From Ahmad Chalabi to Reza Pahlavi: The politics of manufactured opposition

-
Image
  By Ivan Sascha Sheehan , Majid Rafizadeh washingtonexaminer Published October 30, 2026 9:00am ET In May 2004, 14 months after the invasion of Iraq , it was clear that weapons of mass destruction could no longer be cited as justification for it. An intelligence source told the Guardian , “It’s pretty clear that the Iranians had us for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” They were referring to Iraqi fraudster Ahmad Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, which he headed. In the months before the invasion, Chalabi’s operation fed Washington repeated claims about Saddam Hussein’s purported WMD program. The claims seemed to arrive through separate channels, independently corroborating one another. In reality, they all had one source. If Iranian intelligence was involved, Tehran had helped remove its greatest regional enemy without ever needing to persuade an American to serve the clerical regime’s interests. Twenty-some years later, a similar question faces Western capitals, this time ab...
Post a Comment

Prolonged strikes by merchants garner support in other provinces

-
Reported by PMOI/MEK


April 29, 2018 -- The merchants of Baneh, Kurdistan, continue the strike the started more than two weeks ago in protest to new regulations set by the regime that increases restrictions on imports and border gates. As the government has failed to respond to their demands, shop-owners and merchants continue to refuse to open for business. In tandem with closing their shops, a large group of merchants gathered in front of the governor’s office in protest and called for the governor resign.

Photo shows almost all stores are closed due to 3-week long strike.


On Saturday, the merchants of Saqqez joined the protests and closed their shops in solidarity with the merchants of other western cities and in protest to repressive the rules set by the regime.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

International Dignitaries Rally for a New Iran Policy, Support NCRI as Democratic Alternative

-
Image
  Written by Shamsi Saadati Paris, France  – On Saturday, May 17, 2025, an influential international conference convened in Paris, uniting parliamentarians and prominent political figures from a wide array of countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Malta, Switzerland, Romania, Portugal, and the Netherlands. The central theme of the gathering was the urgent need for a new, decisive international policy towards Iran, with a strong emphasis on supporting democratic change and recognizing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a viable alternative to the current regime. The event served as a significant platform for global lawmakers to voice their concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, the regime’s escalating domestic repression, its destabilizing regional activities, and its persistent pursuit of a nuclear program. A recurring call throughout the conference was for Western governments to adopt a firmer stance, including the ...
Read more

When War Becomes an Excuse: How Economic Pressure Is Being Shifted Onto Ordinary People

-
Image
  By Reza Hoseani Iran’s economic crisis is no longer just a headline — it has become part of everyday life. Skyrocketing prices, the continuous collapse of the national currency, and shrinking household purchasing power are now affecting nearly every segment of society. But an important question remains: Are these hardships truly the direct result of war and external pressure, or are they rooted in domestic economic policies and political decisions? While state media repeatedly blame regional tensions and foreign conflicts for inflation and market instability, many economists argue that the current crisis is driven far more by internal policymaking than by war itself.   War as a Cover for Internal Economic Failure For years, whenever Iran’s economy entered a deeper phase of crisis, official narratives pointed to external enemies and international tensions. However, economic experts say the immediate impact of war rarely causes inflation on this scale in such a sho...
Read more

NCRI, British parliamentary committee host online event in support of Iranian women

-
Image
  Author:Zolal Habibi March 7, 2021— A global online  conference  held on Monday, March 8, marking International Women’s Day co-hosted by the Women’s Committee of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), The International Committee for a Democratic Iran, and the British Committee for Iran Freedom discussed the plight of Iranian women in their struggle for freedom and equal rights. The event featured speeches by politicians, women’s rights activists, and members of the Iranian opposition. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI and the keynote speaker of the event. “The outcome of the significant gender gap in Iran is the imposition of extreme poverty on women and the denial of many of their most basic rights,” Madam Rajavi said. “The misogynous regime wants to preserve its rule through repression. However, Iranian women play critical roles in challenging the regime and pushing the situation towards overthrowing the mullahs.” Madam ...
Read more