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UPDATE: 6:00 PM CET
U.S. Extends Export Restrictions on Iran’s Mahan Air
The U.S. Department of Commerce has renewed its Temporary Denial Order (TDO) against the Iranian regime’s Mahan Air, extending the airline’s export restrictions for an additional year. This decision, effective immediately, aims to prevent imminent violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
The renewal order, published in the Federal Register on November 1, 2024, states: “I find that renewal of this order, as modified, is necessary in the public interest to prevent an imminent violation of the Regulations.”
Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions since 2008 due to its alleged involvement in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The airline is accused of providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and facilitating the transport of weapons and personnel to conflict zones, including Syria.
The TDO prohibits Mahan Air from engaging in export transactions involving items subject to the EAR. This includes the export or re-export of U.S.-origin goods, software, and technology. The order also applies to any person or entity acting on behalf of Mahan Air.
The Department of Commerce emphasized that the renewal is necessary to prevent imminent violations, citing Mahan Air’s history of non-compliance with U.S. export controls. The order notes: “Mahan Airways has engaged in a pattern of repeated, ongoing and/or continuous apparent violations of the EAR.”
Iran Condemns Consulate Closures in Germany as ‘Sanction’
The Foreign Ministry has urged German citizens to leave Iran to avoid the risk of being held hostage. The warning comes after the execution of the German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd. Germany’s closure of Iran’s consulates in the country effectively serves as a “sanction” against Iranians residing in Germany, Tehran said on Friday.
It comes after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday announced that three Iranian consulates would be closed in Germany in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET
A Horrific Crime in the Mullahs’ Prisons!
Five prisoners in Urmia await the brutal punishment of finger amputation.
I call upon the United Nations, the European Union, and member countries to voice strong objections and take immediate action. On October 29, 2024, the regime’s henchmen amputated the fingers of two brothers accused of theft, using a guillotine, in this same prison. The regime’s penal code, under which these criminal sentences are issued, serves as a comprehensive record of human rights violations, including stoning, crucifixion, throwing people from heights, amputations, and eye gouging. If theft is to be punished by cutting off hands, then the leaders of the regime, commanders of the IRGC, government clerics, and corrupt elites are the greatest thieves of the Iranian people’s wealth and the most prolific embezzlers.
Poverty Advances under Mullahs’ Regime in Iran
Today, as Iran’s research centers and statistics institutions report that one-third of Iranians live below the poverty line, it appears that a technique of normalizing destitution and hardship is underway.
Research centers have presented shocking statistics on poverty. On October 25, the state-run Donya-ye Eghtesad newspaper wrote, “The poverty rate in 2023 reached 30.1 percent of Iran’s population. This figure is 0.4 percent higher than the previous year. The poverty rate was around 20 percent at the beginning of the 2010s; however, since 2019, with rising inflation and economic stagnation, the poverty rate has surged to 31 percent. Over the last five years, there has been no miracle to reduce poverty, and one-third of the Iranian population continues to live in poverty.”
Pentagon Reassigns Senior Official Amid Concerns Over Leaked Documents and Ties to Iran
In recent weeks, as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, a leak of highly sensitive U.S. documents detailing Israeli military deployments stirred intrigue. The leaked documents, originating from within the U.S. government, remain a mystery.
Though countless officials had access, one name repeatedly surfaced online: Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Defense Department official. The Free Press reported this unfolding story, tracking the Pentagon’s responses and Tabatabai’s recent career shift.
While rumors circulated, no evidence has linked Tabatabai to the leak, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has publicly suggested that neither Tabatabai nor anyone else within the Pentagon is likely the source.
Iran’s Rocky Path to BRICS: Aspirations, Economic Struggles, and Regional Realities
The recent BRICS summits have sparked extensive debate about the coalition’s future role and identity, raising questions on how an expanded BRICS might reshape global alliances. This discussion evolved during the 2023 summit in South Africa and took a sharper turn at the 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia, where BRICS explored expanding its membership and influence. In South Africa, the original BRICS members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—formally invited Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. By 2024, all had joined, except Saudi Arabia. The Kazan summit then proposed adding 13 more nations, potentially as associate or partner countries, signifying an ambitious transformation into BRICS+.
Influenza Vaccine Shortages in Iran Fuel Black Market Demand
Iran faces yet another year of influenza vaccine shortages, continuing a trend that has plagued the country’s healthcare system. With inadequate supply in pharmacies, the majority of available vaccines end up on the black market, where they are sold at three to four times their official price. On October 31, Didban-e Iran reported that approximately three to four million Iranians who rely on annual flu vaccinations are accustomed to finding only sporadic availability in pharmacies each year. This has become a recurring issue, with countless Iranians receiving a consistent “no” when they inquire about the vaccine at pharmacies.
The report highlights a common pattern: each year, a significant portion of the vaccines bypass official distribution channels, entering the black market and fetching exorbitant prices. Despite this widespread shortage, officials in the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Organization appear reluctant to acknowledge or address the need for a solution, leaving many citizens struggling to obtain essential vaccines.
Oil Stolen Directly from A Refinery Pipeline in Iran “Over Several Years”
On Tuesday, October 29, Malek Shariati, a Member of the Majlis (Parliament) Energy Commission, revealed in a television program that oil had been stolen directly from beneath a refinery pipeline in Iran.
He did not specify the name of the refinery or the exact duration of the theft. According to Shariati, refinery officials “for several years” were unaware that a branch had been tapped under the pipeline, allowing oil to be siphoned off.
Criticizing the lack of adequate oversight, Shariati questioned, “Why did the person responsible for monitoring the pipeline from start to finish not detect this?” He emphasized that a careful examination of the refinery’s input could have easily prevented this theft.
Five Prisoners Executed In Iran’s Ghezel Hesar Prison
Human rights media outlets report the execution of five prisoners, including an Afghan national, at Ghezel Hesar and Jiroft prisons in the early hours of Wednesday, October 30.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRAHA), among the four prisoners executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, two were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, and the other two for “enmity against God through armed robbery.”
The Iran Human Rights Organization previously reported that at least eight prisoners sentenced to death in Ghezel Hesar Prison had been moved to solitary confinement as of Monday, October 28, and their families had been called to the prison for a final visit.
British Soldier On Trial for Having Ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British Army soldier “accused of terrorism” and “intelligence ties with Iran,” denied the charges against him in court on Wednesday, October 30.
The former British soldier is accused of sending sensitive information to individuals linked to the IRGC and of planting fake bombs in a military barracks.
Daniel Abed Khalife allegedly collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors at the start of the trial at London’s Woolwich Crown Court. The 23-year-old former soldier escaped from prison for a week in September 2023 but was recaptured.
Surge in Executions Across Iranian Prisons
In recent days, Iranian authorities have executed multiple prisoners in various prisons across the country, marking a significant increase in the use of the death penalty. According to reports, at least 14 individuals were executed in prisons in Ahvaz, Karaj, and Esfahan between October 28 and October 31, 2024. On the morning of Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 36-year-old Sardar Safarpour (also known as Habibi) was executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Safarpour, a resident of Ahvaz, had been arrested in the previous year on charges of murder and subsequently sentenced to death.
In the early hours of Tuesday, October 29, 2024, five prisoners were executed in the Central Prison of Karaj. Among those executed were Mohammad Nedaei and Akbar Khorram-Taj, who had been convicted on charges related to drug offenses. The identities of the remaining three prisoners executed in Karaj were confirmed as Akbar Akhair, Akbar Khalili, and Ali Karami.
Execution of Jamshid Sharmahd and International Reactions
The execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, a dual German-American citizen, has triggered a wave of global reactions and condemnation. In response, Germany closed Iran’s consulates and called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be listed as a terrorist organization.
Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would close all Iranian consulates within Germany in reaction to the execution of a German-Iranian citizen. However, the Iranian embassy will remain operational. In a statement from New York, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that diplomatic relations between the two countries were in a “very poor” state.
Paris, October 30, 2024: MEK Supporters’ Exhibition Condemns Human Rights Violations in Iran
Paris, France—October 30, 2024: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a compelling exhibition of photos and books. This event was held in solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution and served as a protest against the alarming rise in executions by the Iranian regime.
Iranian Academics in Sheffield Host Exhibition Condemning Human Rights Violations and Calling for Justice in Iran
Sheffield, England—October 29, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and academics living in England, who support the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), organized a book exhibition and petition to support the Iranian Revolution. The Sheffield exhibition aimed to protest the escalating wave of executions in Iran and to advocate for political prisoners.
Gothenburg, Sweden—October 29, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Support of ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ Campaign Against Iran’s Regime
Gothenburg, Sweden—October 29, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in solidarity with the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign for the ninth consecutive week, in response to the executions taking place in Iran’s regime prisons.
MEK Supporters in Gothenburg Honor Martyrs of 2015 Camp Liberty Missile Attack
Gothenburg, Sweden—October 29, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to commemorate the martyrdom of 24 MEK members killed in a missile attack on Camp Liberty, Iraq, on October 29, 2015.
