THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
CRUZ: Biden Should Reimpose Terrorism Sanctions on Iran-Controlled Terrorist Groups
Texas Insider Report: (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – On February 5th, 2021 the Biden State Department announced it would lift terrorism-related sanctions on the Houthis and three of their leaders: Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim.
“Now the Houthis and other Iranian-controlled terrorists are openly and routinely attacking the United States and our allies, but the Biden administration still refuses to reverse its decision because they believe doing so would be politically costly,” responded Sen. Ted Cruz earlier today, reintroducing his legislation to impose terrorism sanctions on the Iran-controlled Houthis as acts of terrorism continue to escalate in the Middle East.
EU Statement by The Spokesperson on The Latest Executions
There are credible reports that a minor, Hamidreza Azari, and a protester, Milad Zohrevand, were executed in Iran on November 24 and 23 respectively.
The current pace of executions in Iran, at least 600 since January, is appalling. The European Union reiterates its firm and principled opposition to the use of capital punishment at all times and in all circumstances. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane punishment, which fails to act as a deterrent to crime and represents an unacceptable denial of human dignity and integrity. It is a definite punishment that makes possible miscarriages of justice irreversible.
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CET
Suspected Syrian Pro-Government Fighter Goes on Trial in the Netherlands
THE HAGUE, Nov 30 (Reuters) – A suspected Syrian pro-government militia member on trial in the Netherlands on Thursday refused to answer any questions from judges about allegations that he was involved in the arrest and torture of at least two people in Syria in 2012.
The 35-year-old man, identified only as Mustafa A., faces charges of war crimes and crimes again humanity for arresting at least two people and handing them over to Syrian Air Force intelligence officials who ran a prison where they were tortured.
It is the first Dutch war crimes trial of a suspect accused of fighting on the side of the government of President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian conflict.
Members of Global Chemical Weapons Watchdog Vote To Keep Syria From Getting Poison Gas Materials
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The annual meeting of member states of the global chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday called on countries to prevent the sale or transfer to Syria of raw materials and equipment that could be used to create poison gas and nerve agents.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a statement that its annual conference “decided that the continued possession and use of chemical weapons” by Syria, and its failure to give the organization an accurate inventory of its stocks and to “destroy undeclared chemical weapons and production facilities,” have harmed the international Chemical Weapons Convention.
The decision was backed by 69 nations, while 10 voted against it and 45 nations abstained.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
DOS 2023 Report: Iran Continues as the World’s Foremost Sponsor of Terrorism for the Past Four Decades
Iran continued to be the leading state sponsor of terrorism, facilitating a wide range of terrorist and other illicit activities around the world. In 2022, Iran increasingly encouraged and plotted attacks against the United States, including against former U.S. officials, in retaliation for the death of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) Commander Qasem Soleimani. In August an Iran-based IRGC member was charged with attempting to arrange the murder of a former U.S. National Security Advisor. Regionally, Iran supported acts of terrorism in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen through proxies and partner groups such as Hizballah and al-Ashtar Brigades. Globally, the IRGC-QF and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security remained Iran’s primary actors involved in supporting terrorist recruitment, financing, and plotting across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
Liquid Gas Capsule Prices Hit 355,000 Tomans in Iran
The price of a liquid gas capsule has sharply risen to 355,000 tomans, signaling an unprecedented increase in fuel costs in Iran. This surge coincides with a decrease in temperature, prompting widespread concern among citizens.
As reported by the state-run Aftab News, despite the subsidized rate of 27,500 tomans for each liquid gas capsule, the same capsule is currently being traded in the open market for 355,000 tomans, inclusive of an empty capsule.
In a resolution passed in late August, the Raisi cabinet mandated the Ministry of Oil to provide liquefied gas at the Persian Gulf FOB price to those with city gas, starting in November. This specified price is set at 22,000 tomans per kilogram for liquid gas, a notable increase from the previous allocation of 230 tomans per kilogram until just before November.
It’s important to note that around three million people in Iran lack access to gas pipelines. These individuals can register in the SADF system to receive four liquid gas cylinders per month for their household, following the previous allocation. The implementation of this resolution has presented heightened challenges for residents in certain predominantly deprived areas of Iran, such as Sistan and Baluchestan.
House Passes Resolution to Block Iran’s Access to $6 Billion From Prisoner Swap
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bipartisan measure Thursday that would block Iran from ever accessing the $6 billion recently transferred by the U.S. in a prisoner swap, a step Republicans pushed in response to the nation’s alleged role in the deadly attacks last month by Hamas on Israel.
The measure — titled the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act — passed 307-119 as Republicans sought to hold the Biden administration accountable for what they call their complicity in funding Iranian-backed terrorism in the Middle East.
“With such instability in the region, the last thing we need to do is to give access to $6 billion to be diverted to more Iranian-sponsored terrorism,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a debate.
Fattah-2 Missile Unveiling: E3 Joint Statement
The UK, France and Germany have issued a joint statement in response to Iran’s announcement on the unveiling of the Fattah-2 missile system.
E3 statement on Iranian Fattah-2 missile announcement:
The E3 – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – condemn the unveiling of a further new ballistic missile variant by Iran on 19th November. Iran continues to develop its missile programme despite repeated international calls to halt it, and after years of disregarding UN restrictions.
Iran’s continued development of its ballistic missile programme follows continued nuclear escalation, beyond all credible civilian justification, and previously conducted research on nuclear weapons delivery. These escalations also highlight the grave threat Iran poses to global and regional security.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
The Unrelenting Justice Movement for the Victims of Iran’s 1988 Massacre
In the summer of 1988, Iran’s regime committed one of the worst crimes against humanity by executing more than 30,000 political prisoners in the span of a few months. The event, which became known as the “1988 massacre,” remained mostly ignored for more than three decades, partly due to the regime’s repression and secrecy and partly due to the global policy of appeasement toward the regime and the tendency to turn a blind eye to its crimes. In 2016, the Iranian Resistance launched the Justice Movement to break the 30-year silence on the 1988 massacre and bring that crime against humanity to light.
In 2017, the late UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran Asma Jahangir issued a report in which she wrote, “Between July and August 1988, thousands of political prisoners, men, women and teenagers, were reportedly executed pursuant to a fatwa issued by the then Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.”
Iran’s Lake Urmia on the Brink of Destruction
Recent satellite images published by Iran regime’s state-run newspaper Etemad reveal a distressing reality – Lake Urmia, once the world’s sixth-largest saltwater lake and Iran’s largest internal lake, is now on the brink of irreversible demise. Over the past year, the lake has witnessed an alarming 80% reduction in water volume, leaving only four percent of its original expanse. This environmental catastrophe has sparked debates and contradictory statements, raising concerns about the ecological, social, and economic repercussions.
Etemad newspaper has unveiled the latest satellite images depicting the dire state of Lake Urmia. The publication asserts that, within the past year, the water level of this once-grand saltwater lake has plummeted by a staggering 80%. Presently, a mere four percent of the lake’s original water volume remains, marking the definitive death of what was once the world’s sixth-largest saltwater lake, and a vital internal reservoir for Iran.
Three Prisoners, Including a Woman, Are Executed in Lakan Prison of Rasht
Another woman was hanged and executed in the Lakan Prison of Rasht on Saturday, November 25, 2023. The woman had been sentenced to death on the charge of murder. She was one of three prisoners hanged on that day in Lakan Prison of Rasht. The other two were political prisoner Ali Saber Motlagh, 62, a supporter of the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and Mohsen Sedaghat, an ordinary prisoner also charged with murder. The clerical regime has stepped up executions in Iran. It has executed nearly 200 prisoners in the past 1.5 months.
The woman executed on Saturday, November 25, is the 223rd woman to be executed by the clerical regime since 2007. She is the 20th woman executed since January 2023.
Do Not Overlook Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions, IAEA Director Warns
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), urged global powers to resume nuclear negotiations with the Iranian regime and “not lose sight of the risks posed by its stockpiling of enriched uranium while attention has turned to the war between Israel and Hamas.”
In an interview with the Financial Times published on November 30, Rafael Grossi said that “There needs to be some recreation of a system of dialogue with Iran.”
“Attention . . . may of course be on something else. But this doesn’t solve the issue. It may even make them more acute, in the sense that there’s a sense of a certain indifference,…People may not be looking at [Iran’s nuclear ambitions], but the problem exists.” Grossi said
Lucerne, Switzerland — November 29, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Lucerne, Switzerland — November 29, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a photo exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This exhibition served as a tribute to the martyrs of the nationwide Iranian uprising.
Zurich, Switzerland — November 28, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Zurich, Switzerland — November 28, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a photo exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This exhibition served as a tribute to the martyrs of the nationwide Iranian uprising.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – November 30, 2023
