Iran Focus
London, 17 Apr – “We want to make sure that the influence of Iran doesn’t take over the area,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an April 15 appearance on CBS’ Face The Nation, “They continue to cause problems throughout the region, and we want to make sure that there is a hold.”
Iran Focus
London, 16 Apr – Saudi Arabian king has criticised Iran for its “blatant interference” in the domestic affairs of other nation states in the Middle East during a meeting of the Arab League in Dhahran on Sunday.
He said: “We renew our strong condemnation of Iran ’s terrorist acts in the Arab region and reject its blatant interference in the affairs of Arab countries.”
The 29th Arab League summit was attended by heads of state from 17 Arab nations, with the notable exception of Iran ally Syria, who was suspended from the league in 2011.
Iran Focus
London, 16 Apr – On Sunday 15th April, it was reported by state media in Iran that the ministry of education would be banning the use of foreign social media in schools. It is apparently part of an effort by the government to encourage the use of domestic social networks.
Clearly is it an attempt by the government to limit the influence from foreign social media applications in a country where the people are oppressed in many areas of life.
Iran Focus
London, 16 Apr – Yet more protests from angry farmers have been held in Isfahan, central Iran, over the Iranian Government’s corruption and mismanagement that is exacerbating the drought crisis in the country.
Reports gathered from social media show that the protests began again on Friday and carried on through the weekend, with hundreds of farmers from the eastern parts of the province gathering in the provincial capital, chanting “America is not our enemy, our enemy is right here”.
By Jubin Katiraie
The war began on September 20, 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran.
Many Iranians, including MEK members living in Iran, rushed to the battlefronts to defend their homeland, and by January 1981, the war had begun to change course.
By June 1982, Iran had reclaimed all lost territory and Iraq had proposed a ceasefire and a withdrawal of troops from Iranian land, but the mullahs, hoping to turn Iraq into an Iranian province refused the terms.
Iran Focus
London, 14 Apr – The exact number of people detained during the widespread protests that began in Iran’s oil-rich southwestern Khuzestan province is still unknown after nearly two weeks.
No official figures regarding the dozens of people who were detained have been released, however, one unverified estimate puts the number as high as 400. Relatives of the detainees said judiciary officials have not responded to their inquiries about where their loved ones are being held, or the charges that they face.
Iran Focus
London, 14 Apr – Iran is one of the 23 countries that have not yet abolished the death penalty, and according to an April 12th report released by Amnesty International, “more than half (51%) of all recorded executions in 2017 were carried out in Iran.”
Ranking second behind China in terms of executions around the world, Iran has “carried out 84% of the global total number of executions along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan.”
Amnesty International also observed that compared to 2016 there has been “a slight decrease (5%) in execution figures” in Iran, but added that last year, “Iran executed at least 507 people, accounting for 60% of all confirmed executions in the region.”
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – It is well known that Russia has been supporting the Bashar Assad in Syria, but this year they have started to withdraw troops and turn a focus to domestic matters.
Why? Well, they don’t have the military force needed to threaten American or Israeli forces in the Levant and they see the benefits in leaving now.
Iran is a much different story.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – The United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has hinted at “very strong” US sanctions on Iran as the final deadline for the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers approaches.
During testimony before a House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee on April 11, Mnuchin said that these measures would include sanctions against Iran and also any entities that do business with the nation. He said that these sanctions would strongly affect the Iranian economy.
Iran Focus
London, 13 Apr – Steven Mnuchin, the current US Secretary of the Treasury, said yesterday that the United States could seek to go ahead with further sanctions on Iran. He said that the sanctions may be “very strong”.
Testifying before a House appropriations subcommittee, Mnuchin said that sanctions against Iran would be both on Iran and on those that seek to carry out business deals with Iran. He said there would be both primary and secondary sanctions.
He also indicated that as well as the renewal of previous sanctions that have been waived as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, there could potentially be a new round of sanctions.
