Iran news in brief, February 4, 2018

Iran news in brief, February 4, 2018

1- Trump Wants U.S. Military In Iraq To 'Watch Iran'

U.S. President Donald Trump said it was important to keep a U.S. military presence in Iraq so that Washington can keep a close eye on Iran, according to a CBS interview to be broadcast on Sunday.

Trump said the United States spent a fortune on a base in Iraq. "We might as well keep it. One of the reasons I want to keep it is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem," he said in excerpts from a CBS "Face the Nation" interview.

Asked if that meant he wanted to be able to strike Iran, Trump said, "No, because I want to be able to watch Iran."

2- US highlights ‘broken promises’ on 40-year anniversary of Iran revolution

The United States marked the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution by highlighting what it says are the “broken promises” of the Middle Eastern country’s leadership.

the US State Department wrote on its official Twitter account: “When he returned to Iran in 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini made lots of promises to the Iranian people, including justice, freedom, and prosperity. 40 years later, Iran’s ruling regime has broken all those promises, and has produced only 40 years of failure,”.

3- French syndicates demand release of arrested teachers and workers in Iran

 In a joint statement, prominent French syndicates have voiced their support for Iranian teachers and workers who have been protesting for their rights in the past months, especially those who have been incarcerated by the Iranian regime’s security forces. The unions and syndicates demanded the release of all imprisoned teachers and workers and respect for the rights of all Iranian activists.

The supporting syndicates include CFDT, CGT, two very large unions, as well as FSU, a union of public sector workers, and several other organizations.

4- Fire At Iran Space Center Kills Three Scientists

A fire at the Iranian Space Research Center has killed three scientists, a top Iranian official has announced.

Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi on February 3 said the scientists died as a result "of a fire in one of the buildings of the Space Research Center."

He did not provide further information about the incident at the Tehran site.

5- Iran sentences 13 protesters to jail

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Sunday that a court has handed down prison sentences for 13 protesters arrested during the August 2017 demonstrations over economic hardships.

The report said that Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced eight of the defendants to six months and the others to one year in prison, for “acting against national security by attending illegal gatherings.”

IRNA’s report said that five of the protesters are women.

Iran is in the grip of an economic crisis and has seen sporadic protests in recent months.

6- Teachers In Khuzestan Protest For Their Rights Once Again

Teachers in the cities of Karun and Bavi, in Khuzestan Province, held a protest rally in front of the Khuzestan Department of Education building on Sunday, February 3, 2019.

They protested against the non-application of 25 percent of the right of war zones under Article 112 of plan six of the country’s five-year development law. According to the law, employees of areas that were involved in the war in Khuzestan during the Iran-Iraq war are entitled to the right of war zones.