Golnaz Esfandiari

Iran: Election Crisis in Iran Continues to Escalate

In an emergency cabinet meeting last night, Iranian government officials said now is not the right time for elections. Earlier yesterday, more than 100 parliament deputies tendered their resignations to Iran's speaker of parliament. The move came in protest of the decision by the conservative Guardians Council to prevent some 2,000 moderate and pro-reform candidates from running in the parliamentary vote scheduled later this month. The deputies stepping down said they will not participate in the vote, which they called undemocratic and illegal.

Iran: Interior Ministry Wants Elections Delayed To Resolve Crisis

Iran's Interior Ministry is calling on the powerful Guardians Council to postpone the country's 20 February parliamentary elections. The ministry says a delay is needed in order to resolve a dispute over the council's mass disqualification of reformist and moderate candidates -- a decision the 12-member body of clerics and Islamic jurists is set to review by the end of the day.

Iran: Washington, Tehran Hold Rare Talks on Sidelines Of Davos

In a rare high-level meeting between Iran and the United States, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and U.S. Senator Joseph Biden held 90-minute talks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Analysts say the meeting marks an important first step toward improved ties between the two nations.

Iran: Guardians Council Rejects Electoral Reform Bill As Crisis Escalates

Iran's Guardians Council has rejected an electoral reform bill aimed at limiting the grounds for disallowing candidates in parliamentary elections. Protesting deputies say they are considering their next moves in discussions with the government of President Mohammad Khatami.

Iran: Deputies Continue Sit-In As Khatami Says Political Crisis Heading Toward Settlement

Prague, 22 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Legislators in Tehran are in the 12th day of a sit-in in parliament, protesting a decision by the conservative Guardians Council to exclude more than 3,000 reformist candidates from standing in 20 February parliamentary polls.

Iran: Guardians Council Seen As Having Free Hand To Quash Reforms

The large-scale disqualification of pro-reform candidates for parliament by Iran's hard-line Guardians Council earlier this month has led to a major political crisis. This is not the first time that the pro-reform parliament has clashed with the influential Guardians Council. The constitutional watchdog has rejected most of the pro-reform bills passed by parliament.

Iran: Remembering The Shah, 25 Years Later

Today is the 25th anniversary of the departure of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi from Iran. Iranians throughout the country joyously celebrated his departure at the time. But RFE/RL reports that many Iranians of all classes tend 25 years later to remember the shah's reign with nostalgia.

Iran: Protest Continues In Spite Of Supreme Leader's Intervention

Iranian deputies are protesting for a fifth day against a decision by the conservative Guardians Council to bar thousands of candidates in next month's legislative elections. They are continuing a sit-in demonstration in spite of intervention by the country's supreme leader urging the Guardians Council to review its ban.

Iran: Reformist Deputies Continue Sit-In Protest At Parliament

Reformist deputies have rejected a request by the Iranian president for parliamentarians to end their sit-in protest. The deputies are demonstrating against a decision last week by the conservative Guardians Council to bar thousands of candidates from running in next month's parliamentary election. One deputy has already resigned in protest and other deputies have said they will follow suit.

Iran: Judiciary Orders Pro-Reform Website To Be Filtered

Iran's conservative judiciary has ordered one of the main pro-reform websites to be filtered. Ahead of the parliamentary election scheduled for 20 February, analysts say conservatives are trying to restrict the Internet, which has become one of the main platforms for reformists to challenge their conservative rivals.

Iran: Guardians Council Decision Leads To Growing Political Crisis

Iran faces a growing political crisis following the massive disqualification yesterday of reformist candidates by the conservative Guardians Council. Many of the disqualified are among the leading pro-reform MPs holding seats in Iran's parliament. Iran's Supreme Leader today said he would only intervene if the conservatives and reformists failed to bridge their differences. President Mohammad Khatami has appealed for calm.

Iran/U.S.: Hopes Of Bilateral 'Earthquake Diplomacy' Appear To Be Crumbling

Hopes for a thaw in relations between the United States and Iran due to "earthquake diplomacy" appear to be waning. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said yesterday that U.S. contributions of humanitarian aid to the victims of the Bam earthquake do not represent an improvement in relations. His comments echo those of U.S. President George W. Bush, who has said Tehran needs to do more if it wants closer relations.

Iran: A Capital Idea? Experts Disagree On Whether To Relocate Earthquake-Prone Tehran

Tehran lies on major seismological fault lines, and following the earthquake in Bam, which killed more than 30,000 people, Iranian officials are considering moving the capital to safer ground. Experts warn that an earthquake in Tehran of the same magnitude as the one in Bam could kill hundreds of thousands of people and destroy most of the city's buildings.

Afghanistan: Loya Jirga Approves Constitution, But Hard Part May Have Only Just Begun

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has praised Afghanistan's new constitution as a historic achievement. U.S. President George W. Bush says the document lays the foundation for democratic institutions and elections before the end of the year. But observers question whether a country emerging from more than two decades of fighting can be so quickly transformed. They say the ethnic divisions that still exist in the country will make implementation extremely difficult.

Iran: Tehran's Latest Nuclear Efforts Weighing Heavy On Minds Of Proliferation Experts

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization says Tehran has almost completed construction of a plant to produce heavy water. Iran also says it plans to build a 40-megawatt heavy water nuclear reactor next to it. Arms experts are expressing concern over the project, since heavy water reactors can produce plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.

Afghanistan: Rival Faction Leaders Attempt To Resolve Differences

Prague, 2 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Delegates at Afghanistan's Loya Jirga are meeting behind closed doors today in an attempt to overcome differences over the country's future constitution.

Afghanistan: Loya Jirga Adjourns Amid Disputes Over Constitution

Afghanistan: Loya Jirga Said To Be Nearing Agreement On New Constitution

Libya: Analysts Say Decision On WMD Inspired By Economics, Worries About Succession

Iran: Tehran Signs Protocol To Non-Proliferation Treaty