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UPDATE: 9:30 AM CEST
Tehran Is Fighting Over Power. Iran’s Opposition Just Transferred It.
Iran is facing two very different leadership stories.
Inside the Islamic Republic, the question of who can lead the country, and whether the system can maintain cohesion around that leadership, has become increasingly difficult to answer. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly for roughly six months, leaving much of his political role to speculation. President Masoud Pezeshkian has meanwhile faced growing criticism from different factions as Iran confronts the consequences of war, economic collapse, and deepening social pressure.
On September 6, as Iran’s ruling system struggled to project unity at the top, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) marked the start of its 62nd year of founding by choosing a new secretary-general.
The contrast is striking.
According to the organization, Mahnaz Maimanat was elected through a three-stage internal voting process involving members in seven countries. She received 56 percent of the vote in the first round, 85 percent in the second, and was elected by a near unanimous majority in the final round. Zahra Merrikhi, who had served as secretary-general, was subsequently introduced as the chair of the organization’s Central Council, pursuant to the organization’s rules of procedure.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
From One Generation to the Next: 61 Years of Resistance and Sacrifice Against Two Dictatorships
In the final hours before his execution, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar found something to laugh about.
Guards at Ghezel Hesar Prison had descended on the political prisoners’ ward to take six members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) to the gallows. They attacked Daneshvarkar and tore his clothes. But it was the guards’ panic that caught his attention.
“Why are you so scared?” he shouted, laughing. “We are the ones being executed, why are you terrified?”
Around him, the others displayed the same composure. Babak Alipour pushed past guards so he could bid farewell to his cellmates. Vahid Bani Amerian comforted grieving prisoners. Pouya Ghobadi raised his handcuffed hands in farewell.
It was a scene separated by 54 years from another execution ground. But the choice confronting those standing before the executioners was essentially the same.
Arghavan Fallahi’s Appeal Rejected as Death Sentence Remains in Effect
Arghavan Fallahi’s appeal, concerning the political prisoner held in Evin Prison who had previously been sentenced to death, has been rejected by Iran’s Supreme Court.
Arghavan Fallahi’s appeal, which had been filed with one of the branches of the Supreme Court, was rejected this week by the judiciary of the mullahs’ regime.
The death sentence against Arghavan Fallahi, a 25-year-old political prisoner and supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), had previously been issued and handed down by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, on July 1, 2026, on the charge of “baghi” (armed rebellion).
In late August, her death sentence was upheld by Branch 41 of the Supreme Court.
Arghavan Fallahi was first arrested on November 4, 2022, along with her father and brother in Shiraz. After enduring one year and four months in prison, she was released on bail in March 2024. She was re-arrested on January 25, 2025, in the city of Parand and transferred to Ward 241 of Evin Prison.
Protest Gathering of Nurses and Healthcare Workers in west Iran
A protest gathering of nurses and healthcare workers was held in Kermanshah and Kurdistan in recent days over poor living conditions, unpaid wages and benefits, and difficult working conditions. Most recently, nurses and healthcare workers in Kermanshah held a protest on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Two days earlier, more than 300 nurses and healthcare workers had gathered outside the Kurdistan provincial governor’s office.
On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, a group of nurses and healthcare workers from hospitals in Kermanshah held a protest over their poor financial situation and unresolved pay-related problems.
The protest gathering of nurses and healthcare workers in Kermanshah focused mainly on unpaid wages and benefits, low salaries, and long delays in overtime payments. The protesters said healthcare workers are facing serious financial difficulties and that prolonged delays in receiving their payments have placed additional pressure on them.
Patients in Iran Cannot Afford Their Medications
Many patients in Iran are facing drug shortages and high prices, along with constantly rising costs and increasing difficulty covering medical expenses. Recent remarks by a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament health commission also confirm the scale of the crisis. Ruhollah Lak-Aliabadi spoke about shortages of certain medications, rising treatment costs, and patients’ difficulties.
High drug prices have more serious consequences for patients suffering from chronic and incurable diseases. A patient with cancer, diabetes, or heart disease cannot postpone taking medication until a later date. Any interruption in treatment can make the patient’s condition more complicated.
Lak-Aliabadi also emphasized that medicine is not like ordinary consumer goods. In his words, patients cannot delay purchasing medication until prices fall. He also said that some families are facing serious financial difficulties in obtaining medicines.
The situation becomes even more severe when drug shortages are accompanied by price increases. Under such circumstances, patients first have to search among pharmacies to find the medication. They then have to pay more to obtain the same drug. As a result, high drug prices become a direct obstacle to continuing treatment.
Unemployment, War, and Tehran’s Misleading Statistics
Iranian society is currently under the simultaneous pressure of several crises: the collapse of the currency’s value, severe inflation, soaring housing and food costs, stagnation in production, an energy crisis, and expanding poverty. The free-market dollar has surpassed 2.3 million rials, and the gap between income and expenses has reached a point where even having a job no longer means economic security for a large segment of the population.
In this environment, Iran’s Statistical Center has put the unemployment rate for spring 2026 at 9.1%, a figure that at first glance makes the labor-market crisis appear smaller. But the same official statistics paint a different picture. Over the course of a year, the number of employed people fell by about 450,000, while nearly 800,000 people were added to the economically inactive population. The labor-force participation rate is only 40.7%. Unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 has reached 23.4%, while among those aged 18 to 35 it stands at 17.5%. The number of unemployed university graduates is about 877,000.
Even these figures do not tell the whole story. More than 2 million people are underemployed, meaning they are officially classified as employed but do not have enough work. The official definition also counts someone who worked only one hour during the reference week as employed, while removing people who have become discouraged from finding work from the ranks of the unemployed. As a result, a deterioration in the labor market does not necessarily show up to the same extent in the 9.1% unemployment rate.
Iran Collects 28.3% of Annual Tax Target in Five Months as Oil Revenue Comes Under Pressure
In the first five months of 1405, only 28.3% of the tax revenue projected in Iran’s budget was collected, while restrictions on oil exports put foreign-currency revenues under pressure and domestic reports pointed to a budget deficit, heavy government debt to the Central Bank and weak non-oil growth.
Iran’s economy entered the second half of 1405 under simultaneous pressure on the government’s two main sources of revenue, oil and taxation. Alongside accumulated debt, investment constraints, energy problems and declining purchasing power, the situation has raised the risk of greater fiscal and inflationary pressure. Data and reports published by Iranian economic media also show that growth in recent years has remained significantly dependent on oil, while non-oil sectors have remained vulnerable to sanctions, war, energy shortages and declining demand.
According to a report by the Iranian Tax Research Center published by Donya-e-Eqtesad, the government collected about 798 trillion tomans in taxes during the first five months of 1405, equivalent to 28.3% of the total tax revenue projected for the year. Of that amount, about 464 trillion tomans came from direct taxes and around 333 trillion tomans from taxes on goods and services. The five-month collection rate exceeded 30% in the years 1401 to 1403.
MEK Supporters in Cologne, Bremen, and Luxembourg Commemorate the 61st Anniversary of the PMOI’s Founding
September 5, 2026: Iranian communities and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Cologne and Bremen, Germany, and Luxembourg commemorated the 61st anniversary of the founding of the PMOI, honoring the organization’s founders, Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeid Mohsen, and Ali Asghar Badizadegan, as well as its members and supporters who have sacrificed their lives in the struggle for freedom, democracy, and human rights in Iran.
The commemorative gatherings brought together freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance, who marked more than six decades of resistance against dictatorship and reaffirmed their commitment to the cause of a free and democratic Iran.
The events featured speeches, messages, and commemorative activities highlighting the history of the PMOI and the sacrifices made by generations of its members and supporters. Participants paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the struggle against dictatorship and emphasized the continuing importance of organized resistance for achieving democratic change in Iran.
MEK Supporters in New York Commemorate the 61st Anniversary of PMOI’s Founding
New York – September 5, 2026: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in New York to celebrate and commemorate the 61st anniversary of the PMOI’s founding.
Alongside celebrating and commemorating the anniversary, they reaffirmed their unwavering support for the PMOI’s struggle to achieve freedom, democracy, and equality in a free and democratic republic in Iran.
They also emphasized their continued support for the PMOI’s Resistance Units inside Iran and for the courageous political prisoners who continue to stand against the regime from within its prisons and voice their support for the PMOI.
MEK Supporters Across Canada Mark 61st Anniversary of PMOI’s Founding
Canada – Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg – September 5, 2026: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Canada gathered in Ottawa, Toronto, and Winnipeg to celebrate and commemorate the 61st anniversary of the PMOI’s founding.
Alongside celebrating and commemorating the anniversary, they reaffirmed their unwavering support for the PMOI’s struggle to achieve freedom, democracy, and equality in a free and democratic republic in Iran.
They also emphasized their continued support for the PMOI’s Resistance Units inside Iran and for the courageous political prisoners who continue to stand against the regime from within its prisons and voice their support for the PMOI.