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Police, IRGC Seize Huge Drug Hauls in Southern Iran

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June 14, 2020

Police, IRGC Seize Huge Drug Hauls in Southern Iran

Iranian border police detected a depot of narcotics in a village in the Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan and captured over 2 tons of drugs

cit drugs.

Our forces monitored the activities of a drug-smuggling gang at Rootak border region of Khash County and found out that the smugglers had plans to transfer the narcotics into the country, said Commander of Iran’s Border Guards Brigadier-General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi.

Goudarzi noted that the during the armed conflict of Police Force of Saravan region with the smugglers, 2,320 kilograms of opium and a number of rifles and ammunition were captured from the gang.

In a similar operation, the IRGC Fifth Naval Zone in the Persian Gulf said that the naval forces seized 888 kg of illicit drugs in the Iranian waters of Persian Gulf.

Brigadier General Ali Ozmayee said on Saturday that 840 kg of opium and 48 kg of heroin were confiscated by IRGC Naval Force following comprehensive intelligence operations in the Persian Gulf.

It was also announced on Friday that anti-narcotics police of Sistan and Balouchestan province, disbanded a drug-trafficking gang, and seized over 2 tons of illicit drugs along the gang-leader in the weekend.

More than 2 tons of narcotics were confiscated by the anti-narcotics forces in Khash and Saravan county of Sistan and Balouchestan province, Police Chief of the region, Brigadier General Mohammad Ghanbari said and added that the drug haul was busted in border regions. During the clash, the police arrested the head of the drug-trafficking band and confiscated 2.294 tons of narcotics along with an AK47 and ammunition, he noted. The consignment comprised of 2,222 kg of opium and 72 kg of hashish, Ghanbari said. On May 22, Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Vienna-Based International Organizations Kazzem Qaribabadi said.

Denying Turkish official claim, Iran says no Kurdish PKK fighters inside country

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June 14, 2020

Denying Turkish official claim, Iran says no Kurdish PKK fighters inside country

The presence of the Kurdish PKK militia on Iranian soil is a “red line,” a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday, denying allegations by a Turkish official that Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) has fighters inside Iran.

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu had said last week that there are around 100 PKK members in Iran’s north-western city of Maku, which “constitutes a real danger.”

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC’s ground forces, denied the PKK has any members inside Iran, describing Soylu’s remarks as “baseless and irresponsible.”

Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu speaks during a meeting to discuss cooperation on migration management in Ankara, on October 3, 2019. (File photo: AFP)

“The presence of the Kurdish PKK militia on Iranian soil is a “red line,” a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday, denying allegations by a Turkish official that Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) has fighters inside Iran. The officials of the friendly and neighbouring state of Turkey are expected to make contacts with the Islamic Republic of Iran through official channels after verifying the authenticity of an incident and before making any comments to the media about border incidents,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Pakpour as saying. The presence of “terrorists” inside Iran is among the country’s red lines, Tasnim reported him as saying. The PKK, which has waged an insurgency for autonomy in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast since 1984, is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Iran also considers the Kurdish militia a terrorist group.

Why the Revolutionary Guards Will Fail Iran’s Car Industry

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June 14, 2020

Why the Revolutionary Guards Will Fail Iran’s Car Industry

Why the Revolutionary Guards Will Fail Iran’s Car manufacturing Industry — Why the Revolutionary Guards Will Fail Iran’s Car Industry

For more than a decade, Iran’s state media has been highlighting the role the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has played in the country’s automobile manufacturing industry.

In the beginning, it was all about the Guards’ purchase of of shares in the Iran-Khodro and Saipa manufacturing companies, but, over the last two years, there has been a new angle.

On Tuesday, June 9, 2020, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Aerospace Force of the IRGC, held a meeting with the Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade, during which he officially announced the IRGC’s collaboration with the automotive industry, which he described as a process of “enhancing the quality,” “economizing,” “reducing fuel consumption,” and “localizing the industry.”

The meeting came just three days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei implicitly ordered the collaboration.

During a televised speech, he said: “If we can make such big moves in the military with the launch of space satellites, why can’t we produce a car that requires only five liters of gas to travel 100 kilometers? Why should we stop at making vehicles that use 12 liters or 10 liters or eight liters?”

So what will happen next, now that the IRGC is officially involved in the country’s automotive industry? Can the approach used in the missile industry work for cars?

Could this bolster Iran’s car industry, or could this strategy be cause for concern? Is there something else going on behind the scenes? After reaping the rewards of the construction, oil, gas, roads, and dam construction sectors, is the IRGC positioning itself to take over the car industry? Car manufacturing Industry

First it’s worth looking at whether the success of the missile industry can be translated to car manufacturing. For the Islamic Republic’s biggest supporters, this is not a presumption but a final verdict. Car manufacturing Industry

For these supporters, the construction and unveiling of various types of military missiles and sending satellites into the Earth’s orbit are signs of the IRGC’s success at a time when almost all of Iran’s industries are in the throes of bankruptcy.

But for more neutral observers, this assumption has not yet been proven. That’s because the details of Iran’s missile program are not publicly available. Car manufacturing Industry

Iran says alleged spy gave Mossad, CIA intel on Quds Force in Syria

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June 13, 2020

Iran says alleged spy gave Mossad, CIA intel on Quds Force in Syria

Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, who is slated for execution, resided in the country with his family and relayed info on military actions and movements, judiciary says.

Iran on Saturday provided new information on a man it has said will be executed for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel’s Mossad and the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Mahmoud Mousavi Majd had resided in Syria in recent years alongside his family, in an unspecified capacity.

He said Majd was in contact with Iranian military advisors operating in the country while gathering intel on Iran’s defense minister, the Revolutionary Guards’ extraterritorial Quds Force and the movements of military officials, including Quds Force chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in January.

Mahmoud Mousavi Majd, who is slated for execution, resided in the country with his family and relayed info on military actions and movements, judiciary says Iran on Saturday provided new information on a man it has said will be executed for allegedly spying on behalf of Israel’s Mossad and the US Central Intelligence Agency. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Mahmoud Mousavi Majd had resided in Syria in recent years alongside his family, in an unspecified capacity. He said Majd was in contact with Iranian military advisors operating in the country while gathering intel on Iran’s defense minister, the Revolutionary Guards’ extraterritorial Quds Force and the movements of military officials, including Quds Force chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in January. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Mahmoud Mousavi Majd had resided in Syria in recent years alongside his family, in an unspecified capacity. spy spy spy spy spy

IRGC General Dismisses Turkish Claim of PKK Presence in Iran

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June 13, 2020

IRGC General Dismisses Turkish Claim of PKK Presence in Iran

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force dismissed the groundless claim made by Turkish officials that the PKK terrorists are on Iranian soil near the common border.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a visit to military bases in northwestern Iran on Saturday, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour denied as “irresponsible and baseless” the allegations made by a Turkish official that the PKK elements are on Iranian soil.

A few days ago, Interior Minister of Turkey Suleyman Soylu had claimed that there are around 100 “terrorists” in Iran’s Dambat, near Turkey, which “constitutes a real danger.”

In response, the IRGC general said, “There is very good and fruitful interaction between the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey along the common border.

Thus, the officials of the friendly and neighbor state of Turkey are expected to make contacts with the Islamic Republic of Iran through official channels after verifying the authenticity of an incident and before making any media comment about border incidents, and to pursue such issues according to the arranged mechanisms.” The commander also said that the IRGC Ground Force is in charge of security in Iran’s northwestern areas, is vigorously present along the border with full preparedness, and is closely and constantly monitoring the situation across the border regions. The presence of terrorist elements is among the red lines of Iran, Pakpour stressed, adding, “However, we understand that the recent operations by small (terrorists) groups on the Turkish soil have mounted pressure on the Turkish officials and have forced them to raise such a claim.” Islamic Revolution Guards Corps General Dismisses Turkish Claim of PKK Presence in Iran

Commander Stresses Friendly, Deep Ties of IRGC and Iran’s Army

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June 13, 2020

Commander Stresses Friendly, Deep Ties of IRGC and Iran’s Army

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh underlined that the IRGC and the Iranian Army have always maintained their brotherly and amicable relations.

General Hajizadeh made the remarks on the anniversary of the operation that was launched as a response to the martyrdom of former Army Commander Lieutenant General Ali Sayyad Shirazi.

“The performance of the IRGC was not different in the revenge operations that were held after assassination of Army’s General Sayyad Shirazi and that of IRGC anti-terrorist commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” the senior IRGC commander said.

He noted that the revenge operation for the martyrdom of General Sayyad Shirazi was extremely important for the IRGC.

Ali Sayad Shirazi was the Iranian Army’s senior commander during the eight-year Iran–Iraq war in the 1980s.

He was assassinated in 1999 by the terrorist Mujahedin Mojahedin-e Khalq terrorist Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI and NCRI) in 1999.

Shortly after the terrorist attack, the IRGC targeted the MKO base in Iraq by dozens of missiles.

The MKO is supported by the Western countries, specially the United States and France. The terrorist group has killed over 17,000 Iranian citizens since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in different terrorist attacks. The MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community. Its members fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq, where they received support from then dictator Saddam Hussein. The notorious outfit has carried out numerous attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials for several decades. In 2012, the US State Department removed the MKO from its list of designated terrorist organizations under intense lobbying by groups associated to Saudi Arabia and other regimes adversarial to Iran.

German Foreign Minister Calls IRGC Commander’s Anti-Israeli Remarks ‘Unacceptable’

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June 12, 2020

Anti-Israeli Remarks

The Jerusalem post quoted Heiko Maas as having said that such remarks are “unacceptable,” and spread anti-Semitism across the region.

Salami has said in his condolence message on the occasion of the death of Islamic Jihad’s former leader Ramazan Abdallh Shalah, that he was certain about the destruction of Israel.

However, this was not the first time Salami spoke about the annihilation, destruction and elimination of Israel.

Some earlier remarks by Hossein Salami about Israel include:

“All parts of Israel are within reach of our weapons. They’d better watch it,” Qods Online, February 17, 2020.
“We will hit both Israel and the United States if they make a mistake,” Tabnak, February 13, 2020.
“If the US makes another move, we will set fire to the place they love, that is Israel,” Mashregh News, January 7, 2020.
“Our strategy is one of wiping Israel off the political geography of the world,” Radio Farda, January 28, 2019.
“Our strategy is to wipe Israel off the world’s political geography. With what Israel is doing, it is bringing this reality forward,” Borna, April 22,2019.
“Salami told Israel, the United States, UK and regional states: We will set fire to your interests if you do not stop your sedition against Iran,” Tasnim, December 12, 2019.
“The dream To Destroy Israel will be realized soon,” DW, November 14, 2019.
“If Israel begins a new war, that would be the war which would lead to its elimination,” Pars Today, February 2019.

In his latest remarks, Salami called for the “elimination of the fabricated and criminal regime of Israel” and “elimination of Israel as the region’s cancerous tumor.” According to Jerusalem Post, Heiko Maas who first called Salami’s rhetoric anti-Israeli, later called his speech anti-Jewish after a June 10 visit to Israel.

Iran’s Tankers Delivering Oil to Venezuela is ‘Biggest Display of Power’, IRGC Chief Says

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June 12, 2020

Iran’s Tankers Delivering Oil to Venezuela is ‘Biggest Display of Power’, IRGC Chief Says

Earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi signaled Tehran’s readiness to continue its oil shipments to Venezuela if Caracas needs more such deliveries.

Major General Hossein Salami, the chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has praised the Islamic Republic’s resolve to send fuel tankers to Venezuela in the face of US threats to take action against Tehran and Caracas.

“We showcased our might, and our biggest display of power was the imposition of our will [on the enemies] and the sailing of [oil tankers] through high seas from the Persian Gulf towards Venezuela”, Salami told reporters on Wednesday.

He also argued that currently, Iran is “witnessing the rapid decline of our big enemies, particularly the US”.

The remarks come after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi indicated Tehran’s willingness to go ahead with its oil shipments to Venezuela if “Caracas demands more [such] supplies from Iran”, which Mousavi added is practicing “its free trade rights with Venezuela”.

Five Iranian Fuel Tankers Arrive in Venezuela

Mousavi spoke after the five Iranian tankers, the Clavel, the Faxon, the Fortune, the Forest, and the Petunia, in May delivered more than a million barrels of oil to Venezuela, hit by a serious fuel shortage caused by US sanctions.

The statement followed The Wall Street Journal citing unnamed US officials as saying last month that the Trump administration is considering new sanctions and “other legal steps to disrupt Iranian oil exports to Venezuela”, in response to what Washington sees as Tehran’s attempts “to make inroads into Latin America”.

Iranian oil tanker Fortune is anchored at the dock of the El Palito refinery near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Monday, May 25, 2020

While the White House did not confirm the report, Mousavi, for his part, warned that the US may “suffer repercussions that arise out of any unthinking measure [that it could take]” against Venezuelan-bound Iranian fuel tankers.

Iran Might Have Executed A Kurdish Prisoner In Secret – Amnesty

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June 12, 2020

Iran Might Have Executed A Kurdish Prisoner In Secret – Amnesty

Amnesty International (AI) has urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to “urgently clarify the fate and whereabouts” of a Kurdish prisoner who may recently have been secretly executed in the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) custody.

Local authorities told Hedayat Abdollahpour’s family that he was executed secretly.

In its statement on Thursday, June 11, AI said that Abdollahpour was sentenced to death three years ago in “an unfair trial.”

He was transferred to an unknown location from the Orumieh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan province and his family and lawyers have been desperately trying to obtain further information since then, AI said.

Abdollahpour was accused of being a Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran member, which he consistently denied. The group is considered a terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic.

“Approximately three weeks ago, a prosecutor told Abdollahpour’s lawyers he was in an IRGC detention facility in Orumieh, though there was no indication he was scheduled for execution,” AI noted.

Meanwhile, Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, asserted, “If Hedayat Abdollahpour has been executed in secret, his body must be returned to his family immediately and an independent investigation must be conducted into the circumstances surrounding his unlawful execution.”

According to Diana Eltahawy, “The fact that the Iranian authorities are playing these cruel games with Hedayat Abdollahpour’s family further demonstrates their contempt for human life. By refusing to reveal the truth, they are deliberately causing untold mental anguish and distress to his loved ones.” The Islamic Republic law requires the authorities to inform lawyers of the scheduled execution 48 hours in advance and grant relatives the last visit. To date, Abdollahpour’s lawyers have not been notified of his execution.

Iran Releases Photo of ‘CIA and Mossad Informant’ Who Leaked Data on Movements of Qasem Soleimani

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June 11, 2020

Iran Releases Photo of ‘CIA and Mossad Informant’ Who Leaked Data on Movements of Qasem Soleimani

Court files, however, indicate that the man was arrested months before the assassination of the prominent Iranian general, thus making his role in the crime somewhat unclear.

Iran’s judiciary has released information about a CIA and Mossad informant who was recently sentenced to death over his espionage activities. According to the judiciary, Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi Majd supplied the US and Israeli spy agencies with data on the movements of General Qasem Soleimani, who was subsequently killed in a US airstrike on 3 January 2020.

Mousavi was arrested months before Soleimani’s assassination, so it’s unclear how much the data that he fed to the foreign spy agencies helped the US in tracking and killing the chief of Iran’s elite Quds Force.

Mousavi was arrested roughly at the same time as Tehran announced the detention of 17 “CIA spies”. US President Donald Trump denounced Iran’s claims that it had destroyed a “CIA network” in the country as “totally false”, but no other American or Israeli officials commented on the matter.

Soleimani had just arrived in Iraq on a secret diplomatic mission when he was killed in a US strike outside Baghdad International Airport. He was carrying a message for Saudi Arabia that was supposed to be relayed via Iraq since Tehran and Riyadh have mutually cut diplomatic ties.

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Police, IRGC Seize Huge Drug Hauls in Southern Iran

Denying Turkish official claim, Iran says no Kurdish PKK fighters inside country

Why the Revolutionary Guards Will Fail Iran’s Car Industry

Iran says alleged spy gave Mossad, CIA intel on Quds Force in Syria

IRGC General Dismisses Turkish Claim of PKK Presence in Iran

Commander Stresses Friendly, Deep Ties of IRGC and Iran’s Army

German Foreign Minister Calls IRGC Commander’s Anti-Israeli Remarks ‘Unacceptable’

Iran’s Tankers Delivering Oil to Venezuela is ‘Biggest Display of Power’, IRGC Chief Says

Five Iranian Fuel Tankers Arrive in Venezuela

Iran Might Have Executed A Kurdish Prisoner In Secret – Amnesty

Iran Releases Photo of ‘CIA and Mossad Informant’ Who Leaked Data on Movements of Qasem Soleimani