en-us http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205440.html Human Rights Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:53:07 +0100 According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, three prisoners were hanged at Zahedan Central Prison on Sunday March 12 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been identified as Yar Mohammad Reigi, Ismael Reigi, and Rahim Reigi. Dozens of the family members of these prisoners reportedly gathered outside the prison the night before their executions calling on the Iranian authorities to stop their execution sentences. On Saturday March 11, a prisoner, identified as Manouchehr Abkhiz, was reportedly executed at Chahabar Prison on drug related charges. The increase in the execution of Sunni prisoners is believed to be as a result of an alleged confidential order given by Iran's Judiciary Chief to "accelerate the execution of Sunni prisoners". Molana Abdul Hamid, a Sunni Friday Prayer Imam in Zahedan, has reportedly written a letter to Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, expressing worry about the Judiciary Chief's alleged execution order and called for a follow up into the matter. Four prisoners were reportedly hanged at Darya, Urmia's central prison (West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran), on drug related charges. According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, the executions were carried out on Tuesday March 14. The prisoners have been identified as Chengiz Badozadeh, Akram Hassanpour, Vahed Hamedi, and Kiumars Freydan (also known as Delawar). According to the report by HRANA, Mr. Freydan was sentenced to death twice in two separate case files. In one of the files, he was charged with trafficking under 100 grams of narcotics, in the other, he was charged with trafficking under 500 grams of narcotics. One of his death sentences was reportedly commuted to life in prison. Mr. Freydan's wife is reportedly currently held in the women's ward of Urmia's central prison on drug related charges. Mr. Freydan's father, Effendi, was reportedly hanged by Iranian authorities in September 2016. Mr. Freydan's brother is reportedly held in Ward 14 of Urmia's central prison. Mr. Freydan's mother was reportedly released from the same prison recently. The recent wave of executions in Iran comes at the same time time that the Iranian Parliament is reportedly reviewing a proposed bill to limit the use of the death penalty for drug related offenses. ### https://www.iranhr.net/en/articles/2819/ https://www.iranhr.net/en/articles/2820/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205439.html Women Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:51:35 +0100 Hengameh Shahidi, a reformist senior member of the Etemad Melli (National Trust) opposition party, has decried her arrest as part of a crackdown by hardliners on reformists ahead of Iran’s upcoming presidential election. In two open letters, she also criticized President Hassan Rouhani, who will be running for re-election on May 19, 2017, for failing to protect citizen’s rights. Anticipating her arrest, which occurred on March 9, 2017, the former journalist had pre-composed two letters and arranged to have them published after she was detained. In the first letter, published on her Instagram page on March 11, Shahidi said she was being targeted “as part of a project to arrest political activists and journalists before the presidential election so that the designated candidate (of hardliner’s) could be guaranteed a victory, just like in the 2009 election.” “You were supposed to be a breath of fresh air for reformists after the oppressive years under (President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, and not choke the air out of them to become president like he did,” she wrote in the second letter published on March 15. Rouhani’s election in 2013 would not have been possible without the support of reformist leaders. The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned that Shahidi, who lives in Tehran, was arrested by security agents in the city of Mashhad on her way to her grandmother’s funeral on March 9. In Evin Prison in Tehran she was taken to Ward 209, which is controlled by the Intelligence Ministry. She informed her family during a short phone conversation on March 11 that she had been detained, but the charges against her, if any, remain unknown. Shahidi was a reporter for the reformist Norooz newspaper and an adviser to Mehdi Karroubi, the Etemad Melli party’s candidate in the disputed 2009 presidential election. Karroubi, former presidential candidate Mir Hosseini Mousavi, and Zahra Rahnavard have been under extrajudicial house arrest since 2011 for challenging the validity of the 2009 election and leading mass street demonstrations that came to be known as the Green Movement. In the March 15 letter, Shahidi called on Rouhani, as the head of the executive branch, to “stand against the pointless, fabricated cases brought against journalists and political, civil and social activists in the country.” While poking fun at his law degree, she also pointed out Rouhani’s hypocritical stance of constantly touting his Citizen’s Rights Charter while extrajudicial arrests happen regularly under his watch. “Please tell us where in the charter does it say a suspect can be arrested without a written order?” she wrote. “Where does it say a suspect’s family members can be threatened and harassed?” In the March 11 letter, Shahidi described the charter, which Rouhani signed in December 2016, as “only a deceptive slogan for international consumption” because in reality “all political suspects are sent to unlawful detention centers on security charges and humiliated in the worst way.” She also discussed her recent expulsion from a staff position at a university south of Tehran: “Where in the charter does it say a university academic can be denied the right to teach and threatened with an acid attack and issued an arrest order by the parliamentary Committee of National Security Affairs and other agencies in order to silence her?” Shahidi was fired from her position as an international law instructor at the Varamin-Pishva Islamic Open University after teaching only two classes on the first day of the fall term on October 10, 2016. The day before Shahidi was sacked, a local hardline news site posted an article saying it was “regrettable” that someone who was convicted in connection with the 2009 “sedition” had been chosen “as a professor for shaping the future builders of Islamic Iran.” Iranian officials have consistently referred to the peaceful protests that followed the disputed 2009 election as the “sedition.” On June 30, 2009, soon after Karroubi, Mousavi and Rahnavard disputed the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad’s re-election, Shahidi was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Yahya Pirabbasi of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court for “propagating against the regime,” “acting against national security” and “insulting the president.” In June 2012 she was granted conditional release on medical grounds. In recent months, several journalists have been arrested for unknown reasons by the Intelligence Ministry or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Organization. Tahereh Riahi, the social affairs editor of the state-funded Borna News Agency, has been held in Evin Prison since December 27, 2016 without access to legal counsel. Zeinab Karimian, a producer for the state-run “Salam Khorshid” (Hello Sun) television show and former reporter for the official Islamic Republic News Agency, was arrested by security agents on January 23, 2017. Very little information is known about her condition or case. Reformist journalist Ehsan Mazandarani was shocked with a Taser stun gun by the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization on March 11 and taken to Evin Prison, less than a month after he completed his prison sentence for “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the state.” Reformist political commentator Issa Saharkhiz and centrist commentator Afarin Chitsaz, a columnist for the Iran newspaper, the official publication of the Rouhani administration, have been imprisoned since November 2, 2015 after being arrested in the largest wave of arrests by the IRGC since 2009. ### https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/03/predicting-her-arrest-reformist-wrote-letters-criticizing-rouhanis-failure-to-protect-citizens/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205438.html Human Rights Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:50:36 +0100 Iran has sentenced the daughter of late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to jail for “anti-state propaganda, spreading lies against the judiciary and the Revolutionary Guards Corps”, the opposition website Kalemeh reported today.“Again Faezeh Hashemi has been sentenced to six months’ jail because of her critical remarks about Judiciary and the Guards,” Kalemeh reported. Judicial officials were not immediately available to comment. The 55-year-old Hashemi, a women’s rights activist and a former member of parliament, has 21 days to appeal the sentence. She was also jailed for six months in 2012 for “spreading anti-state propaganda”. Crackdown on social media In 2009, Hashemi was detained briefly after street protests against the re-election of then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Protesters said it was rigged in favour of the president. Hashemi’s father, one of the founding figures of the Islamic Republic and a close aide to the late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, died in January. Allies of Rouhani have criticised a crackdown on social media and the arrest of at least 15 moderate activists ahead of the election, in which Rouhani is expected to run for a second term. The deputy head of Iran’s parliament, Ali Motahari, has called on the judiciary and the Intelligence Ministry to shed light on the arrests, condemning them of “election engineering”, Kalemeh reported. ### https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170317-daughter-of-late-iranian-president-jailed-for-spreading-lies/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205437.html Terrorism Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:49:49 +0100 WASHINGTON, March 17, 2017 --- Marking the Iranian New Year of 1396, bi-partisan senior members of the United States Senate joined the Nowruz gathering, sponsored by the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC), calling for change in Iran. While criticizing the Iranian regime's malign behavior, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, John McCain (R-AZ) said, "I think the only thing that the Iranian regime understands is, as Ronald Reagan called it, peace through strength. But most of all, I hope that we can give the people who are now residing in that country the hope and belief and commitment to all of us that someday they will know freedom again." Foreign Relations Committee member, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) welcomed the resettlement of thousands of Iranian dissidents, the residents of Camp Liberty, Iraq, in Albania and thanked the Albanian Ambassador for her country's efforts to this end. Homeland Security Committee member, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) recognized the need for a bi-partisan effort in US Senate to prevent "proliferation in the hands of this regime that has one of the worst human rights records anywhere on the planet, which constantly is suppressing any kind of free press or demonstrations or any kinds of activities as a free society, we simply cannot let them have those weapons of mass destruction." In a video message, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, expressed her support for a "bipartisan measure demanding pressure on the Iranian regime to stop its destabilizing actions in support of terrorist groups, and its continued test-firing of ballistic missiles… a legislative language, which calls for the application of UN Security Council resolution 2231 as well as a bill that calls for the designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization." In his remarks, former Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) said, "… the bipartisan consensus about the threat that Iran represents has returned, and there's a real interest in focusing in on a regime in Iran and changing what exists now… I don't think it's been phrased any better than the program, the ten-point program that Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, on behalf of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, and on behalf of the people of Iran, has issued." ### http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/senior-senators-ex-us-officials-urge-firm-policy-on-iran-300425539.html http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205436.html Article Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:48:42 +0100 Wow, who knew that the Israeli air force was running ops in Syria? In the news this morning, Israel is bragging that they intercepted and downed a Syrian SAM that was sent up after one of its planes. Israel says they’re in Syria to hit Hezbollah’s version of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Okay, now we’ve got Israel running its own airstrikes in there, Turkey also from time to time, Russia we know, the United States we know, and Iran when they find spare parts for their F-4 Phantoms. Plus the Syrian air force, of course. Hmmm…several nations involved in one war. Sounds like a micro world war to me. Now this is just all up in the air, so to speak. But let some of those aircraft bump into one another, and someone panics and turns loose of a AAM or a burst from his 20mm cannon and this little air show could turn into dogfight city with detours through SAM Alley. You can’t have this many aircraft all operating in there before, sooner or later, something is going to happen. But more to the point, Israel in there is the joker in the deck that could really heat things up. Israel can pull off ops like when they took out Saddam’s Osirak nuclear power plant. While they couldn’t say so out loud, most of the Arab states were quietly relieved that Saddam couldn’t get a hold of a nuclear weapon. But as far as sticking its mitts into a war that is in Syria and does not concern Israel, that could blow up badly. Israel SAYS this is about Hezbollah, but can they be believed? If that SAM had caught up with that Israeli plane and the pilot punched out and got captured by Syrian ground forces, we’d have seen some serious escalation. And that is exactly what’s going to happen if Israel is not ordered out of the pool ASAP. Not that Israel being told to leave the party will stop this world war from continuing and escalating. The United States now has at least one heavy artillery firebase in Syria running 155mm howitzer fire missions. They came in there with up-armored Humvees and Stryker APCs, too. Plus, there’s a U.S. military “reaction force” squatting over in Kuwait on stand-by. And this all began because Assad needed to be removed??!! Oh, come on! There’s got to be more to it than that. ### https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/syria-micro-world-war/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205435.html Terrorism Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:48:09 +0100 Beirut (AFP) - In Aleppo, portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin hang shoulder-to-shoulder with those of his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, signalling Moscow's rise at the expense of Damascus's other ally, Iran. The rivalry between the two primary backers of the Syrian government is becoming increasingly palpable, according to Syrian officials and a Russian analyst. Iran is proud to have intervened early on in Syria's six-year war, bolstering the Assad regime with men, weapons, and economic aid. But it was Russia, which entered the conflict with its first air strikes in support of Assad on September 30, 2015, that transformed its trajectory. "Although both countries support the regime, their strategies on how to defeat the uprising differ," said a Syrian member of parliament, speaking on condition of anonymity. The primary divergence is over Turkey, a years-long rebel backer with which Syria shares its long northern border. Moscow has formed an unlikely alliance with Ankara since 2016, envisioning an end to the Syrian conflict as a compromise with Turkey. But Tehran abhors this approach. Iran has "differences of views with Turkey with regard to Syria, and they're very serious differences of views, but we have found a common ground," its Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently told Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen television. Tabnak, a website run by the former chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezai, presents a less diplomatic view, suggesting in January that "the inclusion of Turkey in efforts to put an end to war in Syria" could pose "a threat" for Iran. - 'Price we had to pay' - Those differences truly crystallised in December as Syrian government forces battled to retake Aleppo's devastated opposition-held east. Iran and allied militias sought total surrender from rebels encircled in the second city, a source close to the regime told AFP in Aleppo. But, the source added, Russia had already agreed with Turkey on safe passage for east Aleppo's 34,000 residents. The deal infuriated Iran and its allies in the Shiite Lebanese militia Hezbollah, who tried to spoil the agreement. As a consolation prize, however, Iran and its allies successfully included the evacuation of Fuaa and Kafraya, two Shiite villages besieged by rebels, in the deal. "The agreement with Turkey was indispensable for finishing with Aleppo because every time the Syrian army advanced, Ankara allowed hundreds of rebels in," a retired Syrian officer told AFP. "To avoid yet another failure, Moscow got Ankara to agree to close the border, strangling the rebels. Russia then secured a safe exit for them," the officer said. "It was certainly difficult for those that were fighting on the ground but it was the price we had to pay to win," he said. Tensions have only grown since, with Russia and Turkey leaving Iran out of a cessation of hostilities they brokered in late December. Tehran joined Ankara and Moscow in sponsoring the first talks between regime forces and rebels in January in Kazakhstan. - 'Interests align' - After Aleppo's fall, all eyes turned to the largest remaining rebel bastion: Idlib, the northwestern province controlled by an increasingly tense alliance of rebels and jihadists. Tehran has advocated a blitz assault on Idlib, mainly to break the rebel siege of Fuaa and Kafraya, but Russia has vetoed the idea. A new front so close to the border and against Ankara-backed rebels would risk direct confrontation with Turkey, a possibility Moscow is unwilling to entertain. "Russia is wary of Turkey, but it prefers squeezing it and limiting its movement, instead of mounting a full-frontal attack," a political figure in Damascus said. Turkish forces and allied rebels have indeed been left with little wiggle room in northern Syria. They seized the town of Al-Bab from Islamic State group jihadists in February without a word of protest from Russia. But now, surrounded by government forces and US-backed groups, they are unable to push further east to fulfil Ankara's goal of leading the battle for IS's stronghold in Raqa. Much of Iran's strength is drawn from the thousands of militiamen it commands in Syria, which "represent a huge contingent of fighters with which (the Russians) must find a way to cooperate," Russian military analyst Pavel Felguenhauer told AFP. "Our ties with them are very complicated," he admitted. But Russia is also increasing its own boots on the ground in Syria, even after scaling back its aircraft there. "Russia's presence in Syria is rapidly growing. Since the fall, the number (of military personnel) has nearly doubled and will soon be 10,000," Felguenhauer said. Russia is also cultivating its own proxies on the ground just like Iran, for whom Hezbollah, as well as Shiite fighters from Iraq and Afghanistan, have become indispensable. "We've created an 'indigenous infantry' which is cheaper than Russian mercenaries," Felguenhauer said, comparing them to US-backed Iraqi tribes that fought Al-Qaeda or Moscow's Chechnyan allies. Russia has already helped form, finance, or arm two Syrian factions -- the Desert Falcons and the Fifth Legion -- as well as the Palestinian Quds Brigade. "Russia is a great power with a geostrategic vision that includes Syria, while Iran is a Shiite regional power," the Syrian political figure said. "Their interests can align, but they are not always identical." ### https://www.yahoo.com/news/backing-syrias-assad-russia-looks-outdo-iran-111445036.html http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205434.html Terrorism Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:46:58 +0100 Fearing terror attacks, the majority of people in France are pessimistic about the nation’s security situation, with six in 10 saying they no longer feel safe anywhere according to an IFOP-FIDUCIAL poll. The survey found that 93 per cent of French believe the threat of more terror attacks is high, and 71 per cent feel the security situation in France has got worse over the last five years. More broadly, 59 per cent of those polled said they did not feel safe anywhere, with almost one in four (24 per cent) opting to “strongly agree” with the statement. Reflecting the insecurity respondents said they felt, 69 per cent think the police and gendarmerie are understaffed, and the survey found the French overwhelmingly have a positive view of law enforcement. The vast majority of respondents (88 per cent) believe France should deport foreigners sentenced to prison for serious offences, and 84 per cent want the country to create more prison places. A slight majority (55 per cent) would like to see France exit the European Union’s open borders Schengen zone. With security a major issue in this year’s presidential elections, the survey found Marine Le Pen was judged the candidate with the best policies in both keeping property and people safe (32 per cent) and in the fight against terror (35 per cent). Some way behind the Front National candidate were Emmanuel Macron (21 per cent citing security of goods and people, 19 per cent fighting terrorism) and Francois Fillon (19 per cent backed the centre-right candidate’s policy solutions in the two areas). A national state of emergency has been in force in France since Paris suffered one of the worst terror attacks in recent European history in November 2015, when 130 were killed in a series of bombings and shootings across the city. And in June the following year, a Tunisian migrant deliberately drove a 19-tonne cargo truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, in an attack which resulted in the deaths of 86 people. However, terrorism isn’t France’s only worry, as last month saw weeks of violent riots spread through Paris suburbs, with cars torched, windows smashed, and shops looted. ### http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/03/17/six-ten-france-dont-feel-safe-anywhere/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205282.html Human Rights Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:41:39 +0100 The 9th annual report of Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty gives an assessment and analysis of death penalty trends in 2016 in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 9th annual report of the organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty in Iran shows that in 2016 at least 530 people were executed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although this number is significantly lower than the annual execution numbers in the past five years, Iran, with an average of more than one execution per day, remains in 2016 the country with the highest number of executions per capita. Commenting on the relative decrease in the 2016 execution figures, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director and spokesperson of IHR said: “We welcome any reduction in the use of the death penalty. But unfortunately there are no indications that the relative decrease in the number of the executions in 2016 was due to a change in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy. Our reports show that in just the first two months of 2017 Iranian authorities have executed at least 140 people.” On the occasion of the launch of the 2016 annual report on the death penalty in Iran, the organizations Iran Human Rights (IHR) and ECPM (Ensemble contre la peine de mort) call on Iran’s European dialogue partners to push for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran and for major reforms in the country’s judicial system which does not at this time meet minimum international standards. The report puts special focus on the role of the Revolution Courts as a major source of arbitrariness and of violations of due process in the Iranian judicial system. The Revolution Courts are responsible for the vast majority of the death sentences issued and carried out over the last 37 years in Iran. According to IHR’s 2016 report, at least 64% of all executions in 2016 and more than 3200 executions since 2010, have been based on death sentences issued by the Revolution Courts. The Revolution Courts are less transparent than the Public Courts, and Revolutionary Court judges are known for the abuse of their legal powers. Trials lasting less than 15 minutes, lack of access to a chosen lawyer, and sentences based on confessions extracted under torture are the hallmarks of the Revolution Courts. On the issue of lack of due process Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “A sustainable reduction in the use of the death penalty is impossible as long as there is no due process. Revolution Courts which sentence hundreds of people to death every year are among the key institutions responsible for Iran’s violations of due process and must be shut down.” The executive director of ECPM, Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan said: “We call on every democratic State and all Iran’s European partners to make serious efforts to reduce the death penalty in Iran, and to include Human Rights, and especially the situation of the death penalty in Iran, in their bilateral and multilateral dialogues. It is only with constant and permanent pressure in the dialogue with Iran that a good outcome can be achieved.” IHR and ECPM also call on the Iranian authorities to release Ms. Narges Mohammadi immediately. Narges Mohammadi was sentenced by the Revolution Court to 16 years in prison, 10 of those years for establishment of an abolitionist campaign. The human rights groups also call for an end to the crackdown on civil society and the prosecution of peaceful civil activists. ### https://www.iranhr.net/en/articles/2814/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205281.html Human Rights Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:41:25 +0100 Imprisoned spiritual thinker Mohammad Ali Taheri has again been tried for the charge of “corruption on earth” despite being cleared of the same charge in 2015, his sister Azardokht Taheri told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). If convicted, the founder of the banned Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group could be issued the death penalty. “We are very worried. The authorities have no respect for their own rulings. My brother was acquitted of ‘corruption on earth,’ but according to his lawyer (Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaee), that charge was brought up again in court on February 27 (2017) even though the trial was supposed to be for the charge of ‘engaging in medical practices,’” Azardokht Taheri told CHRI on March 2, 2017. The day after his trial, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) station aired a propaganda video featuring alleged former students of Taheri calling for his execution for his alleged promotion of “anti-Islamic” views. “This program was shown to deceive the public,” said Azardokht Taheri. “Mr. Taheri has many students and they have always said that they got good results from his courses. Why weren’t they interviewed?” “Nowhere (in the video) does Mr. Taheri say he has done anything wrong,” she added. “They aired only bits and pieces of his statements. We’re worried that it was aired for sinister reasons.” In the heavily edited interviews, Taheri’s “students” claim he taught anti-Islamic ideas and encouraged them to distance themselves from God and Islam. One woman said her daughter stopped praying after attending his classes. The video also included clips from Taheri’s lectures, all of which included no statements against Islam. Some scenes also appeared to be taken from his taped interrogation sessions, in which he refuses to express regret for his personal beliefs. Mohammad Ali Taheri, 60, was due to be freed in May 2016 after the completion of his five-year prison sentence for “insulting the sacred” and “immoral contact with women.” In February 2015, he was again interrogated about alleged heresy in his books and sentenced to death for spreading “corruption on earth,” but the Supreme Court rejected the verdict in December and opened his case for reconsideration. His latest trial was held at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh. Iran’s security establishment has come down hard on Taheri and supporters of the Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group, viewing it and any other alternative belief system, especially those seeking converts, as a threat to the prevailing Shia order. ### https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/03/imprisoned-spiritual-leader-facing-the-death-penalty/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205280.html Terrorism Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:41:07 +0100 The war of words coming out of the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to intensify. New video footage of Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan further demonstrates Iran’s hostile attitude and intentions towards America and its allies. Speaking with Iran’s state-broadcaster, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Dehghan discusses his government’s strategy when it comes to dealing with its “enemies” in the West. “Today, the main threat is from the arrogant regime, America, and the Zionists,” said Dehghan in the February 7, 2017 interview. The clip was posted and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute TV Monitor Project, also known as MEMRI TV.The Iranian defence minister goes on to explain exactly how Iran plans to strategically “fight such a threat” and gain “the upper hand in the battle.” “There will be a situation of asymmetric warfare,” said Dehghan. “We need to have sufficient power to surprise the enemy. In other words, we need to hit the enemy where it hurts the most.” Unlike traditional wars fought between national armies, asymmetric warfare describes a terrorist insurgency – much like the terrorist armies waging war throughout the Middle East. These insurgencies often target civilians, and use unconventional weapons and tactics to destabilize a society. The 9/11 terrorist attacks were an example of asymmetric warfare. These alarming comments are particularly distressing considering news reported earlier this week in the Sun of a video showing a high-ranking Iranian military official claiming that Iran had a “clandestine movement” operating in the United States. Hassan Abbasi, a strategist and military advisor with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claimed Iran no longer needed to develop a nuclear weapons program because, as he said, America’s “6,000 nuclear warheads are (the) targets of our plans for our guerilla movement.” America’s nuclear facilities would certainly be an example of hitting “the enemy where it hurts the most,” as Dehghan put it. As has been the case for years, Iran’s government officials openly and transparently state their hateful intentions. They continue to tell us that they want to wage war against the West. They even explain their tactics and strategy. And yet, many in the West are willing to naively turn a blind eye to such belligerence. The CBC, for example, recently sent reporters to Iran and published an article that encourages Canadian investors to do business with Iran. The article described how a Chinese-state owned enterprise invested in the Iranian state-owned oil industry, and how it was a “model of international cooperation.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau likewise seems unable to recognize or condemn Iran’s bad behaviour. Trudeau lifted sanctions against the regime and has stated his intentions to restore diplomatic relations with Iran. It was one of his election campaign promises. Canadian officials are now in official talks with the theocratic dictatorship, working to find common ground. Meanwhile, Iran continues its aggression. Last March, it test-launched two ballistic missiles, one with the inscription “Israel must be wiped out” written in Hebrew. Since that time, Iran has tested two more sophisticated missiles capable of reaching Israel. And now we have video footage of two senior members of the Iranian regime describing, in some detail, how they intend to lead and sponsor terrorist attacks in North America. When it comes to Iran, we can either trust liberal politicians or we can trust Iran’s own words and actions. We can’t trust both. ### http://www.torontosun.com/2017/03/10/the-liberal-narrative-is-in-denial-about-iran http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205279.html Terrorism Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:40:53 +0100 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow on Thursday seeking reassurance from Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country’s presence in Syria would help Israel block arch-nemesis Iran from taking advantage of the chaos to position itself permanently on Israel’s northern border. Until now, the Israeli government has stayed relatively quiet about developments in the six-year-old conflict raging in neighboring Syria, acting militarily only when it feels its security threatened. But now, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad receives a boost from the strategic alliance between Russia and Iran, Tehran’s expanding influence across the region is causing alarm in Israel. At the start of his meeting with Putin, Netanyahu noted the significant progress made by Russia and other players in the region in fighting Islamist militant groups, including the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. He added, however, that “the victory over the terrorism of ISIS cannot lead to an upsurge in terrorism by Iran and its proxies. We will not exchange terrorism for terrorism.” ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State.After the meeting, Netanyahu issued a statement in which he said, “I made it clear that regarding Syria, while Israel is not opposed that there should be an agreement there, we strongly oppose the possibility that Iran and its proxies will be left with a military presence in Syria under such an agreement.” Although Russia is unhappy with some of Iran’s strategic objectives in a postwar Syria, it is unclear how far Putin would go in supporting Israeli action to prevent Iran from building a sphere of influence from Tehran to Lebanon, via Syria and Iraq. “Syria is at a crossroads right now. On one side, there is a cease-fire that seems to be holding and Assad has managed to regain control of parts of his country. Israel is worried that Iran and its proxies will gain a permanent foothold in Syria,” said senior Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi, a close ally of Netanyahu. Ever since Russia entered Syrian territory two years ago, Israel has repeatedly emphasized to Putin its red lines regarding Iran and the groups it supports — Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Shiite militias involved in the fighting in Syria. Netanyahu has visited Moscow four times over the past 1½ years, and the two sides have struck cooperation agreements aimed at preventing confrontations between their warplanes in Syrian airspace. With rapid changes on the ground, however, Hanegbi said Israel feels it is time to focus on the future. [Trump wants to push back against Iran, but Iran is now more powerful than ever] In its official statements, Moscow has been unwilling to make predictions about what would happen with Iran’s military buildup after the end of hostilities in Syria. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, in an interview with the newspaper al-Hayat on Sunday that was quoted by the Interfax news agency, said that any decision on the withdrawal of Iranian forces would rest with Syria’s leaders. “The lawful authorities who will be lawfully chosen in Syria would be the ones with the right to demand the withdrawal of all foreign powers from the country,” Bogdanov said. This official stance reflects the reality that Putin has neither the ability nor the intention to exclude Iran from a settlement in Syria, not when Iran’s role in supporting Assad far exceeds that of Russia, said Vladimir Frolov, a foreign-policy analyst based on Moscow. During the course of Syria’s war, Iran has provided billions of dollars to shore up Assad’s regime and contributed much of the manpower that has sustained the depleted Syrian army’s capabilities, in the form of Shiite militias recruited from the region and elsewhere. In the process, Iran has significantly expanded its reach across Syria, giving it new strategic depth in any future conflict with Israel. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps are now present along the 1967 cease-fire line with Israel in the Golan Heights, putting them directly opposite Israeli troops for the first time. Hezbollah, which has fought wars with Israel and has an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 fighters in Syria, is also active in the Golan. On Wednesday, an Iranian-allied Shiite militia from Iraq, Hezbollah al-Nujaba, announced that it had established a new unit, the Golan Liberation Brigade, dedicated to liberating the remainder of the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967. “If the Syrian government requests, we are ready to take actions to liberate Golan,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted a spokesman as saying. Iran is also thought to have deployed missiles in Syria capable of reaching deep inside Israeli territory. While refraining from commenting on the war in Syria, Israel is believed to have carried out unclaimed airstrikes inside Syria targeting suspected Iranian and Hezbollah weapons storage sites and missile depots in recent years. Russia has turned a blind eye to the strikes. Putin, who has made support for Assad a cornerstone of his policy, would probably be unwilling to go beyond that and support an Israeli incursion. “Given all this, it is hard to see what Putin could promise to Netanyahu,” Frolov said. “He might, and likely will, promise a lot, but is in no position to deliver.” Eglash reported from Jerusalem. Liz Sly in Beirut contributed to this report. ### https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/netanyahu-urgesputin-to-block-iranian-power-corridor-on-israels-border/2017/03/09/3681c966-04d5-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205278.html Human Rights Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:40:43 +0100 WASHINGTON (JTA) — The FBI says it has a dedicated team seeking the return of Robert Levinson, a former agent who went missing in Iran a decade ago. The announcement, included in a statement released Thursday on the 10th anniversary of Levinson’s disappearance, is unusual. Over the years, the State Department and the White House have noted the anniversary, but the FBI has not weighed in. “Bob and the entire Levinson family are remembered every day by his FBI friends and colleagues,” said the statement. “The FBI shares in their anguish and resolve to return their husband, father and grandfather to his family and country.” It concluded: “The FBI continues to dedicate a team of agents and analysts who, along with our interagency partners, remain steadfast in our mission to locate Bob and return him home where he belongs.” Robert Levinson, 68, of Coral Springs, Florida, a private investigator and former FBI agent who was also a part-time consultant for the CIA, disappeared on Iran’s Kish Island during what has since been revealed as a rogue CIA operation. Also Thursday, the White House reiterated President Donald Trump’s pledge, made as a candidate, to bring Levinson home. “The Levinson family has suffered far too much during the last decade due to the absence of Mr. Levinson, a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather and friend to many,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday. “Each and every day, but especially today, our hearts are with the Levinson family. We will not rest until this case is resolved.” The statement noted that there is an outstanding $5 million reward for information leading to Levinson’s return. Under President Barack Obama, five Americans were released by Iran in January 2016 in an exchange timed to coincide with the implementation of the nuclear deal struck between Iran and six major powers. Levinson was not one of those released, but the Obama administration, which had brokered the deal, accepted an Iranian pledge to help track his whereabouts and said his return was a top priority. Iranian tips on Levinson’s whereabouts have reportedly led to dead ends. ### http://www.jta.org/2017/03/10/arts-entertainment/fbi-dedicated-team-is-tracking-levinson-whereabouts http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205277.html Terrorism Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:40:07 +0100 Iran’s malignant influence is the most significant threat to Middle East security, according to the top U.S. general in the region. The Middle East remains a highly unstable region, ripe for continued conflict, Army Gen. Joseph Votel warned the Senate Committee on Armed Services Thursday. Of the multitude of challenges in the region, Iran is the primary concern in the long term, according to the general. “We are also dealing with a range of malign activities perpetrated by Iran and its proxies operating in the region,” said Votel. “It is my view that Iran poses the greatest long-term threat to stability for this part of the world.” He added that Iran’s support of the Assad regime in Syria and exploitation of Shia Muslim population centers are parts of its “malign influence.” Sponsored Links by Votel’s assessment comes after a significant increase in Iranian provocation in the Middle East over the last several months. Iranian naval vessels harass U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf using boat swarm tactics and the regime in Tehran continues its fiery rhetoric against the U.S. and its allies. Iran has also continued to support various proxy groups across the Middle East, including the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, which is actively engaged against the U.S. and Saudi-supported government. The Popular Mobilization Units, a conglomerate of mostly Shia militia units backed by Iran, continue to play a major role in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq, allowing Iran to continue to entrench itself in the Iraqi government. “Since Iran cannot strike the U.S. homeland conventionally the way the United States can strike the Iranian homeland with near impunity, Tehran seeks ways to balance the deterrence equation by threatening U.S. interests worldwide through proxy terrorism and asymmetric operations,” said J. Matthew McCinnis, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who specializes in Iranian strategy, while testifying before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in December. McInnis added that Iran will likely continue to use proxy groups as a means of deterrence against the U.S., meaning Votel and the U.S. military will likely continue to face an Iranian threat for some time to come. ### http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/10/top-us-general-iran-poses-greatest-long-term-threat-to-middle-east-security/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205276.html Human Rights Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:39:36 +0100 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested a Christian mother and her son on February 20, seizing their Bibles and other religious literature, as part of what Fox News calls “a brutal crackdown on Catholicism.” “The arrest of two newly Christian converts – Anousheh Rezabakhsh and Soheil Zargarzadeh (mother and son, respectively) – in Urmia, a northern city in Iran, is very sad and concerning, especially as they both are dealing with health issues. It’s been more than two weeks that Iranian authorities have not provided any news on them,” said Eliot Assoudeh of the University of Nevada. Assoudeh said Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in Iran, even though converts must risk their lives to attend underground churches. News of the arrest comes from the Iranian Christian News Agency, also known as Mohabat News. According to Mohabat, Anousheh Rezabakhsh and her son Soheil Zagarzadeh Sani, also known as “Veronika” and “Augustine,” were arrested at their home by plainclothes officers. Neither of them had a prior arrest record. Soheil is a university senior who has been studying psychology. Julie Lenarz of the Human Security Center in London told Fox News that “leaving Islam or converting to another religion is punishable by death in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” She noted that years of imprisonment, harassment, and torture are also common for Christians arrested by Iran. Middle East Concern reports that Veronika and Augustine are “converts to the Catholic Church and were baptized in Istanbul, Turkey in August 2016.” A Facebook page has been created to draw international attention to their plight and the persecution of other Christians in Iran. Another group of Christians was arrested last summer during a picnic. Three of them were able to raise bail and were released. The other two went on a hunger strike in February while in prison to protest their unfair treatment and became seriously ill. Although they have been imprisoned for over six months, they still have not been convicted of any crime. ### http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/03/09/iran-arrests-two-seizes-bibles-catholic-crackdown/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/205275.html Terrorism Sat, 11 Mar 2017 10:39:20 +0100 The announcement earlier this week by the head of Iran’s Martyrs Foundation that 2,100 combatants had been killed in Syria while “defending the shrine”, has placed the extent of Iran’s human sacrifice into sharp relief. The term “defending the shrine” (Modafeaaneh Haram), referencing the Sayidda Zaynab mosque in the southern suburbs of Damascus, is the official designation of Iranian or Iranian-sponsored combatants in Syria. It evokes religious imagery and sentiments (Sayidda Zaynab was the grand-daughter of the Prophet Mohammad and is particularly revered by Shia Muslims) to lend ideological potency to Iran’s military involvement in the Syrian conflict. Mohammad Ali Shahidi Mahallati, director of the Martyrs Foundation, did not give a break down of the casualties by nationality. There are many non-Iranians fighting under Iranian command in Syria, but by most credible estimates, at least half of the 2,100 killed are Iranians. The vast majority of the Iranian casualties are likely affiliated to the Qods force, the expeditionary wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). This relatively high casualty figure may raise questions about the cost of Iran’s military intervention in the conflict, but it will not in the slightest cause upset or embarrassment in the Iranian defence and security establishments. It may, however,za spark a public debate on whether the country’s diplomatic service is fully capitalising on this sacrifice to shape the peace in Syria. High death toll In view of the scale of Iranian operations in Syria, the announcement by Shahidi Mahallati is not a big surprise. The only surprise – at least for Western observers - is the silence of Iranian public opinion, but this is explained by two factors. First, Iran has expertly managed the information warfare side by presenting the conflict in mutually reinforcing ideological and national security terms. This fusion is strikingly captured by the term “defenders of the shrine” as it presents the conflict in religious terms by identifying a physical threat to the iconic Shia pilgrimage site. This is credible in view of recent actions by extremists, notably the blowing up of the Al-Askari mosque in Samarra (Iraq) in February 2006 by al-Qaeda in Iraq (the Islamic State (IS) group’s predecessor). This narrative is consistent with Iran’s national security doctrine of keeping threats at bay and preferably well away from the country’s borders. The underlying rationale is that if Iran doesn’t fight the extremists in Syria today, then tomorrow it will have to confront them within Iranian borders. Moreover, as expounded by Brigadier-General Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the IRGC, this strategy of containing “extremists” abroad is consistent with Iran’s broader aim of preserving the “axis of resistance” in the face of an all-out assault by the United States and its allies. Second, Iran’s war effort in Syria is highly specialised and compartmentalised and, as such, it makes no demands on the general public. The vast majority of combatants – and by extension the majority of the casualties – are from the Quds force of the IRGC and to a lesser extent other branches of the Revolutionary Guards. Whilst there is a publicity seeking dimension to the deployment, and notwithstanding the sincerity of this phenomenon, the key point to be made about this category of fighters is that they are organised, trained, deployed and directed by the IRGC. The most controversial aspect of the Iranian deployment has been the mobilisation of Afghans, specifically Afghan residents in Iran, to fight in Syrian conflict zones. The mainstream Western media often paints this phenomenon in the worst possible light by showcasing the alleged exploitation of cash-strapped or otherwise vulnerable Afghan residents or refugees by Iranian military authorities. This sweeping generalisation, while not wholly misrepresentative, fails to take sufficient stock of the complexity of the situation. For instance, many devout Afghans are ideologically motivated to fight in Syria and appear happy to fight and die there under the IRGC banner. For its part, the latter regularly publishes extensive biographies of “martyred” Afghan volunteers, in some cases youngsters like 17-year-old Hossein Dadnazari who was killed in Aleppo last summer. Losing the peace? One reason for the release of official figures of casualties may be Iran’s confidence that the worst of the fighting is over and that the Islamic Republic will suffer considerably less casualties in the months ahead. Indeed, helping the Syrian army and its allies to retake Aleppo in December may prove to be the zenith of Iran’s intervention in Syria. On the other hand, Iran appears to be more than ready to make additional sacrifices on Syrian battlefields. Speaking yesterday, the IRGC’s combative deputy commander, Hossein Salami, pledged no retreat from Iran’s regional commitments, especially as according to Salami, the sun is setting on the American “empire”. Yet this strident language masks private anxiety about the course of the Syrian conflict as it reaches the end game. This speaks to Iran’s deepest fears, namely that the scale of its commitment in Syria, and the toll in blood and treasure, may not be matched by a commensurate stake in the peace. Iran has watched on the sidelines as Russia, its putative ally in Syria, has thrashed out a range of tactical and operational agreements with Turkey. In the Syrian context, the latter is Iran’s opponent whose actions in northern Syria directly violate Damascus’s sovereignty and by extension hurt Iran’s interests. The situation is so serious that even seasoned Iranian diplomats are raising the alarm on Ankara’s increasing belligerence toward Tehran. In view of the confused state of Iranian diplomacy in Syria, and specifically in relation to the multi-level international peace initiatives, the country may benefit from a national debate on the desired outcome to the conflict. Until now, Iranian public opinion has had little to say on the conflict. It is time for a change. - Mahan Abedin is an analyst of Iranian politics. He is the director of the research group Dysart Consulting. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye. Photo: The vast majority of the Iranian casualties are likely affiliated to the Qods force, the expeditionary wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (AFP). ### http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/hundreds-iranians-have-been-killed-syria-why-does-tehran-fight-376313881 http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/204999.html Iran Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:46:10 +0100 Iran claimed on Monday that it had successfully test fired the latest version of a submarine-launched cruise missile. According to the IRNA news agency, the missile, named “Nasir”, was tested during an Iranian naval drill in the Persian Gulf. “During the military drills in the Iranian territorial waters in the south, the new model of the SLCM named Nasir was test-fired and successfully hit its target,” Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said, according to the report. Iran's navy on Sunday began its annual drill near the Strait of Hormuz, its first major exercise since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The naval drill comes amid recent tensions between Iran and the United States. Last month, a U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots at Iranian boats near the Strait of Hormuz, after five Iranian vessels approached the USS Mahan and two other American ships that were entering the strait. In September, the U.S. Navy said that Iran had threatened two American maritime patrol aircraft flying over the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to the tensions in the Gulf, Iran has escalated its rhetoric against the United States, after The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic in response to a ballistic missile test it conducted in violation of UN Resolution 2231. Iran has responded angrily to the sanctions, with the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, dismissing calls from the Trump administration to cease the country’s ballistic missile tests. ### http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/225799 http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/204998.html Iran Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:46:09 +0100 In a speech this month in the East Azerbaijan region of Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that a war on Iran’s culture and economy is more dangerous to his Islamic regime than any military threat from the West. “A European official said to our officials that a war in Iran would have been inevitable if it had not been for the Bar-Jaam,” Khamenei said, referring to the nuclear agreement brokered by the Obama administration and Western allies. “That official said that if the Bar-Jaam had not been signed, the war would have been definite.”“This is a blatant lie!” Khamenei said in the speech. “Why do they speak about war? They do so because they want to switch our minds to a military war, but the real war is something else.” “The real war is an economic war, the real war is the war of sanctions, the real war is the arenas of work, activity, and technology inside the country,” Khamenei said. “This is the real war!” “They draw our attention to a military war so that we ignore this war,” Khamenei said. “The real war is a cultural war. “There are so many television and internet networks which are busy diverting the hearts and minds of our youth away from religion, our sacred beliefs, morality, modesty and the like,” Khamenei said. “They are working in a serious manner and they are spending heavily on this,” Khamenei said. “The real war is this.” The 2017 Academy Awards on Monday night put Iran and its culture in the spotlight, with the Iranian film The Salesman winning Best Foreign Language film. The Iranian film’s director, Asghar Farhadi, said last month that he would boycott the Oscars because of Trump’s immigration order on halting refugees coming to the United States from seven countries with links to Islamic terrorism, according to a January 29 New York Times article. “To humiliate one nation with the pretext of guarding the security of another is not a new phenomenon in history and has always laid the groundwork for the creation of future divide and enmity,” Farhadi said in a statement published by the Times. “I hereby express my condemnation of the unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots and the citizens of the other six countries trying to legally enter the United States of America and hope that the current situation will not give rise to further divide between nations.” The Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, tweeted praise for the film’s award and Iranian culture after the win. “Proud of cast & crew of ‘The Salesman’ for Oscar & stance against #Muslim Ban. Iranians have represented culture & civilization for millennia,” Zarif tweeted. The Guardian reported that a “protest vote” against Trump’s immigration policy might have helped the film win. Khamenei tweeted in August that the United States was responsible for creating and supporting ISIL, or Daesh, as part of what he claims is a culture war against “true Islam.” “US aim of making & backing DAESH is to sow discord in Islamic Ummah, defame true Islam & promote Wahabi Islam which is far from true Islam,” Khamenei wrote. Khamenei, a Muslim cleric, has been the Supreme Leader of Iran since 1989 after serving as the third president from 1981 to 1989. He regularly calls the United States the Great Satan and promotes the destruction of Israel. ### http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/02/27/irans-supreme-leader-real-war-west-is-culture-war-tv-internet/ http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/204997.html Iran Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:46:01 +0100 Back in September, I testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the allegation that the Obama administration had paid Iran a ransom—at the time it was believed to be $400 million, but it was later revealed that the figure was more than three times that amount—in cash for the release of American hostages held by Iran. At the hearing, it is now clear that State Department officials lied outright to the committee.Lest there be any question about how the Iranian government perceived the payment received from the United States, Hossein Nejat, deputy intelligence director of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, bragged on February 23 that Iran forced the United States to pay $1.4 billion in ransom to win the release of imprisoned Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian. What does this mean for the United States? Unfortunately, the damage is already done. The cash the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps received (for they were the entity that took possession of the ransom) will fuel greater terror as well as Iran’s campaigns in Syria, Yemen and perhaps Bahrain as well. In 2010, the United States busted the Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington because the U.S. intelligence community was monitoring bank accounts known to be operated by the Quds force. Cash makes it far easier for Iran to move money without risk of detection. Ironically, President Donald Trump kept on the official whom Barack Obama and Secretary of State Kerry placed in charge of the hostage negotiation. At the very least, it is time to publish the hostage agreement. Obama promised he would preside over the most transparent administration in history. Five weeks after Obama left office, Trump has the power to hold his predecessor to that promise and expose the true mendacity of Obama’s ransom deal. ### http://www.newsweek.com/what-will-trump-do-about-obama-iran-ransom-deal-561828 http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/204996.html Iran Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:46:01 +0100 In the midst of the usual Washington cacophony, most are missing the point that the Trump administration is beginning to lay the foundations of a sensible Iran policy. The Islamist regime that has been busy over the past few years brandishing a narrative of success with its triumphs in the region seems unsettled by the tough-talking new Trump team. An uneasy Iran is likely to be a hesitant one, hunkering down until the storm passes. It is the Trump administration's task to ensure the storm lingers over Tehran. This is not the first time the theocratic regime has faced a hard-hitting American adversary. The well-honed Iranian strategy of dealing with such challenges is to behave with caution until the United States gets distracted by another crisis and then to resume their nefarious activities in full force. It is a formula that has historically served the regime well, as Iran and its machinations have not remained an important priority for even hawkish administrations with too many other entanglements. In the aftermath of their revolution, the clerical oligarchs were relishing their moment of vengeance as they emasculated the U.S. by holding its diplomats hostage. A confused Carter administration seemed incapable of either negotiating the release of the hostages or freeing them through a military raid. However, underneath their triumphalist rhetoric, the mullahs did take notice of President Ronald Reagan, a hawkish Republican promising to restore U.S. power. Reagan's scathing critique of Carter's handling of the hostage crisis may not have emboldened the hapless president but did leave an impression on Iran. Shortly after his election, the hostages were released. The stormed passed. The Reagan White House became preoccupied with a truculent Soviet Union and rebuilding U.S. defenses, leaving Iran aside. Washington failed to take advantage of its own success of scaring the mullahs straight. The next president that cast a menacing shadow over Iran was President George W. Bush. The three-week U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 shocked Tehran. The Bush indictment of states that engaged in terrorism and pursued weapons of mass destruction petrified Iran. The theocratic state was then, as it is today, the leading sponsor of terrorism and was surreptitiously building a nuclear weapons infrastructure that was soon unveiled by a dissident group. The Iranian response was to engage in negotiations with Europeans and suspend their nuclear program. Once more, the storm passed. The U.S. became bogged down in the sectarian civil war in Iraq, and Iran soon resumed not just its nuclear activities, but also savaged the U.S. military through the lethal Shia militias that it trained and the munitions that it exported to Iraq. Trump is the latest president to have unsettled the guardians of the revolution. One of Iran's most cagey and clever politicians, Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, offered an intriguing assessment of the Trump presidency and once more insisted on circumspection. Salehi cautioned that the Trump administration is composed of an array of factions and Iran should not transform itself into a unifying point among these groups, for "this could be very dangerous." In the face of American determination, Iran is likely to lower its horizons and may even prove compliant on issues such as adhering to its nuclear obligations. Soon, the mullahs hope, budget fights, tensions in the South China Sea, the Islamic State, and other issues will eclipse Iran and they can once more intensify their malign activities. It is such judiciousness that has made Iran one of the longest-standing regimes in a turbulent Middle East. The task at hand for the Trump administration is to build on its initial success and to develop a systematic and disciplined approach to Iran that will not be distracted by other competing mandates. Despite its grandiose pretensions, the Iranian regime is disdained by its neighbors. A state whose primary instruments of power are terrorism and subversion and whose closest allies are Hezbollah and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad does not have too many adherents in the region. Still, the clerical regime's principal vulnerability remains at home as it rules over a restive population tired of its cruelty and corruption.The U.S.'s objective in the Middle East should be to shrink Iran's imperial frontier while pressing it at home. This means the tough task of reconstituting the battered sanctions regime while developing an understanding with Europeans regarding restrictions on trade and technology outside normal sanctions channels. It means refurbishing the alliance with Sunni Arab states and Israel. It means pressuring Russia to distance itself from its alliance of convenience with Iran. Most importantly, it means recognizing that Iran remains the primary cause of disorder and instability in the Middle East and can never be a responsible stakeholder. These will be difficult challenges for a Trump administration that is subject to relentless and often unfair criticisms from the press and the loyal opposition. The fact that Trump has put in place one of the most capable national security teams in recent memory is lost on his critics as is their initial successful foray into Iran policy. Still, it is a challenge that the administration may well be up to. Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. ### http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-quietly-laying-foundation-of-a-sensible-iran-policy/article/2615856 http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/204995.html Iran Tue, 28 Feb 2017 11:45:52 +0100 Diplomatic tensions between Iran and Turkey will not result in an actual confrontation due to the vast economic ties between the regional rivals, Turkish analysts say. As both regional rivals compete for a greater share of influence in the region, the Syrian government's victory in Aleppo, coupled with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group's diminishing presence in Iraq, has brought tensions between them to the boil. "The tensions between Turkey and Iran did not appear out of the blue," said Atilla Yesilada, a political analyst with Istanbul's Global Source Partners. "This rivalry had been simmering beneath the surface for a very long time. Recent developments in Syria and Iraq simply forced the two countries to be more overtly aggressive against each other," Yesilada told Al Jazeera.Over the past week, diplomatic tensions have escalated between regional rivals Turkey and Iran after Ankara blamed Tehran of pursuing a sectarian agenda and destabilising the Middle East. Turkey 's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Iran of trying to split Iraq and Syria by resorting to "Persian nationalism", while Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, criticised what he called Iran's "sectarian policy" aimed at undermining Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. "Iran is trying to create two Shia states in Syria and Iraq. This is very dangerous. It must be stopped," Cavusoglu said at the Munich conference on 19 February. In response, Iran summoned the Turkish ambassador over these remarks and warned Turkey that its patience "had limits", and if Turkish officials continue making such statements "it will not remain silent". Turkey and Iran have been on opposite sides of the conflict in Syria, with Ankara seeking to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and Tehran being, along with Russia, his key backer. And in Iraq, Turkey claims that it has a "historical responsibility" to protect the country's Sunni and Turkmen minorities from Iran-backed Shia militias who are in the region to fight ISIL. Iran, on the other hand, alongside with Iraq's government, views Turkey's involvement in the conflict and military presence in the country as an "incursion". "Turkey acts as the protector of Sunnis in the region, while Iran wants to build a Shia circle of influence all the way from Tehran to Lebanon, so it is inevitable for these two regional powers to clash," Yesilada added. Yesilada explained that as ISIL is steadily losing large swaths of territory in both Iraq and Syria, a significant power vacuum is forming along Turkey's southeastern border, causing Iran and Turkey to clash over who is going to replace the dominant force in the area. "ISIL is about to leave the stage for good, and Turkey is extremely worried about its replacement," Yesilada said. "If it doesn't act immediately and forcefully, Iran-backed militias, Bashar al-Assad or the People's Protection Units (YPG), a group Turkey considers to be a terrorist organisation, can take over territories previously controlled by ISIL." "Turkey does not want another enemy at the gates, so it is making its position known to Iran, clearly and loudly." Iran, on the other hand, is actively working towards ending Turkey's ongoing military presence in Iraq and Syria, to make sure its allies keep controlling the area, analysts said. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior foreign affairs adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently said Turkish troops should immediately retreat from Iraq and Syria or the people would "kick them out". Iran experts in Turkey say Tehran is alarmed by Turkey's presence in Syria and Iraq. "Iran is extremely disturbed by Turkey's Euphrates Shield operation in Syria and its military presence in Iraq's Bashiqa," Erdem Aydin, an expert on Iran at Istanbul's Bogazici University, told Al Jazeera. "Iran views Turkey's military presence in these countries as a significant obstacle in front of its desire to extend its influence in the region." Iran also wants to cut Turkey's efforts to create a Sunni controlled safe-zone in northern Syria at its roots, Aydin explained. "The escalation of diplomatic tensions between Iran and Turkey came after President Erdogan completed a week-long tour of the Arabian peninsula," Aydin, who is also a foreign news analyst and editor for CNN Turk, said. "We have reason to believe that Erdogan asked his Saudi and Gulf allies to finance the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria during these visits and Iran was of course disturbed by this development. " "It is also possible that the Gulf states asked Erdogan to adopt a more contentious attitude towards Iran in exchange for providing financial assistance for the safe-zone," Yesilada added. Analysts explained US president Donald Trump's aggressive attitude towards Iran and the perception that he may be willing to support the creation of a Turkish-controlled safe zone in northern Syria also played a significant role in the escalation of tensions between Tehran and Ankara. "It looks like Erdogan realised Trump is going to be a lot more aggressive towards Iran compared to his predecessor, so he decided to act up against Tehran to secure US support for the safe zone," Yesilada said. Russia, of course, is also an important player in this game, Aydin added. He explained that Russia's recent rapprochement with Turkey, as well as disagreements it has with Iran over Syria may play a significant role in the future of Turkey's relations with Iran. "Russia and Iran are having differences of opinion regarding the future of Syria," he said. "Russia is viewing Assad as an ally, but is not insistent about him staying in his role as Syria's president. Iran does not want Assad to go anywhere, but Russia, on the contrary, may easily sacrifice him." "Russia is ready to get out of Syria," Yesilada said. "It is content with its victory on the ground. So it may choose not to be on Iran's side to support Assad against Turkey." While their conflicting interests on the ground as well as actions of other actors like the United States and Russia may lead to further diplomatic tensions between Iran and Turkey, analysts said the vast economic ties between the regional rivals may prevent an actual confrontation. "90 percent of Iran's natural gas exports go to Turkey and Turkey imports 20 percent of its natural gas from Iran, " Aydin told Al Jazeera. "Regional politics may cause tensions between the two countries, but in the light of their strong economic ties, I don't believe the recent escalation in diplomatic tensions is going to lead to a serious confrontation." Yesilada also said that the economic ties between the two countries "cannot be overlooked" but he argued that Turkey may be ready to take the economic blow to protect its regional interests. "It is true that Turkey is buying a lot of natural gas from Iran, and given that the Islamic Republic does not care too much about the international law, it may decide to close down the valves to teach Ankara a lesson," he said. "Also Turkish businesses had been investing heavily in Iran since the country's relations with the rest of the world was normalised following its nuclear deal with the US. "Yet Turkey might still be willing to face any economic threat and do everything necessary to stop Iran from extending its influence further in the Middle East, because any other scenario will be politically too costly for the country." Source: Al Jazeera News ### http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/02/hostility-iran-turkey-170225184418231.html