Iran Focus
London, 5 Mar – Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian born doctor who has been living in Sweden, is protesting his imprisonment in Iran by refusing food and water.
He was detained in Iran in April last year while attending a conference, and has been held without charge since then. He was officially invited to Tehran University to speak about his work as a disaster medicine researcher.
Iran Focus
London, 5 Mar – The United States Office of Naval Intelligence has compiled a report regarding Iran and the nuclear deal. It states that Iran is already taking part in negotiations to purchase cruise missiles from Russia as soon as the ban imposed by the United Nations regarding the selling of weapons to Iran expires in 2020.
Iran Focus
London, 4 Mar – As a consequence of terrorism, thousands upon thousands of innocent Muslims now living in the United States after escaping from horrific war scenes at home are being stigmatised.
Hezbollah is a terrorist group that is continually growing in size and strength. Hezbollah is entering Mexico from the US through underground tunnels much like it happened in Lebanon where weapons such as rockets were smuggled across from Syria.
Iran Focus
London, 4 Mar – The chief negotiator of the Syrian opposition, Salem al-Meslet, condemned the Iranian regime for its meddling in Syria and the repression of its own people at home. He said: “The Iranian and Syrian people have suffered from the Iranian regime’s crimes and terrorism, and this regime is using the Iranian’s people’s wealth for its terrorist plots.”
He said that the aim is to end the Syrian and Iranian dictatorships and to spare more lives from being lost to the terrorist plots of the mullahs in Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 4 Mar – Lake Orumiyeh in north-western Iran – the largest salt-water lake to be found in the Middle East – was during the nineties twice the size as Luxembourg. The lake now, however, has drastically shrunk.
Masoud Tajrishi, the Director of planning and integration of the revival of the lake, criticised the Rouhani government for failing to meet its obligations. He said at the Sixteenth International Exhibition on Environment that the revival of Lake Orumiyeh will fail if the government does not provide funding.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Mar – Intelligence reports from the United States point to the possibility of Iran planning a large purchase of weapons as soon as the United Nations ban which prohibits the country from purchasing sophisticated weapons is lifted in 2020.
A report from the US Office of Naval Intelligence states that Iran will purchase submarines, warships and anti-ship missiles. In other words, the country will be looking to make purchases that it has been unable to acquire since the sanctions were first put in place by the United Nations.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Mar – Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi won an Oscar for his drama “The Salesman”. However, he did not attend the awards ceremony in the United States. Instead, Iranian-American astronaut Anoush Ansari read a statement on behalf of Farhadi. He said: “I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.” His award was accepted on his behalf by Dr. Firouz Naderi – a director of NASA’s Solar System Exploration program.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Mar – Iran was a main topic of discussion at the Munich Security Conference this year. Many condemnations of Iran were heard and many agreed that it is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism. Iran was deemed the biggest problem with regards to security in the Middle East.
The criticisms of Iran were numerous and many took a strong position against the Islamic Republic, leaving many to think about a coalition. This event in Munich could be a major turning point for Iran and regime officials have been left shaken.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Mar – Foreign policy in Saudi Arabia is advancing and its Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has been planning in the region and further afield.
Al-Jubeir made a surprise visit to Baghdad at the end of February – the first official visit to the country since 2003. The purpose of the visit was to mend relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
He said: “It’s the hope of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build excellent relations between the two brotherly countries. There are also many shared interests, from fighting extremism and terrorism [to] opportunities for investment and trade between the two countries.”
Iran Focus
London, 2 Mar – Russia is trying to salvage Syrian peace talks but this is threatened by the Iranian Regime who could sabotage these peace talks, much like they have ruined previous attempts at peace.
In relation to the talks, President Vladimir Putin said: “Things aren’t going as smoothly as we would want.”
The main Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, which is backed by many in the West, is demanding that Russia pressure Syria and Iran to observe the ceasefire.
