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Pence and McMaster Honour Victims of Iran’s 1983 Attack on US Marines in Lebanon

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Pence and McMaster Honour Victims of Iran’s 1983 Attack on US Marines in Lebanon

Iran Focus

London, 24 Oct – US Vice President Mike Pence and National Security Advisor General H.R. McMaster both addressed a Washington D.C. ceremony on Monday, which marked the 34th anniversary of the attack on the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and highlighted the Trump administration’s commitment to defeating terrorism.

The 1983 attack, in which a suicide bomber drove a truck full of explosives in the barracks, was ordered by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in order to get the US to pull their Marines out of Lebanon.

In response, President Ronald Reagan ordered the USS New Jersey battleship, stationed off the Lebanese coast, to bombard the hills near Beirut.

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Former US House Speaker and Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich Discusses Iran

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Former US House Speaker and Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich Discusses Iran

Iran Focus

London, 24 Oct – When he described the clerical establishment of Iran as “a dictatorship with a façade of democracy,” former House Speaker and Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich added, “If you’re not part of the dictatorship, and you’re not acceptable to the dictator, you can’t run, and therefore to pretend that the elections actually offer any serious choice to the Iranian people is simply a fantasy.”

Gingrich made these comments while speaking at a luncheon held by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, OIAC at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on Friday. Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield Jr., the Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs under the George W. Bush administration.

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Thousands of People Held Protest Rally in Front of Iran’s Parliament

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Thousands of People Held Protest Rally in Front of Iran’s Parliament

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – Tehran. October 23, 2017. More than 2000 looted customers of IRGC affiliated financial institutions demonstrated in front of the parliament, security forces who were trying to disperse them with mayhem faced a strong resistance. People were chanting:

Shame, Shame on Security forces
Death to dictator, Cannon, Tank, Machine gun don’t intimidate us

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Iranian Political Prisoner Pleads for Legal Help After Hunger Strike

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Iranian Political Prisoner Pleads for Legal Help After Hunger Strike

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – One of Iran’s longest-serving political prisoners has written a letter pleading for help after 81 days on hunger strike.

Mohammad Nazari was taken to a medical clinic after losing over 25 kilos (55 pounds) whilst on hunger strike. His health has declined so much that he has lost his voice and can barely walk.

He wrote a letter, shared on human rights websites and social media, lamenting his treatment at the hands of the Iranian Regime and pleading for human rights defenders to help him secure his release.

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Trump’s Iran Policy Doesn’t Go Far Enough in Relation to Iraq

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Trump’s Iran Policy Doesn’t Go Far Enough in Relation to Iraq

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – Donald Trump’s new policy on Iran does not go far enough in relation to the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

Last week, the PMF and the Iraqi army invaded the oil-rich Kirkuk region- taken back from ISIS by the Kurds- under the orders of Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qassem Soleimani. Trump has refused to intervene, claiming that both Iraq and the Kurds are US allies and that it would not be appropriate to back either side.

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Tillerson to Iranian Militias in Iraq: “Go Home.”

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Tillerson to Iranian Militias in Iraq: “Go Home.”

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – The US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has told Iranian-backed militias and their Iranian advisers to leave Iraq and “go home”, following his meeting with the leaders of Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The US and Saudi Arabia have long been concerned about the Iranian Regime’s influence over Iraq and its government following the 2003 US invasion and more recently the growth of the so-called Islamic State.

At a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir, Tillerson said: “Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control.”

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Trump’s Decertification of the Iran Deal May Improve US Credibility

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Trump’s Decertification of the Iran Deal May Improve US Credibility

Iran Focus

London, 23 Oct – While some are painting the idea that Donald Trump’s actions over the Iranian nuclear deal will harm US credibility abroad, many others believe that this will actually improve US credibility.

Richard Goldberg, one of the leading architects of several rounds of congressionally enacted sanctions on Iran, wrote on the New York Post:” President Trump’s decision to decertify the pact offers an opportunity to rebuild the credibility lost when President Barack Obama instituted his policy of appeasement of Iran and Russia.”

Back in 2008, then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, flew to the Czech Republic and Poland to agree on the locations of American missile defence radars and interceptors that would be able to intercept future Iranian long-range ballistic missiles.

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Iran Nuclear Deal and Iran’s Belligerence Are Linked

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Iran Nuclear Deal and Iran’s Belligerence Are Linked

Iran Focus

London, 22 Oct – It came as no surprise to many that US President Donald Trump decided to decertify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, between the United States, several EU countries, China and Russia.

The responses to this news was mixed. In the Middle East, there was huge condemnation as well as huge praise.

And while many were expecting him to do so, his decision drew immediate responses from around the globe. President of Iran Hassan Rouhani expressed his anger at the decision, while the Arab countries that are negatively impacted by Iran’s actions welcomed it.

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Open Secret of Iran and Al-Qaeda

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Open Secret of Iran and Al-Qaeda

Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – The director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, has spoken about the “open secret” regarding links between Iran and al-Qaeda during the Obama administration. Pompeo criticised the Obama administration for downplaying the relationship.

He said: “It’s an open secret and not classified information that there have been relationships, there are connections. There have been times the Iranians have worked alongside Qaeda.”

He indicated that the cooperation usually occurs when their hatred for the West comes to the forefront and he suggests that they have “cut deals so as not to come after each other”. He added that they believe the threat of the West is greater than the fight “along their ideological lines”.

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Discusses Iran Nuclear Deal Strategy

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham Discusses Iran Nuclear Deal Strategy

Iran Focus

London, 21 Oct – According to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, from South Carolina, a longtime lawmaker, Senate Republicans plan to introduce legislation that will add new conditions to the legislation that gives them review authority over the Iran nuclear deal.

Graham said the current Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “a lousy deal” and explained President Donald Trump refused to re-certify it because “the benefits to Iran are [not] worth what we’re getting.” Graham added that he will work with Armed Services Committee member Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, both fellow Republicans, to craft legislation regarding Iran.

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