iran panorama

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh History is indeed one of the best tools with which to comprehend the Iranian regime’s current and prospective threats. A nuanced examination of the rapid and remarkable growth of Tehran’s hegemony ought to send an alarming message to the international community — and urge it immediately to take appropriate action. When Khomeini assumed power and set up the system of Velayat-e-Faqih (the governance of the jurist, which gives the supreme leader custodianship over the entire nation), the regime had barely any influence in other countries, in the region or beyond. Iran also endured eight years of a bloody and devastating war with its neighbor, Iraq. Nevertheless, Tehran still managed to dramatically widen its spheres of influence, open new fronts and export its extremist ideology and revolutionary ideals. During the Iran-Iraq war, although many of Iran’s resources were drained, the theocratic, determined and defiant regime began to implement its internati...

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh A recent report has emerged in the BBC, which reveals confidential documents in connection with Qatar, the Iranian regime, its militia and other terror groups. The development is critical because it draws on several important issues. First of all, the revealed information, text messages, and private phone calls prove that Qatar conspired with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah to transfer to Iran and its Shia militias around $1 billion for the release of Qatari hostages in southern Iraq. The intriguing issue is that this time, after the publication of the report, even Qatari officials have acknowledged the fact that the revealed texts and voicemails are accurate, according to BBC. The second critical issue is that the report confirms that Qatar paid and conspired with individuals and entities, which are either designated as terrorist groups or listed as top sponsors of global terrorism, such as the IRGC, General Qasem Soleimani, ...

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh At a little-reported but highly significant meeting in a northern suburb of Paris last week, former high-level US officials expressed their support for the Iranian people’s uprising to unseat the clerical regime, and specifically for the organized opposition under the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). “The resistance is making a difference,” the former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich told the meeting. “The MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) is making a difference. I have no doubt that, in the long run, you are on the right side of history. The resistance is knitting together both in the country and in the world a tremendous force that is sustaining the right to believe that you can be free.” Such support empowers the ordinary Iranian people and opposition forces who desire regime change. Gingrich, the former Democratic Senator Robert Torricelli and NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi addressed the meeting of representatives of Iranian e...

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Tens of thousands of Iranians, and non-Iranian human rights defenders from all across the world, recently  gathered  at a Free Iran rally in Paris, France, to further peace and extend human rights to every person. European, American, and Middle Eastern leaders, as well as many other influential people  participated , including former Canadian foreign minister John Baird and other international leaders. Suddenly,  according  to Reuters, an Iranian diplomat, along with six other individuals, was  arrested  in Europe over a plot to commit a terrorist attack at that rally. First of all, please imagine the plot these men had in mind for their terrorist attack; it parallels so many other attacks that have occurred. If those men had been successful in this attack, many more people, including international leaders, could have been injured or killed. Secondly, the Islamist state of Iran apparently orchestrated the attack...

By Irina Tsukerman Rabat – Just as Morocco and Tunisia are looking to expand bilateral ties and increase cooperation on regional and international issues (including possibly revitalizing the African Maghreb Union), Iran is attempting to destabilize North Africa. The Islamic Republic’s strategy is to infiltrate each country ideally in cooperation with Sunni extremist movements. It may also be considering replicating its strategy in West Africa in converting disaffected individuals in poor, marginalized communities in various African countries to Shi’a Islam and offering humanitarian aid in individual cities that the central governments may not be able to reach. Iran is seeking additional partners and customers to offset their lost revenue resulting from sanctions that are about to be reimposed by the United States that may also cause European investors to flee for fear of being affected. Iran’s Strategy in Africa Tehran is also trying to gain control of strategic waterways a...

By Irina Tsukerman Despite withdrawing from JCPOA, getting a number of major European companies to withdraw from Iranian markets, causing Iran’s former partners in Asia to switch over to Saudi and other oil, and going after a variety of Iranian entities and proxies, the United States somehow manages to stay at least one step behind its nemesis. Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds and growing international pressure, the Iranian regime keeps up its toxic, arrogant rhetoric, while continuing to meddle  all over the Middle East and press on with its hegemonic policies. Only two months ago, the world was facing a question: Was Iran  empowered  by the upcoming withdrawal from JCPOA or made more desperate by it? Increasingly, it appears, the answer is that it is quite a bit of both.  Iran has substantially increased its presence in Africa, for instance, in an effort to identify new markets, recruit terrorist proxies,  gain control of strategic water...

By Ncr-Iran Staff Dozens of workers’ representatives from across Iran gathered in front of regime’s Health Ministry headquarters in Tehran to protest against the ministry’s aggression on the assets belonging to the Social Security Organization (SSO). To commemorate the Social Security Day, the gathering was held on July 18, 2018, at a time when it’s reported that withdrawals from the workers fund has left it on the verge of bankruptcy. According to clause 13 of this year’s budget, the funds allocated to SSO’s healthcare program will be kept by the country’s treasury. Included in the country’s 2018 budget by Hassan Rouhani’s government, the clause was approved by regime’s parliament and the Guardian Council last year, despite being widely criticized by labor formations. According to clause 13, the total funds allocated to healthcare have to be placed in a Social Security Healthcare Insurance Account held by the treasury, so the SSO can spend them according to the social se...