Iran To Put Three ‘Mossad Spies’ On Trial, Judiciary Says

Babak Paknia said that in addition to years of imprisonment, they were also banned from carrying out their professions as well as media activities. 

According to him, Mehdi Mahmoudian and Mostafa Nili were sentenced to four years in prison in addition to two years of deprivation of any form of media activities, while Nili was also sentenced to a two-year ban from his job.

Arash Kaykhosravi was sentenced to two years behind bars, one year deprivation of the right to practice law and one year ban on media activities, Mohammad Reza Faghihi was sentenced to six months in prison and Maryam Afrafraz received a 95-day imprisonment sentence. 

The group of five, who were arrested on August 15 last year and put on trial at Branch 29 of Tehran Revolutionary Court in April, has come to be called 'Defenders of Right to Health' by the media.

Ali Khamenei ruled out importing United States- and British-made Covid-19 vaccines in January 2021, arguing that the US and Uk cannot be trusted. At the time, the US-German Pfizer, US-made Moderna and the British-made AstraZeneca were the only vaccines approved internationally and available in early 2021.

The group's litigation apparently sought to establish that decisions by Khamenei, former President Hassan Rouhani, and others led to thousands of unnecessary deaths when a severe wave of infections hit Iran from June to August 2021.

The head of the Iranian Nursing Organization, Mohammad Mirzabeigi, wrote a letter to the president on Monday to express anger and disappointment about remarks by the head of Gilan Medical Sciences University, whom Raisi cited as the source of his contentious comment. 

In the letter, Mirzabeigi said that the nursing community, along with other medical staff, is at the forefront of serving the people and patients and sacrificed a lot during the Covid-19 outbreak. 

Describing nurses, physicians and paramedical personnel as the most committed forces in the country, he also called on the president to express gratitude for the efforts of the community and console the nurses and their families, many of whom have lost their loved ones on the line of duty during the pandemic. 

In addition to Mirzabeigi, social media users also reacted to Raisi’s remarks, strongly criticizing the mass layoff of nurses after the height of the Covid health crisis was over.

Moreover, reports say that with the pandemic easing about 5,000 nurses who were working under temporary contracts have been fired.

The vessels, the USS Sirocco, a patrol ship, and the USS Choctaw County, a fast transport vessel were in routine operations in international waters when three Iranian fast-attack boats came as close as 50 yards at “dangerously high speed.” The encounter lasted for an hour; sources told the Post.

The two US naval vessels issued warnings to the Iranian boats and the Sirocco eventually deployed a warning flare.

Iranian speedboats have harassed US Navy vessels on many occasions in the past but have not been met with direct fire.

Tensions have risen in the region after year-long talks to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement came to a standstill in March and Tehran received a warning for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors earlier in June for not cooperating with the UN watchdog.

Israel announced on Monday that an air defense coalition is being formed in the region with US leadership and it has already thwarted Iranian attacks.

The Revolutionary Guard navy’s move comes as Iran’s main demand at the nuclear talks is for the US to lift terrorism sanctions imposed on the entity, which is accused of supporting militant groups in the region.

The decision was made following a request by Lebanese Tourism Minister Walid Nassar, who plans to replace the ideologically-driven propaganda on the road to the Rafic Hariri International Airport with welcome signs and images of Lebanon to boost tourism.

Pictures of Hezbollah leaders as well as General Qasem Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s elite Qods (Quds) Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, have long occupied the airport road space on both sides and in the median strip. The sizes of the pictures almost exceeded that of the houses and small shops located on both sides of the road.

The airport road – which is named Imam Khomeini in tribute to the founder of the Islamic Republic – is the route taken by diplomats and political figures coming to Lebanon and borders the neighborhoods hosting the offices of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, the two main Shiite parties of the country. 

Politicians opposed to Hezbollah often called for the removal of the images, which they described as “provocative to the Lebanese.”

Earlier in the year, a large group of Lebanese politicians established a new opposition group to end what they called Iranian occupation of Lebanon represented through Hezbollah.

According to Khabar Online, this is a U-turn by Biden who has so far not been attaching importance to Washington's old allies in the region. It appears that both sides have deemed the current situation good for mending their relations.

Mohebali said in his interview with Khabar Online that the developments in Ukraine as well as the suspension of Iran's nuclear negotiations have played their parts in bringing back Washington to its old policy of close ties with Saudi Arabia. The result, said Mohebali, will be a coalition between the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia and other regional players.

During Biden's upcoming visit to the region, Israeli's will have a chance to convince Washington that returning to the JCPOA is meaningless and the US should exert more pressures on Iran, Mohebali said, while the United States could be able to convince Israel to refrain from provocative actions against Tehran.

As these concerns were being aired in Tehran, Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz told the Knesset on Monday that a regional air defense coalition is being formed with US leadership. The effort, he said, has already stopped some Iranian attacks.

This comes while the prospects for reviving the 2015 nuclear deal is becoming increasingly weaker, while Iran desperately needs to revive the JCPOA and have US sanctions lifted in a bid to improve its ailing economy.

A former member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hshmatollah Falahatpisheh, told Nameh News in an interview on June 20, that Iran will certainly be the big loser if no nuclear deal is reached.

Meanwhile, referring to Iran's defiant reactions to the June 8 IAEA resolution that condemned Tehran's lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Falahatpisheh warned that "it is not the right time for Iran to stand against the IAEA. This will make Tehran's situation even worse."

Pointing out Tehran's weak position, Falahatpisheh said: "Once we could determine our own fate at the negotiating table, but now we have to wait and see what decisions are being made by lobbyists behind the scenes at the IAEA Board of Governors.

Explaining why Iran will be the loser if the negotiations are not fruitful, Falahatpisheh said: "All the agreements Iran signs with other countries, including long-term 20-year contracts, are being concluded under sanctions, so these cannot serve Iran's interests." He added that Iran missed all the chances for a rapprochement with the United States before the war in Ukraine. Now, all countries including Russia only think of their own interests."

He criticized Iranian officials' inaction in the current situation by saying, "It is as if they do not have a good understanding of the situation and do not see the weakening of Iran's currency on a daily basis. While prices are rising, the government increases taxes and redoubles the pressure on the people."

While Falahatpisheh stressed that the government should do away with slogans and take important political decisions to solve the country's problems. Meanwhile, lawmaker Somayeh Rafiei said in an interview with Rouydad24 on Monday: "The people can hardly tolerate the situation any longer…and they

are looking for results and the government needs to introduce essential changes."