Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Template:Fa | |
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6th President of Iran | |
Assumed office August 3, 2005 | |
Vice President | Parviz Dawoodi |
Preceded by | Mohammad Khatami |
Personal details | |
Born | October 28, 1956 Aradan, Iran |
Political party | Islamic Society of Engineers |
Persian: Template:Fa, IPA: [mæhˈmud æhmædineˈʒɒd]), transcribed into English as Mahmud or Mahmood, Ahmadinezhad, Ahmadi-Nejad, Ahmadi Nejad, Ahmady Nejad) (born October 28, 1956) is the current president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Society of Engineers, but he has a more powerful base inside the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran) and is considered one of the main figures in the alliance.[citation needed]
(Personal life and education
In his weblog, he claimed that in 1976, he took Iran's national university entrance exams (concours) to gain admission into Iran's top universities. His test score ranked him 132nd among over 400,000 participants that year,[1] landing him at the prestigious Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST or 'Elm Va Sanat') in Tehran as an undergraduate student of civil engineering. However, according to the IUST website, at the time this institute was called 'Iranian Institute of Higher Technical Education' and was awarded the status of university in 1978, thus it was not included in the national university entrance exams. Further, he has made another exaggeration about the number of contestants; this number was much lower than 400,000 in the year 1976, especially for the engineering programs. The number of contestants for the engineering programs was around 400,000 in the late 1980's (e.g., in 1988).
He continued his studies and entered the Master of Science program for civil engineering in 1984. In 1997, he received his PhD in traffic and transportation engineering and planning. The graduate program was a special program for Revolutionary Guard members funded by the organization. After graduation, he was appointed a professor at the civil engineering department at IUST. Ahmadinejad is married, and has two sons and two daughters.
Role in 1979 American Embassy Hostage Crisis
As reported in journalist Mark Bowden's book Guests of the Ayatollah, several former hostages from the American Embassy takeover of 1979 have named Ahmadinejad with hostage crisis. Former hostage David Roeder in particular has been adamant about Ahmadinejad's role, saying that Ahmadinejad, in an effort to get him to talk, threatened to kidnap his son back in the USA.[2] Several American experts have studied the facial features of both men and concluded that "regardless of striking similarities between the alleged two persons we are not talking about one but two different persons."[citation needed]
Early political career
Ahmadinejad was appointed Mayor of Tehran by the second City Council of Tehran on May 3, 2003, after a 12% turnout led to the election of the conservative candidates of Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran in Tehran. During his mayorship, he reversed many of the changes put into effect by previous moderate and reformist mayors, putting religious emphasis on the activities of the cultural centers founded by previous mayors, going on the record with the separation of elevators for men and women in the municipality offices,[3] and suggesting that the bodies of those killed in the Iran-Iraq war be buried in major city squares of Tehran. Such actions were coupled with an emphasis on charity, such as distributing free soup to the poor.
After two years as mayor, Ahmadinejad was shortlisted in a list of 65 finalists for World Mayor in 2005.[4] Out of the 550 nominated mayors, nine were from Asia.[5]
Ahmadinejad resigned from his post as the mayor of Tehran after his election to the presidency. His resignation was accepted on June 28, 2005.
Presidency
Presidential campaign
Ahmadinejad generally sent mixed signals about his plans for his presidency, which some US-based analysts considered to have been designed to attract both religious conservatives and the lower economic classes [6]. His campaign motto was, "It's possible and we can do it." (Template:Fa)(ما كرديم شد).
In his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad took a populist approach, with emphasis on his own modest life, and had compared himself with Mohammad Ali Rajai, the second president of Iran—a claim that raised objections from Rajai's family. Ahmadinejad claims he plans to create an "exemplary government for the people of the world" in Iran. He is a self-described "principlist"; that is, acting politically based on Islamic and revolutionary principles. One of his goals is "putting the petroleum income on people's tables," referring to Iran's oil profits being distributed among the poor. [7]
Ahmadinejad was the only presidential candidate who spoke out against future relations with the United States. Also, in an interview with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting a few days before the elections, Ahmadinejad accused the United Nations of being "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam."[8] He has openly opposed the veto power given to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. In the same interview, he stated, "It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege." In addition, he has defended Iran's nuclear program and has accused "a few arrogant powers" of attempting to limit Iran's industrial and technological development in this and other fields.
After his election he proclaimed, "Thanks to the blood of the martyrs, a new Islamic revolution has arisen and the Islamic revolution of 1384 [the current Iranian year] will, if God wills, cut off the roots of injustice in the world." He said, that "the wave of the Islamic revolution" would soon "reach the entire world."[9]
During his campaign for the second round, he said, "We didn't participate in the revolution for turn-by-turn government.…This revolution tries to reach a world-wide government." Also he has mentioned that he has an extended program on fighting terrorism in order to improve foreign relations and has called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours and ending visa requirements between states in the region, saying that "people should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours." [10]
As confirmed by Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a senior cleric from Qom, is President Ahmadinejad's ideological mentor and spiritual guide. Mesbah is the founder of Haghani School of thought in Iran. He and his team strongly supported Ahmadinejad's campaign during presidential election in 2005.[11]
Election
Ahmadinejad became the President of Iran on August 6, 2005, after wining 62% of the vote in the run-off poll, nearly twice that of ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[12] He received the presidential authorization from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on August 3, 2005.[13] During the authorization ceremony he kissed Khamenei's hand in demonstration of his loyalty to him.[14] Khamenei's eldest son Mujtaba acted as Ahmadinejad's campaign manager during the election.[15]
Cabinet
Ahmadinejad was required to introduce his suggested ministers to Majlis for a vote of approval in fifteen days, after which Majlis would have one week to decide about the ministers. It was mentioned by Masoud Zaribafan, Ahmadinejad's campaign manager, that Ahmadinejad would probably introduce his cabinet on the same day of his vow, which did not happen, but the list was finally sent to the Majlis on August 14. The Majlis were set to vote on the suggested ministers by August 21.
The parliament had held a private meeting on August 5, when Ahmadinejad presented a shortlist of three or four candidates for each ministry, to know the opinion of Majlis about his candidates. The final list was officially sent to the Majlis on August 14, 2005.
After a few days of heavy discussions in Majlis, which started on August 21, 2005, Ahmadinejad's cabinet was voted for on August 24, 2005, and became the first cabinet since the Iranian revolution in not winning a complete vote of approval.[citation needed] Four candidates, for the ministries of Cooperatives, Education, Petroleum, and Welfare and Social Security, all previous colleagues of Ahmadinejad in the Municipality of Tehran, were voted down, with the other candidates becoming ministers.[citation needed]
The list of suggested ministers and their votes went:[16]
Ministry | Candidate minister | Approvals | Denials | Abstentions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Agricultural | Mohammad Reza Eskandari (Persian bio) | 214 | 45 | 24 |
Commerce | Seyyed Masoud Mirkazemi | 169 | 85 | 25 |
Communication and Information Technology | Mohammad Soleimani | 220 | 43 | 16 |
Cooperatives | Alireza Ali-Ahmadi | 105 | 134 | 34 |
Culture and Islamic Guidance | Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi | 181 | 78 | 20 |
Defense and Logistics | Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar | 205 | 55 | 17 |
Economy and Financial Affairs | Davoud Danesh-Jafari (Persian bio) | 216 | 47 | 19 |
Education | Ali Akbar Ash'ari (Persian bio) | 73 | 175 | 31 |
Energy | Parviz Fattah (Persian bio) | 194 | 56 | 23 |
Foreign Affairs | Manouchehr Mottaki (Persian bio) | 220 | 47 | 16 |
Health and Medical Education | Kamran Bagheri Lankarani (Persian bio) | 169 | 86 | 27 |
Housing and Urban Development | Mohammad Saeedikia | 222 | 31 | 25 |
Industries and Mines | Alireza Tahmasbi | 182 | 58 | 30 |
Intelligence | Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeii (Persian bio) | 217 | 51 | 13 |
Interior | Mostafa Pourmohammadi (Persian bio) | 153 | 90 | 31 |
Justice | Jamal Karimi-Rad (Persian bio) | 191 | 59 | 24 |
Labour and Social Affairs | Mohammad Jahromi | 197 | 59 | 20 |
Petroleum | Ali Saeedlou | 101 | 133 | 38 |
Petroleum | Mohsen Tasalloti | 77 | 139 | 38 |
Petroleum | Kazem Vaziri Hamane | 172 | 53 | 34 |
Roads and Transportation | Mohammad Rahmati (Persian bio) | 214 | 43 | 21 |
Science, Research, and Technology | Mohammad Mehdi Zahedi (Persian bio) | 144 | 101 | 35 |
Welfare and Social Security | Mehdi Hashemi | 131 | 108 | 36 |
The new board of ministers held its first meeting on August 25 in Mashhad, promising to keep frequent meetings to cities other than the capital, Tehran. Temporary supervisors for two of the four ministries without new ministers were appointed by Ahmadinejad on August 27, Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Davoud Madadi for the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.[citation needed]
Domestic policy
Economy
Ahmadinejad submitted his first annual budget, covering April 2006–March 2007, to Iran’s parliament on January 15, 2006. The draft budget called for 1,956 trillion Rials (US$217.4 billion) in total spending, 27% more than in the fiscal 2005–06 budget. The oil-revenue projections, a significant portion of fiscal revenues, were based on a US$39.70/barrel price forecast for oil exports. The plan called on state-owned banks to allocate a larger portion of their resources to consumer loans for low-income families and small enterprises in underdeveloped regions. It also called for a visible increase in housing subsidies for low-income families, accounting for roughly US$1 billion in construction costs for the worse off.[17]
Despite the government's hostility toward NGOs,[18] Ahmadinejad devoted approximately 35 billion Rials (roughly US$3.5 million) to an NGO associated with Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, an increase of almost tenfold.[19]
In June 2006, 50 Iranian economists wrote a letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, criticising price interventions to stabilize prices of goods, cement, and government services, as well as a decree issued by the High Labor Council and the Ministry of Labor proposing an increase of workers' salaries by 40%. Ahmadinejad publicly responded harshly to the letter and denounced the accusations.[20]
Family planning and population policy
In October 2006, President Ahmadinejad opposed encouraging families to have just two children and said his country could cope with 50 million more people than the 70 million it has now, the student news agency ISNA reported. [6]
In remarks that have drawn criticism, he told MPs he wanted to scrap existing birth control policies which discouraged Iranian couples from having more than two children. [7]
Critics reacted with alarm and said the president’s call was ill-judged at a time when Iran was struggling with surging inflation and rising unemployment, unofficially estimated at around 25%. Mr Ahmadinejad’s call for a higher birth rate echoes a similar demand by the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini after the triumph of Iran’s Islamic revolution in 1979. The policy led to a population explosion but was later reversed because of the strain on the economy. As a result, population growth dropped from an all-time high of 3.2% in 1986 to around 1.2% today, similar to that of the United States. [8]
Housing
The first legislation to emerge from his newly formed government was a 12 trillion Rial (US$1.3 billion) fund called "Reza's Compassion Fund"[21][verification needed] which was named after one of Shi'a Islam's Imams, Ali al-Rida. By tapping into Iran's oil revenues, Ahmadinejad's government claims that this fund will be used to help young people to get jobs and to afford marriage, as well to assist in purchasing their own homes. The fund also sought charitable donations, and includes a boards of trustees in each of Iran's 30 provinces. The new plan is subject to the approval of the conservative-held Majlis, but is seen as unlikely to encounter strong opposition, given that deputies in the Majles have also shown an eagerness to focus on resolving economic problems. The legislation was in response to the costly housing in urban centres which is pushing up the national average marital age (currently around 25 years for women and 28 years for men). In 2006 the Iranian parliament rejected the fund. However, Ahmadinejad allegedly put his proposal into practice by ordering the administrative council to execute the plan.[22][verification needed]
Women's rights
On 24 April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that a ruling which prevented women from watching men playing sports in stadiums would soon be reversed.[23][24][25]. A state television announcer reported that Ahmadinejad "ordered the head of the sports organization to provide facilities in the stadiums to watch national matches." Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying: "The best stands should be allocated to women and families in the stadiums in which national and important matches are being held." Two days earlier, Ahmadinejad had objected to punishment of women appearing in stadiums without proper hijab. His remarks angered some supporters.[26][verification needed] Soon after his remarks, several of the highest-ranking clerics and marjas including, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, Grand Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani and Ayatollah Mirza Javad Tabrizi announced their objection to his decision, urgently calling for cancellation of the order. In Qom, many clerics demonstrated against the president's letter.[27][28][29][30][31][verification needed] Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reversed the decision[32] and 60,000+ mullahs at the grassroots level of sharia courts to national level expressed concerns. A Shi'ite news agency quoted one of Ahmadinejad's advisors saying that the President's statement about the attendance of women in stadium was a political measure to defend the Islamic regime against a US-led conspiracy. According to these reports, Ahmadinejad's government believed that the attendance of women in stadiums were against Sharia and therefore had to be banned, contrary to the earlier letter.[33][verification needed]
Science
In 2006, the Ahmadinejad government reportedly forced numerous Iranian scientists and University professors to resign or to retire. It has been referred to as "second cultural revolution" after the Islamic Cultural Revolution earlier.[34][verification needed][35] The policy has been said to replace current professors with younger ones.[36][verification needed] Many University professors received letters indicating their early retirement unexpectedly.[37][verification needed] In November 2006, 53 University Professors were forced to retire all at once at Iran University of Science and Technology, according to Advar News agency.[38]
Nuclear program
Ahmadinejad has been a vocal supporter of Iran's nuclear program. On January 11, 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran would have peaceful nuclear technology very soon. He also emphasized that building the nuclear bomb is not the policy of his government. He reportedly said that there was no such policy and that such a policy was "illegal and against our religion."[39][verification needed]
He also added at a January 2006 conference in Tehran that a nation that had "culture, logic and civilisation" would not need nuclear weapons, but that countries which sought nuclear weapons were those which wanted to solve all problems by the use of force.[40]
In April 2006, Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully refined uranium to a stage suitable for the nuclear fuel cycle. In a speech to students and academics in Mashad, he was quoted saying that Iran's conditions had changed completely as it became a nuclear state and could talk to other states from that stand.[41]
On April 13, 2006, Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that the peaceful Iranian nuclear technology would not pose a threat to any party because "we want peace and stability and we will not cause injustice to anyone and at the same time we will not submit to injustice."[42]
However, the office of the Iranian President is not responsible for nuclear policy. It is instead set by the Supreme National Security Council. The council includes representatives appointed by the Supreme Leader, military officials and members of the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government (see eg. Ali Larijani), and reports directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who reportedly issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons in 2005.[43]
On November 15, 2006 the Iranian President announced that "Today the Iranian nation possesses the full nuclear fuel cycle." [44]
Foreign policy
Iran-United States relations
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On May 8, 2006, Ahmadinejad sent a personal letter to United States President George Bush to propose "new ways" to end Iran's nuclear dispute.[45] U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley both reviewed the letter and dismissed it as a negotiating ploy and publicity stunt that did not address U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear program.[46] A few days later at a meeting in Jakarta, Ahmadinejad said, "the letter was an invitation to monotheism and justice, which are common to all divine prophets."[47]
On August 8, 2006, he gave a television interview to Mike Wallace, a correspondent for 60 Minutes.[48]
On August 29, 2006, he invited George W. Bush to an open televised debate on his plan to have a peaceful nuclear program in place. The invitation was promptly rejected by the White House.
On November 29, 2006, Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to the American people, representing some of his anxieties and concerns. He stated that there is an urgency to have a dialog because of the activities of the US administration in the Middle East, and their concealing the truth about current realities. The letter criticized many policies of the US administration, and claimed that the American people "showed their discontent in the recent elections."[49] In the letter, he also claims that Iran condemns all terrorism, though many in the United States consider Iran to be the world's leading state supporter of terrorism.[50][51][52]
Iran-Russia relations
Ahmadinejad has moved to strengthen relations with Russia, setting up an office expressly dedicated to the purpose in October 2005. He has worked with Vladimir Putin on the nuclear issue, and both Putin and Ahmadinejad have expressed a desire for more mutual cooperation on issues involving the Caspian Sea.[53] However, Western intelligence officials recently accused Ahmadinejad of sanctioning the training and funding of Chechen rebels, who are fighting against Russia, inside Iran.[54]
Iran-Israel relations
On October 23, 2005 Ahmadinejad gave a speech that contained antagonistic statements about Israel. According to widely published translations, he agreed with a statement he attributed to Ayatollah Khomeini that the "occupying regime" had to be removed, and referred to Israel as a "disgraceful stain [on] the Islamic world" that would be eliminated.[55]
Ahmadinejad's comments were condemned by major Western governments, the European Union, Russia, the United Nations Security Council and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.[56] Egyptian, Turkish and Palestinian leaders also expressed displeasure over Ahmadinejad's remark.[57] Canada's then Prime Minister Paul Martin said, “this threat to Israel's existence, this call for genocide coupled with Iran's obvious nuclear ambitions is a matter that the world cannot ignore.”[58]
The translation of his statement has been disputed. At a news conference on January 14, 2006, Ahmadinejad claimed regarding the October speech "There is no new policy, they created a lot of hue and cry over that."[59] In June, 2006 The Guardian columnist and foreign correspondent Jonathan Steele cited several Farsi speakers and translators who state that the phrase in question is more accurately translated as "eliminated" or "wiped off" or "wiped away" from "the page of time" or "the pages of history", rather than "wiped off the map".[60] Reviewing the controversy over the translation, New York Times deputy foreign editor Ethan Bronner observed that "all official translations" of the comments, including the foreign ministry and president's office, "refer to wiping Israel away".[61] Further, when asked point-blank by 60 Minutes's Mike Wallace, Ahmadinejad made no denial of the statement.[48] The fact that the unabridged statement expresses a desire to see the "occupying regime" in Israel become history like the Soviet empire, Saddam Hussein and the Shah regime in Iran is often overlooked by his critics, however.
Ahmadinejad also compared Israel's actions in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict to Adolf Hitler's actions during WWII saying that "Just like Hitler, the Zionist regime is just looking for a pretext for launching military attacks" and "is now acting just like him."[62]
On August 8, 2006, he gave a television interview to Mike Wallace, a correspondent for 60 Minutes, in which he talked about what he views as Israel's culpability for Lebanese suffering and the moral justification for Hezbollah's missile attacks. Later on in the interview Ahmadinejad was pressed on his views regarding the state of Israel, and asked to explain his previous statements questioning its right to exist, and suggesting that it should be relocated to Europe, since Europeans should have been forced to bear primary culpability for the Holocaust.[48]
On December 2, 2006, Ahmadinejad met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah in Doha, Qatar. At that meeting, he said that Israel "was created to establish dominion of arrogant states over the region and to enable the enemy to penetrate the heart Muslim land." He called Israel a "threat" and said it was created to create tensions in and impose US and UK policies upon the region.[63]
Anti-Zionist Statements
- Main article:Controversies surrounding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
In December 2005 Ahmadinejad made several controversial statements about the Holocaust, calling it "a myth", and criticizing European laws against Holocaust denial. He said, if the holocaust happened, "why don't you give a piece of Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to Israel," and, "why should the innocent nation of Palestine pay for this crime?" [64]
On Dec.11 President Ahmadinejad hosted a Holocaust Review and skeptics from around the world gathered at a government-sponsored conference here today to discuss their theories about whether six million Jews were indeed killed by the Nazis during World War II and whether gas chambers existed.
In response, a variety of sources have accused Ahmadinejad of anti-Semitism including the U.S. Senate. [65] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recently insisted that he is not an anti-Semite, saying "Some people think if they accuse me of being anti-Jew they can solve the problem. No, I am not anti-Jew. I respect them very much." [66]
Students Protest
On December 11, 2006, students disrupted a speech by Ahmadinejad at the Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. According to the Iranian Student News Agency, students set fire to photographs of Ahmadinejad and threw firecrackers. The protesters also chanted "death to the dictator". It was the first major public protest against Ahmadinejad since his election. In a statement carried on the students' Web site, they announced that they had been protesting the growing political pressure under Ahmadinejad, also accusing him of corruption, mismanagement, and discrimination. "The students showed that despite vast propaganda, the president has not been able to deceive academia," the statement added. It was also reported that some students were angry about the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust. A student activist was quoted as saying the conference was "shameful" and had "brought to our country Nazis and racists from around the world." On the one hand, Jewish Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss was invited by Ahmadinejad and gave a speech at the conference concerning Orthodox Jewish Attitude to the Holocaust. However, controversial figure and former Imperial Wizard of the KKK David Duke was also invited to attend.[9]
About 1,000 students also protested the day before to denounce the increasing pressure on the reformist groups at the university, newspapers reported. In the week prior, 2,000 students protested at Tehran University on the country's annual student day, with speakers saying there had been a crackdown on dissent at universities since Ahmadinejad was elected.[67][68] In response to the students slogans, the president said: "We have been standing up to dictatorship so that no one will dare to establish dictatorship in a millennium even in the name of freedom. Given the scars inflicted on the Iranian nation by agents of the US and British dictatorship, no one will ever dare to initiate the rise of a dictator".[69] Iranian media reported even though the protestors broke the TV cameras, and threw hand-made bombs at Ahmadinejad, the president asked the officials not to question or disturb the protestors. This is a vast constrast to former reformist president Khatami's reign, when he threatened to imprison the students, in a similar protest during his reign.[70]
Quotes by President Ahmadinejad
- The world is rapidly getting Ahmadinejadized, if I'm allowed to make a joke. (20 November 2006) [71][72]
- I want to tell them (western countries) just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime (in Israel) soon be wiped out." [73]
See also
- Politics of Iran
- Haghani Circle
- Hojjatieh Mahdavieh Society
- Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi
- 2006 Iranian sumptuary law controversy
- International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust, a Holocaust denial[74] conference currently being held in Tehran
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(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
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(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Irani, Hamed (June 23, 2006). "Cleansing in the Name of Retirement". Rooz. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
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(help) - ^ "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). Aftab news. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
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- ^ "[[:Template:Fa]]" (in Template:Fa icon). BBC Persian. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ "Ahmadinejad: Iran can now talk to world from vantage point of a nuclear state". Arabicnews.com. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^
"Ahmadinejad: Iran nuke right non-negotiable". UPI. April 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
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(help); Unknown parameter|orgurl=
ignored (help) - ^ Recknagel, Charles (June 27, 2005). "Iran: Election Of Ahmadinejad Unlikely To Affect Nuclear Negotiations". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ "Ahmadi Nejad: Iran Completes Nuclear Cycle". The Media Line. November 15, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
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(help) - ^ "Timeline: US-Iran ties". BBC News. May 31, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ Vick, Karl (May 9, 2006). "No Proposals in Iranian's Letter to Bush, U.S. Says". The Washington Post. pp. A18. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "President says his letter to President Bush was invitation to Islam". Islamic Republic News Agency. May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Thursday that his letter to President George W. Bush did not concern the nuclear dossier, but rather was an invitation to Islam and the prophets culture. "We act according to our laws and our activities are quite clear. We are rather intent on solving more fundamental global matters. The letter was an invitation to monotheism and justice, which are common to all divine prophets. If the call is responded positively, there will be no more problems to be solved," added the president.
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(help) - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
MA 60 Minutes
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Message of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President of the Republic of Iran to the American People" (PDF). Foxnews. November 29, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-29.
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(help) - ^ Richard L. Armitage, Deputy Secretary of State (November 28, 2003). "U.S. Policy and Iran. Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
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(help) - ^ R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs (November 30, 2005). "U.S. Policy and Iran. Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2006-12-01.
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(help) - ^ Iran. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. November 30, 2006. Last accessed December 1, 2006.
- ^ "Ahmadinejad: Special Hq to be formed for Tehran-Moscow cooperation". Islamic Republic News Agency. October 26, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ "Teheran 'secretly trains' Chechens to fight in Russia". The Telegraph. November 27, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-14.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT UN Speech
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Annan 'dismayed' by Iran remarks". BBC News. October 28, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ "UN raps Iran's anti-Israel rant". BBC News. October 28, 2005. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ Martin, Paul (November 15, 2005). "Prime Minister Martin Speaks Before Jewish Leaders in Toronto". Carolyn Bennett. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
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(help) - ^ Fathi, Nazila (January 15, 2006). "U.N. Scrutiny Won't Make Iran Quit Nuclear Effort, President Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
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(help) - ^ Steele, Jonathan (June 14, 2006). "Lost in translation". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
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(help) - ^ Bronner, Ethan (June 11, 2006). "Just How Far Did They Go, Those Words Against Israel?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-06-11.
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(help) - ^ "Ahmadinejad compares Israel to Hitler". IndiaeNews.com. July 16, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
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(help) - ^ "President Ahmadinejad, Palestinian PM meet in Doha". IRNA. Dec 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
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(help) - ^ CNN, Iranian leader: Holocaust a 'myth' Article accessed 2006-5-30
- ^ Condemning Anti-Semitic Statements of the President of Iran
- ^ BBC News, Iranian leader 'not anti-Semite'
- ^ Nazila Fathi (December 12, 2006). "Students disrupt speech by Iran chief". New York Times News Service.
- ^ MICHAEL THEODOULOU (December 12, 2006). "Protesters condemn Holocaust conference". The Scotsman.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3] [4]
- ^ The world is rapidly getting Ahmadinejadized.
- ^ The world according to Ahmadinejad
- ^ Democracy Now! [5]
- ^ *"Holocaust denial outrages Europe", The Washington Times, December 13 2006.
- "Holocaust deniers gather in Iran", Edmonton Journal, December 13 2006.
- "Holocaust deniers rebuked". Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2006.
- "Canadian prof attends Tehran's gathering of Holocaust deniers", The Globe and Mail, December 13, 2006.
- "THE CONFERENCE for Holocaust deniers hosted by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a transparent polemical stunt." "Iran's great pretender", The Boston Globe, December 13, 2006.
- "WHAT'S THE perfect way to top off a Holocaust denial conference featuring input from the likes of such scholars as former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke?" "Holocaust denial can be dangerous", Los Angeles Times, December 13, 2006.
- "Across Europe, outrage over meeting of holocaust deniers", Zee News, December 13, 2006.
- "World reacts with outrage over meeting of Holocaust deniers in Iran", Calgary Sun, December 13, 2006.
- "Holocaust deniers' meeting spurs outrage", Houston Chronicle, December 12, 2006.
- "Across Europe, outrage over meeting of Holocaust deniers in Iran", International Herald Tribune, December 12, 2006.
- "Holocaust deniers gather in Iran for 'scientific' conference", The Guardian, December 12, 2006.
- "Revisionist fringe gathers for Iran's Holocaust denial jamboree", The Independent, December 12, 2006.
- "Holocaust Denied at Iran Forum to `Research' Nazis", Bloomberg Television, December 11, 2006.
- "Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran", The New York Times, December 11, 2006.
- "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at a Tehran conference denying the existence of the Holocaust, said Israel will disappear like the Soviet Union." "Iran students rebel over Holocaust denial", United Press International, December 12, 2006.
External links
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