احرار ایران

Lebanon Stops Stamping Iranian Passports in Controversial Move to Evade US SanctionsTerrorism 18 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 18 Jun - There is huge controversy surrounding the decision by the Lebanese Security General not to stamp the passports of Iranian travellers as they enter the country, instead issuing them landing slips. While, the Security General has said that these decisions are "entirely within its jurisdiction” and do not mean that any Iranians have entered the country illegally, you have to wonder what the justification was for changing their policy. After all, this would be a controversial decision to make at any time, but it is especially troubling considering the rising pressures on Iran from the US and the West, since Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal citing Iranian cheating. Well, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday that explained that the General Security had made the decision and that the ministry is not responsible for...

ebanon Stops Stamping Iranian Passports in Controversial Move to Evade US SanctionsTerrorism 18 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 18 Jun - There is huge controversy surrounding the decision by the Lebanese Security General not to stamp the passports of Iranian travellers as they enter the country, instead issuing them landing slips. While, the Security General has said that these decisions are "entirely within its jurisdiction” and do not mean that any Iranians have entered the country illegally, you have to wonder what the justification was for changing their policy. After all, this would be a controversial decision to make at any time, but it is especially troubling considering the rising pressures on Iran from the US and the West, since Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal citing Iranian cheating. Well, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday that explained that the General Security had made the decision and that the ministry is not responsible for e...

Iran's Blocking of OPEC Agreement Still Leaves Options for Saudi Arabia18 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 18 Jun - Many have been saying that Iran is putting Saudi Arabia in a position where it cannot act. However, this is not true. There are a number of possibilities still open to Saudi Arabia even if Iran does go ahead and block an increase in OPEC's oil production. Iran is threatening to veto any proposal for more OPEC output and claims that it has the support of Venezuela and Iraq. Both Saudi Arabia and Russia are keen for output to be increased. OPEC's representative from Iran - Hossein Kazempour Ardebili - said yesterday that if Russia and Saudi Arabia want the production to increase, it must have unanimity. The group is due to meet at the end of the week in Austria. According to the statute of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, it is true that any deal can be blocked by any member. The text states: “Each Full Member Country shall have one vote. All dec...

SYRIA Iran Uses Afghan Fighters, Some as Young as 14, for Its War in SyriaSyria 19 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 19 Jun - Iran claims that through full use of governmental facilities and comprehensive planning, there are few voluntary Afghan fighters deployed to Syria by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). However, Afghans are the least expensive of the IRGC’s foreign forces. Statistics show that there are an estimated 3 million Afghan citizens living in Iran, and it is reported that there is a Division of some 15,000 to 20,000 troops called Fatimids or Fatemiyoun. The Quds Force is believed to command the Afghan forces deployed to Syria, with headquarters in Ansar that takes care of operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Quds Force was established in 1991. Brigadier Guard Ismail Qa’ani is the present successor of Qassem Soleimani, who was commander of the Ansar base in Mashhad. The current commander of the base is brigade leader Hossein Mousavi. Ansar has its central h...

19 Million Dollar Scam in Tehran Sparks Protests19 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 19 Jun - In the Gisha area, a builder pre-sold several housing units that were under construction to several people simultaneously. After issuing a tracking code, the builder fled with over 80 billion tomans (approximately 19 million USD). On Monday, June 18th, a group of the betrayed home buyers staged a protest against the million-dollar scam of the Gisha housing construction in Tehran, Iran. A protester spoke about the details of this million-dollar fraud. “The housing maker, who at the same time has two real estate consultant offices in the Gisha area, was abusing access to the information system of the real estate sales by tampering the postal code contained in tracking code system, issued multiple letter of credits with official code tracking codes for various units and presold each unit at the same time to several individuals.” He added, “These plundered buyers trusted the letter of credits which ...

SYRIA Iran Is Main Obstacle Preventing Progress in SyriaSyria 19 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 19 Jun - Seven years of civil war has taken a toll on Syria. A huge toll. The Russians and Chinese are working towards the country’s reconstruction. Russia is entering a new phase of reconstruction costing around $450,000 billion. China is in less of a rush to start the process. It knows that it is in a good position to fund the construction process and that it is sure to have a large share. Waiting around to see what happens in Syria seems like its best bet until now. Iran, on the other hand, is an obstacle to the Russians and the Chinese. However, the reconstruction race has started and both Russia and China are keen to get started. They are both portraying an image of stability to the West, but it is not the complete truth. Iran is still there making attempts to increase its influence. Russia has the most prominent force in the country and it is in the best position to curb Iran’s presenc...

The Singapore Deal Must Include IranNuclear 19 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 19 Jun - While the eyes of the world were focused on last week’s Singapore Summit, many speculated that it was concerning that Iran was not there. After all, what is the point in securing a denuclearized North Korea, if their nuclear programme is just packed up and shipped off to their rogue-state ally Iran? It is no secret that Iran and North Korea have been cooperating on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology for the past 20+ years. You can see this in both the actual photos and videos of Iranian nuclear scientists at North Korean missile launches and the eerily similar missiles that they have produced. Iran's Shahab 3B missile was based on a North Korean one, but Iran improved on it, so that it can now hit targets as far away as southern and eastern Europe, while carrying a nuclear payload. The countries have even tested small atomic bombs and built a Yongbyon-reactor clone in Syria (destroyed by I...

Iran Continues to Unlawfully Execute Minors19 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 19 Jun - Experts from the United Nations, Ms Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Ms Renate Winter, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, have raised concerns about Iran’s plans to execute a young man who was handed the death sentence at the age of only 15. The young man in question is Mohammad Kalhori and Iranian authorities have suggested that his execution will take place very soon. He was accused of killing his teacher. International standards are very clear that, under no circumstances, should anyone who committed a crime before the age of 18 be sentenced to death for it. Iran, however, does not take many international standards into account. Furthermore, Iran has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights so it had a duty to ensure that the death penalty is not hand...

Supreme Leader Miscalculates Trump Administration’s MovesNuclear 20 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 20 Jun - Last month, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, that was agreed in 2015. Iran was supposed to curb its nuclear program and the crippling economic sanctions that were in place were lifted. However, Trump was not satisfied that the nuclear threat has been curbed and he listed a number of belligerent acts that Iran is involved with as his justification for exiting the deal. Earlier this month, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, addressed a crowd at a commemoration event marking the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – the founder of the Islamic Republic. He said that to make Iran endure sanctions while living with “the [nuclear] restrictions already imposed” is a “disturbing dream”. He emphasised that this will not be accepted by...

Arab Coalition to Take Yemen Back From Iran’s HouthisTerrorism 20 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 20 Jun - The Arab coalition, allied with the Yemeni army, are moving ever closer to the city of Hodeidah, a strategic place in the military action to take Yemen back from the Houthis. Indeed, it is one of the three most important ways that the coalition can drive the Houthis out of Yemen, along with expelling them from the Saudi borders, getting them out of the central governorates. But why is it so important? Well, the Hodeidah Port is the main naval entrance to North Yemen, which means that a lot of food and other goods go through the port. The Houthis have used this to their advantage, by seizing goods in order to starve or disenfranchise areas that didn’t support them, smuggling weapons from Iran, and threatening international navigation. It’s worth noting that these are the same methods used by other Iranian proxies throughout the Middle East, all under the guise of Shiism.

SYRIA Iran: The Biggest Obstacle to Reconstruction Projects in SyriaSyria 20 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 20 Jun - There have been three main players in the war in Syria – Iran, Russia and China. Iran and China’s goals of reaching the Mediterranean have all but disappeared. Russia is now in the process of planning the next reconstruction phase for Syria and there are reports that it is costing up to $500 billion. China has been awaiting the outcome of the civil war in Syria but it knows that no other country will be able to put up the huge amount of funds required to rebuild the country. It is a given that it will receive substantial projects. Russia and China are happy to work together in the country, but the competition with Iran is what is causing disruption. Both countries want to start the reconstruction as soon as possible and Iran is not present in large areas of Syria. Considering there are parts of the country that are currently stable, they are trying to convince the West t...

US Ambassador Calls on Germany to Cut off Iran’s Mahan Air21 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 21 Jun - The new US ambassador to Germany has requested that the German government block Iran’s Mahan Air from flying in German airspace and landing in Germany because the airline provides material support for terrorism. In a meeting with a senior delegation from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) last week, Ambassador Richard Grenell said: “I have asked the German government to support our efforts to stop an airline called Mahan Air from utilizing German airspace and airports. We know that Mahan Air has been used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] as a mode of transport for weapons, resources and fighters, so we’re asking our allies to help us put a stop to it.” The Donald Trump administration designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in October and Canada’s House of Commons called for the same designation last week, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s admin...

Total CEO: No Big Oil Company Can Work With Iran21 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 21 Jun - The CEO of French energy giant Total said on Wednesday that no big oil company can risk doing business with Iran under reimposed US sanctions. Although Total has yet to permanently pull out of Iran, where it planned to develop a section of the world's largest natural gas field, CEO Patrick Pouyanne was pessimistic about his company's future in the country. The company is prepared to abandon this project unless they can obtain a sanctions waiver, which doesn’t seem likely. Total agreed to work with Iran after previous international sanctions on the Mullahs were lifted in 2016 after the signing of the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. When Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in May, he promised to impose strict sanctions on Iran within 180 days, that would not only befall US companies, but also foreign companies with ties to the US.

Angela Merkel Calls for Solutions to Iran's 'Aggressive Tendencies’21 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 21 Jun - After meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European countries shared concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile program and called for solutions to its “aggressive tendencies” in the Middle East. The German Chancellor said, “Iran’s aggressive tendencies must not only be discussed, but rather we need solutions urgently.” She also announced 384 million euros ($445 million USD) of aid to Jordan this year. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbing its atomic program in May, but Germany has remained party to the deal. According to Merkel, while European countries want to maintain the 2015 accord, they shared concerns over Iran’s ballistic missile program, and its presence in Syria and its role in the war in Yemen. Iran supports of Syria’s President...

Iran Defence Lawyer Arrested for Saying That Her Executed Client Was Innocent22 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 22 Jun - An Iranian defence lawyer has been arrested by the mullahs’ regime after claiming that her client, who was executed on Monday for the murder of three police officers, was innocent. Zeinab Taheri was arrested at on Tuesday, according to human rights activist Heshmat Alavi, for allegedly making “false statements” and increasing online debate about the innocence of Mohammad Reza Salas. A Twitter account bearing Taheri’s name tweeted on Monday that evidence of Salas’ innocence would soon be revealed, but there are questions about who was actually tweeting as they continued to tweet about Salas’ case even after Taheri was in custody and retracted the decision to go public about the case because of requests from Salas’ family. Tehran’s chief justice Gholamhossein Esmaili defended the arrest by bizarrely claiming that Taheri was not Salas’ lawyer. SALAS’ EXECUTION Salas was...

MEK Respond to Slurs From Shah’s SonJubin Katiraie Blog 22 June 2018 By Jubin Katiraie The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have responded to a Bloomberg News Reza Pahlavi, the son of an Iranian dictator that was overthrown by the Iranian people, in which he told numerous lies about the MEK and displayed his hatred for democracy. Shahin Gobadi, the spokesman for the MEK , wrote that the Iranian people’s continued fight for democracy has been pushed back by two dictatorships: the monarchy, to which Pahlavi belonged, and the current theocracy. There may be striking differences between the two, but both groups are united on a hostility towards democracy and a violent crackdown on those who advocated for it. The Shah’s rule began in 1953, when the US and the UK conspired to overthrow Iran’s only democratic government. For 25 years, he ruled Iran through terror and suppression until the people of Iran overthrew him in 1979 and he fled the country. Unfortunately, that rev...

Iran Must Decide Whether to Heed France’s Advise22 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 22 Jun - According to senior French sources, the European signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been primarily focused on “avoiding a military confrontation,” after the US exit from the pact. Inside Iran, some “want and seek” this confrontation, they say, but Germany, Britain and France, in cooperation with Russia and China, want to avoid reaching the “point of no return.” The sources also blame Tehran for failing to take advantage of the nuclear deal. Instead of normalizing its ties with regional countries, it forged an aggressive regional policy and developed its ballistic missile program. Meanwhile, in the US, proponents of the newly reimposed American sanctions believe that Tehran will eventually “come to heel” under their weight. In fact, Paris believes that “no one in Washington wants a war on Tehran,” the sources said. Still, Israel and some non-Israeli powers “are pushing for war”, a call...

Iran: Sanctions Need to Be Hard-HittingNuclear 23 June 2018 Iran Focus London, 23 Jun - Last month, US President announced that he would be pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He also said that the sanctions that were lifted as a result of the nuclear deal will be reapplied and that fresh ones would be issued. We do not know the full details of the sanctions yet, but it is expected that we will hear soon, as the deadlines approach. Iran pretends to be rather unconcerned about the sanctions. Iran is used to sanctions and had lived with them for so long that it has been able to find work-arounds. Several Iranian officials have recently said that the sanctions will be little more than an inconvenience. The Trump administration is hopefully listening to this and bearing it in mind when finalising the details of the sanctions. It is the perfect chance for the administration to really take the time a...

Iran’s water crisis emerging dangerously ARTICLES 6/10/2018 Water crisis in Iran Analysis by: PMOI/MEK Iran, June 10, 2018 - The country of Iran is burning and a growing water crisis has become one of the six super-challenges, according to regime officials. The Anzali Wetlands in northern Iran are nearly destroyed, according to the state ILNA news agency. Recognized internationally and considered one of the largest homes to migrating birds and fishes in Iran, the Anzali Wetlands are now sharing the fate of 60 other wetlands across Iran that are on the verge of complete annihilation due to wrong policies adopted by the ruling mullahs’ regime.

Why did Iran delay the FATF vote? ARTICLES 6/11/2018 Iran’s parliament postpones decision on FATF articles Analysis by: PMOI/MEK Iran, June 11, 2018 - The Iranian regime parliament on Sunday voted to for two-months postponement of a bill vote over the regime joining the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Tehran seeks time to allow the result of its talks with Europe reach a conclusion and decide afterwards. The FATF is a convention aimed at fighting to disrupt money laundering and funds for terrorist groups. Various FATF regulations will bring about major restrictions for the Iranian regime’s banking systems. “We cannot neglect the FATF and say we will not join the convention. The FATF is an internationally recognized framework and if we intend to work with the world’s bank we are forced to adapt ourselves with its conditions,” said the Iranian regime’s deputy economy minister, cited by the state Vatane Emruz daily. Kayhan daily, known to be the mouthpiece of Iranian regime Supreme ...