THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:30 PM CEST
Treasury Sanctions Networks Enabling Illicit Trade that Benefits IRGC-QF and Hizballah
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned more than a dozen entities and vessels for their involvement in the shipment of Iranian crude oil and liquid petroleum gas to Syria and East Asia on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hizballah. Among the vessels sanctioned today are four ships associated with the fleet of illicit shipping Syrian magnate Abdul Jalil Mallah (Abdul Jalil) and his brother Luay al-Mallah. Since Abdul Jalil’s June 10, 2021 designation for his support to the network of IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financial official Sa’id al-Jamal, Luay al-Mallah has continued to use their shipping empire to support Iran’s malign activities and those of its proxies. Luay al-Mallah is also being designated in this action.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CEST
G7 Foreign Ministers Call for Stronger Measures Against Iranian Regime’s Destabilizing Actions
Following a meeting at the UN General Assembly, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations issued a joint statement calling on the Iranian regime to “cease its destabilizing actions in the Middle East” and warning that they are “ready to adopt further sanctions” in response to continued provocations. The ministers underscored their “determination that Iran must never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” and emphasized the need for the regime to “cooperate with the IAEA without further delay” to fully comply with its legal obligations under the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Condemning the regime’s supply of ballistic missiles and drones to Russia, the G7 stated, “Iran’s military support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” poses a “direct threat to the Ukrainian people” and global security. The ministers demanded that Iran “immediately cease all support to Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable war.”
The G7 also voiced deep concerns about human rights violations in Iran, particularly against “women and minority groups,” and reiterated their call for Iran to allow access to UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures mandate holders. The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU representative signed the statement.
UPDATE: 10:30 AM CEST
Ex-European Parliament Official Shot Last Year Says Iran Leading Assassinations Plots Worldwide
While U.S. investigators are unraveling an Iran-based plot to assassinate American politicians including perhaps former President Donald Trump, a former European parliament official and co-founder of Spain’s Vox party shot last year in what he says is an Iranian attempt on his life, used a rare public appearance Tuesday to harshly criticize the Iranian regime.
“My case is one among many,” Alejo Vidal-Quadras said at an International Committee in Search of Justice event in Brussels. “The Iranian ayatollahs have perpetrated their assassinations, kidnappings and bombings in five continents.”
North America is among them:
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Justice Department indicted Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national, with attempting to commit an act of terrorism on U.S. soil and orchestrate a murder-for-hire plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil. Trump was reportedly among the targets.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
Message from Maryam Rajavi to the Rally of Freedom-Loving Iranians Protesting the Presence of the Clerical Regime’s President at the United Nations
Maryam Rajavi’s message: “Salutes to all of you who amplify the voice of the Iranian people’s uprising and resistance and who carry the message of the Resistance Units to the world, pledging to overthrow the monstrous rule of the mullahs’ Supreme Leader, no matter the cost.
“Your powerful gathering today, and over the past four decades, has confronted the United Nations and its member states, especially the Western powers, with this critical question: What is the president of the regime of executions and massacres doing at the United Nations?
“Isn’t the United Nations founded on its charter, rooted in “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person”? Then why is the representative of a regime, which, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, has committed genocide and crimes against humanity, present at the United Nations?”
Free Iran Interparliamentary Committee Holds Conference at Chamber of Deputies: “Regime Guards Should Be Listed Among Terrorist Organizations”
“Since the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, the theocratic-fundamentalist regime in Tehran has unleashed a fresh wave of executions, already claiming more than 160 lives. Furthermore, two protesters died under torture after being arrested and taken to prison. On September 9 and 11 alone, at least 12 prisoners were executed, including a former Iranian wrestling champion. We are deeply concerned by the regime’s continued use of the death penalty as a tool to suppress dissent.”
This joint statement was made by Senator Giulio Terzi (FdI), Senators Marco Scurria and Raffaele Speranzon, along with MPs Naike Gruppioni, Andrea Di Giuseppe, and Emanuele Pozzolo, on behalf of the “Interparliamentary Committee for a Free Iran.”
Iran Sentences Boxing Champion Mohammad Vafaie-Sani to Death
The Iranian regime has once again sentenced boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaie-Sani to death for his participation in the 2019 protests, according to the National Council of Iranian Resistance.
Vafaie-Sani, a native of Mashhad, was arrested in March 2020, accused of setting fire to a government prison building. During his detention, he endured severe physical and psychological torture.
In December of the following year, the Fourth Branch of the Mashhad “Revolutionary Court” sentenced him to death on charges of “corruption on earth.” However, his involvement in the November 2019 protests against the government’s increase in fuel prices remains his most significant act of defiance to date. The 29-year-old boxer’s case has garnered international attention as a symbol of resistance against the regime.
Poverty, High Cost of Education, And the Growing Wave of School Dropouts in Iran
Poverty has gripped Iranian parents so tightly that they can no longer provide school supplies and other necessities for their children. The cost of just purchasing a school uniform, shoes, and a basic bag is so high that many parents refrain from sending their children to school, leading to a new wave of child labor.
For years, the end of summer has signaled the start of concerns and worries for parents about buying school supplies and accessories, but the issue goes beyond that. Elementary education was supposed to be free, but that promise now seems like a bitter joke. No one is surprised anymore by the illegal and mandatory fees being imposed on parents in Iran.
In the 2021-2022 school year, over 2 million students were deprived of education and couldn’t even attend first grade. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 1.2 million students dropped out, and now, according to the state-run Tasnim news agency, 790,000 students have not been registered for the new academic year.
Multiple Explosions at Oil Condensate Plant in Central Iran Injure Several Workers
On Monday, September 23, a series of powerful explosions rocked an oil condensate factory located in Garmsar’s Fajr Industrial Park, leading to a massive fire and injuring several workers. According to various reports, the explosions caused severe damage, with ongoing fire suppression efforts hampered by the scale of the blaze. Local authorities have confirmed that at least 10 individuals were injured, with two suffering from critical burn injuries.
The incident began with two initial explosions in the afternoon, which triggered two additional blasts as the fire spread. Hamid Majidi, head of the Red Crescent in Garmsar, expressed concern about the fire potentially reaching another nearby refinery with approximately 40 fuel tanks, which would result in an uncontrollable disaster. “There is a significant risk of further explosions,” he said, adding that teams from nine cities across Sistan and Tehran provinces had been dispatched to the scene to assist with firefighting efforts.
Iran Faces Daily Deficit of 10 Million Liters of Gasoline
Ahmad Maroufkhani, head of the Union of Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Exporters, stated that by the end of next year, Iran will face a daily deficit of 10 million liters of gasoline, and during winter, a diesel fuel deficit will add to this problem.
In an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency, Maroufkhani attributed the main reasons for these imbalances to a lack of proper planning for consumption management and insufficient investment in the refinery sector.
He stated that despite the country’s need to address the gasoline shortage, many petrochemical companies are exporting gasoline additives.
Two Grieving Mothers Sentenced to 1.5 Years in Prison for Advocacy
The Iranian judiciary has sentenced two grieving mothers, Mahboubeh Ramazani and Rahimeh Yousefzadeh, each to 1.5 years in prison for their role in seeking justice for their children, who were killed during the November 2019 protests in Iran. Both women are prominent members of the “Justice seeking Mothers” group, which seeks accountability for the government’s actions during the protests, also known as the Aban Protests.
Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Shahriar sentenced Ramazani, the mother of Pejman Gholipour, and Yousefzadeh, the mother of Navid Behboudi, to six months in prison for “propaganda against the regime,” six months for their affiliation with the Mothers of Aban, and an additional six months and one day for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
New York—September 23, 2024: Protest Rally by MEK Supporters Against the Presence of the Mullahs’ President Pezeshkian at the UNGA
New York—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a week-long protest rally in front of the UN, condemning the mullahs’ regime’s crimes and demanding that the UN hold Iran’s regime leaders, including its president, Masoud Pezeshkian, accountable for the 1988 Massacre and the recent wave of brutal executions in Iran.
MEK Supporters Rally in Gothenburg Against Recent Execution Sentences in Iran – September 21, 2024
Gothenburg, Sweden—September 21, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to express solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution and to protest recent execution sentences handed down in Iran for PMOI supporters.