Iran provides nearly $30 million to Iraq, Syria for rebuilding shrines

Iran provides nearly $30 million to Iraq, Syria for rebuilding shrines

The regime in Iran is providing millions to Iraq & Syria while millions are suffering from floods inside Iran

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Iran, April 28, 2019 - It has been more than a month since the devastating floods in Iran has washed away more than half of the country’s lands and leaving the lives of more than 11 million people in two third of the country’s provinces in ruins. While there is a desperate need for state funds to help the people and provide at least basic necessities, some state-run media reported on Saturday that the clerical regime ruling Iran has paid 1.2 trillion rials (equal to about $30 million) to Iraq and Syria under the pretext of rebuilding shrines in those two countries.

The head of one of the regime’s corrupt institution, the “Department for Rebuilding Sacred Shrines,” acknowledged the amount. By calling it propaganda against the state, he reacted to the growing popular hatred of spending so much on the regime’s extraterritorial projects while people in flooded areas of Iran are in desperate need of their basic needs.

“Some question the formation of Arbaeen convoys (referring to the convoys of goods and money paid to militants and for rebuilding the war-torn country of Syria and Iraq) and ask is it not better to spend this money for those Iranians in need, rather than to spend on foreign missions? This is creating doubt in people’s mind,” said this official while sidestepping the question.

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Iranians across the country, especially in the flood-hit areas in west and southwest provinces, are extremely angry over the inaction of officials and local authorities failing to provide any aid to those in desperate need.

Millions of people are facing extreme circumstances after unprecedented floods swept their cities, towns, and villages. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and there is growing criticism and expectations for authorities to live up to their promises of rebuilding these devastated areas.

On Tuesday, near the city of Shush in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, residents of the flood-hit town of Abdolkhan, rejected the authorities’ food handouts, protesting the degrading treatment of the residents during the aid distribution. The people said the distribution process was carried out in a manner that disregarded their self-respect and dignity.

Residents of an area near the city of Zabol, capital of Sistan and Baluchistan Province in southeast Iran, said their residential area is surrounded by floods and there are no relief efforts to save their lives.

The mullahs’ regime is becoming extremely concerned, especially considering the fact that protests are escalating across the board.

Elsewhere, a member of Iran’s Majlis (parliament) acknowledged on Monday that people are increasingly frustrated and are literally cursing regime official wherever they appear in public. Describing this phenomenon to other Majlis members during an open-door session, Mohammad Reza Sabbaghian said, “We need a closed-door session to be able to say things we cannot talk about in an open-door session.”

“There are some things that, due to the reactions it could create, cannot be said in public. People are really having problems and wherever they see us, start cursing us and calling us bad names… people are unhappy. They live in poverty while we are paid a few million tomans (referring to the Iranian currency) and we are not happy, let alone the people who get a fraction of this amount!” Sabbaghian added.

Explaining an encounter he had with a woman in a market, he said this woman approached him and said “I have to work 9 hours a day, and sometimes work up to 12 hours per day. But I get no extra pay for the extra hours I work. I’m not insured and there are no contracts, we can be laid off or fired any day. If I work every day of the week, I only get 1.35 million tomans per month (equal to $96.43 per month). I’m a single mother with 4 children and live in 5sq meters house.”

Voicing the concern of the people, Sabbaghian said people who talked to me said we cannot talk in the open and before a camera. If they (referring to the authorities) find out we have complained, we would lose our jobs, Sabbaghian said quoting ordinary people.

IRGC Quds Force: Iran’s clandestine military empire

IRGC Quds Force: Iran’s clandestine military empire

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force is involved in destructive activities across the region

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

April 29, 2019 - Two international experts explained the threats and terrorist activities posed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds force across the Middle East.

Seth G. Jones chair, director, and senior advisor to the Transnational Threats Project explained how the IRGC Quds Force is acting as the Iranian regime extraterritorial arm.

“The IRGC Quds Force is Iran’s primary military actor in the Middle East. It competes with countries like the United States by training, advising, and equipping sub-state forces, including Shiite militias in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Jones said in an interview

“Iran’s goal with the base like in Lebanon is to improve the capabilities of its local actors,” Jones added.  He continued to say that Iran has such basis in Syria, too, with the aim of bringing these actors from all over these locations for training.

He also explained the setbacks Iran regime experienced in its eight-year war with Iraq.

“One of the things Iran recognized in the 1980s in its war with Iraq is that Iran was never going to be a major conventional power. Between 2011 and 2019, we see a lot more Shiite militia and other fighters that work with the IRGC Quds Force in Yemen, in Syria, in Iraq, in Lebanon, in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Bahrain. The reason Iran has more training facilities is that it has got more fighters to train,” Jones concluded.

Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a Senior Fellow for Imagery Analysis, also corroborated on the threats posed by the IRGC Quds Force. He said the mullahs’ regime of Iran is using military bases, such as the so-called Imam Ali base near Tehran, the capital of Iran, to train militants.

“The Imam Ali training facility in Iran is located on the outskirts of Tehran. This was a small facility until 2008. But it is much larger and comprehensive and capable now,” Mr. Bermudez said. “As a whole, the base is training personnel to operate in guerrilla warfare, which is considered regular warfare type scenarios.”  

Ending oil waivers adds new internal crisis for Iran regime

Ending oil waivers adds new internal crisis for Iran regime

Iran: mullahs’ supreme leader addressing a group of workers

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Iran, April 27, 2018 - After days of silence, the mullahs’ supreme leader Ali Khamenei finally spoke and responded to the US administration’s decision to end all Iran oil sanctions waivers. Khamenei attempted to save face in order to salvage his terrified and hopeless allies following Washington’s recent announcement, claiming his regime would export as much oil as it needs.

“What they are trying to do for the issue of oil will not get them anywhere. We can export our oil as much as we need, as much as is necessary, as much as we decide ourselves. Now, they think that they can prevent us,” Khamenei said on Wednesday during a meeting with a group of government employees.

Khamenei then resorted to his empty bullying against the US.

“They are resorting to their usual enmity. They must know that this hostility will not go unanswered. They will see the answer to their animosity,” he threatened.

The mullahs’ leader went on to again ridiculously claim the sanctions are in his advantage and “prepare the ground for growth and prosperity.”

“Despite becoming problematic in some areas, if we deal with sanctions with a correct logic, they would become an advantage for us, because sanctions would make us rely on our own ability, capacity, and internal initiatives,” Khamenei claimed.

In order to cover up his regime’s economic dead ends following the lifting of oil import waivers, Khamenei returned to the so-called “Resistive economy” slogan and repeated his old general nonsense talks.

“If we can revive the resistive economy, decisions by American and Israeli officials regarding our oil sale and other economic issues would be fruitless,” Khamenei claimed.
While the entire apparatus under Khamenei’s authority, including the terrorist-designatedIslamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), and the regular army facing people’s anger and hatred due to their inaction and not providing relief for the flood-stricken people, Khamenei tried to highjack all the public-provided aid and relief in his regime’s name.

“During these floods and the resulting natural disaster, despite the lack of any pre-suggestions and invitations, people rushed to the aid of the flood-hit areas. The youth from across the country came and showed their solidarity and sympathy in a national effort to help others, and this shows a bright future for the country,” the regime leader said.

He also expressed fear and concern about the explosive conditions of Iran’s working class.

“The enemy has relied on all measures available to create chaos, including on the issue of labor and workers. Even more than any other sectors,” Khamenei said with concern.

The mullahs’ supreme leader tried to pose as an opponent of corruption in the regime at a time when, according to Al-Arabiya quoting the US embassy in Baghdad, Khamenei has a personal wealth of over $200 billion. All the while, millions of people in the flood-hit areas are living in atrocious circumstances with all their livelihood washed out by the floods.

“There are some people who are after their own profits. I said at the beginning of the year, some are trying to buy an active factory at an unthinkable price. Then they destroy the factory and sell out all its machinery, putting the workers out of jobs. Then they build a high rise on that land. We must stop them from doing that. These are part of the government’s duties, not only the executive branch but the judiciary and legislative branches as well,” the clerical regime’s leader claimed.  

Google warns Iran-made apps are spyware

Google warns Iran-made apps are spyware

IRGC-linked apps are targets of Google warnings

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

April 26, 2019 - Starting Thursday Google has been warning users about two Iran-made apps by the names of Telegram Gold and Hotgram, advising people not to install these applications that contain spyware capabilities. Google is suggesting users uninstall these applications from their devices and a growing number of people in Iran are becoming aware of the threats posed in these apps that are affiliated directly to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

These two apps have been launched by the IRGC with the intention to steal users’ personal information. Prior to this, Telegram had warned users about the dangers of using Telegram Gold and Hotgram, emphasizing their company takes no responsibility about the personal data of users who use these two apps.

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Reports reveal how the Iranian regime has been using malicious apps to spy on users’ smartphones. The subject was issued in one of the most recent publications of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), widely held as the most influential Iranian opposition party.

In the report, NCRI exposes the attempts of government-backed hackers to develop apps designed to feed information on users’ devices back to central servers. This practice on the part of the regime was originally identified by researchers of the US branch of NCRI. The evidence was compiled into a paper titled “Iran Cyber Repression: How the IRGC Uses Cyberwarfare to Preserve the Theocracy” and was released in February. As a result, Google was able to identify at least one application on Google Play engineered by Iranian programmers. That app, called “Telegram Black,” has been removed from Google Play and the developer banned from offering additional apps on the site. Unfortunately, this incident is really just the tip of the iceberg.

Producing publicly available apps loaded with malware is and has been a broad-based strategy of the Iranian regime for quite some time. The regime has created close to 100 spyware apps, including Mobogram, Telegram Farsi, Hotgram, Wispi, and Telegram Talayi, all designed to resemble popular apps. These programs have already been unwittingly downloaded by hundreds of Iranian citizens.

The appearance of Telegram Black shows the risk these programs pose to international users as well. According to Alireza Jafarzadeh, the deputy director of the NCRI-US, the Iranian security apparatus contains “a unit called the Intelligence Organization, a specific department allocated to cyberwarfare. This is the department that deals with the cyberwarfare against the Western countries [and] against its own population.”

In some ways, these reports are old news.

Iran has been using the internet to suppress its own citizens forever. This practice has been on the uptick ever since the recent protest movement began in Iran last December.

What is important to note about this story are two very important points in regards to US national security, both to the threat posed by Iran specifically, as well as the broader cyber integrity of the United States as a whole.

Iran is expanding its cyberwarfare tactics to an international scale. In fact, there is much evidence to suggest that one of the main motivations of the regime to implement cyber repression on the Iranian people is to test the efficiency of various tactics and then export them to enemy countries.

“The Iranian regime is currently hard at work to test the success of these apps on the people of Iran first,” said Jafarzadeh. “If not confronted, its next victims will be the people of other nations.”

Speaking to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence almost two weeks ago, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats voiced a similar sentiment. “Iran will try to penetrate US and allied networks for espionage and lay the groundwork for future cyberattacks,” said Coats in his statement.

All of this confirms the theory posed by several experts over the past months that Iran will resort to the cyber realm to target its adversaries. This applies to both direct cyberattack as well as intelligence-gathering operations. Iran has a strong track record on this already.

In late 2017, for instance, British intelligence officials reported that a series of hacks in June 2017 that targeted several Parliament members, including Prime Minister Theresa May, was executed by cybercriminals connected to the Iranian government. The hacks affected some 9,000 accounts and exposed approximately 100 sensitive communications. While Iran may not be the most advanced in cyber capabilities, the country has proven itself capable enough to execute substantial operations.

The second takeaway from these reports is the implication for cyber integrity of the civilian realm. Much talk has been generated about threats to domestic information systems in the United States ever since reports by American intelligence agencies came out back in October, warning of the exposure of “critical infrastructure” to “state actor” attacks. The importance of this warning and others that followed was underscoring the vulnerability of the private sphere in general as the most likely cyber target of America’s enemies. Planting malware in publicly accessible app venues could prove to be one of the most effective routes to target the West in the digital sphere.

Until now, Iran’s 80-million-strong population has been a testing ground to determine the most successful methods for cyber intrusion and attack. The evidence shows the method adopted by the regime to create malicious apps disguised as legitimate. It is no surprise that this same tactic is now being used to target international users. The aforementioned NCRI report lists a handful of supposedly problematic apps that are available outside of Iran. The list includes Mobogram, Telegram Farsi, and Telegram Black. U.S. media has reported that most, if not all, are indeed still available for download.

Noteworthy in these reports is that the specific tactic being used by Iran-backed programmers to disseminate their malicious apps has been producing “forks,” or unofficial copies of other officially licensed programs. Using this method will likely lead Iran to produce replicas of the most popular applications in the US in the hopes that users will take the bait.

Iran’ attempts to hide viruses in popular applications smacks of the growing concern revolving around the so-called “supply chain hack,” namely the danger of devices and programs becoming infected with malware at some point before reaching the consumer. This threat has become increasingly more central in the world of IT security over the past several years. This danger has prompted a new level of awareness to ensure the digital products Americans use, either devices or programs, are secure from the point of manufacture to the point of delivery.

Luckily, the work of private activism in tandem with industry leaders was able to expose and at least partially neutralize the threat posed by Iran’s latest attempts to target international users. At the very least, this revelation will serve as a wake-up for both private and government organizations about the need to stay vigilant in combating Iran’s activities in the cybersphere.

Iran’s FATF crisis times IRGC’s terrorist designation

Iran’s FATF crisis times IRGC’s terrorist designation

The FATF crises escalates more than ever, haunting the mullahs’ regime

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Iran, April 24, 2019 - In Iran, the fate of bills related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) remain a subject of controversy and infighting between the two factions of the political elite of the regime ruling Iran, while the terrorist designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) by the U.S. State Department has pushed the issue further in a crisis.

Both factions argue the IRGC’s blacklisting proves that their particular approach is the best for the future of the ruling theocracy in Iran.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former member of the IRGC and former mayor of Tehran, who was previously opposed to the FATF bills, has now changed sides.

Ghalibaf, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, where the fate of the aforementioned bills is under review, acknowledged the current pressure on the ruling mullahs. “We can’t walk by the U.S. and other issues like FATF and ignore them. Their pressure is real anyway and increases day after day,” he said.

He reiterated that not joining FATF under the current circumstances is not in the interests of the mullahs’ regime. “If we step aside, we won’t be able to learn these new mechanisms and prevent the resulting threats, while the threat of these institutions won’t be eliminated by our lack of participation,” he emphasized.

Kamal Dehghani Firouzabadi, deputy chair of the national security and foreign relations committee in the regime’s Majlis (parliament), also voices concern in this regard. “Through reason, we need to use our international relations and convention to our interests,” he said.

“By joining these conventions, we need to have an active presence in the international community and not distance ourselves from structures, and thus isolate ourselves,” he further said in defense of joining FATF.

Ali Najafi, the spokesperson for the committee said: “We shouldn’t politicize the issue of reviewing the FATF related bills in the Expediency Council. In regards to international laws, there is no connection between the IRGC’s terrorist designation and the FATF.”

“After the U.S. malevolently put the IRGC on its foreign terrorist organization's list, some issues have been raised regarding the outcome of reviewing the [FATF] bills in the Expediency Council. It is normal for this issue to have a psychological impact and resulting in some hesitation about international documents and mechanisms,” he added.

Ahmad Tavakkoli, a conservative member of the Expediency Council, said: “After the U.S. designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the feeling of danger increases and the situation worsens. The U.S. also supports the FATF and the root of their malevolence is the same.”

Tavakkoli also went on to criticize Europe for asking Tehran to join the FATF. “They are maximalists. They don’t respect their obligations under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal [JCPOA] while putting conditions for us under INSTEX not to have precision missiles. We are facing a handful of maximalist beasts, so to speak,” he said. “I say it clearly that accepting FATF will make it harder on us because they will advance,” he then concluded.

Mohammad Hassan Asafary, a former Majlis member, argued that the IRGC designation has changed the equation. “The recent U.S. measure is in line with the plan of the so-called international organizations, such as the FATF, to put a siege on the country in all sectors. Therefore, we need to be vigilant in this regard and review our membership in communities like FATF and CFT,” he added.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Majlis national security and foreign relations commission, made remarks about the chances of the Expediency Council to approve FATF bills. “Considering the recent developments and latest U.S. measure against the IRGC, the mood towards these bills in the council is not positive,” he said.

Hossein Shariatmadari, editor-in-chief of Keyhan, known as the mouthpiece of Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, used strong words against those supporting the initiative of joining the FATF. “Accepting the FATF is tantamount to inviting the U.S. to put more pressure on us,” he warned.

“When we see that the country’s officials say that by accepting a convention the country’s problems will be solved or after the JCPOA negotiations, some say there is room for negotiations in other sectors, one would think that they are giving coordinates to the enemy,” he added.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has repeatedly called for the IRGC blacklisting for its role in suppressing the Iranian people and exporting Islamic fundamentalism, extremism, and terrorism around the world.

Understanding the change of guards in Iran’s IRGC

Understanding the change of guards in Iran’s IRGC

Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and members of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

April 23, 2019 - On April 21, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the regime ruling Iran, sacked Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) chief Mohammad Ali Jafari and appointed his deputy, Hossein Salami, as his successor, sending shockwaves among all Iran observers.

The question is why the sudden change and why has Jafari – in contrast to all previous such episodes – been appointed to a cultural role that is considered completely non-significant in Iran? What are Khamenei’s intentions from this reshuffle and why did he resort to such a drastic transition in such a dire circumstance?

The IRGC’s ranks and files are experiencing drastic turmoil following the U.S. State Department’s recent decision to designate the force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Such a reshuffle at the top for this terrorist entity signals severe weaknesses among its senior ranks. This further proves how the FTO designation has delivered a severe blow to the IRGC and the entire regime apparatus. And Jafari’s sacking and his appointment to a cultural role is humiliating and signals a devastating setback for the entire IRGC.

This reshuffle is taking place in the middle of a rigorous battle between Tehran and the pressures being increased on a daily basis by Washington. It is worth noting that two years ago, Khamenei had issued a ruling extending Jafari’s ten-year tenure for another three years. However, with another year left, this sacking becomes even more important.

 

Jafari’s role

Mohammad Ali Jafari served as the IRGC commander-in-chief for the past 12 years and was considered an image of the regime’s strategy in recent years. The IRGC is specifically missioned to protect the mullahs’ apparatus and protecting the borders is the army’s responsibility. Under Jafari, the IRGC has specifically focused on domestic crackdown and exporting terrorism abroad. The IRGC’s general hierarchy across the country witnessed severe changes, with new provincial corps and Basij paramilitary units launched. All these developments came under Khamenei’s new strategy to increase the IRGC’s crackdown ability against the entire Iranian population, while also entering non-conventional warfare abroad.

With Jafari calling it quits, signs are that this sacking has broader implications, indicating signs of significant crises at the top of the mullahs’ apparatus. Inside Iran, the IRGC has lost its previous posture and Iranian people and their growing protests have the upper hand. Iran’s development across the region is reaching a dead-end and the FTO designation is pushing this defeat into a major strategic setback.

 

Salami, the successor

Jafari’s role for the regime could be evaluated in the mission bestowed upon him. Hossein Salami, his successor, however, has been quite the opposite and only considered a propaganda tool.

During the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, Salami was a low-grade officer in the logistics and training branch of two different IRGC divisions. He was, however, very much involved in the IRGC massacre of Iranian Kurds and raids targeting dissident youths in Tehran. All the while, he was nothing in comparison to other senior IRGC members who are now serving under his command.

Salami also played a role during the 2009 uprising crackdown. Years later, following attacks against members of the Iranian opposition group People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) then stationed in Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Salami resorted to saber-rattling and lies. All his claims were easily debunked by the PMOI/MEK’s revelations.

Khamenei appointing Salami to this position shows he needs propaganda more than ever before as crises are engulfing his regime more than ever. Interesting how the regime’s own state-run media showed little attention to Salami’s appointment, further suggesting the fire simmering within the mullahs’ apparatus.

This reshuffle for the IRGC has important messages for the Iranian people and PMOI/MEK supporters.

Firstly, as a result of the perseverance witnessed in PMOI/MEK Resistance Units, the IRGC’s policy of creating a climate of fear inside Iran has been defeated. Due to ongoing revelations by the PMOI/MEK on the international stage focused on shedding light on the IRGC’s activities, the mullahs’ warmongering policies are also facing a major setback.

Secondly, with the IRGC weakening like never before, the sounds of this regime’s overthrow are being heard louder and louder.

Call to Designate Syria’s Assad Forces as Terrorists after the IRGC FTO Designation

Call to Designate Syria’s Assad Forces as Terrorists after the IRGC FTO Designation

A call for the designation of Assad forces as terrorists

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

April 23, 2019 - The Lawyers League of Syria on Sunday called for the terrorist designation of the Syrian regime forces, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), for their involvement in war crimes against non-combatant and Syrian civilians during the eight-year war. The League considers the Syrian military and paramilitary forces similar to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), which was designated as an FTO by the US State Department last week.

The Syrian Lawyers League states that the Iranian and Syrian regimes are strategic partners in supporting terrorism across the Middle East and beyond. They are also the financier of terrorist organizations, including the Lebanese Hezbollah and other terrorist and extremist groups in Iraq.

It is worth noting that the mullahs’ regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei embraced the Syrian dictator President Bashar Assad in Tehran on February 25.

Khamenei has been supporting the Syrian dictator in his bloody eight-year war against its own people.

During their meeting in Tehran, Khamenei said he would support Assad wholeheartedly. Assad on his behalf expressed his profound gratitude at Khamenei for his bloody support.

The presence of the IRGC in Syria and its support for the Assad military has resulted in the death of nearly half a million civilians and has made more than 11 million people homeless.

The entire Syrian infrastructure and the national treasures have been destroyed in the war that has been continued in favor of Assad and Khamenei.

Khamenei has given more than $16 billion to Assad in order to keep him in power. Some say this is actually a very conservative estimate.

IRGC Quds Force chief Qasem Soleimani’s deputy commander said the IRGC brought Assad to Tehran on Feb. 5.

IRGC FTO designation further complicates Iran’s FATF dilemma

IRGC FTO designation further complicates Iran’s FATF dilemma

Iran regime is facing a quagmire dealing with FATF bills

Analysis by PMOI/MEK

Iran, April 22. 2019 - Even prior to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) terror designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department, infighting over the fate of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) related bills amongst the mullahs’ regime were already escalating into dangerous territory.

However, the blacklisting of the Islamic Republic’s main armed forces takes the equation to the next level with far more at stake.

The two remaining bills necessary for Iran to join FATF, after considerable back and forth between the Majlis (parliament), the Guardian Council, and the Expediency Council, were referred to the latter for further study and a final decision.

For the mullahs’ regime, there are much at stake. In a nutshell, it is a strategic decision that will resonate far and wide throughout Iran’s current power structure and its relations with the international community.

However, despite the importance of the bills for Iran’s future, both in terms of its foreign relations and its internal form of government, the regime seems to be paralyzed and stuck at a crossroads that will take its toll one way or another.

Etemad online website writes: “The story of the FATF bills has become a tortuous odyssey. It is so twisted that the shadow of daily news and events looms large over it. Political controversies and their interpretations have reached a level where the FATF itself is forgotten.”

Laya Joneydi, deputy of legal affairs for Iranian regime president Hassan Rouhani, has also voiced concerns.

“Everyone, including the media, the government, the Majlis and the Expediency Council should help keep the discussion about the FATF professional and not political. If they make the discussion too much political, it may be that the issue is impacted by daily moods and news, resulting in a negative decision made,” she said.

“We don’t intend to change the government’s policy,” she said when asked about the impact IRGC’s designation on the FATF decision-making.

On the other hand, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, Iran’s former ambassador to Italy, disputed Laya Joneydi’s claims that there is no connection between the designation of IRGC and FATF.

“These two issues are very much related. If we fall into the trap of the combating terrorism financing (CFT), FATF and Palermo bills, the U.S. will have legal grounds to ask other countries to cooperate with it,” he said.

He then attacked the so-called moderate Rouhani cabinet.

“Some people are either not aware of this or, God forbid, one must suspect them of being the representatives of the West,” he added.

Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, a member of the Majlis administrative board, also lashed out at FATF proponents.

“Today, pro-West voices who sought the four bills approved and joining the Palermo and CFT conventions must have realized that the opponents of these bills have been realists and had good a grasp of the true nature of the international community. But the pro-Wests, through illusion and optimism, have almost put the country into the West’s trap,” he warned.

Iranians express disgust at Hashd al-Shaabi’s presence in Iran

Iranians express disgust at Hashd al-Shaabi’s presence in Iran

IRGC Quds force commander, Qasem Soleimani and the terrorist head of Hashd al-Shaabi, Abu Mehdi al-Mohandes in Shadegan, Iran

Report by PMOI/MEK

Iran, April 21, 2019 - Following the popular expression of hatred toward the presence of the terrorist IRGC affiliated Hashd Al-Shaabi militants in the floods stricken areas of Khuzestan province, and the local youth demanding the eviction of these mercenaries from Iran, the provincial governor of Khuzestan reacted by claiming that “Iraqi officials with their heavy machinery” who had come to help, have left.

In a piece published in the government-run Jamaran website, Gholamreza Shariati, Khuzestan provincial governor discussed “why Hashd Al-Shaabi came to Iran.” He tried to hide the true nature of Hashd Al-Shaabi’s presence with weapons, military gears and Hashd flag in flood-hit towns and villages.

“No military force has entered Iran. Only some Iraqi officials with their machinery and gears came to Iran, and are now gone. Their machinery is expensive and they wouldn’t let us operate them…” Shariati said.

The government-run website Fararoo published a photograph of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the terrorist Quds force sitting at a table next to Abu Mehdi Al-Mohandes, the vicious terrorist head of Hashd Al-Shaabi in the city of Shadegan, south of Khuzestan province, southwest of Iran.

This photograph was widely circulated as the evidence of military coordination between the IRGC Quds and Hashd al-Shaabi inside Iran to put down any dissent or unrest in flooded areas of the country.  

It is worth mentioning that during a visit to the flood-hit area of Khuzestan, one resident questioned the presence of the provincial governor in the area asking him “Do you care only for Syria and not for us people here? And Shariati lashed out at him cursing and raising his voice telling the man get out of here you ignorant man, and ordered him out.

During his visit people disregarded him saying “we don’t want you here, get lost.”

IRGC commander admits using Red Crescent to disguise relation With Al-Qaeda

IRGC commander admits using Red Crescent to disguise relation With Al-Qaeda

IRGC insider Saeed Ghassemi

In recent comments, IRGC Brigadier General Saeed Ghassemi admitted for the first time that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was operating in Bosnia under the cover of the Red Crescent and was in contact with al-Qaeda. Ghassemi made the comments on April 15.

Subsequently, fearing international consequences of this revelation from a long-time IRGC insider, the IRGC and the Iranian regime's Red Crescent unsuccessfully tried to reject and revoke Ghassemi's comments. These statements were again confirmed on April 17 by Hossein Allah Karam, the leader of the regime-tied Ansar-e Hezbollah group.

Over the past four decades, the Iranian Resistance has repeatedly revealed how the regime has used the Red Crescent and other seemingly civilian organizations for domestic repression, foreign terrorism, and the plundering of the Iranian people's property. The Red Crescent has always been the tool at the disposal of the Revolutionary Guards in its criminal and terrorist intervention in the countries of the region.

In remarks of solidarity with the flood victims on April 6, 2019, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, described the Red Crescent as an instrument for the export of fundamentalism and terrorism, saying that "municipalities are security institutions and plundering foundations. Governorates are in order to ensure the security of the regime. The Red Crescent is for the export of fundamentalism and terrorism. The Relief Committee is for Syria and Afghanistan, and none of the institutions and facilities of the country is to protect the people, but to preserve the regime of Velayat-e-Faqih's rule."

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), in a statement on August 4,1987, titled "Exposing Details and Agents of Khomeini’s Terrorist and Subversive Plan in Mecca", which killed hundreds of pilgrims, wrote: “To implement this plan, the mullahs regime has dispatched many important leaders and authorities of the regime, including ministers, commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Friday Imams, MPs and Yusef Vahidi Dastjerdi, the head of the Red Crescent, to Mecca.”

The Iranian Resistance had earlier revealed a confidential letter from the regime’s Supreme Security Council addressed to the head of the Red Crescent, Noor Bala, on April 19, 2003, indicating that the Red Crescent is nothing but a tool in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards and the Qods Force. The letter, signed by Ali Rabiei, executive secretary of the Supreme Security Council, instructed the head of the Red Crescent the decisions of the "Iraq Policy Council, approved by President Khatami,” according to which "the immediate needs of the Iraqi people are determined by the Qods Force" and the "Red Crescent is responsible for collecting popular aid" and "aid will be transferred to Iraq with the coordination of the Qods Force."

In a statement on April 17, 2004, the Iranian Resistance said that "on April 5, Shooshtari Zadeh, the head of the Red Crescent of the regime, along with a team of the Ministry of Intelligence and the Qods Force under the name of the Red Crescent, went from Tehran to Karbala and Baghdad, on Khamenei’s order."

In a statement on March 29, 2015, the Iranian Resistance announced that "one of the schemes used by the Qods Force make its way into Yemen was to have regime’s Red Crescent become active there so that through the cover of humanitarian assistance, building hospitals, and delivering medicine, the regime would open its way to the country. The regime used this cover to recruit elements for its terrorist networks." In another statement on May 24, 2004, the Iranian Resistance revealed the transfer of Houthi commanders between Iran and Yemen through airplanes under the cover of the Red Crescent aid.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
April 29, 1398 (April 18, 2019)