Iran Focus
London, 3 Feb – On February 1, Yahoo News published an article by Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick for Rueters, where they reported that this past Wednesday the new US administration put Iran “on notice”, for test firing a ballistic missile. While the White House reviews how to respond, they are taking an aggressive posture toward Tehran, and perhaps raising tensions in the region.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Feb – In an article for Al Arabiya, published on February 1, by Abdulrahman al-Rashed, former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel, and internationally acclaimed journalist, he writes, “We have wasted many years without differentiating between Iran’s interests and our own interests and without differentiating between honest causes and fake ones. The Iranian regime has succeeded in exploiting our causes, such as the Palestinian cause, and other Arabs’ and Muslim causes, and has used them to achieve its aims.”
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – The Italian police arrested four people on suspicion of smuggling arms (including helicopters and surface-to-air missiles) into Iran and Libya between 2011 and 2015, in violation of international law.
According to La Repubblica, the three Italians in this case, Mario Di Leva and Annamaria Fontana, a couple, and a legal representative for the Rome-based Società Italiana Elicotteri Andrea Pardi, and the Libyan national, Mohamud Ali Shaswish stand accused of smuggling air ambulances and weapons such as assault rifles and anti-tank missiles to Libya and Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – The US policy on Iran has for the longest time been one of sanctions and appeasement but neither have worked. What could achieve real change within the Regime? Let’s find out.
Sanctions Failed
Since 1979, Iran has been subjected to economic sanctions which were intended to encourage or force social and political change. However, Iran chose to ignore the economic implications, favouring oppressing its own people and disregarding basic human rights. In 2009, when Obama was sworn in as US President, the international community sought a different approach, despite the fact that by then, sanctions had nearly crippled the Regime.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – Over the past 38 years, the Iranian Regime has committed more ruthless acts than even ISIS, according to a human rights expert.
Heshmat Alavi wrote an op-ed on Al Arabiya, in which he denounced the Iranian Regime as “the first ISIS”. It was ruled by a dictator, Ruhollah Khomeini, who wanted to punish all who opposed him, create a wave of terror across the world and create a police state, using the terror squad the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and paramilitary Basij militia.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – Yet another human rights expert is pleading with the Trump Administration to work with the Iranian Resistance.
Last month, 23 former senior US officials wrote the Donald Trump and begged him to do the right thing and work with the Iranian opposition forces in order to secure a peaceful Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – Just minutes after his inauguration, Donald Trump announced a new “state-of-the-art” missile-defense system to protect against attacks from Iran and North Korea.
For the Iranian mullahs, this was a terror-induing statement; they previously discussed their fears that Trump would tear up the 2015 nuclear deal, which has given the Iranian Regime a lot of benefits.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Feb – The new US ambassador to the United Nation has called the recent Iranian nuclear missile test unacceptable and a violation of the 2015 nuclear accord.
Nikki Haley said: “I will tell the people across the world that is something you should be alarmed about. The United States is not naïve.
Iran Focus
London, 1 Feb – Yahoo News ran an an article from Reuters on January 30, reported by Patricia Zengerle, about the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Corker, who condemned Iran on Monday after reports it conducted a ballistic missile test. He said he would work with other lawmakers and the Trump administration to hold Iran accountable.
Iran Focus
London, 1 Feb – President Rouhani’s government aimed to make the US Dollar, as well as other foreign currencies, single-rated to correspond to Central Bank’s monetary policy.
