THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CEST
Sen. Menendez Has Message for Biden Admin on Iran: ‘No Deal Is Better Than a Bad Deal’
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., wants the Biden administration to make sure Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons but warned that any new deal with the Islamic nation must come with strong terms that would actually keep them from doing so.
Menendez, who opposed the original Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, indicated in an interview with “Fox News Sunday” that a good enough deal does not appear to be on the horizon at this point in time.
Iran Cracks Down on Labor Day Protests by Teachers
Police cracked down on protests by teachers across Iran on Sunday. Teachers organized demonstrations in several cities on Labor Day to reiterate their demands for higher pay and better working conditions.
Clashes broke out after police used force against protesters in the provinces of Fars, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Ardabil, Isfahan, and Bushehr.
There was no immediate confirmation of casualties or arrests, although videos circulating on social media showed several teachers being detained by security forces.
Nationwide Protests Triggers Blame Game Among State Officials
Today, following a nationwide protest by teachers and other social groups, the Iranian regime’s officials started to blame each other for the multiple unsolved crises that continue to raise the alarms.
According to the regime’s parliament website, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said today: “Since the necessary legal procedures have been completed, it is expected that the government will fulfill the demands of the teachers as soon as possible and in the coming days, by accelerating its approval as well as the implementation of the Teachers Ranking Law.”
In turn, the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi blamed the Rouhani administration for the current problems.
“Raising utility tariffs, including water and electricity, has been a requirement of the budget law, which should have been in place from the beginning of the last year,” Raisi said according to the presidential website. “But the previous government stood by and failed to execute any legal initiative that would have triggered an upheaval.”
Pensioners and Retired Personel Protested on Sunday
Today, while honoring International Workers’ Day, retirees and social security pensioners across Iran held protest rallies in front of the Social Security Administration in their hometowns. Until mid-day, reports of rallies from the cities of Arak, Rasht, Kermanshah, Ardabil, and Ahvaz were confirmed. The protestors complain about low wages and pensions, supplementary insurance problems, and poor living conditions. Social security retirees demand a full increase and equalization of salaries.
Congresswomen Introduce Bill To Investigate How Venezuela Would Profit From Iran Nuke Deal
eps. María Elvira Salazar and Stephanie Murphy are pressing for legislation to measure how Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela would benefit from a new nuclear deal with Iran.
The congresswomen on Thursday introduced the Government Accountability Reporting on Iran and Venezuela Energy, Sanctions and Terrorism Act (INVESTIGATE Act).
The INVESTIGATE Act would require the Biden White House to report on the potential benefits to Venezuela’s oil industry, how a Tehran deal could help the socialist regime avoid U.S. sanctions, and “how it would boost Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations.”
UPDATE: 4:00 PM CEST
Kayhan Feels Emboldened by Blinken’s Hearing in US Congress
Under the ‘Special News’ section, the Kayhan newspaper whose editorial guidelines are directed by the Supreme Leader’s office wrote on April 30: “The United States needs the JCPOA and it must accept Iran’s terms. The US Secretary of State has said during his hearing in the US Congress that concerning the US interests and security, it is clear that having a nuclear deal with Iran is better than no deal.”
Kayhan added: “The US Secretary of State emphasized that the JCPOA was necessary to contain Iran’s nuclear program and it is better than no deal at all, while the Americans previously insisted that no deal is better than a bad one. At the same time, the US emphasized need for the JCPOA and its urge the situation is getting critical, both in terms of Iran’s nuclear progress and the increase in attacks on US forces after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, shows that Washington must meet Iran’s conditions and effectively and verifiably lift the sanctions and provide valid guarantees.”
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CEST
Thousands of Iranian Teachers Take to The Streets Today
Teachers in dozens of cities across Iran have taken to the streets today to protest their living conditions, low salaries, and the state’s failure to meet their demands. For months, these protestors have called for the full implementation of the Civil Service Management Law, saying the salaries of every retired and employed teacher, especially newly hired and non-formal teachers, should at least meet the poverty line to enable teachers and their families to survive.
MP Grills Minister of Labor over Street Protests
During the public session of the Iranian regime’s parliament today, MP Nasser Mousavi Largani slammed the Minister of Labor and said: “Vacating the ministry of efficient, experienced, and non-political forces have led to a wave of protest rallies by the employees of this ministry and some subordinate organizations which is unprecedented in the history of this ministry. It shows the prevalence of despair, hopelessness, lack of motivation in the staff, and the inability and recklessness of the minister and the managers he has appointed. They have failed to convince and manage their staff. If a minister lacks popularity and legitimacy among the staff, his efficiency and management are in jeopardy.”
UPDATE: 12:00 AM CEST
Maryam Rajavi’s Message on International Workers’ Day
Iran’s rebellious workers will join the great army of freedom to bring down religious fascism and replace it with liberty and equality
Iranian workers, farmers, and toilers!
Congratulations to all of you on International Workers’ Day, even though this occasion is overshadowed by Iranian workers’ suffering and blood. Nearly 800 workers died in work-related accidents last year. Farmers lost their eyes when Khamenei’s ruthless Revolutionary Guards fired at them to quell their uprising in Isfahan. Female workers, carpet weavers, peddlers, and paddy field workers suffer enormously from poverty, oppression, and homelessness.
Noury’s Trial Marks a Milestone for Iran’s Justice Movement
Swedish prosecutors have requested life in prison sentence for Hamid Noury, an Iranian regime torturer who has been on trial in Stockholm for crimes against humanity and the torture and execution of thousands of Iranian political prisoners in 1988.
The prosecutors stressed that according to international law, Noury was involved in war crimes, which justifies life in prison. During the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, Noury was one of the prison authorities in Gohardasht prison, Karaj.
Basij Commander Admits to Regime’s Cyber Army’s Failure
Sydney, Australia, April 27, 2022: Freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), held a demonstration against the mullahs’ regime ruling Iran.
Iranian resistance supporters called for the trial of the leaders of the mullahs’ regime, especially the supreme leader of the regime Ali Khamenei and the mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi and the head of the judiciary Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei for crimes against humanity.
Stockholm: Iranian Resistance Supporters Rally, One Day After Request for Life Imprisonment for the Executioner Hamid Noury
Friday, April 29, 2022: Freedom-loving Iranians, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK), gathered in front of the court in Stockholm at the same time as the 89th session of the executioner Hamid Noury.
The rally came a day after a Stockholm court prosecutor called for severe punishment and life imprisonment for executioner Noury.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – April 30, 2022