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Iran Cover-Up of COVID-19 Deaths Revealed by Data Leak

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The number of deaths from coronavirus in Iran is nearly triple what Iran’s government claims, a BBC Persian service investigation has found.

The government’s own records appear to show almost 42,000 people died with COVID-19 symptoms up to 20 July, versus 14,405 reported by its health ministry.

The number of people known to be infected is also almost double official figures: 451,024 as opposed to 278,827. . .

There have been irregularities in data between national and regional levels, which some local authorities have spoken out about, and statisticians have tried to give alternative estimates.

A level of undercounting, largely due to testing capacity, is seen across the world, but the information leaked to the BBC reveals Iranian authorities have reported significantly lower daily numbers despite having a record of all deaths – suggesting they were deliberately suppressed. (Read more from “Iran Cover-Up of COVID-19 Deaths Revealed by Data Leak” HERE)

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Iran Threatens ‘Crushing’ Retaliation as Pompeo Lauds U.S. Pressure Campaign; Iran Uses First Military Satellite to Map, Publish U.S. Base in Qatar

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By Newsweek. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened a “crushing” response to any perceived U.S. aggression, following the conclusion of large military exercises that prompted a high alert at two regional U.S. bases.

The IRGC issued a statement Thursday claiming to have sent a potent message to the U.S. with the combined armed drills, which included ballistic missile launches and an attack on a mock U.S. aircraft carrier. U.S. troops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were temporarily put on high alert during the missile launches.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never started a war, but in case of any aggression against Iran, IRGC and other powerful defenders of the country will give a decisive and crushing response,” the elite force—designated a terrorist organization by President Donald Trump’s administration—said, according to the Mehr News Agency. . .

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday that the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy on Iran was working and stressed that the White House would continue pushing Tehran. (Read more from “Iran Threatens ‘Crushing’ Retaliation as Pompeo Lauds U.S. Pressure Campaign” HERE)

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Iran Uses First Military Satellite to Map, Publish U.S. Base in Qatar

By Newsweek. Iran claims to have used its first military satellite—the launch of which was condemned by President Donald Trump’s administration—to publish detailed images of a U.S. air base in Qatar, according to state media.

The state-backed Press TV channel reported Wednesday that Iran’s Nour-1 satellite—operated by the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRCG)—took photos of the Al Udeid air base in Qatar, which hosts the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command and the headquarters of U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

Press TV said the images covered the “full expanse” of the base, which it said hosts some 13,000 “terrorist” troops. Tehran has classified all U.S. forces as terrorists in retaliation for the Trump administration designating the IRGC a terrorist organization last year. (Read more from “Iran Uses First Military Satellite to Map, Publish U.S. Base in Qatar” HERE)

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Iran Launches Mock U.S. Aircraft Carrier for Target Practice (VIDEO)

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By Townhall. Iran staged attacks on a diminished replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier into the Straits of Hormuz in the “Prophet Mohammad 14” military drills on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the operation told the IRNA, a state news agency, that exercises involve navy and aerospace forces and are “aimed at safeguarding air and sea lines, continuing supports, and readiness for every scenario.”

On Monday, a tugboat maneuvered the vessel into position. It floated in contested waters for a day while the U.S. and other nations speculated over Iran’s intent. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil output passes through the Straits of Hormuz on its way to export destinations across the globe.

The vessel resembles the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, often deployed to the Gulf area. One ship, the USS Dwight. D. Eisenhower, traveled through the strait last week. (Read more from “Iran Launches Mock U.S. Aircraft Carrier for Target Practice” HERE)

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Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise

By Associated Press. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched underground ballistic missiles as part of an exercise involving a fake aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported Wednesday, the latest barrage in a drill that saw two American bases temporarily go on alert over the launches. . .

A semiofficial news agency close to the Guard published a graphic overnight that photoshopped the image of an American carrier into the shape of a casket, with a caption quoting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledging to seek revenge for the U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in January.

The drill — and the American response to it — underlined the lingering threat of military conflict between Iran and the U.S. after a series of escalating incidents last year led to the January drone strike. Tehran responded to that strike by firing ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American forces in Iraq.

While the coronavirus pandemic has engulfed both Iran and the U.S. for months, there has been a growing confrontation as America argues to extend a yearslong U.N. weapons embargo on Tehran that is due to expire in October. A recent incident over Syria involving an American jet fighter approaching an Iranian passenger plane also has renewed tensions. (Read more from “Iran Launches Underground Ballistic Missiles During Exercise” HERE)

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‘The Great Uprising’: Iranian Dissident Group Holds Global Summit Calling for Regime Change

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Rudy Giuliani, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, and a slate of other prominent U.S. figures joined thousands of dissidents at a virtual summit calling for regime change in Iran.

The Friday event marked the annual gathering of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a leading opposition group that works to topple the government of Iran. Usually, the gatherings are held in Europe and bring together dozens of speakers and thousands of attendees, but this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was held online through the popular communication platform Zoom.

Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, Lieberman, a former senator from Connecticut, and former Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey, all appeared side by side to address the large gathering, which organizers said included viewers from more than 100 countries. The three men have a history of advocating for the NCRI, which is an umbrella organization for the People’s Mujahedin of Iran, or Mojahedin-e Khalq, or MEK. The names are frequently used interchangeably to refer to the Albania-based organization.

The group is led by the 66-year-old Maryam Rajavi along with her husband, 71-year-old Massoud Rajavi. Despite officially being one of the leaders of the organization, Massoud has not been seen publicly since his disappearance in 2003.

Maryam Rajavi addressed the virtual crowd and called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime. She hailed the organization of her group and also expressed solidarity for protesters and dissidents working within Iran, who have been subject to imprisonment or worse. (Read more from “‘The Great Uprising’: Iranian Dissident Group Holds Global Summit Calling for Regime Change” HERE)

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Iran Official Jokes About U.S. Navy Fire, Alludes to Nuclear Site Attack

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A senior Iranian official has joked about the “interesting” fire that ravaged a U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship in San Diego, quipping that the incident may be claimed by a supposed domestic dissident group like recent explosions in Iran.

. . .According to Iran’s state-controlled PressTV channel, [Foreign ministry spokesperson Seyed Abbas] Mousavi added, “It’s interesting how quickly U.S. destroyers catch fire,” referring to the Bonhomme Richard, which is capable of carrying a mix of fighter jets and helicopters.

“I have no stance,” Mousavi told reporters. “But just search news sources to see if ‘American Panthers’ have claimed responsibility.”

This remark alluded to a series of recent mysterious explosions in Iran that have prompted suggestions of a broad sabotage campaign by a foreign power or a domestic dissident group. One group calling itself the “Homeland Cheetahs” claimed responsibility for an explosion at a sensitive nuclear site in Iran earlier this month. (Read more from “Iran Official Jokes About U.S. Navy Fire, Alludes to Nuclear Site Attack” HERE)

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Massive Explosion Rocks Suspected Nuke Site in Iran

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The Associated Press is reporting that a huge explosion occurred on Friday that rattled Tehran and lit up the horizon. The site of the blast was a region where many nuclear experts believe Iran conducted high-explosive tests relating to its nuclear program.

The explosion happened in the Alborz mountains, just east of the city. Satellite photos show the massive extent of the blast.

Fox News:

Satellite photos of the area, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) east of downtown Tehran, showed hundreds of meters (yards) of charred scrubland not seen in images of the area taken in the weeks ahead of the incident. The building near the char marks resembled the facility seen in the state TV footage.

The gas storage area sits near what analysts describe as Iran’s Khojir missile facility. The explosion appears to have struck a facility for the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, which makes solid-propellant rockets, said Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

(Read more from “Massive Explosion Rocks Suspected Nuke Site in Iran” HERE)

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Iran Starting to Withdraw From Syria: Israel’s Outgoing Defense Minister; Iran’s Supreme Leader Releases Anti-Israel ‘Final Solution’ Poster

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By Al Arabiya. Iran has begun withdrawing its forces from Syria, Israel’s outgoing defense minister said on Monday, without offering any evidence to support his assertion.

Naftali Bennett also urged his successor, Benny Gantz, to maintain pressure on Iran, adding that the trend might otherwise reverse.

Iran, Israel’s archenemy in the Middle East, has been a key supporter, along with Russia, of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s civil war, sending military advisers as well as material and regional Shia militias that it backs.

Israel, which monitors neighboring Syria intensively, has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria targeting suspected arms and troop movements by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas it sponsors.

“Iran is significantly reducing the scope of its forces in Syria and even evacuating a number of bases,” said Bennett in his valedictory address. (Read more from “Iran Starting to Withdraw From Syria: Israel’s Outgoing Defense Minister” HERE)

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Releases Anti-Israel ‘Final Solution’ Poster

By The Jerusalem Post. Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei on Tuesday published an antisemitic poster evoking Nazi Germany’s “final solution” that destroyed European Jewry in order to advance Tehran’s quest to abolish Israel.

The poster’s language reads: “Palestine will be free. The final solution. Resistance is referendum.”

Khamenei displayed the antisemitic poster in English, Farsi and Arabic on his official homepage.

The picture shows a conquered Jerusalem with photos of the late Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani.

(Read more from “Iran’s Supreme Leader Releases Anti-Israel ‘Final Solution’ Poster” HERE)

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Iran Calls Israel ‘Rabid, Predatory Dog’ as Jewish State Swears in New Government

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By Newsweek. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei railed against Israel this weekend as the Jewish state’s parliament approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new unity government.

“The Zionist regime & its criminal supporters recognize no bounds in brutality & trampling of moral norms,” Khamenei wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday evening local time. “They consider genocide, destruction, the massacre of children & women, & any oppression permissible in #Palestine. This rabid, predatory dog attacks innocent ppl [sic].”

Khamenei also accused the Zionist regime of failing to abide by any treaty. They do not “understand any language but the language of force,” he wrote. “Israel has proven it only knows force. It cannot be spoken to except with the Palestinian nation’s language of power & the Islamic nation’s global power.”

(Read more from “Iran Calls Israel ‘Rabid, Predatory Dog’ as Jewish State Swears in New Government” HERE)

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Airstrike Attributed to Israel Said to Kill 7 Iran-Backed Fighters in East Syria

By The Times of Israel. Unknown warplanes attacked Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing several of the Iraqi militiamen, Syrian opposition activists said Sunday.

The strikes late Saturday targeted a base near the border town of Boukamal, killing seven fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor.

Omar Abu Laila, a Europe-based activist from Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zour province, confirmed that a strike hit Iran-backed Iraqi fighters in the area, but had no exact word on casualties. The strikes came days after reinforcements were brought into the area from Iraq, the Observatory and Abu Laila said.

Abu Laila, who runs Deir Ezzor 24, an activist collective that reports on news in the border area, said Israel was most likely behind the attack, but gave no evidence. (Read more from “Airstrike Attributed to Israel Said to Kill 7 Iran-Backed Fighters in East Syria” HERE)

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Dozens Feared Dead as Iranian Destroyer Accidentally SINKS One of the Country’s Own Warships; Iran Says It’s Ready for Unconditional Prisoner Swap With U.S.

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By Daily Mail. An Iranian destroyer has reportedly opened fire on one of its own warships by accident, causing ‘dozens of casualties’.

The friendly fire reportedly sank one of Iran’s own warships in the Sea of Oman.

40 naval personnel are missing in the incident, according to local media reports this evening. . .

According to local media, an Iranian battleship was accidentally hit by a C-802 Noor missile during military exercises, causing it to sink.

ELINT News reported that the Iranian Jamaran frigate accidentally fired on the Konarak support ship with an anti-ship cruise missile during exercises. (Read more from “Dozens Feared Dead as Iranian Destroyer Accidentally SINKS One of the Country’s Own Warships” HERE)

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Iran Says It’s Ready for Unconditional Prisoner Swap With U.S. Amid Coronavirus Fears

By TIME. Iran says it is ready for unconditional prisoner swap talks with the United States because of fears that the coronavirus could put the lives of the prisoners at risk, Iranian media reported Sunday.

An Iranian news website, Khabaronline.ir, quoted Cabinet spokesman Ali Rabiei as saying there is a “readiness for all prisoners” to be discussed without condition.

“But the U.S. has refused to answer, so far,” said Rabiei. “We hope that as the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease threatens the lives of Iranian citizens in the U.S. prisons, the U.S. government eventually will prefer lives to politics.”

A senior U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “There has been no offer and no offer of direct talks.” (Read more from “Iran Says It’s Ready for Unconditional Prisoner Swap With U.S. Amid Coronavirus Fears” HERE)

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Senate Will Hold Vote to Override Trump Veto on Iran War Powers Resolution

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The Senate will vote on Thursday to override President Trump’s veto of a resolution that would have curbed his ability to use military action against Iran.

The vote will happen at 1:30 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced after the veto on Wednesday, according to the Hill. The move, which would require the approval of two-thirds of Congress, is expected to fail.

“I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to override his veto. Unless there’s a carefully reached consensus in Congress that war is necessary, we should not be sending our troops into harm’s way,” said Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine in a statement after the president’s veto. . .

Trump blasted the resolution, which saw eight Republican senators join forces with Democrats, in a Wednesday statement from the White House. (Read more from “Senate Will Hold Vote to Override Trump Veto on Iran War Powers Resolution” HERE)

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