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UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
From Strategic Depth to Strategic Defeat: Iran’s Regional Influence Collapses
After the Iraq war, the US handover of Iraq to Iran on a ‘golden tray’ gave Tehran unprecedented access to the Eastern Mediterranean through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. This corridor enabled Iran to strengthen Hezbollah, transforming it into one of the region’s most destructive proxy organisations. By establishing a foothold in the Eastern Mediterranean, Iran sought to counterbalance regional rivals like Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Vital ally Syria allowed Iran to extend its influence and solidify its regional role. Between 2011 and 2020, Iran reportedly spent $50bn propping up the Syrian regime—funds diverted from domestic needs, exacerbating economic hardships for Iranian citizens. Despite these costs, Tehran deemed the investment essential for its geopolitical ambitions and for enabling Hezbollah to carry out destabilising activities across the region.
UPDATE: 4:30 PM CET
US Officials See Fall of Assad as Opportunity to Force Iranian Regime Change
With the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad over the weekend and a new White House on the horizon, Iranian resistance leaders and U.S. lawmakers alike have begun expressing hope that Iran will topple its own leadership in a similar fashion, with U.S. help.
“There’s a real chance for regime change right now, that’s the only way you’re going to stop a nuclear weapon,” Sam Brownback, former U.S. ambassador for International Religious Freedom, told Fox News Digital at a Senate panel on Iran on Wednesday.
“It’s not just now or never, it’s now or nuclear,” he said, as Iran enriches uranium to near-nuclear-capable levels.
A bipartisan group of senators spoke in support of toppling the Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khameini – both through a return to former President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign through sanctions and supporting the Iranian resistance movement – a piece that was missing during the first Trump administration.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET
Trump’s National Security Pick Vows Return to Maximum Pressure on Iran
(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser vowed a return to the maximum pressure campaign that defined Iran policy in the president-elect’s first term, even as leaders in Tehran signal they want to reduce tension.
“You’re going to see a huge shift on Iran,” after Trump takes office on Jan. 20, Mike Waltz said in a Fox News interview Wednesday. “We have to constrain their cash. We have to constrain their oil. We have to go back to maximum pressure, number one, which was working under the first Trump administration.”
Walz’s comments reflect a consensus among Trump and several of his nominees — including for secretary of state, secretary of defense, and ambassador to the UN — that President Joe Biden has been lax in enforcing sanctions against the regime. Iran’s oil exports have defied years of US sanctions to return to almost full capacity.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Europeans tell UN ready to ‘snap back’ Iran sanctions if needed
UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Britain, France, and Germany have told the United Nations Security Council that they are ready – if necessary – to trigger a so-called “snap back” of all international sanctions on Iran to prevent the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
They will lose the ability to take such action on Oct. 18 next year when a 2015 U.N. resolution expires. The resolution enshrines Iran’s deal with Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China that lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
Iran is “dramatically” accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade, the U.N. nuclear watchdog chief told Reuters last week.
The move comes as Iran has suffered a series of strategic setbacks, including Israel’s assault on Tehran’s proxy militias Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the ouster of Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Execution of Freedom Fighters in Iran’s “Saydnaya” to Take Place in Deafening Silence
The fall of the Syrian dictator and the subsequent opening of Syria’s prisons by the country’s freedom fighters revealed the horrific crimes committed by the Syrian regime—crimes that occurred in the silence and inaction of the international community. Let us not allow silence to once again grant the Iranian dictator the opportunity to continue massacring Iran’s freedom fighters.
With 850 executions since the beginning of the year, Khamenei’s Iran has tragically broken the global record for executions per capita. This horrifying statistic is not just a number; it represents lost lives, erased stories, and the names of heroes who fell for freedom and who will forever remain in our memory. Among the most recent condemned are the names of six courageous men:
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET
Gathering at the US Senate
Your conference is very timely in highlighting a correct policy on Iran. Recent developments, including the overthrow of the Syrian dictatorship, have dealt a strategic blow to the clerical regime. The regime’s main proxy force, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, has also suffered a significant setback.
The world witnessed how Assad’s heavily armed forces and tens of thousands of Quds Force proxies melted like snow under the summer sun. There should be no doubt that the Revolutionary Guards and all other oppressive forces in Iran will not be able to stand against the anger of the Iranian people and their nationwide uprising.
Pezeshkian’s Futile Attempts to Show “Accord And Unity” in Iran’s Regime
In a situation where Iran’s regime is struggling with different crises, regime president Massoud Pezeshkian tried to stage a display of “accord and unity” in the Majlis (parliament). This act, intended to address structural crises and reduce deep rifts between power factions and public opinion, only added to the regime’s scandals and failures. On December 1, in parliament, Pezeshkian called for “accord and unity” as a “common pact” and urged representatives to “join hands” to address economic and social issues. He claimed that if unity is achieved among factions and the pillars of the system, “there will be no problems in the country.” These statements stand in stark contrast to the harsh reality of profound crises in all economic, social, and political dimensions.
The “unity and accord” shown in the Parliament is less a genuine plan to solve problems and more an attempt to project internal harmony, despite widening rifts and contradictions among regime factions.
Iran’s Financial Aid to Hezbollah Amid Domestic Economic Hardships
In a televised speech on Thursday, December 5, Naim Qassem, the Deputy Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, revealed the extent of Iran’s financial aid to proxy forces, including Hezbollah. Qassem announced that Iranian funds have been instrumental in providing substantial assistance to Lebanese families affected by war, offering between $12,000 and $14,000 per household in Beirut for reconstruction and rent. The total financial aid is expected to exceed $77 million, benefiting 233,500 families.
Qassem explicitly thanked Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for their “generous assistance.” He detailed Hezbollah’s disbursement of $57 million to over 170,000 families so far, with additional payments planned for reconstruction and rental allowances. These funds include $8,000 for rebuilding each destroyed house and $6,000 for one year’s rent in Beirut. Families in other Lebanese cities receive $4,000 annually for housing.
The Overthrow of Bashar al-Assad: A Political Earthquake for Iran
The unexpected overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, the long-standing dictator of Syria, has sent shockwaves through the Iranian regime, posing one of the most significant geopolitical challenges it has faced in years. The event has not only destabilized Iran’s regional strategy but has also laid bare the regime’s lack of preparedness and internal disarray. The reactions from Iranian parliament members, government officials, and state-affiliated media underscore the regime’s confusion and lack of planning in the wake of Assad’s fall. On December 8, 2024, a parliamentary session highlighted the widespread shock and discontent among lawmakers. Many openly criticized the government for keeping them uninformed about developments in Syria.
Hamid Rasaei, an outspoken parliamentarian, demanded the immediate presence of Foreign Ministry officials and military commanders to explain the situation. He lamented that most lawmakers were unaware of critical details, calling this lack of information an injustice to both parliament and the Iranian people.
Shiva Esmaeli: Political Prisoner Denied Family Visits and Contact in Evin Prison
Sixty-year-old political prisoner Shiva Esmaeli, a retired agricultural engineer and mother of several children, remains detained in the women’s ward of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, where she is being denied phone calls and in-person visits with her family. The Iranian regime’s treatment of Shiva Esmaeli is a violation of international humanitarian laws.
Shiva Esmaeli, born in 1965 in Tehran, was arrested in November 2020 and transferred to Evin Prison. On May 14, 2023, she was sentenced to ten years in prison by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of “assembly and collusion.” Her trial was conducted without the presence of legal counsel, depriving her of the right to a defense. The verdict was formally issued to her on May 28, 2023.
Tourists Avoiding Iran Out of Security Concerns
Mohammad Ali Ashraf Vaqefi, a member of the “Iran Tour Operators Association,” stated that the arrival of tourists to Iran has been “almost halted” and attributed this to the lack of a “sense of security” for foreign tourists.
Ashraf Vaqefi, the former vice president of the Iran Tour Operators Association, told the state-run Khabar Online website that “currently, only tourists from Arab countries, especially Iraq, are traveling to Iran.”
This member of the “Tour Operators” community emphasized that “at present, almost no European or American tourist groups are traveling to Iran, and the tourist market is restricted to Russians and Chinese.” He added that even these numbers have “significantly declined compared to the past.”
Qarchak Prison One of the Darkest Symbols of Human Rights Violations in Iran
A new report by the Iranian Human Rights Organization sheds light on the abysmal conditions of Qarchak Prison, near Varamin. According to the Iranian Human Rights Organization, the wards of Qarchak Prison are essentially repurposed poultry sheds. For years, they have been used to house female prisoners, including political detainees, without adhering to any standards. The report states that Qarchak Prison in Varamin not only violates global standards but also disregards the most basic principles of human dignity.
The Iranian Human Rights Organization reports that women in Qarchak Prison (southeast of Tehran) are held in extremely cramped spaces, without adequate ventilation or sufficient light. They endure unsafe drinking water, poor-quality food, inadequate health and medical services, and humiliating, gender-based treatment as part of their daily suffering.
November 2024 Monthly Report – Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM)
This report provides an in-depth account of human rights violations in Iran during November 2024, with a particular focus on the alarming escalation in executions and systemic abuses. At least 147 individuals, including four women, two juvenile offenders, a Jewish-Iranian citizen, and an individual with intellectual disabilities, were executed across various prisons. On average, more than four people were executed every day, reflecting a sharp increase in the regime’s use of the death penalty as a tool of repression. Among the most egregious violations:
- The execution of two minors for crimes allegedly committed when they were under 18, in blatant contravention of international human rights law.
- The execution of Ezzat Saeedi, a man with intellectual disabilities.
- Public executions and mass hangings, with 27 prisoners executed in just four days, averaging one execution every 3.5 hours during that period.
Iranian Academics Held an Exhibition in Sheffield to Condemn Human Rights Violations in Iran
UK, December 10, 2024: On the occasion of Human Rights Day (Dec 10), freedom-loving Iranians and academics in Sheffield supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book and photo exhibition to protest the death sentences handed to six political prisoners linked to the PMOI.
Belgium, December 9, 2024: Supporters of MEK Rally in Brussels Against Human Rights Violations in Iran
Brussels, Belgium—December 9, 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.
Dallas, December 8, 2024: Supporters of MEK Rally Against Human Rights Violations in Iran
Dallas, Texas—December 8, 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. They strongly condemned the death sentences imposed on six political prisoners associated with the PMOI.
Iranian Academics Held an Exhibition in Southampton to Condemn Human Rights Violations in Iran
UK, December 10, 2024: On the occasion of Human Rights Day (Dec 10), freedom-loving Iranians and academics in Southampton supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book and photo exhibition to protest the death sentences handed to six political prisoners linked to the PMOI.
