By INU Staff

INU - On Friday, January19th, 2018 in a Paris conference, “Regime Change in Iran” was echoed by distinguished speakers, featuring Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Mr. Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, and Senator Robert Torricelli.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi extolled the Iranian peosple’s magnificent uprising which spread at extraordinary speed to 142 cities and towns. She praised the courage and sacrifice of young protesters to accomplish freedom and democracy. Greeting the uprising’s martyrs and thousands imprisoned, she said, “Without any doubt, all of us will march on together, until we overthrow this corrupt and criminal regime. Victory belongs to the people of Iran.”

Rajavi, insisted everyone to assist the people of Iran in their uprising to get rid of the religious fascism ruling the country and establish democracy and popular sovereignty. She said, “The people of Iran urge the UN and the world to recognize the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the mullahs’ religious dictatorship. This is the right of a brave people who are at the forefront of the struggle against a regime which is a threat to global peace and security.

Urging the United Nations and all governments, “to pressure the clerical regime to free those arrested in recent protests and hold them accountable regarding those who have disappeared”. She asked for a commission of inquiry to investigate the arbitrary arrests of thousands of people and the killing of prisoners under torture. Mrs. Rajavi went on to say, “the people of Iran expect that all governments severe their political and economic relations with the clerical regime, particularly with the IRGC which is torturing and killing the protesters.”

Stating that the recent uprising has been motivated by the public’s wrath over the mullahs’ plundering of their wealth, poverty, unemployment, and class differences as well as the regime’s almost 39 years of suppression and slaughters, Mrs. Rajavi reiterated, “This is a revolt for freedom and popular sovereignty to establish social justice and prosperity. It is not a byproduct of a power struggle among the regime’s internal factions, but another nail in the coffin of the masquerade about moderation. It showed that the billions of dollars of windfall from the nuclear deal did nothing to cure the regime’s instability. The uprising showed that the people of Iran detest both regime factions and want it overthrown in its entirety and that the Iranian society has a force within itself capable of overthrowing the theocratic regime.

Mr. Newt Gingrich was the second distinguished speaker at the conference in his speech said: “Moderation in the Iranian regime is an illusion. There is a bad wing and a very bad wing in the dictatorship. There is no innocent wing of the dictatorship…The MEK is a real force. The level of fear of the MEK and Mrs. Rajavi is growing among the regime. You have survived, you have endured, and you have continued with your mission, and the regime have been unable to stop you. ….You, the MEK, are making a difference. You are on the side of history, because you are on the side of freedom. Thank you Mrs. Rajavi for your dedicated leadership to this cause”.

Also Senator Torricelli in his annotations to the conference, said: “This is the beginning of a revolution. A regime that stays in power by killing its people has a numbered life. When Rouhani called French President Macron and asked him to clamp down on the MEK it made one thing clear: This is not a revolution without a leader. The leader is sitting here....The only group who has never compromised with the mullahs is the MEK. I agree with Khamenei on nothing except one thing: he is putting responsibility on the MEK and the PMOI and blaming Mrs. Rajavi. He is right about it.

This has been organized for years, network has been created, by never compromising with the regime, never being part of it. The MEK and Mrs. Rajavi have kept credibility… So in identifying the MEK and Mrs. Rajavi, he is right because the MEK and the entire international community that supports it, we are all coming for Khamenei to end this nightmare.

A group of representatives of Iranian communities in Europe also attended the conference. Amongst them, a number of former political prisoners and survivors of the victims of the 1988 massacre also briefly addressed the conference, testifying on the anti-human crimes of the clerical regime in prisons as well as the extensive repression in Iran. They all reiterated the resentment of the Iranian people towards religious fascism ruling Iran.

Protests expose Iranian regime’s weakness

By Kasra NejatPosted Jan 17, 2018 at 8:59 PM

The latest uprising in the Islamic Republic of Iran exposed an underlying sentiment that will not remain suppressed for long.

According to the opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), at least 8,000 people were detained within the first two weeks; the regime admits to approximately half this number. Its judiciary was quick to threaten death sentences for “those most responsible.”

There is little mystery about what sort of charges will be used to justify such killings; a wide range of political offenses can result in execution in the Islamic Republic, including membership in banned organizations and the crime of mohabareh, or “enmity against God.” In fact, the latter was codified in Iranian law largely for the purpose of establishing death as the default punishment for members of the leading opposition group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).

Tehran has made every effort to suppress and destroy MEK since the advent of the Islamic Republic. The organization played a role in the 1979 revolution against the Shah, but opposed the establishment of absolute clerical rule. Since then, it has been a tireless advocate for regime change in favor of a democratic system.

In 1988, at the end of the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa declaring all enemies of the clerical regime “at war with God.” Those who refused to disavow their loyalty to opposition groups were to be executed. As a result, political prisoners throughout the country were hauled before “death commissions” for brief interrogations to determine whether they would live or die.

In the summer of 1988 alone, approximately 30,000 dissidents were put to death, the overwhelming majority of them MEK members and associates. Thousands more have been killed since, for offenses as insubstantial as donating money to satellite news networks affiliated with the Iranian opposition.

In the wake of the 2009 uprising, as dozens of people were executed, assassinated or tortured to death, some were singled out for harsh treatment on the basis of alleged connections to the MEK. The actual role that the organization played in those protests is difficult to determine with certainty, but given the widespread popularity of the MEK, it was no doubt significant. That popularity has only grown since 2009, as has the organization’s roster of allies in foreign governments and international policy circles.

The latest protests are a prime example. Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, weighed in by placing much of the blame upon the MEK. Referring to the group by the familiar pejorative term “hypocrites,” Khamenei declared that they had been “ready for months” to instigate the mass protests which spread to more than 100 towns and cities in a matter of days.

He attributed one of the protesters’ slogans, “no to high prices” exclusively to the PMOI. People in various localities were also heard to chant “no Syria, no Iraq; I will give my life only for Iran,” signaling that they were taking their cue from the MEK in condemning Tehran’s activities in the broader Middle East.

By Kasra NejatPosted Jan 17, 2018 at 8:59 PM

Iran: A regime with no future

By: Shahriar Kia (Political analyst) 

The cabinet ministers of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani received a confidence vote recently in this regime’s parliament. 16 out of 17 ministers were approved after many reports indicated Rouhani reviewed the list extensively with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

However, an evaluation of this slate of names proves this cabinet will render no alternations and represents the very impasse the entire regime is facing. The next four years will, in fact, be worse than the previous.

ro

Foreign Affairs

Mohammad Javad Zarif has retained his post as foreign minister, considering his role in negotiating the nuclear agreement with the P5+1, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Despite Iran’s threats of relaunching its nuclear drive in the case of US President Donald Trump finding the regime in non-compliance with the JCPOA, Rouhani himself has gone the limits to explain the importance of this pact for Tehran.

“My first priority is to safeguard the JCPOA. The main role of our foreign minister is to stand alongside this deal,” he explained.

Although the deal is rightfully criticized for its loopholes and shortages, Iran understands very well how the current circumstances would be far worse.

While claiming the ability to kick-start 20% uranium enrichment in a matter of days, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi made a complete U-turn in emphasizing Tehran’s willingness to stick to the deal in the case of Washington deciding to leave come October.

Such desperate remarks from Iran are made despite the US increasing the heat with new comprehensive sanctions specifically targeting the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Further measures are seen following the Vienna visit by Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, demanding Iran open its military sites to inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Pressures escalated on Iran as international experts such as former IAEA deputy Olli Heinonen and former IAEA inspector David Albright, alongside three other specialists issued a report explaining how the UN nuclear watchdog lacks the necessary tools to probe possible JCPOA violations by Iran.

These experts specifically referred to the highly controversial Parchin military complex located 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran. Iran only agreed to provide samples extracted by its own experts and continues to refuse access to foreign individuals.

Defense

The new Iranian defense minister is Amir Hatami. Rumors indicate Rouhani and Khamenei have chosen this member of Iran’s classic army due to their fear the IRGC being blacklisted as a terrorist entity.

It is worth noting, however, that Hatami joined the IRGC Basij paramilitary force at the age of 13 and has announced his utter loyalty to the IRGC Quds Force and its ringleader, Qassem Suleimani.

The solution Hatami provides to confront the regime’s slate of crises is focused mainly on developing Iran’s ballistic missile program.

“During this period we will expand our missile capabilities, especially ballistic and cruise missiles,” he explained recently.

This is another indication of a policy based on developing missile power, dispatching IRGC and Basij members abroad, and fueling foreign wars. This is a continuation of Tehran’s four-decade long policy of spilling its own turmoil abroad through lethal meddling.

Hatami also enjoys Rouhani’s complete blessing in providing full support for the IRGC.

“He is fully informed of the Defense Ministry and its agenda. My particular request is for an increase in developing particular weapons, especially missiles, considering their importance,” Rouhani explained in recent remarks.

Again, more of the same.

Economics

Iran’s regime is heavily dependent on oil exports revenues. Bijan Namdar Zangeneh has been called upon to continue his role as oil minister, remaining the longest running individual in this post.

A minister for 26 years there are questions over any meaningful development and changes for the better in the country’s oil and gas sector. Iran is now riddled with mismanaged oil wells, uncontrolled extractions and contracts with foreign companies that literally sell-off the Iranian people’s interests.

According to Rouhani’s own remarks, this regime is in desperate need of $200 billion of foreign investment for its oil and gas industry. Two years into the JCPOA, Iran has received only $12 billion in such deals.

The deal signed with France’s Total, valued at $4.8 billion, comes with numerous strings attached and is under the continued risk of US sanctions.

What needs comprehension is the fact that investing in Iran is an economic issue at a first glance, with countless political reservations. No foreign investor is willing to risk money in a country ruled by a regime known for its ongoing warmongering, exporting terrorism, and provoking confrontations throughout the Middle East and across the globe, such as its nuclear/ballistic missile collaboration with North Korea.

Conclusion

All those having their fingers crossed in Rouhani, being provided a second term by Khamenei, are already being disappointed. July witnessed over 100 executions and over 50 others have been sent to the gallows in August. This includes a 20-year-old man arrested at the age of 15 for his alleged crime. Another recent case involved a hanging on August 28th in a prison west of Tehran.

All foreign correspondents are realizing no change is foreseeable from within this regime. The main message of Rouhani’s new cabinet is this regime’s lack of any capacity for any meaningful modification or amendment.

Any entity lacking the ability to change and adapt has no future.

Iran: The Lives of the Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Danger

The Iranian Resistance expresses grave concern over the health and security of political prisoners on hunger strike in solitary confinement of ward 4 in Gohardasht Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran. All international human rights organizations, especially the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur of Human Rights in Iran, Special Rapporteur on Torture are called upon to take urgent action to save the lives of these political prisoners.

Misters Abolqassem Fouladvand, Hassan Sadeghi, Saeed Masouri, Reza Akbari Monfared, Jafar Eqdami, Amir Qaziyan, Khaled Heradani, Zaniyar and Loqman Moradi who are in solitary confinement. A number of other ward 4 prisoners, including Misters Mohammad Banazadeh Amir Khizi, Pirouz Mansouri, Majid Assadi and Payam Shakiba are amongst the inmates who are also on hunger strike protesting repressive measures against ward 4 political prisoners in Gohardasht Prison. The authorities have banned these political prisoners from any family visits and placed them under pressures to end their hunger strikes.

The protesting political prisoners are amongst the inmates of hall 12 of ward 4 in Gohardasht Prison who were attacked on Sunday, July 30, insulted and beaten by prison guards, and forcefully transferred to hall 10 of this ward (NCRI Statement – August 1). Prison authorities have deprived these political prisoners of minimum hygiene products and decent clothing.

The religious fascism ruling Iran exerts its authority through executions, torture and detentions. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, with his “moderate” mask, are two sides of this medieval regime’s coin.

Senior Iranian regime officials must be placed before justice for their continuous and increasing crimes against the Iranian people. Any relation with Tehran must hinge on the mullahs’ improving the disastrous human rights situation and releasing all political prisoners without any preconditions.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran

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.

ANALYSIS: Are sanctions on Iran a sign of shifting US policy?

F. Mahmoudi,

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Al Arabiya English's point-of-view.

The enactment of a comprehensive sanction bill and designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT) by US lawmakers targeting Tehran’s military and terrorist arm, is a significant signal of shifting US policy in reaction to Iran’s destabilizing role in region. The regime is beginning to realize that the Obama era is over.

This alteration in US policy acts as a catalyst and facilitator of change inside of Iran. However, the main factor and grass roots of change are inside Iran.

This pivot point for a policy change has an accelerating role and is influenced by the ineradicable behavior of the Islamic Republic and on the other hand the will of people’s resistance to achieve in such policy.

Now, the question remains on the Iranian regime’s reaction and choice of direction to the new sanction bill. In such crises, the Iranian regime has a track record of buying time (delaying tactic) and taking one step forward and one step backward, as witnessed in previous nuclear negotiations.

If Obama’s policy of appeasement and concessions was decisive, Tehran would have been forced to step further back from their evil approach. But this did not happen, and the regime was constantly revived through newly provided funds and sanction relief. Instead, Tehran expanded its destabilizing role and terrorist activities in the region.

The adoption of new sanctions so far has put Iran in a shocking stage. If these sanctions are seriously applied and extensively implemented, Tehran will be pinned to make an ultimate decision.

Retreating or challenging

Iran faces widespread and profound social dissatisfaction, parallel to economic insolvency and serious crises. It understands the language of force and lacks the ability to challenge. The most likely option for Tehran is to kill time and continue delaying.

To prevent the regime’s highly cheating skills, the best policy is to enforce and maximize pressure. Tehran is a fundamentalist and rebellious regime without any legitimacy. It is incapable in changing its behavior. According to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, changing the regime’s behavior will ultimately bring the regime down.

Therefore, there will be no transformation or reform from such a regime. The Iranian people are keen towards overthrowing this regime and the comprehensive and extensive sanctions on IRGC is aligned and in support of their will for regime change.

The social conditions in Iran have come to a boiling point and the opposition movement has the potential and an upper hand. The path forward is social rebellions to overthrow this regime.

During the 2009 uprisings Iranians were chanting: “Obama, Obama are you with us or the mullahs?,” as they called in vain for international support.

The policy shift

The Iran policy shift has its effect inside the regime and they have been vocal about it. In this regard the “Resalat daily”, regime’s controlled paper, in its July 31, 2017 issue, pointing to the change in the international affairs towards the Iranian regime states: “Behind the sanctions belies a boycott campaign. There will be an overthrowing in a soft, sophisticated and silent way,” a recent piece in the state outlet Resalat daily reads.

Ahmad Jannati, Chairman of the Guardian Council, also raised deep concerns. “[Khamenei’s] most important concern is the fear of overthrow,” and “the enemy is seeking regime change from within,” he said.

Iran won’t have the same fate as Iraq and Syria since there is an organized democratic and powerful opposition. This alternative is the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a democratic platform which the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is the main force. On July 1st the NCRI demonstrated its strength and abilities by gathering hundreds of thousand supporters in Paris, all seeking regime change in Iran.

The NCRI demands a boycott in international diplomatic and economic relations and expelling Iranian regime representatives from international assemblies. The IRGC and affiliated proxies must also be evicted from the region.

The appeasement policy

On a side-note, the Iranian regime feeds off its lobbies’ propaganda and advocates promoting yet again the appeasement policy, aimed at justifying and legitimizing beneficial relations with Iran. The regime’s lobby argues the international community should cooperate with Tehran as there is no alternative other than war. This absurd propaganda is promoted while the IRGC has been in war in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.

In same regards, US Secretory of States Rex Tillerson recently insisted on cooperation with Russia to tackle terrorism and end the Syria war.

“Iran’s military influence, the direct presence of Iranian military forces inside of Syria, they must leave and go home, whether those are Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces or whether those are paid militias, foreign fighters that Iran has brought into Syria” he said.

All evidence shows the only path to peace and stability in Iran and the Middle East is to support the NCRI and pressure Tehran through extensive sanctions.

The NCRI issued a statement welcoming the new law imposing sanctions against Iran and the Revolutionary Guards, emphasizing its immediate implementation meticulously without exception.

Furthermore, NCRI President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi underscored these sanctions must be implemented immediately against all individuals and entities involved in executing and torturing the Iranian people, especially those directly involved in the 1988 massacre of over 30,000 political prisoners.

Rajavi also emphasized that the people’s right of resistance for regime change must be recognized. She also views these collective ultimately resulting in stability and peace in the region.

How Iran's people get around the mullahs' social media censorship

By Hassan Mahmoudi

Social media websites are fantastic tools that allow us to share the joy of fabulous news from friends, family, and neighbors, whether birthday greetings, wishes for the New Year, or thanksgiving.  We are able to sympathize with our companions when they share their sad stories.  We see news stories that can be disturbing, like the Syrian chemical attack, flash floods, blazes in forests, horrors in prisons, violation of human rights...  There is no question about it: advanced smartphone technology has played a key role in shaping the influence of social media.  But unfortunately, this fantastic tool, despite its easy use and access, is not available to all the people of the world.
In 2014, Reporters Without Borders designated 19 countries as "enemies of the internet" for actions ranging from social media censorship in Iran to North Korea walling its citizens off from the global web entirely. 

Despite the "enemies of the internet" designation of shame, only six countries actively block social media networks around the world.
Iran is the leading country that blocks its citizens from accessing internet.  In Iran, the internet and social media apps are heavily restricted and censored, because the government views any form of internet freedom as a threat to its mullah regime.
Iran bars social media and internet, yet it has long been a battleground there between the jubilant Iranians who seek freedom and the authorities who feel they must protect the regime from dangerous influences that could topple it.  Websites and social media have been blocked in Iran since huge antigovernment protests exploded after the disputed presidential election in 2009.
In the absence of a free and unrestrained press in Iran, users inside the country utilize Twitter to bypass state censorship mechanisms and challenge government narratives aiming at concealing the brutality of the government's violent crackdown on the protesters.  They also use a social media app called Telegram to discuss news and politics.
According to the recent report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as the regime in Iran faces a variety of crises, the deputy public prosecutor said concerns about cyberspace have become extremely worrisome for Tehran.
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is cited in this report as saying, in his usual violent language, that cyberspace is the "killing ground" of the country's youth, in reality meaning that this is where they learn the truth about the regime ruling Iran.  The mullahs claim to be concerned about the youth and Islamic values and how cyberspace activities and social media undermine them, but the reality is, they are thinking of themselves.
With all the media assets at its disposal, why can't the regime properly confront this threat?
The truth is that concerns about "religion and faith" are not the regime's concerns, as its own officials have in interviews acknowledged the fact that improper posts are blocked by Telegram administrators.
"More than 30% of these Telegram channels are involved in criminal activities against the country's security and disrupting the entire nation," said Iran's deputy public prosecutor, Abdolsamad Khoramabadi.
Of course, the main target of these remarks are the Telegram channels belonging to the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
"[W]e are left incapable on the internet.  The supreme leader has said time and again that this cyberspace is uncontrollable. ... [I]t is unacceptable to have 8,000 orders in this regard and not being able to do anything," Khoramabadi said.
This official also admits that the MEK will continue its activities even without Telegram, yet this platform has provided the MEK the means to accelerate the pace of its efforts.
In addition to speed, the Iranian people having access to MEK criteria has left the regime terrified.
"The MEK Telegram channel inside Iran is very active[.] ... [A]ll the regime's opponents are providing the people all their books and written material through this online platform.  If you seek to purchase them, you have to pay huge amounts of money.  If you wanted to publish a book, it would be very demanding, but on the internet, it is quite easy," Khoramabadi added.
While the Iranian regime can completely block these websites, why has this issue reached the media?
The regime in Tehran is truly facing an impasse in the face of Telegram.  It can't completely block the website, as it needs the platform for its own purposes, and it also cannot block only certain channels.
If Iran blocks Telegram in its entirety, it will come with heavy political and social impacts, leaving this regime facing 40 million angry users.  Furthermore, this will not resolve the entire issue, and these users will most certainly find another platform.
The Iranian regime has time and again negotiated with Telegram's managers to block the MEK website and associated channels, only to be rejected each time.  This has left Tehran facing an impasse.
Either accept the MEK's vast network with all its grave consequences, or pay the ultimate price of blocking Telegram.  The latter would raise even more questions.
Hassan Mahmoudi is a human rights advocate, specializing in political and economic issues relating to Iran and the Middle East.  @hassan_mahmou1

Social media websites are fantastic tools that allow us to share the joy of fabulous news from friends, family, and neighbors, whether birthday greetings, wishes for the New Year, or thanksgiving.  We are able to sympathize with our companions when they share their sad stories.  We see news stories that can be disturbing, like the Syrian chemical attack, flash floods, blazes in forests, horrors in prisons, violation of human rights...  There is no question about it: advanced smartphone technology has played a key role in shaping the influence of social media.  But unfortunately, this fantastic tool, despite its easy use and access, is not available to all the people of the world.
In 2014, Reporters Without Borders designated 19 countries as "enemies of the internet" for actions ranging from social media censorship in Iran to North Korea walling its citizens off from the global web entirely. 
Despite the "enemies of the internet" designation of shame, only six countries actively block social media networks around the world.
Iran is the leading country that blocks its citizens from accessing internet.  In Iran, the internet and social media apps are heavily restricted and censored, because the government views any form of internet freedom as a threat to its mullah regime.
Iran bars social media and internet, yet it has long been a battleground there between the jubilant Iranians who seek freedom and the authorities who feel they must protect the regime from dangerous influences that could topple it.  Websites and social media have been blocked in Iran since huge antigovernment protests exploded after the disputed presidential election in 2009.

In the absence of a free and unrestrained press in Iran, users inside the country utilize Twitter to bypass state censorship mechanisms and challenge government narratives aiming at concealing the brutality of the government's violent crackdown on the protesters.  They also use a social media app called Telegram to discuss news and politics.
According to the recent report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, as the regime in Iran faces a variety of crises, the deputy public prosecutor said concerns about cyberspace have become extremely worrisome for Tehran.
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei is cited in this report as saying, in his usual violent language, that cyberspace is the "killing ground" of the country's youth, in reality meaning that this is where they learn the truth about the regime ruling Iran.  The mullahs claim to be concerned about the youth and Islamic values and how cyberspace activities and social media undermine them, but the reality is, they are thinking of themselves.
With all the media assets at its disposal, why can't the regime properly confront this threat?
The truth is that concerns about "religion and faith" are not the regime's concerns, as its own officials have in interviews acknowledged the fact that improper posts are blocked by Telegram administrators.
"More than 30% of these Telegram channels are involved in criminal activities against the country's security and disrupting the entire nation," said Iran's deputy public prosecutor, Abdolsamad Khoramabadi.
Of course, the main target of these remarks are the Telegram channels belonging to the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
"[W]e are left incapable on the internet.  The supreme leader has said time and again that this cyberspace is uncontrollable. ... [I]t is unacceptable to have 8,000 orders in this regard and not being able to do anything," Khoramabadi said.
This official also admits that the MEK will continue its activities even without Telegram, yet this platform has provided the MEK the means to accelerate the pace of its efforts.
In addition to speed, the Iranian people having access to MEK criteria has left the regime terrified.
"The MEK Telegram channel inside Iran is very active[.] ... [A]ll the regime's opponents are providing the people all their books and written material through this online platform.  If you seek to purchase them, you have to pay huge amounts of money.  If you wanted to publish a book, it would be very demanding, but on the internet, it is quite easy," Khoramabadi added.
While the Iranian regime can completely block these websites, why has this issue reached the media?
The regime in Tehran is truly facing an impasse in the face of Telegram.  It can't completely block the website, as it needs the platform for its own purposes, and it also cannot block only certain channels.
If Iran blocks Telegram in its entirety, it will come with heavy political and social impacts, leaving this regime facing 40 million angry users.  Furthermore, this will not resolve the entire issue, and these users will most certainly find another platform.
The Iranian regime has time and again negotiated with Telegram's managers to block the MEK website and associated channels, only to be rejected each time.  This has left Tehran facing an impasse.
Either accept the MEK's vast network with all its grave consequences, or pay the ultimate price of blocking Telegram.  The latter would raise even more question

Visit by European Officials to Iran Amidst Executions

Is insult to universal values of human rights

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran strongly condemns the visit of Ms. Mogherini and other European officials to Iran under the rule of religious fascism, and participation in the inauguration of its illegitimate president. These travels, while at least 101 executions took place in Iran in July, are an insult to the universal human rights values of which the EU considers itself as protector and defender.

Any investment in the mullahs’ regime - while all signs indicate that it is entering its final phase - are doomed to fail with losses, leaving only this image of Europe in the minds of the Iranian people that they are throwing a rescue rope toward the regime.

Rouhani, who wears a mask of moderation, has no other mission than to keep in power the system of Valayat-e-Faqih (supreme religious rule) and delaying its overthrow. The people of Iran, with the slogan "No to the executioner, no to the imposter; my vote is regime change," expressed their abhorrence toward the recent sham elections and its so-called "candidates", who were all appointed by the Supreme Leader of the regime. More than 3,000 prisoners have been executed during Rouhani’s first term as president. Rouhani describes these executions as carrying out "the law of God or the law approved by the Majlis". In 1980 in parliament he publicly called for the execution of the regime’s opponents during Friday prayers. He is one of the high ranking officials responsible for the suppression, the production of the nuclear bomb, warmongering and killings in the region.

Khamenei has repeatedly said, "If we did not stop the enemy in Syria, we would have to stop them in Tehran, Fars, Khorasan and Esfahan". Rouhani also confessed that if the Revolutionary Guards were "not resisting in Baghdad and Samarra, and in Fallujah and Ramadi, and if they did not help the Syrian government in Damascus and Aleppo, we would not have security to negotiate this well in the nuclear deal" (February 8, 2016).

Khamenei said on May 10, 2017: "The enemies want change in the behavior of the regime ... the change of behavior means the destruction of the Islamic system."

Rouhani's cabinet members have played a major role in the war, suppression and the export of terrorism and fundamentalism. His first term Minister of Justice, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, was one of the key officials responsible for the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988.

During Rouhani’s tenure, suppression of political opponents and human rights defenders, workers, women, teachers, lawyers, journalists and internet activists have intensified. Political prisoners are not released even after the end of their sentences. Killings under torture, slow deaths and annihilation of prisoners, and suspicious deaths in prisons continue. Repression and discrimination against women, which are institutionalized in the regime’s laws, expanded with gender separation and suppressive law of "chastity and hijab". Different ethnic groups and nationalities were suppressed more than before. The repression of Sunni Muslims intensified, attacks on domestic churches and arbitrary detentions and pressure against followers of other religions intensified.

Investing in moderation in the Velayat-e Faqih regime, whose record includes 120,000 political executions, is tantamount to strengthening the harshest factions of the regime against the Iranian people and peace and tranquility in the region. No change in Iran can be imagined without the end of repression, execution and torture, aggressive meddling in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and ending the nuclear and missile projects. Any relationship with the Iranian regime must be made conditional upon a suspension of executions and an improvement of the human rights situation. This is the will of the Iranian people and is necessary for peace and tranquility in the region and the world.

MEK/PMOI GAINS SUPPORT WHILE IRANIAN REGIME GETS WEAKER

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by Poorang Novak

The justice-seeking movement that wants the Iranian regime to be punished for the horrific massacre of MEK/PMOI members is gaining momentum, just weeks after the opposition’s event in Paris. On 1st July, tens of thousands of people attended the Free Iran rally and hundreds of former US and European government officials and prominent political figures spoke about the need for justice for the MEK/PMOI members who were killed during the 1988 massacre.

The Iranian regime is at an extremely low point. In the days before the grand gathering, Foreign Minister of Iran Javad Zarif went to Paris to try to stop the event from taking place. He was unable to manage this.

Not long later, Supreme Leader Khamenei sent his adviser Kamal Kharrazi to the French capital to declare that the MEK/PMOI is a “terrorist group” that has been involved in the murder of “thousands of ordinary citizens in Iran”. This is clearly an attempt to smear the MEK/PMOI’s solid reputation and to counter the increasing amount of support it is getting.

Kharrazi has been involved in activities that aim to badmouth the MEK/PMOI in the past. There was an alarming criminal conspiracy against the Resistance and the MEK/PMOI that resulted in the June 17, 2003 dossier that was a failure for the Iranian regime and its co-conspirators. The file was closed by the French authorities and the MEK/PMOI’s reputation was enhanced as a result.

The MEK/PMOI has been calling for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be designated a foreign terror organisation. In retaliation, the Iranian regime has been fabricating files to use against the MEK/PMOI so that French authorities will change their opinion. Many other fabrications have taken place over the past ten years. It is the regime’s attempt to wage psychological warfare against the MEK/PMOI.

In 2005, it was revealed by a French lawyer that the Iranian regime wanted to blame the MEK/PMOI for the Halabja chemical attack that killed and injured thousands of Kurds at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. The regime was allegedly prepared to pay $100 million so the MEK/PMOI was implicated.

The Iranian regime, despite numerous attacks on the MEK/PMOI, has been unable to keep it down. The 1988 massacre which resulted in the death of more than 30,000 MEK/PMOI members and other such atrocities, that continue to this day, have not been able to dissuade people from resisting. The people want justice, freedom and democracy and they will not be stopped.

The MEK/PMOI was once listed as a terrorist organisation, but was understandably removed when it was properly understood that it has no terrorist links. However, this does not stop the regime from repeating the nonsense. Numerous officials, time and time again, try to make out like the MEK/PMOI carries out terrorist activities.

The MEK/PMOI is gaining more and more support, and an increasing number of important political figures are speaking out against the Iranian regime. At the recent rally in Paris, Senator Joseph Lieberman highlighted that Raqqa is not the capital of Islamic extremism and terrorism – it is in Tehran with the mullahs’ regime.

It is imperative for the Iranian regime to be held accountable for the crimes against humanity it has committed, but it is even more imperative that Iran sees regime change soon. A democratic alternative, a viable alternative, exists – the MEK/PMOI.