JERUSALEM, Israel – In the aftermath of the U.S.-led nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented medals to his country's negotiators, while striking multi-billion dollar deals with several European countries.
While the world billed Rouhani as a kinder, gentler soul than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, his human rights record has proven considerably worse.
A report released last November projected that well over 1,000 people would be executed by year's end, exceeding Ahmadinejad's record. At least 10 women and one juvenile were among nearly 700 people executed by hanging between January and September. More than 480 people were flogged during the first two weeks of Ramadan for not fasting.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to forge ahead with its military programs, including the development of long-range ballistic missiles that one day could carry nuclear payloads.
Overall, there's been little change in the country's ideology. Supreme Leader Ali Ayatollah Khomeini continues his anti-Israel and anti-American rhetoric.
While Europeans observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day last month, Khomeini called on Muslims to "stand up against the ignorance" of commemorating the Jewish genocide.
"Even if it is a reality, it is not clear how it happened," Khomeini said in an address that very day.
Meanwhile on Monday, satellite images of the Parchin military complex revealed new construction on a tunnel into the complex, the Daily Beast reported.
According to the report, the latest satellite images show new paving around the plant and the removal of trees and shrubbery, which some say may be attempts to mask radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing.
Others have suggested the underground facility could house parts of Iran's ballistic missile program, along with other top secret military projects.
Even before the nuclear deal was finalized last July, Rouhani bragged that the country's nuclear program continued unabated.
Last month, Rouhani visited Europe, closing billion dollar deals in Italy and France and projecting himself as a moderate face to the West.
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