Iran accuses Canadian embassy of spy activity

[TexasLawyer]

Dec. 1, 2006 0:40
Iran accuses Canadian embassy of spy activity
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Canada has taken steps to ensure the safety of the Canadian embassy in Teheran after Iranian legislators called it a den of spies and demanded it be shut down.

Canadian authorities are monitoring the situation closely and are prepared to take "additional steps if necessary" after hardliners accused Ottawa of plotting with the United States, Canadian Foreign Affairs spokesman Rodney Moore said Thursday.

He would not elaborate on what steps have been taken so far.

Moore said the allegations are "likely an attempt at retaliation" for Canada's role in sponsoring a UN committee resolution effectively condemning Iran's human-rights record.

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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881792169&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[TexasLawyer]

1. from a longer article

<snip>

“The Canadian embassy represents the ‘Den of Spies', and this is unacceptable for Iranians,” said prominent MP Hamidreza Hajbabai.

According to AFP reports, Mr. Hajbabai claims the Canadian embassy was acting as a proxy for the United States, whose mission has been dubbed the “Den of Spies” since its seizure by militant students in 1979.

Iran and Canada have had strained relations since the death in custody in Tehran of Iran-born photographer Zahra Kazemi in 2003, who was a Canadian citizen living in Montreal. Ottawa has sought UN condemnation of human rights violations in Iran.

Tehran and Washington severed diplomatic ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution when students seized the embassy in Tehran, taking 55 people hostage for 444 days.

<snip>

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061130.wiran1130/BNStory/International/home

[sugapablo]

2. Canada has spies?

:rofl:

[kitty1]

3. They tortured and killed one of our journalists a few years ago...

while denying it all along and refusing to cooperate with any internal investigations. I guess the government has some issues with Iran as well.

[Lautremont]

5. That very attitude is our greatest cover!

We appreciate it, sincerely.

[stillcool]

4. ya know...I was just cruising..

and found some interesting stuff...considering the latest AlQaeda theat...

On the 8th September, 2006, the US Treasury prohibited all US banks from trading with Saderat , one of Iran biggest banks.According to treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, the Itanian bank was financing terrorism (read, Saderat is the banker of Hezbollah which has just defeated Israel and is rebuilding Lebanon ). This prohibition extends to a whole series of banks having subsidiaries in the USA.
In an interview on the 16th September with Emerging Markets, published on the fringe of the anual meeting of the 183 governors of the central bank members of the IMF and the World Bank, Ebrahim Shebanu, director of the Iranian central bank has declared Saderat's innocence. He underlined that in order to continue its activities, Saderat found itself constrained to abandon the dollar. As a result, the Iranian central bank envisaged partial sale of its dollar holdings and abandoning the use of that currency.Mr Shebanu added that, given this circumstance,Iran had decided to transfer its international transactions to clearing houses in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Faced with the risk of global destabilization, the US gave way allowing the governor of the Japonese central bank annonce that he will compensate any sell-off by the Iranians, in violation of US directives. There will then be no crisis, but it is clear that in the event of a war between Iran and the USA, the dollar will be gravely threatene http://www.voltairenet.org/article143510.html
http://iransolidarity.endofempire.org/news.php?page=989

Saderat Bank of Iran explores int'l channels to thwart US sanctions
Tehran, Nov 29, IRNA
Iran-US-Saderat Bank-Transactions
Saderat Bank of Iran explores international channels to thwart US financial sanctions, managing Director of Saderat Bank Hamid Borhani said on Wednesday.

"Saderat Bank of Iran has replaced US dollars euro in its international transactions to deal with the US measure."
He lambasted the US department of the Treasury for taking illegal action against Saderat Bank of Iran and said that Saderat Bank of Iran will take action with International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the US action creating nuisance for Iranian trade with the free world.

He made it clear that the allegations made by the US Department of the Treasury against Saderat bank of Iran is baseless and the measure taken by the US department runs counter to international banking rules.http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_19197.shtml

U.S. Asks Finance Chiefs to Limit Iran's Access to Banks
September 17, 2006, Sunday
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN (NYT); Foreign Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section 1, Page 8, Column 3, 812 words

DISPLAYING ABSTRACT - The United States pressed the top finance officials of the world's leading industrial nations on Saturday to crack down on what Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. said was the exploitation of their banking systems by at least 30 Iranian front companies involved in illicit activities. Mr. Paulson said ...

AP
Angola, Sudan Look to Join OPEC
Thursday November 30, 11:20 am ET
By Casimiro Siona, Associated Press Writer
Angola, One of Africa's Largest Oil Producers, and Sudan Seek to Join OPEC

LUANDA, Angola (AP) -- Angola, the largest sub-Saharan oil producer in Africa after Nigeria, said it will apply to join OPEC next month, while the oil cartel's secretary general said Sudan also was poised to join.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo, speaking to Dow Jones Newswires on Thursday on the sidelines of a producers' meeting in Egypt, gave no timetable for Angola or Sudan to join the group, which has not welcomed a new member since 1975.

Joining offers prestige, but would mean adhering to OPEC production quotas -- though members routinely violate the limitations. OPEC agreed in October to cut total production by 1.2 million barrels a day to about 26.3 millions barrels a day as of Nov. 1, and further cuts aimed at shoring up prices could be coming. OPEC controls about 40 percent of the world's daily oil consumption.
Angola steered closer to the United States in the early 1990s and has maintained close ties with France. However, since the civil war ended Angola has deepened cooperation with China and, more recently with Russia.

Last month Russia's OAO Lukoil and Sonangol signed a memorandum of understanding on joint exploration of Angola's offshore oil fields.http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061130/angola_opec.html?.v=6

Iran Strengthens Ties With Afghanistan
Nov 29, 2006
AP
From cheap ice cream to 24-hour electricity, Iran is strengthening economic ties with western Afghanistan that could undermine support for U.S. and NATO forces.

Western Afghanistan has a newly paved 75-mile stretch of highway between the Iranian border and its main city, Herat, courtesy of the Islamic republic. Iran is also considering building a rail line on the busy route, and has pledged another $560 million to help rebuild Afghan infrastructure and businesses.http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_19185.shtml

[LivingInTheBubble]

6. Whats the connection with Al Qaeda?

And who are these "Itanians"

[stillcool]

7. You need to take up the 'Itanians'...

with the author of the piece. The connection with AlQaeda is the usual one...