Bill Samii

Also by Bill Samii

• December 11, 2006

  Iran: Defiant Tehran Hoping Consensus Eludes 5+1 Group

  (RFE/RL) WASHINGTON, December 11, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reportedly welcomed a new UN draft resolution targeting Iran's nuclear program. Lavrov said the so-called 5+1 major powers' compromise is "based on Russia's proposals" and is intended "to push Iran to sit at the negotiating table."

• November 30, 2006

  Iran: Reformist, Fundamentalist Candidates Ruled Out Of Assembly Election

  A Council of Guardians session (file photo) (official site) WASHINGTON, November 30, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Iran's Assembly of Experts is one of the country's most powerful institutions, as the 86-member body has the power to select and dismiss the country's supreme leader. But candidates for the upcoming assembly elections have to be approved by Iran's conservative Council of Guardians.

• November 28, 2006

  Iran: Reformists Reportedly Disqualified From Local Elections

  Tehran Mayor Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf (file photo) (AFP) WASHINGTON, November 28, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The names of vetted candidates for upcoming municipal council elections in Iran will be announced in the final days of November, some two weeks before the actual voting takes place. Preliminary reports from around the country suggest mass disqualifications of reformists in the provinces, in contrast with official reports of inclusiveness.

• November 20, 2006

  Iranian Election Significant Despite Heavy Vetting

  Although vetting has eliminated some two-thirds of would-be candidates, the December 15 election for Iran's Assembly of Experts remains important.

• November 13, 2006

  Bureaucracy Could Hinder Drug Fight

  The head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime announced $22 million to help, but which of Iran's 13 agencies will step forward?

• November 07, 2006

  Iran: Government Shakeup Hits Many Levels

  Cooperatives Minister Mohammad Abbasi (file photo) (Fars) WASHINGTON, November 7, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Iran's executive branch is undergoing a major shakeup in what could be an effort by President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's administration to realign its economic policy. The president has replaced two cabinet ministers, others are facing parliamentary scrutiny, and a score of top officials have quit. But the tremors could also reflect officials' dissatisfaction with policy or presidential frustration over unmet goals.

• October 20, 2006

  Executive Extends Control As Local Elections Near

  Iranian voters were enthusiastic about the country's first local-council elections almost eight years ago, but lower voter turnout in 2003 suggests waning interest.

• October 12, 2006

  Battles Begin As Assembly Candidates Await Vetting

  Iran's conservative clerical elite is weeding out anybody who might upset the status quo ahead of elections in December.

• October 09, 2006

  U.S., EU Could Be Running Out Of Patience

  Recent statements by U.S. and European officials reveal a heightened sense of frustration with Iran on the nuclear issue.

• October 02, 2006

  State And Press In Iran

  The conservative government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has been stepping up efforts to control Iranians' access to information.

• September 29, 2006

  Internet | Filtering 10 million websites

  Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders announced on September 28 that Advar News, a website connected with the Office for Strengthening Unity student group, has been closed since a raid on its offices by security personnel on September 19. The raid occurred a little more than a week after an Iranian official announced that the government is filtering public access to more than 10 million websites.

• September 26, 2006

  Print Media | Government lambastes 'slanderous reports'

  WASHINGTON, September 26, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Journalists in northern Iran's Gilan Province issued a statement on September 23 calling on the government to lift its recent ban on the daily "Sharq" newspaper. The plea argued that "banning a paper is tantamount to its execution." Such concerns are unlikely to resonate with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, whose government has adopted an adversarial attitude toward the media.

• September 22, 2006

  Iran: Early Race For Clerical Assembly Gets Bitter

  Hashemi-Rafsanjani (far left) and colleagues at the Assembly of Experts meeting in late August (epa) WASHINGTON, September 22, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Early competition to head the Assembly of Experts, the influential assembly that oversees the work of the supreme leader, pits a pragmatic former president against a fundamentalist seminarian with close ties to the current president. Another possible choice, ex-president and reformist Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, lies somewhere in the middle.

• September 07, 2006

  Drug Problem Goes Beyond Afghan Deluge

  Iran's drug problem is not merely supply-driven, with domestic opium cultivation making a return and the popularity of synthetic drugs on the rise.

• September 01, 2006

  Annan's Trip | As tensions mount, the UN head travels to Tehran

  WASHINGTON, September 1, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to visit Iran during his current Middle East tour to promote peace. Iran is currently involved in several issues of considerable international significance, including the war in Lebanon and Iranian weapons reaching Hizballah.

• August 29, 2006

  No Letup In Election Controversy

  A dispute is brewing over regulations for all national and local elections, as upcoming elections to municipal councils and the powerful Assembly of Experts are postponed.

• August 22, 2006

  Tehran Avoids Direct Answer

  After years of wrangling with the international community about its nuclear program, what does Tehran mean when it says it is now ready for "serious talks"?

• August 14, 2006

  Invested In Hizballah

  Tehran has backed the Lebanon cease-fire. But its criticism suggests it is working hard to safeguard its heavy investment and boost its own credentials.

• August 11, 2006

  Times Get Tougher For NGOs

  Under Iran's previous president, civil-society groups were welcomed and encouraged. Now the new administration favors conservative religious bodies.

• August 07, 2006

  Populist President Balks At Gasoline Rationing

  Officials in Tehran are weighing populist campaign promises against fiscal necessity. Will it mean the end of subsidized gasoline?

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