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UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST
15 US House Democrats Ask Biden Administration to Beware of Concessions to Tehran
A number of Democratic Party lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives held a press conference at the Capitol today to express their shared concerns about a possible nuclear deal with the Iranian regime.
The group, which includes 15 Democrats, expressed concern about reports that sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards will be lifted and the IRGC be removed from the terrorist list by the Biden administration as part of the nuclear deal.
Criticizing any appeasement with the Iranian regime, House Democrat Josh Guttimer of New Jersey said, “If Iran has proven anything, it is that it can not be trusted. It is time to stand firm against terrorists and to uphold the values of the United States and our allies.”
“It is very important that we do not give in to the demands of Iran, which is itself a major sponsor of terrorism and a dictatorial regime,” Gattimer said. “We need a stronger, longer-term agreement, not a shorter, weaker one. It is time to stand up to the terrorists with strength.”
Donald Norcross, another Democrat from New Jersey, added his voice to the ineffectiveness of such a deal in stopping Tehran from moving toward nuclear weapons, saying that all we were doing was delaying Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Dean Phillips, another Democrat from Minnesota, said he was not opposed to the deal, but rather that he was opposed to an agreement that would not prevent Iran from acquiring and producing a nuclear weapon. This member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee added that this agreement does not prevent the systemic terrorism of the regime.
UPDATE: 5:30 PM CEST
Regime’s Parliament Asks Negotiating Team to Double Down on Supreme Leader’s Stance in the Nuclear Talks
The state-run website AftabNews wrote on April 5: “A group of 190 MPs is calling for stronger guarantees from the other side (P4+1) in the Vienna talks. In a letter to the president, Tehran’s representative in the parliament, Seyyed Mahmoud Nabaviyan, called for stronger guarantees from the West in the Vienna talks. According to another MP from Hamedan who was collecting signatures from lawmakers in support of Habaviyan’s letter, more than 190 lawmakers have so far signed the letter.”
According to the state-run Eghtesadnews, Mohammad Reza Sabbaghian said in a public parliamentary meeting today: “From what we have been hearing so far, it is clear that the gentlemen (negotiation team) are not very committed to their slogans. Iran has lived up to its commitments, and we all know the leadership’s position on the need to verify the American’s actions. Therefore, the negotiators should be careful about the dignity of the Iranian people so that we won’t be fooled again. They are dealing with the enemy and they must defend the rights of the nation.”
“In the previous round of talks, I was one of the people who were against the JCPOA,” Sabbaghian added. “So don’t make us regret and think we would be better off with Zarif. We have the very feeling that our men are caving in terms of enrichment and verification.”
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CEST
This Situation Might Lead to a Social Revolt, Economist Warns
Quoting Ebrahim Razzaqi, a state-affiliated economist, the Sharq newspaper wrote today: “Though some domestic and external groups, hostile to the Islamic Republic, might be taking advantage of the challenges, problems, and economic crises in society, aiming to attack or even overthrowing the state, at the same time, the bitter realities of today cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, the patience of the people is growing thin by the day due to the many problems. This has created a fragile situation for society. I am worried that these crises might lead to a social revolt.”
We Will Counter Tehran’s Evil Influence in The Middle East, Pentagon Chief Says
“We remain committed to countering the Iranian evil influence and will be conducting counter-terrorism operations,” the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, April 5. “Iran challenges the stability of the Middle East and poses a threat to US forces, our partners, and the free flow of energy.”
He added: “In response to these threats, our forces increasingly need to operate with a stable military position and a ready-to-operate force, capable of deterring security threats.
The focus of our investments in the fiscal year 2023 on supporting operational activities across the Middle East and South Asia is focused on technological advancement, engagement, and coordination with partners and military operations.
DOD Continues Mission To Stabilize the Middle East
Dana Stroul said Iran’s continued sponsorship and cultivation of violent proxies and terrorists, its proliferation of increasingly advanced and lethal unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, its ballistic missile program, maritime aggression, and smuggling activities at sea all comprise reasons why Iran is a threat.
Tehran’s Allies Have Increased Captagon Trafficking in the Middle East, Study Reveals
Following the significant increase of Captagon drug trafficking in the Middle East, the blame once again falls on the Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
According to a study published on Tuesday, April 5, the Tehran-affiliated Lebanese militants and members of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s family are involved in the production, trafficking, and sales of Captagon pills.
The Washington-based research center, Newlines Institute, said in a report that the sales value of Captagon pills in the Middle East has reached more than $ 5 billion in 2021.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CEST
Mismanagement of Pandemic Awakes Protest
After a two-year break, in-person classes in Iranian schools have resumed full-time at all levels of education in Iran on Sunday, April 3, while statistics show an increasing uptrend of Covid-19 contracting throughout the country.
According to the deputy director of the Coronavirus headquarters in Tehran province, the number of patients in the province has increased. He also hinted at the possibility of a “surge” but said the duration of the surge and the resulting death toll could not be predicted.
Hamid Souri, an epidemiologist in Iran, says that given that there has been no “systematic management” of the pandemic, “scientifically” one can expect an epidemic to rise and the seventh surge to begin in the country.
The Iranian Ministry of Health has eliminated the need to maintain social distance in schools. The decision has caused more concerns across the country.
Today, protesting mandatory school attendance, a group of students’ parents in Shiraz refused to send their children to school and organized a rally. The protestors chanted: “In-person training must be stopped!”
Iran Uses Ramadan To Suppress Iranians
The Iranian regime, since its inception, has tried to impose its control on people’s lives, beliefs, choices, and faiths, in as many barbaric and inhumane methods as one can imagine. Restrictions on ethnic and religious minorities, gender segregation of classes and educational institutions, separate entrances for men and women in shops, stores, and public places, prohibiting people of different ethnic backgrounds from celebrating their own customs and traditions, are just a short list of an ever-growing list.
Extension of Javaid Rehman as Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran
The UN Human Rights Summit was held in Geneva on April 1, 2022. Representatives of Iceland, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, and the United Kingdom voted in favor of a resolution extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Iran. This resolution aimed to extend the mission of Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman concerning the violation of human rights in Iran for another year. The resolution calls for facilitating the Special Rapporteur’s actions in Iran. With an affirmative vote from 19 of the 47 member states of the UN Human Rights Council, the mandate of Javaid Rahman, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, was extended for another year.
Political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna returned to Evin Prison
Political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna was returned to Evin Prison on April 3, 2022, upon Amin Vaziri’s summon and order. Her transfer to Evin Prison occurred while she was in critical health conditions. Amin Vaziri is the deputy prosecutor in Evin, overseeing the cases of political prisoners. Fatemeh Mosanna, 53, has been suffering from an intestinal infection, making her incapable of tolerating prison time. She has also been diagnosed with intestinal fever due to long years of detention under poor food conditions and nervous stress. Fatemeh Mosanna also suffers from liver problems and intestinal colitis.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – April 5, 2022