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.

 

 

 

 

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission Ken Blackwell wrote an op-ed in Townhall, the conservative US news and analysis site. Blackwell’s piece, entitled ‘America’s Assertive Iran Policy Must Continue’, called on the US government to maintain pressure against the Iranian regime and confront Iranian aggression with a focused campaign of financial and diplomatic efforts.

Blackwell began by praising the Trump administration’s Iran policy, however, expressed concerns about the pace of its progress.

He lamented the fact that it took the US government until May of 2018 before the Trump administration withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, despite it being a campaign promise. He also mentioned the year delay between withdrawing from the deal and ending the waivers granted to countries importing Iranian oil.

Unprecedented Assertiveness

Despite the slow pace of change, Blackwell said that “The administration’s strategy for dealing with Iran and facilitating comprehensive change in its behavior has moved from merely ‘assertive’ to ‘unprecedented’,”.

.@A_Jafarzadeh:The #MOIS is the lead agency behind Iran regime’s foreign terrorism.The #IRGC Quds Force is mostly focused on terror plots in the MidEast & from time 2time in Europe.The Quds Force Unit 400 uses foreign nationals 2carry out foreign plots#BlackListMOIS @USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/QYABXbVRYf

— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) May 9, 2019

Of particular note for Blackwell was the decision to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization. The previous US and European governments deliberated but ultimately elected not to apply the designation to a branch of the “Iranian government”, instead, selecting to sanction individuals within the IRGC instead of the organ itself.

This was a mistake. The IRGC is one of the Iranian regime’s pillars of repression. It also controls around 90% of the Iranian economy through affiliated companies and has been instrumental in the Iranian government’s ability to circumvent sanctions and funnel money to terrorist and militia groups abroad.

Going One Step Further

The move was also welcomed by the Iranian opposition. At a press conference in Washington DC, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)  welcomed the designation. The pro-democracy groups urged the US government to consider going one step further and designating the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) as another foreign terror organization.

The argument is gaining some traction. Blackwell also supports the move. “While the IRGC has a long track record of terrorist activity on foreign soil and support for well-known terrorist proxies like Hezbollah, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) has been directly linked to the planning of bombings and assassinations,” he said.

Last year alone, the MOIS was responsible for organizing terror attacks and assassinations in the US, Albania, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. Using its network of Iranian embassies on foreign soil, the MOIS has constructed a network of espionage and terror that has crept across Europe.

The Inner Workings of #Tehran's Terror apparatus exposed by @NCRIUS. @WashTimes report on the recent Press briefing by #NCRI. Read more here: https://t.co/47qcFxEtX0 #BlackListMOIS #IRGCTerrorists @USAdarFarsi

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) May 3, 2019

Although each of the 10 plots was foiled by European and US agencies, several came close to wreaking untold death and destruction on the European populace. In one incident, the MOIS attempted to detonate a car bomb at the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK)’s annual Grand Gathering Event in Paris. The event featured 100,000 distinguished guests, including MEK supporters across Europe and high-profile political figures like Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani.

More is Needed

Blackwell’s piece described how, although the US government is making unprecedented progress towards neutralizing the Iran threat, more is needed to bring stability to the Middle East and beyond.

Existing sanctions reportedly helped bring about a 10% decline in the Iranian regime’s military expenditure. However, “Iranian entities are still clearly threatening Western lives and territory,” Blackwell writes. “We cannot afford to take it for granted that this trend has gone far enough, or that it will continue naturally.”

Blackwell concluded: “The international community must keep its focus on the positive effects of preexisting economic pressures, all the while wisely targeting new measures against those Iranian entities whose violent threat has yet to be addressed.”

Staff writer

Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani announced that the regime will partially withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, a year after the United States exited the arrangement. He told the P5+1 nations that they had 60 days to renegotiate financial and oil deals. Failure to do so would result in the regime’s partial withdrawal.

International Condemnation

Several governments condemned the announcement, including France’s Defence Minister Florence Parly.

Mohammad Mohaddessin, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) stated in a tweet that “Stockpiling enriched uranium and heavy water are violations of JCPOA and the UNSC Resolution 2231. It shows the need to total shut down of enrichment, heavy water, and all nuclear sites, exposing military aspects of the nuclear project, and snap inspections of all sites more imperative.”

2-3 Subsequent to temporary agreement with P5+1 on Nov. 2013 Mrs. Rajavi said that the full implementation of the #UNSC Resolutions, in particular complete stop of enrichment & free access to the IAEA inspectors are necessary step to prevent mullahs from obtaining the bomb. #Iran

— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) May 8, 2019

Referring to President-elect Maryam Rajavi, leader of the Iranian opposition’s message Subsequent to the temporary nuclear agreement with P5+1 on Nov. 2013 Mohaddessin reminded that “the full implementation of the #UNSC Resolutions, in particular, complete stop of enrichment, and free access to the IAEA inspectors are necessary steps to prevent mullahs from obtaining the bomb.”

Free Access to Inspectors

Mohaddessin’s comments highlight concerns often cited by the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK). The Iranian opposition has frequently expressed concerns over the nuclear deal and claimed that the Iranian regime continued to secretly enrich Uranium in pursuit of developing nuclear weapons.

During last December uprisings and on various other occasions, the Iranian public has expressed their quest for the regime to abandon its pursuit of atomic weapons. The relentless investment in missile capabilities and nuclear programs is a drain on Iranian resources and finances. At a time when the country is on the brink of economic collapse and more than 70% of Iranians live in poverty, it is an unnecessary and wasteful expense.

“It is a tool to survive religious fascism which is faced with popular outrage and is on the verge of the overthrow,” Mohaddessin said in a Tweet.

3-3 Iranian people demand ending all of the regime’s nuclear apparatus which is against their interest. It wastes Iran’s resources, destroys its economy. It is a tool to survive religious fascism which is faced with popular outrage and is on the verge of overthrow. #Iran

— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) May 8, 2019

In the face of mounting domestic protests, the regime has resorted to increasing military spending and missile development to expand the tools of repression in its arsenal. It relies on violent organs like the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and Quds forces to maintain its grip on power. Abandoning its pursuit of nuclear weapons would be a major blow to the regime’s hegemonic ambitions in the region.

Staff writer

The unrestricted use of the Internet and social media has become a serious issue for the mullahs’ regime. The availability of encrypted messaging applications has given the Iranian people the ability to bypass regime filtering to share news and information.

As the Iranian people continue to lose faith in state-run media, they increasingly turn to the Internet and social media sources for information. Over the past year, the MEK has successfully used social media to organize protests and spread information about the regime’s corruption. This has helped foster the growth of the protest movement within Iran and has caused panic among the mullahs, who fear widespread rebellion and the ultimate overthrow of the ruling regime.

Regime Leaders Powerless as #Iranian People Turn to #MEK and Social Media for News https://t.co/Y4d2YhlDRB #Iran #FreeIran @USAdarFarsi

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) May 5, 2019

Regime Friday prayer imams, who are considered the mouthpieces of the mullahs, repeat the Supreme Leader’s rhetoric to people across the country in their sermons each week. Through these sermons, it is possible to see the regime’s current fears and insecurities.

Last week, Lotfollah Dejkam, the Friday prayer imam in Shiraz, Fars Province, complained about Internet access in a confusing and contradictory sermon.

The Internet Must Be Censored

 

Dejkam first argued that the Internet must be censored in order to prevent people from freely exchanging information, saying, “On the Internet, there is conduct that must be observed carefully. It is not right to allow people to say and do whatever they want on the Internet.

The head of the Cyber Police in Khuzestan said that 24 internet activists were identified and detained for reporting on the devastating floods in the southwestern province, #iran, according to the judiciary’s news agency Mizan Online.

https://t.co/c6tuGCtv8U

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) April 15, 2019

The imam went on to echo the regime’s position that the FATA (the regime’s Internet police) and other repressive authorities should step up their efforts to prevent the free flow of information.

“It is an area in which both FATA units and the judiciary can get involved in. There should undoubtedly be some kind of control by the authorities,” Dejkam said.

The Internet Must Be Free

In the same sermon, Dejkam complained that Google and Instagram had removed or blocked accounts belonging to regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) leaders, arguing that regime leaders should be free to speak online without fear of censorship.

#Instagram Takes Down #Iran Regime's Leader and #IRGC Accounts After US Terror Designation
Social media site Instagram blocked the IRGC commanders and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday in order to comply with US sanctions on Iran.https://t.co/5gQbZBUqlM
#BlackListIRGC pic.twitter.com/0A5fRBsR7x

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 17, 2019

“They were talking so much about the internet being free! It is free! People can say whatever they want. But they block even one sentence from us, against the leader [Khamenei, whose Instagram account was briefly suspended] and others [IRGC commanders whose Instagram accounts were blocked]. Let them be heard. Those who close down these accounts are cowards,” Dejkam said indignantly.

He went on to threaten the international social media giants, saying, “they cannot achieve anything through silencing us.”

Dejkam and the regime’s leadership would do well to take heed of these words. The Iranian people will not be silenced. The regime’s attempts to censor online communication have failed and will continue to fail. The MEK has provided an alternative to state-run propaganda and has given Iranians a place to share their outrage about the regime’s corruption and to organize for regime change.

Regime Reacts to Implications of IRGC Terrorist Listing with Growing Alarm and Confusion

Meanwhile, social media platforms such as Facebook are removing the accounts of IRGC leaders in the wake of the designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Facebook, which owns Instagram, has one billion members and is one of the largest corporations in the world. The regime’s threats to both its own people and to social media platforms are hollow and desperate.

Staff writer

Fox News, covered the press briefing of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – U.S. representative office in Washington D.C. and called for blacklisting the Iranian regime Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and for the European nations to close their Iranian embassies in the interests of national security.

In an article on the Fox News website, Adam Shaw reported on an address by Alireza Jafarzadeh, the Deputy Director of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. He told reporters at a press conference in Washington D.C. this week, “What we are calling for is closing the Iranian regime’s embassies.” He added: “These diplomatic relations have allowed the regime to plot terrorist attacks and assassinations in the West.”

Fox News wrote:

“Iranian-backed plots have surged in recent years, particularly in 2018, when the NCRI logged 10 instances of terror plots or terror-related arrests against Iranian officials. The most significant was the foiled plot to bomb an annual gathering of Iranian dissident groups (under the umbrella of the NCRI) in Paris last year — an event that was attended by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. An Iranian diplomat based in Vienna was one of four arrested for the plot.”

A Network of Spies and Terrorists

The Iranian opposition group has written extensively on the Iranian regime’s use of embassies abroad to coordinate terror attacks against their political opponents.

In 2018 alone, authorities in Europe and the US foiled terror attacks or arrested Iranian agents on 10 separate occasions. Many of the attacks were planned against the MEK, the largest opposition group. Among the countries affected were the US, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Albania.

In one of the most nefarious plots, the Iranian regime planned to detonate a bomb at the MEK’s annual Grand Gathering event in Paris. The event drew an attendance of more than 100,000 politicians, journalists, and activists from across the globe, including President Trump’s personal lawyer, former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani.

Giuliani Issues Statement in Wake of Failed Terrorist Attack on NCRI Gathering

An Iranian diplomat working out of the regime’s embassy in Vienna allegedly provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with 500g of explosive material and detailed instructions of how to carry out the attack. The diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, was working for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and was tasked with coordinating attacks against the MEK in Europe.

The incident in Paris was one of several high-profile assassinations and terror attacks. In July, the Dutch government expelled two Iranian diplomats accused of orchestrating the murder of two Iranian dissidents living in the Netherlands. A similar incident occurred in Denmark when authorities exposed a plan to murder another opposition activist.

The European Union imposed sanctions against the regime in January 2019, following the spate of incidents.

Europe Still Reluctant to Take a Firmer Stance Against the Iranian Regime

Despite the string of terror plots exposed on European soil, the European Union has still been reluctant to take a firmer stance against the Iranian regime.

The Inner Workings of #Tehran's Terror apparatus exposed by @NCRIUS. @WashTimes report on the recent Press briefing by #NCRI. Read more here: https://t.co/47qcFxEtX0 #BlackListMOIS #IRGCTerrorists @USAdarFarsi

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) May 3, 2019

It has fallen to the US president to lead the charge against the bloodthirsty dictatorship in Iran, a mantle he has taken up with gusto. Last month, the Trump administration announced the inclusion of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on its foreign terror list (FTO).

The listing, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, criminalizes any American provides assistance, whether financial, physical or advice, to the organization. Given the IRGC controls 90% of the Iranian economy, it will have significant repercussions for any company of individual conduction business in Iran.

In his statement, Mike Pompeo said: “This is an effort by the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran – the president, Rouhani, who’s the president of Iran, is permitting to take place, where they’re going to Europe and killing people on European soil. This is unacceptable.”

Where Next?

In its press conference, the NCRI took the opportunity to call on European governments to follow the US’s lead and designate the IRGC as a terror organization. It also urged European nations to close Iranian embassies on their soil to limit the Iranian terror capabilities and disrupt the web of Iranian terrorism and espionage that has spread across Europe in the last 12 months.

The Inner Workings of #Tehran's Terror apparatus exposed by @NCRIUS. @WashTimes report on the recent Press briefing by #NCRI. Read more here: https://t.co/47qcFxEtX0 #BlackListMOIS #IRGCTerrorists @USAdarFarsi

— MEKIran (@MEK_Iran) May 3, 2019

Jafarzadeh also called on the United States to take measures to ensure the Iranian regime doesn’t divert funds away from the IRGC into the MOIS. It urged the Trump administration to follow up its IRGC designation by adding the MOIS to its FTO list. In doing so, it would ensure the maximum disruption to the Iranian terror machine.

Live from the @NCRIUS Press Conference on ’Iran’s Emissaries of Terror’ https://t.co/hqGpQIVWCY

— Debbie Aldrich 🇺🇸 (@DebbieAAldrich) May 1, 2019

John Bolton, Trump’s National Security Advisor, told journalists, “[The policy] is to put maximum pressure on the regime to change its behavior, and I think it’s working, and I think that’s what they’re worried about.”

The US’s maximum pressure policy is having its intended effect. Now it is time to tighten the screws and further limit the finances and resources at the regime’s disposal.

Staff writer

On Thursday, May 2nd, educators in dozens of cities across Iran answered a nationwide call to protest in recognition of Teachers’ Day. Teachers gathered in front of local Ministry of Education offices and demonstrated in the streets in protest of low wages, poor benefits and working conditions, the inability to form labor unions, and the imprisonment of activist teachers. Protests took place in the cities of Tehran, Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Sanandaj, Urmia, Yazd, Hamedan, Divandareh, Mallard, Tabriz, Qazvin, Javanrood, Ardebil, Kermanshah, Homayounshahr, Sari, Khorramabad, Marivan, Mahabad, Karaj, Mashhad, and many others.

Protest in Hamadan

 

Teachers in the city of Hamadan held handwritten signs reading: “Imprisoned teachers must be freed.”

“Stop privatizing schools and education.”

“Children must receive a free and quality education.”

“We demand decent pay for our work.”

One of the protesting teachers at the Hamadan rally gave a speech to the assembled demonstrators.

Protest in Kermanshah

In the city of Kermanshah, teachers and educational support workers held a gathering in honor of Teachers’ Day. The teachers chanted: “Majlis [the regime’s parliament] and the government do not care about the teachers!”

Protests in Tehran

 

In the capital city of Tehran, teachers and educational support workers gathered in front of the Ministry of Education building to protest. They carried handwritten signs reading: “Imprisoned teachers must be freed.”

“Imprisoned workers must be freed.”

“Your pain is our pain, people must rise up and join us.”

Protests in Mallard

 

In Mallard, Tehran Province, teachers, and educational support workers held a rally in honor of Teachers’ Day. They carried posters and signs reading: “Free education is the right of every child.”

“We demand salary and wages above the poverty line for teachers and pensioners.”

A number of other cities are reported to have joined in the nationwide protests as well.

Maryam Rajavi’s Remarks

 

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), issued a call to the Iranian people to support the protesting teachers. She also asked human rights groups and international teachers unions to take action to free teachers who have been detained and imprisoned by the Iranian regime.

Hail to protesting teachers in Tehran, Mashad, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Sanandaj, Yazd, Ourumieh, Qazvin, Karaj, Hamedan, Ardebil, Esfahan, Sari, Khoramabab, Rasht, Ilam, Mahabad, Shiraz & Arak who chanted “Imprisoned teachers must be freed” &“Workers, Teachers, Unite” #Iran

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 2, 2019

Mrs. Rajavi tweeted some of the chants heard at Thursday’s protests, noting that their anger reflects a desire for change. She wrote:

“Teachers’ protests and their stand against repressive rgm forces showed public anger & disgust at religious dictatorship and demand for change; ‘People join us, our problem is your problem,’ ‘Teachers are imprisoned, extortionists are free,’
#Iran”
She also saluted the protesting teachers in cities across Iran, tweeting:

I call on #Iran people, specially students, to support teachers and their rightful demands. International human rights orgs & teachers unions worldwide should condemn clerical rgm & take urgent action to freed detained and imprisoned teachers

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) May 2, 2019

“Hail to protesting teachers in Tehran, Mashad, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Sanandaj, Yazd, Ourumieh, Qazvin, Karaj, Hamedan, Ardebil, Esfahan, Sari, Khoramabab, Rasht, Ilam, Mahabad, Shiraz & Arak who chanted ‘Imprisoned teachers must be freed” &“Workers, Teachers, Unite’ #Iran”

Iranian teachers took part in a number of protests last year, including multiple nationwide strikes, and their demands have been ignored by the regime. Many of the teachers responsible for organizing the protests have been arrested and imprisoned, and their colleagues have repeatedly called for their release, as well as the release of colleagues who have been imprisoned for their participation in labor unions.

 

The MEK supports fair labor practices for teachers and all workers and has called for the release of these political prisoners and an end to the repressive regime responsible for their imprisonment.

Staff writer

The Washington Times published a piece on Wednesday, May 1, covering the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI’s) press conference in Washington D.C.

The Deputy Director of the NCRI’s US operations, Alireza Jafarzadeh, is quoted in the piece pushing for the US government to take a firmer stance against the bloody and violent Iranian regime. In the press conference, Jafarzadeh urged the United States to add the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) to its terror blacklist.

Iran's intelligence service tagged as a terror organization by exile group.https://t.co/OL6yLhNndz #Iran

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 2, 2019

An Instrument of Terror

The MOIS has been behind many of the mullahs’ state-sponsored terror attacks planned across the globe. In 2018 alone, the Iranian regime orchestrated 10 separate terror attacks in countries like France, Albania and the US.

The MOIS uses diplomatic buildings in Europe as cover to send terror agents into the countries. In one incident last year, a diplomat working out of the regime’s Austrian embassy provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with explosive material. The couple’s target was the annual Grand Gathering of the largest Iranian opposition group in Paris.

Exposed in NCRI-US Press Briefing today: The web for decision-making, planning and execution of terrorism abroad.#Iran #BlackListMOIS pic.twitter.com/d0zcf8vxwa

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) May 1, 2019

“It is a clear sign of desperation. … The policy of [Iranian] appeasement had failed,” Jafarzadeh said. In response to increasing international isolation, the Iranian regime has increased its global terror activities.

“If [the U.S.] wants to fight terrorism, you designate the MOIS” as a terror organization, Jafarzadeh told reporters. Other notable terror groups on the US foreign terrorist organization (FTO) blacklist include al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, etc.

Progress Under Trump

The strong progress in Iran policy under Donald Trump has not been lost on the NCRI and the People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from the failing Iran nuclear deal, re-introduced economic sanctions, and listed the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

These moves have restricted the regime’s cash flow and brought enormous pressure against the Iranian regime to return to the bargaining table.

Jafarzadeh: “Javad Zarif puts on a smiley face but his hands are bloody. His job at the United Nations was to explain away the massacre of political prisoners. His job was to cover up the murders of the Iranian regime.”#Iran #BlackListMOIS pic.twitter.com/TIRr8Fp29K

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) May 1, 2019

This has been the objective according to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He told reporters, “We’re going to zero across the board. Our goal has been to get countries to cease importing Iranian oil altogether.”

A Matter of Life and Death

“This is not theoretical mumbo-jumbo, this is about life and death,” former US Ambassador to Bahrain Adam Ereli said on Wednesday. The Iranian regime’s persistent use of terror and intimidation as a tool of statecraft is a danger to global peace and stability.

Amb. Ereli: “The poster child for the regime’s ‘moderates’ is Javad Zarif. This report shows #Zarif’s true colors. The fact of the matter is that he &MOIS are in bed together. The embassies are the tip of the spear for gov-sanctioned assassination ops throughout the world”#Iran pic.twitter.com/iKogu867KU

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) May 1, 2019

The US must respond with strength and place the MOIS on its terror blacklist. Until it does so, it will continue to raise funds and coordinate devastating attacks across the West. It is a matter of life and death for every member of the Iranian opposition living abroad in exile, but also for the citizens of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the US, who are at risk of being caught up in a deadly Iranian terror attack.

Staff writer

On Monday, April 29th, regime Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi dismissed Tehran Province’s Prosecutor, Jaffari Dolatabadi. Dolatabadi is included on both the United States Treasury’s and the European Union’s sanctions lists. He was replaced by Ali Alghassi-Mehr, who was appointed to the position of Chief Justice of Fars Province in September 2014 and spent the previous three years as Prosecutor of the city of Shiraz.

#Iran: A New Notorious Prosecutor Assigned for #Tehranhttps://t.co/PM5FY01sHb pic.twitter.com/70oBaGjk4Z

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 1, 2019

Alghassi-Mehr has made a name for himself within the Iranian regime for his role in the violent suppression of protesters and the secret executions of juveniles. More recently he made headlines for announcing that “he was an IRGC member too” in response to the recent designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States.

Arrests of Protesters

During the nationwide anti-regime uprising in December 2017, Alghassi-Mehr referred to the thousands of Iranians from all walks of life who took part in the massive demonstrations as “enemies” and “hoodlums.” According to a January 2, 2018 report from the Mehr News Agency, he threatened that “those who would engage in chaos on the pretext of civil protests and disturb public order would be dealt with according to the law…Known outlaws who have grasped the occasion to instigate anti-regime activities against the public order are under full security control… The public should be aware of the anti-revolutionary hoodlums inside and outside the country. There will be no hesitation to deal with such cases.”

 

In a March 10, 2018 report from the same news agency, Alghassi-Mehr was quoted as saying: “Those arrested during the festivities of the last Wednesday of the year will remain in custody till the end of New Year holidays, and no permission will be granted for ceremonies to be held in Persepolis and Pasargad.”

Arrests of Striking Truck Drivers

 

Alghassi-Mehr‘s repressive actions did not end with the uprising. Last year, Iran’s truck drivers launched a series of strikes in protest of low wages, high fees, poor working conditions, and government corruption. The strikes were met by threats and intimidation from regime officials, who arrested dozens of truck drivers and threatened them with execution. International trade unions and human rights groups issued statements supporting the drivers and condemning the regime for its treatment of the hard-working drivers.

 

According to a September 28, 2018 report by the Mehr news agency, Alghassi-Mehr justified the arrest of 35 striking truckers in an announcement, saying, “The law permits punishing those who disturb security on Fars’ highways as outlaws and corrupted on earth.”

Executions of Juveniles

 

As Chief Justice in Shiraz, Algahssi-Mehr allowed two 17-year-olds to be executed in secret, in violation of the regime’s own laws, as well as Islamic and international law. The two children were flogged before their execution.

 

Amnesty International was the first to announce the shocking crime and coverup, which was promptly denounced by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). In her condemnation of the brutal act, Mrs. Rajavi stated: “The civilized world, UN, UNSC, and UN Human Rights Council must condemn the atrocious killing of juveniles in Iran, a product of Khamenei’s Judiciary headed by the murderous mullah, Ebrahim Raisi, a Death Committee member in charge of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.”

 

Ebrahim Raisi is likely to appoint more people like Algahssi-Mehr to the regime’s Judiciary. His disregard for human rights has been well-established. As a member of Tehran’s notorious Death Committee, Raisi sent thousands of MEK supporters to their deaths in the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. His presence at Chief of the regime’s Judiciary is evidence of the mullahs’ disdain for the concept of justice.

Staff writer