New Revelations on Revolutionary Guards Leading Iran's Ballistic Missile Drive, Nuclear Weapons Program - Through Control Over Docks - by Heshmat Alavi - https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/03/08/new-revelations-on-revolutionary-guards-leading-irans-ballistic-missile-drive-nuclear-weapons-program-through-control-over-docks/
Despite the United States placing the Iranian regime "on notice" for test-firing medium-range ballistic missiles in January, Tehran has taken no steps to change its behavior. Indeed, reports indicate that Iran test launched a new pair of ballistic missiles over the weekend.
New evidence was uncovered about the extent of control that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is leading the mullahs' ballistic missile drive, parallel to the nuclear program and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, has over this.
In London on Tuesday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) held a press conference revealing that the IRGC has a growing grip over Iran's key economic hubs. The NCRI cited intelligence gathered by sources linked to the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from inside the regime, particularly among the IRGC rank and file. The data obtained in recent months clearly proves the IRGC has full control over 90 docks, which amount to 45% of Iran's total official number of 212 piers.
The IRGC began setting up these "Bahman Docks" in 1982, by order of regime founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The group was instructed to manage its activities outside the authority of any state supervision and beneath the proverbial radar of international institutions.
Over the years since then, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the expansion of IRGC activity at these docks, and the further intertwining of the organization with the country's economy. The main goal today, and previously, is to bypass international sanctions.
As a result, the IRGC now has complete control over Iran's ground, sea and air borders, flooding the economy with a variety of imports without paying a single dollar in customs.
The IRGC has ports in Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan Province, two docks in Abu Musa Island and another two in the Greater Tunb Island - among others.
In addition to exporting arms to Middle East militias, the IRGC takes advantage of these docks to smuggle oil, gasoline, natural gas, chemical products, cigarettes, narcotics, alcoholic beverages, mobile phones and pharmaceuticals. The IRGC reportedly pockets an annual revenue of around $12 billion from importing and exporting illicit goods through the docks.
According to the NCRI, the IRGC has also established a number of front companies tasked specifically with transferring weapons caches through the docks. This flow of arms continues non-stop, with only a small percentage having been discovered and blocked by the international community in recent years. And all this is in addition to the colossal official budget the IRGC receives from Tehran.
The new revelation is but another reason for the international community to take firm and swift action against the IRGC.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards opposite Israeli troops on 1967 ceasefire line in Golan Heights as tensions mount - Lizzie Dearden - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrian-civil-war-iran-irgc-israel-golan-heights-benjamin-netanyahu-vladimir-putin-meeting-basij-a7622081.html
Benjamin Netanyahu tells Vladimir Putin 'Iranian proxies' must be removed from Syria
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of using the Syrian civil war to "gain a foothold to fight Israel" amid fears over Iranian troops stationed along the border with the occupied Golan Heights.
Tehran is supporting Bashar al-Assad with deployments of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Basij militia and funding to allied militias including Hezbollah.
The IRGC are now reported to be present in Syrian-government controlled territory along the 1967 ceasefire line in the Golan Heights, which has seen months of Israeli air strikes met with rockets fired towards the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Naghdi, a commander in Iran's Basij force, was pictured surveying the border, while a Shia paramilitary group has formed a "Golan Liberation Brigade".
Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, an Iraqi force backed by Iran, is "ready to take action to liberate Golan" from Israeli occupation, according to spokesman quoted by Iranian state media this week.
The deployments have made the Iranian government a major power broker in the Syrian civil war, meeting with Russian and Turkish representatives at ceasefire talks in Astana, Kazakhstan.
In a meeting with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister said that any truce must not allow the continued presence of Iranian forces in Syria.
"We do not want to see Shia Islamic terrorism led by Iran step in to replace Sunni Islamic terrorism," Mr Netanyahu told the Russian President.
"Iran continues attempts to destroy the Jewish state. They speak of this openly and write this in black and white in their newspapers.
"Today, we have our own country and our army, and we can defend ourselves. But I want to say that the threat of Shia Islamic terror is directed not only against us, but against the region and the entire world."
He told reporters Iran was "arming itself and its forces against Israel including from Syria territory and is, in fact, gaining a foothold to continue the fight against Israel".
After the meeting, the Israeli Prime Minister said the removal of Iranian forces from Syria were vital to "prevent misunderstandings".
"I made it clear that regarding Syria, while Israel is not opposed that there should be an agreement there, we strongly oppose the possibility that Iran and its proxies will be left with a military presence in Syria under such an agreement," Mr Netanyahu added.
A statement released by the Kremlin said he and Mr Putin discussed "joint efforts to combat international terrorism" and examined areas of bilateral cooperation.
Two years ago, Israel and Russia agreed to coordinate military actions over Syria in order to avoid accidentally trading fire but the risk of skirmishes is increasing as pro-Assad forces fight for more territory in the Golan Heights.
The region has been occupied by Israeli forces since the Six Day War in 1967 and was effectively annexed in 1981, despite condemnation from the UN.
Despite maintaining cordial relations with Israel, Russia is a key ally of Iran in Syria as both sides continue to back the Assad regime against both opposition rebels and Isis.
The Iranian government claimed the IRGC were originally sent to Syria in an advisory capacity, but the troops have now taken a more frontline role, being found by The Independent fighting on the frontlines near Aleppo city last year.
Avi Dichter, the chair of Israel's foreign affairs and defense committee, said several attempts by Iran to move forces into the Syrian Golan Heights had been repelled last year, without giving details.
Israel says it has carried out dozens of strikes in Syria to prevent weapons smuggling to the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, with the Russian government denying it had given permission for the operations.
IRGC Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Allahdadi was among those killed in Israeli bombing, as well as several senior Hezbollah commanders.
The Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year, shows little sign of slowing with fighting breaking out between rival rebel groups who have seized swathes of territory from Isis.
The US has sent hundreds of troops into the country in preparation for an advance on the terrorist group's de-facto capital of Raqqa, risking escalation with Turkey, which classes some American-backed groups as terrorists and wants its own troops to lead the assault.
The first UN-led Syria peace talks in a year ended without a breakthrough in Geneva last week, with further meetings scheduled for later this month.
Iran Strengthening Hezbollah, Palestinian Terrorists for Possible Conflict with Israel - by Deborah Danan - http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/03/07/irgc-official-iran-to-ally-with-russia-against-american-threats-will-drag-israel-to-war-with-hezbollah-palestinians/
Iran is responding to President Donald Trump's warnings against the Tehran regime by strengthening Hezbollah and Gaza-based terror groups as well as allying itself with Russia in exchange for economic and military privileges, an Iranian military source said.
In an article published on February 21 in the Iranian reformist news agency Amad News - Iran's answer to WikiLeaks - an unnamed source from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was cited as saying that the Islamic Republic was mulling its response to "increasing threats by America," which have the potential to turn into an "extensive military confrontation."
Political, security and military officials have held a series of meetings, the source said, and have come to the conclusion that "Iran should deepen its strategic ties with Russia, such that in the event of an extensive war, Russia will defend Iran from American threats."
Russia would receive widespread compensation for such a strategic alliance, the source said. First, Tehran would grant Moscow access to oil fields in southern Iran, giving Russia annual profits of $50 billion. This would go some way toward assuaging the economic crisis Russia has suffered as a result of American sanctions over the Crimea issue.
"The second recommendation is to realize Russia's decades-old dream of access to free waters," the Farsi-language article translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) said, continuing "that if America attacks Iran, Russia will be able to defend Iran against the mighty sea and land strength of America." Allowing Russia access to the Persian Gulf and control of its ports will also alleviate the sanctions against it, the IRGC source said.
The team of experts' third recommendation is to divert U.S. attention away from Iran by triggering a war with Israel. Tehran would compel its proxy, Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups to engage in a conflict with Israel, thereby sidetracking the U.S. so that it will become "too busy" to unite ranks with "other countries worldwide against Iran."
"A new war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as with Palestinian groups, will completely divert global public attention from Iran and focus it on Israel. Such a war could become the focal point of the first four-year term of Donald Trump, and prevent an opportunity to fight Iran," the source was quoted as saying.
The source said that the recommendations had been transmitted to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and added that the team of experts had already had some success in putting the plan into action.
According to the article, Khamenei attended the 6th International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Intifada in Tehran on the counsel of those officials. In addition, the team advised Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah to give an interview on Iranian state television on February 20 in which the Shiite leader threatened Israel with strikes on its vital infrastructure sites including the Dimona nuclear reactor and an ammonia plant in Haifa.
"These two things happened because of other recommendations by the team of experts," the article said.
The article ended by rebuking the Iranian leadership for making such recommendations in the first place, saying they constitute an explicit contradiction of the goals of Iran's Islamic Revolution and of the legacy of revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini's slogan, it said, was "neither East nor West - [only] the Islamic Republic," i.e. that Iran should never rely on help from the outside and must remain independent.
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