Let's talk Iran - March 5, 2021
NUCLEAR
New Iran headache for Biden as dissident group claims to have uncovered another nuclear site
An Iranian opposition group that first exposed Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions in 2002 claimed this week to have uncovered new evidence of yet another undeclared nuclear site that has since been scrubbed clean.
At a news conference Tuesday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gave more information on the site located in Iran’s Abadeh region. It claimed the site was sanitized in July 2019 and was overseen by the recently assassinated chief nuclear scientist, Moshen Fakhirzadeh. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors were only allowed into the site in late August. LINK
Israel will defend itself if world fails to stall Iran’s nuclear plans: Benny Gantz
Israel will not wait for the international community to stop Iran’s “nuclear escalation,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Thursday. “The Iranians are breaking everything that was agreed with them." LINK
Iran casts long shadow over Pentagon nominee's Senate hearing
President Joe Biden's nominee to become the Pentagon's top policy adviser faced relentless Republican criticism on Thursday over his support for the #Iran nuclear deal, in a confirmation hearing that could foreshadow bigger fights over Biden's national security agenda. LINK
TERRORISM
Saudi-led coalition says it downed six Houthi drones fired at Khamis Mushait
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said it had intercepted six explosive drones fired towards the kingdom on Friday, with the Houthis claiming to have launched attacks into southern Saudi Arabia since dawn.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have recently stepped up cross-border drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities, mostly targeting the southern part of the country. The coalition says it intercepts most attacks. LINK
Khamenei-Funded Daily Says More Attacks Likely On US Forces In Iraq
While the U.S. is busy appeasing Iran's regime, a newspaper funded by Iran's dictator is busy capitalizing on such signs of weakness by promising more attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. LINK
Biden Can’t Bring Peace to Yemen While Iran Keeps Sending Weapons
The best hope for applying productive pressure to the Iran-backed Houthis is a genuine U.S.-led international effort to reduce the flow of advanced Iranian weapons and all other support from Iran to the Houthis Yemen. LINK
HUMAN RIGHTS
UN briefing on Iran - Sistan & Baluchistan province
“In Iran, we condemn use of force violations in recent weeks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and state security forces against unarmed fuel couriers and protesters belonging to the Baluch minority, which has reportedly led to the killing of at least 12individuals, including at least two minors.” LINK
Inside IRGC’s Crimes Against Iranian Baluch Fuel Porters
Why did Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) open fire on fuel traders in Sistan & Baluchistan province? LINK
ECONOMY
Iran State-Run Media: Rising Inflation and Dollar Exchange Rate a Byproduct of the Regime
With the new administration in power in the United States, the Iranian regime’s apologists accelerated pushing the false narrative that sanctions have crippled Iran’s economy, resulting in poverty and other economic crises. Yet, state-run media and officials point to the regime’s corruption and mismanagement. LINK
Iran’s Officials Admit to Playing With the Exchange Rate To Run Their Shattered Economy
‘Increasing the price of the dollar and keeping the dollar artificially high is a reality accepted by all elements of society. Therefore, we must accept the bitter fact that the main culprits of the economic costs and challenges and detriment to the people’s livelihood have been domestic policies,” Iran’s state-run Jahan-e-Sanat daily wrote on 27 February. LIVE
