Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel in the past few years have put the two nations on the verge of war.
Escalating tensions between Iran and Israel
Israel budgeted around $3 billion in its 2014 military budget to fight Iran, and Iranian leaders, in turn, declared this month that the country is arming the West Bank in the fight against Israel.
“The open animosity and covert hostilities between the two countries are relatively new,”according to Natan Sachs of the Brookings Institute, who testified before a congressional committee about the two countries. “Unlike Israel’s longstanding disputes with several of its Arab neighbours, Iran and Israel had a close relationship before the Iranian Revolution. Indeed, before the revolution, Iran was viewed by Israeli national security thinkers as part of a ‘periphery doctrine’ in which Israel allied itself with non-Arab actors in the Middle East, to counterbalance its dramatic inferiority in numbers and, then, in wealth, compared to the Arab countries that surrounded it.”
So what has brought the two countries to the verge of all-out war? Here are four significant events and issues impacting the conflict:
1. The Islamic Republic, which governs Iran, began to speak out against Israel.
“Virulently anti-Israeli, the Islamic Republic’s leaders have frequently referred to Israel as the ‘Little Satan’ accompanying the ‘Great Satan,’ the United States. Iranian leaders have made Israel a feature of their public statements,” Sachs said.
In December 2000, Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “Iran’s stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region.”
In 2005, Khamenei stated his opinion that Israel should return its country to Palestine, saying, “Palestine belongs to Palestinians, and the fate of Palestine should also be determined by the Palestinian people.”
When the United Nations split the territory into Israel and Palestine in 1948, Iran’s representative was one of the few to vote against it.
2. In 2006, Israeli leaders pointed to Iran as the supplier of arms and military equipment to Hezbollah. Although the accusations weren’t new, they focused in on a specific incident.
Israel said Iran supplied the long-range rocket fired by Hezbollah that almost destroyed one of Israel’s warships.
“Most of Hezbollah’s arms — including modern antitank weapons and the thousands of rockets that rained down on Israel — came from Iran (as well as Syria),” Foreign Affairs said. “Iranian advisers had spent years helping Hezbollah train and build fortified positions throughout southern Lebanon.”
3. Iran’s increasing focus on obtaining nuclear weapons has united Israel with the United States and many in the international community.
“Almost all in the Israeli national security community view the possibility of a nuclear-threshold Iran as a very negative development,” Sachs said. “A nuclear-threshold Iran could act as a catalyst for nuclear proliferation in the highly volatile Middle East.”
In 2012, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that “nothing would remain” of Israel if the country used military action in Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.
4. The increasing adversarial relationships between Iran and other countries in the Mideast, such as Saudi Arabia, have pulled Israel into further conflict with Iran, Sachs said.
“The result is that Israel and some of the traditional Arab powers now have aligned interests, with shared conflicts with both the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies, and with Muslim Brotherhood organizations such as Hamas,” he explained. “Indeed, on Iran’s nuclear program in particular, Israel and Saudi Arabia share many views.”
Ghezel Hesar Prisoners’ rebellion against death penalty – HRANA News Agency – On August 26th, 2014 a rare footage of protesting prisoners rioting against mass executions at the 2ndunit of Ghezel Hesar Prison published by HRANA news agency. The riot took place on August 17th, 2014 and finished with many causalities and injuries among protesting prisoners.
Ghezel Hesar Prisoners’ rebellion against death penalty
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), in the morning of August 17th, 2014 at least 14 death-row prisoners were transferred to the execution chamber at Ghezel Hesar Prison. This resulted in a riot by prisoners of unit 2 at this prison whom most of them are death-row prisoners. These prisoners confronted the prison security unit and demanded to suspend the executions.
Live rounds and tear gas widely were used by Qezel Hesar security and back up units which resulted in lots of injuries and at least 10 causalities.
HRANA also reported about the peaceful protest of prisoners’ families outside the prison on the same day who demanded suspension of executions. However, these protests were suppressed by NAJA using Water Cannons and led to several arrests.
Iran will not give a diplomatic response, but will air its grievances with Israel on the “battlefield,” senior Iranian generals were quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Iran will not give a diplomatic response
“Our response to this aggression will not be diplomatic, we will retaliate in the battlefield, but will not necessarily announce it,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the Lieutenant Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was quoted as saying during a ceremony on Tuesday meant to commemorate “martyred” Iranian military personnel.
“The enemy will see and understand it,” Salami was quoted as saying by the semi official Fars News Agency. “We never step back (in the confrontation) against the enemy. The Islamic Republic is powerful and is capable of confronting any power at any level and we never bring down the level of our goals.”
The threat of a surprise attack against Israel for its apparent attempts to send a spy drone into Tehran came just a day after Iranian government officials threatened to sue Israel in the International Criminal Court.
Iranian military leaders announced over the weekend that they had used a surface-to-air missile to shoot down a drone that it claimed was an Israeli-made Hermes 450 unmanned plane. The drone was allegedly on its way to the Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which is believed to be part of Iran’s clandestine attempts to build a nuclear weapon.
“This hostile action is a violation of Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted as saying Monday by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Afkham also hinted that military action is being considered by Tehran.
“Iran has the right to take the necessary defensive action and pursue the case in international legal courts,” IRNA reported Afkham as saying.
Other IRGC officials also have adopted the rhetoric of war and slammed Israel in vitriolic terms following the incident.
“This mischievous attempt once again made the adventurous nature of the Israel more evident and added another black page to the dark record of this fake and warmongering regime, which is full of crimes and wickedness,” the IRGC said in a statement reported by Al-Manar News.
The IRGC claimed that it “reserves the right of response and retaliation for itself,” according to the statement.
IRGC leader Salami claimed that Tehran has definitive proof the drone was made by Israel and claimed that it had not originated from the Jewish state, but another nearby country.
“What some people say that the drone had started its flight from Israel is not correct and we are almost certain about its origin, yet we would like to reserve judgment at present,” Salami was quoted as saying during a press conference on Tuesday.
Iranian military leaders apparently spotted the drone on its border but permitted it to “enter the country to see the intention (of the hostile forces operating it) and then we targeted and hit it at the right time,” Salami said, according to Fars.
Salami further claimed that the technology in the drone is not unfamiliar to Iran, which has itself built several indigenous models of drones, some of which are believed to be based off of a downed U.S. drone reportedly captured in 2013.
The U.S. State Department has remained quiet thus far when confronted with questions about the incident.
When asked on Monday if she could confirm that an Israeli drone was downed by Iran, State Department Spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki demurred.
“I don’t have anything to update you on that front,” Psaki said. “My apologies.”
Iran to Stage Cyber Warfare Drills in Months – A senior Iranian commander announced the country’s plans to stage several wargames in the next few months, including a set of cyber warfare drills.
Iran to Stage Cyber Warfare Drills in Months
“This (Iranian) year (that ends on March 20, 2015) one or two wargames will be staged in the Southwestern and Southeastern parts of the country,” Commander of Samen al-Aemmeh Army Division Brigadier General Reza Azarian said on Saturday.
“Also we have planned to stage specialized drills on how to fight back enemy’s cyber warfare later this year,” he added.
Azarian underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Armed Forces monitor all enemy’s tricky moves and plots in different regions and aspects and would never allow them to make any ground, sea or air aggression against the country.
In relevant remarks in June, Deputy Head of Civil Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholam Ali Heidari said his organization enjoys cutting-edged equipment and experienced experts to defend Iran against enemies’ cyber attacks.
General Heidari said that reducing vulnerability, promoting deterrence and national strength are among the strategic principles outlined by the Supreme Leader.
“Iran has achieved remarkable progress in civil defense field to which the Constitution attaches major importance,” General Heidari underscored.
He pointed out that threats posed to the country are not always military and the country should maintain its immunity against biological and cyber threats.
Describing cyber attacks as one of the enemies’ strategies to deal a blow to the Islamic Revolution of Iran, General Heidari noted that over 1,000 cyber attacks are carried out against the country’s sensitive centers which are neutralized through the vigilance of the Iranian experts.
He further added that, fortunately, Iran is of the forerunners to counter cyber attacks, as it is among top five states to thwart the threats.
Early in May, Head of Iran’s Civil Defense Organization Brigadier General Gholam Reza Jalali also underlined his organization’s full preparedness to defend the country against any possible cyber attacks by enemy states, and informed that Iran plans to make use of an indigenous cyber defense system in near future.
Speaking at the second national conference on cyber defense, Jalali underlined the necessity for nationwide preparedness against enemies’ cyber threats.
Jalali noted that Iran should consider developing a smart domestic cyber defense model as a top priority.
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said enemy may not dare to attack Iran because they are well aware of the Iranian Armed Forces’ preparedness, although he said the enemies will grow fool enough to launch war on Iran some day.
IRGC Commander: Enemy May Not Dare to Attack Iran
“We have no doubt that one day we will be in war with the sworn enemies of the Islamic Revolution in the region, of course, we will not be the initiator of that war. This battle will take place and hence we should be fully prepared for that day,” General Jafari said during a visit to Basij (volunteer) battalions in Isfahan province on Saturday.
The IRGC commander told the Ashura, Beitol Moqaddas, Imam Ali (AS) and Imam Hossein (AS) battalions of Basij present in the gathering that “today, Basiji forces are fully prepared in different fields of threat and this readiness is known to the enemies and they are aware of it more than anyone else”.
“The full-fledged preparedness of the Basij forces is to such an extent that enemies do not even dare to give a dirty look to Iran.”
General Jafari noted that the enemies’ threats against Iran are not merely military and, on the same basis, Basiji forces are duty-bound to gain complete preparedness in different arenas.
In similar remarks Last week, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said preparedness, might and power of his forces has intimidated Iran’s enemies so deeply that they do not dare to even think of adopting hostile policies against the country.
Speaking during a visit to the different parts of the specialized logistics center of the IRGC Navy in the Southern province of Fars on Saturday, Fadavi said as a result of the struggles and round-the-clock efforts made by the IRGC naval forces, “the Islamic Republic of Iran’s naval defense structure has grown so powerful that it has discouraged the enemy from even thinking about hegemony or bullying against Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz region”.
He said that the moves made by the IRGC Navy, which started in the Iraqi-imposed war (1980-1988), the war of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and the direct confrontation with the US Navy and continued with assymetric tactics in recent years, have contributed much to Iran’s deterrence power in recent years and sow fear in the heart of the enemies.
Turkish national among individuals in US-led Iran sanctions – The United States on Friday sanctioned more than 25 businesses, banks and individuals, including a Turkish national and a Turkey-based aviation company, suspected of working to expand Iran’s nuclear program, supporting terrorism and helping Iran evade US and international sanctions.
Turkish national among individuals in US-led Iran sanctions
The action is part of the Obama administration’s effort to show it will enforce existing sanctions even as it works with other world powers to negotiate a deal that will curtail Iran’s nuclear program.
“Treasury’s action against over 25 entities and individuals, who are involved in expanding Iran’s proliferation program, supporting terrorism in the region and helping Iran evade US and international sanctions, reflects our continuing determination to take action against anyone, anywhere, who violates our sanctions,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said in a statement.
The Treasury said Turkey-based Pioneer Logistics is a key Mahan Air front companies that have served as intermediaries for the sanctioned Iranian airline’s acquisition of aircraft material. Mahan Air was designated in Oct. 2011 for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
Pioneer Logistics, according to the statement, acts for or on behalf of Mahan Air by receiving and purchasing aviation-related material for the designated airline. It added that in an effort to help Mahan Air evade sanctions, Pioneer Logistics has shipped aircraft parts to another US-designated Mahan Air front company, UAE-based Avia Trust, for onward delivery to Mahan Air. Mahan Air has also used Pioneer Logistics as a cutout for the repair and overhaul of aircraft parts and as a cutout to evade sanctions in order to purchase aircraft tires for its aircraft.
Another Turkish national, 39 years old Muzaffer Akbulut from eastern province of Van, was also blacklisted by the Treasury.
Americans are now generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designated parties.
Since the arrest of two journalists, Washington Post correspondent, Jason Rezaian, and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, a reporter for the UAE’s National Newspaper, the Iranian government has refused to explain why they have been arrested. Nonetheless, all surrounding circumstances indicate that their arrests fall into a very familiar pattern of detaining journalists and particularly those with dual nationalities in Iran.
Hassan Rouhani Should Facilitate the Release of Washington Post Reporter, Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi
The detention of journalists in Iran tends to result in lengthy investigations, depriving detainees of access to the outside world, keeping them in unknown places, leaking some parts of the interrogation-investigations to the media close to the intelligence services, accusing them of being a spy or working for foreign governments or agencies, and finally an attempt to bring the accused before the national TV to deliver forced confessions. In some cases journalists are sentenced to lengthy time in prison in the initial court and the authorities release them on bail shortly after.
Two such examples include the 2009 arrest of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi (resulting in her 100-day detention), and the 2009 arrest of Newsweek’s Maziar Bahari, immediately following the 2009 presidential election. In all cases, international media and governments have condemned these arrests, considering these detentions to be in clear violation of human rights statutes and demanding the release of imprisoned reporters.
The underlying reason behind arresting innocent journalists may lie within a larger battle for political clout between different factions in Iran.
By arresting independent journalists,, the Iranian judiciary and security apparatus, under the control of Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameni, manages to engender fear and intimidation among colleagues of the detained journalists thereby limiting and restricting the scope of their reporting. In doing so they also send a warning message to those international journalists traveling to Tehran regarding the consequences of impartial journalism.
Inadvertently these scare tactics serve as a message to the international community on the critical state of human rights and freedom of speech in Iran. The rampant impunity prevalent within Iranian intelligence and judicial organizations has allowed these agencies to be unaccountable for their questionable actions.
On July 22, when security agents stormed into and searched Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi’s home in Tehran, arresting the couple, Iranian officials such as the Iranian President and Foreign Ministry refrained from issuing any statement on the subject, and have maintained their silence, and judicial authorities have consistently denied having information to share, stating that their case is in preliminary investigation stages.
However, several media outlets related to the state’s unchecked security organizations have published articles waging accusations against Jason Rezaian in such detail that they appear to have access to the case files and interrogation transcripts themselves. Amongst the outlandish accusations manufactured are the claims that Jason Rezaian is a spy, and a security agent for an American organization in Iran.
Even if these were true statements, it is against Iranian law to publish the contents of interrogations of detainees in the preliminary investigation phase in the media. Doing so before the Prosecutor has indicted the suspects is a crime in and of itself. This is the case here, as the Prosecutor General himself has refrained from providing any information during his weekly press conferences for the past several weeks, in an attempt not to compromise the case in its “preliminary investigations phase.”
Impunity within the media for releasing information pertaining to interrogations in ongoing cases has also become the norm in Iran: leaking details of the interrogations to media outlets with close ties to security forces in an effort to justify the continued arrest and prosecution of journalists in Iran.
This is exactly the same thing that I experienced in 2004, when I was arrested by parallel intelligence organizations in Iran–which have since become a part of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) the formal Intelligence Bureau, a parallel intelligence institution to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. For several weeks, it wasn’t even clear where I was being detained. Like Jason Rezaian who was purportedly being kept in a secret detention center in Tehran (instead of a registered prison), my detention location was a fruit orchard in a Northern Tehran neighborhood. Although my family had no information about me for three weeks, the Intelligence Ministry interrogators kept feeding media aligned with their interests fabricated information from their interrogations, which were then published in full.
Like other detained journalists, I faced heavy charges and the lower court sentenced me to 2.5 years in prison. In the absence of a media fanfare, the appeals court (which took three years to convene) not only exonerated me from all charges, but even apologized to my lawyers for the way I was treated during my detention.
Similarly, the reformist President Mohammad Khatami, like the current President, was also powerless over the security organizations that were working parallel to his administration, but he at least reacted to the detentions. For example, in response to a letter my mother sent him asking him where her son was, he replied stating his “embarrassment” over my disappearance and promised to do his utmost to locate me. Hassan Rouhani, however, has repeatedly refrained from reacting to clear instances of human rights violations over the past year.
Although Hassan Rouhani pledged to respect human rights in his presidential campaign and has repeatedly come back to these promises since assuming office, he has maintained silence with regards to the violation of human rights by intelligence apparatus such as the IRGC Intelligence Organization. However, as the President he is responsible for enforcing the Iranian Constitution. Rouhani is in a position to issue Constitutional notices to other state branches, keeping their actions in check. Such notices are not binding, but serve to clarify the administration’s position and put pressure on those organizations that violate public liberties.
Many of Hassan Rouhani’s supporters believe that if he gives in to an all-out war with the unelected state apparatus–which is a collection of powerful military clerics and commanders as well as unaccountable judicial, and economic organizations, responsible for the country’s internal political, social, and cultural oppression –he would be putting himself in an overtly vulnerable position. In doing so he would be providing them with an opportunity to attack him, diminishing his political clout and potentially keeping him from achieving agreements in nuclear negotiations with the West.
But, the unelected state apparatus have taken advantage of Rouhani’s silence over the past year, thereby amplifying human rights violations in Iran.
An increase in the number of executions last year, the banning of several independent news publications, coupled by the arrests of pro-Rouhani journalists, and the extended ban on several civil society organizations are among the actions being carried out by state entities operating beyond Rouhani’s control and reveal Rouhani as a weak president with no power to materialize his political promises before his supporters inside and internationally.
The arrest of Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi, two international correspondents, only two months ahead of Mr. Rouhani’s September trip to New York, is a significant example of one such incident.
As a follow up to his diplomatic trip to New York last year, it has been expected that upcoming negotiations would result in significant strides towards resolving the nuclear issue as well as improving Rouhani’s image as an influential president for Iran. But given the arrest of Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi , along with several other prominent journalists, domestic issues will likely become the focal point of his interviews and encounters with the American press during his New York trip, emphasizing his inability to deliver on the commitments he made last year.
President Rouhani’s current tactic of inaction poses a grave risk to his own political goals both domestically and at the international level, given his lack of authority over organizations under direct supervision of the Supreme Leader, many of whom unabashedly criticize the nuclear negotiations, describing these as “insulting.” The president’s capacity to enforce a potential nuclear agreement, were it to be reached, has even been brought into question.
Hence, Hassan Rouhani must hold those who commit human rights violations responsible, including those who arrested Jason Rezaian and Yeganeh Salehi, taking the necessary steps to guarantee their release.
IRGC Commander Reiterates Development of Defense Capability in West Bank
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari stressed the need for enhancing the defense capability of the Palestinian resistance in the West Bank.
Statement to the Hamas of IRGC commander
The infrastructures and defense capability should develop in the West Bank, too, and the volume, range and precision of the resistance movement’s rocket should increase, General Jafari said in a congratulatory message to the people of Gaza and resistance movement groups on their victory over the Zionist regime in the 51-day Gaza war.
Mohammad Ali Jafari IRGC commander
Earlier this week, a senior commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps had said that Iran would expedite arming Palestinian resistance groups in the occupied West Bank in retaliation for the recent Israeli aggression into its airspace.
The issue of arming West Bank attracted a great deal of attention after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined the necessity for armed confrontation with the Zionist regime of Israel.
Back on July 23, Ayatollah Khamenei described the armed resistance as the only way to confront the “destructive regime” of Israel, noting, “Based on these realities, we believe that the West Bank should also be armed like Gaza and those who are interested in Palestine’s destiny should act in this regard in order to relieve Palestinians’ distress.”
Elsewhere in his congratulatory message, General Jafari reiterated that the revolutionary people of Iran and the IRGC will continue to stand by the Palestinian people and the resistance.
He described the resistance movement’s triumph in the Gaza war as a” great, everlasting glory” in the history of Islam and truth-seeking struggles of Muslims.
“Undoubtedly, this 51-day resistance of yours is a starting point for the collapse of the ruthless and child-killing Zionist regime,” the IRGC commander underscored.
This week, Gazans celebrated victory after seven weeks of resistance against the Israeli offensive against the Palestinians of the coastal enclave.
On Tuesday, Palestinian groups and Egyptian mediators confirmed that the Cairo-based talks ended in truce.
Palestinians poured into the streets of the war-torn sliver to celebrate as the Egyptian-brokered truce took effect.
People and traffic filled the streets with drivers honking horns and crowds chanting slogans.
The truce stipulates the removal of Israeli blockade as well as the provision of a guarantee that Palestinian demands will be met.
Crossings between Israel and Gaza will open and the two sides will continue holding indirect talks, according to the deal.
The Palestinian territory’s fishing zone will also be widened in the Mediterranean.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said the deal marks a victory for Palestinians and called for mass rallies in the occupied West Bank.
A total of 2,142 people, most of them civilians including more than 490 children, have been killed in Gaza since war broke out on July 8, after Israel launched an offensive on the coastal enclave of 1.8 million population.
A total of 69 people have been killed on the Israeli side, nearly all of them soldiers.
Revolutionary Guard Resumes Destruction of Baha’i Cemetery in Iran, while a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the President earlier this month – known as the “Protect Cemeteries Act” – makes this type of cemetery desecration a sanctionable religious freedom violation.
Revolutionary Guard Resumes Destruction of Baha’i Cemetery in Iran
The Guard began excavating the site in April 2014, but temporarily suspended its activity following an international outcry (Human Rights Watch 2014). The cemetery is the site of 950 Baha’i graves, including those of 10 Baha’i women who were hanged in 1983, the youngest of whom was 17 years old. In June, the Guard held a public celebration of its progress in clearing the site, which it plans to turn into a cultural and sports complex. Reports from Iran indicate that the Guard has now removed human remains from some 30 of the 50 graves in the cemetery and placed them into an open canal.
Cemetery desecration has been a common feature of the persecution of the Baha’i community in Iran, which, at 300,000 members, is the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. Over 40 Baha’i cemeteries have been attacked since 2005, with acemetery in Sanandaj, attacked and partly destroyed being vandalized and partially destroyed in December 2013 (HRANA 2013).
The Protect Cemeteries Act was sponsored by Congresswoman Grace Meng of Queens, New York, who introduced the bill after learning from her Jewish constituents about the desecration of cemeteries as a feature of religious persecution in other countries. The law adds cemetery desecration to the religious freedom violations listed in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, an act that allows the U.S. to impose penalties on countries that abuse religious freedom.
“The President signing my bill into law makes it clear that that our society will not tolerate the desecration of cemeteries wherever they occur and that includes against the Baha’i community in Iran,” said U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY). “The destruction of graves in the city of Shiraz and the removal of human remains are outrageous. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard must be held accountable for their actions, and this new law will be a vital tool towards accomplishing that goal. I thank the Baha’is of the United States for raising awareness of the desecration of cemeteries in Iran, and for highlighting how the law I sponsored can help to stop it.”
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, followers of the Baha’i Faith have been systematically persecuted through arbitrary arrest and detention, denial of access to higher education, dismissal from employment, non-recognition of marriages, and the desecration of holy places and cemeteries. Over 200 Baha’is have been killed in Iran since 1978, the majority by execution, and thousands more have been imprisoned (USCIRF Iran Report 2013).
This month, five Baha’is were arrested in Tehran, signaling a recent rise in detainments. Since June of this year, at least 14 Baha’is have been arrested and over 100 Baha’is remain imprisoned, an indicator of the persistence of systematic persecution of Iranian Baha’is by the government in spite of the election last year of President Rouhani, a self-proclaimed moderate promising to address the rights of all Iranian citizens (HRANA 2014).
House Resolution 109, currently pending in the House with 154 bipartisan cosponsors – including Congresswoman Meng – condemns the state-sponsored persecution of the Baha’i community of Iran and calls on the President and Secretary of State to impose sanctions on individual Iranian officials who are directly responsible for human rights violations, including against the Bahá’í community.
Fars news agency in Iran is reporting that the Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi in a message to the leaders of the Palestinian resistance movements, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, “felicitated them” on their recent victory in the Gaza war against Israel, and pledged that Iran would “arm resistance groups” in the West Bank with maximum power.
Iran a self declared state sponsor of terrorism
“… we will do our best with full force to arm and equip the resistance, especially in the West Bank,” GeneralNaqdi said in his message to Politburo Chief of the Palestinian Resistance Hamas Movement Khalid Mashal and Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement Ramadhan Abdullah.
The statements confirm that Iran is waging an undeclared war against Israel by arming the terrorist group Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
It also confirms that Iran is a self declared state sponsor of terrorism.
Hamas or its military wing is designated as a terrorist organization by Australia,Canada,Egypt,the European Union,Israel, Japan,the United Kingdom, and the United States, and is banned in Jordan. It is not considered a terrorist organization by Iran,Russia, Turkey,or China, South Africa, and some Arab nations.
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is a Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union,the United Kingdom,Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. Iran is a major financial supporter of the PIJ.
Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. and officials refused comment in this matter of Iran’s undeclared war against Israel and General Naqdi admission that Iran is facilitating and arming terrorist organization in Gaza, in violation of international law.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed Tuesday to an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire deal ending seven weeks of fighting. It was the 10th cease-fire in the latest military confrontation between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip. All but three of the truces lasted their planned duration before dissolving into more violence. Under the latest cease-fire agreement, border crossings between Israel and Gaza are to be opened for the transfer of humanitarian aid and reconstruction supplies.
The accord also calls for the immediate extension of Gaza’s fishing zone from three to six nautical miles.
It is unclear if the rearming of the terrorist organization Hamas and Islamic Jihad violates the terms of the negotiated cease fire. But it is clear that Iran is using that opportunity to rearm both terrorists entities.
