{"id":239742,"date":"2021-05-16T02:12:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T07:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=239742"},"modified":"2023-02-01T04:55:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T03:55:45","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-may-16-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-may-16-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief &#8211; May 16, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Iran-coronavirus-3\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-239775 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3.jpg\" alt=\"Iran News in Brief May 16 2021\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Iran-coronavirus-3-696x392.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify\">THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n<p><strong>UPDATE: 5:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Iran: Pensioners, Retirees Hold Protest and Rally in Several Cities<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Protests-1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-239797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1.jpg\" alt=\"Protests-1\" width=\"800\" height=\"453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Protests-1-696x394.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nSunday marked another round of protests by retirees and pensioners of the Social Security Organization, who took to the streets and held protest rallies in spite of a growing wave of repressive measures by the Iranian regime. The protest rallies, which are the latest in a series of events coordinated and organized on social media, took place in front of the offices of the Social Security Organizations in several cities, including Tehran, Karaj, Kermanshah, Khorram Abad, and Mashhad.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">May 16 &#8211; Shiraz, south-central <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a><br \/>School janitors protesting express their economic woes and demanding higher wages. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IranProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IranProtests<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gdXcIVv0tA\">pic.twitter.com\/gdXcIVv0tA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1393844365231943680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">May 16 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a><br \/>Pensioners seen rallying in Tehran and Kermanshah demanding higher pensions as inflation continues to rise. Price of bread and other daily necessities are skyrocketing in Iran.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IranProtests?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IranProtests<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dRlI80gE2Q\">pic.twitter.com\/dRlI80gE2Q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1393847539942625283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>UPDATE: 9:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify\">Iran \u2013 Coronavirus Death Toll in 541 Cities Surpasses 288,200<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-239745\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic-PMOI-MEK reports over 289,200 coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in Iran (1)\" width=\"800\" height=\"456\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1-150x86.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Infographic-PMOI-MEK-reports-over-289200-coronavirus-COVID-19-deaths-in-Iran-1-696x397.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/>\nThe <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/i\/primer-the-history-the-peoples-mojahedin-organization-iran\" rel=\"noopener\">People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran<\/a> (PMOI\/MEK) announced on Friday, May 14, 2021, that the Coronavirus death toll in 541 cities is more than 288,200. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 66,981, Isfahan 19,050, Khuzestan 17,799, Khorasan Razavi 17,690, East Azerbaijan 11,773, Mazandaran 11,765, Lorestan 11,735, West Azerbaijan 10,728, Gilan 9,851, Qom 9,460, Fars 9,307, Alborz 7,848, Kermanshah 5,724, Hormozgan 3,365, and Zanjan 3,170.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/ncri-statements\/iran-coronavirus-fatalities-in-541-cities-exceed-287300\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> Coronavirus Update<\/p>\n<p>More than 289,200 people have died of the novel <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#coronavirus<\/a> in 541 cities checkered across all of Iran&#39;s 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI\/MEK.<\/p>\n<p>Full Report<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WAffcCgfta\">https:\/\/t.co\/WAffcCgfta<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bwTffTdlON\">pic.twitter.com\/bwTffTdlON<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; People&#39;s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mojahedineng\/status\/1393800377573707778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Who Are the Candidates in Iran\u2019s Sham Presidential Elections<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_221239\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-221239\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi\" class=\"wp-image-221239 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi.jpg\" alt=\"Iran: Who is Ebrahim Raisi?\" width=\"1000\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi-300x166.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi-768x425.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi-696x385.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Iranian-regimes-supreme-leader-Ali-Khamenei-and-Ebrahim-Raisi-759x420.jpg 759w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-221239\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iranian regime&#8217;s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Ebrahim Raisi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Ebrahim Raisi, Chief Regime Henchman\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/i\/who-ebrahim-raisi-the-iranian-regimes-new-chief-judiciary\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebrahim Raisi<\/a>, stepped into Iran\u2019s political scene after the 1979 revolution against the monarchy as a pro-Khomeini cleric who would carry out his mentor\u2019s every command. Raisi was born in 1960. He started training as a cleric in Qom\u2019s seminary at 15 years old and entered the clerical regime\u2019s judiciary from early on, as an assistant prosecutor in Karaj (West of Tehran) when he was 19 years old. He became the prosecutor of the revolutionary court of Karaj when he was just 20 to rise to the head of the Judiciary in 2019.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-presidential-election-2021-ebrahim-raisi-chief-regime-henchman-vies-for-iranian-presidency\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" title=\"Iran Election in Brief - May 14, 2021\" style=\"width:853px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_mpslk0fkBkM\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fmpslk0fkBkM%2Fhqdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mpslk0fkBkM\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT1M40S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2021-05-15T13:57:21Z\" \/><\/div><div id=\"lyte_mpslk0fkBkM\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fmpslk0fkBkM%2Fhqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">Iran Election in Brief - May 14, 2021<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/mpslk0fkBkM\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fmpslk0fkBkM%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"Iran Election in Brief - May 14, 2021\" width=\"853\" height=\"460\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee Farid Mahoutchi Ebrahim Raisi is among the candidates for the clerical regime shame presidential election. The Iranian people call him the henchman of 1988 for his role as a key member of the \u201cDeath Commissions\u201d in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, following a decree by Khomeini that all Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) members and affiliates who remained loyal to the organization must be executed. Hossein Ali Montazeri, Khomeini designated successor in 1988, described the massacre as the biggest crime committed in the history of the clerical regime, for which reason he was sacked. In 2009, following the bloody crackdown of the anti-regime\u2019s protests Raisi brazenly said that according to the law, anyone associated with the MEK, as long as the organization exists, will be condemned to death. Raisi was appointed as deputy prosecutor at the age 19 and has acted as a prosecutor, a judge, the deputy, and finally the judiciary chief, without any legal or judicial qualifications. More than 500 people have been executed in his two-year tenure as the judiciary chief. The US and the EU have sanctioned him for egregious human rights violations. Read More: https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IranNCR\/ https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy Subscribe to NCRI weekly newsletter t.ly\/MybJ\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:853px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ali Larijani<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Larijani belongs to the Principlist faction, aligned with\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/hypocrisy-of-iran-regime-officials\/\" rel=\"noopener\">the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei<\/a>. He was born in Najaf, Iraq in 1957 to a senior Iranian ayatollah but returned to Iran in 1961.<\/p>\n<p>Larijani was previously appointed as the head of the board involved in drafting and signing the very unpopular 25-year strategic pact with China by Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>Larijani was an IRGC Brig. Gen. and played a major role in the eight-year Iran-Iraq war. He held the following posts in the\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/i\/look-irans-revolutionary-guards\" rel=\"noopener\">IRGC<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-presidential-election-2021-who-is-ali-larijani\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" title=\"Iran Election in Brief May 15, 2021- Who is Ali Larijani?\" style=\"width:853px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_I9G-zINtTg4\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FI9G-zINtTg4%2Fhqdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I9G-zINtTg4\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M6S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2021-05-15T20:59:46Z\" \/><\/div><div id=\"lyte_I9G-zINtTg4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FI9G-zINtTg4%2Fhqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">Iran Election in Brief May 15, 2021- Who is Ali Larijani?<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/I9G-zINtTg4\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FI9G-zINtTg4%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"Iran Election in Brief May 15, 2021- Who is Ali Larijani?\" width=\"853\" height=\"460\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"NCRI Foreign Affairs Committee Farid Mahoutchi Ali Larijani entered the race for the upcoming sham Presidential election in Iran on May 15, 2021, by registering his candidacy. Larijani belongs to the Principlist faction, aligned with the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and is one of many of the Iranian regime\u2019s Old Guard veterans that are participating in this round of the sham presidential elections. Let\u2019s look at his background: A retired IRGC Brig. Gen. Deputy Chief of Staff of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq war, involved in sending tens of thousands of schoolchildren to the minefields at the war fronts. Deputy to the Ministry of Revolutionary Guards Advisor to the IRGC Commander in Chief Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, responsible for censorship, Head of state broadcasting network (IRIB), disseminating propaganda to regional countries and intimidation of Iranians, Secretary for the Supreme National Security Council during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad\u2019s presidency Involved in drafting and signing of the very unpopular 25-year strategic pact with China Involved in terrorism against Iranian dissidents outside Iran. His chief advisors are two well-known international terrorists involved in several assassinations in Vienna, Rome, and other European countries. Larijani\u2019s family, including his brothers, are heavily involved in high corruption and profiteering to an extent that the Larijani family name in Iran is today synonymous with rampant bribery and corruption. All said Larijani is an exemplary candidate with all the right qualifications to serve in the murderous and tyrannical regime of the mullahs. Read More: https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IranNCR\/ https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy Subscribe to NCRI weekly newsletter t.ly\/MybJ\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:853px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>The IRGC\u2019s Smuggling Network That Is Destroying Iran\u2019s Economy<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"iran-irgc-smuggled-goods\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-239743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods.jpg\" alt=\"iran-irgc-smuggled-goods\" width=\"800\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods-150x85.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/iran-irgc-smuggled-goods-696x393.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In a meeting of the government&#8217;s economic coordination headquarters, Iranian regime president Hassan Rouhani called the smuggling of goods &#8220;a disgraceful and harmful thing for a healthy and transparent economy and trade in the country,&#8221; according to his website on May 11. Despite Rouhani&#8217;s remarks, smuggling of goods, like other economic corruption, is systematic in the regime, and according to various estimates by government entities, more than a third of imported goods are smuggled into the country.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/english.mojahedin.org\/i\/iran-irgc-smuggling-network-20210515\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-may-15-2021\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Read more: <\/strong><strong style=\"color: #222222;font-family: Verdana, BlinkMacSystemFont, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;font-size: 15px\">Iran News in Brief \u2013 May 15, 2021\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stats.sender.net\/forms\/dGYVLa\/view\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Weekly-Signe-up-logo-1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-219239 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Weekly-Signe-up-logo-1.png\" alt=\"Weekly-Signe-up-logo-1\" width=\"250\" height=\"83\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS UPDATE: 5:00 PM CEST Iran: Pensioners, Retirees Hold Protest and Rally in Several Cities Sunday marked another round [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":232960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182,234],"tags":[277],"class_list":{"0":"post-239742","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news-in-brief","8":"category-iran-news-in-brief-news","9":"tag-iran-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iran News in Brief - May 16, 2021 - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is happening in Iran today. 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