Trump’s Iran Policy Doesn’t Go Far Enough in Relation to Iraq

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Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – Donald Trump’s new policy on Iran does not go far enough in relation to the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Last week, the PMF and the Iraqi army invaded the oil-rich Kirkuk region- taken back from ISIS by the Kurds- under the orders of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qassem Soleimani. Trump has refused to intervene, claiming that both Iraq and the Kurds are US allies and that it would not be appropriate to back either side.

Tillerson to Iranian Militias in Iraq: “Go Home.”

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – The US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has told Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers to leave Iraq and “go home”, following his meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The US and Saudi Arabia have long been concerned about the Iranian Regime’s influence over Iraq and its government following the 2003 US invasion and more recently the growth of the so-called Islamic State.

At a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir, Tillerson said: “Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control.”

Trump’s Decertification of the Iran Deal May Improve US Credibility

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – While some are painting the idea that Donald Trump’s actions over the Iranian nuclear deal will harm US credibility abroad, many others believe that this will actually improve US credibility.

Richard Goldberg, one of the leading architects of several rounds of congressionally enacted sanctions on Iran, wrote on the New York Post:” President Trump’s decision to decertify the pact offers an opportunity to rebuild the credibility lost when President Barack Obama instituted his policy of appeasement of Iran and Russia.”

Back in 2008, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, flew to the Czech Republic and Poland to agree on the locations of American missile defence radars and interceptors that would be able to intercept future Iranian long-range ballistic missiles.

Iran Nuclear Deal and Iran’s Belligerence Are Linked

Iran Focus

London, 22 Oct – It came as no surprise to many that US President Donald Trump decided to decertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, between the United States, several EU countries, China and Russia.

The responses to this news was mixed. In the Middle East, there was huge condemnation as well as huge praise.

And while many were expecting him to do so, his decision drew immediate responses from around the globe. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani expressed his anger at the decision, while the Arab countries that are negatively impacted by Iran’s actions welcomed it.

Open Secret of Iran and Al-Qaeda

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Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – The director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, has spoken about the “open secret” regarding links between Iran and al-Qaeda during the Obama administration. Pompeo criticised the Obama administration for downplaying the relationship.

He said: “It’s an open secret and not classified information that there have been relationships, there are connections. There have been times the Iranians have worked alongside Qaeda.”

He indicated that the cooperation usually occurs when their hatred for the West comes to the forefront and he suggests that they have “cut deals so as not to come after each other”. He added that they believe the threat of the West is greater than the fight “along their ideological lines”.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Discusses Iran Nuclear Deal Strategy

Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – According to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, from South Carolina, a longtime lawmaker, Senate Republicans plan to introduce legislation that will add new conditions to the legislation that gives them review authority over the Iran nuclear deal.

Graham said the current Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “a lousy deal” and explained President Donald Trump refused to re-certify it because “the benefits to Iran are [not] worth what we’re getting.” Graham added that he will work with Armed Services Committee member Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, both fellow Republicans, to craft legislation regarding Iran.

Europe Joins US in the Long List of Conditions for Iran Nuclear Deal

Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – Although Tehran believed that a cohesive European stance would help it withstand US pressure, on Sunday, Europeans agreed on common points with the US, and deferred the controversy until the US Congress reaches a clear American position on the nuclear deal, which must occur in two months. This stance taken by Britain, Germany and even France over its earlier ambivalence regarding separation of the deal with Tehran should be of concern to the regime.

The joint British-German declaration is that “they agreed on the need to continue the international community’s response to Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region, and discuss ways to address concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile program.”

Human Rights Abuses Continue in Iran

Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – According to reports, at least 3,111 inmates have been executed in Iran between August of 2013 and September of 2017, the years of President Hassan Rouhani’s tenure.

Included in this number are 81 women, and 24 individuals who were arrested while they were under the age of 18. In fact, in August this year, Alireza Tajiki, who was 15 years old at the time of his arrest, was hanged in the city of Shiraz. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International strongly condemned Tajiki’s execution.

Iranian political analyst Shahriar Kia, journalist and activist who works closely with the Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said human rights have “deeply deteriorated” under Rouhani’s rule.

The Iranian Nuclear Deal Needs a Redo

Iran Focus

London, 20 Oct – Mere days after Donald Trump decertified the Iranian nuclear deal and passed the issue of whether or not to re-impose sanctions to Congress, people are wondering where we should go from here.

As of yet, Trump has not said that he would walk out on the agreement between Iran and six world powers and it seems likely that it will stay in place.

However, there are options available to restrain the Iranian Regime. First off, Congress could renew economic sanctions which would bring the Regime to its knees and back to the negotiating table.

There are some who deny that the Iranian Regime has broken any rules but they may well have broken the biggest rule of all.

The Iranian Regime Is the Root of All Troubles in the Middle East


Iran Focus

London, 20 Oct – Last week, Donald Trump turned US policy on Iran completely on its head with his speech addressing the Iranian Regime’s long history of aggressive behaviour towards America, starting with the 1979 US embassy seizure and hostage crisis.

It wasn’t just his decertification of Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal but his acknowledgement of the dangers that the Iranian Regime posed to their own people and the world at large that made his speech quite so revolutionary.

Trump’s speech was designed to show the world the deep divide between the authoritarian, theocratic Regime and the secular, multiethnic and pro-Western people of Iran before he moved on to the threat posed by Iran in terms of its ballistic missile program, support of terrorism, and destabilisation of the Middle East.