THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
July 18—Tehran #Iran
Gathering by disabled people, protesting the transfer of the transportation company for the handicap to the private sector.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/W4PCkIsYks— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Yazd, central #Iran
Retired government employees resume protests to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights.
"Shame on the government!" the protesters are chanting.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/FOxVidM6uv— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Retired government employees resume protests to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights.
Protesters call for unity among retirees in the government, military, and social security sector.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/6uIzXb1tWb— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Shiraz, southwest #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally in front of the provincial offices of the state-run retirement fund to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/pSGln6j5ht— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Sanandaj, western #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/904dsbZocb— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Teachers hold rally in front of the offices of the education ministry, protesting their poor living conditions.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/qH5hSCXafr— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Hamadan, western #Iran
Protest rally by retired government employees.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/ajGg2T43kI— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Qazvin, northern #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally in front of the provincial offices of the state-run retirement fund to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights. #IranProtestspic.twitter.com/33pL7pdwmi— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
July 18—Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeast #Iran
This morning, security forces attacked the Khajeh Mask village with 20 vehicles and destroyed the homes of many of its inhabitants.pic.twitter.com/TOOnK6Uyoi— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2023
Tehran Outraged After Italian Parliament Supports Iranian Opposition Group Seeking ‘Free’ Iran
Iranian opposition MEK (Mujahadin-e Khalq) political leader and President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Maryam Rajavi was met with cheers from supporters as she attended a Wednesday session of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Italian Parliament dedicated to discussing the latest developments in Iran, including the nationwide uprising. The session, chaired by Mr. Giangiacomo Calovini, a representative from the Fratelli d’Italia (the Brothers of Italy) ruling party, was followed by her addressing a joint meeting of representatives from the Italian Parliament and Senate, along with members from both chambers of the Italian legislature. Italian representatives expressed their support for the Iranian people’s uprising, rejected the current dictatorship of the mullahs, and endorsed Rajavi’s “Ten Point Plan,” which aims to ensure Iranians’ freedom of expression and assembly — as well as the right to choose their elected leaders — as part of the path toward a free, secular, and democratic Iran.
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, NCRI’s Ali Safavi, a member of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee who serves as president of Near East Policy Research (NEPR), suggested that the “vehement reaction displayed by the Iranian regime must be interpreted in light of the palpable fear festering within the mullahs.”
“This anxiety is being fueled by the escalating recognition and sway of the Iranian resistance, which is progressively fortifying its foothold both domestically and on the global stage,” he stated. “The surge in support is significantly catalyzed by the mounting international endorsement of Mrs. Rajavi’s visionary Ten-Point Plan for a democratic Iran—a blueprint for human rights and democracy that boldly stands in stark contrast to the regime’s medievalist rule.”
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CET
Fearing Social Backlash, Ebrahim Raisi Distances Himself from Morality Police
Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Iranian regime, has distanced himself from the reinstatement of “morality police” patrols, fearing potential social backlash.
While the spokesperson for the State Security Forces (SSF) announced that the order to implement these patrols came from the executive and judicial branches, Raisi requested to have his name removed from the list of applicants for this plan.
The state-run Tasnim news agency reported today, “There have been claims by some media outlets that the order from the executive and judicial branches, as announced by the SSF spokesperson, may not be valid. Individuals within the government, in contact with the news agency, have requested the removal of this information, stating that it was not issued by the president’s office. However, as the SSF spokesperson officially raised the issue, if there is a need for denial, clarification should be provided directly from the relevant parties involved.”
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET
The Situation Is Critical, Warns High Ranking Cleric
Trying to mobilize rival factions within the regime, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi, a high-ranking cleric expressed concern about the state of society and warned that the situation of the regime is critical.
According to the state-run newspaper Arman-e Melli on July 17, Pour-Mohammadi who attended a meeting about the upcoming parliamentary elections, said, “The country is facing critical conditions, and we need coordination and planning from various aspects. We must successfully navigate through this situation and create hopeful conditions.”
“The goals of a society should be appropriate to the circumstances. The desirable outcome, which is high participation, occurs when people are involved,” he added. “Today, we are facing serious deficiencies in the country, and we have reached a common understanding. The administrative system of the country is problematic and defective, which has nothing to do with the political leniency of the government. On the other hand, economic pressures have intensified. Anyone who is concerned about the transformation of the country should make efforts in this regard.”
Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi is a member of the ‘Death Committee’ involved in the mass killings of political prisoners in the summer of 1988 and has held very high positions in the regime for several decades.
In this meeting, Mohammadreza Bahonar, a former member of the presiding board of the parliament, also tried to persuade competing factions to put aside differences for the regime to forge unity.
He stated, “Participation in this election has a special significance. We have always been in a unique situation, but the issue of elections is different because voter turnout will matter. Since the beginning of the revolution, we tied legitimacy to the level of people’s participation in governance. Therefore, we should strive for increased participation.”
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Maryam Rajavi Addresses Luigi Einaudi Foundation in Italy
Upon the invitation of the Luigi Einaudi Foundation, Maryam Rajavi attended a meeting at this research center. During her visit to this renowned research center, she discussed the economic and social crises plaguing the clerical regime, as well as the recent developments in the Iranian people’s uprising and Resistance. Furthermore, she shared her perspectives on the appropriate approach to confront the clerical regime in Iran and responded to a variety of questions. Established 62 years ago, the Einaudi Foundation is named after Luigi Einaudi, the first President of Italy following the Second World War. It serves as a distinguished cultural, political, and economic research center in Italy. The meeting commenced with the opening remarks from Senator Andrea Cangini, the Secretary General of the Luigi Einaudi Foundation, who warmly welcomed Maryam Rajavi.
The Return of the Morality Police Is a Sign of the Regime’s Weakness
According to the state media, State Security Force commander Mohammad Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi announced on July 16: “The police are dealing with those who break the norm with car and pedestrian patrols across the country on July 16.” He added: “This action follows the emphasis of the president and the judiciary.” The official announcement of the start of the criminal patrols known as Ershad (guidance), also known as the “morality police,” is while in the last few days, videos have been published on social and state media showing arrests and threats against women and issuing inhumane and contemptible sentences against those arrested. One of these hateful sentences is washing corpses for a month in the cemetery in Tehran.
Iran Regime’s Desperate Struggle To Stay In Power Through Repression, Terrorism, and Global Influence
Iran regime’s struggle for the future continues despite a temporary subsiding of protests that began nine months ago. The regime in Tehran, desperate to maintain its hold on power, has unleashed a fresh wave of repression. Executions and acts of terror are part of the regime’s tactics, with ethnic minorities such as Kurds, Balochs, and Arabs being primary targets. The regime’s influence has even reached Europe, as France canceled a planned rally by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), raising security concerns as an excuse and concerns about violence instigated by the Iranian regime.
Us Ignores Iran’s Active Nuclear Weapons Activities by Using ‘Defective’ Definition: Expert
A leading American expert on Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program asserts the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s new report applied an obsolete definition when it assessed last week that Tehran is not currently pursuing atomic weapons. The two-page unclassified U.S. intelligence report, which was released last week, stated “Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device.”
When asked about a series of European intelligence reports from the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany that point to Iran’s regime actively building a nuclear weapons program, David Albright, a physicist who is the founder and president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital, “It is a matter of how Europeans define a nuclear weapon program vs. USA intelligence community’s definition, combined with a serious post-Iraqi WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] analytical paralysis.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 17, 2023
