Saturday, January 28, 2017

Iran-Production&Testing of New Ballistic Missiles

Production and Testing of New Ballistic Missiles by the Mullahs' Regime and the Need for a Decisive Policy

ISJ Publishes Report Detailing a 'Review of Iran's Nuclear Weapons-Related Conduct in the Last Two Years'

BRUSSELS, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ), a Brussels based NGO, has published a new research report titled "Review of Iran's Nuclear Weapons-Related Conduct: Two years after the implementation of JCPOA and IAEA report on Possible Military Dimensions of Iranian nuclear program."
(http://isjcommittee.com/2017/09/isj-report-review-irans-nuclear-weapons)
Focusing on the past two years, the 24-page report drew upon publicly available information including the nuclear agreement (JCPOA), particularly its T-section, Tehran's position and replies in reference to "Final Assessment of IAEA on Past and Present Outstanding  Issues regarding Iran's Nuclear Program", evidence of Iran's illegal procurements for its nuclear weapon and  missiles programs, reports of its ballistic missile tests, and the April 2017 revelations by the opposition group,  the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) regarding a previously unknown location that might be involved in the nuclear weapons program.
In a previous report, on November 20, 2014, ISJ provided a thorough review of questions regarding the Iranian nuclear program and especially its possible military dimensions. (http://isjcommittee.com/2014/11/examining-10-warning-signs-iran-nuclear-weapons-development)
The new report contains discussion of the August  2016 execution of Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear expert who had escaped to the US in 2009 but returned to Iran in 2010. The report reviews Amiri's background and his research credentials, then establishes that he was a source in confirming the military nature of the Iranian nuclear program. The report pointed out that this is why he was executed one year after the conclusion of JCPOA negotiations.
ISJ recommends the following steps for a credible verification to ensure that Tehran's nuclear weaponization program has been abandoned:
1. All organizations affiliated with the organ responsible for manufacturing a nuclear weapon must be thoroughly inspected by the IAEA, its experts made immediately available for unrestricted interviews, and the results made public.
2. In accordance with the spirit of the nuclear agreement and to ensure transparency on the part of Iran, immediate and unhindered access to military sites must be guaranteed.
3. Tehran must be prevented from continuing activities related to missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, as such activities are in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
ISJ (http://isjcommittee.com/) was registered in 2014 as a NGO including former officials and other dignitaries with an interest in promoting democracy and peace. Its President, Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former professor of nuclear physics, was vice president of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2014.
Iran violates spirit of nuclear treaty-By Andrew Hammond
On Friday, Iran test-fired a new medium-range missile, carrying details of the launch along with video footage from a camera located in the nose cone of the rocket on state television. The Khorramshahr rocket is capable of being fitted with multiple warheads and has an estimated range of 2,000 kilometres. While the rocket launch was a success, the timing of the test is certainly no coincidence, with the government in Tehran being singled out, along with the regimes of Venezuela and North Korea, for words of condemnation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York by United States President Donald Trump. Read more

The Nuclear Deal Is Iran’s Legal Path to the Bomb
President Donald Trump has sensibly insisted that the Iran nuclear deal—formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—has to be revised. The reaction in some quarters, mainly among many of the former Obama administration officials who negotiated this bad deal, has been horror. Unfortunately, the media have uncritically swallowed many of the false assumptions and naive arguments of the deal’s supporters, and the elite consensus is that the agreement must be preserved lest the White House bumble us into a crisis—or worse, another war in the Middle East.
Please. The accord is riddled with problematic provisions that essentially put Iran on a legal glide path to the bomb. The agreement’s various sunset clauses, its leaky inspection regime and Iran’s growing missile arsenal have all been subject of much discussion. Yet, one of the most dangerous aspects of the JCPOA that allows Iran to design and construct advanced centrifuges has largely escaped notice. Given the JCPOA’s permissive research and design provisions, Iran can effectively modernize its nuclear infrastructure while adhering to the agreement.
The Nuclear Deal Is Iran’s Legal Path to the Bomb
Production and Testing of New Ballistic Missiles by the Mullahs' Regime and the Need for a Decisive Policy
September 23, Iranian regime announced, test launching a new ballistic missile named Khorramshahr. The range of the missile, which was shown on a military parade the previous day, is said to be 2000 km, and has the ability to carry several warheads, according to the IRGC Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of IRGC Aerospace.
The purpose of the mullahs’ regime for the development of ballistic missiles is to explicitly violate United Nations Security Council resolution 2231, and, on the other hand, to pave the way for intensifying the war and terrorist interventions in the region and cover up the internal crises. This action well confirms the fact that the unjustified concessions received in the nuclear deal not only do not change the behavior of this regime, but has also emboldened it in breaking the laws, and exploiting the gaps and weaknesses in the JCPOA to expand terrorism and fundamentalism and crisis in the region.

How Iran Regime Called the Shots on the Nuclear Deal
NCRI - President Donald Trump is adamant that the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Obama is revised. This is making supporters of the deal worried and the media is picking up the false fears and reporting untruths in the press. It is now a consensus among many that the nuclear deal is preserved otherwise a crisis will unfold.
However, the crisis is already happening. The Iranian regime is not abiding by the nuclear deal in many respects. And anyway, there are sunset clauses on it that mean key terms will soon expire. The inspection of nuclear facility clauses are ridiculous because they give the regime advance notice before an inspection takes place. And Iran has recently refused nuclear inspectors access to military facilities.
How will the issue of North Korea serves Iran’s interests
F. Mahmoudi-Al Arabiya, 21 September 2017 - 
After US President Donald Trump criticized  Iran for violating the ‘spirit’ of the nuclear agreement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei retorted on Sunday by saying that Iran would strongly respond to any “wrong move” made by the United States against Tehran’s nuclear deal with major world powers.
This is a well-known tactic known as “forward escape” used by the Iranian regime as it starts talking tough when left with no option to wiggle out of a crisis. On the eve of the UN General Assembly, the dangerous actions of the Iranian and North Korean regimes constituted the clearest and serious issues for US President Donald Trump.
Although the effects of Obama’s politics on Iran still influence the minds of many and some European policies do not appear to look beyond economic benefits on this issue, there should be no doubt that there is a definite shift in the policies of The White House against the Iranian regime. The Iranian regime has been wooing Europe to keep the JCPOA alive which seems riddled with shortcomings and pitfalls that undermine the desired solutions.
You can't win over the Iranian people by supporting the Iran nuclear deal
You can't win over the Iranian people by supporting the Iran nuclear deal
by Amir Basiri

The best way to strengthen ties with a nation that is ruled by a tyrannical regime is by reaching out to the people, not the rulers.
We in the UK feel that Iran – a country of 80 million people, many of them young and potentially liberal – could be won over," British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson recently said at a joint press conference with his American counterpart in which they discussed the agreement that aims to block Iran's path to nuclear weapons, and Iran's destabilizing role in the Middle East region.
Johnson's assessment is correct. However, the conclusion he comes to is flawed. "I think it is important [the Iranian people] see there are benefits from the JCPOA," he added, using the acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the Iranian nuclear deal is formally known.
Surely, the JCPOA has yielded economic benefits for Iran by unfreezing billions of dollars' worth of assets and lifting sanctions that had brought the regime back to the negotiation table in the first place. But none of those benefits have trickled down to the masses and not much has changed for average Iranians.

The Nuclear Deal Lets the People of Iran Down
 At a joint press conference, the British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and this American counterpart mentioned the situation of Iran. Johnson said: “We in the UK feel that Iran – a country of 80 million people, many of them young and potentially liberal – could be won over.”
They were discussing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that is supposed to halt Iran’s nuclear arms race as well as its belligerence across the Middle East.
Johnson said: “I think it is important [the Iranian people] see there are benefits from the JCPOA.”
The Iran nuclear deal, or the JCPOA as it is formally known, has been in place for more than two years. One of the supposed benefits of the deal, or so we were told while it was being negotiated, was that billions of dollars’ worth of assets would do wonders for the country’s failing economy. We were also told that the lifting of sanctions would strengthen the country’s economy. 
These benefits certainly would have been very welcome to the people of Iran who have been suffering from the side-effects of a rock bottom economy for years. The country has been plagued by poverty and the social conditions are terrible.
Why Iran's nuclear program is a greater threat than North Korea's
Why Iran's nuclear program is a greater threat than North Korea's
North Korea's most recent hydrogen bomb test is another reminder of the consequences of not making the right decision at the right time. The international community's failure to stop and dismantle North Korea's nuclear program has enabled the regime to obtain weapons of mass destruction.
A similar scene is developing in Iran, where the only thing standing between a fundamentalist regime and nuclear weapons is an agreement with too many loopholes and no safeguards against threats that run parallel to the atomic bomb.
Both Iran and North Korea are rogue regimes that defy universal values and international norms. In this regard, their shared knack for a nuclear deterrent should not be seen as an end in itself, but rather as a means to an end, a guarantee for survival.
Read more
How Iran Is More Dangerous Than North Korea
Iran’s nuclear program even without a bomb as we speak, enjoys the potential of becoming more dangerous than today’s North Korea after a recent hydrogen bomb testing – with new reports showing the blast delivering a far more powerful yield than presumed – and its increasing row with the international community.
True is the fact that North Korea’s nuclear program is more advanced than that of Iran. True is the fact that Pyongyang has also provided ballistic missile hardware and technology to Tehran for decades now.
Iran’s nuclear program, however, elevates to a higher level when we come to fully comprehend the nature of Tehran’s ambitions in pursuing objectives through treacherous measures. This is a regime that has yet to be punished for its malevolent actions throughout the past decades, and this needs to change.

The Iran nuclear deal is a ticking time bomb -- this radical change will fix it
by Amir Basiri
The Iran nuclear deal is a ticking time bomb -- this radical change will fix itWashington Examiner, August 30, 2017 - Last week, Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi warned that the Islamic Republic can ramp up its uranium enrichment level to 20 percent in a matter of days, a short step away from weapons-grade material. Many will dismiss Salehi's comments as an attempt to up the ante a day before U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley met with International Atomic Energy Agency officials in Vienna a to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
But for two distinct reasons, there's no definitive way to make sure Salehi is bluffing: First, Iran's history in hiding its illicit nuclear program, and second, the porous agreement that is supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining atomic weapons.

Iran in The path of North Korea
A good article must read By Keyvan Salami -American Thinker, August  23,  2017 - 
Iran can enrich uranium within five days if the U.S. imposes more sanctions on Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s atomic agency head, warned this week. He claimed that Iran could achieve 20% enriched uranium in five days -- a level at which it could then quickly be processed further into weapons-grade nuclear material.
“If we make the determination, we are able to resume 20%-
enrichment in at most five days,”
Last week Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran could abandon its nuclear agreement with world powers 'within hours' if the United States imposes any more new sanctions.
A good article must read By Keyvan Salami -American Thinker, August  23,  2017 -
While the West sleeps, Iran continues on its deadly path
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh
Arabnews, 24 August 2017 - When the nuclear agreement was reached in 2015 between the six world powers and Iran, I pointed out that the major mistake of Western governments was to believe that Tehran viewed the deal in the same way that they did.
For the West, the deal was going to be transformational — moderating the Iranian government’s foreign policy and halting its nuclear ambitions. But from the viewpoint of Iranian leaders, the nuclear accord was a transitory and fleeting deal. It was a means to an end.

Analyzing Iran's Latest Nuclear Threat
On Tuesday, Iran warned that it would be able to enrich uranium in the space of only five days if it decided to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with major world powers including the United States.
Experts say that Iran would be able to develop a nuclear bomb in a matter of six months to a year.
The United States and IAEA are examining the Iranian nuclear threat and this latest threat from Iran is a clear sign of non-cooperation.
IRAN: Nuclear Chief Acknowledges Exploiting Nuclear Accord, Efforts for acquiring Bomb
IRAN: Nuclear Chief Acknowledges Exploiting Nuclear Accord, Efforts for acquiring Bomb
It is necessity to prevent the regime from enriching uranium, to conduct intrusive inspections of its military and civilian sites and to interview its nuclear experts
NCRI - Remarks by the head of the Iranian Regime’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) on Monday August 22 demonstrates that doors has been left open for the clerical regime to acquire nuclear bomb through the nuclear agreement it reached with the six world powers and the unjustified economic and political concessions received.

COUPLE US SANCTIONS WITH MIDDLE EAST EXPULSION OF IRAN
by Shahriar Kia
COUPLE US SANCTIONS WITH MIDDLE EAST EXPULSION OF IRANRiyadh Daily, 16 August 2017 - The Iranian regime is attempting to secure a corridor through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, providing a supply route for its numerous terrorist proxies in the region.Iran’s clandestine nuclear and ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and domestic crackdown are all aimed at maintaining the Tehran’s fascist mullahs in power and pursue their regional policies.This notorious objective, in direct conflict with those of the regional and global coalitions to fight terrorism and extremism, can be stopped. Eviction of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and all its proxy forces from the Middle East must complete the new US Congress sanctions. With President Donald Trump signaling his approval, this first and foremost step should be taken with hesitation following the sanctions.
Iran eyes more funds for missiles, Guards after U.S. sanctions
Iran eyes more funds for missiles, Guards after U.S. sanctions
DUBAI, Reuters, August 13, 2017  - Iran's parliament gave initial approval on Sunday to a bill to boost spending on Tehran's missile program and the elite Revolutionary Guards in retaliation for new sanctions imposed by the United States.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the outlines of the bill to 'counter America's terrorist and adventurist actions' as some chanted 'Death to America', the state broadcaster IRIB reported.
The measure came in retaliation to legislation passed by U.S Congress and signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in early August to impose new sa

Sham Resolution of Iran Regime Parliament to Confront the US Congressional Resolution
On 13 August 2017, the Iranian regime's parliament in a panic and dramatic reaction show, adopted a new plan to confront the US sanctions against the regime.
The measure, on the one hand, reveals the fear and vulnerability of the religious fascism ruling Iran to the new U.S. sanctions, in particular the imposition of anti-terrorist sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and on the other hand, shows that all the gangs of this regime have a common interest both in suppression and violation of human rights as well as in export of terrorism and warmongering in the region and are unable to get away from it.

Fearing Consequences of New Sanctions, Rouhani & Salehi Acknowledge Maintaining Facilities to Make Nuclear Bombs
Rouhani's introduced his new cabinet to parliament on Tuesday. On one hand, his remarks reveal his fear of the consequences of new sanctions for human rights abuses, export of terrorism, and ballistic missile development. On the other hand, they also illustrate that the mullahs’ regime has never abandoned the nuclear weapons program.
In his comments, which were primarily aimed at testing the will of the opposite side, he said: “If Americans want to return to those experiences, Iran certainly in a short time – not weeks and months but hours and days - will return to a more advanced situation than the start of negotiations.”
New sanctions on Iran, now it's time for a new US policy too

Fox News, August 13, 2017-By Alireza Jafarzadeh
Fox News, August 13, 2017 - On the second anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal, some argue that the agreement succeeded in slowing Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon. However, the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program are only limited, as is the international inspectors’ access to the country’s illicit facilities.
An Iranian Shahab-3 missile: The long-ranged ballistic missle rises into the air after being test-fired at an undisclosed location in the Iranian desert
In addition, in areas unrelated to the nuclear agreement, the Iranian regime’s behavior has only gotten worse over the past two years. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has escalated its nefarious activities in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, has deliberately sought out close encounters with American warships, and has boasted of new Iranian military equipment.
The White House’s efforts to enforce a harder line on Iran policy is well justified and the president’s signing into law of H.R. 3364, which included a title, “Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017” is a step in the right direction.
Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them

Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them

Resistance welcomes the signing into law by the President of the United States of legislation imposing new sanctions against the clerical regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It calls for this law to be implemented immediately, meticulously and without exception and urges the European Union to join these sanctions. The expulsion of the IRGC and its affiliated militias from the Middle East, in particular from Syria and Iraq, is indispensable to the enactment of this law and a prerequisite to ending the conflict and crisis that have engulfed the entire region.

U.S. Sanctions on Iran "Tightens the Screws on Our Most Dangerous Adversaries"
By Shahriar Kia
Securing a corridor through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon that will provide a supply route for Iran, is a move the regime is attempting. It is aimed at maintaining Tehran’s pursuit of its regional policies. However, this objective is in conflict with those of the regional and global coalitions to fight terrorism and extremism.
Read more 
Couple US sanctions with Middle East expulsion of Iran
By: Shahriar Kia 2017-08-01
U.S. Sanctions on Iran The Iranian regime is attempting to secure a corridor through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, providing a supply route for its numerous terrorist proxies in the region.
Iran’s clandestine nuclear and ballistic missile drive, support for terrorism and domestic crackdown are all aimed at maintaining the Tehran’s fascist mullahs in power and pursue their regional policies.
This notorious objective, in direct conflict with those of the regional and global coalitions to fight terrorism and extremism, can be stopped. Eviction of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and all its proxy forces from the Middle East must complete the new US Congress sanctions. With President Donald Trump signaling his approval, this first and foremost step should be taken with hesitation following the sanctions.
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to rally major new sanctions on Iran, parallel to measures on North Korea and Russia. To impose additional sanctions on Iran’s defense sector, the House voted 419-3. Coming after three weeks of negotiations, this bill “tightens the screws on our most dangerous adversaries,” explained House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Trump Signs Iran Sanctions Bill

Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them and their militia from the Middle East is indispensable to the enactment of this Act
Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them and their militia from the Middle East is indispensable to the enactment of this Act
Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them and their militia from the Middle East is indispensable to the enactment of this Act

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed adoption of a bill by both chambers of the US Congress which imposes new sanctions on the Iranian regime for violating human rights and pursuing ballistic missiles. The U.S. Congress also extends sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) for its involvement in terrorism.
She added: “Since several years ago, the Iranian Resistance had urged the terrorist designation of the IRGC, as it preserves the entirety of the clerical regime and acts as its main apparatus for domestic suppression and export of terrorism and fundamentalism. However, the policy of appeasing the mullahs’ religious dictatorship paved the way for the IRGC and its proxies’ rampage in the entire region.”
Read more
Maryam Rajavi Welcomes New Sanctions Act, Stresses Need to Immediately and Fully Implement Them and their militia from the Middle East is indispensable to the enactment of this Act

Iran Regime's Official: America's Hostility Towards the Regime Has Raised 10 Times Higher

IRAN, 30 July 2017 -- Spokesman for Iran regime’s parliament security committee, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, warned about expansion of U.S. sanctions against the regime and said: “If a person, group, or political stream in our country thinks that America's behaviour has been moderated after 38 years or is no longer hostile toward us, he is either neglecting or is really a traitor, because the Americans' hostility towards the regime, the revolution, and the Islamic Republic not only has not diminished but has increased 10 times, and all means are used to confront our nation.”

Senate Briefing on the IRGC and the Challenges of the JCPOA

Several panelists spoke at a briefing on July 25 regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its meddling throughout the region, as well as its part in the domestic repression of the Iranian people. The event was hosted by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC) and multiple states from the U.S.

The event included short speeches before a question and answer period began, with Dr. Ramesh Sephrrad, Scholar practitioner at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (SCAR) at George Mason University.
Read more


With 98-2, Senators send the Iran-Russia sanctions bill to the White House
Washington, July 28, 2017 - Senators are sending legislation slapping new sanctions on Iran and Moscow to President Trump's desk. Senators voted 98-2 on the bill, which would give Congress the ability to block Trump from lifting the Russia sanctions. It also includes new penalties against North Korea.
Read more

Resistance of Iran's Revealing Activities Regarding IRGC
On July 25, 2017, US congress passed Iran Sanctions Bill to counter with Iranian regime’s ballistic missile program and terrorist activities, and to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group.
The new sanctions are approved following Resistance of Iran’s widespread activities, revealing the IRGC’s role in repression at home and exporting terrorism and fundamentalism abroad, as well as its role in regime’s nuclear and missile program.
Through holding a series of press conferences and publishing several books, Resistance of Iran has exposed the IRGC’s role to public opinion:
READ MORE
Time for the Trump administration to pursue regime change in Iran
Time for the Trump administration to pursue regime change in Iran
The Hill, July 26, 2017 - Consider three quotes that provide a way of looking back to look forward:
President Obama in 2013 address to the United Nations :
“We are not seeking regime change, and we respect the right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear energy.”
When asked whether the Trump administration supports “a philosophy of regime change in Iran, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. would work with Iranian opposition groups toward the “peaceful transition of that government.”
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed Tillerson’s view, saying “it’s time the Iranian people had a free and open society and a functioning democracy,” effectively a call for regime change.
Read more

NEW US SANCTIONS BLACKLIST IRAN'S IRGC -                                                                   By Heshmat Alavi  According to an opinion piece on the Forbes website, as the New US Sanctions Blacklist Iran's IRGC, Iranian dissident writer Heshmat Alavi, wrote on 24 July, The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday placing new sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. This follows a similar version adopted overwhelmingly by the Senate in a 98-2 vote last month.                                                                Read more
Imposing New Sanctions on Iran's Clerical Regime and Designating the Revolutionary Guards
Imposing New Sanctions on Iran's Clerical Regime and Designating the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as Terrorist Entity, Constitutes an Essential Step in the Right Direction That Needs to Be Completed by Other Measures

The Iranian Resistance welcomes the adoption of a bill by the US House of Representatives, imposing new sanctions on the clerical regime for violating human rights and pursuing ballistic missiles, and designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity. This is an essential step in rectifying the damaging policy of appeasement that needs to be completed by other measures including the eviction of the IRGC and its affiliated militia particularly from Syria and Iraq as well as the recognition of the Iranian people’s right to overthrow the clerical regime.

First New Iran Regime Sanctions Since Nuclear Deal Passed

Following the Senate vote to #BlacklistIRGC 419 members of the House agreed to identify #Iran Revolutionary Guard a terror group.
The bill also sanctions anyone associated with Iran regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
US Foreign Affairs Committee, 25 July 2017 - On Tuesday, at the House Republican leadership’s press conference, Chairman Royce spoke about why the House will vote Tuesday on H.R. 3364, the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. Below are the video and transcript of his remarks.


2 years into nuclear deal, US policy on Iran needs major makeover

US Policy on Iran Must Change
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), who serves as a government-in-exile, have assessed that US policy on Iran must change.
Ali Safavi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the NCRI, wrote an op-ed for The Hill that it is time for a “serious and comprehensive” makeover on US policy towards Iran.
He advised that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) should be designated as a foreign terrorist entity and the Regime should be expelled from the region in order to achieve peace in the Middle East.

Iran Regime MP: The Whole Country and Government Are in the Scope of Sanctions With the New U.S. Plan
Head of the Iranian regime parliament's nuclear committee said the new U.S. sanctions against Iran have made the JCPOA inefficacious and hollow from the inside. The entire system, the country and the government were placed under the umbrella of new sanctions by the United States.
Panelists Speak About US Policy Review on Iran
CRI - During a panel discussion regarding the US policy review on Iran, several prominent figures gave their opinions on the current situation in the country.
Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield, former Assistant Secretary of State for Military Affairs, moderated the discussion and was joined by John Baird, former Foreign Minister of Canada, Joseph Lieberman, former US Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate, Ambassador Robert Joseph, United States Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation and the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security until 2007, Rtd. General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army, and Bruno Tertrais, Deputy Director of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique of France.
John Baird kicked off the discussion saying that he completely rejects the Obama administration’s appeasement of Iran and his claims that President Rouhani is a moderate. He said that there is no moderation in the Iranian government and it was very naïve of Obama to make such claims. He also pointed to the recent presidential elections in Iran which were anything but democratic. He questioned how an election can be considered democratic when a panel exists to approve and reject candidates. There is nothing democratic about an election in which presidential candidates are only candidates because of their strong allegiance to the Supreme Leader and his vision.
Joseph Lieberman emphasised that nothing has changed in the Islamic Republic of Iran since the nuclear deal came into effect. He said that Iran continues to support terrorism, it continues to fuel warfare and still causes horrible human suffering in the Middle East, all to further its own agenda.

OIAC's Iran Policy Recommendation-US Lawmakers Promise Iranian Opposition Group Tougher Action Against Iran


The Organization of Iranian-American Communities-US (OIACUS) held a Congressional briefing in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, January 24.

OIAC's policy statement was also unveiled at the event, which featured speeches from bi-partisan members of Congress and leaders of Iranian-American communities.
Bi-partisan  and OIAC Call for Review of U.S. Iran Policy
US Lawmakers Promise Iranian Opposition Group Tougher Action Against Iran

The full text of the statement can be READ HERE.

Rep. Eliot Engel

Rep. Eliot Engel: Iran Regime in Behaving Negatively in Region

Speaking on Tuesday January 24 at a briefing held in the U.S. Congress, Eliot L. Engel, the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned the Iranian regime’s behavior in the region particularly in Syria.
The full text of the statement can be READ HERE



Related:

Chairman Royce Statement on Iran Sanctions

Right Time for West to Correct Policy on Iran

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES



IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES
IRAN-MARYAM RAJAVI ADDRESSES THE FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS, FRENCH AND EUROPEAN APPROACHES

Maryam Rajavi and a number of members of parliament participated in a meeting at the French National Assembly on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Entitled, "Middle East Developments, French and European Approaches",

the meeting featured FNA representatives and other speakers who discussed and exchanged views on France's Iran policy.

In her speech in this meeting, Maryam Rajavi said:

The New Year began with great worries for the Iranian regime. With Rafsanjani's death, one of the two pillars of the regime crumbled and the regime moved closer to its downfall in its entirety. Over the past 38 years, Rafsanjani played a significant role in suppression at home, export of terrorism abroad, and the regime's quest to obtain the nuclear bomb. He always was the regime's number 2 man who helped maintain its internal power balance. The clerical dictatorship has thus become weaker in its entirety.
Khamenei and the regime's most ruthless factions will have to adopt a more defensive posture and rely more on export of extremism, terrorism, and nuclear projects.
Today, the mullahs' debilitated religious tyranny fears any unrest particularly in light of its upcoming presidential election next May.
The memories of the 2009 uprisings haunt the regime. Social movements and popular protests are growing. Thousands of demonstrations and strikes by workers, retired employees, teachers, nurses, students, and families of political prisoners took place last year and are going to expand over the next year.
The weakening of the Velayat-e Faqih regime is heartwarming to our people. Political prisoners have become more active in sending out their messages and the social media echo them extensively. The families of the victims have challenged the regime by holding its officials accountable for their crimes, particularly the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. The people of Iran demand an end to executions and an end to dictatorship in Iran.
Text of the speech 

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Twenty First Fundraising Campaign of Simay-E-Azadi

Twenty First Fundraising Campaign of Simay-E-Azadi

Contribution of thousands of Iranians from Iran and around the world to Simay-e-Azadi (Iran National Television)

Twenty-first fundraising telethon of Simay-e-Azadi, Iran National Television, turned to a manifestation of national will and solidarity in support of the Iranian Resistance, disgust toward the religious fascism ruling Iran in its totality and the demand for changing this regime and the establishment of freedom and democracy.

In this program that continued for 40 hours from January 13 to 15, thousands of Iranians from various backgrounds from Iran and across the world declared their support for this TV network. In this program, along with direct connection via 84 telephone lines, continuous flow of communications and outreach from Iran on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus and telegrams, on several hashtags such as "Free Iran", "Telethon", "Hamyari" and "SimayAadi" was established. In this fundraising, total commitment and contributions amounted to 22,367,869,099 tomans, equivalent to $5,650,207.
Marc Nelson - American Artist and teacher supported Iran national TV Simaye Azadi Telethon 
Great artist, Marc Nelson supported #FreeIran #Telethon by portraying one of the heroes of the Iranian people, Gholamreza Khosravi, the very brave political prisoners who was executed by the Iranian regime a few years ago, only for his support to #SimayAzadi TV, the voice of a free and democratic Iran.
Gholamreza Khosravi

"Let me go to the gallows for supporting the PMOI. We live up to our patriotic and ideological responsibilities and are ready to sacrifice and pay the price whatever it may be" - Gholamreza Khosravi  ðŸŒ¹

During this amazing telethon to raise help for Simaye Azadi, we remember heroes Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad Haj Aghaei, and Gholamreza Khosravi. The best amoos ever!
They dedicated their lives for freedom in Iran. They resisted and stood firm until the very end. These three loved their people so much that they were willing to give their lives so their country could be freed and liberated from tyranny.
The brutal Iranian regime killed them, but it was not able to kill their beliefs and ideologies of freedom and democracy. The Iranian people will continue their path until the end.
Syrian White Helmets in Daraa, Syria send message of support for Simaye Azadi 
telethon  by  Simay Azadi
Sir David Amess MP - UK Parliament  support Iran national TV Telethon @simayazaditv
 and 10 point plan of Maryam Rajavi for free Iran

Gérard Deprez MEP, Chair of Friends of a Free Iran at the European Parliament
 support Iran national TV Simaye Azadi


Former MEP @VidalQuadras: I support Free Iran Telethon & I pledge all my efforts to bring perpetrators of Iran's 1988 massacre to justice.


Austrian MEP Heinz Becker supported  Iran national TV Simaye Azadi Telethon
Beatriz BECERRA MEPs European Parliament  Spain
 supported  Iran national TV Simaye Azadi Telethon
Emma McClarkin  Member of the European Parliament-EU
 supported  Iran national TV Simaye Azadi Telethon

Tunne Kelam MEP: I support the independent Iranian Resistance
 We need Simayazadi to give us the real news from Iran. FreeIran Telethon

Paulo Casaca-Portuguese politician supported  Iran national TV Simaye Azadi Telethon

On Friday, a popular satellite television network run by volunteer Iranian expatriates began its 21st public campaign to raise funding for its annual operations. The network, known in Farsi as Simay Azadi and in English as Iran National Television, reaches an audience inside Iran via satellite receiver equipment that is illegal to own or operate in the country. In spite of this restriction, millions of Iranians reportedly defy the ban, even re-acquiring such equipment after mass confiscation efforts by government authorities.

This defiance reflects a broader conflict between the Iranian public and the regime’s attempts to control the flow of information. Various websites and social media networks including Facebook and Twitter are also banned by Iran’s hardline theocracy but are routinely accessed by a young and tech-savvy population via virtual proxy networks.

The prominence of satellite receiver equipment also gives Iranians access to other non-government news sources, but INTV presents itself as being uniquely a voice for the Iranian people, insofar as it expresses the viewpoints of an organized resistance movement and gathers news with the help of that movement’s intelligence networks inside of Iran.

telethon  by  Simay Azadi

An INTV press release announcing this weekend’s pledge drive appealed to donors to support the network’s role as an alternative to the state media outlets that are virtually the only sources of information functioning openly inside the country, numerous outlets are shuttered by the government in any given year. The political imprisonment of journalists is also commonplace, resulting in the Committee to Protect Journalists consistently ranking Iran as one of the worst purveyors of this sort of repression.

The website Journalism is not a Crime identifies more than 50 reporters who are currently serving prison sentences in Iran. And this number does not account for the numerous political activists who have been jailed either partly or entirely because of their contribution to news gathering by dissident outlets like INTV.

INTV reports that many members of its network have been not only imprisoned but also tortured and in some cases executed for their work, including the coverage of banned political protests and the conditions of the Iranian prison system. The network’s press release adds that “political prisoners in Iran regularly use [INTV] to reveal news from inside prisons and to convey their resistance against the authorities’ brutality.”

telethon  by  Simay Azadi

Previous pledge drives have suggested strong public interest in support these sorts of projects. INTV is known to receive donations both from inside Iran and from Iranian expatriate communities; and those donations reportedly range from 10 dollars to hundreds of thousands. Similar success is expected from the current pledge drive, which runs through Sunday, because the network’s viewership has been steadily increasing in recent years.

INTV reports that its core staff works entirely on a volunteer basis, and that donations collected during the pledge drive will be used in the gathering of original news and to cover the costs associated with maintaining its 24-hour satellite broadcast and its website, IranNTV.com. It is noteworthy than on the homepage of Simaye Azadi there is a special tab in English labeled ‘Free Iran Telethon’ for those interested in donating.