THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CEST
Treasury Expands Targeted Sanctions on Iranian Petroleum and Petrochemical Sectors in Response to Attack on Israel
WASHINGTON — Today, the United States is expanding sanctions on Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors in response to Iran’s October 1 attack on Israel, its second direct attack on Israel this year. This action intensifies financial pressure on Iran, limiting the regime’s ability to earn critical energy revenues to undermine stability in the region and attack U.S. partners and allies. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is identifying the petroleum and petrochemical sectors of the Iranian economy pursuant to section 1(a)(i) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which allows the Treasury to target a broader range of activities relating to Iran’s trade in petroleum and petrochemical products. E.O. 13902 provides authority to identify and impose sanctions on key sectors of Iran’s economy to deny the Iranian government financial resources that may be used to fund and support its nuclear program, missile development, terrorism and terrorist proxy networks, and malign regional influence. Pursuant to this determination, the Treasury may impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in the petroleum and petrochemical sectors of the Iranian economy.
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CEST
Iran, Demonstration in Rome against Regime’s Executions: “So Many Dissidents Hanged Every Day”
“On the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, I call on the international community to support the campaign against executions and to make relations with the Iranian regime conditional on an end to torture and executions. The regime’s leaders must face justice for crimes against humanity and genocide.” This is the latest appeal from Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. In recent weeks, the execution machinery of the Tehran regime has resumed operating at full speed, with dozens of opponents and dissidents being hanged in prisons every week, alongside hundreds of new arrests.
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CEST
Iran’s National Airliner Accused Of Flying Weapons to Beirut Airport for Terror Proxy Hezbollah: Report
An explosive report from the Iranian dissident group the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) alleges that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s domestic airline, Iran Air, is providing support to the U.S. designated terror organization Hezbollah.
Citing a former Hezbollah member, the MEK said that flights between Iran and Beirut Airport in Lebanon often transferred Hezbollah personnel to Iran for training courses and “smuggle[d] food [and] light and medium weapons” into Lebanon.
That transfer was alleged to have delivered advanced light weapons from Iran to Lebanon, particularly through runway 17, which it claims “exclusively” belongs to Hezbollah. In January 2021, a Hezbollah member alleged that shipments arriving at runway 17 included anti-aircraft missiles.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CEST
Human Rights Commissioner Amtsberg marks World Day against the Death Penalty
Today, on World Day against the Death Penalty, we commemorate people around the world who have been sentenced to death and executed. Many of them have been given the death penalty because of their political activities, their commitment to human rights, their sexual orientation, or their ethnic or religious affiliation. At least 1150 death sentences were carried out in the year 2023 alone. Given that countries such as China, Viet Nam, and North Korea provide no information about the number of executions carried out in their countries, it can be presumed that the real number is much higher.
According to publicly available statistics, in 2023 the largest number of people were executed in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia. There has been a considerable surge in the number of executions in Iran since 2023, where executions are repeatedly used as a means of political repression against demonstrators, dissidents, and ethnic minorities.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
Berlin Conference Observes the World Day Against the Death Penalty
Maryam Rajavi’s speech: “On this World Day Against the Death Penalty, I pay tribute to the courageous women and men who have been executed and massacred by the mullahs’ regime. They gave their lives, paying the ultimate price for freedom and human rights.
“The day against the death penalty is an opportunity to express our anger and outrage toward the mullahs’ regime. This regime holds the global record for executions, carrying out 74% of the world’s recorded executions last year. It stands as the highest executioner of women in the modern world.
“This is a regime responsible for the largest massacre of political prisoners since World War II, a regime that, with the killing of at least 1,500 young people in the November 2019 uprising and at least 750 more in the 2022 protests, has set a record for slaughtering its own citizens during public demonstrations.”
Iran’s Execution Crisis: A Global Call for Justice on World Day Against The Death Penalty
Twenty-two years ago, several global human rights organizations declared October 10 as “World Day Against the Death Penalty.” However, for the people of Iran, “No to Execution” is synonymous with “No to the regime of mass murder ruling Iran” and “No” to a regime whose survival and rule are dependent on executions and massacres. Thus, the World Day of “No to Execution” is a symbol of rage and disgust against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the religious dictatorship ruling Iran, which breathes with every execution and holds the highest number of executions per capita.
In tandem with its warmongering in the region, the regime has been waging a campaign of executions in Iran. On the eve of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, regime authorities hanged seven people in Karaj and Zahedan. Since Massoud Pezeshkian became the regime’s president in July, the number of executions has reached 267. On October 8, Pezeshkian, in defense of these brutal executions, mockingly said that those who “talk about human rights ask why you execute a murderer.”
The Return of Hossein Ali Amiri: Renewed Fears of Repression in Fars Province
The recent appointment of Hossein Ali Amiri, the former Chief Justice of Fars Province, as the new governor of the region has stirred deep concerns about a resurgence of harsh repression under the Iranian regime. Known for his anti-Jewish stance and heavy-handed judicial rulings, Amiri’s return to Fars, coupled with his infamous history, signals a troubling future for religious and political minorities in the area. His rise through the regime’s ranks is largely attributed to his extreme measures taken against the Jewish community in Shiraz.
The story of Hossein Ali Amiri’s ascent began over 26 years ago when he served as the Chief Justice of Fars Province. In the late 1990s, 13 Jews were suddenly arrested in Shiraz on charges of espionage for Israel—a familiar accusation that the Iranian regime has frequently used against Jews and Bahá’ís since the 1979 revolution. The regime provided little to no evidence for these charges, raising international concern and outrage over the arrests.
The Controversial Appointment of Ali Rabiei: A Symbol of Repression
In a move that has reignited concerns over the Iranian regime’s hardline policies, President Masoud Pezeshkian recently appointed Ali Rabiei as his social assistant. Rabiei, a figure infamous for his repressive tactics in the 1980s and his tenure as the deputy of the Ministry of Intelligence, has a long history of suppressing labor movements and supporting the regime’s authoritarian policies. Ali Rabiei’s appointment signals Pezeshkian’s alignment with the regime’s continued internal repression, despite any claims of reform. Rabiei’s career has been closely tied to the upper echelons of the regime, particularly under the direction of the Supreme Leader. His role in overseeing labor crackdowns and enforcing state policies further reinforces this narrative.
Executions Intensify in Iran on the Eve of World Day Against the Death Penalty
October 10 is the World Day Against the Death Penalty. However, the Iranian regime, under the guise of religion, continues to execute people using death sentences.
Global resolutions, as the first step toward the complete abolition of this inhumane punishment, were passed for the first time in 2007 and again in 2008 by the United Nations General Assembly.
The Council of Europe and the European Union have emphasized in a statement their strong opposition to the death penalty under any circumstances.
Utrecht, the Netherlands—October 8, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Support ‘No to Executions on Tuesdays’ Campaign Against Iran’s Regime
Utrecht, the Netherlands—October 8, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally and exhibition in solidarity with the “No to Executions on Tuesdays” campaign in response to the executions taking place in Iran’s regime prisons.
