By Jubin Katiraie
In this short series, we will explore what happened to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This first part will explore how the MEK were treated by the Shah throughout the 1970s until he left Iran in 1979.
In the years prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, political groups opposed to the Shah were rounded up and arrested by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police.
Iran Focus
London, 29 Mar – The Iranian judiciary reports that 43 people in Kermanshah, western Iran, have been indicted for taking part in recent anti-establishment protests.
On Wednesday, public prosecutor Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi told Mizan Online, the official website of the Iranian judiciary, that the people named in the indictment were under the influence of “cyberspace” and that their cases will be reviewed by the court.
Iran Focus
London, 29 Mar – One member of the Iranian parliament has claimed that the Iranian people transferred $30 billion out of the country in the last few months of the Persian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
MP Mohammad Reza Pourebrahimi, the head of the economic committee in Iran’s parliament, made this claim during an interview with the state-affiliated ISNA News Agency.
However, Pourebrahimi did not reveal how this had happened. This is an odd situation as, despite the lifting of certain sanctions under the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, Iranians do not have access to the international banking system. This means that such a transfer can only take place using unconventional methods, like using an exchange dealer or giving your money to an international traveller.
Iran Focus
London, 28 Mar – Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has spoken about Iran during his visit to the United States. The Crown Prince’s trip includes visits to numerous places across the country including Washington, New York, Houston and Silicone Valley.
The heir to the Saudi throne said earlier this week that the Iran nuclear deal that was agreed in 2015 is not preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons, rather it is delaying it.
by Jubin Katiraie
In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Iran apologist Jason Rezaian disparages the Iranian people and their democratic, organized, resistance force, The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), by presenting the lies of the Mullahs’ gospel and equating the desperate need for regime change with a desire for a foreign military intervention.
This editorial, and others like it from members of the Iran Lobby, actually just showcase that Mullahs are terrified that regime change is closer than ever before and will seek to disparage it in any way possible.
Iran Focus
London, 28 Mar – The Iran Lobby in the US has injected itself into the inner workings of the White House for no good reason by denouncing the internal transfer of a State Department staffer.
Sahar Nowrouzzadeh, who was key to the passage of the much-lambasted Iran nuclear deal of 2015, has been reassigned within the State Department by the Trump administration after questions arose about her loyalty in April 2017.
Iran Focus
London, 28 Mar – Iranian expansionism and aggression were the main topics of discussion during a meeting between the National Security Advisers of the US, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates at the White House on Monday.
The three diplomats were discussing how to counter Iran’s “malign influence and provocative behaviour”, according to a statement from the White House, something which is of strategic importance to all three countries.
The statement read: “Senior officials from the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Treasury, and the intelligence community participated in the meeting. The leaders agreed to meet trilaterally on a regular basis to develop and implement joint frameworks to mitigate threats to regional security and to bring greater peace, stability, and prosperity to the Middle East.”
by Jubin Katiraie
Previously, we’ve spoken about how the Iranian Regime attempts to discredit the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) outside of Iran through disinformation campaigns, using attack websites, disinformation agents, and the shadowy pro-Regime lobby.
Now, we’re going to speak about how the Iranian Regime attempts to discredit the MEK within Iran itself in order to get the Iranian public to turn their backs on the MEK and how that doesn’t work.
by Pooya Stone
With the new developments in US foreign policy and the prospect of the country’s walking away from Iran nuclear deal getting more serious, the question that keeps popping up more than ever is what would be Iran’s approach and what options it would have at its disposal?
Before delving into possible solutions, it should be pointed out that despite Iran’s expectations, it’s now quite clear that the 2015 nuclear deal has actually made the situation more complicated for the Iran, giving rise to different viewpoints within the Iran to deal with the current crisis.
Iran Focus
London, 27 Mar – On Monday, the Iranian rial hit a record low. For the first time, it went past the 50,000 per dollar mark.
Experts are saying that the reason for this is the mounting uncertainty from the United States.
The value of the Iranian rial has dropped by almost a quarter of its value in less than half a year. The gap between that and the official rate – 37,686 as of yesterday – is widening and there is nothing to say it will stop growing.
