Iran Focus
London, 26 Jun – With the days of ISIS numbered, as coalition forces have them on the run, many people are now questioning what is next for the Middle East.
The US and Iran both have footholds in Syria and vested interests in the outcome of the civil war, but Iran has also been maintaining a destructive influence across the Middle East, including in Iraq and Yemen.
Iran Focus
London, 26 Jun – The Iranian Regime is still the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world according to the CIA director.
Mike Pompeo, who has been the Director of the CIA since January, warned on Saturday that not only is Iran still the world’s biggest supporter of terrorism, its support for terror groups has in fact increased over the past few years.
By Jubin Katiraie
On May 19, the Islamic Republic of Iran held hotly anticipated elections for the presidency and a number of local offices. Particularly optimistic international observers viewed it as another possible jumping-off point for internal moderation of the Iranian regime. Meanwhile, staunch critics of that regime viewed the elections as inconsequential, with the banned opposition group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) even organizing a boycott of the polls in order to call attention to the absence of an actual reformist voice on the national stage.
Iran Focus
London, 24 Jun – The people launching credit institutions in Iran have political power and special backing but they don’t care about the law, according to a financial expert within the Iranian Regime.
Ahmad Hatami-Yazd, former director of Bank Saderat, revealed this in an interview with the Regime’s TV News Channel.
Iran Focus
London, 24 Jun – Earlier this month, the US Senate voted overwhelmingly for new sanctions against the Iranian Regime for its support of terrorism, ballistic missiles programme and its human rights violations.
The bill, titled The Countering Iran’s Destabilising Activities Act of 2017, is expected to pass the House of Representatives and get signed into law later this summer.
Amir Basiri, an expert on the Iranian Regime, wrote an op-ed for American Thinker explaining why the new sanctions are significant.
Iran Focus
London, 24 Jun – There is a growing divide between the Iranian Regime officials and their personal terror squad, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) over what really happened when Iran launched a ballistic missile towards Syria last weekend.
The most important difference is the role of the regime’s intelligence ministry in identifying the targets of these attacks.
Iran Focus
London, 23 Jun – That 1,000 missiles were launched to target the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) bases in Iraq back in 2001 has been acknowledged by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
The IRGC also admitted that due to specific reservations this measure was not acknowledged publicly for many years.
According to a June 19th report by Fars news agency, “Eighteen years ago the IRGC launched a retaliatory attack and fired 1,000 missiles and long range artillery targeting PMOI/MEK bases deep inside Iraq. This included Camp Ashraf and a base in the city of al-Emara. However, this was a strategic act and sent a message.”
Iran Focus
London, 23 Jun – Reports of the divide between the regime factions, which is based only on a struggle for power and not the moderates v hardliners myth that is so often cited, mean that Hassan Rouhani’s “election” may well spell the end of the Iranian Regime.
When incumbent President Rouhani was announced as the winner in the recent Iranian “elections”, it caused quite a stir around the world.
Op-ed
By Jubin Katiraie
Following the death of another Kurdish piggybacker, 250 civil activists in a letter called for an end to such encounters.
A number of Iranian political and civil activists in an open letter referred to the condition of the poor suburban people of Kurdistan Province. The letter reads, “What turned the issue into a tragedy is that the disciplinary police have shot blind fire for several times and by that some defenseless piggybackers died or left crippled.”
Iran Focus
London, 22 Jun – There are further reports of a widening rift between the opposing factions in the Iranian Regime, which could spell the mullahs’ downfall.
The Guardian reports that Supreme Leader Alii Khamenei has become increasingly critical of President Hassan Rouhani, probably in response to Rouhani’s criticism of him on the campaign trail, with Khamenei even going so far as to humiliate him during a meeting of top officials.
