Reportedly, Soltanieh is a former nuclear scientist (I don't know how one can become a former scientist) from Utah State University (none of whose faculty is doing Nuclear physics). A mini resume of his past and present responsibilities is available from United Nations Industrial Development Organization.Soltaniyeh was appointed as a senior member of the nuclear negotiation team in December 2005, and introduced as Iran's representative to to IAEA at that time. About a year ago, he was interviewed by LA Times. In this interview he did not ooz out any deviation from the official line presumably dictated by the supreme leader's estate. As far as I can recall, he has only recently emerged as the front-man for Iran's nuclear negotiations.
I cannot find ANY other information on this gentleman, neither by English nor by Persian key words. I am specifically interested in knowing that as a "nuclear scientist" who has apparently supervised a few theses, what field of research he has specialized in. As a US-educated "scientist", former or current, one would expect to see a clear CV of this gentleman or some form of electronic foot print. At least you would want to know when he graduated, who was his PhD supervisor, what his credentials are. Could he be one of those many fake PhD cronies of Ahmadinejad? After all, if someone survives Ahmadinejad's administration for almost 5 years, then he must have exemplary obedient character.
If you have any information about this gentleman (other than his "secretly talking to Israel"--which was reported by Haa'retz), please share.
==================
I have to make it clear that I AGREE with Iran's government's stance, to NOT TRUST Russia and France about their commitment to providing Iran with nuclear fuel. I think the compromise of keeping the fuel on an Iranian Island, in possession and under surveillance of the IAEA, was a great one. Iran has also agreed to send away some of its uranium, but not all of it; and that exchange be done on Iranian soil--to be sure the replacement (20% enriched uranium) IS delivered to Iran before they export theirs (5% enriched uranium). Considering that El Baradei HAS pulled the rug from under Iranian negotiations BEFORE, leaving Khatami's administration (the reformists that Ahmadinejadists have been trying to get rid of) in cold, I cannot trust him--despite all his apparent "defense" of Iran's right to nuclear energy. The 5+1 is treating Iran in the same way that the Iranian regime is treating its citizens; assume guilty unless proven otherwise! And this is why I am finding it so hard to blog these days ... as an Iranian, I feel caught between TWO enemies: my government, and the 5+1+Israel!
19 comments:
hahahahaahah... this was for the formerly scientist bit ( i thought that was funny!)
What a great post Naj.
I don't know anything about him, I've always just assumed he was a Ahmadinejad crony, w/o having any info about him.
Do you think it would be weird if you emailed University of Utah's graduate department and told them you were researching the nuclear issue in Iran and wanted access to Soltanieh's thesis? I mean, the theses are supposed to be available through the school libraries, so if he's written one, it should be there.
Ped if he has written a thesis; it should be available through electronic databases. They usually become available after two years. I suppose i can write to Utah University; i have been asking in Iran and no one knows.
hmm let me see if I can get my nuclear physicist friends dig something for me (you would be perhaps surprised to know that my physicist friends are aFRAID of visiting my blog, FEARING that the Us government will tag them--at least that was the case during Bush!)
Yes those friends live and work in the US, and are only half-Iranian! :)
Roozbeh, I though that was funny too!
Naj, if a thesis was written during the 80s or 70s (for some reason, I doubt he wrote one, but just to give him the benefit of the doubt) ... would it still be available for sure? I know that at my school I've tried to locate some old theses and a few old ones were missing. But I told the librarian and they were able to locate the abstracts for me.
Ped;
we need a copy of Ahmadinejad's thesis!
Actually, I want to read it cover-to-cover!
i don't know this utah guy, but what are the chances that this guy never actually finished the degree, i.e., never submitted a thesis? I know this is the case with several of these people, Najafi the former miinster of education, he never finished although he is a faculty memeber of shairf, but sharif kept him as an assistant professor (he could have been a professor by now, but since he does not have a phd, and sharif is still a decent enough institute.....) other case is javad larijani, i think he never finished his degree at Berkeley, he did mathematical logic with some heavy weight mathematician but he didn't finish, so i don't know why he is called a doctor....
just read the rest of the comments... Naj, is your bog being monitored?? remember i was concerned about it as your system can see my email anyway! hope not, as I am just an iranian with no hyphen, i.e, not
iranian-canadian, etc... so if they arrest me, i die in prison, and YOU are responsible for it NAJ!! ;-)
Hey! I'm one of those "only" half-Iranians and yes, I'm on that US government watchlist! (Really)
So I've nothing to lose and everything to gain by visiting your site. :)
About being a former nuclear scientist from Utah State, I think what they mean is that he is a trained nuclear scientist formerly attending Utah State. It is also unclear which degree he attained as an alumnus of Utah State.
The only other relevant info I could find was this unreferenced passage from Wikipedia:
"Ambassador Soltanieh is a nuclear physicist by training and as Associate Professor in at faculties of science and international relations in various universities between 1988 and 1997 taught and supervised graduate students in nuclear physics, and from 2000 to the present in disarmament & international security."
I looked up the creator of this Wikipedia page, and it appears to be an Iranian interested in general Iran topics, with about 50 edits to his/her credit.
-Pirouz
PS: My uncle and grandfather were both Iranian physicists with PhDs, from the 1930's and 1950's.
Pirouz;
I wonder what those "various universities" are! This guy has really popped from under the bushes, it seems! None of the Iranian media addresses him as Dr. I have written to Utah S. U.; let's see what it produces. I hope they won't ignore.
Roozbeh,
Are you a chicken? :)) if you are, then you are roast! My blog is monitored by scary demons who have told me they are so particularly interested in roasting and toasting you for the Canadian thanksgiving ;)
an iranian grandfather with a phd degree... quite impressive... i am sure it is easy to find who you are then, I don't think there would be more than 3 people with phd who could be iranian and a grandfather at the same time...
Naj, if I am supposed to be tortured by canadians... well thats ok, in fact that turns me on ;-)
Masoud;
good point.
What I just FAILt to understand is WHY is the IRanian authority operating in such seemingly self-detrimental manners. I mean, they are already under pressure about the nuclear issue--with ElBaradei acting like the hypocrite that he is; pretending to be pro-solution; but caving in in the last minute--I just don't see what is so wrong about Iran exchanging the fuel on its soil; Iran has EVERY reason to worry that France and Russia will not stick to their end of the deal; both countries have proven untrustworthy throughout Iran's history in the past 200 years!
Now, when Iran had a case, for which someone like me was willing to stand up and defend Iran's stance--re nuclear negotiation--they pull another rabit out of their stupid hat and STEAL Ebadi's HR award! What the hell?!?!
It would seem as if those who are MOST opposed to Iran's return to the world stage (read Israel, Saudi Arabia and UAE) are pulling the strings somewhere!
Roozbeh, I'll give you a BIG hint: my Iranian grandfather had a high school named after him in Tehran. However, the name of the school was changed in the early 1980's.
My Iranian great grandfather (from my father's maternal side of the family) also had a PhD (quite rare!), but it wasn't in Physics.
Both were Ministers of Education and Health/Welfare, and the elder was a head (was it called president back then?) of Parliament. Keep in mind, though, the two had different last names.
Enough hints?
-Pirouz
Pirouz, well, I think I definitely can't compete with you in that front, my grandfather (from my father side) married my grandmother when he was 33 and she was 10 (I know, he must have been a pervert..) I think he was illiterate, but i am told he could recite some verses of the koran if that counts for anything!!
If you are reading this, I watched the "the Road to home?" you recommended, great movie, and just watched "not one less" also from china, just wonderful, you can find that on youtube as well.
I think I definitely can't compete with you in that front, my grandfather (from my father side) married my grandmother when he was 33 and she was 10
L O L
you are hilarious!
But guys, why is it that we Iranians like so much to talk about our "families" ... I don't think anywhere else in the world a saying exists that:
"giram pedare to bood aaghel; az aghle pedar to ra che hasel"
(i think it is aalem, but alem and haasel don't go together!)
Of course a variation exists:
giram pedare to bood ghater, az ghotre pedar to ra che hasel
;)
I looked up the library of Utah State Universitz in Logan. Soltanieh has an M.S. not a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. Here is the title of his thesis:
Single and double n,p, and a removal cross sections in 200 MeV proton reactions on Ca40, V51, Ni58, Ni60, Cu63 and Nb93 / by Ali Ashgar Soltanieh.
I looked up the library of Utah State Universitz in Logan. Soltanieh has an M.S. not a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. Here is the title of his thesis:
Single and double n,p, and a removal cross sections in 200 MeV proton reactions on Ca40, V51, Ni58, Ni60, Cu63 and Nb93 / by Ali Ashgar Soltanieh.
I looked up the library of Utah State Universitz in Logan. Soltanieh has an M.S. not a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. Here is the title of his thesis:
Single and double n,p, and a removal cross sections in 200 MeV proton reactions on Ca40, V51, Ni58, Ni60, Cu63 and Nb93 / by Ali Ashgar Soltanieh.
Post a Comment