Iran Focus
London, 8 Dec – Donald Trump appears to be building an administration of “die-hard Iran hawks”, according to James Carden at The Nation.
The president-elect’s surprise pick of retired General James N. Mattis for secretary of defence and his earlier decision to put retired General Michael Flynn at the NSC could be the starting point for Trump’s promised renegotiation on the Iranian Deal.
Iran Focus
London, 8 Dec – The Iranian Regime’s judicial system is not unlike that of the science fiction movie Minority Report, according to human rights activist Arash Sobhani at The Huffington Post.
In Minority Report, citizens are arrested because they know about crimes yet to be committed and yet somehow, the Iranian Regime have found a way to one up (or one down) the Steven Spielberg thriller.
Golrokh Ebrahimi, an Iranian woman, wrote a short story opposing the brutal punishment of stoning in Iran and was sent to prison for six years as a result.
Iran Focus
London, 8 Dec – The Basij Mostazafan performs the same role in modern-day Iran as the Brown Shirts (Storm Battalions) did in Nazi Germany, at least according to an expert in middle eastern politics.
Tony Duheaume wrote on Al Arabiya that the paramilitary Basij forces are brainwashed to obey even the most fervent ideologies of the Fuhrer…sorry Supreme Leader, including that it is their religious duty to protect the Iranian Regime at all costs; as a result, they violently attack ‘enemies of the state’, mostly peaceful protesters and improperly veiled women.
Iran Focus
London, 8 Dec – Iran is finally being put under the pressure it deserves, says one human rights activist in an op-ed on The Hill.
Heshmat Alavi wrote: “Maybe the single subject Democrats and Republicans can truly agree on in Washington, today and maybe for a long time to come, will be upgrading sanctions on Iran.”
The extension of the Iran Sanctions Act for at least another ten years, which passed through Congress last week with bipartisan support and is expected to be signed by President Obama before the end of December, is “terrifying” the Iranian Regime according to Alavi.
Iran Focus
Tehran, 7 Dec – A member of the Iranian Parliament made a speech on December 4, regarding the authorities’ attempted arrest of him for speaking out about corruption by the regime’s Judiciary Chief.
In his speech, Mahmoud Sadeghi who had previously asked for an investigation into the bank accounts of the head of the regime’s Judiciary Sadeq Larijani, called those who tried to arrest him “thieves and kidnappers”.
Iran Focus
Tehran, 7 Dec – Student Day protests have sprung up across Iran as young people express their anger against the mullah’s regime.
On December 6, students in Tabriz gathered in front of the university despite the widespread presence of the Regime’s militia forces. They bravely chanted: “Our last message to the incompetent regime: the freedom- loving nation is ready to rise up!”
Iran Focus
London, 7 Dec – British Prime Minister Theresa May is to accuse the Iranian regime of “aggressive regional actions” in the Middle East, including stirring trouble in Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, The Independent report on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister will say she is “clear-eyed” about the threat posed by the regime and will pledge to work with Gulf States to counteract its influence.
Iran Focus
London, 7 Dec – In an article in Forbes on December 5, Benjamin Weinthal, fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, writes about the Islamic Republic’s developing chemical and biological weapons programs.
President-elect Trump has referred to the nuclear deal as a “lopsided disgrace“ and called it the “worst deal ever negotiated.” If he does not, in fact, scrap the pact, aggressive enforcement will need to be a top priority.
Iran Focus
London, 6 Dec – In an article for Politico on December 05, by Ray Takeyh, Iranian-American Middle East scholar, former United States Department of State official, and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, he writes about the new Trump administration and the policy changes that may come about.
Takeyh writes, “When he assumes office in January, Donald Trump will inherit a host of foreign policy problems in the Middle East—from civil wars to terrorist insurgencies. But of all the antagonists in the region that he will have to deal with, Iran, an unpredictable foe with its flag planted in Arab capitals from Beirut to Baghdad, is the most consequential. For Trump, a successful foreign policy in the Middle East will hinge on a successful Iran policy.”
Iran Focus
London, 6 Dec – On December 5, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) wrote an article about the clear violations of UNSC resolutions by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) presence and the transfer of weapons to Syria.
The NCRI has published photos of the main command center and barracks in Aleppo. “Fort Behuth” is located 30 kilometers southeast of the city and only 5 kilometers south of the city of al-Safire.
Iran named the site, “Fort Hazrat Roqiye”. It is under the command of Seyed Javad Ghafari, IRGC Brigadier General commanding all IRGC forcers in Aleppo.
