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A man walks past the main gate of the former US embassy in Tehran also known as the Den of Espionage. (Photo by AP)

The CIAhas released documents showing that US spy agencies resorted to psychics to help conduct espionage against Iran during the time of the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran.

According to the newly published files,a secret team of half a dozen military-trained clairvoyants met over 200 times in a building in Fort Mead, Maryland, as part of an operation code-named Grill Flame.

The psychics were employedto gather intelligence on where the American hostages were being held and how closely they were being guarded.

The psychics officially worked for US Army intelligence, but their activities were monitored and supported by several government intelligence agencies as well as top commanders at the Pentagon.

On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian university students took over the US embassy, which they believed had turned into a center of espionage aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic in Iran following the Islamic Revolution. Fifty-two Americansfrom the mission were held for 444 days until January 20, 1981.

Documents found at the compound later corroborated claims by revolutionary students that the US had been using its Tehran embassy to hatch plots against Iran.

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After the takeover ended, the Pentagon compared the details of the incident with 202 reports provided by the Grill Flame psychics.

The comparison showed that onlysevenreports were proven correct while more than half of the reports were entirely incorrect, wrote an Air Force colonel on the staff of the Joint Chiefs.

Although 59 reports contained information that was partly or possibly right, these same reports often included erroneous data,he added.

James Randi, a former professional magician who turned his career into debunking psychics, expressed skepticism about the operation.

The intelligence agencies might as well get a crystal ball out and stare into space and hope they see something, Randi said, adding, Its a huge waste of time and money and it doesnt help the hostages one bit.

William J. Daugherty, a CIA case officer who was among those held by the Iranian students, said he had learned of the psychics from colleagues after his release.

It was at lunch, and they were laughing, he said, noting, It was in the nature of Can you believe the crazy stuff we did?

The Grill Flame operation, which was just one part of a broader US intelligence project, carried out 26,000 telepathic forays by 227 psychics before it was shut down in 1995.

This came after anoutside reviewcommissioned by the CIA concluded that remote viewing reports failed to produce the concrete, specific information valued in intelligence reporting.

For years, the US has also been usingMKO terrorists to spy on Iran's nuclear program and assassinate several scientists in collaboration with Mossad and other intelligence agencies.

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US hired psychics to spy on Iran during mission takeover: CIA files - Press TV

Amazon.com Inc. on Fridaydisclosed Iranian business ties that may have violated U.S. sanctions, warning that it may be penalized after a regulatory review of the activities.

The company said in a regulatory filing that from 2012 to 2016 it processed and delivered orders of consumer products for certain individuals and entities located outside Iran covered by the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act (ITRA).

Amazon saidit reported the transactions to the U.S.Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security. The worlds biggest e-commerce retailer said it will cooperate witha review by the agencies, and added that this could result in penalties, according to the filing.

In 2012, President Barack Obama signed the ITRA to strengthen trade restrictions on Iran and try to persuade the country to stop its nuclear activities. This law imposes civil penalties and takes other action against foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies engaging in transactions with Iran. In January 2016, the U.S. lifted some of the economic sanctions tied to the nuclear program.

Amazon said Friday it sold a variety of consumer products to individuals and unspecified groups controlled or owned by the Iranian government. The goods ranged from apparel to software to pet products and cost $50 to about $2,400, according to the filing. Amazon said it doesnt plan to sell to these accounts in the future.

Our review is ongoing and we are enhancing our processes designed to identify transactions associated with individuals and entities covered by the ITRA, Amazon said.

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Amazon Discloses Iranian Business Ties, Warns of Penalties ... - Bloomberg

Sat Feb 11, 2017 | 11:37 AM EST

DUBAI Iranian security forces have arrested eight hardline Sunni Islamists suspected of planning attacks to disrupt celebrations for Iran's Islamic revolution in the past week, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Saturday.

Alavi said the eight were "Takfiri" foreigners, some of whom were linked to a "Takfiri" leader who had been killed in Iran, IRNA reported. He did not give details of which countries they were from.

"Takfiri" is a word used by predominantly Shi'ite Muslim Iran to refer to hardline, armed, Sunni Islamist groups.

"Initial information indicates that Kalashnikovs and other equipment were obtained to carry out terrorist operations ... in Tehran and several other cities under the direct guidance of persons based in neighbouring countries," Alavi was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying.

In August, Alavi said the leader of a Sunni militant group in southeast Iran responsible for attacks against security forces and civilian targets has been killed, although it was not immediately clear if he was person he suspected those arrested of being linked to.

Although Alavi did not identify which country Iran suspected of guiding the suspects, Iranian officials often accuse regional rival Saudi Arabia of backing ultrahardline Sunni militant group Islamic State.

Riyadh denies the charges and says Tehran destabilizes the region and sponsors terrorism, an accusation rejected by Iran.

On Friday, Iran's prosecutor-general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said security forces had smashed a cell linked to Islamic State near Tehran that wanted to "sabotage" rallies on Friday marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed Shah.

Iranian security forces have repeatedly announced arrests of Islamic State fighters and sympathizers.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Iran says holds eight foreigners planning attacks - Reuters

BEIRUT The Latest on the war in Syria (all times local):

2:15 p.m.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency is reporting that will allow Russian jetfighters to fly over its airspace to support military operations in Syria.

The Saturday report quotes Ali Shamkhami, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Shamkhani says: "Cooperation between Iran and Russia to fight against terrorism in Syria has wide and comprehensive dimensions."

In August, Iran confirmed that Russian bombers had launched airstrikes from near the Iranian city of Hamedan, 280 kilometers (175 miles) southwest of the Iranian capital Tehran to hit targets in in eastern Syria.

___

2:05 p.m.

Syrian opposition forces say they have advanced inside the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab, in northern Syria.

The Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sham militia announced Saturday on Twitter that opposition forces had taken the city's silos and sports complex in its southwestern districts. The coalition's operations room released a video on social media showing its fighters at the gates of the Hikma hospital. Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group also reported the hospital's capture.

Turkish troops and aircraft are also engaged in the "Euphrates Shield" assault on al-Bab.

The Turkish-backed forces are racing to seize al-Bab before rival Syrian government forces arrive. The Observatory says government forces are about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) away.

Al-Bab is 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Turkish border.

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The Latest: Iran to allow Russian jets to fly over airspace - Fox News

Amazon, the internet retail giant, disclosed in a filing Thursday that it processed and delivered a variety of consumer products to unidentified groups and individuals outside Iran but controlled or owned by the Iranian government, a Bloomberg report said.

Amazon said the goods sold included a range of products, from pet food to software. Amazon, in a regulatory filing, warned that review could result in penalties, the report said.

The company reportedly said the orders took place for about four years and may have violated U.S. sanctions. The company reportedly alerted the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security about the dealings, and is cooperating with the review.

The Seattle Times reported that the orders included a $2,400 in consumer products to an entity controlled by Tehran's government, and $1,300 in consumer products to a person subjected to sanctions by an executive order.

Former President Obama signed the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 in hopes of strengthening the sanctions in place against Tehran and compel the country to abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Any violator can face civil penalties, the report said.

ITRA also stipulated, in Section 218, that when it comes to doing business with Iran, foreign subsidiaries of U.S. parent firms shall in all cases be treated exactly the same as U.S. firms: namely, what is prohibited for U.S. parent firms has to be prohibited for foreign subsidiaries, and what is allowed for foreign subsidiaries has to be allowed for U.S. parent firms.

ITRA contains language, in Section 605, requiring that the terms spelled out in Section 218 shall remain in effect until the president of the United States certifies two things to Congress: first, that Iran has been removed from the State Departments list of nations that sponsor terrorism, and second, that Iran has ceased the pursuit, acquisition, and development of weapons of mass destruction.

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Amazon warns of penalties after disclosing business ties to Iran, report says - Fox News