The newly elected president of the U.S. Donald Trump is known for his opposing views to the U.S-Iran Nuclear deal and other Iran appeasement policies. He has now nominated James Mattis, the retired Marine General as his Secretary of Defence. This is likely to stir the waters even more.
Mr Mattis is known for his opposition to the U.S. policies on Iran even under Barack Obama’s administration. As the Daily Caller put it, Mr Mattis has been accused of being “too hawkish on Iran.”
Heshmat Alavi wrote an article for the American Thinker in which he calls for the appeasement towards Iran, which has lasted for decades, to end. He said that the West, in particular the United States, has to seriously rethink its policy if Daesh is to be eliminated. On 26th November, at a conference in Paris, Mrs. Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said that the first step is to end Iran’s role in Syria.
Musician Mehdi Rajabian, 27, and his filmmaker brother Hossein, 31, have been jailed in Iran since June. They each received a three-year prison sentence for “spreading propaganda against the system” and “insulting the sacred”. For the past month, the brothers have been on hunger strike in protest against the treatment they are receiving in prison.
Amir Basiri, an Iranian human rights activist, wrote in the Washington Examiner about the Iran appeasement policy. He believes that as Obama’s administration nears the end a “widespread propaganda campaign” is being started by the Iranian regime, its lobbies in the United States and Iran apologists. Basically anyone with a “vested interest in the continuation of rapprochement with Tehran”.
On November 30, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) published a report about the loss of Revolutionary Guards forces (IRGC) in the Syrian War.
According to Tasnim News, November 22, Khamenei’s representative in ‘Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation’, who is also Rouhani’s deputy, Seyyed Mohammad Ali Shahidi Mahallati, said that the number of IRGC forces killed in the Syria war is more than one thousand. In a seminar on the occasion of “Bassij Week” he stressed: “Number of our country’s martyrs defending the holy shrine has exceeded one thousand and we owe all of them.”
For the English version of Al Arabiya, Tony Duheaume wrote an article about the Basij Mostazafan – the “mobilisation of the oppressed”. He explained that it is an Iranian militia group that is highly loyal to the Iranian regime.
Basij forces are often seen on the streets of cities in Iran carrying out attacks with clubs and staves on innocent protesters. It also has snipers that will kill organisers of demonstrations.
Thomas Gibbons-Neff has reported that several weapons shipments have been intercepted this year, many of which contained a large number of Iranian weapons. Much of this has had similar markings to weapons used by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The U.S. has said that five shipments of weapons being moved from Iran to Yemen were intercepted. The report said that markings on rifles, rocket launchers, anti-tank guided missiles and munitions are further proof that Iran is providing support to Houthis fighting in Yemen.
Ivan Sheehan has written an article about the Tehran’s “well-organized” Washington lobby which seems to be attacking Trump while the White House transition happens. Daniel Benjamin and Josh Rogin wrote about Rudy Giuliani’s “terrorist connections” – smears that seem to be intended to influence the president elect’s cabinet and thus U.S. policy.
Ms. Donya Jam, an Iranian-American Christian and human rights activist, wrote an article for The Hill about the plight of Christian Iranians. She pointed out that Christians have existed in Iran for centuries and many religions – Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, etc. – have lived together in harmony. “We were all Iranians and our religion was not an issue at all.”
