UK Turns Counter-Terrorism Attention To Iran, Russia And China

Thea Candler, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration made the remarks in Tokyo on Thursday, adding that “Russia has turned to other countries, if you can imagine the partners of Iran and North Korea, to fill certain gaps in their purchases that have been created by the fact that our products are leaving the Russian market.”

“We know that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine to kill civilians,” stressed Candler.

The G7 countries are discussing the imposition of sanctions on Iranian, Chinese and North Korean companies involved in the transfer of technology and chips to Russia. The G7 wants to coordinate a package of sanctions by February 24.

US media had previously reported that some American microcircuits were used in the structure of Iranian drones that were delivered to Russia.

Russia had previously said it would increase microchip production but reports in late 2022 indicated it had failed to achieve such goal.

Washington also insists that no US-made chips should be used in devices such as Chinese-made computers and smartphones.

Last month, China initiated a dispute against the US at the World Trade Organization over Washington’s sweeping semiconductor export curbs.

Washington on Wednesday aligned itself with a UN statement placing Adel in Iran.

"I advise the officials of the White House to stop the failed game of Iran-phobia, making news about the leader of Al-Qaeda and linking him to Iran is laughable," Amir-Abdollahian wrote.

Seif al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces officer who is a high-ranking member of al Qaeda with a $10 million US bounty on his head, is now the "uncontested" leader of the militant group, according to a new U.N. report on the organization.

The US State Department said Wednesday it aligned with UN assessments that Seif al-Adel is based in Iran.

Adel was indicted and charged in November 1998 by a US federal grand jury for his role in the bomb attacks on the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya that killed 224 civilians and wounded more than 5,000 others.

Following the African bombings, the former Egyptian army lieutenant colonel moved to southeastern Iran, where he lived under the protection of the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, according to the US State Department's Rewards for Justice program.

He and other Al Qaeda leaders were placed under house arrest in April 2003 by Iran, which released him and four others in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who was kidnapped in Yemen.

Report by Reuters

The chief prosecutor of Iran's Khorasan Razavi province, Mohammad-Hossein Doroudi, still refrains from naming the club but according to reports the scandal took place at a sports school in the religious city of Mashhad called “Namazgozaran,” literally meaning the ones who pray. The number of arrested whistleblowers is more than the suspects in the case. He did not mention whether or when a court session took place for the case.

The two journalists who broke the news were banned from work for six months, which is exactly the sentence given to the coach, who is accused by the families of the boys of sexually abusing their children and – according to unconfirmed reports – filming them. Another journalist and an official of the city’s Sports and Youth Organization were also given sentences over the case. 

The prosecutor has not elaborated on the case and the sentences, as is the norm in the Islamic Republic when the scandal is very big or when the accused are connected to high-ranking officials. 

The prosecutor, who had earlier warned the families not to speak to the media, said, "According to the investigation, no document and proof of physical assault by the coach at this football school has been presented to the judicial system and nothing has been proven." But he did not explain why the caich was suspended for six months. 

In January, Sports Minister Hamid Sadjadi said he had ordered an investigation following reports of sexual abuse. According to the Iranian official news agency, IRNA, a former media manager for the Shahr Khodro football team said on social media in January that the parents of 15 trainees from had filed a complaint against the club and coaches for sexual assault on their children. 

The incident made it to the media when Shahrara daily, which is affiliated to Mashhad municipality, reported that “families of the children had gathered in front of the headquarters of the provincial football organization to protest this tragedy.” Since there was no follow-up by the authorities, the families were forced to publicize the case through the media, the daily added.

During a press conference late in January, Judiciary Spokesman Masoud Setayeshi, who was asked about the case, said, "We are investigating what is the motive for publishing such news."

Sexual abuse has made football schools a serious threat for children and teenagers. Reports say even some mothers of the children receive sexual offers from the coaches and officials of these schools.

Reza Torabian, a former football player, had earlier said that “Some officials of football schools ask the single moms to have sex in return for letting their kids play in famous teams.”

Sexual abuse of minors in football schools and other institutions is usually not reported by officials, but in the last two decades, Iranian media have published numerous reports of such cases.

100%

One of the cases that was internationally covered was the case of Supreme Leader’s "favorite Quran reciter" Saeed Toosi, who was accused of "sexually abusing underage trainees." In October 2016, reports revealed that Toosi sexually abused 19 of his prepubescent Quran students over the past years.

The Islamic Republic authorities usually prefer to detain journalists who spill the beans in scandalous cases, as they did in the case of Mahsa Amini’s death in hijab police custody, an event that triggered the ongoing antiregime protests. The current wave of rallies has been described as the boldest challenge against the clerical regime so far. In a new book, two Iranian academics argue that Iranians have lost trust in the regime, which is perceived as inefficient and mired in discriminatory behavior.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday in Toronto, and Margaret Atwood, a Canadian writer and poet, presented the International Press Freedom Award to these two journalists in absentia.

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression supports those who show courage in seeking and reporting the truth.

For more than 40 years, the CJFE has championed free media and the role it plays in creating a just and equitable society. The organization supports and upholds the rights of all global citizens to hold leaders to account, to ask hard questions, and to use their voices to speak the truth.

Shahram Rafizadeh, an Iranian journalist, received the award on behalf of the two journalists symbolically.

While Hamedi and Mohammadi are imprisoned for first publishing reports about the death and funeral of Mahsa Amini, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian recently claimed in an interview with America’s National Public Radio that no journalist was arrested during Iran protests.

According to the latest reports by the Iranian Journalists Association, several reporters who were arrested at the beginning of the protests, are still in prison. In total, nearly 70 journalists were arrested.

Axios quoted two EU officials on Wednesday as saying that the European Union is expected to impose sanctions on seven entities connected to the IRGC that the bloc believes are involved in the delivery of drones to Russia for its war against Ukraine.

According to the report, one senior EU official stated the bloc is "much more concerned" about Tehran’s weapons support for Moscow than it was before.

"The IRGC is much more the focus than it used to be, and there is a real change of mindset."

The sources also noted that the package of sanctions was formally presented on Wednesday in a meeting of the European Commission.

“The package includes sanctions against the IRGC Aerospace Force, which the bloc says is involved in the delivery of drones to Russia and the training of Russian operators, and the IRGC Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization,” revealed Axios.

The package also includes sanctions against the Russian company Concern Morinformsystem–Agat, the officials said.

Iran has been supplying Shahed kamikaze drones to Russia since mid-2022 that have been used in large numbers against Ukrainian infrastructure targets.

Iran initially denied supplying drones to Russia, but as physical evidence of their use in Ukraine built up foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted the transfer, claiming that drones were sent before the Ukraine war.