Let's talk Iran - Jan 27, 2021
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There are voices arguing that the U.S. should re-enter Obama's highly flawed 2015 nuclear deal with #Iran's regime.
This thread is a periodic reminder that Iran has been violating that deal since day one, long before former U.S. President Donald Trump nixed it.
Nuclear
Sec. Blinken: "If Iran comes back into full compliance with its obligations under JCPOA, the U.S. would do the same, and then use it as a platform to build a longer & stronger agreement. But we're a long ways from that point...We're not there yet, to say the least."
What Part of Iran Won't Listen Doesn't Team Biden Get?
Days into the Biden-Harris administration, the outlines of its makeup and expected policies are coming into view. Many appointees are retreads from the Obama years: William Burns will head up the CIA, Jake Sullivan will be the new National Security Advisor, Anthony Blinken is the new Secretary of State, and his deputy is Wendy Sherman. Unfortunately for those of us who care about Mideast security and stability, this line-up does not bode well for either. LINK
Iran: Did the Maximum Pressure Weakened the JCPOA or Rather It Exposed Its Weaknesses
If there is any hope of Iran granting concessions over its missile program and regional meddling, it will depend on sustained international maximum pressure. All of these issues are closely intertwined as aspects of the Iranian regime’s effort to use force projection as a safeguard for its grip on power. Therefore, Tehran’s malign activity will persist in every area until it becomes clear that the consequence of that activity is complete economic and diplomatic isolation, and ultimately the collapse of the ruling system. LINK
Terrorism
Iran's Response To Belgian Terror Case Reinforces Calls for Broader Accountability
On Sunday, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry finally spoke publicly about the terrorism case involving Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, for whom a verdict is due next week. The remarks amounted to a predictable denial of responsibility, and they should serve to further underscore the need for an assertive shift in Western policies, with the aim of holding the entire regime accountable for its terrorist activity in the wake of Assadi’s conviction. LINK
Britain and U.S. discuss need to tackle Iran, cooperate on China
Britain said foreign secretary Dominic Raab spoke with new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday and discussed the need to tackle what they viewed as “destabilising behaviour” by #Iran, and to hold China to its international commitments. LINK
Human Rights
Iran Supreme Court Judge Says Opponents Can Be Hanged ‘Without a Trial’
Hojatoleslam Mohammad Niazi, a Supreme Court Judge in #Iran , says government opponents may be executed without a trial, based on a fatwa handed down in 1988 by the Islamic Republic’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini. LINK
Iran executes second wrestler within months: Report
Months after Iran executed champion wrestler Navid Afkari and drew international outrage, the country reportedly put another wrestler to death. LINK
Execution of Wrestler, Mehdi Ali Hosseini: Display of Iran Regime’s Insecurity and Commitment To Violence
Iran’s clerical regime executed wrestler Mehdi Ali Hosseini on Monday despite an international outcry and condemnations. Through this execution, the regime fully displayed its insecurity and disregard for human rights standards. Ali Hosseini was another athlete added to the list of national athletes the regime has executed. LINK
Politics
U.S. B-52 Bomber Flies Over Persian Gulf, in Show of Force Against Iran
In the first such flight during the Biden administration, the Pentagon sent a B-52 bomber across the Persian Gulf region on Tuesday, the sixth such sortie since last fall, in a show of deterrence to Iran. Comes after the two attempted missile/drone attacks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. LINK
The real problem with Robert Malley’s potential Iran envoy appointment
Few early Biden administration decisions would be as controversial as the rumored selection of Robert Malley as chief envoy for Iran talks. Iranian regime officials also appear to celebrate Malley’s name being in the mix. LINK
Growing concern in Israel over appointment of Malley as US rep. to Iran
Officials in Israel, the Gulf and Iran will be watching carefully to see what Biden decides – because whatever decision the new president makes regarding Rob Malley will be, it will send a strong message of his intentions in the region. LINK
China seeks details about Chinese crew after tankers seized by Indonesia
“We welcome the Indonesian Coast Guard efforts to counter illicit maritime activity,” a U.S. embassy spokesman in Jakarta said over Indonesia's seizing of an oil supertanker belonging to Iran. LINK
Protests
Thousands of Retirees Gather in 17 Provinces and 22 Cities To Protest Low Wages and Poor Living Conditions
Despite the regime’s deceptive measures and promises, on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, retirees and social security pensioners rallied in 17 provinces and 22 cities to protest high prices and unbearable living conditions. LINK
Pro-Democracy Activism Will Expand When Iran Is Held Accountable for Terrorism
A verdict is expected next week in the case of Assadollah Assadi, a high-ranking Iran’s diplomat-terrorist, who served as the mastermind of a plot to bomb the opposition gathering in the heart of Europe. European policymakers should pay attention to the trial’s conclusion and consider the broader implications of what it has brought to light. LINK
Round-up of Iran Protests: Rising Public Dissatisfaction Underlines Society’s Restiveness
On Tuesday, January 26, according to reports tallied by Iran’s main opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), large rallies were held in major Iranian cities by retirees and social security pensioners, based on a previous call to protest. LINK
Other
Iran's senior officials misled Iranians into investing in stocks
Ninety Percent of Iranians Are in ‘Total Poverty’
The Iranian paper Arman Daily reported Thursday that over 90% of #Iran’s working people are now in “total poverty” with “skyrocketing prices” stopping them from buying even the most basic food items. LINK