EU Expands Iran Sanctions as 10 New Persons and Entities Targeted

His claim contrasts the realities observed during Raisi's tenure, where dozens of professors were either dismissed or forcibly retired under a systematic suppression of academic freedom under his rule.

Compounding the situation, reports from the period detail the firing and enforced retirement of professors who did not align with the government’s ideologies. In several instances, affected professors took to publishing documents online that evidenced their dismissals or suspensions, bringing to light the oppressive tactics employed by Raisi’s administration.

Further underscoring the severity of government interference, the secretary of the union of Iran’s university professors announced earlier this month that the Ministry of Science had been effectively sidelined. According to the secretary, decision-making for Iranian universities had been usurped by various other state-controlled security entities.

Karen Abrinia remarked that government interventions at universities have alarmingly increased. Since the onset of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022, it is estimated that about 200 university professors have faced severe restrictions from pay freezes to being forced to sign apologies for supporting protests and pledging loyalty to the regime.

President Ebrahim Raisi, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials, died in a helicopter crash over the weekend, prompting some nations such as Turkey to announce a period of mourning.

"We do not accept the declaration of national mourning for a leader whose hands are stained with the blood of countless innocents," the statement from the Long Live our Theater Initiative read.

Moreover, the group expressed significant concern over the impact of the mourning period on the cultural sector. "Our biggest worry is the cancellation of numerous art and entertainment events across the country under the guise of national mourning. It is unacceptable to stifle artistic expression with such bans," they argued.

The statement concluded, "Declaring national mourning for a misogynist and bloodthirsty leader not only tarnishes our cultural values but also disrupts the customary social life. Art is a social necessity, not merely an activity, and it is an indispensable element of our lives."

“It is highly inappropriate for the United States to express condolences for an individual that was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department and has extensive connections to terrorism,” the GOP members said in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were killed on May 19, when the helicopter they were traveling in reportedly crashed over East Azerbaijan in Iran.

The exact circumstances of the crash are not yet clear.Often called the “Butcher of Tehran” Raisi sat on a “Death Commission” in 1988 whereby he persecuted and signed off on the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Iranian dissidents.

Following the news of the deaths of the two officials, Iranians, both within the country and abroad, took to social media to express their jubilation.

Many shared videos of themselves dancing and cheering, and in some parts of Iran, fireworks were set off in celebration.In response, the authorities in Iran have since begun a campaign of threats and arrests of dissidents and their families, as revealed by Iran International this week.

In their letter, posted on X by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, the Republican members pointed out that in 2019, Raisi was added to the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, which targets terrorists and criminals with sanctions like asset freezes and business bans. They note that Raisi remained on the list under the Biden administration due to his extensive criminal behavior and call the decision to express condolences for such an individual "shameful."

“President Raisi was a despotic tyrant whose rule directly led to the murder of thousands of innocent individuals and the maiming, repression, and subjugation of the Iranian people,” the lawmakers wrote demanding a “full explanation” by June 5.

In a post on X, Representative Peter Stauber, who also signed the letter, rebuked the condolences, saying that offering them “for the death of this monster is a new low for this Administration.

”Separately on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended his department's decision to express "official condolences" to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, calling it the "normal course of business."

"We expressed official condolences as we’ve done when countries — adversaries, enemies, or not — have lost leaders.”

"It changes nothing about the fact that Mr. Raisi was engaged in reprehensible conduct, including repressing his own people for many years," Blinken said.

\In addition to his involvement in human rights abuses in 1988, the letter detailed Raisi's actions during the 2009 Green Movement crackdown, and his support for other violent crackdowns on protests, such as those following the 2022 death of Mahsa Jina Amini.

The German ARD news crew was targeted while filming buses that had brought pro-regime participants to the capital. According to a foreign reporter covering the funeral, there was no apparent provocation that justified the assault by Raisi's mourners.

“It remains unclear what narrative might have incited such anger among the attendees,” the reporter stated, highlighting the arbitrary nature of the aggression.

Iranian security forces intervened only to scrutinize the credentials of the journalists rather than address the hostility they faced. The action raises serious concerns about the freedom and safety of the press within Iran, as well as the government’s tacit endorsement of such attacks.

Some individuals aligned with the government circulated videos featuring chants against the reporters outside the Espinas Hotel, where they were staying. The videos portrayed the German journalists as “deceptive” in their reporting intentions, attempting to discredit their professional integrity.

According to the government supporters, the journalists aimed to falsely portray a low turnout at the funeral, an accusation that underscores the regime’s sensitivity to international perceptions.

Although the German Chancellor extended condolences to Iran over the death of the infamous president, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed solidarity with the Iranian people, particularly supporting the women of Iran, who continue to face systemic repression under the current regime.

Whistleblowers reportedly told Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, according to a Fox News. Grassley also posted a news release on his senate website exposing the allegations

Gabriel Noronha, a former Special Advisor to the US State Department on Iran from 2019-2021, posted portions of the letters Grassley, R-Iowa, and Johnson, R-Wis sent to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Attorney General Merrick Garland, on social media.

The Whistleblowers’ emails reveal John Kerry blocked the FBI and DOJ from arresting Iranian terrorists and agents on US soil in order to protect his Iran deal.

There are reports that Grassley and Johnson received unclassified and legally protected whistleblower disclosures revealing what they alleged as "then-Secretary of State John Kerry actively interfered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executing arrest warrants on individuals in the US illegally supporting Iranian efforts, including financial efforts, to develop weapons of mass destruction and its ballistic missile program."

This allegedly took place in the backdrop of crucial talks and dealings for the Iran nuclear deal when the Obama-Biden administration vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The senators alleging then-Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly halted FBI arrests of high- risk Iranians during negotiations with Tehran.

Grassley has been a known critic and skeptic of the Iran nuclear deal, stating publicly that it would not increase national security in the US.

According to senators, Grassley and Johnson, "the records show that Justice Department and FBI leadership, to include then-Attorney General Lynch and then-FBI Director Comey, failed to take the necessary steps to stop Kerry’s obstructive efforts against law enforcement."

In the letter, it's alleged that "unclassified FBI email records from August 25, 2017, detailed at least eight instances connected to the Iran deal where the “FBI/DOJ/USG could have moved forward with the cases but the State Department chose to block them.”

It's alleged by the senators that records indicate that in six of these instances, the FBI lost the opportunity to arrest the main subject.

One of the men, according to the email, was “on the Terrorism Watch List” and another “returned to Iran.”

"The email further says that in another instance the State Department “blocked [FBI’s] plan to arrest while the subject was mid-flight and the subject was forced to leave the US immediately upon arrival," according to the letter uncovered by Fox News.

Grassley wrote that the failure to arrest was due to "political reasons."

An email from May 3, 2016, described tensions between the AG Loretta Lynch and Kerry, stating that "Kerry packed up his stuff and rushed out without engaging with the AG at all. ”

Grassley and Johnson wrote that the records provided to their office reportedly show that the "Obama/Biden administration’s State Department, under the leadership of John Kerry, actively and persistently interfered with FBI operations pertaining to lawful arrests of known terrorists, members of Iranian proliferation networks, and other criminals providing material support for Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

"The records also show that DOJ and FBI leadership apparently allowed it to happen until the Trump administration altered course."

Iran International has reached out to the FBI and US State Department for comment.