THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:00 PM CET
US House to Pass Permanent Sanctions Against Iran
US House to Pass Permanent Sanctions Against IranOn June 21, the United States House of Representatives House Committee for Foreign Affairs passed a bill that aims to permanently enforce a sanctions law against the Iranian regime that was about to expire in 2026.
According to Fox News, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul, along with Representatives Michel Steel and Suzie Lee were cosponsors of the bill, trying to reach House majority in in the coming weeks. Initially voted into law in 1996, these sanctioned were implemented against Tehran for research and development of biological and nuclear weapons.
Congresswoman Michelle Steel expressed consent to Fox News adding that the regime can’t be trusted in negotiations. She further noted that making the sanctions permanently, Washington will signal to Tehran that it will not tolerate any hostile conduct against its interests and allies.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Michael McCaul said the bill will prevent sunset clauses in the JCPOA to expire prematurely, explaining that sanctions against the regime must only be lifted upon Tehran’s change of behavior.
Congresswoman Suzi Lee emphasized that the US Congress needs to unite in a bipartisan fashion, against the regime’s crackdown of Iranian protesters, its funding of terrorism and its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
Supported from both sides of the political isle in the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, the new bill is being circulated and studied by other House members amid reports that Washington is holding secret talks with Tehran.
UPDATE: 4:00 PM CET
Supreme Leader Calls on Regime’s Intelligence Community to Stop Infighting
According to the IRGC-run Fars news agency, the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called on the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence to move beyond disagreements and collaborate together.
Reporting from a meeting between the two main elements of the regime’s intelligence community, the source wrote: “The esteemed leader of the Revolution sent a message to the joint meeting between the Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Organization and the Ministry of Intelligence, stressing that ‘intelligence is of importance to this country and one of our weaknesses in the intelligence apparatus is the existing disagreement between the organizations.”
Decades long rivalry between the IRGC-IO and MOIS have sometimes led to serious disputes between both organizations. Being led by different factions of the regime, the two have at times run contradicting operations at home and abroad, sometimes cleansing elements of the rival organization.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Three Journalists Summoned to Tehran’s Revolutionary Court for Propaganda Against the State
Saeedeh Shafiei, Mehrnoush Zarei Hanzaki, and Nasim Soltanbeigi were summoned to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
These three journalists and media activists residing in Tehran were detained during the nationwide protests in 2022-2023.
An informed source said that based on the issued indictment, the cases of these three journalists have been referred to Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, and accordingly, Saeedeh Shafiei, Mehrnoush Zarei, and Nasim Soltanbeigi will be tried in that branch on July 3, 2023.
The three journalists have been charged with “propaganda against the state” and “assembly and collusion.”
Savage Attack Against MEK Members in Ashraf 3 Continues Drawing Condemnation
Human rights activists and political groups continue to condemn the savage attack by Albanian security forces against Ashraf 3. On June 20, around 1,000 police forces raided Ashraf, breaking doors, closets, and equipment while using tear gas and pepper spray to attack the residents. One MEK member was killed during the attack, and more than 100 were injured. Some are in critical condition.
Announcing the Statement by 117 Former World Leaders in Solidarity with the Iranian People and Resistance
On Thursday, June 22, a conference in Paris, France, witnessed the presence of several former heads of state who came together to announce the support of 117 former world leaders for the Iranian people’s uprising and their organized Resistance. The keynote speaker at this event was Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Also, read Iran News in Brief – June 21, 2023