Human Rights Abuses Continue in Iran London, 21 Oct - According to reports, at least 3,111 inmates have been executed in Iran between August of 2013 and September of 2017, the years of President Hassan Rouhani’s tenure. Included in this number are 81 women, and 24 individuals who were arrested while they were under the age of 18. In fact, in August this year, Alireza Tajiki, who was 15 years old at the time of his arrest, was hanged in the city of Shiraz. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International strongly condemned Tajiki’s execution. Iranian political analyst Shahriar Kia, journalist and activist who works closely with the Iranian opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said human rights have “deeply deteriorated” under Rouhani’s rule. Kia went on to say, “Many human rights activists, reporters, college students, and workers have been arrested by security forces, parallel to prisoners b...

Trump's Iranian nuclear deal speech ricochets across the Middle East 10/18/2017 7:42:29 AM President Donald Trump White House BY RAYMOND TANTER AND ED STAFFORD The Hill, October 17, 2017  - President Trump’s  Iran strategy speech   of Oct. 13 rattled Tehran and excited a large portion of the Iranian population, including the Iranian opposition. Trump’s speech, while going over a long list of Tehran’s nefarious activities, referred to the people of Iran as the main victims of the Iranian regime. He also refrained from certifying that Iran complied with the deal but did not withdraw from the political commitment the major powers and Tehran made to abide by the accord for 10 years from Aug. 2015. After punting the decision to Congress for 60 days, research conducted for this post suggests Trump should gain congressional support to withdraw from the deal, renegotiate a better accord, and press our allies to adopt a strategy against Iran of renew...

On Iran: The Opposition Welcomes Trump’s and US Policy 10/14/2017 10:26:40 AM U.S. President Donald Trump Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Huffington Post, October 13, 2017  - President Trump delivered a crucial speech. He disavowed the nuclear agreement and denounced the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He stated “As I have said many times, the Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into,” He added that “multiple violations of the agreement,” have occurred since the nuclear deal was reached. He stated that Iran has “failed to meet our expectations in its operations of advanced centrifuges,” as well as “intimidated” IAEA’s inspectors. He  pointed   out “We cannot and will not make this certification. We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout....I am directing my admi...