THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CEST
Takeaways from A Report that Questions The Accuracy of Iran’s Ballistic Missiles
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the accuracy of the Islamic Republic’s long-vaunted missile program has been called into question.
A new report by experts shared exclusively with The Associated Press suggests one of the advanced missiles Tehran would use in any future attack against Israel is far less accurate than previously thought.
The finding comes months after a U.S.-led coalition shot down many drones and missiles launched by Iran in an April attack on Israel. Other projectiles apparently failed at launch or crashed while in flight.
UPDATE: 7:00 PM CEST
Iran’s Counterfeit Cabinet
For those Western appeasers who still cling to the dream that the new Iranian President – Massoud Pezeshkian – is a moderate, his speech in the Majlis (parliament) in Tehran on August 21 will have dashed their hopes. Displaying not the slightest hint of irony, Pezeshkian announced that each member of his newly appointed Cabinet had been hand-picked and vetted, not by him, but by the Supreme Leader, the 85-year-old and increasingly irrational, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His confession has caused outrage in Iran, where the sham election of Pezeshkian was based on the phony pledge that he would be a reformer, casting aside the harsh oppressions of his predecessor, the late Ebrahim Raisi, who was dubbed ’The Butcher of Tehran’ for his notorious role as an executioner. Pezeshkian has spilled the beans! It is now abundantly clear that nothing has changed. There was a widespread boycott of the presidential poll by the 85 million Iranian population and now their skepticism has been confirmed by Pezeshkian’s revelation about his counterfeit cabinet.
Paris Conference on Accountability For Notorious 1988 Iran Prison Massacre Highlights Challenges to Human Rights in Iran
On August 24, Paris, France, was the venue for an international conference sponsored by Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran (JVMI) dedicated to confronting one of the darkest episodes in Iran’s history: the 1988 Massacre. The event, titled “Accountability for Atrocity Crimes,” drew legal luminaries, human rights advocates, survivors, and observers from around the world, all unified in their demand for justice and accountability for the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime 36 years ago. I was in attendance.
The massacre, often referred to as the “1988 Prison Massacre,” involved the systematic execution of thousands of Iranian political prisoners, primarily members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK / PMOI) opposition group, following orders from Ayatollah Khomeini. The Paris conference highlighted the need to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice while also shedding light on ongoing human rights abuses in Iran.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST
Bread Is Becoming Scarce and Expensive in Iran
One of the known methods of Iran’s regime to increase the prices of essential goods is to first raise prices in a few regions, ignore the ensuing news for a while, then claim it was a rumor. After a few rounds of confirmation and denial, they proceed to increase prices in other regions as well. The regime’s goal is to prevent public shock and avoid uprisings by gradually raising prices and managing the flow of information.
Similarly, the regime has recently increased the price of bread in certain provinces. The 25 percent price hike for bread started in the Qazvin province and gradually spread to other provinces. On August 7, regime media reported that “bread prices have increased in 10 provinces.”
Growing Migration of Iranian Nurses Sparks Concerns About Healthcare Crisis
The head of Iran’s Nursing System Organization, Ahmad Nejatian, recently shared alarming statistics regarding the increasing migration of nurses from the country, describing the trend as “growing.” According to Najatian, the average rate of nurse migration doubled each year from 2021 to 2023.
Nejatian clarified that while many nurses request a “good standing” certificate—a confirmation of their work qualifications—before migrating, not all who leave the country obtain this document. As a result, the available statistics may not fully capture the true extent of nurse migration. However, based on the doubling of requests for work qualification confirmation alone, Najatian estimates that nurse migration has at least doubled over the past few years.
“This trend is increasing, and our concern is that it will continue to escalate next year,” Nejatian warned.
The Impending Gas Crisis in Iran and Its Effects on Petrochemicals
As the cold months approach, Iran is transitioning from its summer electricity crisis to a looming winter gas crisis. The Iranian Chamber of Commerce has issued a stark warning regarding the severe impact that gas shortages will have on the nation’s petrochemical industry. According to a report from the Research Center of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, a significant portion of Iran’s petrochemical capacity remains unused, with nearly 20% of it lying idle. Alarmingly, over 62% of this unused capacity is attributed directly to a lack of gas supply.
The Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the profound economic losses resulting from this shortfall. Each year, approximately 15 million tons of petrochemical products are left unproduced due to insufficient gas supply. The report estimates that this results in a loss of roughly $500 million in potential revenue from selling gas to petrochemical companies at higher prices. Additionally, the lost profits for petrochemical units are estimated at $200 million, while the decline in petrochemical exports amounts to around $1 billion—an alarming consequence of the ongoing gas deficit.
Diverging Housing Inflation Reports in Tehran
In July, Tehran’s housing market exhibited starkly different inflation rates depending on the source of the data. The Statistics Center of Iran reported a staggering 43% increase in housing prices compared to the same period last year, whereas the Central Bank of Iran claimed a much more modest 14% inflation rate. According to a report published on the Central Bank’s website on Sunday, September 1, the average price per square meter of residential property in Tehran was 87.5 million tomans in July 2024. This figure represented a 14.3% decrease compared to July 2023 and a 2% increase from June 2024. In contrast, the Statistics Center’s data suggested a 43.1% year-over-year price hike for the same period.
August 2024 Report: No to the Death Penalty Campaign
In August, coinciding with the inauguration of the clerical regime’s new president and the confirmation of his cabinet, Iran witnessed a surge in executions. From July 22 to August 21, the regime executed at least 126 individuals, with an additional 12 executions carried out by August 31. Among those executed were nine women and two political prisoners. Kamran Sheikheh, a Sunni prisoner of conscience, was executed on July 25, and Reza Rasaei, a protester arrested during the nationwide uprising of 2022, was hanged on August 6.
Iranian Officials Downplay the Number of Dropout Students
Rezvan Hakimzadeh, the Primary Education Deputy of the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Education, announced that 164,000 children in Iran have dropped out of school.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Hakimzadeh as saying, “We compare the statistics of children who reach the age of six with registration data, and those who are not registered in the system are considered dropouts.”
Experts believe that the statistics announced by the Ministry of Education only account for children who are unable to enter the education system and that the overall number of dropouts is significantly higher.
August 2024 Monthly Report – Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM)
The Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) intends to present an overview of the human rights situation in Iran in the month of August. However, as the Iranian judiciary continues to widely employ execution as the most ruthless and in the first month since Pezeshkian took office, these executions have gained further momentum Therefore, the focus of this report is on executions in Iran.
Based on the statistics recorded by the Center for Statistics and Documentation of Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), and with extensive research conducted in this area, the final number of executions in August 2024 has been obtained. Although we emphasize that the actual figures are significantly higher, as most executions in Iran are carried out without media coverage and in media silence.
MEK Supporters Rally in Cologne to Mark the Anniversary of the People’s Mojahedin Organization’s Founding
Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) gathered in Cologne, Germany on August 31, 2024, to commemorate the beginning of the 60th year since the MEK‘s establishment.