{"id":257940,"date":"2022-04-18T08:44:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T07:44:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=257940"},"modified":"2023-01-31T12:04:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T11:04:11","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-18-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-18-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 18, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A-sidewalk-in-Tehran-the-capital-of-Iran-e1650263286379\"
A sidewalk in Tehran, the capital of Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n

UPDATE: 7:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Water Crisis Continues in Iran, State Media Report<\/h3>\n

\"iran-dam\"<\/p>\n

According to the state TV, the director-general of the Iranian regime’s Water Resource Management announced on April 17: \u201cBy April 17, the total volume of water in the country’s dam reservoirs has reached about 26.15 billion cubic meters, which is a 12 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

On April 17, the state-run ISNA news agency also reported that water tariffs would rise in price even more. ISNA wrote: “Those in charge of revising the method of water tariffs have put it on the agenda for the new year.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, images posted on social media show that the regime is not only refusing to undertake measures to solve the water crisis, rather the state-affiliated \u2018water mafia\u2019 is taking advantage of the crisis in various ways, i.e. setting up water vending machines in city streets and selling water to needy people.<\/p>\n

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New Surge in Covid-19 Cases in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"iran-corona-covid19\"<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the increase of new Covid-19 cases in the world, including in China, the process of normalization in Iran continues and the individual, as well as public health care, have reached their lowest level since the official identification of the coronavirus in the country in February 2019,\u201d the state-run newspaper Hamdeli wrote today. \u201cFollowing the huge wave of travels and the immediate reopening of schools and universities, the number of deaths in Tehran and the number of hospitalizations in 16 provinces of the country has increased, while the number of cities with high contracting numbers has multiplied.<\/p>\n

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Eight More Deprived Freight Carriers Wounded at Iranian Western Border<\/h3>\n

\"kulbar-freight-carrier-kermanshah-iran\"<\/p>\n

According to a local human rights organization, on Sunday, April 17, eight \u2018kulbars\u2019 (poor people who carry heavy loads for a living) were wounded on the Nowsud border by the state border guards, bringing the total number of wounded \u2018kulbars\u2019 to 15 over the past week.<\/p>\n

According to the source, the criminal guards of the border regiment fired directly at the freight carriers, wounding them in the head, back, and hands. The victims have now been taken to a hospital in the city of Paveh for treatment.<\/p>\n

The identity of these 8 \u2018kulbars\u2019 have been identified as Hasib Azizi, Sasan Khani, Osman Shahmoradi, Mobin (surname unknown), Sadollah Hosseini, Mehdi (surname unknown), Hosseini, and Habib (surnames unknown).<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 3:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exposing Tehran\u2019s Fears by Playing the Blame Game<\/h3>\n

\"1988<\/p>\n

While the world has witnessed more than two decades of numerous rounds of fruitless negotiations with the Iranian regime over the nuclear dossier, Tehran still tries to blame others for the deadlock in Vienna talks.<\/p>\n

In political analysis, the state-run ISNA news<\/a> agency wrote on April 16: \u201cIn recent years, as the US government has intensified its pressure on Iran. The terrorist organization of the hypocrites (the pejorative term used by the regime to disparage the MEK) has been able to infiltrate the US political structure and become an influential element in increasing tensions in US-Iranian relations\u2026 In this regard, they are trying to gain support for themselves through consultation and lobbying in Western politics, to use it as leverage against Iran. One of the most obvious indications of this group’s lobbying can be found in the US Congress. In recent years, we have witnessed the passing of bills, resolutions, and speeches in support of the hypocrites and against the Islamic Republic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to increase tensions in Iran-US relations, the hypocrites have put critical and sabotaging actions on the agenda, and they intend to block any interaction with Tehran by influencing the US Congress,\u201d the author concludes by blaming the MEK while covering the regime\u2019s stubborn delay tactics in the talks.<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 10:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Police Proudly Projects Punishing People for Eating Food<\/h3>\n

\"iran-police-ramadan\"<\/p>\n

Referring to the implementation of the police monitoring plan against the food and the beverage industry during the month of Ramadan, the commander-in-chief of the state police announced the closure of 3,419 units and the issuance of seal warnings, commitment or filing of cases for more than 33,000 others. According to him, 176 vehicles have been confiscated because their owners have eaten in public.<\/p>\n

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Anti-regime Slogans Aired in Numerous Cities Across Iran<\/h3>\n

\"iranian-resistance-units-activities\"<\/p>\n

Members of\u00a0Resistance Units<\/a>, an expanding network of brave and resilient Iranians associated to the opposition People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/a>), are escalating their ongoing campaign of measures aimed at weakening the regime\u2019s crackdown across the country, now in the cities of Rasht, Mashhad, Langarud, and Neyshabur.<\/p>\n

In Rasht, one of the country\u2019s main northern cities with a large population, anti-regime slogans were aired in public at 7:45 pm on Saturday, April 16, followed by excerpts of speeches delivered by Iranian Resistance leader\u00a0Massoud Rajavi<\/a>, and Mrs.\u00a0Maryam Rajavi<\/a>, President-elect of the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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April 17 – Tehran, #Iran<\/a>
Anti-regime slogans aired in public:
"We don't want a Shah nor the mullahs! Damned be both!"
"Death to Khamenei-Raisi!"
"Shah, sultan, velayat, your end is near!" in reference to the mullahs' regime#IranProtests<\/a> #\u0627\u0639\u062a\u0631\u0627\u0636\u0627\u062a_\u0633\u0631\u0627\u0633\u0631\u06cc<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/EACPEfhStx<\/a><\/p>\n

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n