THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
EU Condemns Iran’s Revocation of IAEA Inspectors’ Permits
During the 67th IAEA General Conference, where the European Union had representation, there was a robust condemnation of Iran’s revocation of permits for seasoned IAEA inspectors. This occurred within a statement made on Tuesday, September 25, during the session. The representative from Spain, who is presently leading the EU’s term, read out the official EU statement, expressing their position: “We regret that Iran has not taken the necessary steps to return to its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. The risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the region has further increased as a result of Iran’s escalating nuclear trajectory. Concrete and sustained moves of nuclear de-escalation are needed to help restore trust. The EU calls on all States to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015).”
UPDATE: 7:00 PM CET
Explosion or Earthquake: Severe Tremors Shook Parts of Khorramabad
In the early hours of September 26, Iranian state media reported strong tremors causing parts of Khorramabad to shake and a terrifying sound, disrupting the night’s peace for the people. Geophysics experts at the University of Tehran, however, did not confirm any earthquake on their online platform, leading to speculations of either an explosion or an earthquake among the people.
In contradiction, Fars news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, stated that at 2:02 AM on Friday, September 22, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.6 on the Richter scale had shaken Khorramabad.
Ehsan Yavari, the security deputy of the regime’s governor in Lorestan Province, denied the possibility of an explosion or earthquake in Lorestan but mentioned that other possibilities were being investigated. A crisis management center was established, and necessary follow-ups were being conducted, he claimed.
Despite these denials, the official state news agency IRNA reported, based on comments provided by Iraj Rouhi, the head of the information center at the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Tehran, that the tremors in Khorramabad were caused by a 2.0 magnitude earthquake in the city.
Meanwhile, other sources have reported that a mysterious explosion shook Lorestan province in western Iran near a Revolutionary Guard base which has a large underground center for missiles and drones.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, car owners who were scammed by a state-affiliated auto dealer in Qazvin held a protest rally in front of the Qazvin governorate to demand their rights.
More photos of today's protest rally by defrauded customers of state-backed car manufacturers in Qazvin.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/40qQSmxYWS
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 26, 2023
Employees of the EIED Petrochemical Company in Dehloran, in the western Ilam Province, protested on Tuesday morning against the non-payment of salaries since June and the dismissal of local workers by the company. The protesters blocked the road leading to the petrochemical plant and went on strike, demanding that their demands be followed up by the authorities. They have announced that they will continue their protests until their demands are met.
September 26—Dehloran, western #Iran
Workers of Dehloran EIED petrochemical factory block road leading to this facility in protest to delayed wages and the dismissal of other workers.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/KDKY1mn98x— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 26, 2023
Also on Tuesday, retired teachers and other retired government employees in Kermanshah, Ilam, Qazvin, and Hamadan, Iran, held protest rallies in front of the headquarters of the National Pension Fund. The protest was in response to the poor economic situation and the government’s failure to meet their demands.
September 26—Qazvin, northern #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rally in front of the government retirement fund, demanding the regime to adjust their pensions according to inflation and costs of living.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/R2pKjiENjc— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 26, 2023
September 26—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Retired government employees hold protest rallies, demanding their pensions to be adjusted based on inflation.
Protesters also demand the release of arrested teachers' rights activists.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/fElV15w4B4— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 26, 2023
US Refuses Iran Top Diplomat’s Request to Visit Washington
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian reportedly sought to travel to visit Iran’s consular interest section following the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“They did make that request and it was denied by the State Department,” spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
“We do have an obligation to allow Iranian officials and other officials of foreign governments to travel to New York for UN business. But we do not have an obligation to allow them to travel to Washington, DC,” he said.
“Given Iran’s wrongful detention of US citizens, given Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism, we did not believe it was either appropriate or necessary in this instance to grant that request.”
US Department of Commerce Sanctions Foreign Companies Aiding Iranian Regime’s UAV Program
On Monday, September 25, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) issued a statement regarding fresh trade restrictions imposed on specific Chinese and Russian companies. These restrictions are linked to the accusation that some of these companies provided components for constructing unmanned aircraft used in Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce mentioned additional context about these restrictions, stating, “regarding fresh trade restrictions imposed on specific Chinese and Russian companies. These restrictions are linked to the accusation that some of these companies provided components for constructing unmanned aircraft used in Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce mentioned additional context about these restrictions.”
Under the subtitle “Supporting Iran’s Weapons of Mass Destruction and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Programs,” the statement added, “Two entities based in China are being added for having procured and/or attempted to procure U.S.-origin items that would ultimately support Iran’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and UAV programs.”
Iran’s Hostage-Taking Should Be Confronted Directly
Hostage-taking and ransom demands are age-old phenomena, but over time their usage has grown more sophisticated and more systematic in certain areas of the globe. The Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular, has elevated the practice to new levels, turning it into a form of statecraft and a means of pressuring its adversaries not only to provide financial concessions but also to adopt policies more favorable to the theocratic regime.
Hostage-taking as state policy has been a feature of that regime since its very inception. In the aftermath of the 1979 revolution, supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini seized the US embassy in Tehran and proceeded to hold 52 hostages for 444 days. After that crisis was resolved, Iranian authorities adopted a more individualized approach to kidnapping, but since then there has been a steady stream of foreign and dual nationals entering Iranian prisons and leaving only in exchange for some sort of concession from their home countries.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran’s Regime Is Facing a Major Defection Problem
On September 22, Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi delivered a speech on the occasion of the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), in which he implicitly acknowledged the disarray in the regime’s rank and file and said, “Today, our slogan is unity, the unity of the Revolutionary Guards… the unity of the Basij with the State Security Forces, the unity of armed forces… This display of unity and solidarity is what we have in the light of the Sacred Defense [the term the regime uses for the Iran-Iraq war].”
He further stated that as long as the war was ongoing, all factions and state forces had unity in suppressing the people and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) under the umbrella of war. But when the PMOI defeated the regime’s strategy to extend the war and forced regime founder Khomeini to commit to a ceasefire with Iraq, the foundation of unity within the regime turned into despair and defection.
Abolqasem Salavati: The Judge Behind Iran’s Most Controversial Sentences
Iran’s 2022 protests witnessed death sentences for Mohsen Shekari, Mohammad Ghobadlou, and Saman Saidi, and these orders were signed by a familiar person: Judge Abolqasem Salavati.
Throughout the 44-year history of the Iranian regime, certain judges have become notorious for their association with death, executions, and imprisonment in the collective memory of Iranians. Among them is Sadegh Khalkhali, who initiated his gruesome executions from the rooftop of Refah School, in the presence of regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini, and later carried out group executions at the Kurdistan airport. Another dark chapter includes the “death commission” responsible for the 1988 prison massacre in Tehran, featuring figures like Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Ali Nayeri, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, and Morteza Eshraghi.
An Iranian-American Jewish Citizen Dies in Evin Prison Due to Lack of Medical Care
On Saturday, September 23, 2023, Faramaz Javidzad, an Iranian-American Jewish citizen detained in Evin Prison, lost his life due to lack of medical care. According to reports received by the Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM), the 63-year-old Javidzad suffered from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and gastric bleeding. Following the worsening of his medical condition, he was transferred to the prison’s infirmary on Friday, September 22, 2023. However, after a short period of time, without any attention to the critical condition of this sick prisoner and without providing proper medical care, he was returned to the general ward. An important point to note is that, prior to this incident, despite the judge’s approval to transfer Faramaz Javidzad to civic medical centers for treatment, he faced obstacles and refusal by prison authorities, and this arrangement had not been realized.
More Iranian Students Are Arrested and Deprived of Education
With the beginning of the new academic year in Iran, the clerical regime has continued to arrest and suspend Iranian student activists. On the first day of school, security forces arrested Sahar Salehian, a student activist in Saqqez, Iranian Kurdistan. Sahar Salehian studies nursing at the University of Medical Sciences of Kurdistan. Sahar Salehian was arrested on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at her home in Saqqez and transferred to an undisclosed location. Shaqayeq Akbari, a Ph.D. student of Sociology at the Teachers’ Training University of Tehran, has been suspended for two semesters (12 months). Ms. Akbari was informed of the ruling on September 23, the first day of school.
Iran: Land Subsidence Within 300 Meters of Famous Persepolis Site
Simultaneously with the subsidence crisis in the plains of Fars province, a member of the academic staff of Shiraz University announced that this phenomenon is within 300 meters from Persepolis and has caused 70-centimeter cracks in the Naqsh-e Rustam area.
Maryam Dehghani, a member of the academic staff of the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at Shiraz University, stated in an interview with the regime’s semiofficial ILNA news agency on September 24 that a subsidence edge has reached about 10 to 15 meters from the ancient area of Naqsh-e Rustam, and the width of these cracks ranges from half a meter to 70 centimeters, which fill up with sand and sediment every year but reopen again.
Oslo, Norway—September 23, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Oslo, Norway—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Germany—September 23, 2023: MEK Supporters Held Rallies in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution in Stuttgart, Heidelberg and Düsseldorf
Germany—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in solidarity with the Iran Revolution in Stuttgart, Heidelberg and Düsseldorf.
Rome, Italy—September 23, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Rome, Italy—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Vienna, Austria—September 23, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Vienna, Austria—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Aarhus, Denmark—September 23, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Aarhus, Denmark—September 23, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution against the religious dictatorship ruling Iran.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – September 25, 2023
