Dear Larry,

I hope you are well. Here I am in Iran once again with a group of seventeen wonderful people. They are so present, curious and engaged. This trip has just been amazing. Something new has unfolded every day.

The group has just loved the trip and the warmth and hospitality of the people. In Yazd our hotel manager put a U.S. flag on the reception desk to greet us. In a restaurant four soldiers who were dining near us, came to our table to welcome us and wish us peace. In Persepolis we had the most beautiful, charming and helpful guide!

A hotel added a U.S. flag to make American visitors feel more welcome.

The Mausoleum of Hafez was magnificent at night and we gathered around Hafez’s tomb reciting poetry. Brooke, our eighteen year old tour member has been the center of attention.

In a restaurant Iranian soldiers at a nearby table introduced themselves and welcomed the tour group.

Yesterday we toured the magnificent mosques of Esfahan. Last night under the Khajoo bridge the youth entertained us with their songs and dance!
What an amazing journey!

Here are some photos for you.

Peace,
Abdi

The photos used here are a couple of the ones he sent.

And here is some info about Abdi, taken from his travel web site: www.solhtours.com

“Five years before the Islamic Revolution, I left my native Iran for the United States, where I studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California.

“I have always had great love of documentary filmmaking, although most of my professional career has been in film production and studio management… Recently, I returned to my documentary roots when I traveled to Iran with Rick Steves to help produce a documentary for PBS. View my photo essay about the making of this film.

“I have also had a longstanding interest in peacemaking, which I have pursued as a consultant to Mercy Corps, a non-profit organization committed to turning crisis into opportunity around the world…

“Having traveled to more than 30 countries around the world, I know firsthand the transformative power of travel. I offer only a few tours every year and accompany every tour myself. This way, I can make sure that every tour nurtures travelers on many levels, providing deeply meaningful interaction with the friendly people of Iran and stimulating dialogue among tour group members. ”

Anyone interested in travel to Iran can contact Abdi at abdi@solhtours.com or call him at 206-709-9552.

And, no, this isn’t an ad for Abdi. It’s just a post about a nice guy doing some nice things.

The event, “Iran-Israel-U.S.: Resolving the Nuclear Impasse,” is planned for December 16th at Seattle’s Town Hall. The organizers say that many in the progressive community are deeply concerned that the United States and/or Israel may take military action against Iran. These fears have been exacerbated by the recent House bill that provides for severe sanctions against Iran and by the continued statements from neocons in the United States and Israel declaring military force as the only way to curb Iran’s nuclear efforts.

The organizers of this event, in a recent fundraising letter, say, “This conference will present a comprehensive approach that could resolve major difference through diplomacy and open a new era in relations between these three current enemies. It will also discuss the best means of supporting the Iran reform movement in its efforts to encourage a government based on democracy and tolerance.”

One of the key organizers, Richard Silverstein, said, “The purpose of this event is to show the American people that there are legitimate ways to resolve the differences between the U.S. and Iran short of force and violence. Most analysts believe that neither sanctions nor a military attack can impede Iran’s nuclear program in any serious way. The only way to resolve this issue is through diplomacy and negotiation.”

The conference will feature three analysts who will discuss U.S. and Israeli policy options including sanctions and the possible military attack. The speakers will be: Reza Firouzbakht, national board chair, National Iranian American Council; Ian Lustick, political science professor, University of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Keith Weissman, former director of AIPAC’s Iran desk.

The conference coalition includes: the Middle East Center, Jackson School of International Studies, Univ. of Washington; the Stroum Jewish Studies Program, Univ. of Washington; the American Friends Service Committee; the United Nations Association; Peace Action of Washington; the Network Promoting Peace with Iran; Jewish Voice for Peace; and American Muslims of Puget Sound.

“I hope to show that Israel sees its interest as stirring up as much animosity as possible against Iran within this country — if Israel had its way I believe it would attack Iran,” Silverstein said. “But I hope we can do everything possible to show that the way to ease a possible Iranian nuclear threat is not through the path Israel would choose.”

The conference, despite its support, is not a done deal. Organizers are still trying to come up with the full $4,000 that the Town Hall event costs. So far, donors have come through with about $1,500. So there is a considerable amount of money to be raised.

If you are able to help, a tax-deductible contribution may be made to:

American Friends Service Committee
c/o Iran Conference (note this on your check as well)
814 NE 40th Street
Seattle, WA 98105

Or you may mail a check to:
Richard Silverstein
1110 37th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122

According to a letter sent out today from the Baloch Human Rights Council of Canada to Norway’s representative in Ontario, Norwegian Ehsan Arjemandi had gone to Pakistan to visit his family in July.

The BHRC said Arjemandi was traveling to Karachi by bus in August when several “unidentified vehicles intercepted the bus, armed men got into the bus and took Mr. Ehsan Arjemandi out of the bus and covered his head with a black blanket and took him away.”

His family hasn’t heard from him since. The council said that witnesses to the abduction say that Arjemandi was abducted by a team led by Major Mohammed Shahid, a military intelligence officer.

The BHRC said that Arjemandi has been “a very active voice in Norway and Europe against the human rights violation in Balochistan… had organized several peaceful processions in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Norway against the illegal abduction of political workers in Balochistan, where more than 8000 political workers have been made disappeared by the Pakistan military.”

The BHRC also said that it believes the Pakistan army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) carried out the abduction “to punish Mr. Ehsan Arjemandi and at the same time silence the voice of the Baloch Diaspora against the Pakistan army’s brutalities in Balochistan.”

Balochistan or Baluchistan is an area that covers parts of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Baloch political leaders in Pakistan want greater control of the region’s resources, protection for the Baloch minority and a halt to the building of military bases. The government has also used the Baloch region to test its nuclear weapons.

Some militant forces want the entire Baloch region to be an independent country and have carried out bombings and other violent actions to get attention. Of course, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan want their territories to remain intact.

Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission backs up much of what the BHRC says about abductions and torture. It has tracked hundreds of Baloch political party members, students, doctors and tribal leaders who have been detained by government security forces, many disappearing for months or even years. Some have been tortured or have died in custody, according to the commission.

Members of Arjemandi’s family, who were already worried because Arjemandi has a heart condition, expressed fears that he would be tortured by the Pakistan military.

However, the BHRC said that they had confirmation that the Pakistan military had handed Arjemandi over to Iranian authorities who had transferred him to Zahidan prison.

The BHRC said it believes that Arjemandi’s life is now in even more danger because several Baloch political activists who were handed over to Iranian Authorities have been hanged after being tortured.

The U.S. aid package would give Pakistan $1.5 billion annually over the next five years ostensibly for democratic, economic and social development programs. That’s all fine. Those programs should be encouraged. But it’s the part that allows “such sums as are necessary” for military aid that bother me.

The leaders threatened new sanctions against Iran if it fails to comply.

All good, I suppose. We definitely need fewer nuclear arms in the world, not more. (The current roster of nuclear-armed nations, including the U.S., France and Britain, would do the world an enormous service by beginning to dismantle their stockpile.) And Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has not endeared himself to the world community over the years. That unpopularity combined with Iran’s violent response to the disputed presidential vote makes him and his country an easy target. Maybe too easy.

Turns out this previously undisclosed site, which Iran, itself, told the International Atomic Energy Agency about in a letter earlier this week, was well known to our intelligence community. Also, after the statement on possible new sanctions, Iran said it would allow inspectors to visit the site.

So, this all seems a little overblown. Wasn’t there enough to concentrate on at the G-20 economic summit? Does this mean that the economy is rosy? I don’t think so.

Also, I’m starting to understand why these world leaders are often accused of having a double-standard regarding certain nations of the world.

Obama, in his statement Friday said, “The Iranian government must now demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions or be held accountable to international standards and international law.”

There is another nation in that part of the world that has defied “international standards and international laws” for years yet neither the United States, France, nor Britain has called for sanctions against it.

Yes, I’m talking about Israel.

Israel has been the subject of 138 resolutions. Not surprisingly, most of those resolutions call upon Israel to comply, in its actions towards Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, with basic principles of international law embodied by the UN Charter.
Way back in 1967, the UN Security Council, under Resolution 237, called upon Israel to “ensure the safety, welfare and security of the inhabitants, facilitate the return of those inhabitants who have fled the areas since the outbreak of the hostilities and recommends the scrupulous respect of the humanitarian principles contained in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.”

Israel ignored the Security Council and defied the world community and today, 42 years after that resolution, it continues to defy it and all related resolutions since then.

When was the last time you heard a U.S. president, or a French or British president, call for sanctions against Israel?

Oh, and, by the way, Israel has a “secret” nuclear weapons program and a nuclear arsenal.