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Olivier Vandecasteele: Iran jails Belgian aid worker for 28 years – family

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According to his relatives, an Iranian court has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to 28 years in prison on unspecified allegations. During a brief trip to Tehran in February, 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele was detained and charged with espionage.

His family said on Wednesday that they were notified of his sentencing during a meeting with the prime minister of Belgium. Although Iran did not confirm the report, it was announced just days after Belgium’s constitutional court blocked a contentious prisoner exchange agreement.

Iran wants to trade Mr. Vandecasteele for Assadollah Assadi, who is said to be its top intelligence agent in Europe. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium last year for attempting to bomb a demonstration of an Iranian opposition party operating in exile.

Mr. Vandecasteele spent six years working for the Norwegian Refugee Council and other humanitarian organisations in Iran. He fled the nation last year, but in order to close his flat in Tehran, he returned in February against Belgian government advice.

He was detained by members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the brief visit and sent to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where several US and European expatriates are being held on spying-related allegations. His family claims that while he was being held, he was subjected to “inhumane conditions” that amounted to torture.

They claim he has experienced different health issues as a result of being held in solitary confinement for the whole time in a basement cell without windows.

According to Mr. Vandecasteele’s family, Belgian consular representatives were able to communicate with him on November 28 for the first time in seven weeks. He said that neither his Iranian attorneys nor Belgian diplomats were aware of his appearance before a court.

He said that without being informed of the specifics of the allegations against him, he was found guilty of all of them during the hearing. His court-appointed attorney did not even make an appearance in court. Additionally, Mr. Vandecasteele disclosed to the consular representatives that he had begun a partial hunger strike in mid-November to protest his treatment. On Wednesday, his family said in a statement that they had been told by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo that he had been given a 28-year jail term and that a prisoner swap was the only way to secure his release.

The office of Mr. De Croo claimed that he had pledged to “continue to pursue all potential paths that could lead to Olivier Vandecasteele’s homecoming.”

In order to ratify the prisoner exchange agreement with Iran, which would allow Assadollah Assadi to be transferred back to Tehran to complete the remainder of his sentence in exchange for Mr. Vandecasteele’s release, his administration introduced a law in June.

However, the Iranian opposition group that Assadi and human rights advocates were targeting argued that doing so would violate the victims’ right to life and run the risk of inciting Iranian operatives to commit crimes overseas to stifle dissent.

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Iran blames west for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

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The Middle East country of Iran has blamed the western intelligence agencies and Israel for the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Mr. Fakhrizadeh was a highly talented nuclear scientist. It was considered as the mastermind of the Iran nuclear program.

The scientist was attacked in Absard in the Iranian county of Damavand.

The west considered the scientist as a big threat. He was specifically named in a paper presented by Israel on the Iran nuclear program.

Iran has pledged to avenge the assassination of its scientist. A senior Iranian leader has said that his country would strike back like a thunder.

The Iran nuclear program is very controversial. Though Iran asserts that their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, the west does not believe in the claim.

It is not the first time a top Iranian official has been assassinated at the behest of the western intelligence agency.

Few months ago, a senior Iranian military official was assassinated in a similar way.

Iran, it seems, is very angry about the killing. They have termed the killing a clear case of the violation of International laws by the west.

Israel has not yet responded about the allegations that have been levelled against the country in connection with the assassination.

It has been alleged that Israel has played a vital role in the killing.

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Iran sends British-Austrian woman to notorious prison

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Kylie Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian woman who was sentenced to ten-year-imprisonment for espionage in Iran, has been shifted to a notorious prison.

She was a lecturer at Melbourne University.

She was jailed in the year 2018. It was alleged that she was denied the opportunity for fair trial. She denied all charges levelled against her.

Australia has demanded immediate release of their citizen. It has warned Iran of serious consequences. It has asserted that the case of Dr. Moore was one of the highest priorities.

Iran has not yet responded about where she has been placed. A group of human rights activists have stated that she was admitted in Qarchak prison – which is notorious for its abusive treatment towards political prisoners.

It is notable that Iran has not yet denounced the statement made by the rights group regarding the matter.

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Iran gives back black box of downed Ukrainian plane

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The Middle East country of Iran has given back the black box of a Ukrainian plane downed accidently in early this year as Tehran mistakenly identified the plan as a missile.

The incident happened at the time the rivalry between Tehran and Washington was at its peak. Initially, Iran denied any involvement in the attack. Later, when the western intelligence agencies confronted the country with undeniable evidences suggesting the involvement of the country in the crime, Iran admitted the wrong doing and apologized publicly describing it as an unforgivable mistake.

As many as 176 persons was killed in the accident. The fight was travelling to the European country of Ukraine. The incident happened shorty after the take off of the flight.

The black box may help to determine the actual cause of the attack.

The accident has tainted the image of the Middle East country of Iran badly. It has deteriorated the relation between the west and Iran.

In a sense, it has helped the United States to push through its strategy of isolating Iran.

The incident has weakened the strength of Iran considerably.

The latest develop will reopen the discussion around the tropic – which is hiding in the pit of history.

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France condemns sentencing of Fariba

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The European country of France has condemned the sentencing of a French-Iranian academic, Fariba Adelkhah, to six years in prison in Iran.

The five-year term has been handed over the charge of conspiring against national security. The additional one year has been awarded over the charge of propaganda.

The renowned academic was booked along with her colleague, Roland Marchal. Mr. Marchal is now not in the custody of Iran.

His release was achieved by France with the support of a prison swap agreement reached by the European with the Asian country.

In order to enable the release of Mr. Marchal, France had to release Jalal Rohollahnejad, the Iranian engineer who was being held over accusations that he violated US sanctions against Iran.

A huge rift has been formed between Iran and France due to the issue. The rift is likely to widen in the coming days.


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Israeli man booked for spying for Iran

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A man, who hails from the Middle East country of Israel, has been booked on the charge of spying for the Middle East country of Iran – which is the arch rival of Israel.

According to the preliminary information, the arrest has foiled the man’s plan to conduct serious attacks on Israel.

For a reason which remains as a secret at this moment, the identity of the man has not been released yet.

The evidences that clearly showcase his relation with the Iranian intelligence agency have been recovered, as per a report.

As per a latest report released by the concerned authority, he has been charged with the charge of the infringement of the security of Israel.

Since the 1979 – in which Israel established its presence in the Middle East region as an indispensible power, the relation between Israel and Iran are improper.


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Ukraine Passenger Plane Crash: No Link With US-Iran Crisis

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Nothing that can prove the relation between the Ukraine passenger plane crash and the ongoing crisis between the US and Iran has been recovered yet.

A Ukraine plane carrying at least 170 persons has crashed, minutes after it flew to Kyiv from Imam Khomeini airport, Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his deep sorrow about the incident. He has even cancelled his scheduled official trip to Oman.

Ukraine has also constituted an investigative team to investigate the reason for the crash of the plane.

At this moment, it remains unclear whether anyone has sustained the crash. As per a preliminary assumption, no one has survived the crash.

Iran also has supported the argument that there is no possibility for the existence of any survivor.

The depressing footage of the crash is circulating in the social media like a wild fire.

As the crash has happened at the time the crisis between the US and Iran was at its peak, it is important to do a thorough investigation to unveil the real reason that has led to the crash of the plane.

The identities of the victims are expected to be released in the near future itself. The latest is the worst crash that has happened in the region in the near history.


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International Trade News

EU, US to intervene in Venezuela-Turkey-Iran gold trade

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Venezuela’s oil economy has almost died due to the US sanction. Now, it relies almost solely on its gold trade for its sustenance. The United Arab Empire, Russia and Turkey are the biggest importers of the Venezuelan gold. Of these three, Turkey’s trade with the socialist Latin American is the one which worries the European Union and the United States the most. It is alleged that the gold reaches Turkey from Venezuela ostensibly for the purpose of refinement is shipped to Iran. The US is of the belief that the network of the Venezuela-Turkey-Iran gold trade is what enables the embattled Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, who is on an ultimatum, to keep the loyalty of his country’s soldiers intact. The west now knows that the best way to topple the aggressive Venezuelan socialist is to cut off his revenue channels. The EU and US’ latest combined attempt to force Turkey to stop its engagements with Venezuela, particularly its gold trade, is regarded as the part of that strategy. The US has reportedly served an ultimatum to Turkey to cease its gold trade with Venezuela.

If Russia and the others does not increase their gold and oil import with Venezuela, Mr Maduro will be toppled as soon as the EU and the US find success in forcing Turkey to withdraw its backup –by all possibility that would not take more than few weeks.

It is not clear from where Iran has come to the picture. There is evidence that Turkey has brought in several tonnes of gold from Venezuela in the name of refinement and none of the imported has been returned. But, there is nothing to assume that what has been imported by Turkey has been exported to Iran. The possibility that Iran has been purposefully brought into the narrative to increase the strength of those against the Venezuelan trade cannot be ruled out blindly.

Vignesh. S. G
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International Trade News

West invents a way to evade the US’ sanction on Iran

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The three major western powers, such as Germany, the UK and France, have established a new payment channel to evade the United States’ economic sanction on the Middle Eastern country of Iran.

The new payment channel, the Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), shares no links with the US-linked payment channels the west presently uses widely.

It is this detachment from the popular payment channels that helps the new channel evade the sanction imposed by the US on Iran.

Iran is one of the most important trading partners of the three major European powers. The countries see the Shia-dominated nation not only as a source of cheap oil but also as a potential market for their goods and services.

It was the US’ belief that Iran involved in the destabilisation of some of its prime allies in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia that promoted the world’s most powerful country to impose an economic sanction against the Arab country.

The three important western countries were not in the favour of the sanction. It even urged the US to withdraw the sanction.

The latest move is capable to provoke the US. The US’ present regime is already unhappy with the European powers’ attitude against its long standing demand that the European countries should step up their defence spending to pay justice to their financial obligation to the NATO force.

Vignesh. S. G
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