Iran news in brief, June 17, 2019

Iran news in brief, June 17, 2019

In Major Brussels Protest Maryam Rajavi Urges EU to Impose Sanctions on Iran's Regime

Thousands of Iranians gathered for a large protest in Brussels on Saturday, June 15. The protestors condemned the brutal violations of human rights by the ruling regime and its instigation of terrorism and warmongering in the region. They expressed support for the Iranian Resistance movement led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.

Mrs. Rajavi addressed the event in a video message, urging the European Union to place comprehensive sanctions on the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.

Speakers at the rally included Giulio Terzi, former Foreign Minister of Italy; Ms. Ingrid Betancourt, former hostage and presidential hopeful in Columbia; Prof. Alejo Vidal Quadras, former Vice President of the European Parliament; Struan Stevenson, coordinator of the Campaign for change in Iran; and Mark Demesmaeker, member of the European Parliament.

Regime Change in Iran Is the Only Solution for Mideast Peace and Security

Regarding the Iranian regime's attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and the launch of rockets against an airport in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "These measures prove once again that the mullahs' regime can only continue its survival through repression of the people, and the export of terrorism and warmongering abroad."

Mohaddessin said, "The regime's attack on civilian ships and its warmongering once again prove that the only way to achieve peace and security in the Middle East is for the people of Iran and their Resistance to overthrow the regime and to establish freedom and democracy. Anything less will only deepen and lengthen the crises and conflicts in the region."

Pompeo Insists U.S. Has Evidence of Iranian Regime's Role in Tanker Attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has once again blamed the Iranian regime for the recent attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman but has reiterated Washington is not seeking war.

It is "unmistakable" that Iran was responsible for last week’s attacks on oil tankers, Pompeo said in an interview on June 16.

"We don't want war," Pompeo told Fox News, but he added that Washington would "take all the actions necessary, diplomatic and otherwise," to guarantee free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Accuses Iranian Regime of Helping Houthi Rebels Shoot Down Drone Over Yemen

The U.S. military says Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down a U.S. government-operated drone earlier this month with "assistance" from the Iranian regime.

"A U.S. MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen by what we assess to be a [Houthi] SA-6 surface to air missile on June 6," Lieutenant-Colonel Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said in a statement.

Brown added that the altitude at which the drone was shot down marked "an improvement over previous [Houthi] capability, which we assess was enabled by Iranian assistance."

Brown also said that on June 13, "a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down" a U.S. drone over the Gulf in an effort to disrupt surveillance of the Revolutionary Guards attack on one of two oil tankers attacked in the area that day.