifting of some sanctions has given Iranians a taste of how things might improve. Maryam Simai, 41, a schoolteacher in the central city of Yazd said she supports the atomic programme and believes sanctions are unfair. But she still favours compromise. ‘I want to live in peace. I don’t want to fear for the future of my children. The tension with the international community and sanctions have ruined our economy and has isolated us,’ she said.
LAME DUCK

If a lifting of sanctions is important to many Iranians, it is vital for the political hopes of Rouhani, a self-proclaimed moderate who has pledged to boost the economy. ‘A deal with the world powers will bring political and economic stability to Iran. Rouhani’s political future depends on this deal. He will become a lame duck president if he fails to reach a deal,’ said political analyst Hasan Feghhi.
Analysts and economists say he has only partially succeeded in repairing economic damage that Iran suffered during years of confrontation with the West, particularly under his hardline predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The official inflation rate has halved to around 20 percent since Rouhani’s election, but unemployement remains around 30 percent and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Meanwhile, Iran’s rial has dropped against the U.S. dollar.

‘I support my country’s nuclear achievements but at the same time I don’t think it is logical to pay a heavy price for it,’ said Jinus Dadgostar, 18, who lives in the affluent neighborhood of Zaferaniyeh in northern Tehran. Years of official rhetoric denying that sanctions were hurting and glorifying the country’s supposed self-reliance resonated with some Iranians, who said they were happy to suffer to defend a programme that came to symbolise national pride.

However, Iran’s traditionally cautious clerical rulers, loath to incite any Arab Spring-style domestic unrest or provoke harsher international action, have adopted more emollient language in recent months, diplomats said. ‘Iran’s clerical rulers need this deal to guarantee their power. That is why they have changed their tone,’ said a Tehran-based western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But because a failure of talks would rebound even harder on pragmatist Rouhani and his allies, they can still afford to take a harder position than the president, the diplomat added. ‘No deal or a bad deal will strengthen hardliners in Iran.’

SUPREME LEADER

Rouhani’s position is made more complicated because although his status as president gives him a big say, it is lower in Iran’s political hierarchy than that of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on the nuclear file.

Backing away from atomic defiance could be politically tricky for Khamanei, who has supported hardline positions on the nuclear file in the past. But, for now, he appears to fear the economic problems caused by sanctions could weaken his position and he has cautiously backed the talks, calling for ‘heroic flexibility’ but still expressing pessimism about the outcome.

‘The members of the team work under direct guidance of the leader (Khamenei). Everything is being reported to him and he sets the tone for the Iranian negotiators,’ said a senior Iranian official, who asked to be unnamed. One sign of Khamanei’s current support for some form of compromise can be deciphered in the hardline media, which has started publishing articles that justify a more conciliatory approach, often citing economic hardship.

Oil exports account for around 60 percent of Iran’s economy, much of its food and animal feed come from abroad, and many of its factories assemble goods from imported parts. ‘I am tired of this nuclear dispute. For years we feared further economic pressure and possible military action. A nuclear deal is our only chance to live in peace,’ said interior designer Mastaneh Alavi in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

But many Iranians contacted by Reuters still argued for a ‘balanced’ nuclear deal, saying it would be unfair to deny their country a technology possessed by Pakistan, India and Israel. ‘As our leader said, we will not accept closure of our nuclear facilities,’ said Asghar Seydani, 38, who is a member of the hardline Basij militia in the western city of Kermanshah.

‘No sir, I will not accept it. If necessary, I am ready to sacrifice my blood for continuation of our nuclear activities.’ From businessmen in Tehran to housewives in Shiraz, many Iranians dread possible consequences of failure of the talks including further sanctions and even military attack. The United States and Iran’s arch foe Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve Iran’s nuclear dispute. However, analysts say such an attack could well consolidate the clerical establishment’s power.

Khamenei, for his part, said on Wednesday he did not consider a military strike was an option for the United states. ‘America has now understood that a military attack is not a priority. They know that such attacks are even more dangerous for the attacker than for the country attacked.’–Reuters

Iran-based hackers reportedly target US officials for sanctions, anti-nuclear intelligence

Iranian technicians work at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, outside the southern city of Bushehr, Iran.AP

#Hackers apparently based in Iran have mounted a three-year campaign of cyber-espionage against high-ranking #US. and international officials, including a four-star admiral, to gather intelligence on economic sanctions, antinuclear proliferation efforts and other issues, according to #cybersecurity investigators.

Using an elaborate ruse involving more than a dozen personas working for a fake U.S. news organization, the hackers developed connections to their targets through websites like Facebook and LinkedIn to trick them into giving up personal data and logon information, the investigators say.

The alleged campaign, which dates back at least to 2011 and is still under way, principally has focused on U.S. and Israeli targets in public and private sectors, but also has included similar officials in countries such as the U.K., Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq, according to the investigators.

The campaign was uncovered by the Dallas-based cybersecurity firm iSight Partners, which has been tracking it for six months. The iSight report provides the first detailed public look inside what the investigators say is an extensive cyber-espionage campaign against the U.S. by Iranian hackers, and shows to an extent not previously understood their ability to conduct extensive and lengthy targeting of key individuals, much in the mold of Chinese cyberspies.

"It is such a complex and broad-reaching, long-term espionage campaign for the Iranians," said Tiffany Jones, a senior vice president at iSight and a former National Security Council aide in the George W. Bush administration. "What they lack in technical sophistication, they make up in creativity and persistence."

Iranian hackers have developed a reputation for very public and destructive attacks on company websites and computer networks, particularly U.S. banks and Middle Eastern energy firms. But their clandestine cybertactics are less understood. They have infiltrated a U.S. Navy network and U.S. energy-company networks, The Wall Street Journal previously has reported.

In the past year, Iranian hackers have become among the top cybersecurity concerns for many U.S. military and intelligence officials who see them as more highly motivated to harm the U.S. than more traditional cyber-adversaries in Russia and China.

Iranian officials have denied any role in past hacking incidents, and charge the U.S. with being behind a massive cyberattack in recent years, unleashing the Stuxnet virus into Iranian computers. Fox News

Mark Zuckerberg ordered to appear in court in IRAN to answer complaints about Facebook violating privacy

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been ordered by a judge in southern Iran to appear in court to answer complaints about the company violating privacy. 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been ordered
 by a judge in southern Iran to appear in court

Individuals say Facebook-owned applications Instagram and Whatsapp violate their privacy. 

Ruhollah Momen Nasab, an official with the paramilitary Basij force, said a judge has also ordered the two apps to be blocked. 

It is highly unlikely that Zuckerberg would appear in an Iranian court since there is no extradition treaty between Iran and the #UnitedStates. 

Some #Iranian courts have in recent years issued similar rulings that could not be carried out.

Another Iranian court last week ordered Instagram to be blocked over privacy concerns. 

However, users in the capital Tehran could still access both applications around noon today. 

In Iran, websites and Internet applications have sometimes been reported blocked but remained operational.

Facebook is already banned in the country, along with other social websites like Twitter and YouTube.

However some senior leaders like Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are active on Twitter.

While top officials have unfettered access to social media, Iran's youth and technological-savvy citizens use proxy servers or other workarounds to bypass the controls.

The administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani is opposed to blocking such websites before authorities create local alternatives. 

Social media has offered a new way for him and his administration to reach out to the West as it negotiates with world powers over the country's contested nuclear program.

The administration of moderate President Hassan Rouhani is opposed to blocking such websites before authorities create local alternatives

'We should see the cyber world as an opportunity,' Rouhani said last week, according to the official IRNA news agency. 

'Why are we so shaky? Why don't we trust our youth?'

Hard-liners accuse Rouhani of failing to stop the spread of what they deem as 'decadent' Western culture in Iran.  The Daily Mail