Iran Focus

London, 21 Dec – Iran has been labeled “the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.” Its regime has now established a major land force in Syria, which is seen by some as a threat to Israel.

Claiming to be assisting Syrian President Bashar Assad defeat domestic insurgents, Tehran has stationed what is estimated at 125,000 troops in Syria, outnumbering its own army, in addition to thousands of Iranian militia. Allegedly Iran is helping Iraq forces extinguish ISIS threats there.

Last week, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley outlined the way Iran is flouting United Nations resolutions by supporting and arming Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who recently fired what was identified as an Iranian missile into Saudi Arabia.

Iran Focus

London, 20 Dec – Tehran, 20 Dec – A magnitude 5.2 earthquake jolted a town near the Iranian capital on Wednesday, according to state television.

The quake caused people in buildings to pour out into the streets in fear.

The quake hit Malard, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Tehran, at 23:28 Wednesday local time. Its depth was 7 kilometers, according to the Associated Press. While Iranian state TV put its magnitude at 5.2, the U.S. Geological Survey later said it was a 5.0 quake.

Iran Focus

London, 20 Dec – The war of words between the factions of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and conservative judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani within Iran is heating up yet again, after the leading mullahs publically criticised each other last week.

At a December 13 summit where he was supposed to address students, Larijani accused Ahmadinejad of trying to create “turmoil” and “sedition” after rumours about Larijani’s daughter being arrested for espionage surfaced.

He said: “The actions of those who are making [different] kinds of accusations against the judiciary are a type of sedition. Because whoever undermines [Iran’s] political system is actually committing sedition.”

Iran Focus

London, 19 Dec – Ever since the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran has been dealing with an endless stream of international and domestic crises, including fevered unrest from the Iranian people who want regime change and various countries in the Middle East standing up against Iran’s malign meddling.

These crises are likely to be exacerbated given the constant threat of international negotiations over Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional destabilisation efforts.

International condemnation and Iran’s response

Iran has attempted to save face by showing ‘power’ from the Revolutionary Guards bully-boy tactics and the Iranian military’s excursions to other Middle Eastern states, but if the international community cracked down hard on the Regime, the mullahs would soon give in and give up their dangerous military strategy.

Iran Focus

London, 19 Dec – A Conservative lawmaker from the United Kingdom has written a blistering rebuke of “baseless accusations” made against Iran’s democratic opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) by Massoud Khodabandeh, a mouthpiece for Iran.

Sir David Amess MP, wrote a letter to the Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post, Polly Curtis, about Khodabandeh’s many articles attacking the PMOI/MEK which are factually inaccurate at best.

Amess said that it was “regrettable” that The Huffington Post allowed itself to be “abused” in this way, given that Khodabandeh’s has published many hit pieces against the PMOI/MEK in the past year.