{"id":327491,"date":"2025-01-09T07:23:41","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T06:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=327491"},"modified":"2025-01-10T22:44:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T21:44:26","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-january-9-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-january-9-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 January 9, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Supporters of the Iranian Resistance held a bookstand in Paris, France, on January 8, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump Will Finish the Ayatollahs in Iran, Says Mike Pompeo<\/h3>\n

\"Independent-30112020\"<\/p>\n

The \u201crotten to the core\u201d\u00a0Khamenei\u00a0<\/a>regime is a \u201cpaper tiger\u201d whose time is up,\u00a0Mike Pompeo<\/a> has told Iranians campaigning for democracy.\u00a0Mr Pompeo, a former secretary of state under\u00a0President-elect Donald Trump<\/a>, made the comments while addressing a conference held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris just ahead of his former boss being inaugurated as US president on 20 January.<\/p>\n

It comes as Trump has already outlined a bellicose new foreign policy with a warning to Tehran\u2019s Hamas allies that the US will take severe action against Gaza<\/a> if hostages are not released by the time he reenters the White House.<\/p>\n

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

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Pompeo Says Iranian ‘Regime’s End Is in Reach’ Under Trump, Urges Him to Embrace ‘The Resistance’<\/h3>\n

\"just-the-news-logo\"<\/p>\n

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the Ayatollah’s days are numbered and urged President-elect Trump to embrace the MEK “resistance” to fast-track the Iranian regime\u2019s fall.\u00a0“The United States and the pressure campaign will return, making the regime even more fragile,” Pompeo said during a speech at a conference in Paris, referencing Trump’s second term.<\/p>\n

“You, the resistance. You are on the right path,” he added.\u00a0The MEK\u2019s leader Maryam Rajavi attended the event with Pompeo and offered similar remarks.\u00a0Pompeo said the resistance movement in Iran has “shown the incredible capacity and resilience to end the regime’s brutality.”<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Japanese Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Nuclear Materials Trafficking, Narcotics, and Weapons Charges<\/h3>\n

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Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan, New York, today to conspiring with a network of associates to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Burma to other countries, as well as to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s plea should serve as a stark reminder to those who imperil our national security by trafficking weapons-grade plutonium and other dangerous materials on behalf of organized criminal syndicates that the Department of Justice will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department\u2019s National Security Division.<\/p>\n

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

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Ukraine Demands Accountability 5 Years After PS752 Flight Downing in Iran<\/h3>\n

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Ukraine will not give up efforts to seek justice and hold the perpetrators accountable, the Foreign Ministry said in its\u00a0Jan. 8 statement<\/a>\u00a0on the fifth anniversary of the\u00a0downing of Ukrainian Boeing 737 flight PS752<\/a>\u00a0near Tehran.<\/p>\n

The Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the killing of 176 people on board the plane in Iranian airspace, including 11 Ukrainians, as well as citizens of Canada, Sweden, Britain, Afghanistan and Iran. The civilian aircraft was shot down by two surface-to-air missiles fired by the military of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n

Iran grossly violated a number of international laws by using weapons against civilian aircraft, failing to prevent the downing, and not conducting a transparent and objective investigation or proper prosecution of the accused.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Regime Reaffirms Death Sentences for Political Prisoners<\/h3>\n

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In a disturbing reaffirmation of its repressive policies, the Iranian judiciary has upheld death sentences against political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who have been charged with membership in the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK). The decision, issued by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, signals yet another grim chapter in the regime\u2019s escalating campaign of persecution against dissenters.<\/p>\n

The sentences were\u00a0originally handed down in September 2024<\/a>, by Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26, a figure notorious for his role in sentencing political prisoners. The charges against Ehsani, 69, and Hassani, 48, ranged from \u201crebellion (baghi)\u201d and \u201cwaging war against God (moharebeh)\u201d to \u201cspreading corruption on Earth\u201d and membership in the PMOI. They were also accused of possessing classified information and illegal weapons added to the case, which has drawn widespread international condemnation.<\/p>\n

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

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International Support for The \u201cNo To Executions\u201d Campaign In Iran<\/h3>\n
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Iran's regime executes political prisoner Reza Rasaei (\u0631\u0636\u0627 \u0631\u0633\u0627\u06cc\u06cc)<\/div><\/div>
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