IRAN REGIME’S MILITARY OFFICIAL ADMITS TO LEADING ROLE OF THE MEK / PMOI IN RECENT UPRISINGS

by Mahmood Hakamian

“The protests that erupted recently across Iran involved setting fire to the State Security Force’s motorcycles, breaking the windows of religious seminaries in Abhar and Zanjan, setting fire to police kiosks in Arak, opening fire on the IRGC with hunting rifles, assaulting a State Security Force officer with a brick….” according to Brig. Gen. Rasoul Sanai, Political Affairs Deputy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Sanai spoke about the behind the scenes developments of the recent unrest, “Their plan was to spread the riots from the surrounding areas to the capital (Tehran) because they believe owing to previous incidents in Tehran and major cities, Iran’s security and defense forces had been trained and gained the expertise to confront riotous actions. But in other cities the potential for inciting the public is much greater and the security forces have a lesser presence.”

He blamed the Iranian Resistance for the escalation of the protests, saying, “As such, the most serious clashes took place in Touyserkan (Hamedan Province) and several people were killed, including two people who attacked the prison and have yet to be identified. The leaders and those inciting the protests in this city were from the ‘Hypocrites’ (MEK or PMOI). They had come from other cities so as not to be identified. Those who were detained were pursued from the time of MEK incursion into western Iran in 1988….”

The Political Affairs Deputy continued, “Eighty percent of those arrested were under 30 years of age. There were several women among them, who are middle aged. In the 1980s, those who were leading MEK protests were mostly women. And now, the main chain of provocation and starting the protests were women. For example, four of these women caused the protests in the city of Ilam (western Iran). After they were detained, we realized they were not from Ilam….”

Sanai also claimed, “Similarly, those arrested in Kermanshah had come from the city of Karaj (near Tehran). Those who were from Bandar Abbas were arrested in Shiraz. These were the MEK who would go to the cities in an organized fashion and were guiding the slogans. The most radical and sacrilegious slogans, such as ‘they have used Islam as a ladder to harass the people, neither Islam, neither the Quran, let’s sacrifice both for Iran…” and added, “This shows how much they hate Islam and political religion. Directing attacks on military centers, like assaults on the State Security Force and Bassij bases were part of the planning by the MEK. They even attacked the prisons, which means they have their hands in prisons as well.”

IRAN: EUROPEANS CALL FOR RELEASE OF DETAINEES FOLLOWING RECENT PROTESTS AT LARGE CONFERENCE IN FRANCE

By INU Staff

INU - A large conference took place in France and was attended by dozens of political dignitaries and members of European Parliament. The speakers from all across Europe joined in solidarity with the people of Iran and spoke about how to move the situation forward. 

The speakers agreed that the situation in Iran was looking up because the people are making their voices heard, although they expressed their concern that the Iranian regime was still torturing, arresting and executing peaceful protesters.

Several of the speakers spoke about times of oppression in their own countries and remained positive that the people of Iran would have the same happy ending as they did. Romeo Nicoara of the Romanian Parliament said that his country was going through a similar situation around thirty years ago. Like the people of Iran, the Romanians protested against their regime and were brutally oppressed. However, he stressed, now the people of Romanian benefit from democracy – something that the people of Iran will soon get.

Numerous speakers also spoke about the role of women in the Iranian Resistance and praised Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the Resistance, for leading in such an exemplary way.

aleria Cardinali, a Member of the Italian Parliament, said that the women of Iran see through example that women can have a rightful and equal place in society. Cardinali also called on Europe to recognise the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as a viable alternative to the brutal Iranian regime.

Speaking about European policy toward Iran, the lawmakers agreed that more action needs to be taken. Roger Lyons, former General Secretary of the largest union in Britain and former President of the Trade Union Congress, said that the UK government, and the European Union, need to stop dealing with Iran until it stops executing its people. He emphasised that expressions of solidarity are not enough – they must be turned into meaningful actions.

Mrs. Rajavi highlighted that thousands of people have been arrested and dozens of people killed or tortured to death by the regime, yet despite this the people are still taking to the streets to protest. These brave people will risk everything to ensure that their country sees great change. She said that this shows the force of the people and said that Iranian society has reached a turning point. The regime knows this and it is in a desperate situation.

“Thirty-nine years of bloodshed and crimes, discrimination against and suppression of women, repression and censorship is enough. Europe must end its silence and inaction and distance itself from the clerical regime. This regime has no future and appeasing it will only increase the price of freedom for the people of Iran. Appeasement will fuel more wars and crises in the region but of course, it cannot prevent the overthrow of the clerical regime by the people of Iran.”

Finally, Mrs. Rajavi urged the United Nations to set up an international commission to investigate the arrests and disappearances of Iranian protestors.

Iran: Propaganda Against PMOI/MEK, Focusing on the 1980s

NCRI - In response to the widespread justice-seeking campaign for the 1988 massacre and the slogan of no to executioner, no to imposter (no to Ibrahim Raisi and no to Hassan Rouhani), the Iranian regime’s Council for Coordinating Propaganda announced that the propaganda against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) centered around the eighties is at the top of its agenda.

According to the government media, Nosratullah Lotfi, deputy of this organization, said: “We have taken steps to introduce the martyr and hangman to the people. The Supreme Leader (Khamenei) said that the place of the executioner and the martyr should not be changed.”

“We put two points on our agenda. The first is to review the events in the 1980s. The leader raised the issue in the electoral space, as some had the intention of purifying the Mojahedin,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kamal Kharrazi, a former foreign minister and head of the regime’s Foreign Relations Council, expressed concerns over the role of the Mojahedin and Iranian Resistance in Europe, as he met with officials from the European countries who came to Tehran to participate in the inauguration of the regime’s President Hassan Rouhani.

According to state-run media reports, he said in a meeting with the foreign policy chief of the European Union, while calling the PMOI a terrorist group, “one problem with Europe is the application of dual standards in the fight against terrorism, so that the PMOI which is a terrorist group, is welcomed in Europe and is freely destroying the relations between Iran and European countries.”

Kharrazi also expressed his horror of the activities of the Iranian Resistance in France, in a meeting with Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, a Secretary of State and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and said: “... Sheltering (the Mojahedin) and their freedom of action for various activities, including their presence in the French Parliament, are not acceptable.”

Iran: Crackdown Increasing on Border Porters

International organizations must condemn repressive measures

On the night of July 31, Iran’s repressive forces opened fire on a group of porters around a village near the city of Sardasht, western Iran, leaving one porter by the name of Azad Mina-Abduli seriously wounded.

The day before a group of

porters, who strive to make ends meet through delivering and selling goods, were attacked by border police. One of the porters was killed and two others left seriously wounded.

Prior to this on June 25 another porter by the name of Karim Mohammad Aminzadeh from the city of Sardasht lost his life after repressive forces opened fire. Another porter, Mohammad Ahmadiyan, was seriously wounded.

On June 29 two other porters from the cities of Sardasht and Piranshahr were also seriously wounded as repressive forces opened fire and a landmine exploded.

More than 68,000 porters are working in Iran’s border provinces, of which 16,000 to 18,000 are in Piranshahr and Sardasht, reports indicate.

These porters are attacked and shot at as they are forced to resort to this type of hard work to make ends meet for their families. This is taking place at a time when according to Iranian MP Hossein-Ali Haji Doleigani $25 billion worth of goods are smuggled each year, meaning three times the country’s entire construction budget.

Smuggling goods and currency has led to 800,000 more people becoming unemployed (State-run media – June 19, 2016). These are heavy contracts controlled by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and other security and intelligence entities.

At a press conference in London on March 7 the Iranian Resistance blew the whistle on 90 ports, meaning 45% of all of Iran’s ports, are used for massive smuggling efforts. These ports are mainly placed at the IRGC’s disposal.

The Iranian Resistance calls on all the people, especially the youth in border areas, to support the hardworking porters, and support and express solidarity with the victims’ families.

The Iranian Resistance also calls on all international labor organizations to strongly condemn the mullahs’ regime for its crimes against Iran’s hardworking laborers.

New Law Imposing Sanctions Against Clerical Regime and Revolutionary Guards Should Be Implemented Immediately, Meticulously and Without Exception

The Iranian Resistance welcomes the signing into law by the President of the United States of legislation imposing new sanctions against the clerical regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). It calls for this law to be implemented immediately, meticulously and without exception and urges the European Union to join these sanctions. The expulsion of the IRGC and its affiliated militias from the Middle East, in particular from Syria and Iraq, is indispensable to the enactment of this law and a prerequisite to ending the conflict and crisis that have engulfed the entire region.

This law that was passed last week by the US House of Representatives and Senate with overwhelming majority imposes new sanctions on the clerical regime for violations of human rights and proliferation of ballistic missiles. The new law also subjects the IRGC to the same sanctions imposed on the entities in the list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” This list was created subsequent to September 11, 2001 based on an Executive Order of the US President.

The terrorist designation and sanctions against the IRGC should have taken place a long time ago since the IRGC protects the entirety of the clerical regime. It also acts as the regime’s main instrument of suppression and export of terrorism and extremism. However, the policy of appeasing the mullahs’ religious dictatorship paved the way for rampage in the entire region by the IRGC and its proxies.

Subsequent to the passage of the Act by the U.S. Senate, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian R,esistance stated: “The full implementation of these sanctions against the clerical regime must be completed with urgent actions against officials in charge of executions, torture and particularly the massacre of political prisoners in 1988. Topping the list is Ali Khamenei, the mullahs’ supreme leader. They must face justice for 38 years of crimes against humanity. Recognition of the Iranian people’s desire and right to overthrow the mullahs and establish democracy and freedom in Iran is the greatest contribution to peace and tranquility in the Middle East and the world."

The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran