By Jubin Katiraie
The war began on September 20, 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran.
Many Iranians, including MEK members living in Iran, rushed to the battlefronts to defend their homeland, and by January 1981, the war had begun to change course.
By June 1982, Iran had reclaimed all lost territory and Iraq had proposed a ceasefire and a withdrawal of troops from Iranian land, but the mullahs, hoping to turn Iraq into an Iranian province refused the terms.
Iran Focus
London, 14 Apr – The exact number of people detained during the widespread protests that began in Iran’s oil-rich southwestern Khuzestan province is still unknown after nearly two weeks.
No official figures regarding the dozens of people who were detained have been released, however, one unverified estimate puts the number as high as 400. Relatives of the detainees said judiciary officials have not responded to their inquiries about where their loved ones are being held, or the charges that they face.
Iran Focus
London, 14 Apr – Iran is one of the 23 countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty, and according to an April 12th report released by Amnesty International, “more than half (51%) of all recorded executions in 2017 were carried out in Iran.”
Ranking second behind China in terms of executions around the world, Iran has “carried out 84% of the global total number of executions along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan.”
Amnesty International also observed that compared to 2016 there has been “a slight decrease (5%) in execution figures” in Iran, but added that last year, “Iran executed at least 507 people, accounting for 60% of all confirmed executions in the region.”
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – It is well known that Russia has been supporting the Bashar Assad in Syria, but this year they have started to withdraw troops and turn a focus to domestic matters.
Why? Well, they don’t have the military force needed to threaten American or Israeli forces in the Levant and they see the benefits in leaving now.
Iran is a much different story.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – The United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has hinted at “very strong” US sanctions on Iran as the final deadline for the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers approaches.
During testimony before a House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee on April 11, Mnuchin said that these measures would include sanctions against Iran and also any entities that do business with the nation. He said that these sanctions would strongly affect the Iranian economy.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – Steven Mnuchin, the current US Secretary of the Treasury, said yesterday that the United States could seek to go ahead with further sanctions on Iran. He said that the sanctions may be “very strong”.
Testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee, Mnuchin said that sanctions against Iran would be both on Iran and on those that seek to carry out business deals with Iran. He said there would be both primary and secondary sanctions.
He also indicated that as well as the renewal of previous sanctions that have been waived as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, there could potentially be a new round of sanctions.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – In 2017, the number of death sentences and executions carried out declined overall across the world. This is partly due to the measures that have been taken in Iran – one of the top five executioners in the world.
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International released their report regarding the situation of capital punishment across the world recently and indicated that Iran is now putting limitations on executions carried out for drug-related crimes.
During the course of 2017, there were at least 993 executions carried out – a significant drop from 2015 when the figure was at least 1,600. Over half of the recorded executions took place in Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Apr – On Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that a decision by US President Donald Trump not to renew sanctions relief for Iran on May 12 would not necessarily mean the United States had withdrawn from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, however, it’s not clear what Mnuchin meant by his comment. Still, it seems to signal that the White House administration does not believe that the agreement will necessarily collapse if Trump chooses not to extend US sanctions relief to Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Apr – Following the devastating chemical attack in Eastern Ghoutta, Syria, that killed dozens of civilians and injured thousands, we may well see another US strike against Syrian airfields.
In 2017, following a chemical attack on the Syrian people by Bashar Assad’s forces, Donald Trump condemned the dictator on Twitter and ordered 59 Tomahawk missiles to strike Syria’s Shayrat Airfield, where the chemical attack had been launched from.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Apr – It is no secret that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is receiving large amounts of financial and military support from Iran and so it seems more than obvious that the international community can kill two birds with one stone by applying sanctions on Iran.
This would not only punish Assad for repeatedly using chemical weapons on the Syrian people and Iran for its role, but it would also cut off the money that would fund another such attack.
