Increase of anti religion groups , fake Hidden Imams and prophets in Iran

A report realized by Iranian TV about increase of anti religion groups , fake Imam Zaman & prophets in Ihe Iranian society ..

Navy commander : Clsoing the strait of Homuz is like a a piece of cake for us !

Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Iran’s naval commander, said om Wednesday 28 October that “Iran has total control over the strategic waterway,” and that “Closing the Strait of Hormuz is very easy for Iranian naval forces”" .Sayyari, whose forces are in the midst of an war-game exercise in the Persian Gulf is the second top Iranian official after vice president Rahimi to make such a threat in the last 24 hours .24 hours .

Trial of Alleged American spy Amir Mirzaei Hekmat held in revolutionary court

The trial of alleged spy Amir Mirzaei Hekmati arrested around two weeks ago was held on Tuesday 27 December. presided by the famous judge Salavati . According to Iranian TV , sentence will be made , after presentation of the written defense of the lawyer.

Hugo Chavez : Obama ! You are the shame of black people , leave us alone !

In reaction to President Obama critic of Venezuela ties with Islamic republic of Iran , the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez name Obama as fake and told the United States president on state television "Focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster," . In the interview with El Universal on Monday 19 December , Obama said he is concerned about actions the Venezuelan government has taken that have "restricted the universal rights of the Venezuelan people, threatened basic democratic values and failed to contribute to the security in the region,"

American secretary of defense : We will stop Iran to go nuclear by any mean

The U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said on Monday 19 December that the Iranians have reached a point where they can assemble a bomb in a year or potentially less.Answering to question of Scott Pelley from 60 minutes CBS news about American position toward a unilateral attack by Israel , Panneta said "Well, we share the same common concern. The United States does not want Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. That's a red line for us and that's a red line, obviously, for the Israelis. If we have to do it we will deal with it. Panneta add that Panetta: There are no options off the table. Read the  interview in MOD web site HERE .

First video of confessions of American born CIA spy Amir Mirzaei Hekmati released by Iranian TV

The Iranian TV aired on Sunday 18 December the first video containing confessions of a alleged American spy arrested earlier . In this clip the American born Amir Mirzaei Hekmati who is from a Iranian descent confess that he was commissioned by government agencies to gather information from Iran by playing the role of a double agent. Read the story HERE .

Google CEO Eric Schmidt talk to CNN about Iranian cyberspace knowledge

Google CEO  Eric Schmid talk to CNN about Iranian threat on the Internet

Ministry of intelligence : Iranian origin CIA spy sent from Afghanistan arrested in Iran

A declaration of ministry of intelligence issued on Saturday 17 December say that a US spy sent to Iran from Bagram military base in Afghanista was arrested in Iran . The person is named as "Iranian origin" which the term is usually used for American citizens with dual nationality .

John Stewart make fun of Barack Obama request from Iran to give back the spy plane

John Stewart make fun of  Barbara Walters interview with Herman Kain  and Barack Obama request from Iran to give back the American Drone spy plane !

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Lowe's Balls of the Week
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Drone spy plane :Obama request , Ahmadinejad , Vahidi, Mehmanparast comment !

Ahmadinejad talk about American Drone spy plane with Venzuelan television and minister of defense Ahmad Vahidi and foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast react to Barack Obama request for returning the plane to its owner .

Mohseni Ejei : Interpol is asked to arrest two American officials

Talking to Iranian TV on Monday 12 December , the prosecutor general Mohseni Ejei said that a case is established against two American officials , retired US Army General Jack Keane and Reuel Marc Gerecht for threat they made to kill the commander of the Quds force Sardar Ghasem Soleimani . Ejei add that in that regard , the Interpol is asked to arrest them . Islamic Republic have used the Interpol in the past by placing Red Code on Iranian dissidents based on bogus cases HERE  .  Watch earlier made comment of Sadegh Larijani  head of judiciary HERE .

Jon Stewart Daily Show : Game of Drones!

John Stewart take the Drone spy plane cached by Iran as the main funny story of  his Daily Show  : Not only did America not find out if Iran is developing dangerous new technology, it inadvertently gave Iran its dangerous new technology !

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It Never Rains Here, Morteza , by Kiostk performed by Arash Sobhani

It Never Rains Here, Morteza , by Kiostk performed by Arash Sobhani, from the Album "Natijeh e Mozakerat" ("Outcome of Negotiations") . Available on Itune and Cdbaby:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/kiosk/id78577959
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Kiosk

Deputy Revolutionary Guard Corp talk about Chinese and Russian interest and new stories of captured US Drone plane

in the political talk show “Gozaresh Khabari” aired on Saturday evening 10 December about the captured US spy plane , the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corp Sardar Hoseyn Salami said that he have no information about Chinese or Russian requests regarding the captured Drone spy plane and say that Iran will never turned back the asset to honor letter sent by ISAF. Sardar Salami claim that Iran is the second country with sophisticated UAV technology (Unmanned aerial vehicle ) planes. Watch video of Pentagon reaction HERE .

CBS News about the captured UAV spy plane

Watch Iranian TV footage of captured drone HERE

Iranian MP and FM spokesman react to opening US virtual embassy for Iranians .

The spokesman of foreign ministry and member of Majlis Fatomeh Ajorloo react to establishment of the United States virtual embassy on the Internet for Iranians . Watch Hillary Clinton video statement of  opening virtual embassy on embassy  web site HERE  .

Revolutionary guard display US Spy Drone plane cached last week

The United States spy Drone plane which was captured a week ago by Iran displayed for the first time on television on Thursday 7 December 2011.

Hillary Clinton : Defense of Gay & Lesbian rights is a priority of our foreign policy

In a speech in United Nation European offices in Geneva on Wednesday December 6 th , the United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton named Gay and lesbian rights as a priority of Obama administration . Hillary said : ""The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy.  In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen human rights protections for all.  In Washington, we have created a task force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work.  And in the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help improve their efforts.  And we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.

Impressive photos of Mehr News Agency , Zombis of Ashura in the town of Khoramabad & Bijar

Impressive photos of Mehr News Agency of Ashura mourning ceremonies in the town of  Bijar and Khoramabad .

Watch more photos of Ashura in the town of  Khoramabad HERE 

Watch more photos of Ashura in the town of Bijar HERE

US military confirmed advanced technology in Drone plane catched by Iran

According to FOX news network , a U.S. super-secret spy plane believed to be in Iranian possession could be a major loss for the U.S. military -- and a major gain for Iran.

"This is a big prize in terms of technology," a senior U.S. military source told Fox News.

The spy plane uses the same stealth technology as the drone used to monitor the compound during the raid that killed Usama bin Laden, U.S. military sources told Fox News on Monday.

Military sources confirmed that the Iranians have the RQ-170 drone, which is so advanced that the U.S. Air Force has not distributed even a photo of it. However, they did not say that the Iranians shot down the spy plane, as was reported by Iran's official  news agency HERE . Read CNN detailed report HERE . 

Kiosk Music :Excellency Has Approved from the new album : Natijeh Mozaakeraat

A song written ,played and  performed by  Arash Sobhani of Kiosk music  from Kiosk latest album "Outcome of negotiation " Natijeh Mozaakeraat . Download other songs on CD baby HERE . 

Britain seek compensation for broken and stolen Embassy stuff

According to Telegraph newspaper published in London on December 4 , the British government will ask around 1 Million Pound of financial compensation from the Islamic Republic for damages made to its embassy building and stuff during the raid of November 29 .

The items spoiled or destroyed during the raid included valuable paintings, rugs, furniture, every electronic device that could be found and several official cars. A fire also caused substantial damage.

 Jewellery and other personal belongings were looted from diplomatic homes at a separate compound in northern Tehran.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The damage was extensive and we will be seeking compensation from the Iranian government under the Vienna convention, but it's too early to talk about precise figures." Watch British ambassador sayings HERE .Watch one of the stolen paintings HERE .

“Sineh Zani" and mourning of Shia Muslims for Imam Huseyn in New York streets

A video report of Iranian televisison about Shia Muslims of New York performing religious ritual and mourning for Imam Hoseyn in New York streets on Monday 5 December .

Historic video of British staff of Abadan Oil Refinery leaving Iran after Nationalization

Historic video of British staff of Abadan Oil Refinery leaving Iran after Nationalization of oil industry in Iran .

برای مشاهده ویدئو در آرشیو پاته روی عکس کلیک کنید
Click on the photo to watch video in Pathe archives

Iranian FM Salehi show hapiness during meeting with first gay German foreign minister Westerwelle

The Iranian television show in its news bulletin of Monday 5 December , scenes of hand shaking and friendly talking of Ali Akbar Salehi with German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle during a conference on Afghanistan , to demonstrate the good Iran-German relation , few days after attack on British embassy in Tehran HERE .

Iran military claim shot down of a United States Drone plane

A senior Iranian military official says Iran’s Army has shot down a remote-controlled reconnaissance drone operated by the US military in the eastern part of the country on Sunday 4 December . The source said that Iran Army’s electronic warfare unit successfully targeted the American-built RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft after it crossed into Iranian airspace over the border with neighboring Afghanistan.”. According to state run Press TV the source added that “due to the clear border violation, the operational and electronic measures taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces against invading aircraft will not remain limited to the Iran’s borders.”

VOA Persian TV stories and CIA funding Trita Parsi of NIAC

In its news bulletin of Saturday 3 December , the Iranian TV promote stories against some Iranian opposition figures in the United States , and air a part of an interview of Hasan Daei in which he blame the founder of National Iranian American Council NIAC Trita Parsi of taking money from the Central Intelligence Agency CIA.

FM Ghashghavi explain situation with UK and facilities set up for consular needs of Iranians in UK

Talking to political program Kankash on Saturday 3 December , the deputy of foreign ministry Hasan Ghashghavi say that that its ministry tried to prevent Majlis from issuing resolution for downgrading diplomatic relation with Britain . Ghashghavi expressed surprise of London reaction to send back embassy staff, while a number of consular affairs were under process in Islamic Republic and UK embassy . Ghashghavi informed Iranians residing in UK that special facilities are set up to assist Iranians for their consular needs.

British Ambassador :Attack on UK embassy in Iran 'had support of the state'

In an interview with BBC , the British Ambassador to Tehran Dominick Chilcott told the BBC that Iran was a country in which such action was taken only "with the acquiescence and the support of the state".

He said: "Iran is not the sort of country where spontaneously a demonstration congregates and then attacks a foreign embassy. That sort of activity is only done with the acquiescence and the support of the state.

"And there are a number of reasons why, with the benefit of hindsight, it's very clear that this was a state-supported activity."

Mr Chilcott said that Majlis member Alaeeldin Boroojerdi who was arrested recently for corruption and the speaker Ali Larijani who needs to hide his broad connection with circles in West were behind the plan to discredit Britain with the aim of attracting popular support .  

Watch video of Ali Larijani refusal to answering about involvement of Majlis members in 3 billion Dollar banking fraud HERE .

He also said some within Iran's ruling regime may have underestimated the British response.

"The risk is that certain people in the regime who liked the idea of confrontation, because they felt it would rally people to the flag, miscalculated how strong the response would be," said Mr Chilcott.

"They probably didn't expect us to send home the Iranian embassy in London and, reading between the lines, you can see in the way they have responded to that move, some remorse in having provoked it. I think that might apply more generally too," he added

Read the story in Persian and watch more videos HERE

King George painting stollen during storm on British Embassy in Tehran

Photo shoot by Fars news Agency show the painting King George which is registered as"Government Art Collection " shown in the embassy court after being stolen by attackers on Tuesday 29 November .

Published in photo section of Fars News web site 

Original painting registered in Britain 

Artist: Sir Samuel Luke Filde

Title: King George V (1865-1936) Reigned 1910-36

Date: 1912-1935

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: height: 91.50 cm, width: 66.00 cm

Location: Iran, Tehran, British Embassy

http://www.gac.culture.gov.uk/work.aspx?obj=11152

Attack On British Embassy Summons Memories Of 1979

Golnaz Esfandiari
RFL

Fresh images of hardline students storming a foreign embassy in Tehran can't help but seem like a déja vu. It's even November, just like before.


Before, of course, was just after Iran's 1979 revolution when a group of young people calling themselves "students following of the line of Imam" (Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic) stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and ended up holding 52 U.S. diplomats hostage for 444 days.


Events this week in Tehran has inevitably been compared to events of 32 years ago. But there are differences. The 1979 hostage crisis began spontaneously. What happened on November 29 seems to have been a calculated move by hardliners in the regime.


In a statement, the young people who claimed responsibility for the attack on the British embassy called themselves "Muslim Student Followers of the Supreme Leader." They referred to the British embassy as "another nest of spies" and said the action is just one response to Britain's recent sanctioning of Iran's Central Bank, which they say represents a declaration of war.


A follow-up statement referred to the British Embassy as a "nest of plots" and accused it of playing a key role in organizing and provoking the 2009 post-election protests, which the government brutally supressed.


"Nest of spies" is a phrase heard often in the early years of the post-revolution period -- and is still used by some -- to describe the U.S. Embassy, which was accused of spying on Iranians.


Whereas the 1979 students immediately took hostages in the U.S. Embassy, there is confusion over whether this group held six British embassy staffer hostage for several hours. Mehr news agency first reported that they had, but then removed the report from its website.

Later, the hardline Fars news agency said six diplomatic staff who had been under siege during the attack were released by diplomatic police. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he wouldn't call the six "hostages."


The storming of the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 led to the cutting of ties between the two governments and a deep distrust that continues to this day.


The consequences of the storming of the British Embassy are not clear yet, but the events have no doubt dealt a serious blow to diplomatic ties between the two countries. Prime Minister David Cameron has already warned of "further and serious consequences."


Tensions between London and Tehran have been rising in recent months over Iran's refusal to halt suspicious nuclear programs. A recent UN report concluding that Iran has worked to acquire a nuclear weapon led to a rare joint resolution by the P5+1 negotiating group -- Russia, China, the United States, France, and Britain, along with Germany -- aimed at putting more pressure on Tehran.


The attack on the British Embassy appears to have been a reaction to this growing international pressure on the Islamic Republic, and follows a vote on November 27 in Iran's parliament, by a large majority, to downgrade diplomatic relations with the UK in response to its new sanctions.


The 1979 hostage taking was widely seen as a response to the United States' long-standing support for the deposed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and what the hostage takers perceived as Washington's attempts to undermine the revolution.


Observers believe the assault on the British Embassy could have not happened without the approval of senior officials. Since the 2009 post-election mass street demonstrations in Iran, and especially after this year's Arab uprisings, Iranian security forces have prevented any public protest from taking place. Protests without the backing of the state are therefore almost impossible to hold in the Islamic Republic.


The swift reaction from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, which expressed regret over the move and called it "unacceptable behavior by a small number of protesters in spite of efforts by the police," suggests that some within the conservative Iranian establishment are trying to do damage control and prevent tensions from rising even further.


Conversely, the 1979 occupation of the U.S. embassy was endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who called it Iran's "second revolution."


The current leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei, had not publicly reacted to the attack on the British Embassy hours after it ended. What he eventually says will be central to what the Islamic Republic does next vis-a-vis Britain.


One possibility may be that, as both international pressure and the government's internal power struggle reach new heights, the Iranian regime may be hoping that the international diplomatic crisis could generate popular support.


On social media sites following the attack, some Iranians close to the opposition movement were trying to distance themselves from the protesters. One person even wrote that the people who stormed the embassy belong to the same Basij forces that attacked the peaceful 2009 protests.


Ironically, the country that some 30 years ago coined the "Death to America" slogan is today thought to have the most pro-American population in the region.


It remains to be seen if and how the attacki on the British Embassy will impact the sentiments of Iranians toward the UK.

Basij commander : If United States is attacked by Islamic Republic it will be not able to fight back !

The commander of Basij militia force Sardar Mohamad Reza Naghdi tell the political program Kankash on Sunday 27 November that if the United States is attacked by the Islamic Republic , Americans will be not able to fight back and will beg to negotiate . Naghdi add that US forces are encircled by Hizbullah Forces in the region , and freedom of Jerusalem ( Quds) will be the minimum response , if Islamic Repubic is attacked by Israel .

Separate women carriage and commutes behavior in Tehran subway

A report about Tehran subway and broadcast of non ethic clips through Bluetooth !

Arab Spring in Saudi Arabia , police killed 3 demonstrators

The state run Press TV report that the Saudi police opened fire on demonstrators killing 3 of them during a funeral in the oil rich town of Qatif on Monday 21 November.

Comedian George Carlin show about swearing , God and right of the people in different countries

The US comedian George Carlin look to swearing in United States  including swearing to Bible in courts and right of people in different countries.

Scenes of beating referee in the football field and investigation of Adel Ferdowsipoor in 90

The popular sport program 90 aired on Monday 7 November , investigate beating the referee Said Shams in the footbal field during a game between Tchooka team of the town of Talesh and municipality of Dezfool a week ago.

Devil You Tube exhibited in Tehran

In the exhibition of "Digital Media" inaugurated on Friday 4 November  in Tehran , a symbolic You Tube black stone which represent the devil for Muslims iis installed . During Haj Pilgrimage Muslims have to throw stone to the symbol of devil  as a religious duty of Haj pilgrimage . The ritual is  called "Ramye Jamarat". The commander of Basij militia  IRGC Sardar Mohamad Reza Naghdi is seen in the photo published by Fars News agency .

Basij miiltia Launches Website in support of " Occupy Wall Street Movement "

Golanaz Esfandiari- Persian Letters
The Occupy Wall Street Movement has found an unlikely fan: Iran's government Basij force, whose thuggish members are thought to have been heavily involved in the crackdown that followed the disputed reelection of Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in 2008.

In their latest move in support of the movement, a number of young Basij members have launched a website that purports to cover news and developments about the movement in order to "fill in the gap by Western media."

The Wall Street Fall website -- with content in both Persian and English -- was launched over the weekend by the head of the Basij militia, Mohammad Reza Naghdi.

"This news website can notably be influential in informing the people living under the sun specially those truth enthusiasts living in the west who are captives of universal Zionist media propaganda," Naghdi was quoted as saying on October 30.

Earlier this month, Basij members from Iranian universities staged a rally to denounce what they described as policies employed by the United States and some other Western countries to prevent the people's awakening. (See pictures of the rally here.)

The rally was staged in front of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which has represented U.S. interests there since the U.S and Iran broke diplomatic ties following the 1979 revolution and subsequent hostage-taking.

Iranian officials have rallied behind the Occupy Wall Street protesters and condemned the "inhumane crackdown" against them. The country's state-controlled media have given extensive coverage to the protests in New York, and other cities.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed that the movement will ultimately bring down capitalism in the United States.

"One problem is that the corruption of capitalism has become clear to the people. Of course this movement might be suppressed, but they cannot destroy the roots of the movement," Khamenei said in an October 12 speech.

Khamenei and other officials have likened the Occupy Wall Street movement to the Arab uprisings that have ousted dictatorships in the region. They have claimed that the alleged assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to Washington, which the U.S. believes some elements of the Iranian establishment were behind, is an excuse to divert U.S. public attention from the protests.

Tehran has sought to leverage the protests to promote its own interests and worldview. The Occupy Wall Street protests have given the Islamic Republic that is often criticized for human rights abuses, an opportunity to hit back at the U.S. and other countries that routinely condemn human rights violations in Iran.

A member of the Iranian parliament's Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, Mohammad Karim Abedi, said last week that nations should condemn the crackdown on protesters of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Abedi also called on human rights bodies to end their "political silence" and condemn what he described as blatant human rights abuses in the U.S.

Iranian officials also appeared to be sympathetic to London rioters whose rights they said were being violated by the British police forces who confronted them. Officials had then expressed readiness to send a delegation to Britain to investigate "human rights abuses."

Hillary Clinton answer to Iranians trough BBC Persian TV

In a long interview with BBC Persian TV , the secretary of State Hillary Clinton answer directly to question of Iranians about sanctions,Saudi Arabia terror plot,Mujahedin Khalgh etc... . Also watch Iranian foreign ministry reaction HERE .

Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Saudi Arabia

Despite high  tension between Islamic Republic and Suadi Arabia Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has left Tehran for the Saudi capital of Riyadh to attend the funeral of the late Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

Salehi left Tehran for Riyadh early Tuesday afternoon, heading a delegation to attend Abdul Aziz's funeral, IRIB reported.

On Sunday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered condolences to Saudi Arabian King Abdullah over the demise of Saudi crown prince.

In a message,  Ahmadinejad said he hoped that God would grant the bereaved family the patience to bear the loss.

Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who was next in line to the Saudi throne, died at the age of 81 at a New York hospital on Saturday.

Bin Abdul Aziz had served as the defense minister of the Saudi kingdom for the past five decades.

In July, the ailing Saudi crown prince underwent an operation in a New York hospital.

Iranian State Television Attacks CNN's Fareed Zakaria

By : Golnaz Esfandiari

Iranian state television has attacked CNN's Fareed Zakaria over his recent reporting from Iran.

On the weekend of October 22-23, Zakaria traveled to Tehran where he interviewed Iran's embattled President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

In an October 24 report, the state television which is controlled by Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei accused Zakaria of hurting the country's image under the watch of officials.

The channel 2 network claimed Zakaria had aired "one-sided" reports from Iran in which conditions in the country had been portrayed as "dark and gloomy."

"He tried to show to his audience an Iran that the United States wants to see. For example [CNN's Zakaria] tried to prove U.S. claims that Iran is under pressure because of the sanctions. In order to do so he resorted to lies."

Zakaria said in one of his reports from the Iranian capital, which he described as a "bustling, cosmopolitan city", ordinary Iranians seem to resent that they have to pay for the actions of their government.

"From the bazaar to shops of every kind that dot neighborhoods, you see Iranians doing business. Because of sanctions, you see very few Western brands. Every bank, store, and boutique has a local name with local products. There are some exceptions. Coca Cola is a here as it is everywhere.”

WATCH: Iranian state television attacks CNN's Fareed Zakaria for his supposedly biased reports from Tehran. (IN PERSIAN)
From the bazaar to shops of every kind that dot neighborhoods, you see Iranians doing business. Because of sanctions, you see very few Western brands. Every bank, store, and boutique has a local name with local products. There are some exceptions. Coca Cola is a here as it is everywhere.”

In another report that has been widely shared on social media among opposition members, Zakaria reported that Gabriel Garcia's "News of a Kidnapping" has become a bestseller among Iranians following a recommendation by the opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi.

Musavi who's been under house arrest for more than 7 months is said to have told his daughters that whoever wants to understand his plight should read the book. (Persian Letters broke the news about "Tehran's Unlikely Bestseller" in September.)

The state television network also accused Zakaria of trying to "neutralize" Iran's impact on the "Islamic awakening" in the region.

"Islamic awakening" is the term Iranian leaders use to describe the Arab uprisings, which they claim have been inspired by Iran's 1979 revolution.

Sensitive Questions

Iranian leaders have been expressing support for Arab protesters -- except in their ally country Syria-- while cracking down on opposition activists inside Iran.

In his report, Zakaria raised a sensitive question: where are Iran's protesters in the year of the Arab spring?

"One answer could be that the Iranian regime has really learned its lesson from 2009 -- now it crushes the first signs of dissent. It's also learned from watching the Arab Spring -- it won't let hundreds of people gather in public places.

"But the likes of Libya and Syria tried that too. What's different here is that Iranians are not Arabs. Many don't like the phrase 'Arab Revolutions.' You see, the word 'revolution' here in Tehran brings back memories of 1979, the year the Shah was overthrown.

"It was the time when Iranians felt like they could re-create their country. It was an Iranian Spring. It was their revolution.”

Some observers believe the attack, which comes amid an ongoing power struggle between Ahmadinejad, and Ayatollah Khamenei and his powerful allies, also targets the Iranian government, which is in charge of issuing visas.

Reflecting The Views Of Hard-Liners

In the report, state television reflects the views of hard-liners, who have laid charges of negligence against the officials who allowed Zakaria to travel to Iran.

They claim that it was not possible to "expect more from the correspondent of an American network such as CNN" and that the situation could have been avoided if those who issued Zakaria's visa had conducted "a simple background check."

“The attack against Zakaria demonstrates the rift within the Iranian political system," says Iranian journalist Roozbeh Mirebrahimi. "One faction accuse him of being the tool of intelligence agencies while the other faction invites him to Iran.”

Ebrahimi says Iranian officials had also named Zakaria in trials that took place during the post-election crackdown in 2009 and accused him of working against the Islamic Republic on behalf of Western countries.

He adds that the anger directed at Zakaria was to be expected given the issues he covered in his reports.

In its report, state television claimed that Zakaria had pushed for a boycott of the coverage of Ahmadinejad’s trip last month to New York where he attended the United Nations General Summit.