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Showing posts from August, 2017

ANALYSIS: How the tide is turning against Iran

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By Heshmat Alavi 28 August 2017 As ISIS is losing ground in its two last enclaves of Raqqa and Deir el-Zor, there are many rightfully concerning reports of Iran seeking to chip further  control in Syria . All the while, there are also signs of contradictory remarks heard from senior Iranian officials, parallel to indications on the ground of how international counterparts are seeking their own interests that fall completely against those of Tehran ’s. Such incoherency signals nothing but troubling times ahead for Iran in losing its grasp of strategic interests across the  Middle East , including Syria.

The World’s Shame: Iran’s Hunger Striking Political Prisoners are Largely Ignored

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08/25/2017 By: Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Human rights record has  deteriorated   markedly in Iran according to human rights organizations including Amnesty International.

Iran’s Challenges in Rouhani’s Second Term

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AUGUST 25, 2017 BY HESHMAT ALAVI he second term of Iranian President  Hassan Rouhani  has officially begun. His first four years were experienced by the people of  Iran , the region and the international community. It is necessary to discuss the challenges his second term will pose. The most important matter in Iranian politics is the issue of hegemony, authority and power. As long as the regime is formed around the supreme leader, known as the  velayet-e faqih , the presidency and his executive branch will literally be functioning to his service and demands. In such a structure, the president in the Iranian regime, now Rouhani , literally enjoys no authority. Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami once described his role as a mere “procurer.”

Iran on the path of North Korea

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August 23, 2017 By  Keyvan Salami Iran can enrich uranium within five days if the  U.S . imposes more sanctions on  Iran , Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's atomic agency head, warned this week. He claimed that  Iran  could achieve 20% enriched uranium in five days – a level at which it could then quickly be processed further into weapons-grade nuclear material. Last week, Iranian  president Hassan Rouhani  announced that Iran could abandon its  nuclear  agreement with world powers " within hours " if the United States imposes any more new sanctions. "If America wants to go back to the experience of imposing sanctions, Iran would certainly return in a short time – not a week or a month, but within hours - to conditions more advanced than before the start of negotiations,"  Rouhani told  a session of parliament broadcast live on state television. In response,  U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley  said Iran should not be allowed "to use the nuclear deal to hold the

ANALYSIS: IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR IRAQ WITHOUT IRAN?

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22 August 2017 By Heshmat Alavi  The military phase of the fight against ISIS is winding down  after the liberation of Mosul , and the battle for the nearby  town of Tal Afar  is predicted to end soon. This has provided an opportunity for Iraq to begin distancing itself from the influence gained by  Iran  following the disastrous 2003 war , and returning to its true Arabic heritage.Iraq was known as a melting pot where Arabs, Kurds  and Turkmens lived alongside and in mixed societies for centuries. Prior to Iran gaining its disastrous sway across Mesopotamia, this was a land where the majority of Shiites lived and prospered with their Sunni, Christian, Yazidi and all other religious minority brothers. Has not the time arrived for  Iraq  to regain its true position as part of the Arab world, and rid its soil of the meddling of Iran’s clerics?

Senior US Senators Meet Iran Opposition Leader In Albania

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By: Dr. Majid Rafizadeh 08/12/2017 While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has  been  quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier. A senior  delegation  of  United States  Senators travelled to Tirana, the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition  leader  Maryam Rajavi , who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The  delegation ,  Senators Roy Blunt , Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees, also visited members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI

Opinion: Couple US sanctions with Middle East expulsion of Iran

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OPINION: COUPLE US SANCTIONS WITH MIDDLE EAST EXPULSION OF IRAN by Shahriar Kia 16 August 2017 Riyadh Daily, 16 August 2017 - The Iranian regime is attempting to secure a corridor through Iraq , Syria , and Lebanon , providing a supply route for its numerous terrorist proxies in the region. Iran ’s clandestine nuclear and ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and domestic crackdown are all aimed at maintaining the Tehran’s fascist mullahs in power and pursue their regional policies.

Iran: Call to Save 7 Prisoners on the Verge of Execution

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Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran August 14, 2017 prisoners  was  17    when he  committed  the  alleged "crime" Seven prisoners sentenced to death in Gohar  Dasht (Rajaieh Shahr)  Prison in Karaj,  have been transferred to solitary confinement. These victims are faced with an imminent death threat. Mehdi Bohlouli, who is now on the verge of execution after serving 15 years of imprisonment,  was only 17 when arrested  and this is the fourth time he has been transferred to solitary confinement for  Taking prisoners to the gallows to witness the   shocking scene of the execution of other prisoners is a common practice of torture in the prisons of Iranian regime.

NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN, NOW IT'S TIME FOR A NEW US POLICY TOO

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14 August 2017 By Alireza Jafarzadeh On the second anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, some argue that the agreement succeeded in slowing Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon. However, the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program are only limited, as is the international inspectors’ access to the country’s illicit facilities.In addition, in areas unrelated to the nuclear agreement,

Tortured by 'Moderates'

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AUG 21, 2017 |  By  KELLY JANE TORRANCE Hassan Rouhani  was sworn in for his second term as president of  Iran  on August 5, surrounded by fresh flowers, fervent followers, and around 500 foreign officials. Representatives of the United Kingdom, France, the United Nations, and the Vatican rubbed shoulders with the Syrian prime minister, Hezbollah second-in-command Naim Qassem, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader and FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list member Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, and murderous Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe. The Westerners didn’t seem uncomfortable in such company; indeed, European Union foreign policy chief  Federica Mogherini  was described as the star of the show after Iranian members of parliament elbowed through the crowd to take selfies with the diplomat.

Senior US Senators meet Iran opposition leader in Albania

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By:Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, 08/12/2017 While August seems usually a passive time of the year in politics, it has  been  quite the opposite for Iran and the wide variety of developments around this controversial international dossier. A senior  delegation  of United States Senators travelled to Tirana , the capital of Albania, today, August 12, 2017, to meet the Iranian opposition leader  Maryam Rajavi , who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The  delegation , Senators Roy Blunt, Vice President of the Republican Conference, and member of the Appropriation, Select Intelligence, Rules and Administration, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees; John Cornyn, the Majority Whip, and a member of the Judiciary, Select Intelligence, and Finance committees; and Thom Tillis, a member of the Armed Services, Judiciary, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and Veterans’ Affairs committees, also visited members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/

How Iran Fears MEK as Its Opposition

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By: Pooya Stone 10 August 2017 The  regime in Iran has come under immense domestic  and international pressure recently. Most vivid are the sweeping sanctions imposed by US Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.

A Look at Khomeini's Fatwa for PMOI/MEK Massacre

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By Jubin Katiraie August 2017 29 years ago these days, in  Iran  under the mullahs’ regime, the  massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners , mainly members, and supporters of the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) had engulfed all of Iran. The intensity and speed of this massacre were so severe that not only PMOI/MEK families, but all other families of prisoners sought information about their loved ones. No authorities would provide answers, however.

How to tackle Iran’s Middle East bellicosity

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By Heshmat Alavi 7 August 2017 Thanks to years of Western appeasement in the face of  Iran’s belligerence  across the  Middle East , evidence of Tehran’s dangerous footprints are now visible in several countries across the region, including even Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The Trump administration , however, has made it quite vivid its adoption of a firm approach. This stance, signaled in the historic May conference in Riyadh, is long overdue and should be enhanced by Washington supporting the Iranian people’s desire for  regime change .

Protests Over European and Western Officials Attending Rouhani Inauguratio

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As the cries throughout the international community continue to lean toward regime change in  Iran , the latest Iranian election has resulted in a second term for Rouhani, who has the interests of the regime in the forefront.

Blueprinting the Right Iran Policy

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BY HESHMAT ALAVI AUGUST 2, 2017 President Obama's overtures to Tehran were disastrous. The Trump Administration must act now to stop Iran from creating a functioning nuclear weapon, but it may already prove too late.

Opinion: Couple US sanctions with Middle East expulsion of Iran

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By: Shahriar Kia  2017-08-01    The  Iranian regime  is attempting to secure a corridor through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, providing a supply route for its numerous terrorist proxies in the region. Iran’s clandestine nuclear  and ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and domestic crackdown are all aimed at maintaining the Tehran’s fascist mullahs in power and pursue their regional policies.