Iranian Protesters Burn Barack Obama Pictures

Iranian demonstrators, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Death to Obama,” burned photographs of Barack Obama in Tehran a week before his inauguration as president as they protested against America’s inaction over Gaza. (Photo credit: Stringer / Reuters)

Times Online (London)
Jan. 13, 2009

Iranian demonstrators burned photographs of Barack Obama today as they protested against America’s inaction over Gaza.

Dozens of people gathered in Tehran waving Palestinian flags and defacing and setting fire to images of the President-elect.

Iranian demonstrators have often burned effigies or pictures of U.S. presidents in the past but this appeared to be the first time Mr. Obama’s picture had been defaced, a week before his inauguration as president. …

The demonstrators, waving Palestinian flags, some chanting “Death to Obama,” had gathered outside the Swiss embassy which handles U.S. interests because Tehran and Washington have not had diplomatic ties for nearly three decades.

Pictures showed the president-elect’s image laid on the road for cars to drive over it and other images showed demonstrators burning an Obama poster. …

Latest News & Video of the Conflict in Gaza from CNN

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U.S. Says Iran Still a ‘Malign Influence’ in Iraq

Jan. 13, 2009

WASHINGTON — Iran poses a significant threat to the long-term stability of Iraq and continues to support violent Shi’ite militias opposed to the Baghdad government, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

“Despite persistent promises to the contrary, Iranian behavior continues to reflect a fundamental desire to oppose the development of a fully secure and stable Iraq,” the U.S. Defense Department said in its latest report to Congress on progress in Iraq.

The strongly worded 68-page report said Iran continues to host, train, fund, arm and direct militant groups intent on destabilizing Iraq and warned that Tehran would try to use Iraq’s provincial elections on Jan. 31 to expand its influence through pro-Iranian candidates and parties.

“Countering malign influence and balancing soft Iranian influence remain priorities to stabilize Iraq and ensure the sovereignty of its people,” the Pentagon said in the quarterly report, titled: “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq.”

It reiterated charges by U.S. military officials that Iran had tried to derail a status of forces agreement allowing U.S. troops to remain in Iraq. The pact was ratified by Iraq’s presidency council in December. …

Both U.S. and Iraqi officials have said recently that Iran appeared to be making a conscious effort to restrain Iraqi Shi’ites from carrying out attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces.

The new report, which focuses on developments in Iraq from September through November 2008, said incidents involving the munitions known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, have fallen to the lowest rate since early 2006 over the past few months.

The report said civilian deaths in Iraq were down 63 percent from a year earlier but noted an increase in assassinations, including al Qaeda attacks on Sunni leaders in Anbar province.

It also warned that progress could be halted or even reversed by the mishandling of challenges including upcoming elections, the transition of former Sunni militants to permanent employment, internal boundary disputes and the settlement of people displaced by years of warfare.

“The lack of essential services has now replaced security as the most important concern in the minds of most Iraqis, many of whom are not satisfied with the quality or availability of food, clean water, electricity, sewage services and health care,” the document said.

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Related links

Statement on the Iraq War

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq

U.S. Department of Defense quarterly reports to Congress are submitted pursuant to the section entitled “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” of House Conference Report 109-72 accompanying H.R. 1268, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005, Public Law 109-13.

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Security Developments in Iraq

Following are security developments in Iraq on Jan. 13, 2009, as reported by Reuters.

BAGHDAD – The body of a man was found in the Doura district of southern Baghdad on Monday, police said.

MOSUL – A roadside bomb killed a policeman when it struck his police patrol on Monday in the northern city of Mosul, 240 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

MOSUL – Gunmen opened fire on and wounded an off-duty policeman in Mosul on Monday, police said.

BAGHDAD – Iraqi security forces seized nine suspected militants in different parts of Iraq on January 10 and 11, the U.S. military said.