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Showing posts from December, 2020

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
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The Rotting Corpse of the Iran Nuclear Deal

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  By Struan Stevenson When challenged about its policy of appeasement to the theocratic Iranian regime, the Iran Task Force of the EU’s External Action Service (EEAS) likes to confirm that “The EU remains fully committed to the complete and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by all sides.” They boast that “The agreement is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and is a key achievement of multilateral diplomacy as endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015).” Their carefully worded statement explains why Europe is still trying to breathe life into the rotting corpse of Barack Obama’s failed nuclear deal. The Iran Task Force says that the EU also “relies fully on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) monitoring and verification of Iran’s nuclear activities in its assessment of Iran’s nuclear program. The IAEA is the sole, impartial and independent international organization responsible
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Khamenei’s early intervention in Iran’s upcoming election betrays his fears for the future

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  By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Although Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei claims his job is not to interfere in government affairs unless the survival of the Islamic Republic is at risk, he is already intervening in the country’s presidential election, which is still almost six months away. In his latest remarks to the representatives of Iran’s “Student Unions,” he pointed out that a “young and hezbollahi government” must rule the country. He added: “I have repeatedly said that I believe in such a government … However, this word does not mean just a 30-some-year-old young person becomes the government’s chief … The young and hezbollahi government means a practical, ready and sprightly government that cures dilemmas and can pass the country from hard paths,” according to the Iranian state-controlled Mehr news agency. What he is suggesting is that the next government must be a hard-line one that adheres to and promotes the revolutionary ideals of the Islamic Republic. F
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Roundup of Iran Protests: State-Run Media Warns Officials of People’s Anger

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  By Shamsi Saadati As the dire economic and social crisis continue in Iran, cities across the country witnessed more protests from all walks of life due to the regime’s mismanagement. The following are a part of the reports in this regard, tallied by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran ( PMOI/MEK ). On Tuesday, December 29, contract health workers of the universities of medical science’s company held a protest in front of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) in Tehran, demanding authorities to clarify their employment status. Contract health workers hold a protest in front of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) in Tehran – December 29, 2020 Protestors demanded 50% bonuses, applied for official contracts since December 21. Protestors said that they had been deprived of their benefits due to the company’s employment order. These workers protested the Ministry of Health’s inaction, changing the employment status, and said that the Ministry of Health should determine
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Khamenei's double game with the nuclear deal

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  By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Although six world powers (the US, the UK, Russia, France, China and Germany) were parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of sanctions, the two major players were, and still are, Iran and the US.  That is why when US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the pact, it fell apart. Tehran ceased to comply with the agreement despite entreaties from the other signatories. The re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran’s energy, banking and shipping sectors hit its economy the most, as foreign corporations were reluctant to do business with Iran because of the potential repercussions.  Joe Biden has made it clear that he intends to rejoin the nuclear deal when he becomes US president.  Since Iran’s Supreme Leader enjoys the final say in the country’s major foreign policy issues, his stance on the nuclear deal will determine whether the nuclear agreement can be resur
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Khamenei Orders Review of FATF Conventions, Increasing Iran Regime’s Infightings

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  By Mahmoud Hakamian Sadeq Amoli-Larijani, head of the Iranian regime’s Expediency Council, announced the council had started a new review of the Palermo and CFT conventions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international anti-moneylending organization. The recent review resulted in a new round of infighting by the clerical regime. FATF is an inter-governmental body that sets international standards that aim to prevent illegal financial activities and the harm they cause to society. According to its website, “As a policy-making body, the FATF works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.” FATF divides countries into three categories: Countries that fully comply with the group’s recommendations and have implemented them. Countries that are developing and adapting to specified standards. Countries at risk of money laundering and terrorist financing. The FATF blacklist includes co
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One Year After Iran’s Top Terrorist Was Killed, the Underlying Threat Persists

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  By Mohammad Sadat Khansari Last Sunday, Iran-backed militias launched their latest in a long series of attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad. Although it caused little damage and no injuries to American personnel, it was reportedly the largest single volley of rockets to be directed at the compound in a decade. The US State Department accused the Iranian regime for the escalation, and the regime’s officials responded with blanket denials and bizarre accusations that the US staged attacks on its own assets in order to scapegoat the regime. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would have to make up stories about the Iranian regime’s behavior in order to convince democratic nations or freedom-loving peoples that it would be worthwhile to remove that regime from the world stage. Over the past several years, that regime’s destructive influence on the region has been unmistakable. It played a leading role in propping up the dictator Bashar al-Assad and prolonging the Syrian Civil W
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Iran’s Role in Attacking the U.S. Embassy in Iraq

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  By Shahriar kia The U.S. Central Command  said  Wednesday that the rocket attack on Baghdad’s International Zone near the U.S. embassy in Iraq on December 20 was “almost certainly conducted by an Iranian-backed rogue militia group.”   The Wall Street Journal  reported  on December 23 that an after-action review by the U.S. Central Command indicated that the attack involved 21 rockets, not the eight missiles that the Iraqis initially said. According to CENTCOM spokesman, the 21--rocket attack was the largest rocket attack since 2010 on central Baghdad, also known as the Green Zone.  In the meantime, the U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted pictures of three rockets that failed to launch in that attack against the U.S. Embassy. He wrote, “Guess where they were from: Iran.”  U.S. media had reported that the U.S. military had been tracking intelligence for the last few weeks about the increased threats from Iranian-backed militias inside Iraq.  Iranian  regime ‘ s
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Sustained pressure on Iranian regime still necessary

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  By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh The Iranian regime is confident that the next US administration will rejoin the nuclear deal. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani recently said that he had “no doubt” about a pending return to the status quo under American President-elect Joe Biden. This, Rouhani added, would result in the prompt suspension of economic sanctions as the US arranged to return to the seven-party nuclear agreement from which it withdrew in 2018. On the other hand, recently released satellite images indicate that the Iranians are building new facilities near the fortified underground Fordow nuclear site. While the regime has made no public statement about the work, it previously acknowledged similar defensive constructions at nuclear facilities in Natanz. There is also evidence of ongoing work at other less-prominent sites that has not even been declared to inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In October, the main coalition of Iranian opposit
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MARYAM RAJAVI: JESUS CHRIST, THE HARBINGER OF JUSTICE AND THE ETERNAL BEACON OF HOPE FOR THE SALVATION OF HUMANITY

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  Christmas Message Fellow Christian compatriots, Followers of Jesus Christ around the world, Merry Christmas to all of you. My heartfelt prayers for a speedy recovery of all those who have been infected with the  Coronavirus  in  Iran   and in other countries, and for the rapid eradication of this virus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga2w3s-BTfE Merry Christmas to all. This time symbolizes the period when the world's eyes were opened to Jesus Christ (PBUH), who would become the messenger of unity and liberation, the harbinger of justice and the eternal beacon of hope for the salvation of humanity. This auspicious time was borne out of the tremendous suffering of the Virgin Mary. Mary sacrificed immensely for Christ (PBUH) and braved poisonous slanders, leading her to become a model of emancipation for all future generations. As she said herself: “From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48) The birth of Christ shines bright in the sky
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Zarif's Involvement in International Terrorism

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  BY: Bruce McColm In April 2019, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif was welcomed as an honored guest at the headquarters of the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC has been designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. Its foreign special operations division, the Quds Force, had received that designation many years before. Zarif is on the record as saying he  held weekly meetings  with the eliminated Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani in order to coordinate policy. The U.S. has also imposed economic sanctions on Zarif and limited his freedom of movement on U.S. territory during his visits to the United Nations General Assembly. Indeed, Zarif’s association and coordination with terrorist masterminds in the Iranian regime makes his role more akin to that of a “propaganda minister” than a conventional Foreign Minister. CARTOONS  |  AF BRANCO VIEW CARTOON But Zarif's involvement in terrorism is much more far-reaching. Late l
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Iran’s regime has abandoned nurses in the heat of the Covid-19 outbreak

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By Farid Mahoutchi Iran, December 21, 2020— Iranian regime supreme leader  Ali Khamenei  shed crocodile tears for the hardworking doctors, nurses, and health care workers in a televised address on Sunday, trying to erase a year of destructive policies and mismanagement with shallow words of praise. But Khamenei’s ridiculous show of affection does not change the critical and tragic situation the country’s health care system has been facing since the beginning of the  coronavirus outbreak . A look at remarks made by officials and state-run media sheds light on the truth. The conditions of Iran’s nurses On December 20, the state-run Hamdeli described the situation as such: “Very few nurses in hospitals are faced with an increasing number of Covid-19 patients and they are in a war of attrition… Until now, more 60,000 nurses have contracted Covid-19 and more than 100 have lost their lives. Hamdeli further quotes, Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, the secretary of Home of Nurses, as saying, “These
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Iran State-Run Media Acknowledge Society’s Restiveness Amid Various Crises

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By Shahriar kia Iran’s state-run media continue to acknowledge the social and economic crises in Iran, underline the regime’s inaction, and warn the authorities of possible outcomes. The Iranian people have to face rampant poverty and inflation, in addition to the Covid-19 crisis. “Last month, the Central Bank, as the official reference for the country’s statistics, announced a poverty line of 10 million tomans. Between 70 and 80 items of workers’ medicines, such as pills and syrups, were removed from social security booklets. When we face such issues, we see that workers’ salary of 2.8 million tomans does not cover the worker’s living expenses,”  wrote  the state-run Hamdeli daily on Saturday. All the while, “More than 70% of workers are underemployed and can no longer afford to buy red meat or even white meat and have been forced to remove these items from their monthly shopping cart,” according to the semi-official ILNA news agency on November 16. The reason for these skyrocketing p
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Is Iran Unable To Purchase COVID-19 Vaccines?

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  By Mansoureh Galestan All governments made Covid-19 vaccination their priority once the World Health Organization approved several vaccines. Iran’s regime has claimed it is ready and willing to purchase vaccines but that sanctions prevent this process. The regime’s president, Hassan Rouhani, on December 9, claimed: “The money to purchase vaccines is ready. We have the will to this, but the United States is preventing us.” Before Rouhani, Abdolnasser Hemmati, the Central Bank Chief, blatantly claimed on December 7 that U.S. sanctions were preventing Iran from procuring vaccines using the COVAX payment facility that is jointly managed by Geneva-based Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization. Gavi immediately rejected this claim. This organization’s spokesperson said was no “legal barrier” to Iran purchasing vaccines through COVAX as the U.S. Treasury’s Office on Foreign Assets Control had issued a license covering coronavirus vaccine procurement. T
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