Publication of Amended Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations 10/30/2017 5:55:18 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print The Department of the US Treasury US Treasury Dept., 10/30/2017 The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is amending the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 594 (GTSR), to apply the blocking provisions of the GTSR to foreign persons that have been identified by OFAC as officials, agents, or affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  This amendment will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. OFAC is amending the GTSR pursuant to section 105(b) of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 (CAATSA) as it relates to officials, agents, or affiliates of the IRGC.  Further information about CAATSA, including updates to two frequently asked questions related to section 105 of CAATSA, can be found on OF

Iran: Parents of political prisoner assaulted and harassed by the intelligence agents The plain cloths of Iranian intelligence minister assaulted, harassed and verbally abused the parents of Kurdish political prisoner Ramin Hussein Panahi as they arrived in Sanandaj, capital of Iranian Kurdistan Province on October 29, 2017. They were referring to the regime’s Intelligence Office to ask for their son’s whereabouts and protest to his imminent execution. The intelligence agents told the couple that even God cannot save their son and he will be executed soon. The parents were also threatened that if they are not silent, their whole family will be arrested and executed. On October 26, the Iranian Regime’s Ministry of Intelligence, addressing the family member of a political prisoner after 124 days, announced that he has been detained by the Ministry and will be executed soon. The political prisoner, Ramin Hossein Panahi, was arrested on June 23, 2017, after being shot by three bullets

IRAN: Political Prisoner to be hanged Soon 10/30/2017 10:53:31 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print Ramin Hossein Panahi was shot in his waist area and arrested by the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on 23 June 2017 IRAN, Oct. 30, 2017 -  After 124 days of neglect and disregards, the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence on October 26 told the family of a political prisoner that he has been detained by the Ministry and will be hanged soon. Ramin Hossein Panahi was shot in his waist area and arrested by the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) on 23 June 2017 when he was going to visit his family. Shortly after that, he was transferred to the Intelligence detention center and endured torture and interrogation while still wounded. Eventually, after releasing no news about the fate of this political prisoner for four months and his family's frequent pursuit, the Ministry of Intelligence told Ramin's mother and sister that he was arrest

Iran asks UN nuclear chief to confirm it still follows deal 10/30/2017 7:41:46 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano (file photo) TEHRAN, Iran, AP, Oct 29, 2017  - The visit by Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, comes as the U.S. Congress weighs the deal. Trump's refusal this month to re-certify the agreement has sparked a new war of words between Iran and the United States, fueling growing mistrust and a sense of nationalism among Iranians. In a statement issued by his office, Rouhani said Iran's adherence to the deal 'has been complete and remarkable.' 'We hope that, given the full cooperation of Iran in recent years, the IAEA announces the final report on the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program as soon as possible,' Rouhani said. 'We should not allow the (nuclear deal), as an important achievement, to be undermined, and we must

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of blocking Yemen peace A Saudi-led coalition has carried out repeated air strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen, including in the capital Sanaa, since launching a military intervention in 2015 Saudi Arabia on Sunday accused Iran of blocking peace efforts in Yemen, slamming its political arch-rival over its support for rebels which Saudi-led forces are battling in Yemen. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Tehran of smuggling arms to Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and northern Yemen, and to the rebels' ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. "Iran is destroying all attempts to find a solution in Yemen, which has led to the failure of all political negotiations between the government and these militias," Jubeir said in Riyadh. He was addressing a meeting of foreign ministers and military officials from countries, including Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which a

US pledges $60 million to Sahel counter-terrorism force 10/30/2017 5:20:21 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print This file photo taken on October 4, 2017, shows US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson making a statement to the press at the State Department in Washington, DC. The United States will pledge $60 million to support the new G5 Sahel regional counter-terrorism force, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday, ahead of UN talks on the operation. France 24, 30 October 2017  - 'This is a fight we must win, and these funds will play a key role in achieving that mission,' he said, describing G5 members Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger as 'regional partners.' Washington has previously expressed support for the force, and has troops and drone operators in the region supporting operations against Islamist militants, but opposes  United Nations  involvement. The UN Security Council was due to meet later Monday to loo

Secrets of the 1983 Beirut Bombings: The role of Iran’s IRGC Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the viewpoint of Al Arabiya English. The 1983 double bombing in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, left 241 American service members, 58 French military personnel and six civilians killed, alongside hundreds of others injured. 21 years later in 2004 Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) unveiled a “monument” in “honor” of that terrorist attack. This “memorial” column, installed in a section dubbed “Martyrs of the Islamic World” in Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery, carried a very vivid message: Iran’s  IRGC  was behind the 1983 blast targeting the peacekeeping force in Beirut. 34 years have passed since that attack and today the IRGC has been designated a terrorist organization by the US Treasury Department. Such a measure deserves praise, yet is long overdue. On October 23 of that year a suicide bomber drove a w

U.N. rights rapporteur condemns harassment of journalists in Iran 10/28/2017 10:25:26 PM   facebook Google+ ► Print Asma Jahangir, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) Oct. 27, 2017  - A U.N. special rapporteur said on Thursday there had been little change in the human rights situation in Iran over the past year, voicing outrage over the harassment of journalists and adding that progress on women’s rights was extremely slow. A day after submitting her report to the world body, Asma Jahangir, the U.N. special rapporteur on the Iran rights situation, told reporters that torture was widespread in Iran and that some people were imprisoned for seeking justice. Jahangir said she had not attempted to assess the impact of sanctions on human rights in Iran in her report because she had not been allowed to visit the country, which does not recognize her mandate. 

Watch: Iranian masses chant 'Death to the dictator!' On Monday, The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) posted two videos depicting thousands of Iranian protesters standing directly in front of the Iranian Parliament, also known as the Majlis, chanting "Death to the dictator". The video’s description said “people who have lost their properties and investments due to [Iranian] government-run confiscation of their wealth clash with State Security Forces.” The male and female Iranian protesters who were accosted and brutally assaulted by the police shouted slogans against the regime, such as: “Shame, shame on the police force!” “Death to the dictator.” “Death to the demagogue.” "Death to ISIS-like police" and "I will kill, I will kill, whoever killed my brother." For Americans and Israelis this is a welcome contrast to the usual, “Death to America, Death to Israel” chants orchestrated by the Iranian “rel

The Iranian Resistance Welcomes the New US Iran Strategy London, 28 Oct - On October 13th, President Trump announced the new US strategy towards Iran. The reaction to this strategy have been varied. Those who advocate the for continuing the JCPOA condemned it, claiming it will cause a loss of trust in America. Others believe the new strategy will serve both the interests of the US as well as the Iranian people. Trump cited some of Iran’s activities over the past 38 years in his  speech , “Beginning in 1979, agents of the Iranian regime illegally seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held more than 60 Americans hostage during the 444 days of the crisis. The Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah twice bombed our embassy in Lebanon – once in 1983 and again in 1984. Another Iranian-supported bombing killed 241 Americans – service members they were, in their barracks in Beirut in 1983. In 1996, the regime directed another bombing of American military housing in Saudi Arabia, mu