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UPDATE: 3:30 PM CET
Cassidy, Lankford, Gillibrand, Colleagues Lead Effort To Stop Iranian Nuclear Program
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and 23 Senate colleagues urged President Biden to deter Iran from advancing its nuclear weapon capability. In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the discovery of nearly weapons-grade uranium particles. This report comes as Iran has made significant progress in its nuclear program, including the capacity to make enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb in as little as 12 days. As Iran continues to suppress dissent among its own people, it is further cementing itself as a destabilizing force in the Middle East.
“It is imperative today that we strengthen our efforts to deter Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. We must make Iran understand, in no uncertain terms, that further advances in its nuclear program will be met with unified international action,” wrote the senators. “Iran cannot be allowed to advance its nuclear program with impunity while reaping the benefits of sanctions relief from the international community. We urge the Biden Administration to reinforce this posture of deterrence and provide leadership to strengthen the resolve of the international community.”
Brussels Summit Controversy: PM Gave Green Light To Iranian Visas
The office of Belgian Foreign minister Hadja Lahbib consulted with the office of prime minister Alexander De Croo on granting visas to the Iranian delegation to last week’s Brussels Urban Summit. The delegation’s presence drew widespread criticism and prompted the resignation of Brussels secretary of state Pascal Smet.
Smet came under fire over allegations that his cabinet had pressured Belgium’s federal Foreign Affairs ministry to grant visas to a 14-member Iranian delegation to the summit despite initial negative advice. Particularly controversial was the presence of the mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, at the international event.
On Friday, it emerged that two Russian officials had also been invited to the event, despite current EU policy calling for their exclusion. Smet resigned after it emerged that the Brussels region had paid for the Iranian and Russian officials’ accommodation.
Iranian-Backed Militiaman Dies of His Wounds Following Explosion in Deir Ezzor City
Deir Ezzor province: SOHR sources have reported that an Iranian-backed Syrian militiaman died of the wounds he sustained yesterday in the explosion which targeted a military vehicle carrying Syrian combatants near Al-Beghayliyah neighbourhood in the western part of Deir Ezzor city which is controlled by regime forces and Iranian-backed militias. Accordingly, the number of fatalities in this explosion has increased to six. The explosion also left three combatants injured. Last night, SOHR activists reported that a vehicle of Iranian-backed militias carrying militiamen and weapons headed to the site of the explosion in Al-Beghayliyah neighbourhood.
Iranian Militias Bring in Military and Logistic Equipment and Fighters to Deir Ezzor Anf Transfer Them to Damascus
Deir Ezzor province: Areas controlled by Iranian-backed militias and regime forces in Deir Ezzor province in western areas of Euphrates, are witnessing intense and suspicious movements of the militias which started 72 hours ago. These movements represented in transporting weapons, ammunitions and members from Deir Ezzor to the vicinity of the capital Damascus, in addition to western Rif Dimashq. According to SOHR sources, the militias exploit the inflow of the buses of Shia pilgrims from Iraqi lands to Al-Saydah Zaynab, through Al-Bokamal, to practice their beliefs, especially in the last ten days of the month of Zul Hijjah, where military and logistic equipment was brought in through civil buses among the pilgrims to ensure not being targeted and not making any suspicions. Furthermore, Lebanese Hezbollah militia and IRGC sent their members and leaders to the vicinity of Damascus for unknown reasons and they were sent in three buses intended for Shia visitors.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Global Outrage at Attack by Albanian Security Forces Against Ashraf 3
This morning, around 1,000 Albanian policemen attacked Ashraf 3 at the behest of the religious fascist regime ruling Iran. They raided Ashraf 3, breaking doors, closets, and equipment, while using tear gas and pepper spray to attack the residents. They also damaged and confiscated many computers. During the attack, Mr. Ali Mostashari, a member of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), was killed, and more than 100 people suffered injuries from the police’s use of pepper spray. Several individuals are in critical condition, with some being transferred to Mother Teresa Hospital in Tirana. Following the attack on Ashraf 3, freedom-loving Iranians held protest rallies in front of the embassies and consulates of Albania in different countries.
Iranian Opposition Group Slams French Government’s ‘Disgraceful Act Against Democracy’ in Major Rally Ban
A prominent Iranian opposition group expressed outrage over a “disgraceful act against democracy” and “succumbing” to Iranian pressure after the French government decided to ban a rally in support of the current uprising in Iran. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which calls for the overthrow of Iran’s clerical leadership, filed a legal complaint on Monday, one day after the cancellation by French authorities of their annual Free Iran summit and rally in Paris, which was expecting tens of thousands of supporters and Iranian expatriates from across Europe. In a statement on the matter, the NCRI described the rally’s banning as a “disgraceful act against democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly,” as well as a form of “succumbing to extortion and hostage-taking by the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.”
France Cancels Major Iran Opposition Rally as Tehran’s Opponents Face Massive Police Raid in Albania
Opponents of Iran’s authoritarian government accused two European governments of doing the bidding of Tehran on Tuesday as their headquarters were raided in a violent police action and officials denied their bid to hold a rally in the streets of Paris. The two separate developments for the MEK, a group of Iranians who have fought against the Ayatollah’s government for decades, occurred within hours of each other and drew serious questions about whether Tehran’s influence was once again being reasserted after months of protests embarrassed the country’s government beginning last year. In Albania, a shocking scene played out at Ashraf III, headquarters of the MEK, as hundreds of police officers stormed the closed-off compound where a private security team typically protects the civilian residents from the threat of terror attacks by Iranian agents.
How Iran’s IRGC and Government Affiliates Exploit Iran’s Water Reserves
The economic cartels of the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and individuals affiliated with it have extensively exploited Iran’s surface and underground water resources. Experts within the regime have issued warnings that Iran’s water reserves will be completely depleted in the coming years, leading to a state of ‘water bankruptcy.’ Despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s persistent threats to other countries, claiming their demise within 25 years, the regime’s Chamber of Commerce acknowledged on November 12th last year that the current approach to water management makes it hard to envision the survival of any living organisms in Iran for the next 20 years.
Stockholm—June 19, 2023: MEK Supporters Rallied in Front of the Swedish Court, Seeking Justice for the 1988 Massacre Victims
Stockholm, Sweden—June 19, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians, and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally on the twelfth session of the appeal trial of the executioner Hamid Noury in front of the court. They are seeking justice for more than 30,000 martyrs of the 1988 massacre. Freedom-loving Iranians held their demonstration in front of the executioner Noury’s court to once again bring the voices of the victims of the 1988 massacre to the ears of the world.
Hamburg and Cologne—June 17, 2023: MEK Supporters Held Rallies and Exhibitions in Support of the Iran Revolution
Hamburg and Cologne—June 17, 2023: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and freedom-loving Iranians held rallies and photo exhibitions of the Iranian uprising martyrs in solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – June 20, 2023