North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile
SEOUL (Reuters)OCT. 30, 2017 -- Senior defense officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan held trilateral talks and urged North Korea to walk away from its “destructive and reckless path” of weapons development, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford hosted his South Korean and Japanese counterparts at the U.S. Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii on Sunday to exchange views on North Korea’s recent long-range ballistic missile and nuclear tests.
“Together they called upon North Korea to refrain from irresponsible provocations that aggravate regional tensions, and to walk away from its destructive and reckless path of development,” the statement said
Aftermath of 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing in Beirut
BY: Heshmat Alavi
Al Arabiya, 30 October 2017-- The 1983 double bombing in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, left 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians killed, alongside hundreds of others injured.
21 years later in 2004 Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) unveiled a “monument” in “honor” of that terrorist attack.
The 1983 double bombing in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, left 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians killed
Newly recruited Houthi fighters chant slogans as they ride a military vehicle, on January 3, 2017
Al Arabiya , 29 October 2017-- Iran has not stopped backing Houthi militias till today since their takeover of Sanaa, despite international efforts and decisions to deter its interference.
And with the restoration of more than two thirds of Yemen, Iran’s involvement in arming and training Houthi militias has been clearly exposed. This is what coalition leaders highlighted in one of their documents, as well as stating that Hezbollah members are supervising the training of the Houthi militias.
Iran’s support peaked by supplying the militias with more long-range ballistic missiles that were smuggled into Yemen. This came in the midst of the rising defeat of the Houthis on battlefronts as well as the militia’s strong disagreements with ousted president Saleh.
Ramin Hossein Panahi was shot in his waist area and arrested by the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on 23 June 2017
IRAN, Oct. 30, 2017 - After 124 days of neglect and disregards, the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence on October 26 told the family of a political prisoner that he has been detained by the Ministry and will be hanged soon.
Ramin Hossein Panahi was shot in his waist area and arrested by the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on 23 June 2017 when he was going to visit his family.
Shortly after that, he was transferred to the Intelligence detention center and endured torture and interrogation while still wounded.
Eventually, after releasing no news about the fate of this political prisoner for four months and his family's frequent pursuit, the Ministry of Intelligence told Ramin's mother and sister that he was arrested by the ministry.
They told his family: “He will not be transferred to anywhere else, and he will not be allowed to have visits and you should just wait to receive the news about his execution and burial at night and therefore your frequent visit here will amount to no result.
US Treasury Dept., 10/30/2017The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 594 (GTSR), to apply the blocking provisions of the GTSR to foreign persons that have been identified by OFAC as officials, agents, or affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This amendment will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. OFAC is amending the GTSR pursuant to section 105(b) of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA) as it relates to officials, agents, or affiliates of the IRGC. Further information about CAATSA, including updates to two frequently asked questions related to section 105 of CAATSA, can be found on OFAC’s CAATSA page:
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano (file photo)
TEHRAN, Iran, AP, Oct 29, 2017 - The visit by Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, comes as the U.S. Congress weighs the deal. Trump's refusal this month to re-certify the agreement has sparked a new war of words between Iran and the United States, fueling growing mistrust and a sense of nationalism among Iranians. In a statement issued by his office, Rouhani said Iran's adherence to the deal 'has been complete and remarkable.' 'We hope that, given the full cooperation of Iran in recent years, the IAEA announces the final report on the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program as soon as possible,' Rouhani said. 'We should not allow the (nuclear deal), as an important achievement, to be undermined, and we must consolidate this important international commitment with full cooperation.' he added.
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Soleimani stands at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province
SULAIMANIA/BAGHDAD, Reuters, OCT. 20, 2017 - A senior Iranian military commander repeatedly warned Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq to withdraw from the oil city of Kirkuk or face an onslaught by Iraqi forces and allied Iranian-backed fighters, Kurdish officials briefed on the meetings said.
Major-General Qassem Soleimani, commander of foreign operations for Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, traveled to Iraq’s Kurdistan region to meet Kurdish leaders at least three times this month before the Baghdad government’s lightning campaign to recapture territory across the north.
The presence of Soleimani on the frontlines highlights Tehran’s heavy sway over policy in Iraq, and comes as Shi‘ite Iran seeks to win a proxy war in the Middle East with its regional rival and U.S. ally, Sunni Saudi Arabia.
Soleimani met leaders from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish political parties in northern Iraq, in the city of Sulaimania the day before Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered his forces to advance on Kirkuk, according to a PUK lawmaker briefed on the meeting.
His message was clear: withdraw or risk losing Tehran as a strategic ally.
“Abadi has all the regional powers and the West behind him and nothing will stop him from forcing you to return back to the mountains if he decides so,” the lawmaker quoted Soleimani as telling the PUK leadership.
Strong winds have ripped up trees across central Europe
In Poland, a driver died in his car after crashing into a fallen branch on the road near the northwestern city of Szczecin, and another was killed when a branch hit his car in the western city of Opole, firefighters said.
In Germany, a 63-year-old man sleeping in a van at a camping site on Jade Bay in the north of the country drowned when he tried to escape flash floods on foot, police said. His brother, 59, survived by holding fast to a pole.
The strong winds halted traffic on dozens of railways and several roads across the Czech Republic.
The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said it had registered the fastest gust of wind on Snezka, the Czech Republic's highest mountain, with a top speed of 180 kilometres (112.5 miles) an hour.
Diana Moukalled Arab News, 28 October 2017 - In a speech broadcast on Iranian TV a few days ago, President Hassan Rouhani said his country is now stronger than ever. “No decisive actions can be taken in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, North Africa and the Gulf region without Iran’s consent,” he added. The speech provoked many parties in Lebanon, especially Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri and his political allies. Others remained silent, mainly President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, which is headed by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.
Iran is Setting up hundreds of checkpoints to prevent people celebrating Pasargads Day
Iran - In order to demonstrate national unity against the anti-national and anti-Iranian regime of Velayat-e faqih, people from different cities of the country started to go to Pasargad since Friday October 27 to commemorate Cyrus the Great. In fear of turning this rally into an uprising against the clerical regime, regime officials have taken repressive measures since a few weeks ago to prevent this move. These measures have been intensified since last week, especially during the past three days: 1. To prevent people from entering Pasargad, Revolutionary Guards, Basij, Police and plain-clothed forces were sent from neighboring provinces and cities to Fars province and the surrounding areas of Pasargad. They have been and controlling the roads leading to the Pasargad nearby cities. That's why massive crowds have gathered at different checkpoints.
Iran regime setting up roadblocks to prevent thousands of Iranian people from holding the Cyrus Day celebrations
Heshmat Alavi
Forbes, October 29, 2017 - October 29th marks “Cyrus Day” in Iran, commemorating Cyrus the Great, probably the most renowned ruler of ancient Persia.
Last year on this day a large gathering of thousands Iranians sent shockwaves to Tehran, proving to the world Iran’s society remains restive and fiercely opposes the ruling regime.
28 October 2016- Protest gathering at Pasargadae
For the past 48 hours social media activists across Iran have used the hashtag #CyrusDay to post their views and inviting people to the gathering.
Fearing similar rallies this year, the Iranian regime resorted to dispatching a large number of security forces and “military maneuvers and widespread repressive measures in various cities of Fars province (southcentral Iran),” according to a statement issued by the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Units of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and state police have imposed a de facto martial law, closing all roads leading to Pasargad, the site where Cyrus the Great’s tombstone is located.
Arab News, 28 October 2017 - Many governments and institutions have failed to implement a successful Iran policy because they do not examine the whole picture. An effective policy should not just focus on one of Iran’s activities, such as funding and arming terrorist groups. It should be a broad, multidimensional strategy that includes, among other things, Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, regional interventions, terrorist-related activities and human rights abuses. This comprehensive strategy emphasizes the use of soft power and prevents a war with Iran. The ballistic missile program, which is a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy and is directly linked to the nuclear program, should be restricted and part of any nuclear deal. States should urge the UN Security Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on Tehran if it continues to test-fire ballistic missiles, in violation of UNSC Resolution 2231. The resolution “calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.” It has fired more than 10 ballistic missiles since the nuclear deal. An effective policy recommendation would be to make any agreements with Iran contingent on respecting human rights and freedoms, as well as a full moratorium on the death penalty for children. Iran is the world’s leading executioner per capita.
Countering Tehran does not mean going to war with it. It means a change from within by relying on the Iranian people and the organized opposition.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Governments should impose political and economic sanctions against Iranian officials who are responsible for human rights violations, just as the US previously did against affiliates of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington recently designated a terrorist organization. More importantly, the international community should bring to justice those who committed the 1988 massacre of thousands of political prisoners in Iran. Countering Tehran does not mean going to war with it. It means a change from within by relying on the Iranian people and the organized opposition. Officially and publicly supporting them would be the strongest blow to the mullahs’ rule, which is an aberration. Tehran fears this soft power more than regional and global hard power. In addition, the US should create a united front with regional powers to counter Tehran’s hegemonic ambitions. Many countries in the region would welcome this initiative. Iran’s military sites should be inspected as part of the nuclear deal. The current agreement paves the way for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons, as there is no effective enforcement or monitoring mechanism. In addition, the deal’s sunset clauses, which lifts restrictions on the nuclear program after 14 years, should be removed. There should also be inspectors from various countries, not just from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran has been able to expand its influence so remarkably and repress its own people via a multidimensional policy. Thus a multidimensional counterstrategy is required.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated, Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman, and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council and the US-Middle East Chamber of Commerce and Business.
Mullahs' fear of the massive gathering of people in Pasargad and extensive suppressive measures to prevent it
The efforts of the brave people to gather in Pasargad on October 29th have scared the religious fascism ruling Iran who has long mobilized its suppressive forces to confront it. On October 26, a 'security official' informed of the plan of 'A group of Monafeqin [meaning PMOI] and anti-revolutionary elements to create turmoil and chaos next week on the occasion of the commemoration of Cyrus', saying 'Other plans of Anti-Revolutionary groups on this day include encouraging their sympathizers to attend this celebration, engaging with the police, and capturing films and photos for publication in the [PMOI] media, as well as making some ‘killed’ in the clashes. ' 'Launching protest rallies against economic corruption and problems in the country, and then to distract it by slogans against the regime, is one of the main programs of these groups,' the security official said. Since about a month ago, the regime's repressive organs installed fences at a distance of three kilometers from the Cyrus Tomb on each side for a length of eight kilometers and prevented the passage of cars to Pasargad. They have also installed powerful cameras every 50 meters.
A picture dated September 21, 2012, shows a Raad air defense system carrying Taer missiles being displayed by Irans Revolutionary Guard, in a parade Iran-Iraq war in the capital Tehran.
Heshmat Alavi
Forbes, October 27, 2017 - Tehran received a major blow following the blacklisting of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury Department after President Donald Trump’s October 13th landmark Iran policy speech. This has senior Iranian officials extremely concerned as the regime in its entirety is desperately attempting to cope with the aftermath.
There are those heard struggling to downgrade the impact and save face.
“Sanctions against the IRGC are nothing new… The IRGC is not an economic entity for them to attempt to impact its future through sanctions. The IRGC is a military entity that will negotiate with no one regarding its duties,” said Hessam-edin Ashena, an advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to a state daily.
Understanding the importance of U.S. sanctions, Gholamreza Tajgardoon, chairman of the Budget & Planning Commission in Iran’s parliament resorted to similar remarks.
Donald Trump speaks at White House on New US Iran Strategy.
By Keyvan Salami
News Biaze, October 26, 2017 - Last Friday, President Trump announced the new US strategy towards Iran. Reaction to this strategy was diverse. Advocates of the appeasement policy condemned it, claiming it is in contrast with US interests. Some claimed with this strategy, people of Iran and the region will lose their trust in America. On the other hand, others believe the new strategy will mutually serve the interests of the US and Iranian people.
Being the main victims of the West’s appeasement policy, the Iranian people had in fact been waiting for such a strategy for decades.
Behind Enemy Lines Radio, October 24, 2017 - Gene and Russ welcome the Deputy Director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave MacMillan; New York 2008), and president of Strategic Policy Consulting, Alireza Jafarzadeh.
Jafarzadeh is an Iranian policy expert who has been on the forefront of efforts to ensure that the Iranian regime does not acquire a nuclear weapon. In 2002 and 2003, his work lead to the critical discoveries of illicit nuclear development sites inside Iran including the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the Arak heavy water facility, the Kalaye Electric centrifuge testing facility near Tehran, and the Lashkar Ab’ad laser enrichment facility. These revelations triggered, for the first time, inspection of Iranian sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
We discuss a brief history of US-Iran relations, who is REALLY in charge in Iran (hint - not who you think) and his reaction to President Trump's new policy towards the Iran Nuclear Deal . Russ and Gene also discuss the non-news news of the week, including new 'Buffoon of the Year' contender, Frederica Wilson, and the emerging 'real' Russia scandal involving Hillary Clinton. It's a jam-packed show!
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano
VIENNA (Reuters) OCTOBER 28, 2017 - The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit Iran on Sunday for talks with senior officials there, as opposition from the United States threatens to undermine an international accord to curtail Iran’s nuclear program. Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will discuss Iran’s implementation of the 2015 agreement, the IAEA said on Wednesday. The visit comes during a dispute between Washington and Tehran over U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision this month not to certify Iranian compliance with the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. The U.S. Congress now has less than 60 days to decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the deal, in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Tehran will stick to the agreement as long as the other signatories do, but will “shred” the deal if Washington pulls out, as Trump has threatened to do.
Huge celebrations erupted in Barcelona as the Catalan parliament declared independence from Spain
AFP, OCT, 28, 2017-- Catalonia woke up Saturday under the direct control of Madrid as the Spanish prime minister took drastic measures to quash secession, deposing the region's leaders and dissolving its parliament hours after lawmakers declared independence.
In a dramatic escalation of a political crisis that has stoked alarm in Europe and sent shockwaves through Spain, Mariano Rajoy also decided to call snap Catalan elections on December 21 to 'restore normality' to a region in turmoil.
All eyes this weekend will be on whether Catalonia's separatist executive willingly steps down and independence supporters carry out their threat of peaceful resistance to Madrid's takeover.
The Weekly Standard, Oct 27, 2017 GOP lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to make good on President Barack Obama’s promise that, because of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, inspectors “will have access where necessary, when necessary.”
President Donald Trump refused to certify a condition about the nuclear deal to Congress earlier in October, setting off a 60-day period during which lawmakers can reimpose heavy nuclear deal sanctions on Iran through a fast track process. Trump warned that if Congress, administration officials, and European allies cannot fix the deal, he would withdraw from it.
13 Republican senators on Thursday wrote to U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, calling on her to address what they described as underreporting about Iran’s nuclear program and a lackluster inspections regime.
“President Obama promised that “inspectors will also be able to access any suspicious location,”” the lawmakers wrote. “In practice, it appears that this is not the case.”
Haley has pushed for inspections of Iran’s military sites, a demand Iranian officials have rejected. An official at the U.N. nuclear watchdog responsible for monitoring Iran’s activities under the nuclear deal (IAEA) said in August that the agency has not visited an Iranian military site since the agreement's implementation.
IRAN - Shahnaz Akmali, the mother of Mostafa Karim Beigi, who was martyred during 2009 uprising in Iran, was sentenced by Iranian regime’s judiciary to “one year in prison and ban on any membership in social media and political groups.”
Shahnaz Akmali was arrested in 2016 and spent 24 days in ward 209 of Evin prison in Tehran before being released on a 100 million Toman bail temporarily until her trial
From the Oct. 30, 2017, issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARDIn mid-October, President Trump was due to make a certification to Congress on four conditions about its nuclear deal. He has repeatedly said this deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), gave the Iranians too much for too little. On October 13, he surprised no one by declining to certify one of the conditions set out in the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), a bill Congress passed to oversee the 2015 deal: that continued sanctions relief to Iran under the agreement is “appropriate and proportionate” to measures taken by the regime to end its nuclear program. The president said he is not yet quitting the deal, which he can do unilaterally, but giving his administration time to fix its flaws by working with Congress and our European allies. This “decertification” set off a 60-day period during which lawmakers could reimpose the heavy sanctions killed by the 2015 deal through a fast-track process. This would immediately take the United States out of the deal—something opposed by our closest allies and some of Trump’s chief advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis.
Amnesty International, 27 October 2017 - Amnesty International has issued a statement saying that Dr Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-born Swedish resident and academic, has been sentenced to death for “corruption on earth” after a grossly unfair trial. His conviction was based on torture-tainted “confessions” that he was forced to make while in solitary confinement without access to his lawyer or family. He is a prisoner of conscience.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein
GENEVA (27 October 2017) – The situation of at least 350,000 besieged civilians in Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, is an outrage, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Friday, as he called on the parties to the conflict to allow badly needed food and medical supplies to get into the area. “The shocking images of what appear to be severely malnourished children that have emerged in recent days are a frightening indication of the plight of people in Eastern Ghouta, who are now facing a humanitarian emergency,” said Zeid. Eastern Ghouta has been under siege by Government forces for more than four years. Residential areas, including those areas previously spared attack, are now being hit on an almost daily basis by ground-based strikes by government forces and their allies, with reports speaking of scores of civilian casualties. This is despite Eastern Ghouta being considered one of the “de-escalation areas” brokered in May by Iran, Russia and Turkey under the Astana process, with the stated aim to put a prompt end to violence and improve the humanitarian situation. The Astana memorandum on the de-escalation areas further adds that rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access shall be provided. “The parties to the conflict must allow the free, regular and unimpeded passage of food and other humanitarian relief and not take actions that would deprive civilians of their rights to food and health,” the High Commissioner said. The UN last reached Eastern Ghouta on 23 September with help for some 25,000 people in the besieged towns of East Harasta, Misraba and Modira. Between January and September, the Government only accepted 26% of requests to deliver assistance to besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
The fall of Raqqa, capital of the Islamic State’s “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq, is unarguably an important politico-military milestone, albeit long overdue. Nonetheless, ISIS, a metastasized version of al Qaeda, remains a global terrorist threat, and prospects for Middle Eastern stability and security for America’s interests and allies are still remote.
Even as ISIS was losing Raqqa, Iraqi regular armed forces and Shiite militia were attacking Kirkuk and its environs, held by Iraqi Kurds since June 2014, when ISIS burst out of Syria and seized large swathes of territory from Baghdad’s collapsing army.
The battles for Raqqa and Kirkuk reveal much about the mistakes in U.S. strategy for defeating ISIS, and the consequences of not supporting Iraqi Kurdish efforts to establish an independent state. The two battles are closely related, proving again the historical reality that the Middle East is replete with multi-party, multi-dimensional conflicts, and contains more troublemakers than peacemakers.
London, 24 Oct - The Iranian people are yet again rising up against the corrupt Regime and gathered in front of the country’s parliament to protest the plundering of their country’s wealth and the crooked policies of the Regime.
The Regime’s main opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), released a report and video showing over 2,000 people protesting outside the parliament in Tehran.
They shouted slogans like “Shame, shame on the police force”, “Death to the dictator”, and “Death to the demagogue”, whilst being accosted by the police force.
When the police began to arrest female protesters, the crowd responded with more anti-Regime chants, like “You are ISIS, you are ISIS, death to ISIS, let them go”, “Shame on [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani”, “[head of the judiciary, Mohammad Sadeq Amoli] Larijani is a judge. He is the playmate of the thieves,” and “They had a budget deficit, so they took our money”.
As the police surrounded the protesters and moved in to arrest them, the protesters- joined by bystanders- began to throw rocks, wood, and other objects at the police.
The protesters shouted: “I will kill, I will kill the one who killed my brother.”
Then a motorised unit was deployed, only to also be pelted with rocks.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, said in a statement: “The courageous chants in today’s demonstrations targeting the heads of the Judiciary and Executive Branch, as well as the suppressive State Security Force and intelligence forces, reflect the Iranian people’s desire for the overthrow of the mullahs’ religious dictatorship.”
She called on young Iranians to support their fellow citizens in fighting for their rights and expanding the protests.
Rajavi said: “Institutionalized fraud along with institutionalized murder and belligerence constitute the pillars of the mullahs’ decadent regime. Ali Khamenei and his office hold the strings controlling all the depraved crimes taking place in the country. As long as this regime is in power, there will be no end to the astronomical embezzlement, poverty, unemployment and catastrophic economic conditions.”
These type of protests started in 2016 over a financial scandal where thousands of people lost their life savings after entrusting it to government institutions.
Many of the investments were run by or tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which controls much of the Iranian economy.
The protests have, however, become increasingly political in the past year.
It is believed that Donald Trump’s speech last week, in which he decertified the nuclear deal, has emboldened the Iranian people who see new US policy as support for the people’s popular resistance.
The IRGC has recently had more sanctions levied against it by the Department of Treasury for its sponsorship of terrorism.
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