THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Iran’s Use of Death Penalty Frequent, Unbounded
Iran’s extensive use of the death penalty has become a severe human rights issue, sparking global concern and diplomatic pressures.
With Iran responsible for 74% of all recorded executions globally in 2023, according to Amnesty International, this systematic approach to capital punishment has raised the alarm for numerous human rights organizations, Western governments, and the United Nations.
The NCRI has called for immediate international intervention to save these lives, stressing that Iran’s expedited trials lack transparency and fairness, contravening both the ICCPR and the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary.
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Joe Biden Tells Trump Iran ‘Most Immediate’ Threat: Report
President Joe Biden‘s administration warned President-elect Donald Trump that Iran is the most “immediate threat” to national security, in a White House meeting on Wednesday.
Biden’s Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters escalating tensions in the Middle East due to the conflict in Gaza made the Tehran regime and its associated militia groups a continuing risk for the U.S. and its citizens.
“There’s the most immediate issue, which is Iran and its proxy groups continue to take actions that directly threaten Americans and American interests in the Middle East, and that has to be dealt with on an urgent basis,” said Sullivan.
Trump Pick Rubio Could Harden Oil Sanctions on Iran, Venezuela
WASHINGTON/CARACAS Nov 13 (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state could signal stricter enforcement of oil sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, but concerns about retaliation by China could temper any efforts, analysts said on Wednesday.
Rubio, a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long pushed for a tougher U.S. policy on Iran and China. Rubio, whose parents immigrated from Cuba to the U.S., is also a critic of Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro, whose two re-elections have been disputed by Washington, leading to oil sanctions on the OPEC nation.
US Treasury Department Says Metlife Unit Settles over Iran Sanctions Violations
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department said on Thursday that New York-based insurer MetLife’s (MET.N), opens new tab unit, American Life Insurance Company, agreed to settle its potential civil liability for over 2,300 apparent violations of sanctions against Iran.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $178,421 settlement with the MetLife unit.
Iran-Linked Group Aims Malware at Aerospace Industry Through Fake Job Recruiters
Suspected Iranian hackers impersonated recruiters on LinkedIn to target the aerospace industry in a new espionage campaign, researchers have found.
So-called “fake worker” schemes are typically associated with North Korean threat actors. However, the Israel-based cybersecurity company ClearSky has attributed this latest campaign to the Iranian operation tracked as TA455, likely a subgroup of the Iranian government cyberwarfare group Charming Kitten.
Researchers suggest that TA455 either impersonated Pyongyang-backed hackers to mask its activities or that North Korea shared attack methods and tools with Iran.
During the campaign, which has been active since at least September 2023, the hackers used fake recruiting websites and LinkedIn profiles to distribute seemingly legitimate documents containing malicious files, including the SnailResin malware, which activated the SlugResin backdoor.
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Treasury Targets Syrian Conglomerate Funding Qods Force and Houthis
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 26 companies, individuals, and vessels associated with the Al-Qatirji Company, a Syrian conglomerate responsible for generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and the Houthis through the sale of Iranian oil to Syria and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Previously designated for its role in facilitating the sale of fuel between the Syrian regime and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Al-Qatirji Company has morphed into one of the main channels through which the IRGC-QF generates revenue and funds its regional proxy groups. OFAC is expanding its targeting of Al-Qatirji’s network and its fleet of vessels to inhibit the IRGC-QF from benefiting from this relationship.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
European Powers Pushing for Resolution Against Iran at IAEA, Diplomats Say
PARIS/VIENNA, Nov 13 (Reuters) – European powers are pushing for a new resolution against Iran by the U.N. atomic watchdog’s board next week to pressure Tehran over its poor cooperation, as the world awaits the return of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, diplomats say.
Such resolutions risk further diplomatic tension with Iran. It has retaliated to previous ones and other criticism at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors by stepping up its nuclear activities and barring top IAEA inspectors, heightening Western concerns about its aims.
Daily Power Outages In Iran
On a sea of oil and gas, as autumn deepens and winter sets in, Tehran and other major cities grapple with daily power outages. How much worse must it be for smaller towns and villages!
The people’s lives, livelihoods, and health are all in jeopardy. Iran’s ruling clerics have either looted the nation’s wealth or diverted it into security operations, military agendas, and warmongering ventures. Over $2 trillion has been wasted on nuclear weapon development under the pretense of nuclear energy! The people gained no electricity, power plants went unrepaired, and there was no investment in solar energy.
Pezeshkian’s Disastrous First 100 Days in Office
One hundred days have passed since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office as the Iranian regime’s president. Globally, it is customary to assess the first 100 days of a new government, during which administrations generally present their 100-day report for public review. However, Pezeshkian’s government has not done so. It is clear that even if they had achieved a passing grade, it would have been closely scrutinized and amplified many times over.
The government-affiliated newspaper Jahan-e Sanat wrote on November 12, “The government and Masoud Pezeshkian have chosen, so far, to refrain from issuing an analytical statement on their record, as well as on what their successes and failures have been. Some political analysts say that this lack of an analytical report by Pezeshkian itself should be considered one of his failures.”
Iran’s Marginalized Population Is on The Verge of Another Social Explosion
Where are the billions in Iran’s annual budgets being spent, providing no return or benefit in securing housing for most of the country’s people? Why don’t these vast and astronomical resources, derived from Iran’s mineral wealth and treasures, go to these people so they may have safe and stable shelter?
– On May 13, 2023, the state-run Entekhab news website quoted housing expert Ahmad Reza Sarhadi as saying, “Some people cannot even rent a house in lower-class areas of Tehran. Renting a 50-square-meter home in Naziabad now requires 1 billion rials down payment and a monthly rent of 100 million rials.”
– On July 29, 2023, Faraz website wrote, “It is rare to find anyone in Iranian cities who does not worry about housing. Thousands of families have put their household items in storage and are now homeless.
IAEA Chief Warns of Narrowing Diplomatic Window on Iranian Regime’s Nuclear Program
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, cautioned on Tuesday that diplomatic opportunities to negotiate a renewed international agreement on the Iranian regime’s nuclear program are diminishing. This statement came as he prepared for an upcoming visit to Tehran.
“The Iranian regime must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense,” Grossi stated in an interview with AFP. “It is imperative to explore diplomatic solutions before the space for negotiation disappears.”
The IAEA, which is responsible for monitoring the Iranian regime’s nuclear activities, currently has inspection access to Iranian facilities. However, Grossi emphasized that this access remains insufficient. “We need to see more,” he asserted, citing the expanding scope and ambition of the regime’s nuclear program. Grossi called for increased transparency, adding, “We need to find ways of giving the agency more visibility.”
Iran’s Agricultural Trade Imbalance and Dependence on Imports Reach Critical Levels
The Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs of Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture, Akbar Fathi, has highlighted a significant $11 billion trade imbalance in the country’s agricultural sector. He revealed that approximately 80% of Iran’s livestock feed inputs are reliant on imports, signaling a troubling dependency that has steadily grown alongside the nation’s rising demand for meat. In an interview with ILNA news agency on Sunday, November 10, Fathi explained that the country’s increased meat consumption has led not only to higher imports of agricultural products but also a surge in livestock-related imports. According to Iranian customs data, Iran imported $17.4 billion in agricultural products last year while exporting only $6.2 billion—indicating a substantial shortfall. Key imports include soy, corn, barley, and other essential livestock feed ingredients.
Woman Hanged at Ghezel Hesar Prison: 27th Female Execution in 2024
On the morning of Wednesday, November 13, 2024, a woman, along with six men, was executed by hanging at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.
At the time of this report’s release, the woman’s identity has yet to be confirmed. She had been sentenced to death for “premeditated murder,” and her sentence was carried out at Ghezel Hesar Prison.
In the past five days, at least three women have been executed by hanging in various prisons across Iran, including Tabriz Central Prison, Lakan Prison in Rasht, and Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.
Power Outages Begin in Tehran; Government Spokesperson: Fuel Oil Burning in Power Plants Continues
The Tehran Electricity Distribution Company announced that “scheduled and rotational power cuts” began across Tehran at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the Masoud Pezeshkian administration, stated that the burning of fuel oil (mazut) will not be stopped, only reduced, and that power cuts will continue. Each power outage is scheduled to last two hours, but citizens report that the announced schedule and areas of the outages are not consistently followed, causing problems for residents. According to the website Filterban, with the onset of power outages in Tehran, mobile networks have also gone down in some areas. The backup batteries of BTS (Base Transceiver Station) antennas, which should provide power for up to three hours, are underperforming and in need of maintenance.
Internet Censorship in Iran Has Turned Into a Billion-Dollar Business For State Actors
Majid Ansari, the legal deputy of President Pezeshkian, stated that high profits from VPN sellers hinder efforts to lift internet censorship. Majid Ansari did not provide further details about these sellers’ identities or methods of gaining influence, nor did he clarify whether Pezeshkian’s administration has any plans to counter these groups. Regime’s officials have stated that lifting internet filtering still requires approval from the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. In parallel to Majid Ansari’s remarks, Ali Rabiei, Pezeshkian’s social advisor, mentioned in a post on X that filtering causes an annual loss of one billion dollars to the public and criticized the policy as ineffective.
Utrecht, the Netherlands—November 9, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally to Condemn Iran Regime’s Crimes and Support NCRI’s Democratic Alternative
Utrecht, the Netherlands—November 9, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to condemn the crimes of the Iranian regime and express their support for the democratic alternative represented by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), led by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.
Bern, Switzerland—November 11, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Exhibition Honoring November 2019 Martyrs and Denouncing Iran Regime’s Crimes
Bern, Switzerland—November 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This exhibition served as a tribute to the martyrs of the nationwide Iranian uprising in November 2019 and in 2022.
MEK Supporters Rally in Münster, Germany, Demanding Closure of the Iranian Regime’s Embassy and Action Against the Mullahs’ Crimes – November 9, 2024
Münster, Germany—November 9, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered for a rally and exhibition to show solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution. Participants also called for the closure of the Iranian regime’s embassy and the expulsion of its spies and agents from Germany and the blacklisting of the IRGC.