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*Electoral umpire recognises Akpabio-backed APC faction in Akwa Ibom*Vote-buying may mar Osun governorship poll, say INEC, NSA

Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja

As presidential candidates and other politicians seeking elective offices in the 2023 general election continue to claim that their certificates are missing, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 216 requests have so far been received demanding the particulars of some of the candidates.

The electoral umpire and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd) have also raised the alarm on the potential dangers of vote-buying in the forthcoming July 16 Osun State governorship election.

Also barring any last-minute changes, the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio will be on the ballot as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Akwa Ibom North-West in next years general election.

This is a sequel to the recognition of the Akpabio-backed Stephen Ntukepko-led leadership of the APC in Akwa Ibom State by INEC.At a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held yesterday in Abuja to review security arrangements for the Osun State governorship election, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated that the number of requests by Nigerians seeking a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the particulars of the candidates has risen to 216.

Before I conclude, let me seize this opportunity to once again reassure all Nigerians who applied for Certified True Copies (CTCs) of documents arising from the recent party congresses, primaries and nomination of candidates that all requests are being attended to expeditiously despite the huge quantities of documents involved.

Nigerian election, especially the conduct of primaries for the nomination of candidates by political parties, is one of the most litigated in the world. As of yesterday evening (Friday, July 1, 2022), 216 requests have so far been processed involving the certification of over 1,650,000) pages of documents.Indeed, there are now far more cases challenging the breach of internal democracy within political parties than those involving the conduct of the main elections by INEC. We will continue to work round the clock, including the weekends, to ensure that we attend to all applications received at the headquarters of the commission promptly, Yakubu explained.

According to the documents submitted to INEC, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in an affidavit submitted to INEC, claimed that he changed his name from Siddiq Abubakar as it appears on his West African School Certificate (WASC), to Atiku Abubakar.While Atiku was silent on the primary school he attended, he disclosed his General Certificate Education (GCE) results obtained in 1965 and a Higher Certificate (Masters degree) obtained in 2021.

Also, the presidential flagbearer of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sani Yabagi, in an affidavit he submitted to INEC, said that the name on his degree and WASC is different from what he currently bears.In the same manner, the Delta State governor and vice presidential candidate of the PDP, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa in an affidavit attached to his particulars, informed INEC that his WASC obtained in 1974 was missing.

Okowa, however, attached a Higher School Certificate obtained in 1976.The presidential candidate of the Young Peoples Party (YPP), Prince Abdul Malik Ado Ibrahim, in the affidavit sworn to at the Federal High Court of Justice, Maitama, Abuja, on June 3, 2022, claimed that his original BSc degree issued by American College of Los Angeles, dated 1988; High School Diploma issued to him by Langley High, Norwich, UK dated 1979 and official degree transcript was missing.

THISDAY had earlier reported that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu was silent on the primary and secondary schools he attended.Meanwhile, with less than two weeks to the governorship election in Osun State on July 16, Yakubu also raised concern over the dangers of vote-buying in the governorship election

Again, arising from the experience in recent elections, vote-buying remains a major area of concern.We appreciate the role played by the anti-corruption and security agencies in apprehending some of the perpetrators of this brazen assault on our democracy.In particular, we are working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to ensure the prosecution of persons arrested in the recent Ekiti governorship election. Action will commence as soon as the EFCC completes its investigation. I appeal to all security agencies to continue to join hands with the Commission to tackle this menace.

The INEC chairman commended the relationship between INEC and security agencies in the Ekiti State governorship election.He announced the readiness of INEC for the Osun State election, saying, on our part, all the major activities that are supposed to be carried out at this stage have been successfully undertaken.

Yakubu added that the commission would keep a close watch on the security situation in Osun State.Also, the NSA, Monguno has raised the alarm that the July 16 Osun State governorship election may be hijacked or sabotaged by politicians through buying of voters.

Monguno who was represented by Sanusi Galadima from his office said: The NSA also urged ICCES members to build on the successes recorded from the Ekiti election as some disgruntled politicians may attempt to sabotage the process for their selfish gains, through vote-buying and other forms of voter inducement as well as political thuggery.

He also commended the INEC for the extension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.The NSA said that records from the conduct of the last Ekiti State governorship election indicated an impressive performance by the INEC as well as the security agencies as there were no major incidents of security concern recorded during and after the election.

Electoral Umpire Recognises Akpabio-backed APC Faction in Akwa Ibom

Meanwhile, barring any last-minute changes, the name of the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio will be ballot as the senatorial candidate of the APC for the Akwa Ibom North-West election next year.

This is the sequel to the recognition of the Ntukepko-led leadership of the party in Akwa Ibom State.The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini, had stated that the APC cannot field any candidate in next years general election following its alleged inability to conduct a valid primary election for the selection of its candidates in the state and national elections.

Akpabio had participated in the APCs presidential primary and did not feature in any senatorial primary of the APC.His name was however forwarded by the APC to INEC as its senatorial candidate in the February 2023 senatorial election, after he was said to have participated in a senatorial primary conducted by the Ntukepko-led faction, which the electoral body did not recognise.

But in a letter dated June 21, 2022, and signed by the Secretary to INEC, Mrs Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the electoral umpire informed its REC in Akwa Ibom State that it would abide by a court judgment which declared Ntukepko as the authentic Chairman of the state chapter of the APC.

The letter marked: Ref: INEC/L&P/FHC/22/339/84, a copy of which was sighted by THISDAY reads, This is to formally draw your attention to the subsisting Judgment/Order of the Federal High Court, Abuja (Suit No: FCH/ABJ/CS/1635/2021) which recognised Hon, Stephen Leo Ntukekpo as the Chairman of the APC in Awka Ibom State;

The commission is to comply with the content of the judgment, please.While Igini had claimed that the APC in Akwa Ibom State did not conduct any primary monitored by INEC in the state, the APC had claimed that it re-conducted its primary at a rescheduled date wherein it informed the commission.In a letter dated June 15 and cited by THISDAY, the APC accordingly urged the commission to recognise its candidates in the forthcoming general elections in the state.

The letter signed by APCs National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore read in part, Following the judgment delivered in the above-mentioned suit which declared the Stephen Leo Ntukekpo-led state executive as the duly and democratically-elected members of the Akwa Ibom State Executive Committee, our party which has always been law-abiding, elected to obey the courts judgment and swear in Stephen Leo Ntukekpo as the State Chairman of the party in Akwa Ibom State.Our party recently conducted its primary election to nominate the governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, wherein Mr. Akan Udofia emerged victorious as the candidate of the party.

However, the news making the rounds both in print and electronic media is that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini has been quoted as saying that our Party does not have a Governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom as no primary election took place to nominate our candidate.We respectfully request that Mr Mike Igini should be called to order and refrain from making statements that are likely to cause political turmoil in Akwa Ibom State and put our party and your commission in a bad light.

Mr Chairman you are aware that political parties have exclusive rights to nominating candidates. We would therefore insist on exercising those rights.We equally request that all rights and privileges should be accorded to the Stephen Leo Ntukekpo-led State Executive Committee in Akwa Ibom State as we do not recognise any other group or faction particularly as there is a court judgment validating the State Executives led by Stephen Leo Ntukekpo.We are confident that you will give the concerns we have raised the much-needed attention they deserve in order not to bring your commission into disrepute and unnecessary embarrassment.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had in a judgment delivered on March 17, declared Ntukepko as the authentic Chairman of the APC in Akwa Ibom State.An appeal filed against the judgment at the court of Appeal was also dismissed following its withdrawal by the APC.

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2023 Elections: INEC Receives 216 Requests for Particulars of Candidates - THISDAY Newspapers

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Belgiums parliament on Tuesday will debate whether to ratify a proposed treaty with Iran that could allow an Iranian convicted of terrorism in Belgium to be sent back to Tehran.

Iran has loudly demanded that Belgium release Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat who was convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a bomb plot targeting a rally by opponents of the Iranian regime in France.

The Belgian government has refused to explain the immediate need for the treaty, although Belgian media reported Monday night that Iran has been holding a Belgian national in jail since February, potentially as leverage.

The treaty could also pave the way for a future political deal on Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death by an Iranian court in 2017 on charges of spying for Israel. Djalali, a former researcher at the medical university Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and a guest lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), denies the charges. Belgium and Sweden have lobbied for his release for years. However, he would not immediately be covered by the treaty, as he doesnt have Belgian nationality.

Several Western citizens are detained in Iran on spurious charges. These cases have long represented one of the most difficult challenges in the problematic relationship between European nations and Iran. Earlier this year, for example, the U.K. settled a debt to Iran dating back to the 1970s effectively paying a400 million ransom to free two British-Iranian nationals.

The move by Belgium, however, which envisions the release of a terrorist convicted in the Belgian courts of attempting mass murder on European soil, is proving far more controversial drawing outrage from European critics of Iran, as well as members of the Iranian opposition living in exile.

While the treaty has been in development for many months, the action in the Belgium parliament comes as European leaders are panicking over energy prices and are increasingly eager to repair relations with Iran in the hope that the Islamic Republic can resume its role as a major supplier of oil and gas.

Doing so would require resolving continuing disagreements with the United States over the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which will not be easy. But with EU countries intent on cutting off Russian energy supplies, Iran is seen as one of the few alternative sources.

The new treaty between Belgium and Iran was signed in March and is now being pushed through parliament at speed, with legislative leaders aiming to have it ratified before the parliamentary summer break. The treaty would permit Iranians convicted in Belgium to serve their sentences in Iran, with the same happening for Belgians convicted in Iran. But the treaty also allows each party to grant amnesty and there is little doubt that Assadi, who worked as an Iranian diplomat, would quickly be set free.

Critics of the new treaty say that it will undermine the Belgian law enforcement and justice systems, literally creating a get-out-of-jail-free card for terrorists.

This is an erosion of the legal system, said Michael Freilich, a Belgian MP for the Flemish nationalists N-VA, who are in opposition in the Belgian parliament. Iran has made clear publicly that they dont see Assadi as a terrorist, but as a diplomat. He will be freed as soon as he steps foot on Iranian soil.

Our country is signing a treaty with a terrorist state purely for the purpose of extraditing terrorists to Iran, said Rik Vanreusel, a lawyer representing the Iranian opposition. Iran has a clear policy of taking foreigners hostage as leverage. This new law institutionalizes this kind of behavior via a legal framework.

Amnesty International has also previously warned Iran was holding Djalali hostage to compel Belgium and Sweden to hand over former Iranian officials, including Assadi.

When asked for comment, the Belgian foreign affairs ministry referred questions to the office of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who is also serving temporarily as foreign affairs minister. De Croos office referred questions to Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne.

A spokesperson for Van Quickenborne insisted that the treaty was not tied to any specific case. There is no link with any individual file, the spokesperson said, adding that the vote in parliament was not just about the treaty with Iran, but also about treaties with India and the United Arab Emirates, which would help extradite criminals in the drug trade.

When asked about the treaty in the Belgian parliament last Thursday, Van Quickenborne also pointed out a need to protect Belgians who might be detained by foreign regimes. This is how we ensure that criminals cannot hide in other countries, because impunity is not an option. At the same time, however, we also want to protect our compatriots worldwide, hence the international agreement, Van Quickenborne said.

In recent days, there has been mounting global condemnation of the planned new treaty.

Nine former senior members of the U.S. law enforcement and national security community sent a letter to the Belgian parliament urging against ratification.

This pending treaty is totally disrespectful to the law enforcement officers who risked their lives to prevent the 2018 attack, the letter, seen by POLITICO, stated. It also frustrates the judicial systems ability to fulfill its mission to protect the citizens of Europe by denying it the ability to make perpetrators accountable.

The authors, who include former FBI Director Louis Freeh and an array of former U.S. military commanders, warned that the treaty would effectively establish Belgium as a sanctuary country for terrorist operations, and a safe haven for Iranian intelligence services to maintain a European central command center.

Three Republican U.S. congressmen Randy K. Weber and Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania have also written a letter to De Croo urging him to oppose the treaty. In the letter, the three U.S. lawmakers praised Belgian authorities for preventing a heinous tragedy by foiling Assadis dastardly plot, which they noted was carried out under the ploy of diplomatic immunity.

Shahin Gobadi, a spokesman for the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran, an Iranian opposition group based in Paris, said there was no doubt about the purpose of the treaty.

This legislation sets the stage for the transfer of a convicted terrorist, Assadollah Assadi, the Iranian regimes diplomat to Iran, Gobadi said in a statement to POLITICO. This disgraceful deal compromises the safety and security of Europeans including the Belgian people and rolls the red carpet for the Iranian regime and its terror apparatus. The message to the Iranian regime would be very clear: you can perpetrate mass terrorism in Europe by using your diplomats and embassies and commit the worst crimes in Europe and get away with it. It is imperative for the Belgium Parliament to reject this agreement and prevent the sacred principles of Europe from being subjected to such dirty deals.

Some Belgian critics of the treaty said there had been a marked change of tone from the Belgian government in the last couple of months, as Van Quickenborne in February had said he wanted to avoid horse-trading on a prisoner swap. That raised the possibility that Belgium was coming under pressure from other European capitals, including Paris, which are eager to ease tensions with Tehran.

Several Belgian diplomats contacted by POLITICO said they were not authorized to speak about the case or that it was above their pay grade. However, diplomats stressed that freeing Djalali, or at least setting aside the death penalty for a more lenient sentence, has long been a priority for the Belgian government.

Freilich also pointed to Benjamin Brire, a French national who has been sentenced in Iran for espionage and propaganda, and suggested that he might be part of a prisoner exchange, with Djalali alone not being sufficient to get Belgium to release Assadi. But honestly, we dont know, Freilich said. Its very sneaky. If the Belgian government really feels that such a deal should be done, it should be transparent about it.

One Belgian politician said there has been large diplomatic pressure, in particular from France.

But some senior leaders strongly defended the efforts to re-engage with Iran and further isolate Russia in the context of its war with Ukraine. Speaking at a news conference at the G7 summit in Germany, European Council President Charles Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, said the EU had consistently supported the Iran nuclear deal, and should do everything possible to revive it.

Even if it is extremely difficult even we know whats the role played by Iran in the regional context, Michel said, we think that the EU has responsibility to engage with all the actors with all the partners there to see if agreements with Iran are possible.

The treaty will first be discussed on Tuesday by the foreign affairs committee. Once it gets the green light there, which could be within hours, it will go to the full parliament, possibly later this week.But given the increasing pressure and the growing media attention the treaty is getting in Belgium, some Belgian politicians said it isnt a done deal yet.

Continued here:
Belgium paves way to send convicted terrorist to Iran - POLITICO Europe

Iranian economist Mohsen Renani says another revolution is unlikely in Iran, however, there is a high potential for riots and unrest because of economic crisis.

Speaking in an interview with Didban Iran [Iran Monitor] news website, the Esfahan University professor said that if protests continue in Iran they will turn out to be more dangerous for the country than a nuclear bomb.

Irans runaway inflation, currently at an annual rate of 55 percent, has impoverished a vast majority of the population and is seen as the result of a nuclear program that has brought on international and US sanctions for the past 15 years, crippling the economy.

Meanwhile, Renani added that because of the ongoing dissent, officials are losing their self-confidence and keep making hasty decisions secretly to cope with a multitude of problems.

He said revolutions have been constantly taking place in Iran for 110 years now. "The constitutional revolution of 1905, the Qajar Dynastys fall in 1920, the Iranian oil nationalization movement of the early 1950s and the Green Movement of 2009 against Islamic Republic policies have all been revolutions."

However, he added that all of those revolutions were the consequences of Iranian elites and leaders' inability to maintain dialogue among themselves and with the people.

Mohsen Renani, professor of economics in University of Esfahan

Renani warned against the declining self-confidence of decisionmakers in Iran, adding that Iran is at a stage where too many crises happen at the same time. "In such a situation, the regime is entangled in a quagmire of instability, challenge, and wrong social and economic decisions. The only thing the government can do is fight fires: Putting out fires here and there while ending up in a strange confusion as a result of its inefficiency," the economist said.

He was most likely referring to hurried decisions made by President Ebrahim Raisis administration to cope with the country's biggest economic crisis in its modern history. Those decisions including a desperate attempt to eliminate food subsidies and increase prices of essential commodities.

When these decisions led to a major crisis in early May and culminated in protests, the government announced various new measures including rationing bread, issuing coupons and promising higher cash handouts, while so far it has not able to do any one of those things. In the meantime, price kept rising and dissatisfaction has led to a situation hard to control or continue.

Since 2017, Renani has been leading a series of academic dialogues to discuss solutions to Irans problems. He says the "Development Dialogues" is an academic attempt to look for the missing give-and-take between the elites and the government during the past 110 years.

"Throughout this time, intellectuals thought that Iran can reach development only through regime change," he said. He added that Iranian academics are collecting some 50 different narratives that could determine the route to development. However, he regretted that "We have not been able to turn this into a real dialogue among those who pursue Iran's development."

"Unfortunately, many join the discussions only to prove themselves. They are not there to listen to others in order to correct their narratives. Some even refused to join the conversation to avoid possible criticism," he said, most likely pointing at lack of interest on the part of the officials to listen to critics.

Renani added that some 95 percent of private sector institutions in Iran are formed and maintained by less than five individuals each. "That is because we cannot talk to each other," he stressed.

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Economist Says Revolution Is Unlikely In Iran, But Unrest Is Here To Stay -

A man cleans up rubble after an earthquake at Sayeh Khosh village in Hormozgan province in Iran, some 620 miles south of the capital Tehran on July 2, 2022. Abdolhossein Rezvani/AP hide caption

A man cleans up rubble after an earthquake at Sayeh Khosh village in Hormozgan province in Iran, some 620 miles south of the capital Tehran on July 2, 2022.

TEHRAN, Iran Five people were killed and 44 others injured in a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in southern Iran on Saturday, state television reported.

Rescue teams were deployed near the epicenter, Sayeh Khosh village, which is home to around 300 people in Hormozgan province, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, the report said.

People went into the streets as aftershocks continued to jolt the area after the early morning quake, which also damaged buildings and infrastructure.

The earthquake was felt in many neighboring countries, the report said.

The area has seen several moderate earthquakes in recent weeks. In November, one man died following two magnitude 6.4 and 6.3 earthquakes.

Iran lies on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.

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A strong earthquake has killed at least 5 in southern Iran - NPR

By Baria Alamuddin*

It turns out Irans intelligence services arent so intelligent after all.After a series of mortifying failures, Hossein Taeb Irans untouchable spy chief, with close ties to the supreme leader has been summarily thrown overboard.

This was a man who enjoyed immense power and unimaginable resources, and was responsible for crushing domestic dissent and eliminating threats and irritants overseas.

Taeb climbed to the top of Irans greasy pole in 2009 through playing a prominent role in the mass killing and torture of protesters. In recent days the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lauded such atrocities as great accomplishments.

Taeb was exposed as comically incompetent when Israeli agents assassinated at least seven nuclear scientists and intelligence officials in the past two months. Attackers struck deep inside some of Irans most secret locations; they came out of nowhere then simply melted away, giving rise to confused reports in the Iranian media about killer robots, suicide drones, masked assassins and self-firing machineguns. Some of these sabotage operations were overseen from neighboring Azerbaijan and Iraqi Kurdistan. Those coordinating the strikes succeeded in recruiting significant numbers of Iranians with the necessary skills and connections, probably including employees at these sites, and even carried out two attacks on the flagship Natanz nuclear plant.

The rot goes all the way to the top: Gen Ali Nasiri, a senior Guards commander, was arrested for spying for Israel, and several dozen employees from the Ministry of Defenses missile development program are thought to have been detained on suspicion of leaking classified military information, including missile blueprints, to Israel.

Ayoob Entezari, an aerospace engineer, was fatally poisoned at a dinner party. The events host hasnt been seen since. Entezaris martyrdom was first denounced as an act of biological terror, before the Iranian media suddenly changed its story denying foul play, or even that Entezari held a sensitive role, in a transparent attempt to hide how badly the intelligence agencies had bungled. Again!

Hardly a week goes by without reports of mysterious explosions, assassinations, and hacking of critical infrastructure. Last week three Iranian steel factories, major suppliers to the Guards, were hit by a cyberattack.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett gloated about his octopus doctrine instead of focusing on the tentacles, he goes straight for the head. Unfortunately, although these attacks are shattering the regimes morale, they are mere pinpricks. If Israel wants to halt Irans nuclear program and its transnational paramilitary armies, full-on decapitation is required.

In the meantime, this demented octopus has flailed about, wildly threatening revenge but rarely delivering. Remember all the promises to unleash divine vengeance for the 2020 killing of Qassim Soleimani and Abu-Mahdi Al-Muhandis? Or to avenge the assassination of nuclear chief Mohsen Fakhrizadeh?

Taeb sought retribution for the killing of Col. Sayad Khodaei, deputy commander of a covert Guards assassinations unit, by sending his goons to Turkey to kill Israeli diplomats and tourists. However, Israel tipped off Ankara and the conspiracy was thwarted. Similar operations appear to have been planned in Egypt. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declared that Ankara would not tolerate terror attacks on its soil, an indication of how such botched operations are pulling Turkey closer into the coalescing alliance of anti-Iran states.

Entrenched Iranian positions and outlandish new demands are derailing the revival of the Iran nuclear deal. Neither side holds out much hope for success, but they fear the consequences of admitting that talks have failed.

Nevertheless, American officials asserted that Iran had been severely discountenanced by prospects of a regional defense pact. Israel has acquiesced to the supply of sophisticated air defense systems, radars, and cyber technology to new allies, the US is encouraging Egypt and Jordan to deepen security ties with Israel, and there is the game-changing prospect that Israel and Saudi Arabia could be part of such an alliance.

Such nervousness is certainly motivating Tehrans recent outreach to Riyadh. Saudi officials are right to not trust a word they hear, stressing that they need to see de-escalatory actions, not empty words. Perhaps the Iranian presidents recent voicing of support for a ceasefire in Yemen is a move in this direction.

Lack of progress is spurring Iran to apply pressure elsewhere, including efforts to take over the government in Iraq, and an incident in which Israel shot down three Hezbollah drones near an Israeli gas rig in an area of sea claimed by Lebanon.

The region is changing, alliances are changing These are serious threats that need to be thwarted, one senior Iranian official nervously told Reuters. However, another one commented: Our nuclear program is advancing every day. Time is on our side.

The Revolutionary Guards probably dont want a revived nuclear deal. The paradoxical impact of sanctions has been that most oil is smuggled out via their vast economic conglomerates, and as the price soars they are making a killing. Their revenues now mostly come from outside the official government budget, something that wouldnt be tenable if the deal were revived hence the deliberately obstructive demand that sanctions be lifted from the the Guards economic empire, Khatam Al-Anbiya.

Iran meanwhile is disintegrating from the inside. Last month there were major anti-government protests and strikes throughout the country. Pensioners have been demonstrating over the wiping out of their pensions by runaway inflation, the result of incompetent regime policies. The currency plunged 25 percent in four months.

The Islamic Republic is its own worst enemy. The most likely prospect for slaying this dragon is collapse from within: Iranians hate this regime and much of the country is a patchwork of oppressed minorities who sooner or later will unite to oust the detested ayatollahs.

Regional powers are right to put their energies into a defensive alliance to counter Iranian expansionism; the only regret is that this didnt happen 40 years ago.

However, the most fertile avenue for ending such maleficence is for a focused campaign within Iran itself, capitalizing on the ayatollahs incompetence, misgovernance and unpopularity.

The Islamic Republic is a time bomb waiting to implode through the accumulation of its own failures. Never has there been a better time for regional powers to light the fuse and put an end to this evil once and for all.

Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

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Humiliation Piled On Humiliation For Iran's Spy Agencies OpEd - Eurasia Review