Eye on Iran: Iran's Leader Says US Behind Paris Terror Attacks

Join UANI           Top Stories Times of Israel: "A video produced by the office of Iran's top leader claims that the United States created the Islamic State terror group and is behind last Friday's terror assault in Paris that killed 129. The video was posted to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Facebook page on Tuesday, the MEMRI research institute reported. It was produced by the office of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's 'Supreme Leader.' In stilted, apparently computer-generated English, an announcer explains over images from the Paris attacks and Middle Eastern conflict zones that American and Saudi 'involvement in creating the ISIS [Islamic State] project is being exposed more than ever.' 'France is going through sad bloody nights,' the narrator says. 'Bloodiest blood has been shed on the streets of Paris, reportedly by the ISIS terrorists. Many express condolences. Even the Saudi king and the US president. The same ones' who the video claims are behind IS. Titled, 'Who was behind the Paris attacks,' the four-minute video argues that the US founded IS in a bid to resist Shiite forces in Syria and elsewhere, and has funded, armed and trained the group indirectly through American allies in the region. On the IRGC-run Facebook page, the video is tied to a thumbnail image of US President Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi appearing to converse with one another." http://t.uani.com/1QMQco4 Fars (Iran): "Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi blamed Israel for the recent terrorist attacks in the French capital which killed over 150 people. 'If we write the word Israel instead of ISIL, the behind the scene of the recent events in France will come into light; the ISIL is the infantry unit of the US and the usurper Zionist regime since they don't have fighters today anymore and have lost power to fight, and they have created the ISIL by making investment on the fools,' Naqdi said on Wednesday. 'Such events should happen in Europe in order for the US and its hirelings to be able to justify their presence in the region and escape from criticisms,' he added. Naqdi also described Saudi Arabia as the dealer of the recent incidents, and said Riyadh has founded the ISIL stream and as long as the US is unable to fill the banking accounts of its arms companies with the Saudis' money, these wars and cruel massacres will continue. He also warned that the western states seek to spread Islamophobia in Europe and the US by creating fear and horror among the European and American people. In relevant remarks on Saturday, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri warned Washington and its European allies not to replay the September 11 theatre to pressure and attack Muslims by misusing the Friday night's terrorist events in Paris." http://t.uani.com/1j7CY7x Press TV (Iran): "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blasted certain western countries and their regional allies for supporting the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, and said the Takfiri terrorist groups have been created to taint the image of Islam and promote the Islamophobia project. 'The Takfiri terrorist groups, including the ISIL, have been created with the aim of creating a wave of Islamophobia in the world,' President Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution in Tehran on Tuesday night. The Iranian president reiterated that the ISIL and other Takfiri terrorist groups are trying to taint the image of Islam, and said, 'Islam is a religion of peace and mercy.' He noted that Iran is a victim of terrorism itself and it has always condemned the terrorist acts and massacre of the innocent people throughout the world. 'Islam is a noble religion and such attempts, especially in Europe and the US where many Muslims live, should not result in increasing Islamophobia,' the Iranian president said." http://t.uani.com/1QMNaA2 Nuclear Program & Agreement AP: "The U.N. nuclear agency is set to release a report on whether Iran is meeting its commitments to a deal that is meant to reduce Tehran's ability to make atomic arms. The report, expected Wednesday, may show little progress, however. Iran has said it is holding back on implementing the agreement until next month's publication of another report by the U.N's International Atomic Energy Agency detailing its conclusions on allegations Tehran worked in the past on nuclear arms." http://t.uani.com/1O2zFeX Sanctions Relief Reuters: "Iran's economy has the potential to grow by around 8 percent a year over time, once sanctions are lifted and the country repairs its relationship with the international community, central bank governor Valiollah Seif said on Wednesday. Iran's economy grew by around 3 percent in the year to March and the government has already committed to an action plan that could boost this rate further, Seif told a business forum in Frankfurt. 'We believe that 3 percent growth is well below the economy's potential and that the economy has the capacity to achieve around 8 percent growth... over the course of the current five-year development plan,' Seif said." http://t.uani.com/1WYNq3Y AFP: "OPEC member Iran will not negotiate with the cartel over a planned half million barrels per day oil production hike once sanctions are lifted, the country's oil minister said Tuesday. Despite a supply glut keeping crude prices low, Iran has consistently said it plans to up its output when nuclear-related sanctions are lifted under a deal agreed in July with world powers. Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh reiterated the stance at a press conference in Tehran, where he said OPEC would be informed of the production jump but no more. 'We will not negotiate with OPEC to increase our production. We will only notify them when we adapt,' he told reporters. Iran, which saw its exports slip under sanctions and Western pressure on buyers to steer clear of the Islamic republic, is intent on reclaiming lost market share. Zanganeh has repeatedly said share is a greater priority than crude prices. 'We should not be worried about the price,' he said. 'Those who have taken advantage of the absence of Iran to increase their production and have benefited should worry.'" http://t.uani.com/1NDxWZ5 Press TV (Iran): "Iran's oil minister says the Islamic Republic will be hosting nine heads of state and a large group of other dignitaries during the third summit meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Bijan Zangeneh said the third summit meeting of the forum will open in the Iranian capital on Monday with participants expected to discuss various issues related to production, export and pricing of natural gas in global markets. 'So far, presence of the presidents of Russia, Iraq, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nigeria, and Equatorial Guinea in the summit has been finalized,' he added. The Iranian oil minister stated that Algeria will send its prime minister to GECF summit while the president of Turkmenistan will take part as special guest." http://t.uani.com/1j7CfTT Press TV (Iran): "Iran said on Thursday that Russia has agreed to give it a major loan worth $7-8 billion. The announcement was made by Iran's First Deputy Industrial Minister Mojtaba Khosrowtaj in an interview with RIA Novosti... The Iranian official's announcement was confirmed by Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak who said Moscow considering providing two loans worth $7 billion in total to Iran. Russia's state Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Iran's central bank are in talks on 2 billion euro ($2.1 billion) loan to Iran, while Russia and Iran are also in talks over intergovernmental loan from Russia to Iran worth $5 billion, Reuters quoted Novak as telling the reporters." http://t.uani.com/1HX7YDf Sanctions Enforcement The Hill: "The Senate is backing a bipartisan push to get the Obama administration to take a tougher line in going after Hezbollah and its supporters. The Senate passed by unanimous consent Tuesday evening legislation that aims to crackdown on the Lebanon-based group's access to money and logistical support. The bill was put forth by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla), who is running for president, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). The legislation would let the administration sanction any banks that knowingly work with Hezbollah or supporters of the group. It would also require the administration to hand over a report detailing foreign financial institutions that are aiding the terrorist group or supporters. Rubio said that the legislation would help 'guarantee that our government is focused on eliminating this terrorist group.' 'We cannot afford to jeopardize our national security by letting Iran's leading terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, continue to pose a direct threat to us and our allies including Israel,' he added. 'It is time for us to reveal the expansiveness of its dangerous network.' The bill would also require the administration to detail what countries that group has support networks in, what steps the foreign governments are taking to disrupt those networks, and how the administration is encouraging other countries to do more. Shaheen suggested that passing the legislation would also send a signal to Iran, which has been accused of funding the group. 'The U.S. government must be relentless in disrupting Hezbollah's operations. This legislation turns the screws on its network of support and sends a message to Tehran that there will be zero tolerance for financing terrorism,' she said." http://t.uani.com/1S4abNw Human Rights Reuters: "An Iranian journalist and political activist said on Wednesday she had been sentenced to one year in jail after being found guilty of spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic. Reyhaneh Tabatabaei, 35, told Reuters her lawyer was informed on Tuesday of the sentence, which also included a two-year ban on joining political parties and writing for any newspaper or website. It came a day after authorities arrested a cartoonist and sent him to prison to complete a suspended jail sentence, the latest in a series detentions of journalists, artists and activists. Tabatabaei had been arrested twice in the last five years and had spent almost six months in Evin prison, two months of it in solitary confinement. Her last hearing in the Islamic Revolutionary Court was in November last year." http://t.uani.com/212ekHR ICHRI: "Cars driven by women who do not observe the hijab (head covering for women) will be impounded and fines will be imposed, according to strict new regulations by Iran's police force. In addition, 'trusted invisible agents' will be reporting violations on behalf of the police. The police announcement on November 15, 2015, warned that cars driven by 'women who do not observe the hijab' will be impounded for a week and could be banned from being sold. 'From now on the police will deal firmly with drivers who break the norms, remove their hijab as they drive, show off recklessly, and parade up-and-down the streets,' Police Spokesman Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi was quoted by the official state Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). He added that in the latest clampdown, carried out 'under a judicial order,' about 10,000 drivers had been issued warnings and case files opened for 2,000 cars. According to Montazer al-Mahdi, 'A number of civil and military officials as well as invisible agents' will write down the license plate numbers of cars driven by women without a hijab and report them to the police. The drivers of those cars will be summoned and the cars will be impounded 'until their situation is clarified.' It appears that the vagueness-and broadness-of 'invisible agents,' which was not specified further, was intentional, meant to sow fear and intimidation and effectively empower anyone to report on an 'improperly' clad woman." http://t.uani.com/1kEy6Zx ICHRI: "In a fresh crackdown on Iran's Baha'i community, one of the most persecuted religious minorities in Iran, 15 followers of the faith were simultaneously arrested in Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad on November 15, 2015, by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence agents. Padideh Sabeti, a spokesperson for the Baha'i International Community, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that all the arrested individuals are ordinary Baha'i citizens, and that the reason for the arrests is unknown. Two of those arrested, Sahab Rouhani and Matin Janamian from Isfahan, were released that same night. The latest arrests bring the total number of Baha'is in Iran's prisons to 79, Padideh Sabeti told the Campaign. In addition, a number of Baha'i-owned shops in Kerman, Rafsanjan, and Qaem Shahr have been shut down in recent days for unspecified reasons." http://t.uani.com/1YgmLNd         Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. 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