THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:30 PM
Canada Holds Key to Designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard A Terrorist Organization
The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has once again brought the focus on the role of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as the fulcrum of the survival of the regime.
Raisi became president in 2021. The IRGC had already acquired control over more than half of Iran’s economy. However, since Raisi came to power, the IRGC penetrated more deeply into various government institutions.
International calls to designate IRGC as a terrorist organization increased in volume after it killed as many as 1,500 people in shootings during a nationwide, anti-regime uprising in November 2019. Its paramilitary arm, the Basij, carried out the vast majority of the 750 deaths of participants in another uprising that began in September 2022.
UPDATE: 9:30 AM
U.S. Statement on NPT Safeguards Agreement with The Islamic Republic of Iran
The United States once again expresses its appreciation for the professional and impartial efforts of the Director General and the Secretariat to engage Iran on the serious, outstanding issues related to the implementation of Iran’s NPT-required safeguards agreement.
We appreciate the Director General’s detailed reporting on these critical issues, which is essential to the international community’s understanding of the nature of Iran’s nuclear program and the serious shortcomings in Iran’s cooperation with the Agency to date.
I would like to focus my time on why Iran’s nuclear program poses such a serious challenge to international security and our vision for responding to that challenge. There are at least three attributes of Iran’s current approach that are highly problematic.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM
IAEA Board of Governors Resolution on Iran: E3 Joint Statement
We, the Governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, welcome the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors’ adoption of a resolution on Iran this afternoon. The resolution responds to Iran’s persistent refusal to cooperate in good faith with the IAEA to clarify outstanding issues relating to undeclared nuclear material detected at multiple locations in Iran. Iran is legally obligated under its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement to cooperate with the IAEA and account for all nuclear material and activities.
18 months ago, the IAEA Board stated that it was essential and urgent for Iran to act without delay to fulfil its NPT-required safeguards obligations to ensure the IAEA is able to verify that no nuclear material is diverted. Since then, Iran has consistently failed to meaningfully cooperate with the Agency, further restricted Agency access by de-designating experienced inspectors, and accumulated provocative statements on its technical capability to build nuclear weapons that are contrary to Iran’s NPT obligations. Despite the repeated efforts by the IAEA Director General to engage in a substantial dialogue with Iran, Iran has made no progress to resolve the issues.
IAEA Board of Governors Passes Resolution against The Iranian Regime’s Nuclear Program
The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has passed a resolution calling on Iran’s regime to step up its cooperation with the IAEA and reverse its recent barring of inspectors.
The resolution was passed with 20 countries voting in favor, two against, and 12 abstentions. It follows up on the last resolution 18 months ago that ordered Iran’s regime to comply with a years-long IAEA investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Iran’s regime has yet to give the IAEA satisfactory answers on how the traces got there.
“The need for the Board to hold Iran accountable to its legal obligations is long overdue. Iran must urgently, fully and unambiguously co-operate with the Agency,” Britain, France, and Germany said in a statement to the Board on the resolution they proposed, according to Reuters.
533 UK Lawmakers Support The Iranian Resistance
Following a wave of statements, resolutions, and parliamentary majorities in support of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the call to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, a joint statement from 553 UK lawmakers was released in support of the 10-point plan of Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, which includes free elections, freedom of speech and assembly, the abolition of the death penalty, gender equality, the separation of religion and state, autonomy for Iran’s ethnic groups, and a non-nuclear Iran.
The joint statement from 553 UK lawmakers, including the majority of the House of Commons and 329 members of the House of Lords from all parties, calls for support of the NCRI as the democratic alternative to the Iranian regime and the recognition of the struggle of PMOI Resistance Units against the IRGC. Among the signatories are the heads of ten parliamentary committees and more than 55 former ministers and deputy ministers from both Conservative and Labor cabinets.
Iran’s Environmental Crisis: A Dire Consequence of Destructive Policies
June 5 marks World Environment Day, a day when nations across the globe prioritize environmental protection and address pressing issues like climate change.
In many developed and industrialized countries, presidential candidates often highlight environmental policies as a core component of their platforms, garnering the trust and votes of the populace by promising to tackle environmental challenges head-on.
In stark contrast, as Iran prepares for its upcoming presidential elections with 80 candidates registered, environmental concerns seem to be absent from their agendas. This pattern is not new; successive governments have consistently sidelined environmental issues, viewing them as non-essential to their development goals.
Iran: Farmers Hold Protest Rallyin Ahvaz
On Wednesday, June 5th, hundreds of wheat farmers held a protest in front of the Khuzestan Governor’s Office in Ahvaz, demanding payment for their crops. According to reports the government owes farmers millions of dollars. During the protest state security forces attempted to disperse the protesting farmers.
The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the wheat farmers, holding placards, protested the non-payment of their claims. It quoted Azim Sathi-Nejad, a representative of the protesting farmers, saying that they had delivered the wheat to the Grain Administration on April 20th, and according to the law, the payments should have been made within 24 hours of delivery.
Stories of the Brutalities by Sadegh Khalkhali, Khomeini’s Representative
The death of Raisi, a notorious figure linked to the regime’s prisoner massacre, once again brings to mind another name who, like Raisi, did not hesitate to kill: Sadegh Khalkhali.
To comprehend the events following the 1979 anti-monarchy revolution, one must understand the suppression process that was put into action. Sadegh Khalkhali is the first person to be considered for this examination.
Two days after the revolution’s triumph, Khomeini issued this command: “Dear Hojatoleslam Mr. Sheikh Sadegh Khalkhali, may your influence endure. You are appointed to attend the court formed to judge the accused and prisoners, and after completing the trial procedures according to Sharia, deliver the Sharia verdict.”
Vienna—June 4, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally Against Appeasement Policy Toward the Mullahs’ Regime
Vienna, Austria—June 4, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally simultaneously with the IAEA Board of Governors meeting against the appeasement policy toward the mullahs’ regime. Iranian community in Vienna expressed their solidarity with the nationwide Iranian people’s uprising.
Zurich, June 3, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibit Iranian Revolution’s Martyrs, Call for Participation in Berlin Demonstration on June 29
Zurich, Switzerland—June 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition of the martyrs of the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and the Iranian Revolution. They also protested against the increasing wave of executions by the Iranian regime.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – June 5, 2024
