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Iran has an extremely poor human rights record.<ref>[https://iranprimer.usip.org/index.php/blog/2018/oct/04/state-department-report-6-irans-human-rights-abuses State Department Report 6: Iran's Human Rights Abuses]

''Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Balochis have faced particularly harsh crackdowns by regime security forces.'' </ref> such as Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, Azeris and Baloch.

''In recent years, especially since 2010, the state has expanded their harassment and discrimination against Christians into the internet, social media, radio and television... Since October 2010 until December 2018 Rahpoyan produced 1,818 critical views and anti-Christian items, including hate speech and incitement.''</ref>

== History ==

Iran's revolution in 1979 and the creation of an Islamic state based on [[Shariah]] law was a source of pride, inspiration and envy to [[Sunni]]s everywhere. The revolutionaries successfully deposed a Western leaning monarch and sent U.S. military personal and technicians packing.<ref>By 1970, Iran was the United States largest customer for weapons. Earnings from the oil boom after the 1953 coup were funneled into defense. Huge bases were built in the north to monitor the Soviets and along the southern coast to police the Persian Gulf. Higher paid technicians to operate the oil industry and maintain military hardware were mostly foreigners, leading to an obvious income disparity between the Shah's foreign allies and the indigenous population. This provided an opening for Soviet and Eastern bloc agitation amongst the Shi'a for revolutionary [[Marxist]] anti-[[Imperialist]] [[propaganda]] with a religious fervor. [http://ivl.8m.com/USMI.htm][http://revcom.us/a/094/iran-pt4-en.html]</ref> Initially Iran sought to export its revolution to the Gulf States and Lebanon. Iran was behind two U.S. Embassy truck bombings in Beirut and the Marine barracks bombing that killed 241 U.S. soldiers. As the Iran-Iraq war progressed, Iran concentrated its efforts to removing Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. After the war Iran began providing assistance to the radical Sunni leader Hassan al Turabi who took power in Sudan in 1989<ref>The Sudanese regime harbored Osama bin Laden and [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] in the early 1990s</ref>, and to Hamas in Gaza. The 1990s marked a period of cooperation between Sunni groups such as al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and the Shiite revolution of Iran.<ref>Bin Laden shared with Iran a desire to depose the House of Saud, and Zawahiri shared with Iran his contempt of the Egyptian regime which made peace with Israel.</ref> It organized and created Hezbollah al-Hejaz, based in Saudi Arabia, which in conjunction with al Qaeda staged the 1996 Khobar Towers attack killing 19 Americans and wounding another 372. The 9/11 Commission Report suggested<ref>9/11 COMMISSION REPORT at pp. 240-41. </ref> and a U.S. Federal judge ruled in December 2011<ref>http://iran911case.com/ </ref> Iran was a material accomplice with al Qaeda in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].

In 1989, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini ordered a fatwa<ref name=nyt-15aug2022>Jennifer Schuessler, [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/arts/salman-rushdie-free-speech.html Stabbing of Salman Rushdie Renews Free Speech Debates], ''The New York Times'', August 15, 2022.<blockquote>

[[File:Raisi.PNG|right|225px|thumb|Ebrahim "the Butcher" Raisi became president in June 2021.<ref name=dm>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9703465/Ultraconservative-Butcher-Ebrahim-Raisi-WINS-Iranian-presidential-election-rivals-concede.html Ultraconservative 'Butcher' Ebrahim Raisi who ordered thousands killed in mass executions and tortured pregnant women wins Iranian presidential election],

Gemma Parry for MailOnLine</ref>]]

====The Butcher====

''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''

''New interior minister Ahmad Vahidi sought by Interpol; the president's pick for top diplomat, Hossein Amirabdollahian, is an avowed anti-Westerner with ties to IRGC, Hezbollah.''</ref>

In Oct 2021, The lawmakers in Iran --who are even more extreme than mainstream radicals -- submitted a formal complaint was appended by a public petition that, among other allegations, accuses Rouhani of betraying Iranians through signing the nuclear deal with the world powers.

<ref>[https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/10/irans-hard-liners-push-prosecute-rouhani Iran's hard-liners push to prosecute Rouhani], Al-Monitor Staff, October 12, 2021</ref>

===Political conditions===

[[File:Shia Superpower.jpg|right|400px|thumb|Iranian ambitions to become a nuclear superpower.]]

===Genocidal===

Threatening to nuke and/or wipe off Israel of the map has been made by Iran including in 1991,<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-04-mn-23412-story.html COLUMN ONE]: Hezbollah: The Latin Connection : Bombings in Argentina and Panama prompt concern over the radical group's growing presence in the region. Experts say lax security and porous borders create a prime base for terrorists, by Tracy Wilkinson, Times Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, August 04, 1994.<blockquote>

([https://twitter.com/iranintlsport/status/1563834843338838016 2]):<blockquote>

But the question is, how is the education system in Iran that Adolf #Hitler, as one of the biggest criminals in history and the initiator of World War II, becomes a legend of a national hero?</blockquote></ref> it was asked by ''Iran International Sports '':<blockquote>how is the education system in Iran that Adolf Hitler, as one of the biggest criminals in history and the initiator of World War II, becomes a legend of a national hero?</blockquote>

====Holocaust denial====

Iran's president Raisi was blasted for questioning if Holocaust was real (in is [[CBS]] 60 Minutes interview, Sep 2022).<ref name=newsweek-19sep2022>Zoe Strozewski, [https://www.newsweek.com/iranian-president-blasted-questioning-if-holocaust-was-real-1744265 Iranian President Blasted for Questioning if Holocaust Was Real], ''Newsweek'', Sep 19, 2022.</ref>

====Racist terror====

This year marks 25 years of impunity following the terrible terrorist attack against the headquarters of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) in Buenos Aires. On July 18, 1994, following multiple warnings about the possibility of a new attack at the hands of Iran and its Hezbollah henchmen, and after the bombing in 1992 of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, a van loaded with explosives detonated in front of the building that represented the institutional heart of Judaism in Argentina. The attack left 85 civilians dead and over 300 injured of multiple nationalities. The attack is considered the worst antisemitic attack in the world since World War II. It shook Argentine society to its core and created a deep sense of vulnerability in the Jewish world at large.

Beyond the many surprising twists and turns in a case that is yet to be deciphered, and despite continuous declarations of commitment from governments that pledge to carry the investigation to its final conclusion, the Argentine government still comes up short. There have been low points, such as the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran by president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, which resulted in condemnation by the Jewish communities in Argentina and around the world, and more importantly, by the relatives of the victims. However, from the outset, evidence tampering, the slow pace with which evidence was processed, and extreme politicization have been obstacles to bringing the culprits to justice.

Nisman concluded for the first time and beyond doubt that Iranian authorities at the highest levels were the masterminds behind the attack. In 2007, during an Interpol meeting in Morocco, Nisman presented his report. After months of debate and repeated attempts by the Iranian government to sabotage the process, “red notices” were issued against five Iranian government officials.</blockquote></ref><ref>[https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/25-years-the-amia-bombing 25 Years Since the AMIA Bombing], Wilson Center, Jul. 12, 2019.<blockquote>

It has been 25 years since the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Eighty-five people were killed and hundreds wounded. Despite evidence of Iran and Hezbollah's roles in the attack, to date, no one has been held accountable. The Latin American Program's Argentina Project, in partnership with The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), hosted a public seminar discussing the anniversary of the bombing and implications for counterterrorism challenges globally.</blockquote></ref>

Panama

[Image caption,

The bombing of the Israeli-Argentine Mutual Association (Amia) Jewish community in Buenos Aires shocked the world].

The FBI suspects Jamal belonged to the same Shiite Hezbollah group that, one day earlier, had detonated a car-bomb that killed 85 people and injured hundreds of people at the headquarters of a Jewish charity in Buenos Aires, the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association.</blockquote></ref>

====Racist defemation and inciting Arabs against Jews====

According to watchdog group FakeReporter, the on-line ultra-Orthodox group "Aduk" was, in fact, an Iranian unit that sought to amplify "fear, hatred, and chaos" in Israeli society.</blockquote></ref><ref>"Iran Tried To Incite Chareidim Against Arabs," ''YWN'', February 6, 2022</ref>

===Iran's role in persecution of Mideast Christians===

Rezaei said there's still hope for the Christian communities plagued by Iran and its proxies, but a united effort by Western nations is essential. He expects that little headway can be made in the current climate, in which the Biden administration seeks to appease Iran, but "that said, it doesn't mean we should stay silent."</font></blockquote></ref>

===World domination===

Gradually since the 1980s, the Islamic Republic has been actively involved in its global spread.

In recent years it has become more emboldened.<ref>[https://www.hudson.org/research/9807-iran-takes-on-the-world Iran Takes on the World] Jamsheed K. Choksy, ''The Hudson inst.''</ref>

====Iraq====

======Attacking the U.S======

Independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts shared videos reportedly shared by Iranian civilians showing missiles being fired from Iran at the time of the attack, with at least one of the videos being geolocated to a site in Khasabad in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.</blockquote></ref> via 12 missiles, reaching near US consulate and damaging [[Kurd]]ish media offices, a journalist: 'I have not seen a united Iraq around anything for a long time... Condemnations all-over-the-map against Iran.'<ref>roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) Tweeted ([https://twitter.com/kaisos1987/status/1503066261932105733 March 13, 2022]):<blockquote>Indeed, I have not seen a united Iraq around anything for a long time. Condemnations all-over-the-map [in Iraq] against Iran following the missile attack, from Erbil to Baghdad, including the "crowner" of kings Shiite preacher Muqtada al-Sadr. Why is this interesting? Because the shooting of the Iranians takes place on days when there is some breakthrough in the contacts for the formation of the government with the participation of factions affiliated with Iran.</blockquote></ref>

It has then went back and forth, between cowardly appeasing the Iranians first then telling the truth.<ref>Farnaz Fassihi (@farnazfassihi) Tweeted ([https://twitter.com/farnazfassihi/status/1503493146860208132 Mar 14, 2022]):<blockquote>

-IntelOmarion (@IntelOmarion) Tweeted ([https://twitter.com/IntelOmarion/status/1503494582507610120 Mar 14, 2022]):<blockquote>

@farnazfassihi @EricSchmittNYT Seriously? This is extremely unprofessional and dangerous reporting. Your previous claims have only fuelled Iranian propaganda & will enable further attacks on Iraq.</blockquote></ref>

=====Persecuting pro peace, pro Israel Iraqis=====

<br>

''PBS NewsHour'', Aug 10, 2022.</ref>

====Threats====

====Lebanon====

Iran's [[Hezbollah]] has been hijacking the Lebanese and terrorize all who voice a slight criticism. It engaged in multiple assassinations. In its operations it has used its [[Human shields by terrorists|civilians]] as cannon fodders. Including storing large quantities of weapons. It has threatened the judge who investigate the August 2020 large explosion in Beirut killing over 200.

====Yemen====

Although the Middle East presence in Latin America dates back to the early 1900s, the 1979 Iranian revolution that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power firmly established the Islamic Republic’s presence in the region. Since then, Iran has used every agency within its borders to help extend Iranian tentacles into the political, cultural, economic, and military life of Latin America. Iranian operatives have even infiltrated existing Latin American criminal networks and now operate freely within them. All of this activity follows the “Pattern of Penetration” model put forth by Ilan Berman and Joseph M. Humire.</blockquote></ref>

Alex “[Saab] was a key figure in the pillaging of the national reserves, profiting off the suffering of the people and increasingly criminalizing and providing those international networks for the Maduro regime.”<ref>[https://www.csis.org/analysis/corruption-venezuela-alex-saab-case Corruption in Venezuela: The Alex Saab Case], CSIS, June 24, 2020</ref>

Iran’s ayatollahs closely collaborate with Hezbollah, the proxy of Iran’s Quds Force, which is the arm of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]] responsible for exporting the Islamic revolution. They have intensified their surge into South and Central America, from Chile (especially with the December election of President Gabriel Boric) to Mexico. They consider Latin America to be the soft underbelly of the United States.</blockquote>

====Apocalyptic motivation, goal in world domination====

An IAEA report in November 2003 provided evidence that Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), had concealed secret nuclear activities for 18 years. Under international pressure, Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement on December 18, 2003, agreeing to suspend all uranium-enrichment and reprocessing activities voluntarily, as well as cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in resolving questions regarding Iran's nuclear program. In June 2004, the IAEA rebuked Iran for failing to fully cooperate with an inquiry into its nuclear activities, and in November 2004, Iran agreed to suspend most of its uranium enrichment under a deal with the EU. That promise did not last, however, and since then concerns over Iran's nuclear activities have increased.

On June 6, 2006, the [[Peoples Republic of China]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and [[United Kingdom]] offered Iran a substantial package of economic cooperation and assistance. Tehran, however, was first required to come into compliance with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines on its nuclear program, suspending its [[uranium]] enrichment program. On July 31, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1696 on the Iranian nuclear question, requiring Iran to suspend all activities related to enrichment and reprocessing, including research and development, as demanded by the IAEA, or else face possible sanctions. Tehran defied the UN Security Council (UNSC) deadline of August 31, leading to the passage of UNSC Resolution 1636 in December 2006 and, as Iran continued to balk, Resolution 1747 in March 2007.

In May 2007, the Iranian Government charged and in some cases imprisoned a handful of innocent Iranian-American scholars, civil society actors, and journalists, accused by the regime of jeopardizing the security of the state. The international community, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private citizens joined the U.S. Government in calling for the release of the detained dual nationals, as well as Iranian cooperation in the case of missing retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, last reported on Kish Island, Iran, on March 8, 2007.

==Ethnic cleansing==

The Quds Force (Jerusalem Force) is the organization tasked with Iran's external covert, paramilitary, terrorist and intelligence functions. Quds Force also carries out some [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] functions.<ref>http://citizenship.typepad.com/isebrandcom/2013/10/perhaps-the-most-important-military-leader-opposing-the-us-who-youve-never-heard-of.html </ref> As the name implies, the Jerusalem Force was organized to capture [[Jerusalem]] from Israel. Its leader answers directly to the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as of 2021.

===In Syria===

West Balochistan was invaded and annexed by Iran in 1928. <ref>[https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/180927/31c68a20991b5a98b0dece4fd929c9c8.pdf The Baluch insurgency: linking Iran to Pakistan], ''The Sistan and Baluchistan Province of Iran has long been associated with instability and armed conflict.'' NOREF (PDF)</ref>

Some shouting: "Death To The Islamic Republic! Death To The Dictator!"<ref><i>Violent Clashes, Protests Continue In Iran After Death Of Woman At Hands Of Morality Police For 'Improperly' Wearing Her Headscarf: Be Wary Of The Day When We Have Weapons! Khamenei, We Will Bury You! Death To The Islamic Republic! Death To The Dictator!</i>

<br>

[https://www.memri.org/tv/violent-clashes-protests-continue-iran-mahsa-amini-killed-morality-police-improperly-worn-headscarf-death-khamenei Memri], Sep 19, 2022</ref>

As it spread to some 80 cities,<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62994003.amp Iran police battle protesters in Tehran as unrest over woman's death spirals], ''BBC'', Sep 22, 2022.</ref> the [[IRGC]] warned the protesters.<ref>[https://www.iranintl.com/en/202209229946 Iran’s Guards Break Their Silence, Warn Protesters], Sep 22, 2022</ref> The Mullahcracy employed its own "protesters" marches, who called to execute the demonstrators, which they called, "the enemy."<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-army-says-it-will-confront-enemies-protests-rage-2022-09-23/ Iranian state-organised marchers call for execution of protesters], ''Reuters'', Sep 23, 2022. [https://www.reuters.com/resizer/z4toa2cylOQehp0ndGcgN83Kyjo=/1080x0/filters:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/4ZYM3SQMDFPF3CO4IE44RPZDMI.jpg]<blockquote>

Summary

DUBAI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - State-organised rallies took place in several Iranian cities on Friday to counter nationwide anti-government unrest triggered by the death of a woman in police custody, with marchers calling for the execution of "rioters".

The pro-government marches followed the strongest warning yet from authorities when the army said it would confront "the enemies" behind the unrest - a move that could signal the kind of crackdown that has crushed protests in the past.</blockquote></ref>

==Further reading==