Iran Focus
London, 01 Apr – Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, or ‘al-Nujaba’, a Shia jihadist group loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, is reported to have built a 10,000-strong force operational across several brigades in Iraq and Syria — considerable influence in Iran’s proxy wars in Syria and Iraq, that strengthens Shia power in the region.
In recent months the group has warned American troops not to attack Shia groups in the region.
Iran Focus
London, 31 Mar – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s high-profile visit to the White House is significant because his discussions with US President Trump were tied to the upcoming quarterly deadline to assess whether Tehran is complying with the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump made his opposition to the JCPOA a central position in his presidential campaign, and it is uncertain whether the US will pull out of the agreement.
Following the Crown Prince’s visit, in a move that received widespread international condemnation, Yemen’s Houthi militia launched seven ballistic missiles targeting civilian areas in Saudi Arabia. In Washington, the attacks are viewed as an Iranian attempt to escalate the war in Yemen as part of a strategic effort to undermine the growing US-Saudi relationship.
Iran Focus
London, 31 Mar – As more foreign policy ‘experts’ try to defend the Iran nuclear deal, they actually strengthen the case for scrapping the deal altogether.
Those decrying the appointment of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor respectively, are under the impression that it would be horrible for the US and the world in general if these two allow Trump to pull out of the nuclear deal in May.
Iran Focus
London, 30 Mar – There are some people who are greatly concerned about Donald Trump’s appointment of John Bolton as his new national security advisor, including the former top Obama officials who now run the National Security Action group.
The group is chaired by Ben Rhodes, a top Obama adviser who has now admitted to creating an “echo chamber” of lies, distortions and spin to promote the Iran nuclear deal, and Jake Sullivan, who likely would have served as national security adviser in Hillary Clinton’s cabinet.
Iran Focus
London, 30 Mar – Donald Trump has been threatening to tear up the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal since the campaign trail, but so far he’s been prevented from doing so by high-ranking cabinet officials.
This will not be the case for much longer, as political consultants the Eurasia Group have predicted that the agreement, formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is unlikely “to survive President Donald Trump’s first term in office”, as revealed by their chair Cliff Kupchan on Wednesday.
Iran Focus
London, 30 Mar – Former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton has just been appointed as the new national security adviser (NSA). Since the announcement was made, Bolton has faced harsh criticism from some. It has been speculated that Bolton wants the United States to go to war with certain nations and he has been labelled a warmonger.
Some of this reaction has been because of Bolton’s support of the Iranian opposition. He has participated in events and conferences over the past few years where he has supported the Iranian Resistance in its quest for regime change.
Iran Focus
London, 30 Mar – US President Donald Trump has been urging his European colleagues to take further action with regards to Iran. Specifically, in terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, he has warned that he will pull the United States out of the deal if the numerous flaws are not fixed and if the shortcomings are not addressed.
By Jubin Katiraie
In this short series, we will explore what happened to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. This first part will explore how the MEK were treated by the Shah throughout the 1970s until he left Iran in 1979.
In the years prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, political groups opposed to the Shah were rounded up and arrested by SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police.
Iran Focus
London, 29 Mar – The Iranian judiciary reports that 43 people in Kermanshah, western Iran, have been indicted for taking part in recent anti-establishment protests.
On Wednesday, public prosecutor Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi told Mizan Online, the official website of the Iranian judiciary, that the people named in the indictment were under the influence of “cyberspace” and that their cases will be reviewed by the court.
Iran Focus
London, 29 Mar – One member of the Iranian parliament has claimed that the Iranian people transferred $30 billion out of the country in the last few months of the Persian calendar year, which ended on March 20.
MP Mohammad Reza Pourebrahimi, the head of the economic committee in Iran’s parliament, made this claim during an interview with the state-affiliated ISNA News Agency.
However, Pourebrahimi did not reveal how this had happened. This is an odd situation as, despite the lifting of certain sanctions under the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, Iranians do not have access to the international banking system. This means that such a transfer can only take place using unconventional methods, like using an exchange dealer or giving your money to an international traveller.
