THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CEST
Stevenson: The EU Tried to Appease Iran – It Didn’t Work
Western appeasers are turning cartwheels in their attempts to woo Masoud Pezeshkian, the new president of Iran. Convinced that the 70-year-old Islamic loyalist is a “reformist” and a “moderate,” the appeasers are covering their eyes and ears to the ongoing repression and tyranny in Iran and the mullahs’ wider sponsorship of terror in the Mideast, and globally.
So desperate has Josep Borrell, the EU’s deluded high representative for foreign affairs become, that he even dispatched his chief of staff, Enrique Mora, to attend Peseshkian’s inauguration ceremony in Tehran. The hapless EU diplomat found himself seated ignominiously in the second row, immediately behind the leaders of Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST
U.S. Envoy Accuses Iran of Directly Enabling Houthi Attacks in Yemen, Urges Global Accountability
In a recent briefing to the UN Security Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, directly accused the Iranian regime of enabling the ongoing attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. She emphasized that Iran has played a crucial role in facilitating these actions, which have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and destabilized the region.
Thomas-Greenfield highlighted that the Houthis’ continued escalation, particularly their obstruction of humanitarian aid and use of Iranian-supplied weapons, is a clear indication of the destructive influence Tehran exerts in the region. “Make no mistake: Iran has directly enabled these attacks,” she stated, pointing out the use of Iranian drones in recent aggressive actions. The Ambassador called for increased efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo and urged the international community to hold Iran accountable for its role in fueling the conflict in Yemen.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
Iranian Regime Presidents Hand Empty Coffers and Scorched Lands to Each Other
These days, as the transfer of power from the Ebrahim Raisi administration to the regime’s new president Massoud Pezeshkian administration is underway, shocking truths about the country’s “devastated economy” are coming to light amidst the infighting within the regime.
On August 7, referring to the internal conflicts within the regime over these very realities during a gathering of the “media professionals,” Pezeshkian said: “In the messages for both the endorsement and inauguration ceremonies, we were told to criticize. I could have mentioned many of these problems, but I did not allow myself to stand up and talk about our flaws in front of foreign observers.”
Iranian-Backed APT42 Intensifies Phishing Campaigns
In a recent report, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has highlighted a significant increase in phishing campaigns by APT42, a hacking group backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
These campaigns have primarily targeted U.S. presidential election officials and Israeli military, government, and diplomatic institutions. The report, released on August 14, 2024, provides detailed insights into the tactics and targets of APT42, underscoring the persistent threat posed by state-sponsored cyber activities.
APT42 has been active in conducting phishing attacks against various high-profile targets. Between May and June 2024, the group targeted around 12 current and former senior U.S. government officials, as well as officials from both Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns. TAG reported that it successfully blocked numerous attempts by APT42 to access these individuals’ personal email accounts.
Sara Jahani: Denial of Medical Treatment and Human Rights Violations
Political prisoner Sara Jahani’s recent ordeal in Lakan Prison, Rasht, highlights severe human rights abuses. Despite her medical condition and legal requirements for her treatment, prison authorities have neglected her urgent healthcare needs, raising serious concerns about the treatment of political detainees in Iran. On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, Sara Jahani, who suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), experienced a severe muscle spasm in Lakan Prison, causing her to lose control of her legs and fall face-first onto the ground. This incident resulted in a head injury above her eye, requiring immediate medical attention. Her head also struck a wall during the fall, necessitating an examination in a hospital outside the prison.
The Tehran Stock Exchange Index Has Dropped Twenty Times in the Last 24 Days
Reports indicate that the Tehran Stock Exchange index once again fell on Tuesday, August 13, dropping to 1,991,000 points.
Over the past 24 days, the overall index has been negative for 20 days, with the total index declining by 210,000 points, equivalent to more than a 10% drop. In two separate rounds, the National Development Fund recently injected 6 trillion rials (approximately 10 million dollars) into the stock market, but this action failed to prevent the index from declining.
On Tuesday, following a 7,568-point drop in the overall index, Mohammad Reza Farzin, the Governor of the Central Bank, announced that in today’s Supreme Council of the Stock Exchange meeting, it was agreed that support from the banking system for the capital market would begin on Wednesday.
Halt in Iran’s Oil Production Growth Since Early Spring, Per OPEC, IEA
New statistics from the International Energy Agency and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) show that Iran’s oil production experienced significant growth last year, but this growth has stalled since the beginning of this spring.
The International Energy Agency estimated Iran’s daily oil production in July to be around 3.35 million barrels, while OPEC’s assessment placed it at about 3.27 million barrels.
Before U.S. sanctions, Iran’s daily crude oil production was 3.8 million barrels, but this figure dropped to less than 2 million barrels towards the end of Donald Trump’s administration. However, production started to rise again after Joe Biden took office.
Execution of 70 Prisoners in 15 Days Since Start of August 2024
Based on the registered statistics at the Center for Statistics and Documentation of Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), From the beginning of the month until mid-August 2024, the Iranian judiciary has carried out the death sentences of 70 prisoners in Iranian prisons over a fifteen-day period. On average, nearly 5 prisoners in Iran are being executed each day. While the previous record stood at 4 daily executions in Iran. Compared to the month of July, during which 53 individuals were executed, the number of executions has seen an increase of nearly 180% up to mid-August. An unprecedented record was set this month with the mass execution of 29 prisoners in a single day on August 7, 2024. The escalating trend of executions in Iran during the month of August is highly alarming.
Zurich, August 12, 2024: MEK Supporters Hold Exhibition to Condemn Wave of Executions by the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Zurich, Switzerland—August 12, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to protest the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime. They also called for the immediate release of all political prisoners held in the prisons of the mullahs’ regime in Iran and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Paris, August 13, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Paris, France—August 13, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organize a photo and book exhibition. This exhibition is held in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution and as a protest against the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime.