Ahmadinejad tells US, Britain to stay out of Iranian affairs: BBC Says Protests Being Suffocated As Snipers Appear

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned  the United States and Britain on Sunday not to interfer in the Islamic Republic’s internal affairs, the ISNA ( Iranians news agency) was cited by Reuters as saying. Sunday morning ISNA said 17 have been killed and 100 injured.

A picture in Sunday’s Jerusalem Post  shows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, listening to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speech with  judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and parliament speaker Ali Larijani sit, during Friday prayers.

Also on Sunday the BBC speculates that the protests in Iran are slowly being suffocated as more and more troops and militia are massed to suppress public anti government displays. There are rumors of strikes being encouraged for as early as Monday.

Ahmadinejad has been quoted as warning, “Definitely by hasty remarks you will not be placed in the circle of friendship with the Iranian nation. Therefore I advise you to correct your interfering stances,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a meeting with clerics and scholars.

Many Western countries have criticized the election, which was won by Ahmadinejad according to official figures, and its aftermath. His main opponent, moderate Mir Hossein Mousavi, says the vote was rigged. The government denied the charges.

Also Sunday, Iran’s Parliament reiterated warnings sounded by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in which he said that leaders of the US, UK, France and Germany must not to interfere in the country’s internal affairs, threatening that Iran would respond to such meddling “in other fields.”

Obama has remained measured in his comments about the Iranian protests sparking criticism that he is too partial to Islam and not nearly supportive enough of the anti-government forces. For his part Obama said he did not want the U. S. to become a “foil” for Iran’s theocracy - but, that appears to already have happened.

For its part the The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Islamist shock troops in charge of Iran’s nuclear arms program, has said Obama’s speech in Cairo legitimized Iran’s nuclear program.

IRGC paramilitary unit Qods Force, says that Obama’s comments about the Iranians having a right to the peaceful use of nuclear power indicate the president “acknowledged Iran’s nuclear right within the framework of the NPT; he must show this in practice.” 

“The dignified foreign policies of the ninth government forced him to officially acknowledge Iran’s nuclear right and asked for negotiations with Iran without preconditions,” Kowsari said. “Obama’s presence in the Middle East and in the Islamic countries was because America wanted to support Saudi Arabia and Egypt and also wanted to send a limited verbal signal to Iran.”

Sunday Senator John McCain regretted Obama has not taken a stronger stance on opposing suppression of Iranian “human rights.” He lamented Obama’s tepid leadership. On Friday the U. S. Congress reaffirmed its conviction that people have the right to peaceful protest. He said America has a moral obligation and faces the same responsibility now as during the Cold War he cited Daniel Webster and JFK who pledged to “go anywhere and bear any burden” in the pursuit of freedom.

Hanging over the entire Iranian issue are oil prices that have recently been driven up by speculators and the fear of a spike deep into three figures resulting in $4-$5 per gallon gasoline prices in the U. S. is the wheels coime off in Iran. That would bring economic recovery to a screeching halt. So far the Iranian dustup has not impacted oil prices primarily because there is a glut which of course raises the issue of the 51-day run up on per gallon prices - that’s another story.