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Timeline of Iran’s Opposition Exposing the Regime’s Terror Networks & Ballistic Missile Projects

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For about four decades, even before evidence was documented on the worldwide web, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) started to warn the world about the newest threat to regional and global peace and security: Islamic Fundamentalism.

Exposing the Iranian regime’s warmongering under the pretext of ‘exporting the Revolution’ to eventually establish a new ‘Islamic Caliphate,’ shedding light on Ruhollah Khomeini’s ambition to continue the bloody war with Iraq, telling the world about the gross human rights violations and massacres in Iran’s prisons and dungeons, revealing its nuclear ambitions as well as its ballistic missile program, and regional adventurism are among many of those efforts.

The underlying chronology demonstrates some of the accounts where the Iranian Resistance has tried to shed light on the darkest corners of the world, where the Iranian regime was plotting, organizing, and committing crimes that had or could have led to the loss of innocent lives and havoc in societies.

Although the report is only a summary, it, nevertheless, provides an appreciation of the contribution the Iranian Resistance has made to world security. The report does not include thousands of media reports that have reported the revelations.

Here is a summary of the most important revelations:

nti.org, September 25, 1987: The Iranian opposition group the Moujahedeen claims to have evidence that the Iranian government has recently built a pipeline designed to transport CW to the southern front. Ali Safavi, the group’s spokesman, charges that the Iranian government was also in the process of stockpiling CW near the southern front for use in its next offensive.

nti.org, February 2, 1991: The Iraq-based Iranian opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) alleges that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is using test equipment bought from the German MBB Corporation to extend the Silkworm range. —Kenneth R. Timmerman, Weapons of Mass Destruction The Case of Iran, Syria and Libya (Los Angeles: Simon Wiesenthal Center, 1992), p. 23.

nti.org, January 12, 1992: The Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), the Iraqi-based Iranian opposition group, issued a statement claiming that China helps Iran and Pakistan produce conventional and unconventional weapon systems and that China and North Korea have helped Iran build ballistic missiles with a range of 300km.

nti.org, April 8, 1993: According to the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), there have been five military delegation teams sent to North Korea in the past year. The last delegation arrived in Pyongyang in March 1993 with 21 members headed by Brigadier General Husayn Mantequei of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). The prominence of missile experts in the last delegation suggests that they observed the final tests of the Nodong-1 and were trained in its use. U.S. Pentagon spokesman Bob Hall says, “We are very concerned about the Iranian effort in this area to acquire this type of [Nodong-1 missile] weaponry, considered to be destabilizing in the region.” The CIA has claimed that the new North Korean missile represents a threat to the stability of both Asia and the Middle East.

Wisconsin Project (Iran Missile Milestones: 1985-2017): January 1998 – According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition group, Iran has completed the development of the Shahab-3 medium-range missile and it is ready for production.

nti.org, January 7, 1998: Alireza Jafarzadeh, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, states that Iran has spent $1.2 billion trying to develop the Shahab missile, including $300 million in the last year. He also states, “Presently, dozens of North Koreans and Chinese missile experts are stationed at the Hemat complex. Russians were helping Iran with thermodynamic problems and wind-tunnel tests but North Korean involvement is substantial.” —Mark Gorwitz, “Foreign Assistance to Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Programs,” Study conducted for the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (Monterey, CA), October 1998, p. 41.

nti.org, June 1998: The Iranian National Council of Resistance (NCR) reports that Iran has successfully test-fired the Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The NCR states that the Shahab-3 is moving into the production stage. U.S. intelligence estimates that the Shahab-3 has a range of 800km, making it a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) rather than an IRBM (defined as having a range of 1,400km). Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Mohsen Rezai reports, “Iran has not been able to produce intercontinental ranges but has completed the production process for its short- and long-range missiles.” —”Iran’s Shahab-3 IRBM ‘Ready for Production’,” Jane’s Missiles & Rockets, June 1998, p. 4

nti.org, December 11, 1998: According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Russia has helped Iran solve thermodynamic problems and wind-tunnel tests, while North Korean involvement is considered “substantial.” China is understood to have contributed telemetry equipment. —Ed Blanche, “Iran claims missile self-sufficiency,” Jane’s Missiles & Rockets, 1 January 1999, in Lexis-Nexis, www.lexis-nexis.com.

nti.org, January 26, 1999: The National Council of Resistance of Iran states that VX nerve agent is produced in the Construction Crusade’s War Engineering Research Center. — Soona Samsami, “Clerical Regime’s Quest for Biological Weapons & Germ Arsenal,” National Council of Resistance of Iran, 26 January 1999, p. 3.

nti.org, January 26, 1999: The National Council of Resistance (NCR) of Iran, an Iranian opposition group, charges today that the Iranian “regime’s BW and chemical weapons program has been intensified since Mohammad Khatami took office as president… (read more)

nti.org, February 1999: Iran’s opposition in exile accuses Tehran of researching and developing VX nerve gas, toxic molds, and soil-contaminating agents. — “Iran Opposition Says Teheran in Deadly Weapons Drive,” CNN, 4 February 1999. www.cnn.com.

Iran Regime's 14 Terrorist Training Camps Preparing to Strike West – Daily Star
Iran Regime’s 14 Terrorist Training Camps Preparing to Strike West – Daily Star, August 12, 2019

nti.org, February 1999: Teheran is concentrating on increasing production to mass production levels, and safeguarding these biological weapons,” says Mitra Bagheri, the Italian representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. According to the Iranian opposition group, four different organizations/facilities are now engaged in producing biological weapons: Special Industries Organization of Iran’s Ministry of Defense; Research Center of the Construction Crusade; Revolutionary Guards Corps research concentrated in the Imam Hossein University; and the Biotechnology Research Center. These sources have also supposedly identified an additional six unnamed BW research and production centers. — “Iran Opposition Says Teheran in Deadly Weapons Drive,” CNN, 4 February 1999, www.cnn.com; “Group Accuses Iran of Germ War Program,” Washington Times, 27 January 1999, p. A12; Arnold Beichman, “Arsenal of Germs in Iran?,” Washington Times, 26 January 1999, p. A17.

nti.org, February 13, 1999: According to MKO sources, Iran is awaiting sophisticated computers to accelerate its CBW production and has already managed to produce the CW nerve agent VX, as well as anthrax and aflatoxins (biological agents/toxins). In addition to Russian scientists that are assisting Iran’s program, the MKO claimed that Chinese and North Korean scientists are also “helping to further Iran’s WMD capabilities…” — Greg Seigle, “Iran is Accelerating WMD, Claims Opposition,” Jane’s Defence Weekly, February 10, 1999, p. 63

nti.org, June 17, 1999: The Mojahedin-e Khalq claims that Iran has spent “huge sums…in recent years on developing chemical, germ warfare, and nuclear weapons in Iran.” — “MKO Warns of Iranian Missile ‘Threat’,” Al-Hayah (London), 17 June 1999, FBIS Document MS1706112299, 17 June 1999.

nti.org, 2001-2002: Jane’s reiterates the claim in its 1998-1999, 1999-2000, and 2000-2001 reports from Mohammad Mohaddessin of the National Council of Resistance of Iran that biological weapons research is being carried out at the Razi Serum and Vaccine Production facility northwest of Karaj on the Qazvin-Hessarak highway. — “NBC Capabilities, Iran,” Jane’s NBC Defence Systems 2000-2001, 20 June 2001.

October 16, 2002 – The NCRI US Representative held a press conference to reveal details about the latest developments of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile program.

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nti.org, October 16, 2002: Soona Samsami of the National Council of Resistance of Iran announces in a press conference that Iran was testing missiles with a 2,000km range, capable of delivering chemical and biological warheads to targets as far as Europe and North Africa. Samsami said the Iranians had tested the Shahab-4 missiles last May and June in the Semnan region and that the missiles were “masqueraded” as Shahab-3s. She also adds that Iran is developing the Shahab-5 with a 5,000km range, and the Shahab-6, which qualifies as an intercontinental ballistic missile. —”Iranian opposition group accuses Iran of missile testing,” Agence France Presse, 16 October 2002.

nti.org, October 11, 2002 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran and American intelligence have reported successful test firings of the missile in a desert range in Iran with contributions from Russian, North Korean and Chinese scientists and companies. According to documents seen by the NCRI, Tehran has secured a $7 million contract with a Russian company for high-grade steel and special alloys for the Shahab-4 missile casing and for foil shielding around the guidance system. This deal demolishes Iranian claims that they were not working on the Shahab-4, as boasted by Mr. Shamkhani. Russian officials, when presented with evidence of the deal, insisted that the individual companies were acting without authorization.

nti.org, May 15, 2003: The National Council of Iranian Resistance, an Iranian opposition group, states that Iran is developing plague and cholera. The group also states that Iran has developed anthrax bacteria and now has the means to weaponize the agents. — “Iranian Dissident Groups Claims Tehran has Biological Weapons,” Agence France Presse, 15 May 2003 (read details here)

Washington Post (ISIS report), February 23, 2012: The first connection of the site housing PHRC to weapons of mass destruction occurred in May 2003, when the National Council for Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition group, held a press conference and presented information alleged to be evidence of a biological weapons program in Iran. NCRI revealed a list of organizations, people, and materials associated with this program. Included in this list was what NCRI described as a new biological weapons center known as Malek Ashtar University that was based at the “Lavizan Shian Technological Research Center.”

nti.org, May 16, 2003: The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition group, states that Iran is manufacturing biological weapons. Representatives of the NCRI make this claim in London at a session of the House of Commons. The representatives claim that Iran is currently producing anthrax smallpox and plague. They name individuals working on the weapons. Also, the group states that the program is run at a number of sites, including two universities and a hospital and Iran is trying to increase its biological scientists from 3,000 to 11,000 by sending academics abroad to learn Western biological and chemical skills. The group states that it received the information from another Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahideen of Iran (PMOI). — “Spender, Tom “Focus Now on Iran,” UK Newsquest Regional Press, 21 May 2003.

nti.org, May 16, 2003: The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) holds a news conference in London at which it accuses the Iranian government of producing chemical weapons. The name sites and individuals working on the weapons. The group states that it received the information from another Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahideen of Iran (PMOI). — “Iran has Secret Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme,” The Press Association, 16 May 2003, web.lexisnexis.com.

Wisconsin Project (Iran Missile Update – 2004): March 1, 2004 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a consortium of Iranian opposition groups, claims that Iran has already successfully tested the Shahab 4. This would have occurred in May and August 2002 at a missile firing range south of Semnan. According to the NCRI, Iran assembles the Shahab 4 at the Hemat Industrial complex, a plant that belongs to the Revolutionary Guard Corps and that is located on the Damavand Tehran Highway. The NCRI asserts that the missile has a range of up to 2,000 km and can carry a 1,500 kg warhead. Foreign assistance, previously from China and Russia and most recently from North Korea, has helped the Iranian regime move forward with the Shahab 4, according to the NCRI.

nti.org: December 2, 2004: An Iranian dissident group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) claims that Iran is secretly developing medium and long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching Western Europe and U.S. forces in Iraq. The new long-range missiles, the Ghadr and the Shehab-4, are said to have a range of 3,000 km. NCRI also claims that the upgraded version of the Zelzal missile, the Zelzal-2, may hit targets as distant as 300 km and is designed especially for offensive use, specifically the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq. NCRI further suggests that North Korean and Chinese scientists are assisting Iran. — Douglas Jehl, “Iran is Said to Work on New Missile; Dissident Group Says Longer-Range Weapon Could Reach Europe,” International Herald Tribune, 2 December 2004; “Iran Working on Secret Missile Programs: Opposition Group,” AFP, 2 December 2004.

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Eight IRGC Quds Force bases that are centered in the capital Tehran- NCRI, August 12, 2019

nti.org, December 2, 2004: The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) holds a press conference to describe developments in Iran’s national missile programs. Spokesman Ali Safavi claimed that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is engaged in the production of long-range missile and chemical warheads at the Hemmat Missile Industries Complex in northeast Tehran. — Ed Johnson, “Iranian opposition group claims to have evidence of Iranian missile program,” Associated Press, 2 December 2004, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

Research Gate: December 2004 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has released a document describing new missiles including two versions of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). The IRBM is being developed in a basic version named Ghadr 101 and an improved variant named Ghadr 110. According to the NCRI, the Ghadr missiles have a faster set-up time requiring 340 minutes to prepare them for launch rather than several hours associated with Shahab-3. Claims made by the NCRI for the accuracy of Shahab-3 and 4 implies that both missiles are better than expected. The missiles have been produced for deploying in other countries especially in Iran.

Wisconsin Project (Iran Missile Milestones: 1985-2017): December 2004 – According to NCRI, Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) is developing several clandestine missiles, including the Ghadr, the Shahab-4, and the Zelzal 2, and is working on nuclear and chemical warheads.

nti.org, August 27, 2005: Alireza Jafarzadeh, a member of the Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, alleges that Iran is close to mastering long-range cruise missile technology capable of 3,000 kilometers by copying Ukrainian missies.

Iran's MOIS Needs to be Designated as FTO, Alireza Jafarzadeh of NCRI Tells DC Press conference

nti.org, August 29, 2005: Former representative of Iranian dissident group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, Alireza Jafarzadeh, alleges that Iran’s revolutionary guard commander secretly met with A.Q. Khan to “acquire nuclear-capable missiles with a range of 1,800 miles.” Mr. Jafarzadeh also claims Mohammad Reza Ayatollahi, then deputy director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEO), and Seyyed Mohammad Haj Saeed, chief of the Directorate of Research of the AEO, met with A.Q. Khan. —”Iran’s Nuke Missiles” UPI, 29 August 2005.

Wisconsin Project (Iran Missile Milestones: 1985-2017): December 2005 – According to NCRI, Iran is using underground facilities to hide missile command and control centers and to build nuclear-capable missiles.

March 7, 2006 – Hossein Abedini, a member of the NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee said at a press conference in the British Parliament: “According to new information received by the Iranian Resistance, the Iranian regime currently has more than 300 Shahab 3 missiles in its arsenal. Recently, the production of Shahab 3 missiles has increased dramatically and its production has reached about 100 missiles per year.

May 21, 2009 – The NCRI published a report about the “Sejil 2” Missile that could carry a nuclear warhead.

October 28, 2009 – The NCRI website published a report, unveiling information that the Iranian regime has tested missiles with a range of 3,000 km, capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

December 16, 2009 – The NCRI website published a report, revealing that the Iranian regime has tested a missile with a 2,500 km range, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Center for Strategic& International Studies (CSIS): October 14, 2008 – The NCRI again claimed in March 2006 that Iran was moving forward with the Ghadr solid fuel IRBM. It also claimed that Iran had scrapped the Shahab-4 because of test failures and performance limitations. It reported that Iran had substantial North Korean technical support for the Ghadr, that it was 70 percent complete, and had a range of 3,000 kilometers.

December 1, 2015 – the NCRI published a book called ‘IRAN: A Writ of Deception and Cover-up’ about a top-secret committee inside the Iranian regime that oversaw drafting the answers to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of Tehran’s nuclear program.

March 7, 2016 – At a press conference held in London, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released information about three IRGC-affiliated companies, which are used as fronts to engage in smuggling arms and illegal goods within the region, mainly through Yemen.

November 15, 2016 – The NCRI published a book called ‘How Iran Fuels Syria War’, explaining how the Iranian regime has effectively engaged in the military occupation of Syria by marshaling 70,000 forces, paying monthly salaries to over 250,000 militias and agents to prolong the conflict. It also revealed that the Iranian regime has divided Syria into 5 zones of conflict, establishing 18 command, logistics, and operations centers.

February 14, 2017 – At a press conference, the NCRI-US office released information about IRGC Quds Force, Imam Ali Garrison, and its training of foreign mercenaries as part of the regime’s strategy to step up its meddling abroad, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

NCRIUS Revealing IRGC Terrorist Training Camps in Iran 14 Feb 2017

March 2017 – The NCRI published a book titled ‘The Rise of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Financial Empire’, explaining the IRGC’s monopoly over Iran’s economy and its ownership of property in various spheres using 14 cartels and powerhouses. The book traces how the money ends up funding the conflict in Syria, terrorism, and sectarianism in Iraq, the war in Yemen, the nuclear and missile programs, the security apparatus in Iran, and fundamentalist operations around the world.

March 8, 2017 – The Washington office of the NCRI held a panel to discuss the growing economic dominance of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its finance of terror. The event coincided with the White House’s ongoing consideration of the merits and legal justifications of designating the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

June 20, 2017 – The US Representative Office of NCRI held a press conference and disclosed intelligence about 42 identified centers of the IRGC Aerospace Force for the development, manufacture, and testing of missiles. The findings show the full picture of the missile program of the Iranian regime, as well as a close tie between the nuclear weapons program and the missile program.

June 20, 2017 – The NCRI published the book ‘Terrorist Training Camps in Iran’, detailing how the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps trains foreign fighters in 15 various camps in Iran to export terrorism to Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Bahrain, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

Panel Highlights Iranian Regime's Extensive Involvement in Syria War

February 2018 – The NCRI published a book titled ‘Iran: Cyber Repression’ that explained how the IRGC and the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) have employed new cyber warfare and tactics to counter the growing dissent inside the country, in particular following the nationwide uprising erupted in late December 2017.

February 15, 2018 – In a press conference in its Washington, DC office, the National Council of Resistance of Iran revealed new details about how the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), and the Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS), have been using cyberwarfare against the people of Iran, in a bid to counter the recent outbreak of popular unrest.

May 8, 2018 – The NCRI published a new book called ‘Iran’s Ballistic Buildup’ that surveyed the regime’s missile capabilities, including the underlying organization, structure, production, and development infrastructure, as well as launch facilities and the command centers operating inside Iran.

August 8, 2018 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a press conference in Brussels outlining the results of an investigation into the structure of the Iranian regime’s terrorism-intelligence apparatus, particularly in Europe.

August 22, 2018 – the German Solidarity Committee for a Free Iran held a press conference in Berlin to publicize details about the thwarted terror plot in France in the summer of 2018, where eventually an Iranian regime’s diplomat along with 3 other accomplices was arrested and tried by the Belgian judiciary.

September 3, 2018 – The NCRI published a comprehensive report about how the Iranian regime uses petrochemical revenues to finance terrorism.

November 2, 2018 – The NCRI published a new book called ‘Iran Doubles Down on Terror and Turmoil’ that examines the motivation behind the regime’s political and economic strategy by considering three areas: terrorism including in Europe and the United States, incitement of regional conflicts, and the ballistic missile threat.

November 2, 2018 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran-U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US), held a press conference to unveil the terror network of the Iranian regime and its role in a chain of terrorist plots in Europe and the United States, revealing the specific regime officials involved in the planning and execution of terrorist operations.

NCRIUS Panel on Rise of Iran's IRGC Financial Empire-8March2017

April 24, 2019 – The book ‘Iran’s Emissaries of Terror’ was published by NCRI and detailed the extent to which Tehran’s embassies and diplomats are at the core of both the planning and execution of international terrorism targeting Iranian dissidents, as well as central to Tehran’s direct and proxy terrorism against other countries.

May 1, 2019 – The National Council of Resistance of Iran – U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US) held a press briefing to detail the closely-knit partnership between Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in blueprinting and executing terror operations abroad.

September 30, 2019 – The NCRI office in Washington held a news conference to expose details about the decision-making, the commanders of the IRGC, and the bases involved in the Iranian regime’s attack on Saudi Aramco’s oil Installations on September 14, 2019.

October 16, 2020 – The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) held an online press conference to unveil details about the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) where the IRGC under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was running major centers for developing the regime’s nuclear weapons capability in the Parchin complex, southeast of Tehran as well as manufacturing ballistic missiles for the Hemmat Missile Industry and Bakeri Missile Industry.

March 18, 2021 – The NCRI held a press conference to provide information on two IRGC ballistic missile sites (Kenesht Canyon and Panj Pelleh in Kermanshah) in Western Iran that have been used for attacks against neighboring countries.

October 6, 2021 – the U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) held a press conference to unveil previously undisclosed aspects of the Iranian regime’s massive UAV program, demonstrating satellite imagery, graphs, charts, and other visual details.

December 15, 2021 – ‘IRAN-IRGC’s Rising Drone Threat’, was the name of the new book that was published by the NCRI about the most important organs of production, use, and export of UAVs by the regime, and in particular the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

February 2, 2022 – The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) held a press conference in Washington, DC, to unveil detailed aspects of the proxy naval terror structure and operations run by the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC-QF).

PRESS CONFERENCE: NCRI Unveils IRGC Quds Force’s Proxy Naval Terror Units

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