احرار ایران

Iran: The Fight for SinjarIran and Its Neighbours 17 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 17 Nov - Sinjar in Iraq is proving to be a very wanted area. PKK (the Kurdistan Workers Party), Turkey and Iran all have their eyes on this area because it is strategically important to each of them, but in different ways. Turkey is bombing all PKK positions to gain control over its strongholds. The country’s President said at the beginning of November that unless the authorities resolve the issues in Qandil and Sinjar, Turkey would “raze those places to the ground”. Turkey sees the PKK as a terrorist organisation, as does the European Union and the United States.

Total Puts Hold on Iran Deal Ahead of Expected US SanctionsEconomy 16 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 16 Nov - The French energy giant Total has said that it would have to review its deals with Iran if the US decides to impose new unilateral sanctions on the rogue state because of Total’s assets in the US. On Monday, November 13, Total’s CEO, Patrick Pouyanne, told CNNMoney’s Emerging Markets: “Either we can do the deal legally if there is a legal framework. If we cannot do that for legal reasons, because of change of regime of sanctions, then we have to revisit it.” Total was one of the first energy companies to sign an agreement with Iran over South Pars - the world’s largest gas field. Total wants to develop phase 11 of the field as part of a multi-million dollar deal.

British Intel Chief: Iran Is a Threat to the Whole WorldTerrorism 14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - The Iranian Regime is a grave threat to international security, according to one of the most decorated British intelligence officers. Colonel Richard Kemp, former head of the international terrorism team at the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee, gave an interview in which he explained that the Iranian Regime and its destabilising actions were not just a threat to the Middle East but to the entire world. He said: “I see Iran as the greatest threat to world peace today. Not just to the Middle East, but elsewhere in the world.” He specifically highlighted Iranian interference in Yemen to support the Houthi terrorist group, including supplying them with advanced weaponry like ballistic missiles. Kemp said: “There is absolutely no doubt that Iran is playing a critical role in the Yemen conflict providing very effective weaponry that wouldn’t otherwise be there and also providing a

Powerful Quake Kills Hundreds in IranLife in Iran 13 November 2017 by Jubin Katiraie An earthquake, 7.3 magnitude near the Iraq-Iran border has killed more than 400 people and sent residents escaping their homes into the night, authorities said. Iran’s western Kermanshah province bore the impact of the quake on Sunday night, with authorities saying the quake killed more than 407 people in the country and injured 6,700 up to know. The quake was centred 19 miles (31km) outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the most recent measurements from the US Geological Survey. Graphic locates epicentre of 7.3-magnitude earthquake on the border of Iran and Iraq It struck at 9.48pm Iran time, just as people began retiring for the night. It could be felt on the Mediterranean coast, some 660 miles (1,000km) away. The earthquake struck 23.2km (14.4 miles) below the surface, a shallow depth that can amplify damage. Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of peopl

Hundreds of Iranian Entities Are Still Sanctioned by the US and for Good ReasonNuclear 14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - In January 2016, it was announced that the Iranian Regime had met its obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries and would be receiving its first round of sanctions relief. This meant that hundreds of Iranian entities were removed from blacklists maintained by the United Nations, European Union, and the United States, from ‘private’ companies to individuals to government organizations. We now know that Iran was in fact not meeting its obligations, which has led to Donald Trump’s decertification on the nuclear deal and a tougher policy on Iran. Not removed from the list However, hundreds of entities remained on the lists beyond Implementation Day (January 16, 2016). In particular, anyone with links to Iran’s ballistic missile program (which was subject to a UN resolution that surrounded the nuclear deal), the

Iran Earthquake Sees More Than 540 Dead: What Is Regime Doing?14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - Thousands of Iranians have been forced to spend a second night exposed to the elements following the earthquake that killed over 540. On Sunday, the 7.3-magnitude quake struck at the Iran-Iraq border, in a mountainous region spanning Iran’s Kermanshah province and Iraqi Kurdistan, causing many occupants to flee their homes. However, humanitarian aid has since struggled to get to the quake zone, leaving many without the most basic of necessities including water, food, medicine, and shelter. Officials said that they were setting up relief camps and had already distributed 22,000 tents, 52,000 blankets and tons of food and water, and Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said 30 Red Crescent teams had arrived in the region. The roads to Kermanshah province were reopened by late Monday, according to Iranian officials, but according to state-run television the worst-affected town, Sar-e

Iran Earthquake Sees More Than 540 Dead: What Is Regime Doing?14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - Thousands of Iranians have been forced to spend a second night exposed to the elements following the earthquake that killed over 540. On Sunday, the 7.3-magnitude quake struck at the Iran-Iraq border, in a mountainous region spanning Iran’s Kermanshah province and Iraqi Kurdistan, causing many occupants to flee their homes. However, humanitarian aid has since struggled to get to the quake zone, leaving many without the most basic of necessities including water, food, medicine, and shelter. Officials said that they were setting up relief camps and had already distributed 22,000 tents, 52,000 blankets and tons of food and water, and Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said 30 Red Crescent teams had arrived in the region. The roads to Kermanshah province were reopened by late Monday, according to Iranian officials, but according to state-run television the worst-affected town, Sar-e

British Intel Chief: Iran Is a Threat to the Whole WorldTerrorism 14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - The Iranian Regime is a grave threat to international security, according to one of the most decorated British intelligence officers. Colonel Richard Kemp, former head of the international terrorism team at the UK’s Joint Intelligence Committee, gave an interview in which he explained that the Iranian Regime and its destabilising actions were not just a threat to the Middle East but to the entire world. He said: “I see Iran as the greatest threat to world peace today. Not just to the Middle East, but elsewhere in the world.” He specifically highlighted Iranian interference in Yemen to support the Houthi terrorist group, including supplying them with advanced weaponry like ballistic missiles. Kemp said: “There is absolutely no doubt that Iran is playing a critical role in the Yemen conflict providing very effective weaponry that wouldn’t otherwise be there and also providing

Is Iran Regime Responsible for the Kandahar Bombing That Killed UAE Diplomats?Terrorism 14 November 2017 Iran Focus London, 14 Nov - Back in January, a highly-sophisticated radio-detonated bomb exploded at a Kandahar government building where United Arab Emirates (UAE) diplomats were meeting to discuss their proposed humanitarian projects in Afghanistan, killing 12 and injuring 14. Among the dead, was Kandahar’s deputy governor, Abdul Ali Shamsi, Afghan diplomat Yama Quraishi, and five UAE humanitarian workers. The Taliban claimed responsibility for three other suicide bombings that day but fervently denied responsibility for this one, even sending a delegation to mourn the diplomats and explain that they were not involved. So who was? Lawrence Sellin, a retired US Army Reserve colonel, wrote on The Daily Caller that he suspects the bombing was the result of an intense rivalry in the Taliban, possibly sparked by the Iranian Regime. A Taliban faction led by Mullah Muhammad Rasool, fo

IRAN'S PEOPLE AND THE NUCLEAR DEAL   Created: 30 September 2017 Iran NCRI Iranian Opposition Human rights United States Nuclear JCPOA Yemen Iraq Syria IRGC Demonstrators shout slogans against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani near the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 19, 2017. / JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty ImagesDiscussions are continuing as we speak over the fate of the highly controversial Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Advocates and opponents are going the limits to present their case prior to the October 15th deadline when US President Donald Trump is due to determine the status of Iran’s compliance with the accord. While this is a very important discussion, what unfortunately goes neglected is the status of the Iranian people who should be the first beneficiaries of such an accord that led to many sanctions being lifted from the Iranian regime.

Destructive' Regional Influence October 26, 2017 U.S. Security Adviser Slams Iran's 'Malign, Destructive' Regional Influence October 25, 2017 18:38 GMT RFE/RL McMaster Says U.S. Wants Strong Iraq To Counter Iran 0:01:39 ▶McMaster Says U.S. Wants Strong Iraq To Counter Iran U.S. President Donald Trump’s top security adviser has told a television interview that the "malign, destructive" influence of Iran and its "proxies" must be removed from Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East. "It’s very difficult to see how can there be an enduring peace if one side that has perpetuated and accelerated the violence is not removed," national security adviser H.R. McMaster told U.S.-funded Alhurra television in an interview broadcast on October 25. "So it's important for everyone in the region...to reduce the malign, destructive influence of Iran and the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards Corps," he added.

Trump Placing Heavy Focus on Yemen in the Campaign to Counter Iran October 26, 2017 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 laun

ANALYSIS: How the tide is turning against Iran 8/28/2017 9:40:10 AM Iranian regim President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech to the parliament in Tehran on August 20, 2017, By Heshmat Alavi Al Arabiya, 28 August 2017  - As ISIS is losing ground in its two last enclaves of Raqqa and Deir el-Zor, there are many rightfully concerning reports of Iran seeking to chip further control in Syria. All the while, there are also signs of contradictory remarks heard from senior Iranian officials, parallel to indications on the ground of how international counterparts are seeking their own interests that fall completely against those of Tehran’s. Such incoherency signals nothing but troubling times ahead for Iran in losing its grasp of strategic interests across the Middle East, including Syria. ‘Not tantamount to meddling’ Similar sentiments were heard recently from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force commander Q

ANALYSIS: How the tide is turning against Iran 8/28/2017 9:40:10 AM Iranian regim President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech to the parliament in Tehran on August 20, 2017, By Heshmat Alavi Al Arabiya, 28 August 2017  - As ISIS is losing ground in its two last enclaves of Raqqa and Deir el-Zor, there are many rightfully concerning reports of Iran seeking to chip further control in Syria. All the while, there are also signs of contradictory remarks heard from senior Iranian officials, parallel to indications on the ground of how international counterparts are seeking their own interests that fall completely against those of Tehran’s. Such incoherency signals nothing but troubling times ahead for Iran in losing its grasp of strategic interests across the Middle East, including Syria. ‘Not tantamount to meddling’ Similar sentiments were heard recently from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force commander Q

RAN'S PEOPLE AND THE NUCLEAR DEAL Created: 30 September 2017 Iran NCRI Iranian Opposition Human rights United States Nuclear JCPOA Yemen Iraq Syria IRGC Demonstrators shout slogans against Iranian President Hassan Rouhani near the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 19, 2017. / JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty ImagesDiscussions are continuing as we speak over the fate of the highly controversial Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Advocates and opponents are going the limits to present their case prior to the October 15th deadline when US President Donald Trump is due to determine the status of Iran’s compliance with the accord.

Terror designation for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a necessary first step BY COL. (RET.) TOM CANTWELL, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 10/26/17 12:03 PM EDT 95 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL 28 © Getty After this week, the Trump administration will not only be leading the United States down a different path with respect to the Iran nuclear deal; it will also be employing a revised strategy on the Islamic Republic as a whole. On Oct. 13, President Trump announced the results of a comprehensive policy review, resulting in, among other items, a terrorist designation for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which he accurately described as “the Iranian Supreme Leader’s corrupt personal terror force and militia.”By means of its extra-territorial special operations Quds Force, the IRGC provides logistical and financial support, as well as arms and training to a variety of regional proxies and terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, the H

AREASONABLE APPROACH TO THE IRAN DEAL Created: 05 October 2017 Iran NCRI United States Yemen Iraq Syria IRGC BY: Jennifer Rubin   Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif last year at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Oslo. (State Department/European Pressphoto Agency)I vigorously opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) because I believed then — as I believe now — that the Obama administration, in its desperation for a legacy-creating deal, negotiated a weaker deal than we could have obtained. The JCPOA did not deliver anywhere/anytime inspections as promised or constrain Iran’s ballistic missile program. The JCPOA provided sanctions relief up-front and contains a highly troubling sunset clause. Nevertheless, the agreement is in place now, and the question is whether to stay in or exit. Circumstances have undeniably changed, both because of the new president and the operation of the deal itself. Here I part company

PORTUGUESE ENGINEER SENTENCED TO 20 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR CONSPIRING TO EXPORT TECHNOLOGY TO IRAN, ILLEGALLY Created: 15 September 2017 Iran NCRI In-depth Reports United States Department of Justice, WASHINGTON, September 14, 2017 –Joao Pereira da Fonseca, 55, a citizen of Portugal, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which he conspired to help an Iranian company unlawfully obtain sophisticated equipment from two companies in the United States. The announcement was made by Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and David Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, in San Diego, Calif. Fonseca, of Coimbra, Portugal, pled guilty on July 17, 2017, to conspiring to unlawfully export goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States. He entered the guilty plea before th

Iranian aggressors still target American troops in Iraq BY MICHAEL PREGENT, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 11/10/17 04:00 PM EST 92 THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL 138 © Getty On October 1 of this year, Army Specialist Alexander Missildine was killed by a highly lethal roadside bomb known as an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) in the Ninawa Province of Iraq. EFPs are the signature weapon of two Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-led militias in Iraq and the reappearance of this weapon after six years demonstrates that the Islamic Republic of Iran continues its campaign to kill American service members. EFPs took the lives of many brave Americans deployed in Iraq, and wounded countless others, many of whom now live with their injuries at home, but are forever affected. While we can’t change the lives lost and injuries sustained from EFPs, we can work to ensure that the regime in Tehran cannot take the lives of any more Americans

ANALYSIS: Is Iran’s influence fading in Lebanon and Yemen? This November 10, 2017 photo shows a banner bearing images of Saudi King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman in Lebanese city of Tripoli. (AFP) By Heshmat AlaviSpecial to Al Arabiya EnglishMonday, 13 November 2017 Recent developments across the region are signaling increasing isolation for Tehran. Despite investing for decades, Lebanon and Yemen are literally slipping out of Iran’s hands. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri sent shockwaves across the region by announcing his resignation. The recent missile attack by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen targeting Riyadh crossed a costly red line for Tehran.

HOW LEBANESE PM'S RESIGNATION AND NEW US SANCTIONS AFFECT IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH Published: 13 November 2017 By INU Staff INU -Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned from office in Riyadh last Saturday. When he declared the decision , he cited Iranian influence across the region and threats to his life, and followed a thwarted assassination attempt against him in Beirut. According to reports, the Iranian regime called Hariri’s resignation a Saudi-backed plot, and accused Riyadh of having taken the Lebanese Premier as hostage. The government assembled in Lebanon 11 months ago, granted premiership to Hariri but gave political advantages to Hezbollah. According to an article in Riyadh Daily, by political analyst Shahriar Kia, “This had given Iran a seemingly legitimate political façade to increase its violent meddling in the country and to boost its intervention in neighboring Syria, where it has been propping up the Assad regime against democratic opposition forces. Without

CONTRASTING MOVES ON IRAN SANCTIONS RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHITE HOUSE’S IRAN POLICY Created: 16 September 2017 Iran NCRI United States JCPOA BY: Edward Carney It was widely reported on Thursday that the United States had made two contrasting moves with regard to Iran sanctions and the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. These come as the White House faced a deadline for reauthorizing the suspension of sanctions identified by the JCPOA. In absence of presidential reauthorization, those sanctions would be automatically retriggered at the end of any given 120 day period. The Trump administration elected to grant reauthorization in this case but also imposed new sanctions while it continues to wrestle with the prospect of withholding certification of Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal. Under the law granting congressional acceptance to the JCPOA, the president is also required to provide Congress with certification that Iran is staying true to it

TILLERSON HOPEFUL IRAN WILL NEGOTIATE CHANGES IN NUCLEAR DEAL Created: 21 September 2017 Iran United States Syria U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he is still hopeful that Iran will agree to negotiate changes sought by the United States in the 2015 nuclear deal, despite the Iranian president's rejection of new talks.In a news conference late on September 20 after meeting with other parties to the agreement at the United Nations, Tillerson for a second time singled out the deal's "sunset" clauses, which end restrictions on Iranian nuclear activities, such as uranium enrichment, after 10 years in 2025. The restrictions were imposed in exchange for sanctions relief. The press conference took place after a meeting on Wednesday at the United Nations among the original negotiators of the nuclear deal. Rex Tillerson and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spoke directly during the talks, in what a European diplomat described as a "very difficult" meetin

Need to Confront Iran’s Revolutionary Guards DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV.com PLC. By Alejo Vidal-Quadras | International Committee In Search of Justice Nov 8, 2017 Iranian revolutionary guards displaying missiles on "Gerusalem day", Tehran, Iran, 23 June 2017.  The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has been leading Iran’s hidden invasion of several Middle-Eastern countries for years. The US administration’s recent decision to put the IRGC on the terrorist list makes it imperative to confront the regime and its proxies all over the region, writes Alejo Vidal-Quadras. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a Spanish professor of atomic and nuclear physics, was vice-president of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014. He is currently the president of the Brussels-based International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ) The Islamic Republic of Iran – the world’s number one state sponsor of terror – came into existence si

THE MAGAZINE: From the August 21 Issue Tortured by 'Moderates' Iran's dissidents deserve a hearing AUG 21, 2017 | By KELLY JANE TORRANCE Shabnam Madadzadeh, her brother Farzad, and Arash Mohammadi. Photo credit: KELLY JANE TORRANCE / THE WEEKLY STANDARD Hassan Rouhani was sworn in for his second term as president of Iran on August 5, surrounded by fresh flowers, fervent followers, and around 500 foreign officials. Representatives of the United Kingdom, France, the United Nations, and the Vatican rubbed shoulders with the Syrian prime minister, Hezbollah second-in-command Naim Qassem, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list member Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, and murderous Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. The Westerners didn’t seem uncomfortable in such company; indeed, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was described as the star of the show after Iranian members of parliament elbowed through the crowd to take selfies with the

Why Iran's Earthquakes Are So Devastating Heshmat Alavi , CONTRIBUTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. An Iranian man wearing a sling walks by as two others stand amidst the rubble in a street next to a damaged car in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in the western Kermanshah province near the border with Iraq, on November 14, 2017, following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that left hundreds killed and thousands homeless two days before. / ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images In this day and age we are witnessing random earthquakes here and there across the globe. Iran lies on several tectonic plates, and the Iranian people suffer extreme conditions after each earthquake.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | Published — Wednesday 1 November 2017 Americans speak — and they don’t like the nuclear deal An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers is not a good deal and should be renegotiated, according to a poll this month. What is intriguing about the poll of 2,159 registered voters — conducted by Harris for CAPS, the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University — is its mix of demographics and political parties. Thirty-six percent were Democrat, 32 percent Republican, 28 percent independent and 4 percent from other parties. Of those polled, 85 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of independents and 57 percent of Democrats said the deal should be renegotiated. This highlights several critical issues. It is not only American politicians on both sides of the aisle who argue that the current terms of the nuclear agreement are faulty, but regular citizens also support such an argument.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | Published — Friday 3 November 2017 Saudi crown prince is a force for moderation, unlike Tehran This week, Iran’s state-owned media hailed the regime for supposedly being a constructive player in the region and creating hope for the younger generation. Tehran claims that President Hassan Rouhani, with the blessing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — who has long seen himself as leader of the Muslim world — is the force of moderation in the Middle East and North Africa. Putting aside this self-promotional praise, a nuanced examination of Iran’s economic, political, religious and social landscapes reveals no sign that the regime is promoting moderation or fighting terrorism in the region. A significant portion of Iran’s budget and revenues is spent on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite branch, the Quds Force, to support violent militias and proxies, and to export and advance the ruling mullahs’ revolutionary ideals. Tehran’s sectarian agenda in

CIA documents ‘conclusive proof of Al-Qaeda-Iran ties’ SIRAJ WAHAB | Published — Friday 3 November 2017 Osama bin Laden’s house in Pakistan, from where the documents were seized, being demolished on Feb. 26, 2012. (AFP) RELATED ARTICLES CIA releases vast Bin Laden archive seized in compound Osama bin Laden’s pre-9/11 terror hints ‘the coffin business will boom’ Osama Bin Laden worried that Iran put tracking chip in sons JEDDAH: Wednesday’s release by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of documents seized during the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden has “conclusively proved” the terror chief’s cosy relationship with Iran, experts say. US intelligence officials and prosecutors have long said Iran formed loose ties to Al-Qaeda from 1991 onward. This was noted in a 19-page report in Arabic that was included in the release of some 47,000 other documents by the CIA. Iran has long denied any involvement with Al-Qaeda, but the report included in the CIA document dump shows how Bin Lade

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | Published — Sunday 5 November 2017 Iran’s dirty hands all over Al-Qaeda’s terror A trove of 470,000 documents released by the CIA has revealed close ties between Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime. Some policy analysts and scholars have been surprised. What should be surprising is that they do not appear to grasp the nature of the long and close relationship between Iran and Al-Qaeda. It is not a new phenomenon. The files confirm what has been known by several intelligence agencies, courts and experts for a long time. Al-Qaeda and Iranian ties date from the early 1990s. The Iranian regime viewed Al-Qaeda through the prism of political opportunism. From the Iranian leaders’ perspective, Al-Qaeda was an invaluable non-state terrorist group that could accomplish Iran’s two main revolutionary principles — anti-Americanism and undermining Saudi Arabia’s interests in the region.

SAUDI ARABIA Missile attack on Riyadh ‘an act of war’ by Iran SIRAJ WAHAB | Published — Tuesday 7 November 2017 RELATED ARTICLES Iran ‘arming Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia, UAE’ Saudi defense forces shoot down Houthi missile over Riyadh World leaders condemn Houthi missile attack on Riyadh JEDDAH: A Houthi missile fired at Riyadh may be considered an act of war by Iran, and Saudi Arabia will not tolerate any infringement of its national security, senior Saudi officials said on Monday. “The Kingdom reserves the right to respond in a timely manner to the hostile actions of the Iranian regime,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said. “Iranian interventions in the region are detrimental to the security of neighboring countries and affect international peace and security. We will not allow any infringement of our national security.” Iran supplied the ballistic missile fired into Saudi Arabia on Saturday night by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi defense forces intercepted the missile and

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | Published — Friday 10 November 2017 The many strands of Iran’s antagonism to Saudi Arabia From the standpoint of international politics, by supplying the missile fired at Riyadh last Saturday from Houthi-occupied territory in Yemen, Iran has committed an act of war. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite branch the Quds Force have been arming, financing and training militia groups across the region, including the Houthis. One of Iran’s strategies is to employ Hezbollah to train terrorist groups. Hezbollah was instrumental in empowering Al-Qaeda, as it has been with the Houthis.

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh | Published — Friday 10 November 2017 Trump’s Iran policy bearing fruit How can we assess Donald Trump’s Iran policy one year into his first term as president of the US? Has the president fulfilled his campaign promises? During his campaign, Trump was clear that the Iranian regime’s aggressive, destabilizing meddling in the region’s affairs should be forcefully confronted. After taking office, Trump became the first US president since Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 to appear live on TV and articulate to the American people, and the world, America’s strategy for the Iranian regime. Trump’s Iran strategy is transparent and clear (and comprehensive — including three major pillars of Iran’s foreign policy), and it focuses on four main areas: Addressing Iran’s nuclear program and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached between China, France, Russia, Germany, the UK, the US, the EU and the Islamic republic; Tehran’s ballistic missile program; the

Iranian Resistance Strongly Condemns IRGC's Occupation in Kirkuk, Calls for Urgent Action by UN Security Council Tuesday, 17 October 2017 15:49 The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) aggression and occupation and the mullahs’ regime affiliated criminal militias in Kirkuk. This aggressive act is taking place while Qassim Soleimani, the head of the terrorist Quds Force, has been plotting for it in Sulaimaniya and Baghdad and other areas of Iraq since a few days ago. The criminal actions of the IRGC and its militia has led to the homelessness of a large number of Kirkuk’s residents and their inevitable departure from the city. Published news reports and photographs and films indicate the presence of Hadi Ameri and Abu Mehdi Mohandes, two heads of the terrorist Quds Force, in the attack on Kirkuk. The documents and reports about these two terrorists have been disclosed by the Iranian Resistance since 90's. The names of both mercena

Iran: Uprising of Looted People in Tehran and Confrontation With Repressive Police Force Monday, 23 October 2017 16:31 On Monday morning, October 23, more than two thousand people, whose property was plundered by institutions affiliated with IRGC, judiciary and other state agencies, rallied in front of the regime's parliament. The repressive police force using batons, assaulted the demonstrators and beat them brutally, and tried to disperse the demonstration in which women played a very active role, but was faced with the resistance of the people. Protestors chanted: “Shame! Shame on the police force! ","Cannon, machine gun, tank no longer works”, “death to the dictator." When the police arrested some people, especially women, and wanted to take them by force, people chanted "You ISIS, you ISIS, death to ISIS, let them go," "Police, shame on you, let our fellow citizens go."

Iran: Maryam Rajavi Hailed Protesters in Tehran and Other Cities, Called on All Iranians to Support Them Monday, 23 October 2017 21:40 Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, hailed her courageous compatriots who staged demonstrations today in Tehran. She welcomed the protests by Iranians whose savings have been plundered by institutions affiliated with the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with the complicity of government agencies under Rouhani and previous presidents. She said, “The courageous chants in today’s demonstrations targeting the heads of the Judiciary and Executive Branch, as well as the suppressive State Security Force and intelligence forces, reflect the Iranian people’s desire for the overthrow of the mullahs’ religious dictatorship.” Noting the chant “theft has become institutionalized under this regime,” Mrs. Rajavi added, “Institutionalized fraud along with institutionalize

Approved Legislation to Sanction Clerical Regime for Its Ballistic Missile, a Necessary Step to Confront Terrorism Thursday, 26 October 2017 18:42 The Iranian Resistance welcomes the approval of legislation by the U.S. House of Representatives to impose further sanctions against the clerical regime and its senior officials for production and proliferation of ballistic missiles and views it as a necessary step vis-a vis the regime’s belligerent and terrorist policies. The mullahs’ missile program, that is totally controlled by the IRGC, has no objective but to pursue the mullahs’ further belligerence and meddling in the region. The clerical regime has devoted a significant budget to this program while the majority of the Iranian people live below the poverty line. This program is solely for the regime’s survival and is against the prime interests of the Iranian people.

Iran - Rouhani: Hysterical Remarks Against PMOI, Defending War, Terrorism and Accumulation of Ballistic Missiles Monday, 30 October 2017 20:11 Rouhani, president of the Iranian regime, in his speech in the parliament on October 29th, showed his anger and fear of the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance. He also emphasized the continuation of criminal meddling of the regime in the region and its plan for the production of ballistic missiles and their storage. He said: "We produced, are producing, and will produce ... We shall not hesitate in producing and storing any weapon we might need and using them at the time necessary to defend ourselves.” Rouhani insolently claimed the United States has undermined "Syria's security", "Lebanon's security", "Iraq’s security" and "stability and security in Afghanistan" and planned to "divide Iraq", but it was the mullahs’ regime that "helped the people of Iraq and Syria” and did not al

A Criminal Member of IRGC, Appointed Top Inspector of Khamenei's Office Saturday, 04 November 2017 10:48 Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the clerical regime, appointed Hussein Fada'i, a notorious torturer of Evin prison and one of the IRGC commanders during the Iran-Iraq War, as the head of its inspection office. The task of which is to justify and facilitate the assassinations, killings and looting of people's property by Khamenei and his associated organs. Before Fada'i, mullah Nategh Nouri, from Khamenei’s faction, held this position for many years; however, he inevitably left it because of not supporting the candidacy of Ibrahim Raisi in the lates sham “presidential elections.” Fada'i , who was a frantic advocate of Raisi in the regime’s presidential election, was one of the founders of the "Islamic Revolution Mujahdeen Organization", a body of torture and repression in the mullahs' regime.

DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IN IRAN IS WITHIN REACH Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI PMOI/MEK United States Terrorism IRGC Hostage crisis anniversary reminder of need for change in Iran By Ali Safavi ‘THE Hill. On Nov. 4, the Iranian regime commemorated the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover in 1979, when dozens of Americans were taken hostage for 444 days. This year, it paraded its ballistic missiles in front of the former U.S. Embassy in Tehran. With chants of "Death to America," the disdain for international norms and the nuclear deal came through loud and clear. But that image does not represent Iran. Today, the average Iranian citizen longs for friendship and mutually beneficial ties with the outside world, particularly the United States. In 1979, it was not only Americans taken hostage by a medieval theocratic order; the Iranian people were also taken hostage and held captive after their democratic revolution was usurped by Khomeini. Decades later, the prospects of

IRAN REGIME'S MILITARY BASE BEING CONSTRUCTED IN SYRIA Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI United States Syria Intelligence sources from the West have shown that an Iranian military base that is being set up in Syria will be a permanent one. Yesterday, new satellite images were released as proof of Iran’s new venture in Syria.The building work is continuing as seen in the satellite imagery. It is so far unconfirmed that the construction will lead to a military base, but evidence strongly points to this hypothesis. Iranian regime has been involved in the Syrian civil war since the very beginning and it has propped up Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his forces. If it were not for the interference of the Iranian regime, the Syrian civil war would have ended many years ago. Iranian regime has recently boasted about it victories in Syria and Iraq, and it now appears that the next country on the list is Lebanon. The Iranian regime already has significant influence in Syria and Iraq

IRAN REGIME'S REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS (IRGC) MUST BE TOTALLY DISMANTLED Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI United States IRGC In an interview, former CIA director James Woolsey stated, “The US should destroy virtually all of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps infrastructure as well as Iran’s nuclear facilities to reduce its terrorist and nuclear threats.”Woolsey, who was CIA director from 1993 to 1995 during the Clinton administration added, “The next time the IRGC looks cross-eyed at us... we should turn loose six to 12 MOAB [GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast] bombs on their facilities.” Carrying 18,000 pounds of TNT, MOAB bombs are the second-largest conventional weapon in the US arsenal, and the largest ever used. Last April one was dropped on a suspected Islamic State target in Afghanistan in April. “Given what a source of terrorism the IRGC is... instead of talking and proportionality – the hell with proportionality. We should destroy virtually everything we can that has t

HOW IRAN REGIME'S DESTABILISATION OF THE REGION IS EXECUTED Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI United States Yemen Iraq The Iranian regime, described by many as the number one state sponsor of terrorism, has profited greatly from the Iran nuclear deal. The deal was put in place to curb the nuclear threat emanating from Iran, but many believe this is not the case. In fact, even President Donald Trump has said that it has the opposite effect – it gives Iran the tools to move towards a nuclear weapon. As a result of the nuclear agreement, crippling economic sanctions were lifted and Iran has a lot more financial freedom. It got billions of dollars and proceeded to spend it on the destabilisation of its neighbours. It has had been able to enjoy increasing influence across the Middle East. Last month, Trump decided not to recertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal and he justified this decision with a list of reasons. Even before he took office, Trump has been highly critical o

A DEEP STRATEGIC REORIENTATION OF THE EU POLICY TOWARDS IRAN REGIME IS IMPERATIVE Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI United States Yemen Iraq Syria IRGC Need to Confront Iran’s Revolutionary Guards The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) has been leading Iran’s hidden invasion of several Middle-Eastern countries for years. The US administration’s recent decision to put the IRGC on the terrorist list makes it vital to confront the regime and its proxies all over the region, writes Alejo Vidal-Quadras in ‘ Euro Active ’ on November 8, 2017 and the article continues as follows: The Islamic Republic of Iran – the world’s number one state sponsor of terror – came into existence since the rise to power of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. Terrorism under the banner of Islam had existed long before but through scattered and isolated groups. The significance, in this case, was that Islamic fundamentalism had gained power in a powerful country such as Iran, with vast financial resources an

IRAN'S MALIGN INFLUENCE IN LEBANON Created: 12 November 2017 Iran NCRI IRGC London, 11 Nov - The shock announcement of Lebanese prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation is making many wonder what the reasons were behind his decision. There are many political reasons such as the influence of Hezbollah which is in control of around a quarter of the Lebanese territory and is more powerful than the country’s army. Iran is the one behind Hezbollah and Syria’s interference in Lebanese politics, and it is certain that this was at least part of the reason why Hariri resigned. He left the country before announcing his intentions – no surprise, given that Hezbollah is known to assassinate those that speak out against it.