09/03 Links Pt1: Israel Has Become A Five-Front War; The True Story of an Iranian Sportsman's Fight for Life; Iran refuses to cooperate with UN nuclear agency investigation ~ EoZ

From Ian:

On the morning of Aug. 23, an Israeli teenager was killed by a terrorist bomb in Samaria. That night, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed an armed Palestinian trying to cross the Gaza border.

The next day, Israel’s Air Force bombed Syria to sabotage a planned Iranian attack of armed drones. That day, three rockets were fired from Gaza; Israeli drones reportedly exploded above Beirut; an explosive device was found and neutralized near a settlement.

On Aug. 26, the IDF concluded that Hezbollah planned an attack on its forces in the Galilee; Hezbollah’s leader made direct threats; opposition leader Benny Gantz was invited to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office for a security briefing; Iraqi leaders declared reported Israeli raids in Iraq an act of war. In the meantime Iran and the United States toyed with the idea of direct negotiations for a new Iran deal.

On Aug. 27, Netanyahu advised Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to “calm down”; Britain’s Times newspaper reported that Israel’s attack in Lebanon targeted machinery for precision-guided missiles; Just before midnight, an explosion killed two in Gaza.

And that was in less than a week.

Should we say this is war?

Consider this: There are attacks, counterattacks, maneuvers and threats. Israel is active on five fronts: the West Bank, where violence is contained and yet the situation is volatile; Gaza, where violence threatens to erupt daily; Syria, where Iranian forces keep trying to form a base against Israel that Israel won’t allow; Lebanon, where pro-Iranian forces feel compelled to act in response to Israeli actions; and Iraq, where Israel reportedly operates as part of the war against Iranian expansion.

Palestinian religious leader calls Jews in Jerusalem 'colonialist cancer'

Prominent Palestinian religious leader denounced "Jewish attacks" against Palestinian religious symbols in Jerusalem and referred to the Jewish presence in the land of Israel as a "colonialist cancer," NGO Palestinian Media Watch said on Monday.

According to a report by the Palestinian Authority official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, as quoted by PMW, the Supreme Fatwa Council, led by Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, "Warned of the danger of attacks against the religious and national symbols in occupied Jerusalem, and held the occupation government fully responsible for these violations."

"The council expressed its rejection of all types of settlements and emphasized that the Palestinian people will not stand idly by in the face of this colonialist cancer," the report added.

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Palestinian Authority's highest religious leader. Hussein, a former imam of the Al Aqsa mosque, was appointed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas in 2006.

Hussein is not new to controversial statements and incitement. Shortly after his appointment, he called suicide bombing: "legitimate as long as it plays a role in the [Palestinian] resistance."

In 2012, he quoted an ancient Islamic text encouraging Muslims to kill Jews while speaking at a ceremony broadcasted by the PA TV.

In 2015, Hussein denied that there had ever been a Jewish holy site on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

German cleric accused of pro-Hamas writings appointed interim J'lem provost

Germany’s Protestant Church said on Monday it is sticking with its appointment of an accused anti-Israel cleric who has allegedly written in a Hamas style to serve as the interim provost for the landmark Redeemer's Church.

Last year, the virulently anti-Israel cleric Rainer Stuhlmann wrote in a German Protestant Church document on the 70th anniversary of the re-founding of Israel that the creation of the State of Israel was for the Palestinians a “reason for mourning” because Israel engaged in “expulsion, destruction, coercion and injustice.“

Stuhlmann continued his alleged tirade against Israel, stating: “In recent years, military superiority has led Israel to brutally enforce its interests against Palestine. With an aggressive settlement policy, facts are created that narrow the scope of Palestine more and more.”

Last year, the editor-in-chief of the Westdeutsche Zeitung, Uli Tückmantel, wrote that Stuhlmann’s writing is, “one-sided finger-pointing against Israel in the propaganda style of Fatah and Hamas.”

When asked by The Jerusalem Post if he is anti-Israel or antisemitic, Stuhlmann, who is presently in Jerusalem, wrote by email: “I have been a friend of Israel for decades. For decades I have been engaged in the fight against all forms of antisemitism, including antisemitism related to Israel.”

AJ+ Is Al Jazeera

There’s a social media site whose glitzy videos populate your newsfeed. Its content overflows with typical leftist tropes. No, it’s not CNN or MSNBC. You should know what it is and the nefarious people backing it. Raheem Kassam, author of No Go Zones, explains why, when you come across these videos, you should swipe left.

International Judo Federation: The True Story of an Iranian Sportsman's Fight for Life

For years, Iranian athletes have been prohibited from competing in any sport against Israel. From questionable injuries, to throwing matches, Iranian athletes across all sports have been ordered to crush their own dreams.

On May 9, 2019, the International Judo Federation received on official letter from the National Olympic Committee of Iran stating:"We would like to confirm that the I.R. Iran NOC shall fully respect the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle."

On August 28 at the Judo World Championships in Tokyo, the Iranian coach received a call from Iran's first deputy minister of sport, Davar Zani, ordering him to withdraw Iran's world champion, Saeid Mollaei, from the competition to avoid a potential contest between Iran and Israel. The demand was accompanied by threats against Mollaei and his family.

Mollaei continued to compete, reaching the semi-finals. Then a delegation from the Iranian Embassy arrived at the venue, and one delegate trespassed into the athlete warm up area to approach Mollaei with messages of intimidation.

Just prior to the semi-final, Mollaei's coach received another phone call, this time from Iranian Olympic Committee President Reza Salehi Amiri, who explained that Iranian national security officials were at his parents' house. Mollaei's friends from Iran also texted him that people came to his house and asked his father to tell his son to follow the law or he would have problems.

Mollaei explained: "Today, the National Olympic Committee of Iran and the Sport Minister told me to not compete, that I had to comply with the law. I am a fighter. I want to compete wherever I can. I live in a country whose law does not permit me to....I need help. Even if the authorities of my country told me that I can go back without any problems, I am afraid. I am afraid of what might happen to my family and to myself."

Judo champion Muki to 'Post': I want to compete against Iranian, hug him

Judoka Sagi Muki feels bad for his Iranian counterpart, Saeid Mollaei, who plans to compete in the 2020 Olympics under the Olympic flag rather than his home country’s due to the political tension between Israel and Iran.

The 27-year-old Israeli, who captured the gold medal in the under-81-kilogram competition at the World Judo Championships last week in Tokyo, broke his silence on Sunday concerning Mollaei being whisked away to Germany amid rumors of him throwing matches and seeking asylum.

In an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post, Muki spoke about Mollaei’s extenuating situation, going into the political and sports ramifications, as well as the relationship between Israel and Iran.

On Sunday, Mollaei spoke to the Iran International news outlet based in London about being forced to lose his final two bouts so as not to face Muki or share the podium with him. Mollaei also discussed his desire to compete at the highest level possible, with his goal being to win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

“But I came to compete for real, not to put on a show... I will compete in the Olympics under the Olympic flag,” he said.

Iranian judoka who defied ayatollahs may soon arrive in Israel

Iranian Judoka Saeid Mollaei, who claimed authorities in Tehran forced him to engineer his elimination in a tournament last week in order to avoid playing against Israeli Judoka Sagi Muki, may arrive in Israel in 2020.

Israel Hayom has learned that the Israel Judo Association invited Mollaei to take part in the Tel Aviv Grand Prix 2019 in January.

After Mollaei was eliminated from the World Judo Championships last week, Muki ended up winning the gold medal and made Israeli sports history.

Mollaei then announced that he would seek asylum in Germany and even praised Muki online and congratulated him on his win, to the chagrin of the Iranian regime.

International Judo Federation president Marius Vizer wants the Iranian asylum-seeker to attend the Israeli-hosted competition in January and has said he would punish Iranian authorities for pressuring Mollaei to lose a match last week so that he would get eliminated.

Ben Stein: Why I Pray for Trump, a True Hero

I should tell you that I pray for Trump because he believes in America. He wants an America that is true to its founding ideals of liberty and free enterprise. I also pray for him because he’s been the victim of the most consistent, slimiest hate campaign since Abraham Lincoln. He hasn’t done anything seriously wrong and yet the media powers treat him as if he were John Wilkes Booth. I don’t like his tariff fights with China but what can we do? They’ve been robbing us blind in terms of technology for decades now. For the Chinese, a brilliant and proud people and at least the equal of any people on this earth, there is no stopping point between now and them ruling the earth.

That’s what Trump’s struggle is about: to stop the world from becoming a vast Chinese empire. I don’t blame the Chinese for their ambitions. They were treated very badly all over the world for generations. But now, like a spring that has been compressed for too long, they are springing back madly.

They have their own problems: they are doing deficit spending on a titanic scale and it cannot last. They have restive minorities like the Uighurs and others. They will eventually spend themselves into big trouble. But in the meantime, they cause trouble in their very large orbit. Trump understands this and wants to stop them and get them to work cooperatively with us and the rest of the big countries. Would Kamala Harris get it? Would Bernie? Would Cory?

Trump is the only one who understands how fragile our system is and wants to save it. He’s not angry at America. He loves America.

So for this and for many other reasons, I pray for him. I am an economist — student of the allocation of scarce goods — and the scarcest commodity on earth is human dignity. I think Trump gets it. The Chinese who are busy suffocating the earth don’t get it. I pray for them to understand that if they kill the earth, that includes them. If Trump can slow them down, he’s the ultimate environmentalist. More on Trump and Law and Economics to come.

Gantz vows referendum on territorial withdrawal

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz promised on Monday that if he becomes prime minister and decides to withdraw from any territory, he would bring it to the public in a national referendum.

Speaking at a conference organized by the religious Zionist website Srugim, Gantz said there would not be a repeat of the 2005 Gaza Strip withdrawal, in which he said too many mistakes were made.

“When we get to such a juncture, the public will decide, but it is not relevant now,” Gantz said in an interview on stage with Srugim editor Or Izraeli.

Gantz spoke at the event in an effort to attract religious Zionist voters. He earned applause from the crowd when he promised that the Joint List would not be part of a governing coalition, and called for Israeli Arab citizens to perform national service inside their communities.

“They have problems with crime, education and employment, so there is no reason for them not to serve their communities, and I tell them that,” he said.

While Gantz defended himself from left-wing criticism for coming to a conference in which right-wing extremists were speaking, he attacked Yamina minister Bezalel Smotrich, saying that his past racist statements “stain the religious Zionist community.”

PreOccupiedTerritory: It’s Racist Of Israel Not To Let Us Ban Jews From The Other 3% Of Hebron by Subhi Sh’hada (satire)

I need not inform the reader that my hometown bears the distinction of one of the most radicalized locations in the region, of not the world. A hardcore group of several hundred Jews, with military protection, has settled in the immediate vicinity of the Ibrahimi Mosque, where various patriarchs are buried. Our hometown boasts my own clan, one of the most extreme Hamas-affiliated groups in the land. A larger settlement of radical Jews resides on the outskirts of the city, but 97% of the city itself lies under the administrative aegis of the Palestinian Authority and Jews may not enter. As human rights advocates continue to note, this racist curtailment of rights cannot continue: we must rid the entire city of Jews, not just the vast majority that was already ethnically cleansed.

Palestinians have endured decades of occupation, all with the ostensible purpose of ensuring freedom of worship for a bunch of Jews. But that freedom of worship came from nowhere – where was Israel when the Ottomans and others before them banned Jews altogether from the Tomb of the Patriarchs? This sudden Israeli interest in protecting its people reeks of something more suspicious, and we in Hebron have long called it a mere pretext to violate our right to a Jew-free city. Our ancestors killed, pillaged, and raped until all the Jews left in 1929 – what now gives them the right to be racist and undo that effort?

All the more galling is the brazenness with which the Israeli military shields these radicals from our righteous wrath. They cleared the vendors from Sh’hada Street into a spacious, modernized shopping center a short distance away, and now prevent Palestinian vendors from returning to man their run-down shops, all in the name of keeping “terrorists” away from the Jewish settlers. But it is the Jews who are terrorists, defiling sacred Islamic land with their Talmudic rituals such as praying and just generally not dying enough in repeated massacres. The war criminals prevent us from correcting that historical injustice and pile wrongdoing on top of wrongdoing.

Security footage captures Hezbollah missile narrowly missing IDF vehicle

A new video from a northern kibbutz's security cameras shows an anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah narrowly missing an IDF vehicle on a road near the Galilee town of Avivim on Sunday, refuting claims by Hezbollah that the attack succeeded in hitting its target, according to Mako news.

The video, captured by security cameras at Kibbutz Yir'on, shows the anti-tank missile striking the road as an IDF "Ze'ev" vehicle comes into view from the site of the explosion seconds later.

On Monday, Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar news published footage of the attack carried out on Sunday from the Lebanese side of the border, claiming that it refuted "all the claims that the attack failed to hit Zionist soldiers." The footage showed that two missiles were fired from two positions.

Israeli officials stated that no IDF troops were injured.

Minutes after the Hezbollah anti-tank missiles hit, soldiers with bandages and fake blood were flown by helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

They were taken off the helicopters in stretchers and were discharged after the round of fighting ended.

“We can’t hide injured troops in Israel for half an hour,” a top security official said, disputing claims in Lebanon that troops had been injured in the attack.

‘There Are No More Red Lines,’ Says Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah will begin firing at Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday evening, adding that the terrorist organization had “no more red lines.”

Nasrallah’s remarks came during a televised address in the aftermath of Hezbollah’s recent missile attack against an Israeli military vehicle in northern Israel, which was followed by retaliatory Israeli strikes on multiple Hezbollah targets.

“Enough,” said Nasrallah, “The Lebanese have the right to defend themselves. There is now a new operational space, and it is Lebanon’s skies. When it comes to dealing with the [Israeli] UAVs, it will happen. I won’t specify when and how, but it will come.”

The Hezbollah leader went on to say that “[Israel in the past] would not tolerate anyone putting a hand on the [border] fence, sending something like a drone back and forth quickly, shooting in the air or throwing a bomb into an open area. It would respond harshly because for it that was a red line. What happened yesterday is that the resistance broke what has for the past dozens of years been the biggest Israeli red line.

“It is no longer a red line,” he said. “That has ended. There are no more red lines.”

Lebanese Politician: Lebanon's Leaders Are Waiting to Hear Whether Nasrallah Declares War or Not

Elie Mahfoud, the leader of the Lebanese Movement for Democratic Change, said in an August 25, 2019 interview on Al-Arabiya TV (Saudi Arabia) that everybody in Lebanon wants to know who rules over Lebanon and who holds the power to make decisions. Mahfoud said that the current anarchic state of affairs in which Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has the power to declare war cannot continue, and he said that Lebanon's military is perfectly capable of defending Lebanon and its borders. Mahfoud warned that if the Lebanese government does not take initiative, then the situation in Lebanon will decline to an even worse situation than during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War, and he emphasized that Lebanon suffered much heavier losses and destruction during that war than Israel did, despite Hizbullah's celebration of the war as a victory. In addition, Mahfoud said that Iran's militant activity in the Middle East is a "sad joke" because there hasn't been a single military operation against Israel, and he said that the Lebanese are "exploiting and riding the horse of the Palestinian Cause" while actually harming the Palestinians and giving Israel more excuses to sow ruin and destruction in the entire region. Mahfoud's remarks were made in light of Hassan Nasrallah's recent speech in which he said Hizbullah will engage Israeli drones flying in Lebanese airspace (see MEMRI TV Clip No. 7439).

Through the Smoke, Reuters’ Double Standard Fires in Lebanon, Israel

On Sunday, when Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at a border post in northern Israel, Israel responded by launching 100 artillery shells into southern Lebanon, sparking fires in agricultural fields. Reuters’ brief captions accompanying photographs of the burning Lebanese fields clearly identified the fires’ cause: Israeli shelling. In contrast, Reuters captions failed to identify the cause of scorched earth near Avivim, the Israeli border area initially targeted in the Hezbollah attack Sunday which prompted the Israeli response. Similarly, Reuters photo captions frequently omit the source of the fires that have plagued southern Israel for over a year: Gazan arsonists send flaming kites and balloons across the border. Through the smoke, one thing is clear: Reuters does not apply a consistent standard in photo captions about fires resulting from conflict between Israel and its neighbors. When Israel is to be blamed for fires, Reuters says so. When the other side is culpable, Reuters frequently remains mum.

A sampling of Reuters photos and captions about Sunday’s fires in Lebanese fields, caused by retaliatory Israeli shelling follow. They clearly report the Israeli shelling responsible for the blaze.

Explaining Hamas's rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, CBS News informs its readers that the rockets were fired from "the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip."

It's not like they're not even trying. pic.twitter.com/y8KEsvdgEB
— Omri Ceren (@omriceren) September 3, 2019

Drat! Our plan to distract you all with a hurricane was foiled once again @arielelysegold. Clever girl. pic.twitter.com/PywrDTJl6q
— The Mossad: Elite Parody Division (@TheMossadIL) September 2, 2019

Top PA diplomat in UK denies discrimination against LGBTQ in the West Bank

A prominent Palestinian diplomat in the UK assured on Friday that the Palestinian leaders and institutions do not discriminate against the LGBTQ community, despite a group being banned from carrying out activities in the West Bank.

Responding to a letter by 60 Labour MPs and Peers, the head of the Palestinian Mission in the UK Husam Zomlot said that “Palestine honours and respects the dignity of all Palestinians and does not discriminate or tolerate any form of discrimination,” according to a report by the Jewish Chronicle.

In August, the Palestinian Authority banned the LGBTQ group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society (Arabic for “the bow”) from carrying out any activity in the West Bank.

The group engages and supports Palestinians who identify as LGBTQ and operates both in the West Bank and among Arab-Israelis.

Explaining the decision to ban the LGBTQ group from operating in PA-controlled areas, Luay Zreikat, spokesperson for the PA Police, said that such activities are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society.”

Israel restores Gaza fuel after 50% cut

Israel this week restored full fuel shipments to Gaza after it had reduced the amount by half last week in response to Palestinian rocket fire, sources told The Jerusalem Post.

The NGO Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement announced the fuel restarting by stating that three turbines were now working at Gaza’s power plant, providing 12 hours of electricity per day to the Strip.

Last week, that number had dropped down to six hours after the Israeli fuel cuts.

On Monday 10 trucks carrying 380,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

It expected that the quantity of trucks and liters of fuel that enter Gaza will increase next week.

Some 3.1 million liters of fuel allocated weekly for the Gaza power plant has been funded by Qatar since October 2018.

Qatar, frustrated over Israel’s August decision to cut the fuel by 50%, stated Sunday that it had no plans to restore the fuel shipments now that Israel had rescinded that restriction.

Through its website, Hamas stated that its leader Ismail Haniyeh had spoken with Qatari Ambassador to Gaza Muhammed Emadi about the decision to cut the fuel, and that after the conversation, Qatar decided not make any cuts.

Israel’s draconian restrictions on the movement of necessities into the Strip such as fuel are often seen as a bellwether of relations between Gaza and Israel.

Iran refuses to cooperate with UN nuclear agency investigation - report

Iran is refusing to cooperate with a UN investigation into its alleged storage of nuclear equipment and radioactive material in Tehran by the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Diplomats claim that Iran has refused to answer important questions asked by the IAEA over allegations that it had established a now-dismantled site in Tehran to store nuclear equipment and material used during past weapons development.

These allegations were first publicly raised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September 2018 at the UN, when he disclosed the existence of a facility in Iran’s capital that he referred to as an “atomic warehouse” full of material related to the country’s nuclear program.

“The IAEA still has not taken any action. It has not posed a single question of Iran. It has not demanded to inspect a single new site discovered in that secret archive,” the prime minister said. “So I decided to reveal today something else that we revealed to the IAEA and to other intelligence agencies.

“They had to get it out of the site, so they took it out and they spread it around Tehran in an effort to hide the evidence,” he asserted, suggesting that Iranian citizens were at risk of exposure. (h/t IsaacStorm)

Iran says it can resume 20% uranium enrichment in days if no economic relief

Iran’s atomic energy agency said Tuesday that it could resume enriching uranium to 20 percent within two days unless the remaining European signatories to the nuclear deal provide economic relief to counter US sanctions.

“If the signatory states to the nuclear deal delay selling the 20% (enriched nuclear) fuel, it is Iran’s right to provide its needed fuel,” agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said, quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency.

“If the Islamic Republic of Iran decides, it can have 20% enriched fuel within one to two days,” he said.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the Islamic Republic was ready to further reduce its commitments to the nuclear deal “in the coming days” if the negotiations with the remaining parties to the deal yielded no results by Thursday.

Uranium needs to be enriched to 90% to be used in a nuclear weapon and 20% purity is considered an important benchmark toward reaching weapons grade level.

Zarif's Inexcusable Warm Welcome in Europe

The behavior of European leaders towards Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during his visit illustrates how frightened they are of the Iranian regime and how these non-stop moralists will seemingly do anything for money. Iran's strong anti-Israel rhetoric apparently does not bother them, either.

Trade with Iran is crucial to many European countries. That is one possible explanation for the seeming doublespeak in which European leaders have been engaging since the establishment of the Islamic Republic 40 years ago -- boasting among themselves and with the United States about setting a shining example of human rights, yet giving their Iranian counterparts a pass on this issue.

Those of us who sought refuge away from the brutality of the Iranian regime observe with sadness and horror these desperate attempts by many European leaders to please Tehran. Europeans should be viewing the situation with equal sadness and horror.

Report: Macron Offered Rouhani $15 Billion to Resume Nuclear Deal

Western diplomats told Asharq Al-Awsat that French President Emmanuel Macron had offered Iranian President Hassan Rouhani financial incentives to the tune of $15 billion to convince him not to reduce his country’s commitments under the 2015 nuclear agreement (Macron Offers Financial Incentives to Persuade Iran to Respect Nuclear Pact).

According to the same sources, the money would be paid out in installments, and, even more important, Rouhani was receptive to the proposal.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov and in a joint press conference the two praised the role played by President Macron to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Zarif said his country would “be complying with its obligations in full when the Europeans comply with theirs in full.”

On Tuesday, Rouhani told parliament that holding bilateral talks with the United States was not on the table: “We’ve said it before time and again, and we say it again: we have no intention to hold bilateral talks with the United States,” he insisted. “We never did and never will. It has been the case in the past year and a half, and even in previous years. There have been calls for talks, but we never responded to them.”

Iraqi Shiite Militia Leader: If U.S.-Iran War Breaks out, We Will Fight alongside Iran

Abu Alaa Al-Walai, the Secretary-General of the Iraqi Shiite militia Kata'ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, said in an August 28, 2019 interview on Dijlah TV (Iraq) that the "easiest" thing to do in retaliation against Israel for drone strikes it has reportedly carried out in Iraq is to send similarly-equipped drones to bomb Israel's embassy and its military bases. He also said that Kata'ib Sayyid Al-Shuhada would fight alongside Iran if a U.S.-Iran war broke out. He said: "If fighting broke out between Satan and America, I would stand with Satan, because America is the Greater Satan." In addition, Al-Walai said that all of the Americans in Iraq would become hostages of the Islamic resistance if a U.S.-Iran war breaks out.

70 top think-tank scholars support Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Seventy top U.S. think-tank scholars have signed an open letter of support for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which has been blacklisted by Iran.

The organization and its executive director Mark Dubowitz last week were added to the Islamic Republic’s sanctions list, accused of being involved in “designing, imposing and intensifying the impacts of economic terrorism against Iran,” meaning the Trump administration’s economic sanctions against the country, according to a statement issue by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

The Foreign Ministry statement also said it would consider legitimate “any further legal measures that the other administrative, judicial or security institutions and organizations may take in order to counter, prosecute or punish” FDD or Dubowitz or their “collaborators and accomplices.”

The open letter in support of FDD and Dubowitz was published on Friday.

It read, in part: “As members of the public policy and NGO community of which FDD is a part, we take strong exception to sanctioning a research organization because of a difference of political views, whether by Iran or other governments. We also condemn the suggestion that Iran’s security institutions might ‘punish’ FDD personnel. This is a further example of a troubling trend whereby governments attempt to stifle and intimidate independent researchers.”

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