{"id":314315,"date":"2023-12-17T09:48:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T08:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=314315"},"modified":"2023-12-17T20:34:42","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T19:34:42","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-december-17-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-december-17-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 December 17, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iran<\/p>\n

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

UPDATE: 8:30 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

ISNA News Agency Reports: Only 40% Reservoir Capacity Filled as Water Crisis Deepens<\/h3>\n

\"iran-khuzestan-dams\"<\/p>\n

A recent report by the state-run ISNA News Agency sheds light<\/a> on the critical state of Iran’s water management. According to the source, as of December 12, the nation’s reservoirs are filled to a mere 40% of their capacity, indicating a deepening water crisis.<\/p>\n

The report reveals a concerning trend in the utilization of Iran’s reservoirs, with a 7% increase in total input compared to the previous year. Simultaneously, the output from these reservoirs has surged by a significant 22%, further exacerbating the already precarious water situation.<\/p>\n

From the start of the water year (September), the total input into the country’s reservoirs reached 3.84 billion cubic meters, marking a 7% rise from the previous year’s 1.59 billion cubic meters during the same period. In contrast, the overall output from the reservoirs has experienced a substantial 22% increase compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n

However, the report fails to mention the role of the regime’s mismanagement in intensifying the water crisis. Criticisms are directed at state policies, including insufficient infrastructure, a lack of investment in water-saving technologies, and controversial water allocation practices. Critics argue that the regime’s emphasis on large-scale projects, mainly the nuclear and steel production industry, without due consideration for sustainable water management, have contributed to the depletion of crucial water resources across the country.<\/p>\n

\n

Canada Not Ruling Out Terrorist Designation for Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Joly<\/h3>\n

\"CTV-News-logo\"<\/p>\n

The federal government has not ruled out adding Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its formal list of terrorist entities.\u00a0When pressed repeatedly on why the IRGC has not been classified as a terrorist entity, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly wouldn\u2019t say, but told CTV\u2019s Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday that the federal government has to \u201chave the right tools to address this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we have to work on the best tools to do it. I think that we have to, meanwhile, continue to assure the protection of our diplomats or military \u2026 in the region,\u201d Joly said.<\/p>\n

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

\n

UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

The Unsolvable Problems of the Iranian Regime\u2019s 2024 Budget Bill<\/h3>\n

\"iran<\/p>\n

The inherent problems surrounding Iran\u2019s upcoming 2024 budget bill were one of the crises that regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei wished to sweep under the rug in the mayhem caused by the war in Gaza. But the budget crisis is so deep that the regime cannot hide it and it has resurfaced to haunt the cabinet of Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi. On December 6, the state-run Hammihan newspaper wrote, \u201cYesterday, after the President\u2019s statements about balancing many imbalances in the next year\u2019s budget, which have caused distress to everyone, Abdolnasser Hemati, the former governor of the Central Bank, wrote on his personal page, \u2018How can a budget, which is itself exposed to imbalances in terms of revenues, balance the multi-trillion-rials imbalances of the banking system, pension funds, government debt, and state-owned companies?!\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\n

The Systematic Erosion of Persian Culture in Iran\u2019s Schools<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Children and teenagers in Iran are compelled to study subjects such as \u2018revolution, arrogance (a reference to Western powers), resistance, martyrdom, and resistance.\u2019 Simultaneously, there\u2019s a deliberate effort by the regime to systematically remove ancient Iranian literature from textbooks.<\/p>\n

The alteration of the names of Yalda Night and Chaharshanbehsuri in the regime\u2019s approved calendar, along with the destruction of historical works and monuments dating back to ancient Iran, is just one facet of the regime\u2019s intentional program to erase Iran\u2019s history and national identity.<\/p>\n

In executing its targeted initiative to eliminate signs of Iran\u2019s national culture and history, the regime employs various tools, with a significant focus on the content of school textbooks.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Student Activist Samaneh Asghari Sentenced to One Year in Prison<\/h3>\n

\"Student<\/p>\n

Student activist Samaneh Asghari has been sentenced to one year in prison.
\nBranch 29 of Tehran\u2019s Revolutionary Court handed down the sentence for student activist Samaneh Asghari, her husband, Esmail Nazari reported on December 16, 2023.<\/p>\n

Security forces arrested Ms. Asghari at her residence in Tehran on September 14, 2023, and took her away to Evin Prison. She was temporarily released on bail from Qarchak Prison on October 4, 2023.<\/p>\n

Samaneh Asghari is a student of Industrial Engineering at Kharazmi University in Tehran and a women\u2019s and children\u2019s rights activist. She was\u00a0arrested last October<\/a>\u00a0during the 2022 protest.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Paris\u2014December 15, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition, in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution<\/h3>\n
<\/div>
Paris\u2014Dec 15: MEK supporters held an exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution\u20142nd Day<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>