IRGC Ex-Intelligence Chief Says Israel Will Not See 80th Anniversary

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant expressed “moderate confidence” the attackers were acting in support of Tehran’s efforts to disrupt a conference of the exiled Albania-based opposition group Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK).

In its report, the company said that several factors reveal that the attack was carried out by pro-Iran hackers, including the timing, the content of a social media channel used to claim responsibility, and similarities in software code used with malware long used to target Farsi and Arabic speakers.

On July 18, Mandiant identified a new ransomware family dubbed ROADSWEEP, which drops a politically themed ransom note suggesting it targeted the Albanian government, and a group named “HomeLand Justice” claimed credit for the disruptive activity.

The “HomeLand Justice” posted a video of the ransomware being executed on its website and Telegram channel alongside documents purported to be Albanian residence permits of MEK members.

The July 23-24 conference by the dissident group, titled The Free Iran World Summit, was canceled following warnings from local authorities of a possible terrorist threat. The conference was scheduled to be held at Ashraf 3 camp in Manez -- 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Albania’s capital, Tirana – where 3,000 MEK members live. Several US lawmakers were also among the invitees.

In July, Iran's Foreign Ministry sanctioned a group of US officials and lawmakers over their alleged support for the MEK group, that Tehran considers a terrorist organization.

Speaking at NPT Review Conference in New York on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s new permanent representative to the UN Abdulaziz Al-Wasil warned of the repercussions of "Iran's nuclear practices" and Israel's non-accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

"Iran's lack of transparency with the IAEA violates the UN Charter," he said, adding that "transparency is necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear energy". "The danger of nuclear weapons spread threatens the Middle East and the world."

Noting that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities constitute a threat to the non-proliferation regime and to international peace and security, he expressed his country’s “deep concerns” over Iran’s nuclear program.

Citing the recent International Atomic Energy Report which cast doubt on the supposed peaceful nature of Tehran’s plans, he added, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supports all international efforts to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.”

In a ministerial statement released for the Tenth NPT Review Conference on Monday, August 1, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom also reiterated their position that the Islamic Republic should never achieve the capability to build nuclear weapons, saying that said the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has reduced the risk of a devastating nuclear war, and further reduction of that risk must be a priority for all NPT states parties.

Late in July, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced that Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to hold the first public meeting at the level of foreign ministers in Baghdad following rounds of closed reconciliation meetings.

Velayati made the remarks during a meeting with the leader of the group Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Tehran on Tuesday, saying, “We have a close and serious relationship with the Islamic Jihad movement and the Palestinian resistance.”

The senior international affairs adviser of Ali Khamenei also highlighted the significance of visits by officials of neighboring states to Tehran. 

Praising the support by the Islamic Republic and the growing power of the regional resistance front against Israel, Nakhalah said that today Israel has found itself encircled from all directions by the resistance axis.

He added that the enemies and the United States have adopted a “very weak” policy in the face of the Islamic Republic’s influence, claiming that Iran plays a very effective role in the region.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nakhala also held a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, in which Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s commitment to continue to support Palestinian groups against Israel. 

Nakhala also met with Kamal Kharrazi, the head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, who also told the Palestinian official that Israel has been caught off guard and is besieged by the resistance front. 

Israel and most regional Arab countries have been concerned over Iran’s support for militant groups and its interference in affairs of other countries.

The US State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom tweeted on Wednesday that “Amid a continued rise in arrests, sentences, and imprisonments, the US urges Iran to halt its ongoing oppression of the Baha'i community and honor its international obligations to respect the right of all Iranians to freedom of religion or belief.”

Earlier in the day, Democrat lawmaker Ted Deutch said he is “horrified that Iran arrested several members of the Baha'i faith, including religious leaders, on charges of spying for Israel without offering evidence of illegal activity.”

Noting that these “unjust detentions are part of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities, including the Baha'i, Florida's representative urged “the House to swiftly pass my resolution, H.Res 744, which condemns Iran’s persecution of Baha’is and urges the President and Secretary of State to impose sanctions on Iranians directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses committed against Baha'is.”

Iran’s security forces this week arrested several members of the Baha’i religious community regarded by the clerical government as heretics, and raided more than 20 households. 

Security forces also laid siege to a village in northern Iran on August 2 and started demolishing houses and farms belonging to members of the persecuted Baha’i faith.

Iran’s intelligence ministry claimed that the arrested Baha’is were linked to the Baha’i center in Israel, where the religious group’s international headquarters are located, and had collected and transferred information there.

According to a National Security Council statement on Wednesday, Sullivan, who spoke with the Iranian-American journalist, said that US President Joe Biden will continue to receive updates on her situation, and added that the administration will continue to protect its citizens and dissidents from threats from the Islamic Republic.

The statement added that “the US Government will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt and deter threats from Iran, including those which target US citizens and dissidents living in the United States."

A man armed with a loaded AK-47, identified as Khalid Mehdiyev, spent two days last week outside the home of Alinejad, and at one point attempted to open the door. 

Alinejad, who was also the target of an international kidnapping plot orchestrated by Iran’s intelligence network last year, has promoted videos of women protesting Iran's compulsory Islamic dress code to her millions of social media followers. 

Several former and current US officials have decried the Islamic Republic’s harassment of the New York-based journalist and praised her steadfast fight. 

Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) said on August 2, “We cannot sit idly by and continue to allow US persons to be victims of transnational repression. It's why we introduced the Masih Alinejad HUNT Act of 2021.”