The cowardly and brutal crimes committed by the Zionist regime have pushed it closer to downfall, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Hossein Salami said.
In a meeting with the family of recently-assassinated Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the IRGC commander said the occupying Zionist regime’s cowardly measures have pushed Israel closer to downfall and collapse.
“The Zionist regime and its cohorts will definitely pay the price for such barbaric crimes, and the great Iranian nation will take a harsh revenge on them (Zionists) at the proper time,” the commander added. The recent brutal assassination attack on Fakhrizadeh brought glory to the late figure, who, like top commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, had taken revenge on Americans several times, the IRGC chief stated. In remarks on Tuesday, Major General Salami said Iran will choose how to respond to the assassination of the prominent scientist.“The enemies must expect the Islamic Republic of Iran’s reactions with the quality and conditions that we’d choose ourselves,” the commander said. Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear and defense scientist, was assassinated by unknown gunmen in a small city east of Tehran on November 27. In a message after the incident, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on all relevant administrators to “investigate this crime and firmly prosecute its perpetrators and its commanders” and “to continue the martyr’s scientific and technological efforts in all the sectors where he was active.”Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear and defense scientist, was assassinated by unknown gunmen in a small city east of Tehran on November 27. In a message after the incident, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on all relevant administrators to “investigate this crime and firmly prosecute its perpetrators and its commanders.
Iran to exact vengeance on Israel for Fakhrizadeh assassination: IRGC chief
The head of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has vowed to exact vengeance on the Zionist regime and its minions for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian scientist.
“The great nation of Iran will inflict its harsh vengeance on them at the right time,” Major General Hossein Salami said on Friday, Fars reported.
He made the remarks during a visit to the late scientist’s house.
“The crime of the savage terrorists created a great honor for the martyr Dr. Fakhrizadeh, and it presented this scientist as General Haj Qassem Soleimani, who had taken revenge on the Americans many times during his lifetime,” he noted.
The general added that the children of the nation, who are assassinated by the Great Satan – the United States – and the Zionist regime, have brought honor for the Islamic Iran.
Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear and defense scientist, was assassinated in a small city east of Tehran on November 27. His assassination could further hamper diplomatic efforts to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which was abandoned by U.S. President Donald Trump in May 2018. Iran has blamed Israel, which has carried out assassination operations against Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade. Immediately after the assassination, Foreign Minister Zarif said in a tweet that the attack was carried out with “serious indications of Israeli role”.Over the past years, Israel assassinated five other Iranian nuclear scientists. It killed Masoud Alimohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan. Israel also attempted to assassinate Fereydon Abbassi, Iran’s head of the Atomic Agency, but it failed. President Hassan Rouhani has said Iran is entitled to take revenge for the assassination.“Iran’s government is entitled to take retaliation from the elements behind the assassination of the martyr,” Rouhani said on December 3.
Tehran behind cyberattacks against Israeli power grid, Iranian scholar says
He seems to have confirmed what Israel has already claimed – that in January, Iranian hackers mounted a coordinated cyberattack on dozens of Israeli websites, and that Iran was behind a failed cyberattack on a minor water facility in Israel in early April, which sought to poison the water supply delivered to several central Israeli cities.
In a video translated to English by the Middle East Media Research Institute and released Wednesday, scholar Rahim Mahdavipour claimed that “Islamic Iran, as the primary and central headquarters of the resistance front, has unique assets and unique winning cards, thank God.
“The cyber force of this central headquarters of the resistance front – that is, Islamic Iran – carried out two extraordinary attacks this year,” he continued.
“The first, at the beginning of the year, was against the desalination plants inside Israel, in that occupied land. Similarly, a few days ago, it carried out a cyber attack against some Israeli electricity plants, and disabled most of them,” Mahdavipour claimed.
“This is a unique capability,” he added.
The sermon was delivered on Nov. 6 in Bojnurd, Iran, and was aired on Iranian Khorasan Shomali TV, according to MEMRI.
Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights
“The first, at the beginning of the year, was against the desalination plants inside Israel, in that occupied land. Similarly, a few days ago, it carried out a cyber attack against some Israeli electricity plants, and disabled most of them,” Mahdavipour claimed. He seems to have confirmed what Israel has already claimed – that in January, Iranian hackers mounted a coordinated cyberattack on dozens of Israeli websites, and that Iran was behind a failed cyberattack on a minor water facility in Israel in early April, which sought to poison the water supply delivered to several central Israeli cities. cyberattacks cyberattacks
Iran: U.S. Designates an IRGC Official and Iran’s Al-Mustafa International University for Spread of Terrorism
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday, designates Hasan Irlu, the Iranian regime’s envoy to the Houthi terrorists in Yemen and an official of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)Quds Force.
In addition, OFAC designated Iran’s Al-Mustafa International University, which acts as a front organization for facilitating Revolutionary Guards-Quds Force recruitment efforts.
According to the Treasury’s statement:“Al-Mustafa International University, which has branches around the world, is used as a recruitment platform by the IRGC-QF for intelligence collection and operations, including recruitment for the IRGC-QF-led foreign militias fighting on behalf of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria.”
IRGC Quds force, Iran regime clandestine military empire according to the U.S. Treasury Department: “Iran-based Al-Mustafa International University, which claims branches in over 50 countries, enables IRGC-QF intelligence operations by allowing its student body, which includes large numbers of foreign and American students, to serve as an international recruitment network.”
“Recruits from Al-Mustafa International University have been sent to Syria to fight on behalf of IRGC-QF-led militias.
The IRGC-QF established the Fatemiyoun Division, an Iranian-led Shia militia composed of primarily ethnic Afghan residents in Iran, as well as the Zaynabiyoun Brigade, a militia group composed of Pakistani Shia, as expeditionary forces to fight in Syria.
The IRGC-QF has used Al-Mustafa as cover for its recruitment of Afghans. The IRGC-QF has used Al-Mustafa’s campus in Qom, Iran as a recruitment ground for Pakistani students to join the Zaynabiyoun Brigades. Multiple students from the university have been killed fighting in Syria. The Fatemiyoun Division and Zaynabiyoun Brigade are both designated under counterterrorism and human rights authorities.” “The IRGC-QF uses Al-Mustafa University to develop student exchanges with foreign universities.
The Revolutionary Guards’ Outsize Share of Iran’s Next Budget
A budget of 161,155,600,000,000 tomans ($6.5 billion) has been allocated in the budget bill of 2021-2022 to military, security, and law enforcement institutions.
This is one-fifth of the total public budgets proposed by Iran’s government for next year. The sum is equal to two million tomans per capita in defense and security spending.
Part of these funds will be spent on future suppressions of the Iranian people’s protests against the current political, economic, and social situation. But how much? No one knows.
All for the Corps; the Corps for only one.
Approximately a third of Iran’s total military and security budgets is allocated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s most effective military and security institution, which also has great influence in the country’s political and economic affairs.
This year, the IRGC’s total budgets will reach 56 trillion tomans ($2.3 billion), about three times more than the total budgets of Iran’s army, one and a half times the total budget of the police force, roughly 20 times the total budget of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces and about four trillion tomans more than the social security budget of the Armed Forces use to pay military pensions.
In the 2021-2022 budget, the IRGC’s share has increased significantly, both in relation to the military budget and to the total general budgets.
Last year, the total allocation value for the IRGC and Basij was less than 34 trillion tomans ($1.4 billion).
The IRGC’s budgets increase next year is about 65 percent, while the total inflation of the government’s general budget is about 55 percent.
Fifty-six trillion tomans in the government’s general budgets are not the only source of income for the IRGC.
The figure maybe half or even just a fifth of the IRGC’s total financial resources for 2021-2022 to fund its political and military programs both domestically and abroad.
Trump determined to designate pro-Iran groups as terrorist
Trump determined to designate pro-Iran groups as terrorist
President Donald Trump wants his years in the White House to be remembered as the most anti-Iranian in the recent history of the US. He does not want to launch a war against Tehran, but he wants to make tough statements that include practical actions to contain Iran. In this regard, there are serious attempts now being pushed forward in Washington to classify both the pro-Iranian Houthis in Yemen and the Badr militia in Iraq as terrorist groups. There are many important implications for such a strategy. It is also critical to mention that there are those who oppose the Trump administration designating these two groups as terror organizations.
This move faces many difficulties. In Yemen, the UN, a number of European countries, such as Germany and Sweden, and some refugee and relief organizations doing humanitarian work are against labeling the Houthis as terrorists. They fear that such a categorization would make humanitarian work more dangerous and lead to a hardening of the Houthis’ position in the negotiations currently being conducted. Ultimately, they fear this could intensify the civil war in Yemen.
In Iraq, the Badr Organization is very powerful and has strong ties with the government. It was able to attack the US Embassy in Baghdad last year. It works very closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq, and other Iraqi groups that are supportive of Iran. In spite of all the criticism of Iran-entrenched influence in Iraq, no US administration has sought to stop the work of this militia, since it was perceived by some as being integral to the security of Iraq, which is so unstable and so militant.
To Deter Iranian Attacks on U.S. Troops, Pentagon Orders B-52 Flights to Middle East
To Deter Iranian Attacks on U.S. Troops, Pentagon Orders B-52 Flights to Middle East
Two American B-52 bombers flew a show-of-force mission in the Persian Gulf on Thursday that military officials said was intended to deter Iran and its proxies from carrying out attacks against United States troops in the Middle East amid rising tensions between the two countries.
The lumbering warplanes’ 36-hour round-trip mission from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana was the second time in three weeks that Air Force bombers had conducted long-range flights near Iranian air space on short notice. The United States periodically conducts such quick demonstration missions to the Middle East and Asia to underscore American air power to allies and adversaries, but the two missions within a month is unusual.
The multinational mission, which included aircraft from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, was routed well outside Iranian air space. The American warplanes were in the broader gulf region for about two hours before returning home, officials said. Two other B-52s from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota conducted the same type of long-range mission in the area on Nov. 21.
Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights
Two American B-52 bombers flew a show-of-force mission in the Persian Gulf on Thursday that military officials said was intended to deter Iran and its proxies from carrying out attacks against United States troops in the Middle East amid rising tensions between the two countries. The lumbering warplanes’ 36-hour round-trip mission from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana was the second time in three weeks that Air Force bombers had conducted long-range flights near Iranian air space on short notice. The United States periodically conducts such quick demonstration missions to the Middle East and Asia to underscore American air power to allies and adversaries, but the two missions within a month is unusual. The multinational mission, which included aircraft from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, was routed well outside Iranian air space. The American warplanes were in the broader gulf region for about two hours before returning home, officials said. Two other B-52s from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota conducted the same type of long-range mission in the area on Nov. 21.
The United States Sanctions IRGC Facilitators in Iran and an IRGC Official in Yemen
Today, the United States is designating Hasan Irlu, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) officer Iran recently sent to Sana’a Yemen to serve as the group’s liaison to the Houthi Movement.
The United States is also designating Al-Mustafa International University, an Iranian university with over 50 international branches which provide a platform for the IRGC-QF’s operations, and Yousef Ali Muraj, who has supported IRGC-QF recruitment operations in the Middle East and United States.
We are designating these individuals and this entity pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended.
The IRGC-QF is the Iranian regime’s primary tool to sow chaos and destruction across the Middle East.
The United States will continue to take action against the IRGC-QF to disrupt its facilitation networks and cut off resources that support the terrorist group’s activities.
Iran’s support for the Houthis fuels the conflict in Yemen and exacerbates the country’s instability.
By dispatching Irlu to Yemen, the IRGC-QF is signaling its intent to increase support to the Houthis and further complicate international efforts to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
The United States continues to support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and Yemen’s neighbors to facilitate a ceasefire and political settlement. The people of Yemen deserve peace and stability. We are designating Irlu pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC-QF.Al-Mustafa International University is based in Iran and maintains dozens of international branches that facilitate IRGC-QF operations through the recruitment of international students, including Americans. The international community should be wary of Iranian influence, espionage, and terror operations facilitated by the regime’s educational infrastructure.
Does Iran’s Gigantic Military Have an Achilles’ Heel? Iran
One of the most powerful and influential countries in the Middle East is undoubtedly Iran. The Islamic Republic of Iran sits astride several key strategic—and often volatile—regions, including the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, the Indian Ocean, and the Caucasus. Iran
Iran is primarily a land power and has invaded and suffered invasion from other peoples and countries over the past several thousand years.
As a result, Iran retains large ground forces, both in the Iranian Army itself and the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The commander in chief of the Iranian Armed Forces is the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Like many states, there are two armies: the Iranian Army, loyal to the country itself, and the IRGC and its Basij militia, which is loyal to the regime and the spirit of the revolution.
Unlike most states with two armies, the Iranian Army and the IRGC suffer from less role and capability duplication to a large extent due to the Iranian Revolution.
The Iranian Revolution of 1979 deposed the monarchy under the shah and imposed a theocratic revolutionary state.
The new rulers of Iran, skeptical of long-standing institutions historically loyal to the shah, allowed the Army to survive as an organization but developed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a counterweight.
While the Army would guard the country’s borders and defend against external threats, the IRGC would guard the regime itself. As a result, the Army was arrayed generally towards Iran’s primary enemies at the time—Iraq, Israel, and Saudi Arabia—and placed mostly near the Iranian border.
The IRGC, on the other hand, maintains significant garrisons in Iran’s major cities and towns.
