Iran Focus
London, 12 Apr – It is no secret that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is receiving large amounts of financial and military support from Iran and so it seems more than obvious that the international community can kill two birds with one stone by applying sanctions on Iran.
This would not only punish Assad for repeatedly using chemical weapons on the Syrian people and Iran for its role, but it would also cut off the money that would fund another such attack.
By Edward Carney
Thursday marks 70 days since the start of a hunger strike by political prisoners Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Atena Daemi. The two women are currently being held in Qarchak Prison, a converted chicken farm with markedly poor conditions including a lack of adequate access to potable water. The facility is ordinarily reserved for violent female offenders, and the transfer of Iraee and Daemi to Qarchak was emblematic of Iranian authorities’ neglect for domestic laws regarding the separation of prisoners according to the nature of their offenses.
Iran Focus
London, 11 Apr – The international community is understandably concerned about the chemical weapons attack in Douma by Syria, which left over 40 dead and thousands injured.
This violent attack on civilians – mainly women and children – by the Syria and its allies in Iran, was followed the next day by a missile strike on a Syrian airbase that killed 14, including a number of Iranian fighters.
It is unclear who launched the attack, but some people have blamed Israel, potentially backed by the US, which led to Russian President Vladimir Putin warning of ‘grave consequences’ if the US attacks the Syrian government forces and stationing Russian troops near the Homs airfield. This comes only shortly after Donald Trump promised a ‘forceful’ Western military response to the chemical weapons attack in Douma.
Iran Focus
London, 11 Apr – Recently North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which some believe could defuse the tension between North Korea and the US, including the White House, who said they were “cautiously optimistic” about the talks and the United Nations who handled the trip as a “positive” development.
Some, however, are wondering how this meeting and China’s planned meetings with South Korea and the US may affect Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 11 Apr – Dr. Kavous Seyed Emami, a 63-year-old Iranian academic and founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, allegedly killed himself in prison after being arrested by authorities that accused him of espionage.
His family have rubbished the claims that he committed suicide as well as the allegations that he was a spy.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a New York-based non-profit organisation, said that the family were put under great pressure to bury Seyed Emami as quickly as possible. Its executive director also said that the claims of suicide have no credibility.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Apr – Following the alleged chemical attack in Douma, a town in the Eastern Ghouta area of Syria, leaders and officials are calling for more action to be taken.
The Syrian government, with the assistance of Iran and Russia, is carrying out unspeakable atrocities and their actions cannot go unpunished.
Furthermore, it is the brazen nature of Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his allies Iran and Russia with regards to such cruel and inhumane attacks on civilians that is very worrying.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Apr – New data revealed by Iran’s largest banks shows that a banking crisis is happening in the country, with big-name financial institutions experiencing horrific losses and being unable to even pay the interest on deposits.
So far, the banks on the Tehran Stock Exchange have reported operating losses of $4.5 billion; a figure that has only gotten worse in previous years and looks set to continue for the years to come.
This crisis was revealed by all of Iran’s ten biggest banks — Tejarat, Saderat, Mellat, Parsian, Sarmayeh, Eghtesad-e Novin, Gardeshgari, Dey, Ghavamin and Iran Zamin — but it’s especially prevalent for Mellat and Saderat banks.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Apr – We must not become indifferent to the huge loss of civilian life in Syria, which is currently being perpetrated by Syria, Iran, and Russia. If those responsible are not held to account, then the situation will only get worse and more innocent people will lose their lives.
There have been many attacks on the Syrian people since the start of the war, including many chemical attacks, by the axis of evil who hope to crush the people’s resistance and maintain the rule of Dictator Bashar Assad.
Iran Focus
London, 10 Apr – With the nomination of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State and John Bolton appointed National Security Advisor, the prospect of sanctions on Iran becoming effective again are much greater now, according to analysts at Citigroup Inc., Societe Generale SA, Royal Bank of Canada, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.
Many banks are now including a so-called ‘snapback’ plan for Iran in their base-case energy scenarios. Still, they seem assured regarding the impact on oil supplies from the country. Which is surprising, as SocGen sees 500,000 barrels a day of exports at risk; the others, around 350,000. Previously, sanctions cut Iran’s production by more than 1.2 million barrels a day at their peak.
By Jubin Katiraie
It looked like the Iranian Revolution was on its last legs by the autumn of 1980. It has faced many protests against the rule of the mullahs, for amongst other things rigging the election and hijacking the revolution.
Many people hoped that this would be a chance for the Iranian people to take their country back, alongside their organised democratic resistance group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Unfortunately, this was not to be.
