Let's talk Iran - Feb 1, 2021
NUCLEAR
First Make Iran Mend Fences With Its Neighbors
"... the threat from Tehran can’t be contained by separating the nuclear menace from other malign behavior. It must be dealt with in the aggregate. Biden should start by insisting that Iran demonstrate goodwill toward its neighbors if it expects goodwill from the U.S. in return." LINK
Blinken: Iran may produce enough fissile material for a nuke in weeks
On Iran, Blinken warned that Tehran was months away from being able to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, saying it could be only "a matter of weeks" if Iran continues to lift restraints in the nuclear deal. LINK
My take:
-U.S. will not accept Iran's demands of lifting sanctions prior to returning to the 2015 nuclear (JCPOA).
-Iran will not accept U.S. demands of returning to full JCPOA compliance.
After NSA Sullivan's Friday remarks, U.S. admin should not hint any concessions to Iran.
Blinken: No New Deal Before Iran Ends Nuclear Buildup
While the Biden administration has said that it wants to return to the nuclear agreement that President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, Blinken said in his first televised interview on Monday that the United States will not lift sanctions until Iran halts its enrichment of uranium, the key component in an atomic weapon.Blinken's remarks signal a showdown is coming between the United States and Iran over its contested uranium enrichment program. LINK
Iran tests new satellite launcher - state media
Iran state TV airs launch of new satellite-carrying rocket as the regime gears for 1979 revolution anniversary and continues extortion measures.
Congress Will Make It Tough for Biden on Iran
U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe warns ahead of confirmation hearings for former JCPOA negotiators: "Unless these nominees can demonstrate...they havelearned from their previous mistakes, their confirmation process in the Senate will be difficult—& rightly so." LINK
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief says country has no need for nuclear deal
IRGC chief Hossein Salami says national efforts should be directed toward resilience to sanctions rather than negotiations for their removal. LINK
TERRORISM
How Iran Regime Diplomat-Terrorist Assadi Spread Terrorism Across Europe?
As the verdict in the hearing of the Iranian regime’s incarcerated diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi approaches, new information about his role as the head of the clerical regime’s network of terrorism and espionage in Europe has raised more concerns about the threats from Tehran. LINK
Iran: Clandestine Iranian Terrorist Networks Pose a Direct Threat To European Security
This coming Thursday, a Belgian federal court is expected to return a verdict in the case of Assadollah Assadi, a high-ranking Iranian diplomat who was the mastermind of a foiled bomb plot on European soil in 2018. Assadi was arrested in Germany a day after Belgian authorities caught two of his accomplices attempting to carry explosives into France, where #Iran opposition NCRI was holding its annual gathering. LINK
Iranian terror attack against Israeli embassy in African state foiled: report
An Iranian terror attack targeting an Israeli embassy in one of Africa’s eastern countries was thwarted in January. Citing western intelligence sources who are knowledgeable on the subject, the report said that Tehran sent agents to the unnamed country, whose role was to gather information about the Israeli, American and Emirati embassies in order to carry out an attack against one of them. LINK
Drug Smuggling Funds Iran’s Ayatollahs
Qassem Soleimani was always able to find the money for the group’s malign actions, even when Iran had trouble finding the cash. From where? The answer may lie in reports over the past year concerning drugs trafficked into Europe & the Middle East. LINK
HUMAN RIGHTS
Rising Number of Executions in Iran Suggests Deteriorating Human Rights Situation
On Saturday, Iran’s regime executed Baluch political prisoner Javid Dehghan Khald, 31, in Zahedan central prison, southeast Iran. His execution brough the number of executions to eight within a week, suggesting a deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran. The genocidal regime has so far executed nearly 40 individuals in the last few months. LINK
Khamenei Defends Fatwa Ordering 1988 Massacre in Iran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has published a book in which he defends the order given by his predecessor Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini leading to the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran. LINK
Bill to protect women against violence faces hopeless situation in Iran
The Protection of Dignity and Support for Women Against Violence bill was adopted by the government on January 3, 2021, state media in Iran reported. The government took another 11 days to present the bill to the parliament on January 14 for final examination. The parliament, however, has yet to announce the receipt of the bill. LINK
Iranian regime denies critical medical care to political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna
Iranian political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna is in critical health conditions and regime authorities are denying her medical treatment, according to reports obtained by the Iranian Resistance from inside Iran. LINK
Silence About Iranian Political Prisoners’ Conditions Is Unacceptable
Soheil Arabi, an Iranian political prisoner, was arrested in 2013 by Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and has now finished serving his original sentence. However, he, along with many other political prisoners, is being forced to remain in prison as the regime’s Judiciary has extended his sentence. LINK
Abbas Dehghan sentenced to jail, flogging and payment of reparation
Abbas Dehghan, a member of Iran’s Gonabadi Dervish community, has received a prison sentence, in addition to flogging and payment of blood money. He is presently detained in the Greater Tehran Penitentiary (GTP). LINK
PROTESTS
Iran State-Run Media Identify Regime’s Corruption as Root of Economic Crisis, Warn of Uprisings
Iran’s state-run media in recent days have warned the authorities of what they call “people’s mistrust,” “violence,” and “rage.” In other words, by counting economic and social hardships, they acknowledge public hatred toward the regime and an inevitable uprising. LINK
COVID-19
Fear of Popular Unrest Prompts Iran’s Leadership to Let COVID Spread
For weeks, self-proclaimed “moderate” Iranian officials like Foreign Minister Javad Zarif have been saying that their country would struggle to distribute vaccines and manage its coronavirus outbreak as long as U.S. sanctions remained in place. Although the sanctions include exemptions for medicine and other humanitarian goods, the regime still insisted that foreign pressure was the primary or sole obstacle to a more effective government response to the historic pandemic. The international community should take measures to hold regime dictator Ali Khamenei accountable for his inhuman decision, and to pressure Tehran to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak. LINK
Iran’s Minister of Health slams Russian vaccine critics, calls them “evil, traitors”
Iran’s Health Minister Saeed Namaki yesterday called critics of the Russian vaccine “evil” & accused them of “betrayal” after widespread criticism over Iran’s decision to use the Sputnik vaccine for Covid-19 vaccination. LINK