Archive for the ‘Iran’ Category

Irans State-Media and their Endless Warnings! – National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

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Irans state media have spent years helping the ruling theocracy by covering up its crimes and twisting the truth. But it now seems that the societys volatile situation prevents the regimes media outlets to continue spreading propaganda, compelling them to acknowledge some aspects of the harsh reality.

In its article on April 17, living in the clutches of crisis, the state-run Hamdeli daily admitted how precarious the situation for the regime is. The crises continue to hurt the society as open wounds. Thus, for years, officials have used the term the current sensitive situation instead of crisis, the paper wrote.

The regime is entangled in crises as the country is going through its worst financial crisis. The current government of Ebrahim Raisi, an internationally wanted criminal, is bereft of any solution to Irans economic crunch. Thus, it has started a blame game, accusing its predecessor. Besides, Raisi continues making hollow promises and brazenly boasting the situation has improved.

The government now claims everything has ended. Since it cannot do anything, it has started a blame game, and its claims about selling oil and restoring Irans frozen funds fall on peoples deaf ears, no one believes a word of [the establishment], the state-run Mostaghel daily wrote in this regard on April 17.

If there has been any progress, why is it not evident in peoples lives? Perhaps, the system has other priorities than peoples lives, the paper added. When workers share their concerns, [Raisi] asks if they had lunch! In other words, there is a striking contrast between what the system says and what the peoples demands are. This could lead to people destroying the [system] instead of repairing it.

Other state-run newspapers on April 17 called out Raisis empty gestures and expressed concerns about uprisings and protests, calling them riots and expressions of dissatisfaction.

If we fail to have a clear and realistic approach to the current issues, we would soon face various crises and waves of riots and disaffections, the state-run Mardom Salarie wrote on April 17.

The fact that the water behind the dam, in this case, peoples anger toward the regime, can longer be concealed was acknowledged by other state media, such as Sharq daily, on April 21.

Sharq daily, an outlet linked to the regimes so-called reformists faction, has worked for decades to maintain the regimes faade of moderation and whitewash criminals like the regimes presidents Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Khatami.

It seems that officials live in another world, far from people. They are always making harsh comments about people, spreading hatred. Meanwhile, most people feel that the countrys economy is not on the path to revitalization. They see how corruption in different bodies and institutions prevents [people] from meeting their demands. One cannot ignore these facts, Sharq wrote.

The ongoing protests in Iran by people from all walks of life are testaments that these warnings and the agonizing fear among the regimes media are not unfounded.

The regimes decades of corruption, ineptitude, mismanagement, and squandering peoples wealth on terrorism have turned Iran into a powder keg. The last eight uprisings confirm this volatility.

As the state-run Hamdeli daily acknowledged on April 21, We created this situation. One who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind.

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Irans State-Media and their Endless Warnings! - National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

Raisi says Iran will target heart of Israel if it acts against Iranian nation – Reuters

DUBAI, April 18 (Reuters) - Iran's armed forces will target Israel's heart if it makes "the slightest move" against the Islamic Republic, President Ebrahim Raisi told a military parade on Monday, amid stalled talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.

Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, says it will not be bound by any Iran nuclear deal and could eventually take unilateral action against Iranian nuclear sites.

"The Zionist regime (Israel), you should know that ... if you take the slightest move against our nation, our armed forces will target the heart of the Zionist regime" Raisi said in a televised speech at a military parade to mark the national Army Day.

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Troops marched in front of the podium where Raisi stood with army officers. Helicopters flew overhead and parachutists dropped down over the parade area near the tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic state.

The United States and Iran have been engaged in indirect talks for more than a year to rescue the pact. Washington left it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

But the talks were suspended last month over the unresolved issue of whether the United States might remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization list, as demanded by Tehran.

Iran has reacted by breaching the deal's limits on its nuclear programme. Under the deal, Iran limited its nuclear efforts in return for relief from economic sanctions.

It has accused Israel of several attacks on facilities linked to the programme and killing Iranian nuclear scientists. Israel has neither denied nor confirmed the allegations.

Israel, which the Islamic Republic refuses to recognise, says it will not accept the Islamic Republic as "a nuclear threshold state".

Missiles, armoured personnel carriers, unmanned surveillance aircraft and small submarines were also part of the parade.

"Our strategy is defence and not offense, Raisi said, adding that "Iran's army used the opportunity of sanctions very well to empower itself, and our military industries are now in the best shape".

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Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Kim Coghill and Bradley Perrett

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Raisi says Iran will target heart of Israel if it acts against Iranian nation - Reuters

Explainer: Iran’s IRGC A Force To Reckon With – i24NEWS

The 'Sepah' is responsible for imposing Iran's Islamic influence, both locally and among foreign entities

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) known by the Iranian public as Sepah is one of the many outspoken threats to Israel in the Middle East.

Set up 40 years ago to defend the countrys Islamic system, the IRGC has since become a major military, political, and economic force.

Today, the Guard Corps is responsible for imposing Irans Islamic influence, including reminding Israel that it will confront the Jewish state wherever it feels necessary.

The IRGC was founded as an ideological custodian of Irans 1979 revolution, which culminated in the replacement of the Iranian government with an Islamist republic.

Before the Islamic Revolution, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi who was ousted in the revolt relied solely on military might to ensure national security.After Pahlavi was overthrown, the new clerics established the Guard Corps as a force to consolidate their leadership and Islamic ideals.

The Sepah was tasked with unifying paramilitary forces and serving as a counterweight to the regular army, which was originally loyal to the Shah.

Independent from the Iranian Armed Forces, the IRGC is estimated to have more than 190,000 active personnel under the command of Gen. Hossein Salami.

The Sepah is made up of six branches, including its ground forces, air force, and Nuclear Command Corps.

Its navy is primarily tasked with patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean through which 20 percent of the worlds oil supply passes.

The remaining branches Basij and the Quds Force are two of the Guard Corps' more notable paramilitary groups.

The Basij Resistance Force is a volunteer militia of almost 100,000 active personnel, who are often called out onto the streets to suppress domestic dissent.

It was established with the founding of the IRGC in 1979, launching so-called human wave attacks which involved clearing minefields or drawing enemy fire.

Today, the force consists of young Iranian volunteers known as Basijis who engage in internal security, law enforcement, and policing morals.

Perhaps the most prominent IRGC entity is the Quds Force, which handles activities abroad, including unconventional warfare and intelligence gathering.

The paramilitary group became active in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War and is estimated to be up to 5,000-troops strong.

It supports many non-state actors with funding, training, and arms including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Yemens Houthi rebels, and Shia militias in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.

The United States accuses the Quds Force of being responsible for attacks in the Middle East that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of American and allied military personnel.

Thus, the US labeled the IRGC and namely the Quds Force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019 for their continued support to and engagement in terrorist activity around the world, a designation that Iran routinely condemns.

IranIraq War The IRGCs participation in pushing back an Iraqi offensive from 1980 to 1988 led to the expansion of both its role and its might.

2006 Lebanon War Iranian military support to Lebanon's Hezbollah led some to consider it as what sparked the Iran-Israel proxy conflict.

Syrian Civil War Iran sees the survival of the Syrian government as being crucial to its regional interests, helping local troops in their fight against forces that oppose President Bashar al-Assads regime.

Since its origin as an ideologically driven militia, Sepah has taken a greater role in nearly every aspect of Iranian society.

Reutersdescribed the IRGC as an industrial empire with political clout," and many analysts argue that its influence is even heavier than Irans Shia clerical system.

Despite having an estimated 230,000 fewer troops than Irans regular military, it is considered the Islamic republics dominant military force.According to the US, Iran also has the largest ballistic missile force under IRGC supervision in the Middle East.

Its former general Qasem Soleimani was also something of a celebrity in Iran, a spotlight short-lived after he was killed in a 2020 US drone strike.

The IRGCs popular power, combined with close ties to and the strong support of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, makes it a key player in Iranian politics. It is common for Sepah officers to occupy influential government positionsand advise the supreme leader.

It is thought that Sepah also controls around a third of Irans economy.

Regarding the public arena, the Guard Corps is active in housing development as well as dam and road construction, oil and gas projects, food, transportation, and educational and cultural activities.

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Explainer: Iran's IRGC A Force To Reckon With - i24NEWS

Tonights Homework review Kiarostami-inspired snapshot of Irans wealth gap – The Guardian

A cheeky-faced boy of seven or eight is asked what he would wish for. A big bike and a balloon that never bursts! he replies with a huge grin, tickled with his answer. Another boy around the same age, more shabbily dressed and serious looking, is asked what life is about. He chews his bottom lip: Life is something that is filled with difficulty. This often heartbreaking, painful documentary from Ashkan Nejati and Mehran Nematollahi has a simple premise: interviewing Iranian schoolkids to camera about their lives, school, homework and hopes for the future.

Its a sequel of sorts to godfather of modern Iranian cinema Abbas Kiarostamis 1989 documentary Homework, which put the same questions to children growing up in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq war. The new film features plenty of kids-say-the-funniest-things moments. A boy is asked which countries hed like to visit? Europe, America Neptune! And theres some commentary on the Iranian education system. But what lingers is the films devastating snapshot of the gap between rich and poor. One of the rich kids, a placid round-faced boy, brags about how well-off his dad is and how many cars theyve got. The interviewer gently probes him: do you know what wealth is? Yes, someone who has a lot of cash like my dad. Do you know what poverty is? No.

If he ever watches the film hell find out. You can spot the poor kids instantly, and not just from their faded, many-times-washed sweaters and DIY haircuts. Its their clenched body language and lined-before-their-time serious faces a reminder that for them theres no time for silliness or play. The headteacher of these boys explains that in calendar years, they are eight to 10, but maturity wise, more like 17 or 18. Most work afternoons and evenings, selling goods on the street or busking. One boy explains how he burns newspaper and rubs the soot on his face to look dirtier, more pitiable. Another pays his familys rent and food. I dont buy toys. When you need to fill your belly, you dont buy toys. Its not an easy watch, but these kids are invisible enough without the world shutting its eyes.

Tonights Homework is released on 22 April at Bertha DocHouse, London.

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Tonights Homework review Kiarostami-inspired snapshot of Irans wealth gap - The Guardian

Navy Chief Says Iran Needs Presence In Northern Indian Ocean –

Iranian Armys Navy Commander says the countrys naval fleet will maintain a presence in the Indian Ocean as well as free waters of the world.

In an interview with the Arabic-language al-Alam television channel Thursday, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said no foreign country would dare to enter Irans territorial waters. Irani said there was no justification for the regional presence of navies from further afield.

Both Irans traditional army (Artesh) and the Revolutionay Guard (IRGC) have naval forces.

The commander described the northern Indian Ocean as the main waterway to connect the continents, and that if Iran did not have an effective presence, governments that dont have the right will come and approach our territorial waters. Irani said Irans fleet would appear wherever we feel threatened.

Iran has since 2019 carried out naval exercises with Russia and China and has looked to expand its presence beyond the Red Sea and north-west Indian Ocean. The last major clash between Iran and the United States, whose Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, was quickly resolved diplomatically in 2016 after two American small boats adrift were seized by Irans navy after entering Iranian waters.

We escort our ships in all the waters across the globe to guarantee security Our presence offers security to the region and the entire world," Irani said.

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Navy Chief Says Iran Needs Presence In Northern Indian Ocean -