Iran Focus
London, 11 April – The Iraqi city of Basra is dealing with a major drug crisis that came over from Iran, but depleted police resources and overcrowded detention centres mean that the system is struggling to cope, which has led plenty of locals to protest poor services over the last year.
By Mehdi
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputies have visited the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the wake of the US designation of the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
During the meeting with Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari the top commander of IRGC, Gen Qassem Soleimani the commander of the extraterritorial Qods force and others, Zarif predictably described the US decision as “stupid”, claimed it had created “unity and sympathy in the country”, and called it a sign of “desperate” US policies in the region.
By Pooya Stone
Officials from the US State Department have said that the decision to place the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) will reduce the risk of American soldiers or citizens dying as a result of IRGC General Qasem Soleimani.
By Jubin Katiraie
A British bank has agreed to pay over $1 billion in fines and forfeited assets to the US and New York State for trading with Iran in violation of US sanctions.
Standard Charter Bank, a global financial institution, processed roughly 9,500 financial transactions worth an estimated $240 million between 2007 and 2011, through American financial bodies to benefit Iranian entities, according to federal and state prosecutors on Tuesday.
Iran Focus
London, 10 April – Many Iranian-backed fighters are returning home from the Syrian Civil War where they fought in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but they are not necessarily going to Iran.
Iran is famous for having sent thousands of undocumented Shiite Afghan refugees to fight in Syria alongside Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), since 2011. Why? Because it was cheaper than sending Iranians and would create less public outcry than having Iranians die in Syria.
By Mehdi
U.S. President Trump announced last year that it would be undertaking a maximum pressure campaign on the Iranian Mullahs because of its belligerence and terrorist activities that threaten peace and security in the Middle East. His administration has re-imposed crippling economic sanctions and has put restrictions on its oil exports.
By Pooya Stone
There were over 400 protests and strikes across 104 cities, towns, villages, industrial compounds, and business areas in Iran during March, including a three-day strike by teachers and various protests surrounding the government’s dire response to the devastating flash floods. This exceeded February’s total by 166 and equates to an average of 13 protest movements every day.
Iran Focus
London, 09 April – One unfortunate fact about the Syrian civil war is that it would have fizzled out years ago had it not been for foreign interventions. In particular, the intervention of Iran. The Syrian forces fighting on the side of President Bashar al Assad would have been long defeated had they not been supported by Iranian forces.
By Jubin Katiraie
It may be months before we know the full extent of the current nationwide floods in Iran, if indeed the Regime doesn’t seek to cover it all up, but it is already clear that this is one of the biggest natural disasters Iran has suffered in 50 years.
The Islamic Red Crescent has already said that the floods have reached over 300 towns and cities in 22 provinces affecting 18.5 million people (almost a quarter of Iran’s population), with around 1.2 million people now homeless.
Iran Focus
London, 09 April – Iran is reportedly planning to lease Syria’s main commercial port in Latakia, which would significantly increase the mullahs’ foothold in the Middle East.
Iran began talks with Syria last month about leasing the container port, which has been under US sanctions since 2015, from October 1. Iran has been upgrading its navy, adding new vessels and submarines, including one that is capable of firing cruise missiles and needs new ports to accommodate them.
