THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CET
Germany, UK, and France Say They Are Extremely Concerned about Iran Enrichment Increase
BERLIN, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Germany, Britain, and France said on Monday they were “extremely concerned” about Iran’s acceleration in its capacity for enrichment of uranium, urging Iran to halt and reverse these steps.
Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told Reuters on Friday that Iran was accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, approaching the level of about 90% that is weapons-grade.
Enrichment refines the raw material so it can be used as fuel in civil nuclear power generation or, potentially, nuclear weapons. Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.
Germany, Britain and France, known informally as the E3, said in a joint statement they condemned Iran’s latest steps to significantly increase the rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60% at the underground Fordow facility.
Iran: New Compulsory Veiling Law Intensifies Oppression of Women And Girls
Iranian authorities have adopted a new draconian law that further erases the human rights of women and girls, imposing the death penalty, flogging, prison terms, and other severe penalties to crush ongoing resistance to compulsory veiling, Amnesty International said today. The “Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab” will come into force on 13 December 2024, according to Iran’s Speaker of Parliament. In a dangerous escalation, the law permits the imposition of the death penalty for peaceful activism against Iran’s discriminatory compulsory veiling laws.
The law, containing 74 articles, also imposes flogging, exorbitant fines, harsh prison sentences, travel bans, and restrictions on education and employment for women and girls who defy compulsory veiling laws. It also penalizes private entities that fail to enforce compulsory veiling, while providing impunity to officials and vigilantes who violently attack women and girls for defying it.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET
Iran’s Armed Forces ‘At War With Themselves’ Over Fall Of Assad
A furious blame game is unfolding among Iran’s armed forces over the fall of Bashar al-Assad, The Telegraph has learned. Officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said commanders of the elite military force were blaming each other “in angry terms” for the collapse of Assad’s regime and the loss of Iranian influence in the region.
“The atmosphere is like something between almost punching each other, punching the walls, yelling at each other and kicking rubbish bins. They are blaming each other, and no one is taking responsibility,” one official from Tehran told The Telegraph.
“No one ever imagined seeing Assad fleeing, as the focus for 10 years had been only on keeping him in power. And it was not because we were in love with him, it was because we wanted to maintain proximity to Israel and Hezbollah.”
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET
Paris International Human Rights Day 2024 in Auvers-sur-Oise
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is seen addressing the meeting, and the Iranians who participated are cheering for freedom and democracy in the near future in Iran. At the conference north of Paris marking Human Rights Day, entitled -Resolving the Iran Crisis with the Involvement of the Democratic Alternative, NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi and distinguished international figures from Germany and Belgium highlighted the ongoing human rights abuses in Iran, the spread of belligerence to the Middle East, and the escalating terrorism in Europe through organized crime gangs. They underscored the failure of EU policy on Iran and the need for standing with the Iranian people and Resistance.
“Chastity And Hijab Law”: A Tool for Intensified Repression of Women in Iran
The so-called “Chastity and Hijab Law,” after months of back-and-forth between the Iranian regime’s Majlis (Parliament) and the Guardian Council (the body that oversees the elections), was finally published on November 30, with 74 articles across five chapters. This clerical-made law once again highlighted the essence and starting point of the religious, misogynistic fascism aimed at intensifying repression against society, particularly women.
The initial draft of this law, under the title “Support for the Culture of Chastity and Hijab,” was presented to the Parliament by the Judiciary, with the endorsement of former president Ebrahim Raisi, in the wake of the nationwide uprisings of 2022. These uprisings, which shook the pillars of the regime, compelled the regime to resort to medieval laws to impose more organized control over an explosive Iranian society.
The Decline of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance”: A Turning Point in the Middle East
The rapid downfall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and the heavy losses sustained by Hezbollah have dealt a severe blow to Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance.” For decades, this coalition, which Tehran crafted to oppose Western and Israeli influence, was a cornerstone of Iranian foreign policy. Now, it appears to be unraveling under the weight of regional dynamics and strategic missteps. In a rare admission, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi publicly conceded on state television that the Axis of Resistance has significantly weakened. “The axis has endured a very difficult year,” he acknowledged, highlighting the profound challenges facing Tehran’s regional ambitions.
Iranian Regime in the Grip of the Hijab Law: Confusion and Contradictions as the Deadline Nears
Just four days before the scheduled enactment of the controversial Chastity and Hijab Law, the Iranian regime is embroiled in confusion and conflicting statements. A regime’s Parliamentary Cultural Commission member first announced the delay of the law’s implementation, only to retract his statement hours later. This morning, Monday, December 9, 2024, Esmaeil Siavoshi, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Iranian Parliament, stated during a live interview on the regime’s Morning and Dialogue TV program that the implementation of the new Hijab and Chastity Law, originally set for December 13, had been postponed.
The Food Safety Crisis in Iran: Contaminated Rice Imports
The sharp criticism by Majlis (parliament) members of the Iranian regime regarding the importation of rice contaminated with arsenic and zoonotic diseases has once again brought the issue of food security in Iran to the forefront.
During a public session of the Majlis on Sunday, December 8, MP Ali Asghar Bagherzadeh criticized the allocation of foreign currency for importing contaminated rice. Citing official statistics, he stated, “11.5% of the imported rice is contaminated with arsenic, and another 4.5% is tainted with rodent-related pollutants and zoonotic diseases.”
Bagherzadeh emphasized that allocating foreign currency to such products, especially when the country faces shortages of essential goods and medicine, poses a serious threat to domestic agriculture and national food security.
Iran: Students Protest Dormitory Poisoning with a Sit-In
A group of Beheshti University students staged a sit-in and protest on Sunday, December 8, in the university courtyard to object to the poisoning of female students caused by a gas leak in their dormitory. These students criticized university officials for neglecting the poor living conditions in the dormitory and demanded the resignation of the university president. Videos shared online show the protesting students chanting slogans such as, “Student, raise your voice / Shout out for your rights,” “Students demand welfare and dormitories,” and “Incompetent president, resign, resign.”
On December 6, coinciding with Student Day in Iran, 44 students from Beheshti University’s women’s dormitory in Velenjak were poisoned by carbon monoxide and hospitalized.
Five Prisoners, Including a Woman, Executed in a Single Day
According to reports, five prisoners, including a woman, were executed in prisons across Zanjan, Tabriz, and Isfahan.
On the morning of Saturday, December 7, 2024, a prisoner identified as Ashkan Fathi, aged 21, was executed in Isfahan Central Prison. Fathi had been arrested two years ago on charges of murder and subsequently sentenced to death.
At dawn on the same day, Saturday, December 7, 2024, a female prisoner named Ameneh Alipour, aged 37, was executed in Zanjan Prison. She had been detained for three years on charges of murder and was sentenced to death following her conviction.
Supporters of MEK Rally in Gothenburg Against Human Rights Violations in Iran
Gothenburg, Sweden—December 7, 2024: On the eve of the occasion of Human Rights Day (Dec 10), freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in a rally to protest human rights violations in Iran, particularly against Iranian women. They strongly condemned the death sentences imposed on six political prisoners associated with the PMOI.
Supporters of MEK Rally in Stockholm Against Human Rights Violations in Iran – December 7, 2024
Stockholm, Sweden—December 7, 2024: On the eve of the occasion of Human Rights Day (Dec 10), freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in a rally to protest human rights violations in Iran, particularly against Iranian women. They strongly condemned the death sentences imposed on six political prisoners associated with the PMOI.