Magnificent Missile Test, Pictures of which do not exist
By Kamangir • Jul 11th, 2008 • Category: Features, Islamic Republic, Lead Story, mediaWill you be surprised if I tell you that the picture they used for the front page of the state-run ultra-right newspaper Kayhan was in fact two years old?
Front Page of Kayhan, July 10th, 2008, “Iran fires 2000-Km Missile, Israel: We are not going to start a fight with Iran”
Picture published on November 2006
The Two Images overlaid
Posted by Kamangir
Author's email address: arash@kamangir.net | All posts by Kamangir
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This has *got* to be the most pathetic set of military propaganda fakes since the days of Pravda.
[...] 11. 2008 08:53 Arash Kamangir tipped me to this, pointing to a case where an Iranian news daily “accidentally” re-used a photo from November 2006 to illustrate Iran’s latest war games. Imagine my surprise when, upon scanning the news wires, I [...]
Arash,
It would seem that this photo has fooled Agence France-Presse, too. If it weren’t for the handful of DOD military experts indicating that there was a launch, I’d almost say at this point that the whole exercise here has been a fraud for insurance’s sake.
Anyway, thanks for tipping me off to this photo. It’s good to see that Western news editors are just as lazy as their counterparts in other parts of the world. :)
Respectfully yours,
Brian
Incidentally, as a bit of a counter to Mani’s last mega-rant… I went over to the IAEA’s website. http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Focus/IaeaIran/index.shtml
Where I had a look at a more recent report than the one Mani so actively, and selectively, quoted from: http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Documents/Board/2008/gov2008-15.pdf
I think smirking about every second sentence. The situation is far from the concrete certainty Mani so avidly proclaims of Iran’s nuclear innocence. The following mock-conversation seems to fit the bill:
IAEA: Well, we’re monitoring the nuclear material entering the country and we’re overseeing some of the major sites. It’s just a pity that we don’t actually seem to have access to R&D sites, and that Iran isn’t really implementing the current oversight agreement with the IAEA, and nor is it agreeing for further oversight… but for some reason this doesn’t overtly bother us. But be that it may, we have this great big pile of intel from various countries (what little they could declassify for us, seeing as anything we get immediately leaks to the press and is shown to Iranian officials).
IAEA: Somehow, having read through it, we concluded that it’s actually quite detailed and cross-referenced, and coming as it is from many sources… why, we might just have to consider it credible. What do *you* think about it, good Iranian nuclear negotiators?
Iranian Negotiator: It’s a plot!
IAEA: A plot?
Iranian Negotiator: Yes! A Zionist plot! Forgeries, lies by evil warmongers against the Great Islamic Nation!
IAEA: Oh my. Well, perhaps we could discuss some particulars?
Iranian Negotiator: Lies, we say, Zionist plots! They’re out to get us - they’re everywhere. Maybe *you’re* a Zionist?
IAEA: Come now, let’s not be rash! Oh, by the way, we still haven’t received your answer about various military institutions and rather odd companies that appear to be involved in your nuclear project.
Iranian Negotiator: Oh… that. Well… we’ll be sure to discuss the matter with you at the earliest juncture.
IAEA: Marvelous!
Iranian Negotiator: *muttering* give or take half a year *muttering*
IAEA: I’m sorry? Didn’t quite hear that.
Iranian Negotiator: Nothing! Nothing! Now, back to the matter of plots. Many of these documents you have just showed us come in electronic format - hence, they are all fakes!
IAEA: But-
Iranian Negotiator: But nothing! Fakes!
IAEA: Oh, bother. You want the full original documents, I assume?
Iranian Negotiator: Yes, yes. It will certainly help us in… internal investigations. So many executioners without a steady occupation…
IAEA: Pardon?!
Iranian Negotiator: Nothing! Nothing!
IAEA: Now, where were we? Ah, this green salt thingy… Various detonators… Underground testing facilities, shock systems, preparing your missiles to house nuclear warheads… Oh dear.
Iranian Negotiator: Lies! Oh, no, wait, not lies, no… merely devices for civilian applications.
IAEA: Oh?
Iranian Negotiator: For when we need to move mountains out of the way.
IAEA: And the, ah, administrative connections between the reshaping of the Shahab 3 and this “green salt” stuff?
Iranian Negotiator: Well, unfortunately the intelligence agencies that gave you this information didn’t trust you enough to let you keep a couple of the documents - merely read them. Seeing as this is the case, we are going to pretend you didn’t ask a thing. It’s just the way we go, you see.
IAEA: Damn.
Iranian Negotiator: We’ll just mention that anything to do with the Shahab 3 is obviously fake, without actually addressing the issue seriously. And you, little IAEA person, are going to accept our stance.
IAEA: Oh dear. Even though they’re cross-referenced and from different sources?
Iranian Negotiator: Sorry, little IAEA person. The fact that these documents were most likely in electronic format in their original is beside the point - we will pretend that such originals do not exist. This is fake.
IAEA: Oh well, I guess that’s it for today, folks! We’d also like to point out that Iran seems to be keeping quite a bit of information from us - particularly all this military missile stuff. Thank you for coming to our show, *do* come again.
I think you missed this … published yesterday by the Economist
Roman, can I just say that what you wrote should be its own post. Bravo!
Arash,
Here’s the U.S. response:
http://blog.wired.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/11/coyote.jpg
“Will you be surprised if I tell you that the picture they used for the front page of the state-run ultra-right newspaper Kayhan was in fact two years old?”
Archer
After reading in Rooz that Iranian press got a directive not to mention a name “Association of Iranian Journalists” in their journals, newspapers and magazines I am no longer surprised by anything I read or see in Iranian press.
Robert
Marvelous, hilarious, fantastic,……………hmm, perhaps you should get it published?
#4 Roman, Very funny!
*bows* The show must go on, for if we do not laugh today, we’ll be the joke tomorrow. ;-)
But that said, I’m an incredibly cynical man. The IAEA amuses me only because it’s gone beyond anger - like most of the UN and its various agencies, it has long ago entered the realm of the absurd. And most absurd thing of all is that we accept it to be so with barely a shrug, just as we accept the Islamic Republic’s Triple-D diplomatic policy regarding its nuclear project, and oversight thereof - Delay, Deny, and Derail.
@Nobody, very interesting article.
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