THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 03:30 PM CET
U.S. Sec Rubio Condemns Executions and Says Tehran “Sponsors Terrorism” as U.S. Expands Sanctions
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on December 19 that Washington’s conflict with Iran’s ruling system remains “deep and systemic,” citing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, its backing of armed groups, and what he called Iran’s repression of its own people.
At a State Department press briefing, Rubio said Iran is among the “sources of insecurity” in the region. Discussing Venezuela, he alleged the Maduro government “openly cooperates with criminal and terrorist elements, including Hezbollah, Iran and others,” and said it allows Hezbollah and Iran to operate from its territory.
Rubio also described Hezbollah as “a direct Iranian proxy” and said the U.S. goal is a strong Lebanese government with Hezbollah disarmed.
Asked about reports that 2025 has seen the highest execution levels in Iran in over two decades, Rubio said the United States continues to authorize new sanctions linked to Iran. “There isn’t a week that goes by — at least two, three times a month, I’m authorizing some new sanction on some new entity related to Iran,” he said.
He argued the core U.S. objection to Tehran extends beyond nuclear issues. “Our problem with the Iranian regime… is ultimately the treatment of their own people,” Rubio said, adding: “I know of no nation on Earth where there is such a difference between a regime that governs the country and the people who live there.”
UPDATE: 08:00 AM CET
Iranian Political Prisoner Shahin Zoghi-Tabar Vows Resistance from Evin Prison
In the midst of the Iranian regime’s intensifying crackdown and a surge in executions, a voice of defiance has emerged from the notorious Evin Prison. Shahin Zoghi Tabar, a political prisoner, released an audio message in December 2025, declaring his unwavering commitment to the overthrow of the religious dictatorship and his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). In his emotional message, Zoghi Tabar described how becoming involved with the PMOI helped him find purpose and weight through the resistance. He swore an oath to stand by the PMOI “proudly until the last drop of blood” and until the “overthrow of the bloodthirsty mullahs’ regime” and the transfer of sovereignty to the people of Iran.
Hakimeh Honarmandi, 61, Detained in Prolonged Legal Limbo at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz
Hakimeh Honarmandi, a 61-year-old political prisoner and laboratory technician, has been detained for over a year in a state of legal limbo at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz. Hakimeh Honarmandi and her son, Rouhollah Eskandari (born 1978), are facing the grave charge of baghy (armed rebellion against the state) under the Iranian regime’s judicial system, an accusation that carries the death penalty. Following their arrest, both were reportedly subjected to severe physical and psychological torture and intense interrogations in Adelabad Prison.
Iranians in Hamburg Call for an End to Executions in Iran and the Release of Political Prisoners
Hamburg, Germany – December 18, 2025 — Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Hamburg to condemn the Iranian regime’s escalating use of the death penalty, particularly against political detainees, and to join the nationwide “No to Execution” campaign. The event also featured a photo exhibition and a book stall highlighting human rights concerns in Iran.
Iranians Hold Exhibition in Sydney Demanding an End to Executions and the Release of Political Prisoners
Sydney, Australia – December 18, 2025 – Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a photo exhibition and book stall to protest the Iranian regime’s increasing use of the death penalty, particularly against political prisoners. The event also expressed solidarity with the “No to Executions” campaign.
Iranians Hold Exhibition in #Sydney Demanding an End to Executions and the Release of Political Prisoners #StopExecutionsInIran #FreePoliticalPrisonershttps://t.co/FFN8biFuR9
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) December 19, 2025
The exhibition called for the complete abolition of capital punishment in Iran and the unconditional release of all political prisoners, especially those facing imminent execution. Organizers further urged that senior regime officials be held accountable before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity.
Pressure Mounts on UK Government Over Tehran’s Shadow Fleet
According to The Times, a major British daily newspaper, Conservative Party members of the UK parliament have urged the government to take tougher measures to confront the “Iranian shadow fleet,” which helps finance Iran’s regime by evading international sanctions. According to the report, despite the reimposition of sanctions against the Iranian regime in September, British Conservative politicians consider the existing measures to curb the regime’s oil revenues to be insufficient. Priti Patel, a British member of parliament from the opposition Conservative Party and a former UK home secretary, has accused ministers of dragging their feet in confronting threats against Britain by failing to follow the United States’ approach toward vessels carrying Iranian regime oil.
Iran’s Workers Reduced to $83 a Month as Inflation and Poverty Fuel Social Collapse
Runaway inflation and uncontrolled price hikes are relentlessly shrinking Iranian workers’ livelihoods, pushing millions into poverty and accelerating a broader social breakdown. Recent currency figures and official statistics expose the scale of an economic collapse rooted not in external shocks, but in years of structural mismanagement and destructive policies by Iran’s ruling regime. On Thursday, December 18, the U.S. dollar reached 125,785 tomans on Iran’s currency market. At this exchange rate, the official minimum monthly wage of 10.399 million tomans is worth just $83 per month, or approximately $2.70 per day. This figure starkly illustrates the erosion of real wages and the collapse of purchasing power for Iran’s working class.