U.S. Senators, Iranian Opposition Leader Maryam Rajavi Meet in Tirana

By Jubin Katiraie

A senior delegation from the United States Senate met with Maryam Rajavi, in the Albanian capital, Tirana, on Saturday and discussed the situation of the members of Iranian opposition in Albania and the latest developments in Iran and the Middle East.

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt of Missori, Vice President of the Republican Conference; the Majority Whip Senator John Cornyn, and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees were among the members of delegation.

Iran and North Korea’s History and Friendship

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – Numerous officials from around the world travelled to Iran for the inauguration of President of Iran Hassan Rouhani as he starts his second term. One of those who was in attendance was the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, Kim Yong-nam.

International Youth Day: The Young People of Iran Can Be the Catalyst for Change

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – International Youth Day on 12th August is a celebration of young people and a recognition that they are essential elements of change. It encourages the inclusion of young people in peace and security agendas and reaffirms their role in society. International Youth Day is also an encouragement of their ability to play a part in deterring and resolving conflicts.

Will the US Push for Regime Change in Iran?

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – There are many different opinions about Iran and the nuclear deal coming from Washington. The Trump administration has just recertified its compliance with the nuclear deal, yet there are also whispers about it pursuing regime change policy with regards to Iran.

Many believe that regime change is the only way to bring an end to the horrific human rights abuses and the only way to achieve democracy for the country. However, there are many apologists and Iran lobbyists that are trying to make us believe otherwise.

International Community Must Address Iran’s Mistreatment of Religious Minorities

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – In Iran, ethnic and religious minorities have been on the receiving end of persecution for decades. The human rights record of the country is despicable and women, journalists, artists, and almost every sector of society is pressured by the authorities.

Free speech is punished in Iran at the discretion of agents of the regime. Religious freedom is also inexistent. The regime discriminates against all minorities, but it pays particular attention to Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians.

Iran Arrests Six Zumba Teachers On “Morality” Charges

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – Iran has arrested six people for attempting to teach Zumba classes to children, which the totalitarian Regime equates to an attempt to “change lifestyles”.

Four men and two women have been charged for their choice in excercise, which the Iranian Sporting Federation described as “rhythmic motions and dance and are unlawful in any shape and title”, and for not adhering to Iran’s strict hijab dress code.

Hamid Damghani, an official with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said: “The members of a network teaching and filming Western dances have been identified and arrested.”

Amnesty International Condemns Iran for Execution of Juvenile Offender

Iran Focus

London, 12 Aug – Amnesty International has condemned the Iranian Regime’s “shameful” execution of a man arrested and sentenced to death at 15.

Alireza Tajiki, who reported that he was tortured into confessing, was executed on Thursday, August 10. He was the fourth person, arrested as a child, to be executed in Iran so far in 2017.

Amnesty International reported that this is part of a horrifying pattern where children are sentenced to death in Iran after grossly unfair trials.

Trump: Iran Is Not Compliant With Nuclear Deal

Iran Focus

London, 11 Aug – The Iranian Regime is not upholding its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to Donald Trump on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters at his private golf club in New Jersey, Trump said that he doesn’t believe that Iran is “living up to the spirit of the agreement”.

He said: “They are not in compliance with the agreement and they certainly are not in the spirit of the agreement in compliance, and I think you’ll see some very strong things taking place if they don’t get themselves in compliance.”

Tensions Rise as Tajikistan Accuses Iran of Several Assassinations in the 1990s

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Iran Focus

London, 11 Aug – Tensions are growing between Iran and Tajikistan following a Tajik state-TV broadcast which accused Iranian Regime officials of carrying out political assassinations across its country in the 1990s.

On August 8, in a primetime documentary, the Tajik Interior Ministry accused Iran of instigating the 1992-97 Tajikistan civil war, providing support to the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), which made up part of the Tajik parliament after 1997 but was banned in 2015 and branded a terrorist group, and training IRPT militants on Iranian soil.

The Strange-But-Deadly Relationship Between North Korea and Iran That Threatens Us All

Iran Focus

London, 11 Aug – At Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration last week, one guest in particular sparked a lot of attention; Kim Yong Nam, the speaker of the North Korean parliament.

Iranian state media clamoured at the idea that Yong Nam was second only to Kim Jong UN, the country’s leader, in terms of importance but Arash Azizi on The Daily Beast called foul.

Azizi stated that no one can be entirely sure what the power structures are in such a closed-off and isolated state, and assessed that Yong Nam’s powers were mostly ceremonial.