Iran Focus

London, 22 April - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has appointed Brigadier General Hossein Salami as the new head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), just days after the US placed the group on its list of foreign terrorist organisations.

In a statement on his website, Khamenei wrote: "Considering [Salami’s] capabilities and significant experience with different revolutionary responsibilities ... I promote [him] to major general and commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards."

By Jubin Katiraie

In the early 2010s, relations between Iran and the European Union were strained because of the Iranian nuclear programme. In 2015, a solution was found in the form of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a binding agreement between the United Nations, the EU, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, and Iran.

By Pooya Stone

Amnesty International has demanded that the Iranian government stop harassing, arresting and imprisoning peaceful protesters advocating for an end to the “degrading and discriminatory” compulsory hijab laws in the country, as well as immediately and unconditionally releasing those already detained on this basis.

Iran Focus

London, 18 April - Syria is facing a major shortage of fuel after Iran cut off credit to them in October under pressure from Us sanctions, according to Syrian government-controlled newspaper Al-Watan.

The paper reports that no oil tanker has come into Syrian ports in the past six months, according to the Syrian Oil Ministry, while the government-controlled regions in Syria are only producing 24,000 barrels per day, which is roughly 20% of what the country needs.

By Mehdi

The US will continue to increase pressure on Iran, according to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, however, he declined to say whether the Donald Trump administration would extend sanctions waivers on eight countries that import Iranian oil.

By Jubin Katiraie

The US must act now to stop Iran taking over Yemen, according to political scientist Dr Majid Rafizadeh.

He explains, in a piece for the Gatestone Institute, that one of the Iran’s primary ideals is to export their malign revolution across the Middle East and, by extension, the world. The mullahs plan to carry this out by effectively taking over other countries, which they have already done with Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.

By Pooya Stone

Although Iranian authorities provided assurances that he would not be tortured, the European Court of Human Rights has held that the extradition of a man accused of theft to Iran would breach Article 3 of the human rights convention.

The Strasbourg court provides guidance on the kind of assurances required from the state requesting extradition in GS v Bulgaria (application no. 36538/17). It will not allow extradition unless the assurance is both specific and trustworthy. In this case, GS was wanted for theft, but if he was convicted, he was at risk of receiving corporal punishment — seventy-four lashes. The Strasbourg court would not allow extradition, because it labeled this manner of treatment as torture. In accordance with past case law, it found that the possibility of acquittal or the imposition of a different sentence was not sufficient to dispel the real risk of torture.

Iran Focus

London, 16 April - The US’s designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organisation formally came into effect on Monday, while the White House and Congress are divided on whether to extend the sanctions waivers granted to eight countries still importing Iranian oil.

By Mehdi

The re-opening of an air link between Iran and Venezuela this month is yet more evidence of Iran's growing role in helping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stays in power, according to analysts.

Last week, Iranian civil aviation officials announced that supposedly private airline Mahan Air had made its first flight to Caracas on April 8, which was the launch of a new air route.

By Jubin Katiraie

For a long time, Muhammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, has been considered the go-between between the United States and Iran.

He has taken on a role that bridges the massive gap between the liberal West and the antiquated Iran of the mullahs. He is the perfect person to do so because he is very familiar with the United States after spending decades of his life there. He has naturally become fluent in English and understand subtilities that make his arguments more sophisticated. He can make Iran’s views sound less harsh with the right choice of vocabulary.

By Pooya Stone

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has threatened Europe on Sunday that Iran will not wait “forever” for the special financial mechanism that is designed to help Iran evade US sanctions.

He told reporters in Tehran: “I wonder how much time do the Europeans need [to set up] a preliminary mechanism?”

Iran Focus

London, 14 April - According to reports coming out of Iran, residents of the flood stricken areas in the southwestern city of Ahvaz have come out in protest over what they call the Iranian authorities’ incompetence in dealing with the floods.

In videos published on social media, locals in the Eyn-e Do region in western Ahvaz — an oil rich province of Khuzestan — marched through the streets chanting, “they wanted to dishonor us, but we will not be dishonored.”

By Mehdi

The ceasefire deal to end Yemen's civil war is collapsing as the various groups are fighting over how to implement it and aid groups are warning that a resumption of fighting would hasten Yemen's famine crisis and threaten 15 million people with starvation.

By Jubin Katiraie

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) has been dismissed by the Iranian Mullahs and their lobbies as insignificant and without serious following in Iran. However, the MEK has survived for decade and this is because it has extensive support – both inside and outside of the country.

By Pooya Stone

The World Bank (WB) and the (IMF) released new reports, saying Iran’s GDP growth is worse than what they had predicted in their last forecasts.

In their new reports, the World Bank forecasts that Iran’s GDP growth is worse than what they had predicted in their last forecasts. They believe that GDP will shrink 3.8% in 2019, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has an even a worse forecast — 6% contraction.

Iran Focus

London, 11 April - The Iraqi city of Basra is dealing with a major drug crisis that came over from Iran, but depleted police resources and overcrowded detention centres mean that the system is struggling to cope, which has led plenty of locals to protest poor services over the last year.