By Farzad Madadzadeh
INDEPENDENT
How many more unelected Iranian leaders will walk the red carpet into Europe before the West realizes that none of them will end the bloodshed in their own country so long as they come from within the regime itself?
IN A NEW YEAR MEETING WITH FRENCH SUPPORTERS OF THE IRANIAN RESISTANCE:
Maryam Rajavi called on international community to expel Iranian regime from region
World can be free of fundamentalism only when the clerical regime in Iran as the epicenter of fundamentalism is overthrown
In a gathering of French supporters of the Iranian Resistance celebrating the New Year, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi expressed her regrets over bitter incidents of 2015 which made the world suffer especially in France and in the Middle East.
Regime in Iran targets Sunnis to maintain power
The Hill
By Hamid Yazdan Panah
Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have escalated following the execution of a Shiite cleric by the Saudi government, and the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. The Iranian regime went out of its way to denounce the execution of the Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, as a “big crime,” which would have consequences. What has been lost in the coverage of this conflict is the long history of systematic persecution of Sunnis within Iran.
Gholamreza Takhti: A People’s Champion
By Hamid Yazdan Panah
January 7th marks the anniversary of the passing of one Iran’s most heroic athletes Gholamreza Takhti. The legacy of Takhti is notable not only for his athletic feats as a gold medalist in wrestling on the world stage but also for his humility and political principles and the fight for freedom against the dictatorship of the Shah. His life and death symbolize the struggle of the Iranian people, many of whom have sacrificed a life of comfort and privilege to stand for their principles.
Kuwait recalls ambassador from Iran
The Guardian
Kuwait has become the latest country to downgrade its relations with Iran after recalling its ambassador, in a widening regional crisis over the execution of a Saudi Shia cleric and the ensuing attack on the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan have already severed diplomatic ties with Iran, while the United Arab Emirates has recalled its envoy.
Bahrain and Sudan sever diplomatic ties with Iran
USA TODAY
Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY
Bahrain and Sudan announced Monday they are severing diplomatic ties with Iran, one day after ally Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting ties with Tehran.
The move ramps up tensions in the region after Iranian protesters set fires at the Saudi Embassy over the weekend, in response to the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
UAE recalls its Ambassador from Iran
WAM/Abu Dhabi
Bahrain shuts down mission, Sudan expels ambassador.
The UAE has decided to downgrade the level of its diplomatic representation in Iran to that of a charge d’ affaires and to require a reduction in the number of Iranian diplomats stationed in the UAE.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said that Saif Al Zaabi, the UAE Ambassador in Tehran, has been summoned home, in accordance with this decision.
Iran’s Congressional Veto
The Wall Street Journal
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
Tehran demands waivers from a new law on visa entries to the U.S.
President Obama has staked much of his foreign-policy legacy on the Iran nuclear deal, but does that deal effectively give the Iranians veto power over legislation by the U.S. Congress? That’s the question at the center of Tehran’s “outrage” at a security law passed by Congress after the Paris and San Bernardino attacks.
Reuters: Saudi Arabia to halt flights, trade with Iran
By Angus McDowall
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia widened its rift with Iran on Monday, saying it would end air traffic and trade links with the Islamic republic and demanding that Tehran must “act like a normal country” before it would restore severed diplomatic relations.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters in an interview that Tehran was responsible for rising tensions after the kingdom executed Shi’ite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday, describing him as a terrorist.
Saudi cuts ties with Iran, expels Tehran envoys
Al Arabiya News
Saudi Arabia announced late Sunday that it would officially sever ties with Iran after having two of its diplomatic posts attacked in the Islamic republic.
Saudi’s Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir, speaking in an address aired by Al Arabiya News Channel, said Iran’s diplomatic mission staff and related structures in Saudi Arabia had been given 48 hours to leave.
