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Showing posts from October, 2017
How Congress Can Fix the Iran Nuclear DealNuclear 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - It is now time for the US Congress to get on with the task of fixing the flawed Iran nuclear deal and amend any loopholes that the Iranian Regime can exploit in it. This is perfectly within the remit of the US without violating the deal as it stands. Some will argue that the deal is “working” and Iran is “complying”, while accusing Donald Trump of not decertifying Iran solely on their noncompliance with the nuclear deal. Actually, they are half right. The deal is not working and there are numerous instances where Iran clearly violated the term or the agreement without being punished, but Trump did not decertify them for this reason alone. There are many things that Iran has done in recent months that, while not covered in the terms of the deal, seriously violate the trust between the two nations and thereby violate the spirit of the agreement.
The Iran Nuclear Deal Is CollapsingNuclear 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - A little over two weeks ago, Donald Trump decertified Iranian compliance with the 2015 Nuclear Deal, which was supposed to impose strict limits on the rogue state’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Now Congress must decide whether or not to reimpose sanctions waived under the nuclear deal by mid-December. The hope for the deal, signed by the permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, UK, Russia, France and China) plus Germany, were high. Iran would give up its nuclear programme in order to obtain sanctions relief and then be slowly convinced through interaction with other countries to dispose of its other troubling behaviours, like support for terrorism and destabilisation of fellow nation states. Unfortunately, the deal was flawed.
IRGC Involved in 1983 Beirut BombingTerrorism 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - In 1983, a suicide bombing of a Marines barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians, and injured hundreds more. On October 23, the suicide bomber drove a truck into the barracks and detonated about 1,000 kg of explosives (roughly 15,000 to 21,000 pounds of TNT). The Islamic Jihad organisation, which claimed responsibility for the attack, was actually a special ops branch under the joint command of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). In response, both the US and France began to attack bases in the area linked to the IRGC, especially those where they trained Hezbollah militias.
Iran: Rouhani's First 100 Days30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - In 2013, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised to improve the everyday lives of the Iranian people within the first 100 days of his presidency and 100 days following his take over, he declared that he had achieved this. This declaration was as much a lie as his promises were. He hadn’t achieved this by the end of his first term in office, let alone at the 100-day mark. In 2017, he made similar promises and now, as we close in on the 100-day deadline, Iran analyst Taher Khaljani assessed on Zamaneh Media that it is doubtful that Rouhani will achieve these promises in the little time he has left, if he ever intended to at all. Among the hundreds of promises that Rouhani made were: • eliminating international sanctions • establishing constructive international relations

Iran Seizes Great Swathes of Land in Iraq and SyriaIran and Its Neighbours 30 October 2017

IRAN & NEIGHBOURS Iran Seizes Great Swathes of Land in Iraq and SyriaIran and Its Neighbours 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - For months now, Middle East experts have been warning that Iranian-backed militias would set out to steal land, recovered from ISIS as part of a joint mission, along the Syria-Iraq border. As it turns out, these predictions weren’t strong enough. The proxies of the Iranian Regime have stolen almost the entire Iraq-Syria border zone, stretching almost all the way from the northern border with Turkey to Iraq’s Anbar province in the south. Their biggest land grab occurred just last week, when Kurdish forces withdrew from disputed territory that they reclaimed from ISIS after receiving threats from Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Western politicians said there was nothing to worry about and that all lands would be redistributed properly once the threat from ISIS was neutralised but Ira
Amnesty International Calls on Iran to Quash Death Sentence on Academic24 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 24 Oct - A human rights organisation is calling on the Iranian Regime to overturn the death sentence on a Swedish academic. Amnesty International wants the death sentence against Ahmadreza Djalali, a specialist in emergency medicine, quashed immediately. Djalali, who was born in Iran and lives in Sweden, was sentenced to death on the charge of “corruption on earth” and given a 200,000 euro fine. Corruption on earth is one of many bogus charges handed down by the Iranian Regime when they can’t find evidence of any actual crime. Djalali denies all charges against him and said that they have been made up by the Regime’s Ministry of Intelligence interrogators.
Iranian People Protest Over Regime CorruptionEconomy 24 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 24 Oct - The Iranian people are yet again rising up against the corrupt Regime and gathered in front of the country’s parliament to protest the plundering of their country’s wealth and the crooked policies of the Regime. The Regime’s main opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), released a report and video showing over 2,000 people protesting outside the parliament in Tehran. They shouted slogans like “Shame, shame on the police force”, “Death to the dictator”, and “Death to the demagogue”, whilst being accosted by the police force.
IRAN & NEIGHBOURS Iran's Stranglehold on the Middle East Will Soon End One Way or AnotherIran and Its Neighbours 25 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 25 Oct - Syria and Iraq are currently seeing a huge shift due to rapid political developments out of Iran (who are controlling the Iraqi government and helping the Bashar Assad dictatorship to massacre their own people) and the USA (who are working with the Syrian opposition and the Iraqi Kurds in order to defeat ISIS). One of the biggest and most recent developments is the withdrawal of the Peshmerga (Kurdish) forces from the Kirkuk region in Northern Iraq, when it was announced that Iraqi troops (backed up by Iran) were heading to reclaim the disputed area after the Kurdish Independence Referendum. There were even accusations that the Jalal Talabani Kurdish group were working with the Iranian Regime (against their best interests) in order to gain control over the other Kurds.
Saudi FM: I Agree With Trump on Iran25 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 25 Oct - The Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, has stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports the new US position on the Iranian Regime, as put forth by Donald Trump, noting that the 2015 nuclear agreement contains several problems. Al-Jubeir made these comments at a panel on the future of worldwide turbulence, organised by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (commonly known as Chatham House), on October 25. During the London conference, Al-Jubeir said that the Iranian Regime’s policy of supporting terrorism and terrorist activity around the world was unacceptable and would have dire consequences. As such, new US sanctions against the Regime- particularly those against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who control the majority of the economy and are responsible for much of the financing of terrorists- would send a strong message to the Regime about their dangerous behaviour.
The Iran Nuclear Deal Is CollapsingNuclear 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - A little over two weeks ago, Donald Trump decertified Iranian compliance with the 2015 Nuclear Deal, which was supposed to impose strict limits on the rogue state’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Now Congress must decide whether or not to reimpose sanctions waived under the nuclear deal by mid-December. The hope for the deal, signed by the permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, UK, Russia, France and China) plus Germany, were high. Iran would give up its nuclear programme in order to obtain sanctions relief and then be slowly convinced through interaction with other countries to dispose of its other troubling behaviours, like support for terrorism and destabilisation of fellow nation states. Unfortunately, the deal was flawed.
IRGC Involved in 1983 Beirut BombingTerrorism 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - In 1983, a suicide bombing of a Marines barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians, and injured hundreds more. On October 23, the suicide bomber drove a truck into the barracks and detonated about 1,000 kg of explosives (roughly 15,000 to 21,000 pounds of TNT). The Islamic Jihad organisation, which claimed responsibility for the attack, was actually a special ops branch under the joint command of the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). In response, both the US and France began to attack bases in the area linked to the IRGC, especially those where they trained Hezbollah militias.
US Congress Passes Bills Aimed at Iran's Ballistic Missile Program and Support of HezbollahNuclear 27 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 27 Oct - According to Bloomberg’s report, the US House of Representatives passed new sanction bills this week that target Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for Hezbollah. The nearly unanimous vote of 423-2, displayed bi-partisan support from Congress against Iran — the first such, since US President Trump refused to certify Iran’s compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), earlier this month. Trump has called for a tougher stance from Congress that may include renegotiating or pulling out of the JCPOA. However, this legislation fails to give Trump what he requested, which was junctures that would automatically trigger re-imposition of the sanctions that were eased under the nuclear deal unless Iran meets a list of US demands.
Blacklisting the IRGC Will Have a Major Impact on Iran's EconomyNuclear 28 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 28 Oct - The blacklisting of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department after President Trump’s October 13th Iran policy speech , was a major blow to Tehran. Hessam-edin Ashena, an advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, remarked to a state daily, “Sanctions against the IRGC are nothing new… The IRGC is not an economic entity for them to attempt to impact its future through sanctions. The IRGC is a military entity that will negotiate with no one regarding its duties.” Gholamreza Tajgardoon, chairman of the Budget & Planning Commission in Iran’s parliament, made similar statements. “Sanctioning the IRGC will have no impact on the country’s economy… U.S. sanctions are an issue of international relations. The IRGC has no role in international economic relations. The IRGC is, however, active in military affairs inside Iran and
Iranian Rulers, Afraid of Cyrus the Great or People?Jubin Katiraie Blog 29 October 2017 On Sunday October 29, 2017. Iranian authorities prevented a gathering at the tomb of ancient Persian king Cyrus the Great and arrested a number of suspects. A statement from the National Council of Resistance of Iran said that officials have taken repressive measures since a few weeks ago “To prevent people from entering Pasargadae, Revolutionary Guards, Basij, police and plain-clothed forces were sent from neighboring provinces and cities to Fars province and the surrounding areas of Pasargadae. They have been controlling the roads leading to the Pasargadae’s nearby cities,” the statement read and continued: IRGC forces and the Police Force in Pasargadae and the surrounding towns had virtually imposed a curfew and had blocked all roads leading to Pasargadae, even the rural roads, and were preventing the movement of vehicles to and from Pasargadae.
How Congress Can Fix the Iran Nuclear DealNuclear 30 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 30 Oct - It is now time for the US Congress to get on with the task of fixing the flawed Iran nuclear deal and amend any loopholes that the Iranian Regime can exploit in it. This is perfectly within the remit of the US without violating the deal as it stands. Some will argue that the deal is “working” and Iran is “complying”, while accusing Donald Trump of not decertifying Iran solely on their noncompliance with the nuclear deal. Actually, they are half right. The deal is not working and there are numerous instances where Iran clearly violated the term or the agreement without being punished, but Trump did not decertify them for this reason alone. There are many things that Iran has done in recent months that, while not covered in the terms of the deal, seriously violate the trust between the two nations and thereby violate the spirit of the agreement. Iran’s launching of ballistic missiles, support f
Trump Placing Heavy Focus on Yemen in the Campaign to Counter IranOctober 24 2017 10:48 PM Jay Solomon The Trump administration is eyeing Yemen as a critical theater in its stepped-up campaign to roll back Iranian influence in the Arab world. Washington is particularly concerned about Tehran gaining the ability to choke off shipping lanes in the Red Sea that are vital to the global energy trade. According to administration officials, ramping up efforts to end the Yemen conflict presents both opportunities and risks for the White House, especially as the war of words with Iran escalates. The heavy deployment of allied forces in Yemen, largely from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, could underpin a successful campaign against Iranian-backed militias with only minimal American involvement. So far, the administration has increased U.S. intelligence and logistical support to this coalition and launched missile strikes on al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen. It may continue expanding both e
ran Nuclear Deal and Iran's Belligerence Are LinkedNuclear 22 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 22 Oct - It came as no surprise to many that US President Donald Trump decided to decertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, between the United States, several EU countries, China and Russia. The responses to this news was mixed. In the Middle East, there was huge condemnation as well as huge praise. And while many were expecting him to do so, his decision drew immediate responses from around the globe. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani expressed his anger at the decision, while the Arab countries that are negatively impacted by Iran’s actions welcomed it. Those that supported the decision in the Arab world also condemned the international silence that has let Iran spread chaos across the Middle East.The threat emanating from Iran is multi-dimensional. There is the obvious nuclear threat, but also a political one.

No to Compulsory Veil: No to Compulsory Religion, No to Compulsory Government Paperback – July 26, 2017

No to Compulsory Veil: No to Compulsory Religion, No to Compulsory Government   Paperback   – July 26, 2017 by  Maryam Rajavi   (Author) This manuscript examines some vital factors and trends, including the overwhelming and accelerating influence (especially since 2005) of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This study shows how ownership of property in various spheres of the economy is gradually shifted from the population writ large towards a minority ruling elite comprised of the Supreme Leader’s office and the IRGC, using 14 powerhouses. Over the past decade, what has been billed as “privatization,” is the means by which a significant portion of Iran's economic institutions have been handed off to the office of the Supreme Leader and the security, military and economic apparatus under his auspices. The driving force behind all major economic developments have been the expansion of the sphere of influence of Khamenei's office

No to Compulsory Veil: No to Compulsory Religion, No to Compulsory Government Paperback – July 26, 2017

No to Compulsory Veil: No to Compulsory Religion, No to Compulsory Government Paperback – July 26, 2017 by Maryam Rajavi (Author) This is a selection of six speeches by Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran from 2015 to 2017 in various conferences on the topic of Islam, compulsory veil, compulsory religion and compulsory government and why anything that is forced under any pretexts is contrary to the teachings of Islam. Maryam Rajavi argues that mysogeny is the core of Islamic fundamentalism. In the case of iran, she argues that misogyny under the cloak of religion has become systematic and persistent because it is a lever to maintain the monopolistic domination of the velayat-e faqih. Misogyny is the raison d'être for dozens of the regime's suppressive agencies.
Iran Resorts To Crackdown, Fearing Mass Rallies Marking National Day Heshmat Alavi , CONTRIBUTOROpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. October 29th marks “Cyrus Day” in Iran, commemorating Cyrus the Great, probably the most renowned ruler of ancient Persia. Last year on this day a large gathering of thousands Iranians sent shockwaves to Tehran, proving to the world Iran’s society remains restive and fiercely opposes the ruling regime. For the past 48 hours social media activists across Iran have used the hashtag #CyrusDay to post their views and inviting people to the gathering. Fearing similar rallies this year, the Iranian regime resorted to dispatching a large number of security forces and “military maneuvers and widespread repressive measures in various cities of Fars province (southcentral Iran),” according to a statement issued by the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). Units of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and state police have
The Scope And Impact Of Iran's IRGC Blacklisting Heshmat Alavi , CONTRIBUTOROpinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. (FILES) A picture dated September 21, 2012, shows a Raad air defense system carrying Taer missiles being displayed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, during an annual military parade which marks Iran's eight-year war with Iraq, in the capital Tehran. Iranian forces have carried out what they called cyber warfare tactics for the first time as the Islamic republic's naval units staged manoeuvres in the key Strait of Hormuz, media reports said on December 31, 2012. ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images Tehran received a major blow following the blacklisting of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department after President Donald Trump’s October 13th landmark Iran policy speech . This has senior Iranian officials extremely concerned as the regime in its entirety is desperately attempting to cope with the aftermath.

Secrets of the 1983 Beirut Bombings: The role of Iran’s IRGC

Secrets of the 1983 Beirut Bombings: The role of Iran’s IRGC The 1983 double bombing in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, left 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians killed. (Supplied) Heshmat Alavi, Special to Al Arabiya EnglishMonday, 30 October 2017 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the viewpoint of Al Arabiya English. The 1983 double bombing in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, left 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians killed, alongside hundreds of others injured. 21 years later in 2004 Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) unveiled a “monument” in “honor” of that terrorist attack. This “memorial” column, installed in a section dubbed “Martyrs of the Islamic World” in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, carried a very vivid message: Iran’s IRGC was behind the 1983 blast targeting the peacekeeping force in Beirut.
American Voters Overwhelmingly Favour Iran Deal RenegotiationNuclear 25 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 25 Oct - Seventy percent of American voters believe that the 2015 nuclear deal (between the US, Iran and five other world powers) should be renegotiated, according to a recent poll. The respondents were also overwhelmingly in favour (81 percent) of the new deal being approved by the Senate and verified by Congress- in the same way that treaties are- rather than by executive order. The Harvard-Harris survey found that 85 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of independents and 57 percent of Democrats, were in favour of renegotiation and Congress ratification. Sixty percent of all voters said that the current nuclear deal is bad for the US- echoing Donald Trump’s view- and two-thirds (including 50 percent of Democrats) believed that Iran has not complied with the agreement, which was the reason Trump gave for decertification earlier this month. Harvard-Harris co-director Mark Penn said
We Must Stop Iran and Hezbollah From Starting a Third Lebanon WarTerrorism 25 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 25 Oct - There is one clear winner in the Syrian Civil War, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror cell Hezbollah, which has made significant advances in its military capabilities. This, along with the Iranian Regime’s destabilising efforts, poses a serious threat to stability and security of the Middle East. If the international community does not constrain this threat, they could soon be faced with a third Lebanon war, far worse than those that have come before. Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah, which now takes pride of place among Iran's terrorist proxy groups, has been vying to show itself as a feasible military force in Lebanon by suppressing the Lebanese people and infiltrating the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). They have also focused on increasing their weapons cache and now hold over 100,000 highly sophisticated rockets and missiles, with which they can strik
Iran Preparing to Leave Nuclear Deal?Nuclear 26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - The Iranian Regime may be beginning the process to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal by filing a claim to the European Union that the US has violated the deal on 18 separate occasions, including continued sanctions and withholding revenue. If the claim is accepted, then Iran could leave the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and save face by laying the blame on the Donald Trump administration. Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, an Iranian member of parliament, told state-run media: "The recent report is specifically about the Americans' efforts to derail the JCPOA, so much so that the foreign ministry has delineated 18 blatant cases of breach of the agreement made by the US." The Iranian Foreign Ministry believes to have sent the claim to Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, which is one o
Three US Aircraft Carriers in West Pacific for First Time in Ten Years Because of Iran and North KoreaNuclear 26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - The United States Navy now has three aircraft carriers and their assorted missile-carrying vessels deployed to the western Pacific Ocean for the first time in a decade, as tensions with rogue nuclear states North Korea and Iran continue to rise. On Wednesday October 25, the USS Nimitz and its strike group entered the Western Pacific region, fresh from deployment in the Middle East, according to a press release from the Navy. This deployment, which the US Navy says is part of a previously planned cycle, coincides with Donald Trump’s visit to Asia next week. Before the USS Nimitz, the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group, including a cruiser and three destroyers, entered the region on October 23, joining the USS Ronald Reagan, which is anchored in Busan Naval Base in South Korea.
Iran Could Recruit Al-Qaeda to Launch Terror Attacks Against the USTerrorism 26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - Many people will dismiss the idea of a pact between the Iranian Regime and al-Qaeda because of the Shiite/Sunni divide but Iran has often sided with Sunni terror groups against the enemy it calls “the big Satan”; the US. In fact, many of the commanders in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) believe that they would be able to persuade al-Qaeda to fight alongside them in any future conflict against the West by simply offering them money or weapons or access to the IRGC’s network of terrorist groups across the world (including Hezbollah). It is no secret that they have worked together in the past; the IRGC gave Osama bin Laden and other high-ranking al-Qaeda members shelter after the 2002 US invasion of Afghanistan. This was verified by a US State Department official in 2006 who said that they were not only sheltering al-Qaeda but also plotting terrorist activ
Special Rapporteur's Report on Iran Human Rights Situation26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - Ms Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, compiled a report for the seventy-second session of the General Assembly. She raised some very troubling issues regarding the behaviour of the Iranian regime and made suggestions on how this can be resolved. The report covers the period from January to June 2017 and is based on sources inside and outside the country. She mentioned that she was very concerned about the number of executions being carried out and highlighted that there have been at least 435 since the beginning of the year. Another big concern is the fact that juvenile offenders are also being put on death row to await execution. At the minute there are thought to be 86 juvenile offenders on death row, but Jahangir has requested official figures and a list of names. The Special Rapporteur said that torture is still
US Congress Passes Bills Aimed at Iran's Ballistic Missile Program and Support of HezbollahNuclear 27 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 27 Oct - According to Bloomberg’s report, the US House of Representatives passed new sanction bills this week that target Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for Hezbollah. The nearly unanimous vote of 423-2, displayed bi-partisan support from Congress against Iran — the first such, since US President Trump refused to certify Iran’s compliance with the terms of the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), earlier this month. Trump has called for a tougher stance from Congress that may include renegotiating or pulling out of the JCPOA. However, this legislation fails to give Trump what he requested, which was junctures that would automatically trigger re-imposition of the sanctions that were eased under the nuclear deal unless Iran meets a list of US demands.
The Iranian Resistance Welcomes the New US Iran Strategy28 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 28 Oct - On October 13th, President Trump announced the new US strategy towards Iran. The reaction to this strategy have been varied. Those who advocate the for continuing the JCPOA condemned it, claiming it will cause a loss of trust in America. Others believe the new strategy will serve both the interests of the US as well as the Iranian people. Trump cited some of Iran’s activities over the past 38 years in his speech , “Beginning in 1979, agents of the Iranian regime illegally seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held more than 60 Americans hostage during the 444 days of the crisis. The Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah twice bombed our embassy in Lebanon – once in 1983 and again in 1984. Another Iranian-supported bombing killed 241 Americans – service members they were, in their barracks in Beirut in 1983. In 1996, the regime directed another bombing of American military housing in
Blacklisting the IRGC Will Have a Major Impact on Iran's EconomyNuclear 28 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 28 Oct - The blacklisting of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department after President Trump’s October 13th Iran policy speech , was a major blow to Tehran. Hessam-edin Ashena, an advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, remarked to a state daily, “Sanctions against the IRGC are nothing new… The IRGC is not an economic entity for them to attempt to impact its future through sanctions. The IRGC is a military entity that will negotiate with no one regarding its duties.” Gholamreza Tajgardoon, chairman of the Budget & Planning Commission in Iran’s parliament, made similar statements. “Sanctioning the IRGC will have no impact on the country’s economy… U.S. sanctions are an issue of international relations. The IRGC has no role in international economic relations. The IRGC is, however, active in military affairs inside Iran and
Demands for holding Iran accountable for use of child soldiers October 27 2017 02:32 PM Child soldiers in Iran The Iranian regime is routinely recruiting children as young as 15 into armed conflicts, according to the UN Security Council, in violation of international law and the UN Charter on children’s rights which they are a party to, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported Thursday. The recruitment of anyone under the age of 18 into active, armed combat is considered a war crime by the International Criminal Court, but it is prevalent under the Iranian regime and no one appears to be stopping them.
IRAN REGIME WILL NOT LAST LONG   Created: 22 October 2017 Iran Maryam Rajavi PMOI/MEK United States Syria IRGC NCRI - On Tuesday 17 October 2017, the Belgian Committee of Parliamentarians and Mayors for a Democratic Iran,  held a meeting in the Belgian Federal Parliament on the situation of human rights in Iran.Several members of parliament and senators from different political parties spoke in this meeting which was chaired by Els Van Hoof, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Belgian Parliament from the Christian Democratic Party. The following is the full text of the speech, delivered by Dirk Claes- Mayor, President of the Belgian Committee of Parliamentarians and Mayors for a Democratic Iran. Dear Friends, I would like to thank my good colleague Els van Hoof for organizing this important today meeting in the Belgian parliament. In 2007, exactly 10 years ago, we formed the Belgian Committee of Parliamentarians and Mayors for a Democratic Iran. Our a
THE DEATH PENALTY IN IRAN SHOULD BE STOPPED   Created: 20 October 2017 Iran Human rights Political Prisoner By: Mahdavi Nasim The 10th of October, has been named the  International Day against the Death Penalty by dozens of human rights organizations. The death penalty is abolished in 104 countries. Also, in 50 countries there is no  death penalty  as a punishment or its  execution  has been stopped. In 6 countries, the death penalty has been abolished, except in special cases (such as wartime). There are only 36 countries that the death penalty is actively carried out. October 10th,  World Day against Death Penalty  is here, for citizens of countries with governments fixated with executing the cruel and inhuman punishment. It is a reminder that despite world’s grant entrance into the 21st century, there is still a long way to go before leaving this medieval punishment behind for good. Iran is a prime example of such a mentality. By scratching the surface and get

NIKKI HALEY: IRAN REGIME HIDES BEHIND ITS ASSERTION OF TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE WITH THE NUCLEAR DEAL

The article I chose is the best in this subject and hope you like it . Iran Opposition Leader’s Call for Regime Change Gains Moment  Only by following Maryam Rajavi’s path is that we will achieve freedom and prosperity in Iran    Created: 19 October 2017 Iran NCRI United States Europe NCRI - "As a council, we've adopted a dangerously shortsighted approach," Haley, the top American diplomat at the U.N., said during a Wednesday meeting. "Iran must be judged in totality of its aggressive, destabilizing, and unlawful behavior. To do otherwise would be foolish." ‘ Washington Examiner ’ reported on Wednesday October 18. An excerpt of the report is as follows: Haley remonstrated with the other members of the international body, saying they have ignored Iran's repeated violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The meeting was supposed to be devoted to the revival Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but Haley used it as an early opportun
THE SCOPE AND IMPACT OF IRAN'S IRGC BLACKLISTING   Created: 27 October 2017 Iran United States IRGC (FILES) A picture dated September 21, 2012, shows a Raad air defense system carrying Taer missiles being displayed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard, during an annual military parade which marks Iran's eight-year war with Iraq, in the capital Tehran. Iranian forces have carried out what they called cyber warfare tactics for the first time as the Islamic republic's naval units staged manoeuvres in the key Strait of Hormuz, media reports said on December 31, 2012. ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images By  Heshmat Alavi Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Tehran received a major blow following the blacklisting of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department after President Donald Trump’s October 13th landmark  Iran policy speech . This has senior Iranian officials extremely concerned as the regime in i
IRAN DEAL DECERTIFICATION HELPS RESISTANCE TO DICTATORIAL REGIME   Created: 24 October 2017 Iran Maryam Rajavi NCRI PMOI/MEK United States IRGC By: Raymond Tanter  Bottom Line Up Front .As criticisms pile on President Trump, an Oct. 20 dialogue with former House of Representatives Speaker, Newt Gingrich, about the president’s Iran policy illuminates an ally who stands with the president in harsh times. It’s easy to stand with someone when times are going well. It makes the “brother” feel good, but it’s correctly viewed with suspicion by the target of the newly-found friendship. Speaker Gingrich indeed is a friend of the president, not just on Iran but across a spectrum of issues. Breaking News Consider an annotated address by House Speaker Newt Gingrich to the Organization of Iranian American Communities, (OAIC), at a National Press Club Luncheon on U.S. Policy toward Iran Friday, Oct. 20, 2017. Gingrich started by saying, this is a very interesting time.
U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR SPEAKS ON DISMAL HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AND 1988 MASSACRE IN IRAN   Created: 26 October 2017 Iran NCRI Human rights Political Prisoner United States IRGC NCRI - The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran addressed the Seventy-second session of the General Assembly in New York on October 25, to discuss the dismal situation of human rights in Iran that has been prevalent since the Regime took over in 1979.Asma Jahangir, who was addressing the General Assembly for the first time since taking the role in November 2016, delivered a report on the first six months of 2017 which was based on sources both inside and outside of Iran. Executions Jahangir explained that she was worried about the rate of executions in Iran, as well she should be. Currently, Iran has the highest execution rate per capita and is one of the few countries to still execute juvenile offenders, in clear violation of the UN’s Rights of the
Iran Preparing to Leave Nuclear Deal?Nuclear 26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - The Iranian Regime may be beginning the process to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal by filing a claim to the European Union that the US has violated the deal on 18 separate occasions, including continued sanctions and withholding revenue. If the claim is accepted, then Iran could leave the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and save face by laying the blame on the Donald Trump administration. Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, an Iranian member of parliament, told state-run media: "The recent report is specifically about the Americans' efforts to derail the JCPOA, so much so that the foreign ministry has delineated 18 blatant cases of breach of the agreement made by the US." The Iranian Foreign Ministry believes to have sent the claim to Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, which is one o
Iran Could Recruit Al-Qaeda to Launch Terror Attacks Against the USTerrorism 26 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 26 Oct - Many people will dismiss the idea of a pact between the Iranian Regime and al-Qaeda because of the Shiite/Sunni divide but Iran has often sided with Sunni terror groups against the enemy it calls “the big Satan”; the US. In fact, many of the commanders in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) believe that they would be able to persuade al-Qaeda to fight alongside them in any future conflict against the West by simply offering them money or weapons or access to the IRGC’s network of terrorist groups across the world (including Hezbollah).
We Must Stop Iran and Hezbollah From Starting a Third Lebanon WarTerrorism 25 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 25 Oct - There is one clear winner in the Syrian Civil War, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror cell Hezbollah, which has made significant advances in its military capabilities. This, along with the Iranian Regime’s destabilising efforts, poses a serious threat to stability and security of the Middle East. If the international community does not constrain this threat, they could soon be faced with a third Lebanon war, far worse than those that have come before. Since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah, which now takes pride of place among Iran's terrorist proxy groups, has been vying to show itself as a feasible military force in Lebanon by suppressing the Lebanese people and infiltrating the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
Iranian People Protest Over Regime CorruptionEconomy 24 October 2017 Iran Focus London, 24 Oct - The Iranian people are yet again rising up against the corrupt Regime and gathered in front of the country’s parliament to protest the plundering of their country’s wealth and the crooked policies of the Regime. The Regime’s main opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), released a report and video showing over 2,000 people protesting outside the parliament in Tehran. They shouted slogans like “Shame, shame on the police force”, “Death to the dictator”, and “Death to the demagogue”, whilst being accosted by the police force. When the police began to arrest female protesters, the crowd responded with more anti-Regime chants, like “You are ISIS, you are ISIS, death to ISIS, let them go”, “Shame on [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani”, “[head of the judiciary, Mohammad Sadeq Amoli] Larijani is a judge. He is the playmate of the thieves,” and “They had a budget deficit, so

Thanks to Obama, America is two steps behind Iran in Middle East

Thanks to Obama, America is two steps behind Iran in Middle East BY JOHN BOLTON, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 10/23/17 08:40 AM EDT 295 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL 256 © Getty Images The fall of Raqqa, capital of the Islamic State’s “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, is unarguably an important politico-military milestone, albeit long overdue. Nonetheless, ISIS, a metastasized version of al Qaeda, remains a global terrorist threat, and prospects for Middle Eastern stability and security for America’s interests and allies are still remote. Even as ISIS was losing Raqqa, Iraqi regular armed forces and Shiite militia were attacking Kirkuk and its environs, held by Iraqi Kurds since June 2014, when ISIS burst out of Syria and seized large swathes of territory from Baghdad’s collapsing army. The battles for Raqqa and Kirkuk reveal much about the mistakes in U.S. strategy for defeating ISIS, and the consequences of not supporting Iraqi Kurdish efforts
Iran: Report on child marriages in Iran October 24, 2017 by IranHRM According to a shocking report, in the first 9 months of the Persian year, 181,133 girls under the age of 19 got married, which accounts for 34 percent of the marriages (in Iran), according to the state-run Iran Online website on October 22, 2017.
IRAN DEAL DECERTIFICATION HELPS RESISTANCE TO DICTATORIAL REGIME   Created: 24 October 2017 Iran Maryam Rajavi NCRI PMOI/MEK United States IRGC By: Raymond Tanter  Bottom Line Up Front .As criticisms pile on President Trump, an Oct. 20 dialogue with former House of Representatives Speaker, Newt Gingrich, about the president’s Iran policy illuminates an ally who stands with the president in harsh times. It’s easy to stand with someone when times are going well. It makes the “brother” feel good, but it’s correctly viewed with suspicion by the target of the newly-found friendship. Speaker Gingrich indeed is a friend of the president, not just on Iran but across a spectrum of issues. Breaking News