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Showing posts from September, 2018

Countering Iran’s Threat, Strategies for Regional Stability

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  Written by Mahmoud Hakamian Two-minute read On Sunday morning, April 14, the Iranian regime launched an unprecedented attack against Israel, escalating tensions in the Middle East. Despite military experts’ assessments that the attack failed, it underscores  Iran’s role as a focal point  of regional conflict. The October 7th attack sent shockwaves globally. Despite ample evidence implicating the Iranian regime, Western governments dismissed Tehran’s involvement, adhering to a flawed appeasement policy toward the primary state sponsor of terrorism. They disregarded explicit statements from Revolutionary Guards  (IRGC) commanders boasting  about their direct role in the attack. For decades, the Iranian Resistance has urged the international community to adopt a resolute stance against the Iranian regime’s aggression and terrorism. Despite persistent calls, the failed appeasement policy of the West allowed Tehran to escalate its belligerent activities, including financing, arming, train

Iranian Resistance asks Europe to put pressure on Iran Regime

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By Amir Taghati Maryam Rajavi , the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ), has called on Europe to cut their financial ties to the Iranian Regime, so that increased pressure on the Iranian Regime can bring about the downfall of the mullahs. Her call came during a video broadcast to the 2018 Iran Uprising Summit held in New York on Saturday, where more than 1,700 supporters of the NCRI and the People’s Mujahadeen of Iran ( PMOI/MEK ) gathered to hear about the Iranian uprising and how to work towards a new, democratic Iranian republic. During her speech,  Rajavi said  that the desperate actions by the Regime in recent months, including attempted terrorist attacks on Resistance members in Europe, were a way for the mullahs to test Western governments. She said: “In committing these crimes, the mullahs are testing Western governments. In such circumstances, a lack of resolve or a passive attitude by Western governments will intensify the reg

Why foreign nationals should beware of traveling to Iran

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By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh At these critical times, foreign nationals ought to be extremely cautious about traveling to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Some foreign governments have prudently begun to warn their citizens. For example, the British Foreign Office has recently warned all UK-Iranian dual nationals not to travel to Iran. Its  statement  declared: “There is a risk that British nationals, and a higher risk that British/Iranian dual nationals, could be arbitrarily detained in Iran. All British nationals should consider carefully the risks of traveling to Iran.” While some may view such a move as unprecedented, it is without adoubt a significant blow to the so-called moderate administration of Hassan Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif. One of the promises of the Iranian president and the loyalists of his political party, the Moderation and Development Party, has been to  improve  diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world, specifically European cou

IRAN’S HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IS WORSENING

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By Edward Carney The Secretary General of the United Nations has released his latest report on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic, and the  Center for Human Rights in Iran  published excerpts of that report on Tuesday, ahead of its presentation to the UN General Assembly in New York. The report gives credit to Tehran for engaging with the international community and taking “positive steps” such as a revision in drug laws that reduced the frequency of the death penalty for non-violent offenses. But the main substance of the report is a catalogue of familiar human rights abuses that have not been addressed, followed by associated recommendations for changes in the behavior of the Iranian regime. Notwithstanding the Secretary General’s more optimistic remarks, there is no real indication that the regime will be more responsive to these recommendations that it has been on any of the prior instances in which they were brought up in the context of previous rep

Establishing Censorship Outside Iran – OpEd

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By Reza Shafiee Traditionally dictators limit their human right violations to their own people and within their geographical borders but this logic do not apply in the case of the Iranian regime. Iranian regime Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif almost caught everyone by surprise when he asked Twitters CEO Jack Dorsey to close down Iranian accounts on Twitter opposing his regime. This is new. On Sunday  he accused Twitter  of “closing accounts of “real” Iranians, while allowing anti-government ones backed by the United States.” In August, Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc collectively removed hundreds of accounts tied to an Iranian propaganda operation. “Hello @Jack. Twitter has shuttered accounts of real Iranians, (including) TV presenters & students, for supposedly being part of an ‘influence op’,” Zarif said in a tweet, addressing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. “How about looking at actual bots in (the Albanian capital of) Tirana used to prop up ‘regime change’ propa

Ignore regime rhetoric, US sanctions are hitting Iran hard

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By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Iran’s state-controlled Persian news outlets this week put significant emphasis on disregarding US sanctions and threatening a “10-times stronger response” to any hostile move by Tehran’s opponent. The newspaper Etemad quoted Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and close adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, totally dismissing US sanctions, in particular the recent ones that were imposed on Iran’s automotive sector. According to Fars News and the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Shamkhani pointed out: “Our nation will prove that, as Saddam (Hussein) is buried in Tikrit and as Baghdad is controlled by those forces of the region that desire freedom, the US sanctions will lead nowhere due to our domestic, regional and international resolve.” It is worth noting that hard-line politician Shamkhani was appointed by the so-called moderate president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. Other Iranian leaders, including the supreme leader, al

Iran Regime Meddling in Pakistan

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By Mahmoud Hakamian Experts and analysts say that Iran is increasing its involvement with militant and political Shiite groups in Pakistan. They are saying that that this is leading to a shadow proxy war with arch-enemy Saudi Arabia that is getting worse by the day. The Iranian regime is backing Sindhi and Baluch separatist and rebel groups with funds, training, support, and so on. It is thought that Iran has been financing a number of insurgent outfits in Pakistan with the main goal of destabilising efforts made by the United States in the Middle East. One such group, the Tahrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP), has admitted that it has links with the Iranian regime. The vice-president of the TJP, Deedar Ali, denied that the group is violent. He said: “We are alleged to be a militant group, but I refute this statement. We haven’t participated yet in militant activities, though we Shiites have the dominance in GB [The Gilgit Baltistan region in Pakistan].” The TJP has been recog

Iran: Sistan and Baluchestan Province: Blood and Pain

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By Amir Taghati In Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan province is always without a doubt a part of every single conversation relating poverty, malnutrition, lack of facilities, water shortage, unemployment, and education difficulties. Malnutrition As admitted by one of the parliament representatives of this province himself, more than 95% of people have no access to food and nutrition in this area. 75% of them are living in absolute poverty, in conditions similar to that of African deserts. More than 40% of children under the age of 5, are underweight and shorter in height than the average. The prevalence of iron deficiency has doubled that of Iran’s Index Limit, throughout all age groups. Food safety is of great concern in this province. Sleeping in graves and cardboards Due to an increasing lack of shelter over the years, many people are commonly seen sleeping in graves, cardboards, and torn tents, on street sides, parks, and in the vicinity of main squares. Shor

US Navy’s Three Exercises Near Iran

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The US Navy’s 5th Fleet is taking part three exercises in the Middle East that are focused on key chokepoints in the regions waters, amid increased tensions with Iran. Lt. Christina Gibson, the representative for  US Navy Central Command, said  that it was unusual to have that number of naval exercises in that area at the same time, but that it “isn’t in response to any one threat or any potential threat.” She said: “It is to demonstrate that we are operating and capable to respond to threats, should they arise.” The fortnight-long Theater Amphibious Combat Rehearsal began on Saturday and focuses on the Bab el Mandeb Strait; one of the most dangerous narrow waterways in the world. Notably, in 2016, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fired rockets on two U.S. Navy warships just north of the strait from their base in Yemen, though thankfully the attack failed. This area has been under threat by the Iran-backed Houthis ever since, with regular attacks on oil tankers and other com

Why did the Iranian regime simultaneously launch a missile attack on the headquarters of Kurdish parties and executed three political prisoners?

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Reza Hosseini The Iranian regime hanged three Kurdish political prisoners, Ramin Hossein-Panahi, 24, Zanyar Moradi, 30, and Loghman Moradi, 32, in Gohardasht Prison, Karaj.  Faced with overwhelming popular outrage and detestation, the regime carried out the executions despite repeated international calls, to terrorize the public and prevent further anti-regime protests.  The three prisoners had been on dry hunger strike for several days. Zanyar and Loghman were in jail for more than nine years, and Ramin had been imprisoned over the past 14 months. They were under severe duress during their incarceration. On the other hand, the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iran and the Kommala Party in the depths of Iraqi Kurdistan, a terrible attack by the regime of the mullahs of the criminal, which killed a number of members of the Peshmerga of both parties and more wounded. Run by Mohsen Rezaii, former IRGC Commander and Secretary of the State Exigency Council

Iran should be top of UN Security Council’s agenda

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By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Iran’s state-owned Persian news outlets have put significant emphasis on the recent announcement by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley that President Donald Trump is planning to chair a meeting on Iran in late September. The meeting to discuss the Islamic Republic will be attended by the heads of state of the UN Security Council’s members. As it holds the presidency of the Security Council for this month, the US has the leverage to direct talks toward specific topics and in a specific direction, which is deemed  critical. Without a doubt, the US decision to lead a meeting on Iran is a blow to the theocratic establishment. The timing is significant because it coincides with the 73 rd  session of the UN General Assembly. As a result, Iranian leaders from across the political spectrum have been enraged. Messages from several hardline and moderate leaders echoed what Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif  wrote  on Twitter: “There’s only one UNSC re

Khamenei's fallen dreams

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By Reza Hosseini Every day, the clamor of the regime's anger over the survival of the Mujahideen and the fear of its overthrow are more apparent. The fallen dreams of the clerical regime regarding the failure of its unmatched alternative and, in particular, the central force of this resistance, is what, after the successful transfer of the organization of the People's Mojahedin from Iraq to Albania, every day finds new reflections in the various factions of the regime. A look at the websites of the Iranian regime indicates how much the mullahs are involved with the problem of the Iranian resistance and the role of the MEK / PMOI as their main enemy in leading the overthrow .   The following example is an illustration of this fact: The site on September 4, 2018, wrote in a commentary on this subject:  "The MEK , Celebrate after leaving Iraq in 2016 and settling in Albania, annually opens its collective exit, named after" Big Immigration ". A

Maryam Rajavi Condemns Missile Attacks on HQs of Kurdish Parties, Execution of Three Kurdish Activists

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Mrs. Rajavi urged the United Nations Security Council to intervene and address the atrocities The Iranian regime today hanged three Kurdish political prisoners, Ramin Hossein-Panahi, 24, Zanyar Moradi, 30, and Loghman Moradi, 32, in Gohardasht Prison, Karaj. Faced with overwhelming popular outrage and detestation, the regime carried out the executions despite repeated international calls, to terrorize the public and prevent further anti-regime protests. The three prisoners had been on dry hunger strike for several days. Zanyar and Loghman were in jail for more than nine years, and Ramin had been imprisoned over the past 14 months. They were under severe duress during their incarceration. The Iranian Resistance has repeatedly called, including yesterday, on the UN Security Council and its member states, to take urgent action to prevent these arbitrary executions in blatant contradiction to recognized international norms. In another development, the Irainan regime launched