THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:00 PM CEST
Iran Targeting 2024 US Election
Today we’re sharing intelligence about activity we’ve been tracking that increasingly points to Iran’s intent to influence this year’s US presidential election. In recent weeks, groups connected with the Iranian government have upped two kinds of activity. First, they’ve laid the groundwork for influence campaigns on trending election-related topics and begun to activate these campaigns in an apparent effort to stir up controversy or sway voters – especially in swing states. Second, they’ve launched operations that Microsoft assesses are designed to gain intelligence on political campaigns and help enable them to influence the elections in the future.
We discuss this activity in a new report we released today, which details this activity, and four examples illuminate what we can increasingly expect from Iran as we near November.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CEST
‘Three Or Four’ Countries Involved in Foreign Interference in Australia Including ‘Friends’, Mike Burgess Says
Australia’s spy boss, Mike Burgess, has confirmed that Iran is one of “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in Australia’s diaspora communities. Speaking on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, the director general of security in charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said he could think of “at least three or four [countries] that are we’ve actually actively found involved in foreign interference in Australia and diaspora communities”.
“Some of them would surprise you, and some of them are also our friends,” he said.
Foreign interference and espionage were key security concerns for the national intelligence and security agency, he said, with a range of countries, including Iran, caught attempting to threaten and intimidate diaspora communities.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST
Mass Executions, The Regime’s Harsh Revenge On The Iranian People
Amid internal and regional crises and fearing an uprising by the people, Iran’s regime has resorted to mass executions of prisoners at the beginning of the tenure of its new president. Masoud Pezeshkian has repeatedly stated that his cabinet will be introduced with the approval of regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Thus, Pezeshkian’s cabinet is essentially a cabinet of executions and human rights abuses.
On August 7, the regime carried out a brutal crime by executing 29 prisoners in one day. Twenty-six prisoners were executed in Ghezel Hesar prison and three others, including two women, in Karaj Central Prison. Thus, in fear of an uprising and on the eve of introducing his new president’s cabinet, the regime set a record in executions and killings not seen in the past three decades.
The regime has carried out dozens of executions in the past few days. This harsh retaliation by Khamenei, his judiciary of executioners, the criminal Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and the president loyal to the Supreme Leader are against the Iranian people who seek the overthrow of the ruling religious dictatorship.
PMOI Resistance Units Defy Wave Of Executions By Iran’s Regime
Iran’s regime has engaged in a new wave of repressive measures to clamp down on social unrest and prevent the next popular uprising from happening. These measures include an alarming wave of executions as well as increased pressure on political prisoners and families of dissidents. On August 7 alone, the regime carried out at least 29 executions in one day. On the previous day, the regime executed political prisoner Reza Rasaei. At the same time, the regime is denying political prisoners access to medical services. The regime’s prison guards in Evin Prison attacked and assaulted female prisoners who were protesting the execution of Rasaei.
However, the regime’s wave of repression has not managed to deter the rebellious spirit of the Iranian people. This spirit is reflected in the activities of PMOI Resistance Units across Iran. Resistance Units are an organized network of activists who are carrying out anti-regime activities despite the threats from the regime.
The Decline of Industrial Production in Iran
Iran’s industrial sector has been experiencing prolonged stagnation under the rule of the Mullahs, leading to what can be described as the premature demise of industrial production. Despite attempts by the regime to manipulate figures, key economic indicators paint a clear picture of the country’s struggling production and economy. Recent data, particularly the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), highlights the contraction of economic activities in Iran. The PMI, a globally recognized index used by over 40 countries, indicates prosperity when above 50 and stagnation when below 50. In July 2024, Iran’s PMI stood at 47.2, marking the second consecutive month of decline and reaching its lowest point in 36 months.
Security Forces’ Violence Kills Pregnant Woman and Daughter, Paralyzes Mother of Two
On the morning of Tuesday, August 6, 2024, plainclothes agents from the IRGC Intelligence in Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, opened fire on a moving Peugeot 405 vehicle without any prior warning. This tragic event resulted in the death of a 25-year-old pregnant woman named Nazila Irandegani, who was shot multiple times and died instantly. Her five-year-old daughter, Tina Nasiri, succumbed to her injuries later in the hospital.
Three other passengers in the car, including another child, were severely injured.
Nazila Irandegani, along with her husband Shahram Nasiri and their children, were passing through the Khash intersection when their vehicle was targeted by the IRGC forces. Shahram Nasiri was detained by the agents and taken to an undisclosed location.
Nurses Protest in Several Cities Across Iran
Reports from Iran indicate that nurses in Shiraz are continuing their strike for the sixth day, while nurses at public hospitals in several other cities have also gone on strike and held protests.
According to social media reports, on Saturday, August 10, nurses in Shiraz were on strike for the sixth consecutive day, leaving the hospitals in Shiraz devoid of nurses (except in the emergency department). Meanwhile, a statement attributed to the striking nurses in Shiraz has been released, outlining their demands.
The statement highlights that these demands concern all nurses in Iran, including a call for the correction and revision of nursing pay, alignment of salaries with those of nurses in other sectors considering the similarity of work, proper implementation of the nursing tariff law, restoration of abolished benefits, and adjustment of the housing allowance in nursing contracts.
Morality Police in Iran Arrests and Beats Teenage Girls
A video on social media showing the harassment and arrest of teenage girls by the Morality Police has caused global outrage. The state-run Tasnim News Agency reacted to the widespread public disgust on social media over the brutal treatment of two young women by the Morality Police, writing: “What was the police’s response to the release of the Vatanpour Street video?”
According to a state-run website, a 14-year-old girl was severely beaten by the Iran regime’s hijab enforcers for not complying with hijab laws in mid-June. Her mom said agents put their foot on her neck in the van after her arrest.
The government-affiliated Ensaf News website reported that Maryam Abbasi said, “The ‘Morality Police in Vatanpour Street, Tehran, violently forced her 14-year-old daughter and her friend into the vehicle. When I went to the Moral Police, I found my daughter with a bruised face, swollen lips, a bruised neck, torn clothes, and unable to speak.”
MEK Supporters Rally in Copenhagen in Solidarity with the Iranian Revolution, Condemn Recent Executions in Iran
Copenhagen, Denmark—August 8, 2024: Iranians dedicated to freedom and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally and exhibition to show solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. They also protested against the rising number of executions conducted by the Iranian regime.
