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UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Congressmen Cohen and McClintock Condemn Iranian Death Sentences for Political Prisoners
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Tom McClintock (CA-5), the Co-Chairmen of the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, today released the following statement:
“As the co-chairs of the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, we strongly condemn the death sentences imposed on six Iranian political prisoners for their support of the organized Iranian resistance, MEK/PMOI, and the Iranian protesters. This escalating crackdown on dissent by the Iranian regime is a grave violation of human rights and comes amid a rise in death sentences in recent weeks. We call on the regime to halt these executions immediately and uphold justice and human dignity. Stand with Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amrian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi. Their lives depend on it.”
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
UK Defence Chief: Iran’s Ballistic Missile Production Severely Impacted
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the United Kingdom’s Chief of Defence Staff, announced that Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles has been effectively neutralized for a year.
Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London on December 4, Radakin attributed the setback to precise and strategic airstrikes conducted in October. “I won’t go into detail, but in October’s retaliatory strikes against Iran, more than 100 aircraft were used, carrying fewer than 100 munitions. No aircraft came within 100 miles of the target in the first wave, and nearly the entirety of Iran’s air defense system was taken down,” he said. Radakin emphasized the operation’s strategic impact, stating, “It has destroyed Iran’s ability to produce ballistic missiles for a year and left Tehran with a strategic dilemma in how it responds.”
The admiral highlighted the broader challenges posed by authoritarian states like Iran, which he said prioritize regime survival over international norms.
Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Aiotec GmbH
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced a $14,550,000 settlement with Aiotec GmbH (“Aiotec”). Aiotec, a Berlin, Germany-headquartered company that sources industrial equipment for the energy sector, has agreed to settle its potential civil liability for one apparent violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). This apparent violation of the ITSR arose from Aiotec’s participation in a conspiracy between 2015 and 2019 to cause a U.S. company to indirectly sell and supply an Australian polypropylene plant to Iran, and remit payments for the sale of the plant through U.S. financial institutions.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET
Inmates in Evin Prison Condemn Death Sentence for Political Prisoners
A group of political prisoners in Evin Prison issued a statement in response to the death sentences for six political prisoners, stating: “The 2022 uprising, as one of the key milestones in the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, has so destabilized the foundations of the ruling regime that it sees no option but to intensify repression in various forms. “The escalating trend of issuing and executing multiple death sentences against political prisoners over the past two years not only recalls the regime’s repressions of the 1980s but also signifies the fear and panic of the political elite over the advancing and justice-seeking Iranian society.
“Collective death sentences have been issued for six political prisoners—Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar—while recently, several young individuals in a case dubbed the ‘Ekbatan children’ also faced death sentences.
The Collapse of Iran’s Intellectual Infrastructure
Sciences and technologies are the brain and commanding force of a nation’s life everywhere in the world, encompassing medicine, agriculture, engineering, architecture, the environment, utilities, transportation, education, literature, arts, and sports. With these undeniable premises that none of them can be removed from the essentials of people’s lives, imagine the experts and scholars of these fields themselves becoming trapped and victimized by the regime’s authoritarian policies, such that their livelihoods become obstacles to their work and expertise.
The sign of this situation is when the nation’s elites, including scientists, professors, students, and freedom seekers, are forced to choose between staying in the country or going into exile and emigration. To escape an incompetent and authoritarian regime, they leave their homeland. The stage or process of a political regime’s collapse and destruction bears such strong and undeniable indicators, even if the regime tries to portray itself as stable and steadfast through reliance on military and law enforcement support.
Who Is Profiting from Internet Censorship in Iran?
Not a day goes by without the rival factions and groups within Iran’s regime exposing each other’s involvement in looting the people’s assets and Iran’s national wealth.
Apparently, even the so-called “Unity Government” led by Masoud Pezeshkian has failed to fairly distribute the periodic division of power and wealth—resources that rightfully belong to the people—among the competing factions and satisfy both sides.
In the latest internal factional disputes of this kind, Ebtakar newspaper wrote: “The income of those profiting from internet filtering ranges between 200 to 500 trillion.” It then posed the question: “What could be achieved with this money?”
The Revolution of the Starving: Iran’s Economic Collapse and Political Struggles
A revolution driven by the desperation of Iran’s starving population has become a nightmare for the regime, with growing public dissatisfaction and skyrocketing prices posing an existential threat. Regime officials and state-controlled media now openly acknowledge the crisis, underscoring the regime’s precarious position. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei faces an array of challenges, from economic deterioration to regional failures, leaving the regime trapped between crises. State-run media have likened the situation to a dying entity gasping for its last breaths.
On November 26, the state-run daily Jomhouri Eslami published a stark warning under the title “Be Afraid of the Revolution of the Starving Army.” Highlighting the widening class gap and intensifying economic crisis, the article stated:
The Decline of Iranian Universities in Global Rankings: Financial and Political Challenges
The president of Iran’s Tarbiat Modares University has highlighted a worrying trend: the global scientific rankings of Iranian universities are in decline due to severe financial constraints. In an interview with ISNA on November 30, Yusef Hojjat pointed to the universities’ falling positions in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities as a stark indicator of this decline. “All university budgets are consumed by routine expenditures such as salaries, dormitories, and food,” Hojjat explained. “This leaves almost no funds for essential academic activities like research.” He emphasized that Iran’s broader economic challenges have eroded the purchasing power of funds allocated to higher education, leaving universities with insufficient resources for research and innovation.
Iran-Linked Fuel Smuggling Network in Iraq Generates Billions Amid U.S. Sanctions – Reuters Report
A complex smuggling operation involving heavy fuel oil, detailed in a report by Reuters, has emerged in Iraq, reportedly generating at least $1 billion annually for Iran and its allied groups. This sophisticated network, which has intensified since Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office in 2022, exploits government subsidies and Iraq’s fuel oil distribution policies to channel funds to Tehran and its proxies. The operation revolves around allocating subsidized heavy fuel oil to asphalt plants, some of which inflate their requirements or exist solely on paper. According to Western intelligence reports and multiple sources, this fuel is then diverted, with up to 750,000 metric tons smuggled monthly. The fuel either blends with Iranian supplies to bypass U.S. sanctions or is exported outright using falsified documentation.
Iranian Regime Hackers Target Trump’s Pick for FBI Director
Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s nominee for the directorship of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been targeted by Iranian regime hackers. According to CNN, the incident occurred just days after 44-year-old Kash Patel was announced as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI. CNN reported on Wednesday, December 4, citing two informed sources, that the FBI recently informed Kash Patel he had been targeted in a hacking operation by the Iranian regime. One of the sources stated that the hackers had accessed at least some of Mr. Patel’s communications.
CNN also reported that Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for Donald Trump’s transition team, described Kash Patel in a statement as “a central figure” in the Trump administration’s early efforts against the “terrorist regime of Iran.”
Statement by 40 Evin Prisoners Protesting Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners
The 2022 uprising, as one of the most important turning points in the Iranian people’s struggle for freedom, has shaken the foundations of the ruling regime to such an extent that it sees no alternative but to intensify repression in various forms. The exponential trend of issuing for and carrying out numerous death sentences of political prisoners over the past two years, while reminiscent of the regime’s repression in the 1980s, is a sign of the fear and terror of the political elite about the advance of Iran’s rising and justice-seeking society.
Collective death sentences have been issued for six political prisoners, Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, while a group of youths were recently sentenced to death in a case known as the Children of Ekbatan. In addition to these mass death sentences, since the beginning of 2024, other political prisoners, such as Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, Shahriar Bayat, Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani, and Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, have also been imprisoned while facing death sentences.
Sheffield Hosts Exhibition by Academics in Exile Protesting Executions and Death Sentences for PMOI Political Prisoners
UK, December 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and academics in England supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book and photo exhibition in Sheffield to protest the death sentences handed to six political prisoners linked to the PMOI.
MEK Supporters in Berlin Protest Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners Associated with the PMOI
Berlin, Germany—December 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally to protest the death sentences for six political prisoners associated with the PMOI. The event also condemned the Iranian regime’s ongoing crimes against the Iranian people and expressed solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution.
MEK Supporters in Stockholm Protest Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners Associated with the PMOI
Stockholm, Sweden—December 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in front of the Swedish Foreign Ministry to protest the death sentences for six political prisoners associated with the PMOI. The event also condemned the Iranian regime’s ongoing crimes against the Iranian people and expressed solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution.
MEK Supporters in Vienna Protest Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners Associated with the PMOI
Vienna, Austria—December 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally to protest the death sentences for six political prisoners associated with the PMOI. The event also condemned the Iranian regime’s ongoing crimes against the Iranian people and expressed solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution.
MEK Supporters in Washington, DC Protest Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners Associated with the PMOI
Washington, DC—December 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in front of the US State Department to protest the death sentences for six political prisoners associated with the PMOI. The event also condemned the Iranian regime’s ongoing crimes against the Iranian people and expressed solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution.
