{"id":318489,"date":"2024-04-20T06:17:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T05:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=318489"},"modified":"2024-04-21T08:18:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T07:18:27","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-20-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-20-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 20, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n

UPDATE: 8:00 PM<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

French Magazine Exposes Hezbollah’s Drug Trade Operations<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Le Point’s latest investigation, titled “Iran, Colombia, Lebanon, France… Hezbollah’s billions<\/a>,” uncovers the expansion of Hezbollah’s financial resources through drug trafficking and money laundering, supported by the IRGC, in various countries.\u00a0Hezbollah’s illicit activities, aimed at acquiring ammonium nitrate for explosives, have spread from Latin America to France.<\/p>\n

Containers carrying Hezbollah’s drug shipments depart from Colombia to destinations including Lebanon, Kuwait, Israel, and the United States.\u00a0Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, serves as a crucial source of funding for Hezbollah through drug trafficking.<\/p>\n

Tony Boulos, a Lebanese writer, explains that Hezbollah and the IRGC control border regions to facilitate their operations, using cash to evade banking network tracking. This has intensified the economic collapse in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.<\/p>\n

This isn’t the first time reports have surfaced regarding Hezbollah’s involvement in drug trafficking. Last year, Le Point published a report<\/a> quoting Juan Martinez, a criminal affairs expert, stating that Hezbollah’s influence in Latin America is substantial, facilitated by the presence of Lebanese-origin immigrants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

UPDATE: 11:00 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n

G7 Foreign Ministers Condemn Iranian Regime’s Nuclear Advances<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In a joint statement released<\/a> on April 19, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations reiterated their stance that Iran must never develop or acquire nuclear weapons. They urged the regime to halt and reverse its nuclear escalations, including uranium enrichment activities, and to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to ensure the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. The statement also addressed reports suggesting Iran’s intention to transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia, warning against such actions and highlighting the potential escalation in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. The G7 ministers vowed to respond swiftly and collectively with new measures should Iran proceed with the transfer.<\/p>\n

\n

Thai Plastics Firm Will Pay $20 Million to Settle with U.S. over Iran Sanctions Violations<\/h3>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A Bangkok-based\u00a0plastics firm has agreed to pay $20 million to settle with the U.S. over 467 \u201cegregious\u201d violations of\u00a0Iran<\/a>\u00a0sanctions, the U.S. Treasury announced on Friday.<\/p>\n

SCG Plastics Co. used U.S. banks to process $291 million in sales of Iranian high-density polyethylene resin from 2017 to 2018, according to the signed settlement agreement between the firm and Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control.<\/p>\n

The resin, used for product bottles and industrial items, was manufactured by an Iranian joint venture owned in part, by SCG Plastics\u2019 parent company, SCG Chemicals and the National Petrochemical Company of Iran, which is a government entity.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

UPDATE: 7:00 AM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why Iran\u2019s Regime Has Ramped Up The Repression of Women<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The clerical regime, which only survives by creating fear and terror and by capturing and imprisoning people, initiated its first public wave of suppression in the new Persian year.<\/p>\n

On April 10, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei issued the order of suppression under the pretext of combating \u201cthe breaking of religion\u201d for the enforcers of \u201cencouraging virtue and preventing vice,\u201d and then the commander of Tehran\u2019s suppressive law enforcement announced that \u201cthe plan for hijab and chastity will be pursued more seriously in all streets and public places starting from April 13.\u201d<\/p>\n

The preparation for this wave of suppression was orchestrated by the regime\u2019s Friday Prayer leaders, and they had started threatening women since the Nowruz holidays. One of them labeled \u201cimproper veiling\u201d as an \u201cintellectual war, a complex and mysterious combination of efforts\u201d by the enemy, while another promised to \u201cmanage\u201d any form of \u201cviolation of sanctity,\u201d and yet another considered the \u201cexposure of hijab\u201d as a \u201ccrime\u201d and threatened to act against it.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Iran-Allied Militia Coalition Claims Its Base In Iraq Was Hit By An Airstrike<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

BAGHDAD \u2014 An airstrike early Saturday hit a base used by the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias in Iraq, the group said in a statement. The attack on the Kalsu military base north of Babylon \u2014 a former U.S. post that was handed over to the Iraqi military in 2011 \u2014 wounded three PMF members, said two militia officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.<\/p>\n

It was not clear who was responsible for the purported attack, which came a day after a suspected Israeli strike in Iran, but the militia officials blamed U.S. forces.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Agents Insult and Beat 50-Year-Old Baloch Woman<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A 50-year-old Baloch woman, who went to the\u00a0Zahedan<\/a> Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs for administrative work related to her husband\u2019s identity papers, was insulted and beaten by a male agent because of her protests and refused to undergo a body search. On Sunday, April 14, Fariba Safarzaei, a 50-year-old Baloch woman, along with her son, Idris Yar-Ahmadzehi, and her husband, Mikael Yar-Ahmadzahi, went to the Zahedan Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs located on Amirkabir Blvd.<\/p>\n

Upon entering, a male guard said Mrs. Fariba Safarzaei had to be physically searched. When she resisted the order and her son also objected to the method of the search, the agents at the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Immigrant Affairs severely beat them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The IRGC: A Pillar of Repression Targeted for Change<\/h3>\n

\"Iran-missile-and-nuclear-program\"<\/p>\n

The Iranian regime Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is a powerful force that props up the Iranian regime. Designating it as a terrorist organization would have significant consequences.<\/p>\n

The IRGC is responsible for both domestic suppression and foreign destabilization. Blacklisting them would limit their ability to crack down on Iranian citizens and support terror groups abroad. This could pave the way for greater stability in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The IRGC controls a large chunk of Iran\u2019s economy, including oil and gas. Sanctions imposed alongside a terrorist designation would deter companies from doing business with the IRGC, crippling their economic power and hindering Iran\u2019s reintegration into global finance.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

G7 Condemns Iran\u2019s Attack on Israel, Demands End to Destabilizing Actions<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The G7 foreign ministers issued a strong\u00a0statement<\/a> today condemning Iran\u2019s recent actions in the Middle East, including a missile attack on Israel and the seizure of a Portuguese-flagged vessel.<\/p>\n

The statement expresses full solidarity with Israel and calls on Iran to cease its attacks and destabilizing activities. Here are the key points:<\/p>\n