Iran Focus
London, 13 Jan – The US is proposing to leave troops near the Iraqi and Jordanian border with Syria when they withdraw from the warzone, in order to stop Iranian entrenchment in the country, according to a draft paper presented to Turkish officials by US National Security Adviser John Bolton.
This news comes as an American official confirmed that the US has begun moving equipment out of Syria, which is the start of the withdrawal tweeted out by Donald Trump last month.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Jan – A female civil rights activist who spent close to one month in detention has talked about her “brutal torture” and that of a labor activist arrested with her. Sepideh Qolian, was attacked and detained with several other labor activists in November at the Haft-Tapeh Sugar Mill, alongside workers who were striking for their unpaid wages.
According to labor leader, Esmail Bakhshi, who tried to intervene, he and Qolian were severely assaulted at the time of arrest. The two were taken to prison where systematic torture allegedly began.
Iran Focus
London, 12 Jan – At a keynote address in Cairo on Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Middle East nations to forge a common stand against Tehran, and pledged that the United States and its allies would chase all Iranian troops from Syria.
“It’s time for old rivalries to end, for the sake of the greater good of the region,” Pompeo told attendees. He added that America “will use diplomacy and work with our partners to expel every last Iranian boot” from Syria and bolster efforts “to bring peace and stability to the long-suffering Syrian people.”
By Jubin Katiraie
The EU has imposed new sanctions on Iran following revelations that Iran has ordered four terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years.
In June 2018, Iran plotted to bomb a rally held by the Iranian Resistance in Paris. Thankfully, European officials thwarted this plot and no one was hurt before the four individuals who tried to carry out the plot were arrested.
Iran Focus
London, 11 Jan – While traveling in the Middle East, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News in an exclusive interview, that the United States will host an international summit next month to promote stability and freedom in the Middle East. The meeting will focus on Iran’s regional influence.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Jan – In response to Iran’s terrorist activity over the past year in Europe, the European Union has decided to impose its first sanctions against Iran since the 2015 nuclear deal.
Both France and Denmark foiled two plots to kill dissidents on European soil last year, and on Tuesday, the Netherlands attributed the murders of two Iranian dissidents to the Iranian government.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Jan – The EU is committed to ensuring that EU-Iran trade and economic relations continue to benefit from the positive impact of the sanctions lifted JCPOA. The EU has introduced measures to alleviate the effects of US sanctions on European firms, and announced the creation of a new mechanism, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), to facilitate financial transactions with Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Jan – A woman who accused Iranian MP Salman Khodadadi of rape was found dead in her home in East Azarbaijan Province on Sunday, with the cause of death as yet unknown, but many are speculating foul play.
Zahra Navidpour, 28, had told the Human Rights Activists News Agency that she received constant threats on her life from Khodadadi, the chair of the parliament’s Social Commission, and those close to him, some of which were recorded
By Jubin Katiraie
Ever since the US pulled out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, the European Union, Britain, France, and Germany have been trying to find a way to subvert reimposed US sanctions on Iran, but the EU needs to end this appeasement of Iran and join the US in cracking down on the Regime.
The signing of the JCPOA, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, did not stop Iran from completing work on its nuclear programme. Instead, a lack of restrictions on its ballistic missile programme, proper inspections of nuclear and military sites, and restrictions on its civilian nuclear programme allowed the Regime to push the malign parts of its programme underground and continue work on building nuclear weapons.
Iran Focus
London, 9 Jan – It has been reported that the number of Afghans that have been forced to leave Iran has dramatically increased over the past year. Figures show that around 775,000 Afghans left last year alone.
One of the main factors in this is the sanctions that were reimposed by the United States and the resolve of the Trump administration to addressing the Iran threat.
