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Showing posts from January, 2022

Iran regime’s defiance increases tensions with Israel

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  By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh Rising tensions between the Iranian regime and Israel have the potential to spiral into a wider conflict if not adequately addressed. There are several reasons for the heightened tensions. First of all, although the Iranian regime attempts to distract attention from the direct involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria, Tehran continues to increase its military influence there and use its proxies against Israeli targets. Israel last month carried out an airstrike in Syria on a location where Iranian officials were meeting. Iranian leaders were reportedly meeting to discuss developments regarding their country’s drone and ballistic missile capabilities in Syria. The attack occurred on the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the Iranian government for an attack on a vessel owned by an Israeli in the Arabian Gulf. He said: “Last week, Iran attacked an oil tanker … and harmed the international freedom of navigation....
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Iran’s State Broadcasting Organization Reports Dozens of Satellite TV Networks Disrupted

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  Written by Mehdi Oghbai Dozens of satellite television networks, alongside hundreds of national radio stations, provincial and local TV stations across Iran have suffered severe disruptions as of January 27, according to a  statement  released on Monday, January 31, by the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran ( PMOI/MEK ), citing a report obtained from inside the regime’s Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) monitoring system. The disrupted satellite TV stations include 25 national TV networks broadcast through Intelsat and 20 similar channels broadcast through Badrsat, the report adds. Furthermore, hundreds of national radio stations, provincial and local city TV stations were also on “critical alert” status and reported as being on the verge of shutting down their broadcasting. The IRIB monitoring system’s control sheets show more than 2,000 “critical” warnings on state radio and TV stations broadcasting regime propaganda, according to th...
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Teachers across Iran resume strikes, protests

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   By Shamsi Saadati Teachers in dozens of cities across Iran went on strikes and held protests in schools on Saturday, January 29, reiterating demands they’ve been making for years. The implementation of the “classification plan,” which is supposed to reorganize their wages is one of the protesting teachers’ main demands. They are also demanding the adjustment of pensions for retired teachers based on growing inflation and prices of basic goods. The regime’s Majlis (parliament) recently approved a budget that only meets a fraction of the needs of hundreds of thousands of teachers. The teachers are also seeking the release of their colleagues who have been arrested for organizing protests. The banners held by the protesting teachers today read: “We’ve seen no justice” “Teachers don’t belong in prison” “Seeking rights is not a crime” The gatherings include both active and retired teachers, who have been hit hard by an economic downturn and the regime’s dithering in passing laws...
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Iran’s regime officials must face justice, say Iranians in Stockholm

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 By Mahmoud Hakamian For months, freedom-loving Iranians and family members of the victims of Iran’s summer  1988 massacre  have been rallying in Stockholm, calling on the international community to hold the mullahs’ regime accountable for their human rights violations and crimes against humanity. They have been traveling from across Europe to gather in the subzero temperatures to voice their demands as an Iranian regime henchman,  Hamid Noury , has been on trial for his role in the mass killings of 1988 of over 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members and supporters of the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran ( PMOI/MEK ). More than 33 years ago, in the summer of 1988 the regime ruling Iran launched a massive killing spree in prisons across the country. Political prisoners from a variety of backgrounds were the target of a horrific campaign resulting in the mass killings that targeted minors, seniors, and even pregnant women. Current regime P...
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Growing Sense of Urgency Fuels Largest Appeal for UN Inquiry Into Iran’s 1988 Massacre

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  On Thursday, the U.K.-based   Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI)   held a press conference at the Church House in London, to reiterate its longstanding call for an international inquiry into what has been called the Iranian regime’s single worst crime against humanity. The press conference was preceded on Tuesday by the publication of an open letter addressed to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and signed by 463 prominent individuals and institutions. Former UN Human Rights Section Chief in Iraq and  JVMI President Tahar Boumedra described the letter  and its underlying campaign as “the largest international call on the UN in history by the international expert and human rights community to hold Iranian officials accountable over the 1988 massacre.” Boumedra led Thursday’s press conference alongside former UK Minister for International Development Baroness Verma and Struan Stevenson, a former Scottish member of the European P...
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Iran: The Poor Tumble While the Rich Rise

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   Written by Mansoureh Galestan On Friday, January 21, Dr. Javad Safari, a retired university lecturer, committed suicide due to financial difficulties and after not receiving his pension for months.  His tragic death once again highlights how the Iranian regime’s plunder and corruption have devastated people’s lives. Meanwhile, news broke out that in November, Hojat Abdolmaleki, the regime’s Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, has “donated” 60 billion rials (roughly $1.5M USD) to a TV game show.  Abdolmaleki’s ministry controls Iran’s Social Security Organization, National Pension Organization, Social Security Investment Company (Shasta). The fate of Dr. Javad Safari, his family, and other Iranian pensioners is in the hands of the likes of Abdolmaleki. In a letter to Abdolmaleki, Ali Foroughi, the director of state-run Channel 3 TV, asked for a 480 billion rials investment for making 780 episodes of the “Square” contest. In less than 24 hours, Abdo...
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Women in Iran’s explosive society

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  By  Farid Mahoutchi “As we speak there are around five million single mothers across Iran; 52 percent lack any insurance and pensions. Furthermore, 38 percent are considered among the society’s lower third; 19 percent, meaning around one million people, are not receiving any support at all.” These were the words of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament) during Tuesday’s January 25th session, causing grave concerns among regime officials. During the same session, the head of the Majlis’ Social Committee acknowledged the prevalence of “increasing concerns among single mothers, widows, and single women.” “In 2006 we had 1.2 million single mothers. However, this figure has been rising each year,” he added. As a result, during the past 15 years, the number of single mothers in Iran has quadrupled. “There are around 13 institutions who claim to be responsible for the affairs relating to single mothers, and each has assumed certain responsibil...
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