Spokesperson P.J. Crowley replied, “Well, actually, in the other countries there is greater respect for the rights of the citizens.”
Phil Weiss, parodying a favorite neoconservative meme about Israel, called it “singling out Iran.”
But State is being responsive to the tough questions, and has come out with a statement on U.S. ally Bahrain. Here’s Crowley, in full:
]]>The United States is very concerned by recent violence surrounding protests in Bahrain. We have received confirmation that two protesters in Bahrain were recently killed, and offer our condolences to the families and friends of the two individuals who lost their lives.
The United States welcomes the Government of Bahrain’s statements that it will investigate these deaths, and that it will take legal action against any unjustified use of force by Bahraini security forces. We urge that it follow through on these statements as quickly as possible. We also call on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.
As of writing this, there are three tweets so far from the “USAdarFarsi” twitter feed. The name means ‘USA in Farsi’ in Farsi. Because I’m unfortunately illiterate, I’m waiting [...]]]>
As of writing this, there are three tweets so far from the “USAdarFarsi” twitter feed. The name means ‘USA in Farsi’ in Farsi. Because I’m unfortunately illiterate, I’m waiting on responses from a translator (reader) to deduce just what is in the tweets.
Press officer Andy Laine confirmed to LobeLog that the tweets were being issued from State. “It’s coming from the State Department,” he said. “The account went operational [Sunday].”
Asked who, what department or what desk at State was writing on the account, Laine said he wasn’t sure. “I don’t know who specifically is authoring the tweets,” he said.
The parts of the messages in English lettering used a hashtag — a pound sign (#) with an identifying key word — to allow the tweet to show up for anyone who may be following or searching the #25Bahman hashtag.
25 Bahman is a date on the Iranian calendar that corresponds this year to February 14. The embattled Green opposition movement in Iran planned protests for today in solidarity with Egyptian and Tunisian mass protest movements that have recently outed dictators.
The Greens, Iran’s own mass protest movement in the wake of the disputed 2009 presidential elections, went virtually underground after a large-scale brutal crackdown by authorities.
Media accounts thus far of Monday 25 Bahman’s march through Tehran said that witnesses had reported that tear gas was used against the crowds.
Asked if the use of the #25Bahman hashtag represented and endorsement of the protest or just a means of allowing people to find the tweets through a search, Laine said he didn’t know.
The most recent of the three tweets also included the #iran hashtag.
]]>Just a week after an Iranian plan crashed, killing scores, which was quite possibly caused by the deterioration of Iranian commercial planes due to sanctions restricting spare parts, the U.S. is speaking about the right of every country to have access to energy. This comes while Congress and the Obama administration have put into place sanctions that specifically target Iranian access to refined gas. Do you see the irony?
Here’s State Department spokesperson P.J. Crowley — who has more or less said in the past that the sanctions packages are a means to put pressure on Iranians as a collective, not just the leadership — responding to a question at a daily briefing in Washington:
QUESTION: Some kind of economic tension is brewing up between Afghanistan and Iran. Iran has blocked the supply of gas to Afghanistan, which has led to increasing gas prices and shortages of gas in Afghanistan. What do you have to say about that – on that?
MR. CROWLEY: I mean, we are watching closely that development. Energy is a critical resource to any country and any economy, and it should be available at whatever the appropriate market price is.
Want to qualify that statement now to say that gas should only be available to those countries that the U.S. believes deserve it?
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