Iran Focus
London, 17 Feb – New information about the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its training of new recruits was revealed by the National Council of Resistance (NCRI) earlier this week. The US representative office of the NCRI said in a press conference that the new recruits were being trained by the IRGC so they could work abroad.
The People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has an extensive network inside the country and was able to provide this information. The PMOI also discovered that hundreds of forces from countries where the Iran is on the frontline (Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria) are trained by the IRGC and then sent back to home to fight.
The NCRI were also able to say that the terrorist units of the Quds Force receive training before being sent out to different countries.
The US is considering designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. There is no ambiguity that the group is a terrorist organisation – it has been involved in and organised terrorist activities for decades. It started Hezbollah in Lebanon in the eighties and set up the Quds Force in 1990.
At this time there were numerous executions of Iranian dissidents taking place in Europe. Europe had very little to say at that time which just left the IRGC free to continue with its terror. Silence emboldened the IRGC. This is essentially why Sunni extremists continued on the same path as the IRGC.
In Syria, the IRGC has been involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Despite the horrifying images seen through the media, Europe does not seem to be paying attention. Europe is more focused on doing business with Iran, but in doing so it is overlooking its own Western values and principles.
A Swedish delegation was in Iran this week and the female members covered their hair while there. Whether they did so of their own accord or on the request of President Rouhani is unknown, but in either case, it is completely offensive to Muslims who see that their religion is being tainted by images of women acting against their convictions. It is also very embarrassing for Europe that these women acted in such a way.
Earlier this year the Minister of Defence of Iran announced that government IT, telecommunication, transport, gas, oil, petroleum and water plans are assigned to Khatam-al Anbiya – a large corporation that is affiliated with the IRGC.
Shortly after this, it was reported that out of around 110 agreements made since the Iran nuclear deal, 90 of them have been related to Iranian state companies.
Europe must look further than short-term economic interests and stop dealing with Iran until the terrorist activities stop. Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism and the IRGC is a large part of this. Iran needs good relations with Europe, so it is important that Europe preserves this leverage.
