THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET
Looking for Iran in the Rebellion: Also the Councilor Martini in Rome for the Meeting With Maryam Rajavi
With great excitement and enthusiasm, Nadia Martini, the councilor of Cervasca Municipality, accepted an invitation on behalf of the municipal administration from Dr. Nikzat, the representative of the Iranian resistance in Cuneo. The purpose was to attend a gathering in Rome where Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Iranian resistance movement aiming to overthrow the Ayatollah regime, was received by numerous Iranians and dignitaries at the Parliament. Among the attendees were deputies, senators, a women’s delegation representing the regional commission for the advancement of gender equality, and Maria Rosa Porta, the president of CRPO.
UK Leads the Way in Ending Appeasement of Iran
On 13th July, in a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, a French member, Nathalie Loiseau MEP, launched a vicious tirade against the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People’s Mojahedin of Iran/ Mojahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK), the main democratic opposition to the mullahs’ fascist theocratic regime. Her onslaught contained all of the usual propaganda that is regularly trotted out by the mullahs. It was the latest prime example of EU appeasement policy towards the Iranian regime. It seems clear that Loiseau, who is a member of Macron’s party and a former French cabinet minister, was instructed to do this by the Élysée Palace, where President Macron is nursing his anger over his defeat in the French courts at the beginning of the month when his attempt to ban a mass opposition rally by the NCRI was thwarted.
“Iranians Have No Illusions: This Regime Cannot Solve the Problems That Have Plagued the Country for 40 Years”
Outside of Iran, Paris is a kind of capital of opposition to the ayatollahs’ regime. It is in the main French city that the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the largest group in exile of opponents of the Iranian regime, is based, which assumes itself as “the viable democratic alternative” to the Islamic Republic.
This year, for the first time, a demonstration called by the NCRI was on the verge of not taking to the streets. Scheduled for July 1, it was initially banned by police, who claimed there was a risk of disturbing public order.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET
Iranian Regime Used Tens of Thousands of Child Soldiers in Iraq War, IRGC Commander Admits
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Forces and the individual responsible for the downing of the Ukrainian PS752 plane, has acknowledged employing students during the Iran-Iraq war.
On July 11, the IRGC-run Fars news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying, “During the Holy Defense (the regime’s expression for the war against Iraq) period, even though teenagers and students had not reached the legal age and had no legal duties and were not obliged to participate in the war, but with a sense of responsibility and duty, a large number of students showed up to defend the country. Twenty percent of the population of teenagers and students were present in the war, and twenty percent of the martyrs of the holy defense era were students.”
Speaking for a group of members of the paramilitary Basij, Hajizadeh added: “This number is very high because, for example, 40,000 of our IRGC cadres were martyred, and a large number of our dear army brothers were martyred. But the army and IRGC’s inherent duty is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. A number of fighters including the loved ones of the soldiers and a number of them were called as a precautionary measure and some of them participated in the Basij from different walks of life, but the number of students participating as fighters and the number of thirty-six thousand student martyrs is significant. Many of the country’s national heroes are students.”
Regime Is Profiting Financially from Censoring Internet, State-run Outlet Admits
The state-run outlet Fararu reported on July 12 that the implications of internet censorship in Iran are costing internet users billions of tomans.
“With the censorship of virtual space in Iran, 1,800 billion tomans are spent monthly from citizens’ pockets only to buy VPN,” the website wrote. “On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the beginning of extensive filtering in Iran, while the filter breaker market has achieved an astronomical financial turnover, the Minister of Communications, who is the first and foremost person responsible for creating this big black market in the country, warned users against using “free filter breakers.”
The report further reveals that the clerical regime currently has 70 million internet users, with approximately 48 million of them actively using social media platforms. These platforms have been completely blocked in the past. Consequently, the 48 million internet users in Iran rely on filtering tools on a daily basis to access their preferred networks. Astonishingly, evading censorship for Iranian users has resulted in an estimated cost of 16,200 billion tomans since the previous year. To put this into perspective, it is almost two to three times the operational income of the Telecommunications Company of Iran, the outlet reveals.
The General Court Confirms the Commission’s Decisions Authorising Clearstream Banking AG to Comply With US Sanctions Imposed on Iran
In 2018, the United States of America withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, signed in 2015, the aim of which was to control the Iranian nuclear programme and lift economic sanctions against Iran. As a result of that withdrawal, on the basis of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, the United States again imposed sanctions on Iran and a list of named persons. 1 From that date, it is once again prohibited for any person to trade, outside the territory of the United States, with any person or entity included in the SDN list.
The General Court dismisses IFIC’s action and at the same time rules on novel questions of law concerning Regulation No 2271/96. It considers in particular that the contested decisions do not have retroactive effect and that the Commission did not err in its assessment by not taking into account the applicant’s interests or by failing to examine whether less onerous alternatives existed. It also holds that the limitation of the applicant’s right to be heard by the Commission in the context of the adoption of those decisions was, in the light of the objectives pursued by Regulation No 2271/96, necessary and proportionate.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Iranian Dissident Group Gets Extraordinary Official Embrace From Italy
Italy is giving its strongest support yet to the National Council of Resistance of Iran dissident group in a move likely to erode already-troubled relations between the founding member of the European Union and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI leader, on Wednesday, addressed a closed-door session of the Italian Foreign Affairs Committee before addressing around 250 legislators, journalists, and members of the Iranian diaspora in Italy in a parliamentary meeting room. The main event of the day was a formal endorsement of Rajavi’s 10-point plan for Iran after the rule of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The plan includes an ambitious outline for the creation of a modern, non-nuclear Iran with a non-clerical government and guarantees for human rights for women, non-Muslims, and other minorities.
Global Security at Risk: The Imperative of Standing with Iran’s Democratic Resistance
In a week marked by alarming developments, the international community was jolted by a resounding warning emanating from the United States, United Kingdom, and France. The UN Security Council bore witness to a grave revelation: Iran’s illicit trade of missiles and drones with Russia, coupled with its audacious pursuit of uranium enrichment for the insidious purpose of crafting nuclear weapons. These actions not only flagrantly violate Resolution 2231 but also cast an ominous shadow over the delicate fabric of global peace and security. In the face of these disquieting realities, it is imperative that the West respond to Tehran’s belligerence with a policy of unwavering resolve.
Retirees Gather in Protest in 7 Cities in Iran
Several groups of retirees held protest gatherings on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. They gathered in front of the National Pension Fund in Tehran and the governorates in the cities of Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Yazd, Mamasani (Fars), Karaj, and Ardabil. They complained about their miserable living conditions and protested against the government’s failure to adjust their salaries with the growing inflation and high prices. Retired women were at the forefront of the protests. The retired men and women expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor economic situation, high cost of living, and inflation. They demanded the adjustment of their salaries, restoration of their lost rights, and the release of political prisoners.
Iran Threat Prods DOD To Seek More Security for Former Officials
The Biden administration has asked Congress to include in the annual Pentagon policy bill a high-priority provision that would extend protections for former Defense Department officials — a move that is, at least in part, due to lingering security threats stemming from Iran. Of particular concern is the safety of former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who led the Pentagon during the 2020 U.S. assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and could be a potential target for reprisals. The proposed legislation would allow the Defense secretary to review and extend protections for high-ranking former officials every six months at his discretion, rather than every 60 days as the current law prescribes.
All 31 NATO Nations Send Message to Iran for Supporting Russia
Over the last year, the Middle Eastern country has transferred hundreds of drones – also known as uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) – to Russia to terrorize civilians in Ukraine. Allies are seriously concerned by the ‘malicious activities’ within their own territory and called Tehran to stop its military support to Russia. ‘We call upon Iran to cease its military support to Russia, in particular its transfer of uncrewed aerial vehicles, which have been used to attack critical infrastructure, causing widespread civilian casualties,’ the 31-member alliance said in a final declaration at a summit in Lithuania.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 12, 2023
