The Daily Caller has reported that the former Mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, is under scrutiny regarding his business dealings. Now that it is known that Giuliani is being considered for the role of Secretary of State in Donald Trump’s administration, his past work is being examined and several red flags have been raised. One red flag in particular is his work with the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (or MEK).
Tasnim, the Quds Force news agency, reported on 12 November 2016 that Major General Hassan Firouzabadi claimed Khamenei approved the launch of missiles. The top advisor to Khamenei and former chief of staff to the regime said: “His excellency (Khamenei) approved launching missile ‘Emad’. No rockets are fired in this country unless having been approved by the Commander in Chief. Even for launching missiles in military drills, permission from the leader of revolution (Khamenei) is needed… he even determines the launching time and decides when it should be fired.”
The USA-Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) is up for dispute, following the victory of the USA president-elect Donald Trump.
Before his election, Mr. Trump was ready to “renegotiate and renounce” the deal, according to the New York Times. He expressed these views in a speech he gave at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, stating clearly that one of his top priorities in office would be to “dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.”
In August, between 20 and 25 Sunni prisoners were killed in a massive mass hanging. Of course many people and organisations came forward to say that this was an appalling abuse of human rights. Yet, to make matters even worse, Iranian state television has been broadcasting video clips of the prisoners being coerced into confessions.
On Tuesday 15th November 2016, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution regarding the serious “deterioration of the human rights situation” in Syria. They voiced their absolute condemnation of terrorist interventions, and the intervention of the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps) in Syria.
Iran’s capital Tehran has been covered in a cloud of toxic smog for five days now, with schools remaining shut on Wednesday.
Many civilians have had to stay at home and traffic disruptions have occurred across the city. People on the streets are required to wear a gas mask to protect themselves against the toxic fumes.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the US-Iran Nuclear deal, has emboldened Iran to make attacks on the US Navy. Retired admirals urge the US to respond, or face the consequences of keeping silence.
The Herald Scotland has reported that later in the month the UN General Assembly will deal with a report on human rights in Iran. The UN special rapporteur on Iran who compiled the report is not allowed to enter Iran but has been able to judge the situation accurately based on witness testimony and careful analysis.
The report draws attention to the huge rise in executions since President Hassan Rouhani took office – around 3,000 in only three years.
John Lee, writing for Independent Journal Review, said that it is no surprise the Iran lobby has immersed itself in trying to save the nuclear deal following the recent U.S. elections. It is faced with an administration that may scrap the current nuclear deal, or have it amended to include conditions regarding Iran’s support of terrorism. It could also be possible that Trump’s administration re-imposes sanctions that Obama’s administration lifted. In any case, American policy towards the Iranian regime is going to come back into the spotlight.
