UPDATE: 12:00 AM
Standard Chartered Linked to Trade with Sanctioned Iranian Firms
Standard Chartered provided banking services to a Chinese company that was importing goods from Arak Petrochemical Company and Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company, two US-sanctioned Iranian firms, an analysis by The Times of leaked transactions data suggests.
The Financial Times reported on Monday that Lloyds and Santander had provided accounts to Iranian front companies for the state-controlled Petrochemical Commercial Company.
Pentagon Destroyed Over 100 Missiles in Strikes on Houthi Bases, U.S. Defense Officials Confirm
According to Al Arabiya, while Houthi media report ongoing attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom on their militia bases in the Baqim district of Saada province and the Al-Jabaneh area in Al Hudaydah province in Yemen on Friday night, February 9, the Pentagon announced on Friday that it had destroyed more than 100 missiles and launch pads in one of its attacks on Houthi bases.
According to the Pentagon statement, in the attacks on February 8, 35 out of 36 targets belonging to the Houthi militants, including weapon depots, radars, three helicopters, command and control centers, and missile systems, were destroyed or severely damaged.
Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a press conference that the attacks on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which began in January last year, destroyed more than 100 missiles and missile launch pads.
Ryder added, “Since the first coalition strikes on January 11, we assess that we’ve destroyed or degraded more than 100 missiles and launchers, including anti-ship land attack and surface-to-air missiles, plus numerous communication capabilities, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, coastal radars, air surveillance capabilities, and weapon storage areas.”
Meanwhile, the United States announced on Friday night that as of late next week, with the implementation of Washington’s decision, the Houthi group will be listed as a terrorist organization.
U.S. Ambassador Fagin: “The classification of the Houthis as a terrorist group will take effect at the end of next week if the militia does not stop its strikes on ships.” pic.twitter.com/cz3cCJ7O6Q
— U.S. Embassy to Yemen السفارة الأمريكية لدى اليمن (@USEmbassyYemen) February 9, 2024
Iran Is Recruiting British Muslims To Spy on Jews And Dissidents of The Tehran Regime to Gather Information That May Be Used to Carry Out Attacks on UK Soil
Iran is recruiting British Muslims on pilgrimages in the Middle East to spy on Jews and dissidents in the UK, it was claimed last night. Recruiters from the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) approach British Shias visiting religious sites in Iran and Iraq. They are told to return to the UK and gather information on prominent British Jews or targets such as synagogues, Israeli and British officials have separately told the Mail.
Some spy on British-based Iranian dissidents, whom the Tehran regime accuses of fomenting unrest back home. Last night, an Israeli official said that since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, they had given a higher-than-usual number of warnings to the UK, alerting this country to potential attacks by Iranians or their proxies.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
The Truth Behind the Iranian Regime’s Repression and Warmongering
A conference held on Wednesday, January 30, in the Victor Hugo Hall of the National Assembly of France, discussed the Iranian regime’s policy of repression at home and warmongering abroad. During the conference, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and French politicians discussed the need to confront the Iranian regime’s provocative behavior and to support the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom.
The session was presided over by Mrs. Cécile Rilhac, the head of the Parliamentary Committee for Democratic Iran in the National Assembly of France. In her speech, Mrs. Rilhac announced that the National Assembly’s 2023 declaration calling for the proscription of the IRGC received substantial support from French legislators, including a majority of 295 French representatives, including five group presidents, three political party leaders, and over 130 senators.
Iran Regime’s Supreme Leader Banned from Meta Platforms
Meta announced on Thursday that it had taken action to ban all Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with the Iran regime’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, as reported by multiple media outlets.
The decision came as Meta stated, “We have removed these accounts for repeatedly violating our Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.”
Though Meta did not explicitly reference the Israel-Hamas conflict, the move to remove Khamenei’s accounts follows heightened pressure on the social media platform since Hamas’ attack on Israel last October, resulting in significant casualties.
How to Confront Iran’s Reign of Terror
With tearful eyes and heavy hearts, the world bears witness to the relentless surge of executions in Iran and the tragic spread of religious fascism and warmongering in the Middle East. Until yesterday, the interests guiding governmental relations prevented acknowledgment of the Iranian regime’s role in fueling the crisis. However, today, the clarity brought by the Iranian resistance leaves no room for doubt: the regime stands as the source of war and terrorism.
However, merely recognizing this fact is insufficient. The crucial question remains: what is the correct strategy for confronting fundamentalism and religious fascism, currently rooted in Iran? This question lies at the heart of the challenges facing both the region and the world today.
In the Shadows of Tyranny: Iran’s Regime and the Death Penalty Dilemma
The Hrana website has reported a troubling surge in death sentences issued by the Iranian regime, with January 2024 setting a grim record compared to the same period in 2023, witnessing a staggering 35 death sentences. Shockingly, within the span of a single month, a total of 86 individuals faced execution. Even more alarming is the comparison with January 2023, where at least 63 people were executed in Iran, with 23 death sentences handed down. This represents a significant increase, with January 2024 witnessing 23 more executions and 12 additional death sentences compared to the previous year.
A closer examination of the data reveals a disturbing trend: the number of executions consistently exceeds the number of new death sentences issued. This stark contrast suggests either a more aggressive stance by the judicial system or a systematic effort to purge dissenting voices.
Escalating Middle East Crisis Prompts US Government to Intensify Iranian Oil Sanctions
In a report released on Thursday, February 8, Bloomberg News agency revealed that the Biden administration is planning to ramp up the enforcement of oil sanctions against the Iranian regime in response to the escalating crisis in the Middle East. The aim is to diminish Tehran’s support for militants operating in the region.
Sources familiar with the matter informed Bloomberg that the White House intends to bolster the enforcement of existing sanctions as the regional crisis worsens, despite acknowledging the potential disruption to global oil markets.
The report highlights that the escalation of the crisis is attributed to the Iran regime’s backing of groups such as Hamas, which initiated the conflict with Israel, and the Houthis in Yemen, who have been disrupting world trade by targeting commercial ships. Addressing these issues has become a top priority for the American forces in the region.
Two Iranian Nationals Accused of Illegally Exporting U.S. Technology to Iran
Abolfazl Bazzazi and his son Mohammad Resa Bazzazi, both citizens of Iran, have been charged with conspiracy to export U.S. goods and technology to Iran’s regime, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The indictment, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, alleges that the defendants attempted to smuggle U.S. goods and technology without the necessary export licenses.
The indictment was announced by Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Norfolk Field Office.
Varisha Moradi, Women’s Rights Activist, Charged with “Armed Rebellion”
A Revolutionary Court in Tehran charged Varisha Moradi Bagh-y or “armed insurgency,” a very heavy charge that can carry long prison terms and even the death sentence. Varisha Moradi was charged by the 5th Branch of the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Court.
According to Kurdish human rights sources, Varisha Moradi was summoned twice to court and charged with Bagh-y for membership in a Kurdish opposition party. She was transferred from Ward 209 to the women’s ward of Evin Prison after the end of her interrogations on December 26, 2023.
Varisha was abducted on August 1, 2023, in Kermanshah, on her way to Sanandaj in western Iran. Ms. Moradi has been denied the right to her chosen lawyer and due procedure. She was only allowed to call the lawyer after an indictment was issued.
Iran’s Judiciary Issued 35 Death Sentences in One Month, Human Rights Activists Warn
Human rights activists in Iran state that in January, the Iranian regime’s judiciary set a new record for issuing death sentences in the past year with 35 death sentences. The regime also executed 86 individuals in the same month.
On February 8, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the examination of the issuance and execution of death sentences from January 2023 to January 2024 indicates a continuous increase in the number of executions compared to the number of newly issued death sentences.
The recent intensification of issuing and executing death sentences in Iran has been met with strong reactions. In this context, the European Parliament passed a resolution on Friday, February 8, calling for the immediate release of all those sentenced to death and political prisoners in Iran.