Lets talk Iran - April 29, 2022
McCaul calls on Biden to conduct a sanctions review before making a new nuke deal with Tehran
Rep. Mike McCaul calls on Biden to review the individuals sanctioned by the U.S. for their contributions to Iran‘s ballistic missile program and state-sponsored terrorism apparatus, adding the congressionally-mandated review is a must before lifting any sanctions.
“Reports indicate that you and your team are considering significant sanctions relief related to Iran‘s malign activities to reach a nuclear deal with Iran,” Mr. McCaul wrote. “It would be irresponsible and dangerous to lift sanctions related to Iran‘s malign activities without first having a full understanding of the reach of Iran‘s threat networks and the regime’s enablers.” LINK
Antony Blinken confirms ‘ongoing threat’ to US officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed Tuesday there is an “ongoing threat” against past and present American officials by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, just weeks after reports revealed the State Department is paying millions of dollars to protect former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from threats. LINK
Iran set up centrifuge-parts workshop underground at Natanz, IAEA says
Keyword: "underground" — The workshop uses machines from a now-closed facility at Karaj that suffered what Tehran says was a sabotage attack by its arch-foe Israel. The workshop can make parts essential to advanced centrifuges that are among the most efficient in Iran's enrichment program. Rest assured UN/IAEA inspectors will be barred from visiting workshop, at least any time soon. LINK
Iran Ramps Up Oil Exports as China Pulls Back on Russian Crude
Increase was fastest of any Middle Eastern nation and highest since President Trump reinstated oil embargo after pulling out of 2015 nuclear pact. Iran oil exports—which go almost exclusively to China apart from rare deliveries to Syria and Venezuela—rose to 870,000 barrels a day in the first three months of the year, up 30% from an average of 668,000 barrels a day in the full-year 2021, said commodities data provider Kpler. LINK
Iran: Prosecutors on Noury’s 87th Session Confirm the 1988 Massacre
Prosecutors ask for life in prison for Iranian operative Hamid Noury considering his role in Iran's summer 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members and supporters of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). LINK
Teargas and arrests, response to peaceful protests in northern Iran
Security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters gathered in a village near Rasht, northern Iran, to prevent garbage from being dumped in the area. The Saravan Rural District is used as a landfill site and has led to many problems for locals. LINK
Iran: Mohsen Rezaei’s Dismissal: First Cracks in Khamenei’s Strategy To Consolidate Power?
After years of increasing infightings within his regime, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei believed that by appointing Ebrahim Raisi as president and handpicking his government, he could consolidate power and overcome fissures while facing a volatile society. But it seems he has found no port in the storm. LINK
Iran: Khamenei’s fear of universities has a long history
In a meeting with a handpicked group of loyalist students on April 26, regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei implicitly acknowledged his fear of Iran’s explosive society, especially among the youth.
In a lengthy speech in which he spoke of the years after the 1979 Revolution, Khamenei tried to portray the mullahs’ regime as a state that seeks scientific growth and progress. But he also admitted that his regime has always been challenged by the centers of education and science. LINK
Iran: Judiciary Sentences Elite Students to 16 Years in Prison
During the last two years, interrogators applied mental and physical torture against the two elite students in an attempt to force them into making forced confessions. Ali Younesi and Amir-Hossein Moradi have now been sentenced to 16 years in prison. The regime’s notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) detained them on April 10, 2020. LINK
Political prisoner Leila Chegini tortured and beaten in Nowshahr prison in Iran
This 43-year-old mother of two is under torture while already critically ill, denied medical care, and medicine. In recent days, on orders from the prison warden, several hired inmates attacked and severely beat Chegini, injuring her in the eye, face, and back. She is under torture and pressure to make a false confession against herself to prove the intelligence services’ scenario. LINK
Iran: Labor activist Asal Mohammadi to serve a sentence in Tehran prison
Her charges are "propaganda against the state" and "assembly and collusion against national security." Mohammadi was brutalized and arrested on November 6, 2021, and security forces searched her home. On November 11, 2021, she was transferred to a public cell in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. LINK
The Cause of Violence in Iran’s Society
One of the dangerous consequences of Iran's regime depriving the people of any meaningful freedom has been the expansion of violence in society.
News about poverty, misery, critical economic situation, and social crises have become a common occurrence, and it seems that people are getting used to such a situation. It may very well be the regime’s evil intention to desensitize people about their miserable situation in a bid to accelerate the speed of the social and moral collapse. LINK