Under the Microscope with Alireza Noorizadeh, March 4, 2002

In the program 'Under the Microscope' on Monday, March 4, Dr. Alireza Noorizadeh answers questions from Farah Jahangiri regarding the recent statement by former parliamentary representatives concerning the recent crisis in Tehran-Washington relations, the Islamic Republic's attention to warnings from the United States such as the arrest of over 150 Al-Qaeda members in Iran and the expulsion of Hikmatyar despite the continued aggression of the regime's hardliners and their institutions against the United States, the possibility of the release of other national-religious figures following the release of Mr. Ezzatollah Sahabi, and the main reasons behind his arrest. 1. The statement by the Assembly of Former Parliamentary Representatives regarding threats against the country, which is in fact in line with the statement of the Second Khordad faction on the necessity of supporting the parliament, optimal use of media resources, and the pathology resulting from the multiplicity in foreign policy, seems to indicate that Mr. Khamenei's remarks in Mashhad lacked the usual tone of reprimand found in his previous speeches... How did Mr. Engineer Ezzatollah Sahabi get released on a 200 million rial bail? Can we expect the release of other national-religious leaders and possibly the freedom of their activities? 2. With the escalation of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, the issue of bloody clashes between Muslims and Hindus in India has also taken a severe turn. Should we expect more religious conflicts in this part of the world? 4. The presence of Al-Qaeda forces in the Pankisi Gorge in northern Georgia and the dispatch of American special forces, along with Georgia's lack of request from Moscow, raises the question of whether the danger of declaring a state of emergency in Iran has been eliminated? 3. It seems that in the Moscow conference, which was held without the presence of Turkmenistan, Iran was almost sidelined, and three other countries apparently reached agreements without Iran's knowledge...