NCRI – A third member of the Iranian regime Revolutionary Guard has been killed in fighting in the Iraqi city of Samera, the Iranian state-run media has reported.
Kamal Shirkhani was killed on Saturday in recent fighting with Iraqi militants.
Burial ceremony in Iran for IRGC member killed fighting in Iraq
Iranian pilot Colonel Shoja’at Alamdari Mourjani was also killed last week following reports from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies that Iranian Su-25 fighter jets had arrived in Iraq to provide air support for Iraq’s fight against Sunni militants.
IISS analysts said serial numbers on the Russian-built aircraft from Iran, seen on a video produced by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, correspond with numbers known to be part of the Iranian regime’s air force.
Meanwhile, a citizen of Pakistan who was killed in Iraq was buried last week in Iranian city of Qum. Javid Hossein was leaving in Qum before being dispatched to Iraq by IRGC.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces General Hassan Firouzabadi lashed out at Saudi Arabia for supporting Takfiri terrorist groups in Iraq, and said Riyadh’s support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant will backfire soon.
“If the ISIL win, they will definitely continue their offensive against Saudi Arabia,” General Firouzabadi said on Friday.
He described ISIL as a brainchild of the US and UK governments, established to get “revolutionary Muslim youths” killed in Syria and Iraq.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces General Hassan Firouzabadi
Firouzabadi stated that Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to let ISIL militants destroy Iraq.
“This (ISIL) is also a serious threat, even bigger than Israel,” he said.
ISIL is a Takfiri extremist group which has its roots in the insurgency against the US-led invasion on Iraq in 2006, and was later developed to a bigger group in Syria in 2012.
The group is known to be responsible for mass murders and extremist acts of violence across Syria and Iraq.
ISIL leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who was a detainee at US Bucca prison in 2005, has announced himself as the caliph of the Muslim world.
SIOUXCITYJOURNAL– DES MOINES | The fate of the Argosy Sioux City riverboat casino could be determined in a Des Moines courtroom Thursday.
District Judge Eliza Ovrom late last month granted Argosy a brief reprieve, allowing the casino to remain open until Thursday, when she hears final arguments in the Argosy’s appeal of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s order to close the casino.
The hearing is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. in Polk County District Court. At stake is the future of the casino and its 260 workers.
The Argosy Casino-Sioux City is shown June 20. A Polk County judge will hear final arguments Thursday in the riverboat’s appeal of state officials’ closure order.
Under the IRGC’s order, the casino was to close on July 1 before Ovrum allowed it to stay open an extra 10 days. The day before Ovrum’s June 26 order, the IRGC denied Argosy’s request to remain open until at least Aug. 1, the scheduled opening date of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City downtown.
Ovrum has said that she expects to reach a final decision before Aug. 1.
The IRGC on April 17 had ordered the closure, claiming the Argosy is in violation of a state law that requires casino operators to partner with licensed nonprofit groups that hold the license and also share in a portion of the casino revenues for distribution to charities.
Argosy’s longtime nonprofit, Missouri River Historical Development, refused to sign off on an application for a license renewal after the contract between the two parties expired in July 2012. MRHD in April 2013 was granted a gaming license with Sioux City Entertainment, the developers of the land-based Hard Rock casino at Third and Water streets.
If Ovrum rules against Argosy, the operator could appeal the decision to the Iowa Supreme Court.
If she rules in Argosy’s favor, the stay on the casino’s closure likely would be extended, allowing it to stay open until she rules in a related, but separate, case in which Argosy’s parent, Penn National Gaming Co., is seeking to have the court overturn or vacate a series of IRGC actions that led to the five-member commission awarding the gaming license to MRHD and Sioux City Entertainment, which beat out Penn and another applicant.
Final arguments in that case are scheduled for Sept. 26 in Des Moines.
HRANA News Agency – The doctors at Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj say Latif Hasani is in critical condition on day 50 of his hunger strike.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Latif Hasani started his hunger strike in protest at violation of political prisoners’ rights, violation of separating prisoners according to their charges, harassment of political prisoners’ families and also, legal rights of prisoners, including the right of being transferred to the city of residence, since May 18th, in central prison of Tabriz.
Dr. Latif Hasani, the secretary general of Yeni-GAMOH
After a while he was transferred from Tabriz central prison to quarantine ward of Evin prison and then to ward number 10 of Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, but he refuses to break his strike until being transferred to the special section of political prisoners.
Today, 6th of July, is the 48th day that Dr. Latif Hasani, the secretary general of Yeni-GAMOH, is on hunger strike. The physicians of the Rajai Shahr prison, after transferring him to clinic and analyzing his electrocardiography report, has stated that his condition is critical and asked him to break his strike. The physician stated that his heart’s condition is very dangerous and asked for a disclaimer note. Latif Hasani has refused their demand and insisted that he will not break his hunger strike until he will be transferred to the political prisoners’ ward, and added that in case of any incident, the prison chief and the authorities that are opposing his legal right will be responsible”. Wrote her wife in a letter a copy of which has been given to HRANA
Latif Hasani was arrested along with Mahmoud Fazli, Shahram Radmehr, Ayat Mehrali Baiglou and Behboud Gholizadeh in 2013.
Each of them have been sentenced to 9 years in prison.
RTT News_There are no indications that Iran has regular military forces on the ground inside Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during a news conference Tuesday.
We know that there are some Iranian operatives — Quds Force operatives — inside Iraq that are training and advising some Iraqi security forces, but more critically, Shia militia,” Kirby said. “And we also know that Iran has flowed in some supplies, arms and ammunition, and even some aircraft for Iraq’s armed forces,” he added.
The Quds Force is a special branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, responsible for operations outside of Iran.
Pentagon Press Secretary, John Kirby
Iraq has the right to reach out to its neighbors for support, the admiral said, but he made it clear that the United States is not going to coordinate its military activities with Tehran.
The Defense Department would like anyone who is getting involved in the situation in Iraq “to take the same approach that we’ve taken, which is, don’t do anything to further inflame the sectarian tensions,” Kirby said.
The situation in Iraq is complicated, he noted, and the United States is taking a “measured, deliberate approach” by dividing U.S. forces between two missions: diplomatic security and assessment of the cohesiveness of Iraqi security forces. About 640 troops are divided between the two missions, Kirby said.
The assessment mission includes six teams, based mostly in and around Baghdad, and two joint operations centers — one in Baghdad and one in Irbil, the admiral said. Manned and unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance flights have increased sharply since the assessment first started, from an initial 30 to 35 daily sorties to about 50 now, he said.
The assessments are nearing the end of their initial phase, which was expected to take two to three weeks, Kirby said.
It’s almost done. The assessments will come up, and then leadership will get a chance to take a look, and we’ll go from there,” he told reporters.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri condemned the Israeli regime’s brutal attacks on the defenseless Palestinian people, and warned that Palestine is on the verge of the 3rd Intifada.
“The current events and incidents in the occupied territories and the positions and remarks made by the Zionist officials in reaction to the reescalation of the wrath and hatred of the Palestinian society as well as the range of the defensive and retaliating measures of the resistance forces have made the leaders of the fake and occupying (Israeli) regime feel desperate and frightened,” Jazayeri said on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri
He said that the recent grisly murder of a Palestinian boy by the Israelis has provoked the world public opinion against the Zionists.
Predicting that important and decisive developments are waiting for the Palestinian society, Jazayeri said, “The trend of the developments in the occupied territories shows this reality more than anything else that Palestine is on the threshold of the third Intifada and taking a hard revenge from the Zionist regime.”
Three Israelis suspected in the murder of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy, whose charred and maimed body was found in a forest outside Jerusalem last week, reportedly confessed to the killing on Monday.
The teenager, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was reportedly burned alive by Jewish right-wing extremists.
Over the weekend, violent clashes broke out in East Jerusalem and the West Bank between heavily armed Israeli security forces and stone-throwing Palestinians. On Monday, the military wing of Hamas vowed retaliation against Israeli targets after Israeli air strikes reportedly killed seven Palestinians in Gaza.
The Iranian state-controlled Tasnim News Agency repeated Tehran’s false statements of “support for unity and calm in Iraq,” and its claims that it “does its utmost to maintain security in the region through collective efforts by all regional countries.” In fact, Iran has unilaterally supported the Maliki government in Iraq, in much the same way that it has done for the Assad regime in Syria. Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani is widely reported as being the most powerful man in Iraq during the current conflict.
Despite this, Iran’s denials of involvement have been ongoing. However, on Saturday Iranian state media acknowledged that an Iranian fighter pilot had been killed in Iraq. The Atlantic Sentinel points out that this confirmation of the presence of Iranian fighters comes in addition to earlier reports by the BBC that Iran had supplied fighter jets for Iraqi use.
With no reasonable doubts in mind about the presence of Iranian forces and extensive Iranian influence on Maliki’s Iraq, Derek Harvey and Michael Pregent comment on the situation in an editorial at CNN.com. They caution the US against letting the Iraqi prime minister hold onto power, saying, “If al-Maliki can survive the next few weeks in power, he will probably feel free to take harsh measures against the Sunni Arab community, as he believes that he is free of U.S. constraints for the first time.”
But the editorial goes on to warn that even getting rid of Maliki will not get rid of Iranian influence. Rather, Tehran is in a position to see that Maliki is replaced with someone equally aligned with Iranian interests, which include the continued marginalization of Sunnis, Kurds, and others. The authors conclude:
The reality is that Tehran will not permit the steps necessary for fundamental constitutional reforms, power-sharing and checks on the Prime Minister’s control over the security forces and intelligence apparatus. Tehran will see any such reforms as limits on Iranian influence, something the Iranians will not let happen.”
TEHRAN (FNA)- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei stressed the Iranian nation and Armed Forces’ preparedness to defend the country, and said the enemies will never dare to take military action against Iran.
In a meeting with senior Iranian officials on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Israel’s military threats against Iran are constantly repeated but the United States prevents Tel Aviv from launching a strike.
Ayatollah Khamenei, In a meeting with senior Iranian officials
The reason for the US’ prevention (of an Israeli attack against Iran) is that (it) does not see the attack affordable and we also strongly emphasize that a military attack on the Islamic Republic is not affordable for any one,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that arrogant powers have no more options against Iran except for military threats and sanctions.
“Enemy’s hand is empty in both fields of sanctions and threats,” the Leader said.
Iran’s Leader stressed that the enemies have so far failed to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In relevant remarks in February, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan underlined that the Iranian Armed Forces will give an inconceivable response to any possible enemy aggression, adding that the threatening remarks of the US officials cannot prevent the country from continuing its nuclear fuel production.
The Iranian Armed Forces are an intertwined and coherent complex which can give a decisive response to any threat at any level and any place under the command of the Commander-in-Chief (Ayatollah Khamenei),” Dehqan said in Tehran, addressing the defense ministry personnel on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
NCRI – At least seven members of the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards Corp who have been killed fighting against Syrian people have been buried in a number of cities across Iran.
Three IRGC members, Reza Mirzaei, Abbas Alizadeh and Seyed Hossein Mousavi were buried in the northeastern city of Mashhad on July 3.
Another IRGC member identified as Amanullah Shirali was buried in city of Kashan on June 28.
An Afghan citizen, Najibollah Moradi, member the Iranian regime’s Quds Force was buried in southern city of Shiraz on June 25. Another IRGC member was buried along with him but his identity has not been revealed.
Heshamtollah Soharbi was buried in southwestern province of Ilam on June 25.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi said the US has sent a number of former Guantanamo inmates to Iraq to fight alongside the terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“Those who have given up their belief in the US Guantanamo prison under hard torture and extreme psychological pressures today are committing crimes in Iraq alongside the ISIL members, operating as US mercenaries without being paid,” Naqdi said, addressing Sunni clerics and scholars in Iran’s Western province of Kermanshah on Monday.
His remarks came after Spanish police arrested eight people in pre-dawn raids in Madrid in June against a jihadist recruitment network led by a former Guantanamo Bay inmate, Lahcen Ikassrien, a 46-year-old Moroccan, the government said.
Iran’s Basij Commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi
The cell found and dispatched recruits for the ISIL militants based in Syria and Iraq, the ministry said
Elsewhere, Naqdi referred to the remarks made by a number of Iraqi Kurdistan region’s officials about holding an independence referendum to secede from Iraq, and reminded them of the crimes that the Baathists (some of them now fighting alongside the terrorists in Iraq) committed against Kurdish people in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988).
If those people who have overlooked this situation don’t wake up, they will come to regret. Have they forgotten the crimes that this group of people (the former Baathists) have committed against Halabcheh people.”
The Islamic State has formed a loose alliance of sorts with other Sunni radicals in Iraq as well as former members of Saddam’s Baath Party, which has provided extra muscle to their assault.
Yet, recent reports by the western media, including Reuters, said cracks are already showing in the loose alliance of ISIL and fellow Sunni forces, suggesting the natural frictions that exist between the jihadists and other factions will inevitably grow.
