Let's talk Iran - August 6, 2021
Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel trade cross-border fire amid Iran tensions
The Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets towards Israeli forces on Friday, drawing retaliatory fire from Israel into south Lebanon, in a third day of cross-border salvoes amid wider regional tensions with Iran. LINK
Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Israel as Risk of Escalation Looms
Tensions between Israel and Iran and its Hezbollah allies intensified even as both sides signaled they had no interest in an all-out war.
Israel has been calling for more of an international response, and significant preparations have been underway for an Israeli military response against Iran for the attack on the ship, according to three Israeli officials. LINK
US and G7 blame Iran for deadly attack on tanker off Oman
CENTCOM report the Israeli-managed Mercer Street vessel had been targeted by Iran three times. The first two attempts were unsuccessful. “U.S. experts concluded based on the evidence that this UAV was produced in Iran,” it said, using the military term for an “unmanned aerial vehicle.” LINK PDF version
US aircraft saw suspected Iranian gunmen take something from a hijacked tanker during 7-hour incident: official
Suspected Iranian gunmen hijacked the tanker Asphalt Princess on Tuesday, assaulting the crew and destroying equipment before rapidly departing the ship, a US official told Insider.
The gunmen wearing Iranian coast guard uniforms forcibly boarded and seized control of the ship for about seven hours before leaving the scene, the official said.
And yet the Biden administration's appeasement of Iran continues. LINK
Iranian hardliner Raisi, tied to mass executions, sworn in as regime president
He played a key role in a "death commission" that ordered the executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The Iranian people have dubbed Raisi as the “Butcher of Tehran.” LINK
West must not fall for Iran regime’s propaganda
"Tehran has exploited free speech in Western countries to advance its malicious policies through lobbyists." Important piece by Dr. Majid Rafizadeh. LINK
Iran: EU Betrays Human Rights Principles With Presence At Iranian President’s Inauguration
The international community’s silence on Iran's horrific summer 1988 massacre and subsequent crackdowns can only have the effect of making it more likely that new regime president Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran will test their impunity via worse crimes against humanity. LINK
The international community should not tolerate Iran’s murderous president
Ebrahim Raisi, the regime's new president, is dubbed by the Iranian people as the "Butcher of Tehran." Raisi, a perpetrator of crimes against humanity, is now the official president of the mullahs’ regime. But unsurprisingly, his presidency changes nothing about the nature of the regime. It is just a reflection of what the regime has always been. It is now time for politicians to decide whether how they will deal with a regime that has revealed its true colors. LINK
US Calls On Raisi To Return To Talks As Iran Sends Contradictory Signals
As the U.S. and Europe continue appeasing Iran, "Raisi will surprise the enemy. Iran is no longer interested in the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) which has hindered Tehran's progress. The West's only choice is to lift the sanctions in a verifiable way." LINK
Iran secretly executes young man arrested at 15
Iranian authorities have secretly executed Sajad Sanjari, a juvenile offender imprisoned in Diezelabad Prison in Kermanshah, western Iran . The child offender was 15 years old at the time of his arrest and spent more than a decade in prison. In 2020, Iranian authorities hanged at least five juvenile offenders. LINK
Widespread arrests ongoing after Khuzestan water protests
More than two weeks after the suppression of mass protests in Khuzestan province, Hamshahri Online reports 300 people have been arrested in the city of Susangard alone.
At least 12 were killed by the state police during the protests. LINK
Three Iranian women receive prison sentences of 16 years and 8 months
The 26th Branch of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court handed down prison sentences for three Iranian women, Somayyeh Kargar, Bahareh Soleimani, and Nazanin Mohammad-Nejad on bogus charges as regime escalates persecution of women.
Somayyeh Kargar and Bahareh Soleimani received sentences of 6 years and 8 months, each, for “participation in running an illegal group,” and “propaganda against the state.” LINK
Iran Judiciary sentences man to prison and lashes for “defaming” local officials on Telegram
A court in Iran sentenced Morteza Haghbayan to two years and six months of prison, 90 lashes, and a 10 million toman fine (around 390 USD) for “defaming officials in Kurdistan Province and publishing government documents”. LINK
Rouhani’s Eight-Year Record as President
"In his eight-year tenure as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani cracked down on peaceful protesters and killed at least 1,700 demonstrators and bystanders." LINK
Dual Nationals Among Those Likely To Suffer Under Iran’s New Administration
Dropping prisoner swap plans with the US is a probable sign of Iran hardening its approach to foreign and dual nationals as it makes the transition from the administration of "moderate" Hassan Rouhani to avowed hardliner Ebrahim Raisi. LINK