THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CEST
UN’s Turk ‘Extremely Concerned’ After Spate Of Executions In Iran
BERLIN, Aug 9 (Reuters) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is extremely concerned that Iranian authorities have reportedly executed 29 people in the last two days, a spokesperson said on Friday.
“This represents an alarmingly high number of executions in such a short period of time,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Liz Throssell said.
Though the death toll could not be independently verified by the United Nations, she said the reported executions took the overall count to at least 345 this year, including 15 women.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CEST
Key Homeland Agency Warns Agents That Iran, Proxies May Try To Cross Border To Attack United States
In a stark warning, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency is alerting all field offices that Iran or its proxies may try to transport “operatives, money or materials” across the southern or northern U.S. borders to conduct a terrorism attack against Americans, according to an agency memo obtained Wednesday by Just the News.
The memo from the CBP’s Office of Field Operations urged agency personnel to take a “heightened posture due to ongoing security threats” and suggested that a recent, coordinated attack from Iran-backed Hezbollah on Israeli children playing in Golan Heights soccer fields raised the distinct threat of similar attacks against the West.
US Military Destroys Houthi Missiles, Uncrewed Surface Vessel
“U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles and one Houthi ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
“Additionally, USCENTCOM forces successfully destroyed one Houthi uncrewed surface vessel in the Red Sea,” it said.
The weapons presented a “clear and imminent threat” to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region, CENTCOM said.
“This reckless and dangerous behavior by Iranian-backed Houthis continues to threaten regional stability and security,” it added.
Microsoft Researchers Report Iran Hackers Targeting US Officials Before Election
WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (Reuters) – Microsoft researchers said on Friday that Iran government-tied hackers tried breaking into the account of a “high-ranking official” on the U.S. presidential campaign in June, weeks after breaching the account of a county-level U.S. official.
The breaches were part of Iranian groups’ increasing attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election in November, the researchers said in a report that did not provide any further detail on the “official” in question.
The report follows recent statements by senior U.S. Intelligence officials that they’d seen Iran ramp up use of clandestine social media accounts with the aim to use them to try to sow political discord in the United States.
Two Iranian Nationals and One Pakistani National Indicted for Providing Material Support to Terrorists
A superseding indictment was returned yesterday charging two Iranian citizens, brothers Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab) and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunis), and one Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Pahlawan, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program resulting in death and conspiring to commit violence against maritime navigation and maritime transport involving weapons of mass destruction resulting in death. Pahlawan is currently awaiting trial, while Shahab and Yunus remain at large.
According to the court documents, Shahab and Yunus work for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Pahlawan, is a Pakistani citizen who allegedly worked for the Mir’kazei brothers as the captain of a smuggling vessel known as a dhow, named the “Yunus,” which is owned by Shahab.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
Iran’s Social Protests Gravitate Toward Political Demands
On August 3, in an article titled “Aref’s First Directive as First Vice President: Allocating Arbaeen Budget”, Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC Quds Force, reported that: “The Vice President [Mohammad Reza Aref] has allocated 40 trillion rials to prevent unforeseen accidents, contagious diseases, and heatstroke among the Arbaeen (the 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed) pilgrims.”
With details of the so-called “Arbaeen Headquarters” meeting, which is nothing more than the annual charade by the mullahs to show off their hollow power and distract minds from internal crises, Tasnim News Agency continued that regime president Massoud Pezeshkian himself “gave strict orders that all relevant agencies must take the necessary actions” for this task.
Changes in the US Intelligence Report on Iran’s Nuclear Activities
In a significant development, the latest report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to Congress on Iran’s nuclear activities has omitted a key phrase that had been consistently included since 2019.
Previously, the reports stated that Iran was not engaged in the key nuclear weapons development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device. However, this phrase is absent in the 2024 report, raising questions about Iran’s current nuclear intentions and capabilities.
The ODNI report provides a comprehensive examination of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its potential weaponization efforts, and delivery systems. It also evaluates Iran’s support for regional and global terrorism.
Iranian Regime’s Cyber Threats: The Role of the IRGC in Malicious Activities Against U.S. Infrastructure
The US Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of individuals engaged in malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure. This initiative specifically targets those acting under the direction of foreign governments, in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. The following Iranian security officials are linked to cyber operations conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC):
- Hamid Homayunfal
- Hamid Reza Lashgarian: Head of the IRGC’s Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) and commander in the IRGC-Qods Force.
- Mahdi Lashgarian
- Milad Mansuri
- Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar
- Reza Mohammad Amin Saberian
Sentencing and Imprisonment of Two Iranian Women: Maryam Mehrabi and Maryam Derisi
Two Iranian women, Maryam Mehrabi and Maryam Derisi, have been sentenced and taken to jail to serve their sentences. Maryam Mehrabi Sentenced to Six Years in Prison and Additional Penalties Maryam Mehrabi, a teacher from Isfahan, central Iran, has been sentenced to six years by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan. The verdict includes:
- One year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.”
- Five years in prison for “inciting people to war and killing with the intent to disrupt national security.”
- Two years of occupational disqualification and a two-year travel ban.
Mehrabi has been denied access to legal representation. Another part of her case, concerning accusations of spreading falsehoods, is still under review in the Isfahan Criminal Court 2.
Housing Prices Continue to Soar in Iran with A 70% Increase in Rent
A few days after a housing sector official reported a 50% increase in rents in some areas of Tehran, the regime’s ISNA news agency reported that “field studies in Tehran show that some landlords have increased rents by 50 to 70%.”
ISNA wrote that “given that the 25% cap on rent increases over the past three years has not been very successful, tenants do not have much hope for controlling rates this year either.”
In June 2024, rent inflation in the capital was 43.2%, about twice the set cap, breaking the 12-year record for rent inflation in Tehran.
25% Increase in the Price of Bread in Iran as Government Faces Budget Deficit for Cash Subsidies
According to media reports in Iran, bread prices are set to increase by up to 25% in more than 10 provinces. Government subsidies to control bread prices are one of the measures the Iranian regime takes, but in recent years, financial shortages have led to an increase in bread prices.
According to the newspaper Etemad, in traditional bakeries, 80% of the final bread price is covered by government subsidies, and people pay 20% of the actual price. Thus, the real price of bread is 4 to 5 times the current price, and given the poverty line in Iran, a significant portion of the population below this line would face additional pressure if such subsidies were removed. Bread is highly consumed in Iran and is one of the main food items.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 8, 2024
