Alireza Jafarzadeh

Alireza Jafarzadeh is a media commentator on the Middle East and an active dissident figure to the Iranian government.cite news |first=Laura |last=Rozen |title=Iran on the Potomac |publisher=The Washington Post |year=2006 |page=B05 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062301345.html] He is best known for revealing the existence of clandestine nuclear facilities in Iran in 2002. Until 2003, Jafarzadeh acted as the chief congressional liaison and public spokesperson for the United States representative office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).cite web |url=http://www.alirezajafarzadeh.org/ |title=Alireza Jafarzadeh Web Page |accessdate=2008-07-13 |format=Official website] He is currently the president of his company, Strategic Policy Consulting, Inc., as well as a FOX News Foreign Affairs Analyst.

Jafarzadeh is also the author of a 304-paged book ("The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis" ) about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran, and his alleged interest in developing nuclear weapons.

Early life

Jafarzadeh was born in Mashhad, Iran. [cite book |last=Ritter |first=Scott |authorlink=Scott Ritter |title=Target Iran: The Truth about the White House's Plans for Regime Change |origdate= |date=2006 |publisher=Nation Books |isbn=1560259361] He moved to the United States before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In the USA he studied civil engineering, obtaining his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and a master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Work

On August 14, 2002, Jafarzadeh drew worldwide attention by revealing that Iran was running a secret nuclear facility in Natanz, and a dideuterium oxide facility in Arak. These revelations led to inspections of the sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). After their first inspection, IAEA, said in a report on Iran's nuclear activity that traces of uranium, greater than what is needed for a civilian power program, were found on Iranian nuclear equipment.Cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/04/us.iran.nuclear/index.html |title=U.S. to seek IAEA action on Iran nukes |date=2003-09-05 |publisher=CNN.com] These revelations eventually led to United Nations Security Council's imposing sanctions on Iran on December 23, 2006, over its nuclear program.Cite news |title=Security Council approves sanctions on Iran over nuclear program |date=2006-12-23 |publisher=USA Today |year=2006]

On May 15, 2003, as then a spokesman for the NCRI, Jafarzadeh also alleged that Iran was running programs for biological and microbial weapons.Cite web|url= http://www.iranwatch.org/privateviews/NCRI/perspex-ncri-cbw-051503.htm |title=Press Briefing |date=2003-05-15|publisher=IranWatch] On March 16, 2005, President Bush said Iran's hidden nuclear program had been discovered "because a dissident group pointed it out to the world." Later that day, White House aides acknowledged that the dissident group cited by the president was the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Cite news |title=Iran: Mixed Signals on MEK |date=2005-04-11 |publisher=Newsweek |first=Mark |last=Hosenball] On January 5, 2007, Jafarzadeh reported that Iran's government had sharply increased its efforts to fan sectarian violence in Iraq, easily transferring money and arms across the Iraqi border.Cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKN0526033520070105 |title=Iran exile says Tehran steps up efforts in Iraq
date=2003-09-05 |publisher=Reuters |first=Carol |last=Giacomo] In his news conference, Jafarzadeh provided details of the Iranian forces, including the Quds Force, commanders, resources and plans for Iran sustaining a large-scale terror network in Iraq.Fact|date=July 2008

Jafarzadeh in the Media

On January 15, 2007, Jafarzadeh was a guest on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" news show (6:00 pm ET) discussing Iran's proxy war in Iraq.cite web |url=http://spcwashington.com/content/view/258/26/ |title=Alireza Jafarzadeh discusses his new book, "The Iran Threat" on Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN) |accessdate=2008-07-13 |date=January 15, 2007 |work=Strategic Policy Consulting] Jafarzadeh claimed that Iran has 32,000 mercenaries on its payroll in Iraq sabotaging the reconstruction and stabilization efforts.

As late as December 14, 2006, Jafarzadeh was introduced as the past representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in an interview with Claude Salhani in which he responded to comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made towards Israel.Cite web |url=http://www.spacewar.com/news/iran-05zzzzzzzo.html |title=Politics & Policies: Ahmadinejad's Antics |date=2006-12-14 |publisher=United Press International |first=Claude |last=Salhani]

As of 2007, Jafarzadeh is a Foreign Affairs Analyst for Fox News, a position he has held since 2003 and is often a guest on Voice of America, or ABC Radio Network's "John Batchelor Show". He has lectured at Georgetown University and the University of Michigan. He currently lives and works in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

According to his official website, "Jafarzadeh has frequently appeared on major television and radio broadcasts", including Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, NBC, ABC, BBC, Sky News, ITN, VOA, and NPR.

On September 24, 2008, Jafarzadeh appeared on foxnews.com "The Strategy Room" with host Heather Nauert, to discuss Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN appearance.

trategic Policy Consulting

Jafarzadeh heads his own company, Strategic Policy Consulting, Inc., where he consults as an expert on the nuclear program of Iran, terrorism, and Islamic extremism.

Strategic Policy Consulting was formed on July 10, 2003.The address listed on its State of Virginia registration is 2101 CRYSTAL PLAZA ARCADE #164ARLINGTON, VA 22202 4600.Fact|date=July 2008 The SPC website lists an address at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Suite 600.cite web |url=http://www.spconsulting.us/ |title=Strategic Policy Consulting Inc. |accessdate=2008-07-15 |format=Official website] According to the SPC website, its members have worked professionally with the US Congress, media, agencies, institutions and universities in order to deliver analysis, policy suggestions, and research for more than 20 years.

Controversy

Jafarzadeh's association with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in which one of the main member organizations is the People's Mujahedin of Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK or MKO) has been a source of controversy. Jafarzadeh was the public spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran until its office in Washington was closed by the US State Department on the grounds that it was too closely associated with the People's Mujahedin of Iran, by then listed as a terrorist organistion.Cite journal |url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/657/657p16.htm |title=IRAN: US relies on terrorists for nuke 'intelligence' |accessdate=2006-05-01 |journal=Green Left Weekly |year=2006 |last=Lorimer |first=Doug |date=2006-02-22 |issue=657]

According to Paul Sheldon Foote, Professor of Accounting at California State University, Fullerton:

The American government raided the home of Alireza Jafarzadeh and removed boxes of documents. The American government closed the office of the MKO front, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in the National Press Building in Washington, DC. However, the American government did not deport or place on trial Alireza Jafarzadeh and the other NCRI employees. Instead, Alireza Jafarzadeh became a foreign affairs analyst for the Fox News Channel. Alireza Jafarzadeh has announced a new television program for the Fox News Channel to convince American dupes to go to war with Iran: “Iran: The Ticking Bomb”.cite web|url=http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=25927&sectionid=3510302|title=The neocons' unholy alliance|publisher=Press TV|accessdate=2007-12-10]

Foote has also stated, "The ability of Alireza Jafarzadeh to be involved with the production of war propaganda television programs in America is testimony to the ignorance of the general American public."

Jafarzadeh's name firstFact|date=July 2008 appears in the media in a "Houston Chronicle" article dated December 24, 1986, where he is described as a spokesman for the MEK.Cite news |title=Iranian torture victims denounce arms sales |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1986_430554 |publisher=Houston Chronicle |last=Trounson |first=Rebecca |date=1986-12-24] In the article he denied US State Department claims that the MEK was a terrorist organization responsible for the assassination of at least six Americans in Iran, a charge that is vehemently denied by MEK.Cite web |url=http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=21064 |title=Missing the Mark on Iran |accessdate=2006-01-27 |publisher=Front Page |year=2005 |first=A. |last=Safavi] In the same article, Jafarzadeh compared the MEK's resistance activities to those of the US Founding Fathers.

Trita Parsi, author of "Treacherous Alliances: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States", has called Jafarzadeh "The MKO’s spokesperson and top lobbyist." [cite book |last=Parsi |first=Trita |authorlink=Trita Parsi |title=Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States |year=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=0300120575]

References