Strenuous US - Iranian Relations
Iran's involvement in Iraq
Iran's Connections to Hezbollah
Iran's Nuclear Program
Human RIghts Issues
For the past 20 years, Iran has had private political and military details in Iraq which were not mutually beneficial. There is evidence that they are supporting Shiite rebels and are threatening the locals with force. After Saddam Hussein's fall from power in 2003, Iraq has destabilized, giving Iran the perfect opportunity to establish support there. According to political experts, there is a chance that Iraq could turn into an Iranian puppet state due to the rather recent influx of Shiite leaders.
There is a special operations department of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that has been accused of funding Shiite rebels in Iran by the US.
One third of the two-thousand religious students sent to Iraq by Iran reportedly work for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.
Iraq just closed its southern border with Iran to travelers in response to protests in both countries.
Hezbollah is the main political party in Lebanon and retains control over much of the country.
There are anti-Hezbollah protests occurring in Lebanon at the time of writing, with millions of people in support on the streets of Bahrain.
Hezbollah is a terrorist group that was started by Iranian Shiites in order to gain control on an international scale. They have infiltrated many aspects of Latin American governments, leading up to the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and helping lead to the current political state of Venezuela. Hezbollah is also behind hundreds of American deaths due to several bombings of the US Embassy in Lebanon. Iran helps to fund Hezbollah and gives them access to resources through their embassies, allowing Hezbollah to continue drug trafficking, money laundering, and other numerous crimes,
Hezbollah is firmly cementing themselves at the heart of Lebanese politics, with many recruits and a powerful majority. They were able to achieve this as the US did not invest enough money in the late 20th century into preventing their rise.
Since protests started in 2017, Iranian police have arrested nearly 5,000 people, completely ignoring their right to peaceful assembly.
Iran has had many issues in relation to human rights and their protection. Some violations include holding over 900 political prisoners, of which dozens were beaten, placed in solitary confinement, or refused medical care, imprisoning at least 35 journalists, punishing being a member of the LGBT+ community with death or flogging, and limiting citizens freedom of expression. On top of this, Iran has broken international law due to cruel and degrading punishments, such as amputation and flogging. Finally, a poet by the name of Hashem Shaabani Nejad was executed for crimes including "waging war on god."
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence have been systematically arresting human rights defenders and other nonviolent social activists.
Iran has bypassed the limits on nuclear production set by the UN and the 2015 US-Iran Nuclear Agreement
In December 2006, a UN Security Council placed economic sanctions on Iran in order to stop their nuclear program, and forbid them from doing any research that could be used for nuclear weapons. The US wanted a travel ban on all Iranian nuclear research scientists, but that request was denied. The following year, the assets of 28 Iranian researchers were frozen in connection to continued nuclear research. Iran continued its research through increased sanctions and trade bans from US banks.
Recently, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the US, which would have allowed Iran to continue research, but would have slowed the supply of uranium down. President Trump and Iran's President Rouhani were supposed to meet, but the meeting got canceled over a disagreement between sanctions and location, yet political analysts suggest a possibility of further talks.
Iran does not allow Baha’is to practice religious freedom, even though they are the largest religious minority in Iran. If someone is not a Shiite, they are discriminated against by the law, and they can be imprisoned for their beliefs. In 2018, 37 Christians were imprisoned due to missionary work.