Political prisoners condemn Iran regime aggression in Yemen

A group of political prisoners in Iran issued a statement condemning the meddling and aggressions of the clerical regime in Yemen.

The statement by the political prisoner who are being held in Gohardasht Prison in the city of Karaj described the ‘the war and violence in Yemen’ as a definite consequence of the West’s policy of appeasement’ towards the Iranian regime which refer to as Daesh (IS) ruling Iran.

The statement which was published in a number of Persian language websites said: “The war and violence in Yemen is a definite consequence of the appeasement policy by the Obama administration vis-à-vis the aggressive policies of the Daeshs ruling Iran throughout the region.”

The statement added: “This ludicrous and contradictory policy of the government of the United States has led the regime ruling Iran to abuse the power vacuum in the Middle East and to now engulf the region in total violence, insecurity and war.”

White House facing pressure to confront Iran regime

As chaos and bloodshed have spread in the Middle East the White House is facing heavy pressure from its traditional Sunni Arab allies, Congress and some in the U.S. military to confront Iran more forcefully over its support for militant groups, the Washington Post reports.

Although the U.S. has supported the Saudi-led attacks in Yemen with intelligence and logistical help, and in Iraq, has pressured Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to disentangle Iranian-backed groups from government forces in exchange for the firepower of U.S. warplanes over the city of Tikrit, the critics of Administration believe the push to confront the Iranian regime has come too late.

Some former senior U.S. military commanders, meanwhile, said they have been warning for years of the need to do more to deal with what they see as Iran’s efforts to sow chaos through its armed proxies, the Post reported.

Ret. Marine Gen. James Mattis, who oversaw U.S. forces in the Middle East from 2010 to 2013, was among the most insistent voices inside the U.S. military pushing for a policy focused on punishing Iran and its proxies.

Former defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss policy deliberations has said that Mattis ‘pressed for more covert actions to capture or kill Iranian operatives, especially after the foiled 2011 plot by Iran to kill the Saudi ambassador at a Washington restaurant.’

According to the Washington Post, 'Middle East experts said the Obama administration’s efforts to avoid wading into sectarian civil war has unnerved the closest U.S. allies and emboldened Iran.'

“A vacuum was created that Iran exploited,” Martin Indyk, executive vice president of the Brookings Institution and Obama’s former Middle East envoy, wrote in an e-mail. “Now we have to make a choice. Not taking a stand in Syria was the original mistake that helped to open the gates of hell.”

Iran will not give up nuclear bomb: Maryam Rajavi

In an interview with a German daily Mrs Maryam Rajavi , the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran ( NCRI ) warned that mullahs in Tehran will not give up the nuclear bomb. She also warned against the Iranian regime’s increasing interference in the neighboring Iraq.


“The mullahs’ regime has never been a reliable negotiating partner and it cannot be one. This is a proven fact. We have been witnessing 30 years of concealment and deception. The Iranian Resistance divulged a secret nuclear site just in the midst of the recent talks. I think this regime will never give up its nuclear program, voluntarily,” she said in the interview published on March 6 in West Dutche Allgemeine Zeitung.
“Given the present policy of the West, especially the US, they will never forget about the nuclear bomb. They have been continuing their project to this very day, because they feel the price they pay for not abiding by international laws is much too small. This regime must be compelled through international pressure and sanctions to fully implement the UN Security Council resolutions, fully halt its enrichment activities, and accept intrusive inspections.”
On the growing interference by the Iranian regime in Iraq, Mrs Rajavi said: “Unfortunately, as a result of the wrong policy of the US and the West, the hegemony in Iraq has fallen into the hands of the Iranian regime step by step since 2003. With the fall of Nouri Al-Maliki this influence was undermined to a great extent, but the only solution for Iraq and the first step in any attempt to solve the problem of Islamic fundamentalism is the eviction of Iran’s regime from Iraq.”
“The militias are fully under the control and command of the Iranian regime. They have an extremely destructive role. Under the name of fighting ISIS, they have carried out the genocide of the Sunni populace. This is a crime against humanity and fuels the Shiite-Sunni sectarian war for years to come.

Iran news in brief, 27 March 2015

Soccer skills " in heels, " Ladies

Argentine Foreign Minister Says Nisman Accusations Are “Made Up”

GUATEMALA CITY – Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said that accusations of a cover-up leveled by deceased Prosecutor Nisman against President Cristina Fernandez are all “made up,” after an Argentine court ratified dismissal of the case.

Timerman spoke on Thursday during a visit to Guatemala.

The case against Fernandez filed by Nisman alleged her involvement in a cover-up of links between Iran and terrorists responsible for a 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building which left 85 dead.

Nisman was found dead in his home, under circumstances still not clear, four days after filing the case and on the eve of an appearance before Congress to outline his case, which also implicated Timerman in the cover-up.

“There is nothing of the kind denounced by Nisman, all that is said is totally false. All the dialogues attributed to me do not exist; the meetings that they say happened, never happened,” said Timerman.

He insisted that the Argentine government wants to resolve the bombing case, the country’s worst terrorist attac

With Yemen strikes, Saudi stakes claim as regional powerhouse

AFP - 27 March 20 15 - The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen is aimed at marking the kingdom’s territory in the face of Iran’s rising regional influence, analysts say.
Backed by a coalition of Arab allies, Saudi Arabia launched air strikes this week against Shiite Huthi rebels who had been advancing on President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s stronghold of Aden in southern Yemen.
Hadi fled to Aden last month after escaping house arrest in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, which the Huthis seized last year.



Supported by the West and Sunni Gulf Arab monarchies, Hadi’s government has accused Tehran of backing the rebels in a bid to extend its influence in Yemen.
As the main powers on the opposite sides of Islam’s Sunni-Shiite divide, Saudi Arabia and Iran are vying for influence in countries across the region.
But for the Saudis, the possibility of a Tehran-backed Shiite minority seizing control of its southern neighbour was cause for enough concern to move beyond rhetoric and proxies, analysts say.
The intervention was 'a last-minute move to prevent Yemen from becoming an Iranian colony,' said Antoine Basbous, head of the Paris-based Observatory of Arab Countries.
'The kingdom had no choice but to intervene,' said London-based analyst Abdelwahab Badrkhan, adding that the intervention marked a 'revival' of Saudi influence among Gulf Arab states, who have increasingly been charting their own path.
Saudi fears of a pro-Iran Yemen are shared by its fellow Sunni Arab nations, in particular Egypt whose air force and navy are taking part in the operation.
Cairo has even said it is prepared to send troops to take part in the operation, though there has been no indication yet from Saudi Arabia of a ground offensive.
While impoverished and lacking in natural resources, Yemen is strategically located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, along key shipping routes.
The Huthi advance in southern Yemen was threatening not only Aden but the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital corridor through which much of the world’s maritime trade passes.
Nearly 40 percent of global maritime trade is estimated to pass through the strait, much of it on its way to and from theSuez Canal .
Saudi analyst and writer Khaled Batarfi said the kingdom’s new ruler -- King Salman, who took over after the death of his brother King Abdullah in January -- had laid the groundwork for the intervention.
'This was the first time that King Salman faced such a challenge and found himself forced to use military force,' he said.
But 'this was not decided hastily, it was preceded by Arab coordination,' he said.