Justice for Iran

Three Americans arrested on the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan will face trial on espionage charges, the Iranian foreign minister announced Monday. The group says they accidentally strayed into Iran during a hiking trip. Is it really possible to wander blithely into the Islamic Republic?

If you’re reckless. The mountainous region between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran is fairly safe and attracts a small number of tourists annually, but security is tight and visitors must register their passports at local hotels. On the roads, it’s difficult to drive half a mile without reaching a checkpoint of some kind. By all accounts, the American hikers would have had ample opportunity to orient themselves as to the whereabouts of the border, and there’s a good chance they would have received warnings about not getting too close. That said, there’s no wall, fence, barbed wire, natural landmarks, or signs saying, “Now Leaving Iraq” or “Welcome to Iran” to indicate the actual dividing line. Once you get close to the border, it’s possible to have one foot legally in Iraq and the other illegally in Iran without ever realizing it.

The bank removed information from American-bound wire transfers that would have signaled that the money originated in Iranian banks.

Two of the organizations that Credit Suisse facilitated transactions for were the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Aerospace Industries Organization, both of which are designated as proliferators of weapons of mass destruction by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control. Both are barred from doing business with the United States.

“It is ironic how [the] headscarf, which was traditionally seen as a symbol of women’s oppression … is now being used by men to show membership in a liberation movement.” - Peter Tatchell

Dish coverage of the headscarf protest here.

It should be noted that it’s illegal to cross-dress in Iran, just as it’s illegal to be a homosexual.