In Greater Tehran’s Fashafoyeh Prison, twenty-three prisoners convicted of theft are awaiting hand amputations, with one prisoner expected to undergo the procedure in the next few days.

Alireza Khan Baluchi, convicted of theft seven years ago, has had his case sent to the Sentence Implementation Department, which will carry out the forced amputation. Baluchi has already returned the stolen property to the victim.

#Iranians are sentenced to amputation for petty thievery while state corruption has been institutionalized in the regime with officials citing numerous cases.https://t.co/ixd70kV8Gu

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) May 17, 2019

Brutal Punishments for Petty Crimes

Baluchi is not alone. Across Iran, every year convicted criminals receive harsh sentences of lashing and amputation for petty crimes. Between 2007 and 2011, the Iranian regime sentences 215 thieves to amputation sentences. It carried out around 125 of those sentences, six of which took place in public. Most of those who receive amputation sentences have been convicted on charges of stealing property worth 10 million tomans or less (US$600).

The regime’s attorney general is a fierce supporter of the barbaric practice. Following the regime’s decreased use of amputation as a punishment in the wake of the heavy international backlash, Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri called the decline “unfortunate”.

“One of the mistakes that we make is that we are afraid of human rights (propaganda) and that they say that you treat thieves violently,” the attorney general said in a meeting with police commanders in January.

He cited this reluctance to administer amputations as punishment as an underlying reason why theft had increased on the previous year’s levels. “According to the statistics of the judiciary and the police, unfortunately, robbery is second in terms of crimes in the society,” Montarezi claimed, asserting that theft now accounted for 28% of all crimes committed in Iran.

Unemployment is a Far Greater Driver

While the attorney general would prefer to blame an increase in crime on softer punishments, the country’s economic decline is a far greater driver of theft. With inflation skyrocketing, the purchasing power of Iranians plummeting and unemployment on the up, many parents are resorting to extreme measures to keep food on the table.

In the same interview, Montarezi seemed to acknowledge the role economic hardship has within Iran’s increasing crime rates. He cited the countries rising unemployment and widespread factory closures as areas of concern.

International Condemnation

The Iranian regime last removed someone’s hand as a punishment for theft in January 2018. The victim, identified only as Ali, was sentenced to amputation by guillotine for the crimes of stealing livestock and other items from villages in Northeastern Iran.

International human rights’ groups, including Amnesty International, were quick to condemn the sentence. Magdalena Mughrabi, the Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director for Amnesty said: “Meeting out such unspeakably cruel punishments is not justice and serves to highlight the Iranian authorities’ complete disregard for human dignity. There is no place for such brutality in a robust criminal justice system.

The internal population within Iran also responded to the forced amputation with public outcry. People took to the streets to protest the injustice, which the head of the Khorasan Razavi judiciary defended as a “divine punishment”.

When challenged in the UN Human Rights Council on the issue in 2010, Mohammad Javad Larijani also defended the practice as “culturally and religiously justified.”

There is no justification for the Iranian regime and its abhorrent acts of violence. Forced amputations are a barbaric practice whenever they occur.

Staff writer

 

On Friday, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office (FCO) issued a warning to British-Iranian dual nationals advising them not to travel to Iran.

The Foreign Office said that the change in travel advice was due to the regime’s “continued arbitrary detention and mistreatment of dual nationals.”

British nationals, particularly those with dual citizenship, face an “unacceptably higher risk” of arbitrary detention and mistreatment at the hands of the Iranian regime than citizens of other countries, added the FCO.

The Foreign Office is warning British-Iranian dual nationals against travelling to Iran as they face "continued arbitrary detention" https://t.co/8DU5I17gdy

— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 17, 2019

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt explained the reasoning for the change in travel advice, noting the Iranian regime’s refusal to take steps to remedy the problem. He said: “Dual nationals face an intolerable risk of mistreatment if they visit Iran. Despite the UK providing repeated opportunities to resolve this issue, the Iranian regime’s conduct has worsened.

“Having exhausted all other options, I must now advise all British-Iranian dual nationals against traveling to Iran.

“The dangers they face include arbitrary detention and lack of access to basic legal rights, as we have seen in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been separated from her family since 2016.

“Regrettably, I must also offer a message of caution to Iranian nationals resident in the UK – but who return to visit family and friends – especially where the Iranian government may perceive them to have personal links to UK institutions or the British government.”

Sky News reported that the change in travel advice was partially due to concerns that the Iranian regime would take punitive action against British-Iranian dual citizens with links to UK institutions.

The Iranian regime does not recognize dual citizenship.

Unrest in Iran

The travel warning follows a series of brutal crackdowns by the clerical regime intended to quell the rising tide of dissent in the country and stave off widespread rebellion. The designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and the tightening of U.S. oil sanctions have deepened both domestic and international economic and political tensions for the regime at a time when the mullahs’ grasp on power was already tenuous.

Last month’s devastating floods took hundreds of lives and caused billions of dollars in damages. It also exposed decades of incompetence and corruption by the regime. Poorly built bridges and dams collapsed, drainage systems that had been paved over caused massive flooding, and years of deforestation intensified the destruction.

April 14 – Hamidiyeh, Ahvaz, Khuzestan province, southwest #Iran
Locals are seen marching, protesting the regime's inaction in response to recent floods.#IranFloods pic.twitter.com/13Vda0e3Y5

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 13, 2019

The regime’s heartless response during and after the floods caused widespread outrage. While flood victims waited on rooftops for help that did not come, state-run television minimized the number of casualties and damage due to the disaster. Volunteers who provided food and other assistance to their friends and neighbors were arrested. Regime officials who visited flood-stricken areas were greeted by angry protesters who demanded to know when they would receive tents. The regime responded by sending tanks to suppress the protests.

Regime Crackdown

It is in this environment that the mullahs have attempted to crack down on further dissent. The regime recently announced the launch of the Razavion Patrol, a new suppressive force that will police neighborhoods to prevent MEK Resistance Units and other political dissidents from gathering. It is also working to pass an amendment that will make it legal to deny some detainees legal representation while they are being investigated.

The regime is acting out of fear, and it is while it is in this state of fear that it is most dangerous. A bear is at its most deadly when it is gravely wounded. The international community would do well to recognize the threat posed by the regime.

Staff writer

 

 

 

 

 

The governor of flood-ravaged Khuzestan Province once again sparked outrage for his controversial remarks in the wake of the deadly floods that swept through 25 out of 31 provinces last month.

Hamidiyeh, Khuzestan Province, southwest #Iran
Locals are happy after successfully repairing a flood barrier protecting their homes & farms from rising waters of Karkheh River.

With the absence of any state aid, people are taking matters into their own hands.#IranFloods pic.twitter.com/hyKiERiL1D

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 8, 2019

In an interview on Iran’s state-run television, Gholamreza Shariati described the recent visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

“During their visits, the International Red Cross protested that our flood aid was too much and outside of their protocols… and that we should not have given so much aid,” Shariati said!

The governor was asked what constituted too much aid, and he claimed that the ICRC complained to the head of the Red Crescent about “facilities and things that were given in the official camps.”

Lack of Emergency Aid

 

In the days after the floods, survivors in the hardest-hit areas waited days to receive tents. Residents in villages that were surrounded by floodwaters were stranded without food, water, or emergency aid for days while regime officials denied the severity of the disaster and minimized the extent of casualties.

April 7 – Near Shush, Khuzestan Province, southwest #Iran
Locals striving to prevent floodwaters from engulfing their village.

No state aid is provided and people across the country are left on their own to face the ravaging floods.#IranFloods pic.twitter.com/iiPa7sYiY8

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 7, 2019

Regime officials who visited flood-stricken areas for photo ops were greeted by angry protests from disaster victims who demanded explanations for why they had been abandoned by the government.

Previous Controversy

Khuzestan’s governor generated controversy during the floods during one such visit to a flood-stricken region. A video shared on social media showed an elderly man asking Shariati why the regime continued to give aid to Syria while denying emergency aid to its own people.

“Don’t be so irrelevant! You’re insolent and anti-government! Get lost!” Shariati angrily retorted before going on to threaten the flood victim.

 

According to the United Nations Office on the Situation in Syria, the Islamic Republic of Iran spends an average of $6 billion a year in Syria. This comprises approximately half of the total amount budgeted for subsidies in Iran.

April 24 – Khuzestan Province, southwest #Iran
Man says they have lost everything in the recent floods.
Locals are constantly complaining of not receiving any state aid.#IranFloods pic.twitter.com/keFtjC9kWl

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 24, 2019

The people of Iran have expressed anger at the regime’s continued funding of Bashar al Assad’s war in Syria while 80 percent of the population of Iran lives below the poverty line.

Continuing Impact of the Floods

Meanwhile, the regime has still taken few concrete steps to address the flood recovery effort. Millions of Iranians have been affected by the disaster, either through direct damage or destruction of their homes and towns, loss of employment and infrastructure, or both. Regime officials have refused to provide unemployment assistance to those who lost jobs because of the floods unless they had pre-existing unemployment coverage. Because of the economic crisis gripping the country and the regime’s anti-labor policies, many of the factory and industrial workers who are now unemployed did not have this coverage due to their forced status as contract workers.

I urge the freedom-loving youths and members of resistance units and councils to not lose any opportunity in helping the flood-hit families. Help the people organize their popular councils which is the only solution for prevailing over this devastating flood.#Iran#IranFlood pic.twitter.com/lrwTjnPB5Y

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 27, 2019

The MEK has taken a strong stance in opposition to the regime’s anti-labor policies and its heartless response to the national disaster faced by the Iranian people. Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition, has urged the people of Iran to form resistance councils and to “rush to the aid” of those affected by the floods.

Staff writer

On Friday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released a statement concerning the arrests of eleven people for supporting MEK following the regime’s recent crackdown on protests and political dissent within the country.

According to the statement, the crackdown is the most recent desperate attempt by the mullahs to quell the rising outrage in the country due to the dire state of the economy, the regime’s bungled response to the catastrophic floods last month, and the growing influence of MEK Resistance Units, resistance councils, and the nation’s rebellious in organizing protests. These fears have been intensified by the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and the strengthening of U.S. oil sanctions in the past months.

 

Regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has taken a number of hardline measures to try to prevent the overthrow of the clerical regime. In March, Khamenei appointed notorious Death Committee member Ebrahim Raisi to the position of Judiciary Chief. Raisi was personally responsible for sending thousands of MEK supporters to their executions during the 1988 Massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. Khamenei then appointed Salami, Fadavi, and Naghdi as Commander, Deputy Commander, and Coordinator of the IRGC. All three men are known for their cruelty, according to the NCRI statement.

 

The regime has now launched a new wave of suppressive measures to prevent the spread of popular uprisings. Hashd al-Shabi forces were transferred from Iraq to flood-stricken areas in Iran, where victims of the disaster are protesting the lack of government aid. Last week, the regime announced the widespread launch of the Razavion, which it has described as “neighborhood-based security patrols.” Security forces have stepped up arrests of political dissidents, particularly MEK supporters.

Arrests of MEK Activists

 

The NCRI obtained the names of eleven people that have been arrested in late April 2019, for supporting MEK:

 

• Nematollah Hakimi Kiasarai, 46, Tehran
• Salar Eskandarzadeh, 29, Tehran
• Hamid Reza Haddadi, 36, Kermanshah
• Dariush Hosseini, 65, Mahshahr
• Mohammad Khatibnia, 28, Khorramabad
• Reza Nabavi, 24, Semnan
• Mohsen Hosseini, 23, along with his two brothers, Neyshabur
• Mahmoud Salami, 25, Neyshabur
• Shokouh Majd, 55, Neyshabur

 

 

On April 23rd, the MEK released a list of 28 people who were arrested prior to that date for the similar charges.

 

On April 19, 2019, Mullah Alavi, the regime’s Minister of Intelligence, said in a speech that 116 teams associated with the MEK had been arrested over the past Iranian calendar year. On April 24th, the Director General of Intelligence in East Azarbaijan Province followed that statement with his own numbers, reporting 60 arrests and 50 additional encounters with MEK supporters over the past year.

 

These numbers do not take into account arrests made by the regime’s other suppressive organs, including the IRGC and local law enforcement. Actual arrest numbers are much higher.

Statement by Maryam Rajavi

International call to visit religious fascism prisons and to meet political prisoners#Iranhttps://t.co/ityDvxrDAq pic.twitter.com/eUPoJ5o3IB

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 17, 2019

Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, once again called on the United Nations Secretary-General, High Commissioner and Human Rights Council, as well as international human rights organizations,  to take urgent action to secure the release of imprisoned people. She also called for the appointment of delegations to visit the regime’s prisons in order to meet with political prisoners. Mrs. Rajavi stresses that political prisoners in Iran are subject to torture and execution.

Staff writer

An Iranian MP has admitted that the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) is playing a central role in the rising tide of public dissent. Elias Hazrati took the podium in the regime’s Majlis (parliament) on Tuesday, May 14. He took the opportunity to shed some light on the crisis the Iranian regime currently finds itself in.

“The system is facing the toughest sanctions’ regime and the most condense economic blockade the country has faced during the past decade,” he said. He warned the regime officials in attendance that unless they took steps to modify the status quo, the regime would lose the Iranian public’s trust [read support among those very few percentages loyal to the regime].

Friday Prayer Leaders Express Fear of #MEK in Dire Warnings about #Protests https://t.co/T8uOVrCH6z#Iran #Iranprotests

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) January 16, 2019

The Middle of a Psychological War

“We are in the middle of a horrific psychological war. The war has begun. The aim is to destroy the people’s trust in the state,” Hazrati said, referring to the MEK’s repeated opposition to the Iranian regime’s repressive policies.

Over a 100,000 supporters of #MEK, gathered in #Villepinte–#Paris, to voice support for #Iran’s main opposition, and a free Iran- June 30, 2018https://t.co/9CrRrTCqkM#FreeIran2018 pic.twitter.com/fYlubApuvc

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) July 5, 2018

Hazrati went on to explicitly mention the MEK as a source of his escalating fear for the future of the regime’s survival.

“The enemy is using all its assets to discredit the state. With fake news and exaggeration tactics, 1,200 PMOI/MEK members are sitting and planning against [paramilitary] Hezbollah [militants], against both the reformists and principalists, the defenders of the state and the extremists and the fanatics. And inside the system, we are promoting this great war without doing anything to counter it,” he mused.

The Regime Has No Understanding of the Challenges Iranians Face

Hazrati’s warnings were clear to the regime; maintaining the status quo is not a viable option. As the Iranian economy continues to freefall and the purchasing power of ordinary Iranians plummets, the Iranian public is losing patience.

The people see a regime that is mismanaging Iranian finances, funneling money abroad to the militia and terrorist groups around the region. They see a regime ignoring their demands to end corruption and embezzlement. While they get poorer, the mullahs get richer, lining their pockets at the expense of the Iranian economy.

“You will realize the gravity of the situation when the people are smashed under the wheels of the problems,” Hazrati continued. “We don’t have any understanding of the fact that people are being smashed under the wheels of high costs of living, inflation, unemployment, and there is chaos overwhelming the Bazaar and the economy, while we are engaged in our own infightings and pay no attention to the outside reality.”

Hazrati is correct to be worried. The status quo is not tenable and a rising tide of public opposition will bring about regime change and restore democracy to Tehran.

Staff writer

On Tuesday, Isfahan’s Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor officially banned public bicycling by women in the city, making violators subject to punishment under Islamic law.

 

In remarks carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Prosecutor Ali Esfahani said, “As per the attestation of Muslim scholars, and based on the law, cycling by women in public is haram [prohibited]. The police have been ordered to initially give women bikers notices and take their IDs. Otherwise their bikes will be confiscated.”

Women’s cycling banned in #Iranian city as “haram” https://t.co/aLs7kCgmnh

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) May 16, 2019

Esfahani went on to discuss consequences for violators of the ban. “First-time offenders will have to go to the security police and sign a pledge,” he said. “They will not be punished and their personal documents and bicycles will be returned. If they repeat this sinful act two or three times, they will be punished in accordance with the Islamic Penal Code.”

 

Esfahani justified the crackdown on women cyclists by claiming that they had been “harassed” and citing complaints by clerics. “It has been some time that the heads of Friday prayers and the families of martyrs have complained of women’s cycling in public areas,” he said.

Khamenei’s Fatwa

 

Although Iranian law does not explicitly prohibit women from using bicycles, the clerical regime has always frowned upon public cycling by women, calling it “immoral.” In September 2016, regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa banning the public use of bicycles by women, describing women’s cycling as “ostentation.” He also prohibited women from using bicycles in the presence of strangers or those outside of their immediate families.

 

“Riding bicycle often attracts the attention of men and exposes the society to corruption, and thus contravenes women’s chastity, and it must be abandoned,” Khamenei said, in response to an inquiry about the fatwa at the time. The fatwa clearly shows his backward ideology presented under the name of Islam and the misogyny within highest officials of the regime.

Mounting Pressure from Clerics

 

The city of Isfahan has not strictly enforced the fatwa until now, but city officials have faced growing pressure from clerics to address the perceived endorsement of women’s cycling and to enforce other oppressive regime policies.

#Iran's Regime Bans Women From Riding Bicycles in #Isfahan
The Iranian regime's official news agency IRNA quoted Prosecutor Ali Esfahani as saying: "As per the attestation of Muslim scholars, and based on the law, cycling by women in public isprohibited."https://t.co/Wdpiw1peKB pic.twitter.com/Hdhqmc6W8l

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 15, 2019

Seyed Yusuf Tabatabaie Nejad, Khamenei’s representative in Isfahan Province, recently commented that “officials should not allow the religious and cultural identity of the city of Isfahan to be tarnished by breaking norms.”

 

He then thanked Prosecutor Esfahani for his “good orders” and good measures” in cracking down on enforcement of “women’s biking, the hijab, dog walking and parties held in orchards.”

 

On April 12th, the temporary Friday prayer Imam in Isfahan, Abolhassan Mahdavi, used his sermon to criticize city leaders in Isfahan for allowing women to ride bicycles in public. He demanded that officials deal with the issue immediately.

Women must have freedom of choice for selecting their attire. The compulsory veiling law must be abolished; and it will be abolished. Women must particularly have the right to equal participation in the society's political leadership.#IWD2019 #InternationalWomensDay#Iran pic.twitter.com/E9mo54ZYN9

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 8, 2019

The MEK is strongly opposed to laws that prevent women from fully participating in public life. The Iranian Resistance and its leader, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, believe that Iran should be governed by a secular democracy where women and men enjoy equal rights and representation in all spheres of life.

 

The Iranian regime has maintained its rule for forty years through suppression and intimidation, but the people have shown through their protests that they are no longer willing to accept this treatment. The MEK provides a path to a free Iran.

Staff writer

Former Member of the European Parliament for Scotland, Struan Stevenson, wrote an op-ed in the British newspaper, the Times. Entitled ‘Mullahs Agents Operate Across Europe’, the piece revealed that Iranian regime agents could be operating undercover in Glasgow, Scotland.

The revelation comes after the United States government identified two Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) agents working in the UK who had previously been involved in espionage activities against the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) in Iraq and Albania.

Targeting the Opposition

The MEK has long been the target of the Iranian regime’s violence. Just last year, MOIS agents were involved in espionage and terror activities against MEK members in Albania, Bulgaria, the US, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

A 2013 report from the US government entitled ‘Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security: A Profile’ found that the Iranian regime tasked the MOIS with identifying and eliminating MEK members living at home and abroad. Stevenson writes:

“It found that the key task of Ministry of Intelligence (Mois) agents was to identify and eliminate opponents of the regime at home and abroad, with the main target being the key democratic opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI) and its charismatic Paris-based leader, Maryam Rajavi.”

The German interior ministry carried out a similar investigation and came to the same conclusion, that MOIS agents were placed to combat opposition at home and abroad.”

This campaign of identifying and eliminating MEK members abroad led the Iranian regime to plan a terror attack on the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering in June 2018.

A diplomat based at the Iranian regime’s embassy in Vienna, Austria, provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with explosive material and detailed instructions to head to Paris and detonate a car bomb at the event. The disaster was narrowly averted for the 100,000 attendees when Belgian authorities detained the couple en-route to the event.

Stevenson himself had more cause than most for alarm. He writes in the Times, “As a long-term opponent of the fascist regime in Iran, I was there myself.”

In response to the terror attacks planned on European soil, France and Albania expelled Iranian diplomats and the EU has implemented its own sanctions against individuals in the regime.

“When I tried to pull his arm off me I felt something poking me in the base of my spine. I looked around and saw he had a handgun with a silencer. He told me if I did anything drastic he would shoot me there and then” https://t.co/fZnrZJjfLW

— The Times Scotland (@thetimesscot) May 15, 2019

The Trump administration has designated the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) a foreign terror organization, severely impacting the regime’s ability to raise foreign capital. The US economic sanctions are also starting to bite.

The regime also faces an expanding protest movement and increased domestic pressure from the Iranian people. It will likely respond to this increased pressure by cracking down on political opponents within Iran and abroad.

Staff Writer

A new resolution explicitly condemning the Iranian regime’s terror attacks against opposition group the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (ME) has been submitted to the US Congress. House of Representative Resolution 374, backed by 39 members of both the Democrat and Republican parties, also expresses the support of the US House for the Iranian people’s calls for a democratic, secular and non-nuclear Iran.

Thirty-nine bipartisan United States Members of Congress have jointly submitted a new resolution condemning the Iranian regime's terrorist acts against U.S. citizens and supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of #Iran (#PMOI/#MEK).https://t.co/Of6beOmpyx pic.twitter.com/iyUvBmVdo3

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 15, 2019

Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan

The resolution cites the ten-point plan from the President-elect Maryam Rajavi as a viable roadmap towards a democratic Iran. The plan maps Iran’s course to free elections, the establishment of the universal right to vote, the separation of religion and state, the removal of the death penalty, gender equality, equal rights for religious minorities and the dismantling of the Iranian regime’s nuclear weapons program.

The resolution also calls for increased cooperation between the US government and governing bodies in Europe to combat the threat of Iranian state-sponsored terror.

A Tumour in the Heart of Europe

The Iranian regime intensified its espionage and terrorist activities on European and US soil throughout 2018. It has become an issue that heads of states from around the world cannot ignore any longer.

In 2018, the regime plotted terror attacks and assassination attempts against the MEK in Albania, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the US. The most severe of which, a planned car bomb to be detonated at the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering event in Paris, endangered the lives of more than 100,000 dignitaries and political figures from across the globe.

The Iranian regime has systematically used its embassies and diplomatic outposts to further its terror objectives. The planned Paris attack involved diplomats working at the Iranian embassy in Vienna and an Iranian diplomat by the name of Assadollah Assadi provided the perpetrators with explosive material for use in the attack.

Expanding Diplomatic Efforts in the Balkans

One of the areas Resolution 374 explicitly calls on the US government to work with international bodies is within the Balkans. The Iranian regime, following the MEK’s exile to Albania, increased its diplomatic activities in the Balkans. The Resolution argued that these “malign activities in the Balkans, specifically its presence and activities in Albania, pose a serious threat to United States national security interests.”

The resolution reminds that the US has an obligation to oppose human rights abuses and state-sanctioned terrorism across the globe wherever it occurs. The Iranian people have expressed their will in the streets in the form of vast anti-regime protests. Now it is up to the world to take note and ensure the international community comes down on the right side of history.

 

The Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank focused on nuclear proliferation, published a report on May 7, shedding light on the Iranian regime’s clandestine nuclear program. The report, entitled ‘Shock Wave Generator for Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program: More than a Feasibility Study’, used information previously revealed by the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), to gather intelligence and build a greater understanding of the Iranian development and manufacturing of key nuclear weapon subcomponents.

THREAD
1
'Shock Wave Generator for #Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program:More than Feasibility Study’was released by @TheGoodISIS on May7,based on Iran’s nuke archives detailing development&manufacturing of key nuclear weapon subcomponent-“shock wave generator”https://t.co/u5nlEnPkCe

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

The Ahmad Plan

The report reveals that since the early 2000s, the Iranian regime has been active in the development of nuclear weapon subcomponents. The Ahmad Plan, as it was known, sought to develop a “shock wave generator”, a system designed to initiate a charge that would prompt weapons-grade uranium to achieve a supercritical mass and create a nuclear explosion.

The Ahmad Plan sought to develop five nuclear weapons using this technology. It also implemented the construction of an underground facility for nuclear testing. The report also indicated that the plan involved “at least one former member of the Soviet nuclear weapons program”, indicating that the clerical regime had the assistance of foreign agents.

Deep Cover

The report goes on to describe how after 2003, when the MEK and National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exposed many of the regime’s clandestine nuclear activities, parts of the program were given cover stories.

4
Sanjarian site was first publicly identified in2009 by @Iran_policy,as “Research Center for Explosion&Impact”(METFAZ).#NCRI stated this site was developing high-explosive detonators for use in atomic bombs & manufacturing components for these detonation systems pic.twitter.com/wwc8KwH0V4

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

One such location was located near the village of Sanjarian. Known as the “Sanjarian facility”, the site was the location chosen to build the explosive components in the shock wave generator. After 2003, it was redesigned to appear to be a non-military facility carrying out non-military tests, hiding its true purpose.

However, in 2009, the NCRI and MEK sources got wind of the activities taking place at Sanjarian. The opposition revealed that the facility was engaged in the development of high-explosive detonators for use in nuclear weapons.

Staying One Step Ahead

More recently, the MEK confirmed that the regime had moved many of its activities out of Sanjarian. The opposition group concluded that the bulwark of the Iranian nuclear program was now being carried out in the Parchin military complex.

This is supported by satellite imagery of the Sanjarian facility, which appears less maintained than in previous years.

14
NCRI stated METFAZ in 2017 did not conduct these activities at Sanjarian,but conducted them at another location, identified as the “Research Academy” located in tunnels near Mamlo Dam north of Parchin High Explosive Test Chamber Facility

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 13, 2019

In 2017, the MEK published extensive findings on the Iranian nuclear weapons program. It revealed that the majority of its activities were now taking place in tunnels near Mamlo Dam north of the Parchin High Explosive Test Chamber Facility.

Ongoing Surveillance

The report concludes that moving forward, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must be permitted to regularly inspect Iran’s nuclear research sites, including Parchin and Sanjarian and examine any equipment and materials relating to the enrichment of uranium and development of shock wave generators.

The IAEA must also be granted permission to interview personnel involved in the shock wave generator project and characterize and understand the status of the project today.

The MEK will continue to work tirelessly to expose the Iranian regime’s nuclear activities. Since 1991, the resistance group has exposed some 100 secret nuclear projects and helped prevent the regime from fulfilling its nuclear ambitions.

 

 

 

 

Relations between the United States and Iran have deteriorated rapidly over the course of the past few weeks as the U.S. has toughened its stance against the regime. The escalating hostilities have left the mullahs in an untenable position. The regime is currently on the verge of collapse due to widespread domestic unrest, the catastrophic floods that recently devastated the country, and a failing economy that has driven 80% of the population below the poverty line. Iran has no money for additional conflict, but the mullahs will not stand down in the face of a challenge to their authority, and they will take the country down with them if they are not checked.

 

IRGC Terrorist Designation

In April, the United States designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), creating an economic and political disaster for the mullahs’ regime. The regime responded by immediately labeling the United States military as a terrorist organization and publicly threatening U.S. forces stationed in the region.

 

Two weeks later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States was canceling waivers to countries still importing Iranian oil, meaning that they would have to stop purchasing oil from Iran or face U.S. sanctions. Early this month, Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani retaliated by announcing that Iran would partially withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. The United States withdrew from the JCPOA last May, but the European Union has struggled to keep the deal alive in the absence of the U.S.

 

In the last two weeks, the United States has responded to intelligence indicating that regime military forces and their proxies are planning an attack on U.S. military forces in the Middle East with the deployment of additional troops, an aircraft carrier, and B-52 jets into the Persian Gulf. U.S. Secretary of State denied that the deployment was an act of aggression, saying that the move was necessary to defend forces in the region. He added that any threat to U.S. interests would be dealt with in a “swift and decisive” manner.

Today we build on that success. President @realDonaldTrump signed an executive order targeting Iranian trade in metals, #Iran’s third largest export. We will deny the regime the resources it uses to fund terror.

— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 8, 2019

President Trump has expressed willingness to drop sanctions if the Iranian regime would enter into negotiations about the terms of the nuclear deal, but regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei refused to consider this offer. The regime appears to be determined to continue escalating the conflict with the United States, no matter the cost.

 

The Trump administration says that it does not want a direct confrontation with Iran, but it is impossible to avoid appeasement of the Iranian regime without a firm position in response to its destructive behavior in the region.

The Iranian regime sows discord across the Middle East through its military forces and proxies. It props up dictators and funds terrorist groups. Over the forty years of the mullahs’ rule, the Iranian regime has been responsible for terrorist attacks that killed thousands of people.

The Regime’s Attacks on the MEK

The current target of the regime is the opposition MEK. Last year alone, the regime attempted to carry out terrorist plots in Albania, France, the United States, and Denmark. All of these plots were foiled by law enforcement, leading to sanctions, arrests, prosecutions, and expulsion of MOIS agents and regime diplomats from the European Union.

The regime’s relentless attacks on the MEK show two things. First, the regime is dangerously unstable and is willing to do anything to destroy its enemies. Second, the regime sees the MEK as a viable alternative that could realistically overthrow the mullahs and replace them.

The progress of the organized resistance & the accelerating trend of domestic & international developments have brightened the prospects of the regime's downfall & the subsequent triumph of the Iranian people.#MayDay#Iranhttps://t.co/Q4kVJxEwuk pic.twitter.com/MDWXmZVYjs

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 1, 2019

The MEK has widespread support in Iran and has a ten-point plan for establishing democracy in Iran after the fall of the regime. The MEK’s Resistance Units are established inside the country and work with citizens from all sectors of Iranian society to organize protests and demonstrations. They know the needs of the people. They are the people.

"This action, is great, but isn't enough.@Maryam_Rajavi President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, called for an arms and oil embargo on Iran’s religious dictatorship since 1981, and reiterated the need to take the following measures:#BlackListMOIS #FreeIran pic.twitter.com/5elAx894TZ

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) May 10, 2019

The international community is threatened by the Iranian regime and therefore it’s necessary to take efforts to end the horrific and brutal human rights crimes, the Iranian regime is responsible for.

Staff writer