Iran Won’t Keep Away From the Israel-Syria Border for Long

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Iran Won’t Keep Away From the Israel-Syria Border for Long
Iran-Israel-Syria-border

Iran Focus

London, 27 August – At the beginning of the month, Russia announced that it had convinced Iranian forces, including Hezbollah, in Syria to move back from the Israeli border and keep a distance of about 85 kilometres (53 miles), after an escalation of Israeli military strikes against the Iranian-led forces.

However, some are speculating that this retreat by the Iranians will be short-lived. They argue that this retreat is nothing more than a tactical manoeuvre by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in order to reduce tensions for a short period before it returns to the border, citing Iran’s previous consolidation in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has control.

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Google Bans Iran Linked Accounts

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Google Bans Iran Linked Accounts
Google bans Iran linked accounts

Iran Focus

London, 27 August – Tech giant Google announced on Thursday that it had uncovered a “state-sponsored phishing attack” connected to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which is the first time that the company found a direct link between the state-run media outlet and misinformation attacks from Iran.

A blog post from Google stated that a number of YouTube channels, blogs and Google+ accounts linked to the IRIB that had disguised their relationship whilst sharing English-language political content in the US had been “identified and terminated”.

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International Assembly Marking 30th Anniversary of 1988 Massacre in Iran

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International Assembly Marking 30th Anniversary of 1988 Massacre in Iran
International Assembly Marking 30th Anniversary of 1988 Massacre in Iran

Iran Focus

London, 27 August – On Saturday 25th October, an international assembly marking the 30th anniversary of the 1988 massacre in Iran was held in dozens of cities across the world. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian Resistance, spoke about the crime against humanity that saw more than 30,000 political prisoners executed during the summer of 1988.

Mrs. Rajavi spoke about the PMOI prisoners that were “ruthlessly sentenced to death” by Supreme Leader Khomenei for standing up for freedom and against the destruction of Iran. They were killed for their beliefs and described it as a catastrophe. This is what the regime is all about, she emphasised. Mrs. Rajavi pointed out that this has not changed and regime officials are still trying to cover up the massacre to this day. Three decades later the Resistance and the “forces of overthrow” in Iran are still working against the regime’s ideology.

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Russia’s Interests Diverge From Iran’s

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Russia’s Interests Diverge From Iran’s
US-Putin

Iran Focus

London, 25 August – Iranian interests in Syria are systematically being abandoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

John Bolton’s meeting with Israeli officials on Wednesday gives evidence to this. The US National Security Adviser claimed that Putin had told Trump “that he would be content to see Iranian forces all sent back to Iran.” Bolton added that Putin had offered the caveat, “I can’t do it myself.”

It seems that Putin’s interests in Syria are now increasingly divergent from those of Iran.

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Iran’s Oil Exports Fall During First Half of August

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Iran’s Oil Exports Fall During First Half of August
Iran’s Oil Exports

Iran Focus

London, 25 August – The threat of US sanctions is already beginning to affect the demand for crude from some of Iran’s key customers. According to preliminary tanker tracking data, oil exports from Iran have fallen steeply during the first half of August.

S&P Global Platts trade flow software’s initial estimates show that Iran oil crude and condensate exports have fallen to 1.68 million b/d in the first 16 days of August, which is down over 600,000 b/d from loadings in July.

Platts cFlow software estimates show that this compares with exports averaging 2.32 million b/d in July as a whole, and 2.10 million b/d in the first 16 days of August. These preliminary numbers show key buyers of Iranian oil are beginning to cut back before US sanctions against Iran’s oil sector go in to effect, sources said.

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EU Airlines Pull out of Iran

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EU Airlines Pull out of Iran
British Airways and Air France

Iran Focus

London, 24 August – British Airways and Air France confirmed on Thursday that they would stop commercial flights to Iran from September for business reasons; mere months after US President Donald Trump announced he would re-impose sanctions on Tehran and the companies that continued to work there.

British Airways, which is owned by the Spanish-registered IAG, said that its London to Tehran service “is currently not commercially viable”, which is why they will halt the flight. The last BA flight from London to Tehran will be on September 22, while the last inbound flight from Tehran will be on September 23.

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Observers Deride Iran’s ‘New’ Fighter Jet

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Observers Deride Iran’s ‘New’ Fighter Jet
Iran's 'New' Fighter Jet

Iran Focus

London, 24 August – On Tuesday, at a ceremony in Tehran to mark Defense Industry Day, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) displayed what it claimed was its first domestically-designed and manufactured fighter jet.

While the unveiling garnered local media attention, observers have pointed out that the twin-seater Kowsar bears a striking resemblance to the F-5 designed by Northrop in the 1950s, which was used by US forces in the 1960s.

The event was attended by President Hassan Rouhani, defense minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami, and several other officials. Rouhani was photographed in the cockpit of the aircraft at the launch.

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Facebook and Twitter Remove Accounts Linked to Iran Propaganda Campaign

Pooya Stone
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Facebook and Twitter Remove Accounts Linked to Iran Propaganda Campaign
Facebook and Twitter Remove Accounts Linked to Iran Propaganda Campaign

By Pooya Stone

Social media giants Facebook and Twitter announced on Tuesday that they had removed hundreds of fake accounts used in a covert Iranian influence campaign.

The Iranian propaganda campaign pushed posts that criticised Donald Trump and Israel, while promoting the Iran nuclear deal, according to an investigation by cyber security firm FireEye, who discovered the malign operation.

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US Sanctions Weaken Iran and Hezbollah Proxy

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US Sanctions Weaken Iran and Hezbollah Proxy
US Sanctions Weaken Iran and Hezbollah Proxy

Iran Focus

London, 24 August – Iran’s Lebanese proxy group Hezbollah is stronger than ever and has significantly expanded its stockpile of weapons, according to a televised statement by the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, as part of a broadcast marking the anniversary of the 2006 war with Israel.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies reports that Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian conflict on behalf of Iran allowed the group to increase its weapons’ holdings as well as improve training and planning.

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Iran Propaganda Campaign on Facebook Impersonated

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Iran Propaganda Campaign on Facebook Impersonated
Iran Propaganda Campaign on Facebook Impersonated

Iran Focus

London, 23 August – On Tuesday, in a press release, Facebook announced that an Iranian propaganda campaign created fake Bernie Sanders supporters online.

The Facebook Newsroom website said that it had removed 652 pages associated with political influence campaigns traced to Iran from its social media platform, “including coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran and targeted people across multiple internet services in the Middle East, Latin America, UK and US.”

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