Iranian Opposition Group Reports on Tehran’s Involvement in the fall of Aleppo

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 Iran Focus

London, 22 Dec – A report by an Iranian opposition group provides information that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were a significant force that helped retake Aleppo from rebel fighters.

Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Shahin Gobadi, spoke in a video conference widely circulated on Wednesday. The video seems to be a follow-up to a report collated by the MEK and released to The Washington Times on Tuesday.

“The forces that occupied Aleppo were actually the IRGC and foreign mercenaries under their command,” said Gobadi, who identified the Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, the Afghan Fatimiyoun militias and the Pakistani Zeynabiyoun militias as the main forces under IRGC command in Aleppo.

Iran boasts about Victories, but faces Limits in the Middle East, especially post-U.S. Election

Iran Focus

London, 22 Dec – With its recent victories in the Middle East, and its decades of isolation, Iran believes it can withstand the uncertainties of a Trump presidency. However, its apparent belief that it will dominate the region are overblown, experts say. Although Iran has rarely commented on its role in the Syria, suddenly self-congratulations abound, at the imminent defeat of rebel forces in Aleppo.

The Daily Mail reports on December 22, that in a press briefing top foreign policy adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Yahya Safavi, told reporters last week, “The liberation of Aleppo… reinforces the political strength of Islamic Republic of Iran. The new American president must accept the reality that Iran is the leading power in the region.”

Iran: Children between 12 and 15 Forced into Marriage

Iran Focus

London, 21 Dec – The state-run newspaper, Shargh, reported on a formal seminar that discussed the disaster of child marriage in the country on Sunday December 11th. The article was entitled, “Children do not get married; they are traded instead.” The article continued, “currently 43 thousand of those children that get married are aged 10 to 15 and 2 thousand of them are separated or divorced from their spouses.”

There merely excerpts from a report that was presented at the seminar on child marriage, which was held in the Amphitheater Hall of the University of Science and Technology to investigate the causes and consequences of child marriage in the marginalized neighborhoods of the country.

I Have Always Stood in Awe of Iran’s History

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Iran Focus

London, 21 Dec – Student Leaders Spark Hope for Change on Iran’s National Student Day

 This article by Hamid Yazdan Panah a young Iranian-American human rights activist and attorney, published by GlobalVoices, is a moving and sincere recount of the recent protests of the fearless university students in Iran.

 Last week, at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University, a defiant student gave a fiery speech focused on what he referred to as the historical responsibility of young Iranians. This included not only a sharp critique of the ruling establishment’s injustices, but also a scathing indictment of Iran’s murderous policy in Syria and demands that those inside the country have the courage to speak out and stand for what is right. (See full video with English subtitles).

New Intelligence Report by MEK, Exposes Iran Regime’s Crimes in Syria

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Iran Focus

London, 21 Dec – Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which includes MEK, said Tehran’s actions show a “complicity in the most atrocious war crimes and crimes against humanity in the 21st century.” Writes Rowan Scarborough in The Washington Times on Tuesday, December 20, 2016, in his informative article regarding the latest state of affairs in Aleppo, the following is the full text:

Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force has played an extensive role in the rape of Aleppo, building a network of bases around the Syrian city and directing militiamen from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan to do the killing, an Iranian opposition group says in a new intelligence report.

Iranian Commander Violates International Travel Ban in Syria

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Iran Focus

London, 20 Dec – An Iranian commander, who leads Iranian militants across the globe and is directly responsible for the death of Americans was recently photographed touring the war-torn city of Aleppo in Syria over the weekend. He was clearly in violation of a United Nations travel ban that was to be enforced under the auspices of the nuclear deal, according to multiple sources and photographs.

Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, according to an article by Adam Kredo published on December 19 by The Washington Free Beacon, was touring Aleppo in a demonstration of Iran’s waxing influence in Syria and in complete disregard for international resolutions barring such behavior, as Soleimani’s presence in Syria is a direct violation of the United Nations resolution governing the nuclear deal.

UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution 63, Condemning Iran’s Human Rights Violations

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Iran Focus

London, 20 Dec – The UN General Assembly adopted its 63rd resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran, on December 19, 2016. According to the Iranian Resistance President-elect, it only the tip of the iceberg of the Iranian regime’s inhumanity, while the largest crimes remain hidden and and their perpetrators are held unaccountable.

Ms. Rjavi said that it’s more essential than ever that the regime’s dossier of systematic and dire human rights violations be referred to the United Nations Security Council, and prosecution do forward against senior officials who were involved.

This catastrophic results of the international community’s appeasement policy have been made clear, and the resolution testifies that inaction regarding this regime only encourages it to escalate.

Demonstration in Paris Unites the Syrian OppositionWith the Iranian Resistance

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Iran Focus

London, 19 Dec – On Saturday, December 17 a rally was held in front of the Iranian regime’s embassy at the invitation of the “Syrian Revolution Coordination” in Paris. Hundreds of Syrian people as well as members and supporters of the Iranian Resistance participated in the protest of the crimes against humanity which have been committed against innocent civilians of Aleppo.

This demonstration condemned Bashar Assad, Iran regime’s forces and mercenaries, and the attempts of the Iranian Guard to block the evacuation of civilians and militants from East Aleppo,

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported that the protesters waved the flags of the Syrian revolution and the flags of the Iranian resistance. They chanted slogans against Khamenei and Bashar al-Assad like, “ Down with Bashar Assad” and “Down with Khamenei” followed by, “Khamenei and Assad and Qassem Soleimani are the butchers of Syrian people are war criminals and must be submitted to justice”. There were shouts of, “Long live the Syrian revolution, long live the Free Syrian Army”, and “Expel the mullahs guards and militia mercenaries from Syria”.

American-Lebanese Citizen Launches Hunger Strike to Protest Illegal Arrest as Hostage

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Iran Focus

London, 19 Dec – An American-Lebanese citizen arrested by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has gone on a hunger protest against his illegal arrest, asking for his unconditional release. Nazar Zaka, a Lebanese diplomat who was arrested during an official trip to Tehran to attend an IT-related conference.

Zaka’s lawyer has issued a statement from the United States. In an article published by the National Council for Resistance of Iran, (NCRI) on December 18, his lawyer, Jason Pablet, says that his client has been on a hunger strike since December 8 in protest of his arrest, and his being be held as a hostage, as well as to draw attention to all of those illegally imprisoned in Iran. Zaka sent out an audio message from inside the prison, asking the Lebanese Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Director of General Security to intervene for his freedom after being held captive for more than 200 days.

Iran: GCC dismisses threats made by Iran as breech of UN Charter

Iran Focus

London, 18 Dec – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries in the nation have objected to threats made by officials of the Iranian regime.

The GCC said that Iran would be violating diplomatic norms and also the United Nations principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.

The GCC, formed in 1981, includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.