Iran News Round Up - May 2, 2018

Expediency Discernment Council (EDC) Secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated that Iran will withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if the U.S. withdraws from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Rezaei argued that an Iranian withdrawal from the NPT would be legal according to the NPT’s provisions. Rezaei made his comments during a foreign press briefing in Tehran on April 26. (Tasnim News Agency)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel’s intelligence service Mossad acquired a cache of documents that verify Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Netanyahu claimed that Iran has continued its pursuit of a nuclear weapon after the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015. Netanyahu presented evidence that Iran conducted nuclear simulations, undertook metallurgical work for the creation of nuclear devices, and mapped out several locations in eastern Iran for nuclear testing. Netanyahu made his remarks and offered his evidence during a presentation in Israel on April 30. Netanyahu’s presentation follows newly-confirmed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s meeting with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 30. Netanyahu’s presentation also follows official visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Washington, D.C. where both urged President Donald Trump to remain in the Iran nuclear deal ahead of the Trump-imposed May 12 deadline. (YouTube)

• Ghassemi: Netanyahu’s presentation was “shameful and comical.” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghassemi dismissed Netanyahu’s allegations and called Netanyahu’s presentation “propagandistic” as well as “shameful and comical.” (IRIB News)
• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a statement on May 1 restating the IAEA’s December 2015 Final Assessment on past and present outstanding issues on Iran’s nuclear program. The report detailed that the IAEA had “no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.” (IAEA) (E)

Hundreds gathered in several cities across Iran to protest against insufficient and unpaid wages on International Workers’ Day on May 1. The Free Workers of Iran Union, which assisted in the organization of the Tehran protests, noted that Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) arrested several protesters in Tehran and Saghez, Kurdistan Province. (Radio Farda) (Instagram) (Telegram)

The Judiciary issued a nationwide ban on the popular messaging application Telegram and mandated all Iranian internet providers to block Telegram on April 30. The Judiciary accused Telegram of disrupting national unity, collecting information on people, publishing illicit material, spreading propaganda, and facilitating the smuggling of contraband. The Judiciary’s statement warned that individuals using virtual private networks (VPN) to access Telegram will be subject to prosecution. The Judiciary’s decision to ban Telegram follows a revocation of Telegram’s license to house servers in Iran and government directives obligating governmental institutions to stop using Telegram and instead use domestic messengers. (Mizan Online)

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita announced on May 1 that Morocco will sever diplomatic ties with Iran due to Hezbollah’s involvement in training and supplying weapons to the Polisario Front. The Polisario Front is an independence movement that seeks to end Morocco’s presence in Western Sahara. Bourita accused Iran’s embassy in Algiers, Algeria of facilitating the training and transfer of weapons between Hezbollah and the Polisario Front. Morocco announced that it will close down its embassy in Tehran and expel the Iranian ambassador to Morocco. Morocco previously cut diplomatic relations with Iran from 2009 to 2014 over Iran’s support for Shia groups and destabilizing activities in Bahrain. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghassemi vehemently denied Bourita’s claims on May 2. (Reuters) (E) (Yahoo) (E) (Tasnim News Agency)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Iranian assets in western Syria on April 29. The IDF targeted an Iranian missile storage site near Hama, Hama Governorate as well as the al Nayrab airbase in Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate. Unconfirmed sources reported that the airstrikes resulted in the death of at least 18 Iranian fighters, including an Iranian commander. Unidentified Iranian sources, including an unnamed commander of the IRGC-backed Afghan Shia Fatemiyoun Brigade, denied the reports of damage to Iranian assets and personnel. The strike follows Israel’s April 8 airstrike on Iranian forces at the pro-Syrian regime T-4 airbase in Homs Governorate, Syria. The April 8 strike resulted in death of seven IRGC fighters. Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Shamkhani stated that a “punishment for [Israel] is certain” following the April 8 strike. (New York Times) (E) (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) (E) (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights) (E) (Jamaran) (Tasnim News Agency) (Fars News Agency)

• Hatami tells Israel to stop “scheming.” Defense Minister Artesh Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami warned Israel to stop its “scheming and dangerous behaviors” on May 1. Hatami also suggested that the Axis of Resistance and Iran will avenge the spilt blood of their fighters and will confront Israel with a “regrettable and blindsiding” response. (Tasnim News Agency)