THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 5:30 PM CEST
Treasury Adds Further Sanctions Targeting Houthi and Hizballah Trade Networks
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned several companies, individuals, and vessels for their involvement in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on behalf of the network of Iran-based, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)-backed Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal. OFAC is also updating the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) entry for the sanctioned vessel ARTURA (IMO: 9150365), which was responsible for shipping commodities for Sa’id al-Jamal, to reflect the changing of its name to OHAR.
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CEST
Google Says Iranian Efforts to Hack US Presidential Campaigns Are Ongoing and Wide-Ranging
Google said Wednesday that an alleged Iranian hacking operation aimed at US presidential campaigns is ongoing and more wide-ranging than previously known as the hackers continue to target the email accounts of current US officials and people associated with Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden, and former President Donald Trump. In May and June, a hacking group linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted the personal email accounts of about a dozen people associated with Biden and Trump, including current government officials, Google researchers said in a blog post. And even today, Google is seeing unsuccessful attempts by Iranian hackers to log into the accounts of people associated with Biden, Harris, Trump, and both presidential campaigns.
Trump Blames Iran for Hack in His First Public Comments on The Incident
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed Iran for hacking his campaign and praised the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the incident. “They are looking at it and they’re doing it very professionally, and it looks like it’s Iran,” Trump told reporters as he arrived to cast his vote in the Florida primary in Palm Beach.
Pushed about what exactly the agency told him, Trump responded: “I don’t want to say exactly, but it was Iran.”
Trump’s campaign confirmed on Saturday that it was hacked, POLITICO first reported, after POLITICO began receiving internal documents from an anonymous account.
California Man Indicted for Unlawfully Exporting Aircraft Components to Iran
The Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging U.S.-Iranian national Jeffrey Chance Nader, 68, with crimes related to the illicit export of U.S.-manufactured aircraft components, including components used on military aircraft, to Iran in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and other federal laws. Nader was arrested yesterday in California.
“This action demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technology to hostile and repressive governments in contravention of U.S. sanctions.”
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
The Cabinet That Is Supposed To Save Iran’s Regime
The Iranian regime’s new president Massoud Pezeshkian had explained his running for office as such: “I came because I saw the system in danger…” (Source: Jamaran website – July 19). However, it seems that given the regime’s unpopularity and the deepening rifts within the system, the threats facing the crisis-stricken clerical regime have only increased. The proof of this reality is the infighting and conflict that erupted in the Majlis (parliament) and among the regime’s rival factions immediately after Pezeshkian introduced his cabinet on August 11.
In a letter about the political and social consequences of this cabinet, the so-called reformists front warned Pezeshkian: “Your government should symbolize change and reform in the country’s policymaking and management, not a continuation of the same” and “The failure of your government will bring no benefit to the government in terms of bridging the gaps and divisions between the government and the people.”
The Growing Concern of Education Monetization in Iran
In recent years, the monetization of education in Iranian schools has become a contentious issue, challenging the constitutional principle of free education and raising significant concerns about equality and access to quality learning.
The Iranian Constitution explicitly guarantees free education up to the end of secondary school, aiming to provide equal opportunities for all segments of society regardless of economic status. However, the practical implementation of this principle has faced numerous challenges, leading to a growing disparity in educational access and quality.
One of the fundamental issues plaguing Iran’s education system is the lack of expertise in education economics. This deficiency has resulted in an inadequate economic structure within the sector, which many experts view as a significant obstacle to meaningful reform.
Iranian Tech Industry Faces Mass Exodus Amid Censorship and Internet Restrictions
Iran’s technology sector is grappling with a severe crisis as reports suggest that up to 80% of companies are considering emigration from the country. This alarming trend, as reported by Iran’s state-run media, highlights the devastating impact of ongoing censorship and internet restrictions on businesses. The head of the Iranian ICT Guild Organization has raised concerns about the escalating situation, stating that the continued limitations on internet access have led to widespread business failures. What began as an individual migration crisis has now expanded to encompass companies and startups, presenting a significant challenge to Iran’s economic stability.
Sorayya Qaytaran Transferred to Urmia Prison to Serve Sentence
On Saturday, August 3, 2024, Sorayya Qaytaran, a resident of Kani Mala village near Piranshahr in northwestern Iran, was arrested and transferred to the Central Prison of Urmia to serve a nine-month sentence.
Previously, the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Mahabad, also in northwestern Iran, had sentenced her to nine months in prison. The court convicted her of “collaborating with a Kurdish opposition party against the Iranian government.”
Sorayya Qaytaran was initially arrested on Monday, June 26, 2023, without a warrant by security forces. After interrogation, she was moved from a security detention center to the women’s ward of Urmia Prison.
Fatemeh Amini, Symbol of Perseverance and Steadfastness
There are people who make up cornerstones on which a long history of resistance is built for millions to follow. There are grim wills that make the enemy fall on its knees and overcome its cruelty and savagery. There are humans that look on to the horizons, calmly sing the beautiful song of life, and then become eternal. Fatemeh Amini was one such human being.
Fatemeh was born in the city of Mashhad (northeastern Iran) to a religious family who were political and progressive. She, too, started her political activities against the Shah’s dictatorship in 1962 when she was studying at Mashhad University’s School of Literature. Soon, she and her friends founded the Association of Progressive Women.
Vancouver, Canada—August 10, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Rally to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Vancouver, Canada—August 10, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Dallas—August 10, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Rally to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Dallas, Texas—August 10, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
San Francisco—August 10, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Rally to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
San Francisco, California—August 10, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Toronto, Canada—August 10, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Rally to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Toronto, Canada—August 10, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Washington, DC—August 10, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Rally to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Washington, DC—August 10, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in front of the White House to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.