{"id":324244,"date":"2024-09-20T06:48:12","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T05:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=324244"},"modified":"2024-09-20T20:16:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T19:16:05","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-september-20-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-september-20-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 September 20, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Killed Hezbollah Commander Aqil Was Wanted for Deadly 1983 US Embassy, Marine Blasts<\/h3>\n

BEIRUT, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah operations commander killed in an Israeli strike on Friday, had a $7 million bounty on his head for two 1983 Beirut truck bombings that killed more than 300 people at the American embassy and a U.S. Marines barracks.<\/p>\n

Two security sources in Lebanon confirmed the veteran fighter\u00a0was killed in an airstrike<\/a>\u00a0on Beirut’s southern suburbs during a meeting of the elite Radwan unit of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.<\/p>\n

Like Shukr, Aqil is a veteran of Hezbollah, which was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the early 1980s to battle Israeli forces that had invaded and occupied Lebanon.<\/p>\n

Born in a village in Lebanon’s Beqaa valley sometime around 1960, Aqil had joined the other big Lebanese Shi’ite political movement, Amal, before switching to Hezbollah as a founding member, according to a security source.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Risch, Rubio, Colleagues to Biden: It\u2019s Long Overdue for You to Enforce Laws Sanctioning Iranian Regime<\/h3>\n

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WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), in sending a\u00a0letter<\/a> to President Joe Biden regarding his administration\u2019s failure to enforce the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge you to follow the law and promptly make sanctions determinations, impose appropriate sanctions, and report to Congress what determinations have been made and which sanctions have been imposed. No amount of appeasement to the Iranian regime will quell its unacceptable conduct. Only by exerting maximum pressure on members of the Iranian regime and connected individuals can we hope to stem this behavior,\u201d\u00a0the lawmakers wrote.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

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

PMOI Resistance Units Mark The Second Anniversary Of Iran\u2019s 2022 Uprising<\/h3>\n

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As Iran marks the\u00a0second anniversary of the 2022 uprising<\/a>, PMOI Resistance Units across the country are commemorating the event and its martyrs with acts of defiance and messages of resistance. These acts are happening despite the growing repressive measures by the regime, especially against the PMOI.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Resistance Units<\/a>\u00a0are a network of activists who play an important role in shaping protests inside Iran and have become a serious problem for the regime.<\/p>\n

In Karaj, Resistance Units held banners with the slogan \u201cDown with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the mullahs.\u201d This is one of the popular slogans of the 2022 uprising, underlining the Iranian people\u2019s rejection of any kind of dictatorship.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran-Backed Militias Strengthen Presence in Iraq as Tensions Rise in the Region<\/h3>\n

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Earlier this summer, in a discreet and unpublicized move, Iraqi government officials permitted Iran-backed militia groups to establish a more permanent foothold in the country. This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing shadow war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. According to a report by\u00a0The New York Times<\/em><\/i>, a new political office for Hamas has quietly opened in Baghdad, operating under heavy security without any signage. Similarly, the Houthis, a Yemeni group allied with Iran, have set up their own office nearby, reinforcing Tehran\u2019s influence in Iraq.<\/p>\n

This move comes at a time when Iran appears to be pushing its proxy groups across the region to collaborate on military strategies and coordinate their efforts more closely. The establishment of these offices underscores Iraq\u2019s growing role as a battleground in Iran\u2019s regional ambitions.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran Faces Potential 26,000 Megawatt Electricity Deficit by Summer 2025<\/h3>\n

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Iran could face a critical shortage of electricity by the summer of 2025, with an estimated imbalance of 26,000 megawatts if no urgent measures are taken, warns Ali Nikbakht, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Power Plants Association.<\/p>\n

This shortfall represents approximately one-third of the country\u2019s electricity demand and poses a significant threat to the stability of the national grid.<\/p>\n

In a statement made on Saturday, September 14, Nikbakht highlighted the urgent need for government action to prevent this crisis. He proposed that to stabilize the situation, the government must invest between $900 million and $1 billion in energy infrastructure improvements.<\/p>\n

These funds, he explained, would be used to boost electricity production by 2,700 megawatts in thermal power plants and an additional 1,500 to 2,000 megawatts in gas power plants. Despite these efforts, the electricity shortfall is still projected to remain at 20,000 megawatts by 2025.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Economic Growth Slows: Challenges and Projections for the Future<\/h3>\n

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In its most recent report, the Central Bank of Iran announced that the country\u2019s economic growth for the spring of this year stood at 3.2%, nearly half of the 5.7% growth recorded during the same period last year. This significant decline in economic performance is attributed largely to the sharp decrease in the added value of the oil sector, which fell from 16.5% last spring to 9.5% this year.<\/p>\n

International organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank had previously forecasted this downturn. Both predicted a sharp reduction in Iran\u2019s economic growth for the current year, with the IMF projecting a further decline in 2024. The IMF estimated that Iran\u2019s economic growth last year was 4.7%, but this figure is expected to drop to 3.3% this year and 3.1% next year.<\/p>\n

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

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Faltering Education System in Iran: A Glimpse into the New Academic Year<\/h3>\n

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Despite having millions of students and a significant number of schools, Iran\u2019s education system faces fundamental challenges regarding educational quality and the equitable distribution of resources. This article examines the conditions of students, schools, class disparities, and the overarching challenges of the education system.<\/p>\n

According to Ali Farhadi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, around 17 million students will enter schools in Iran this year. (Asr Iran \u2013 September 11, 2024)<\/p>\n

As usual, the numbers provided by officials and regime-controlled sources differ. State-run media reported that 16.5 million students would begin the new academic year, with an average enrollment rate of 88%. (Khabar Online, quoting Tasnim News \u2013 September 8, 2024)<\/p>\n

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

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Iranian Authorities Block Roads to Burial Site of Teenager Killed by Security Forces<\/h3>\n

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On the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of Nika Shakarami, a teenage protester who died during the nationwide protests in Iran in 2022, her family reported that the roads leading to the cemetery where she is buried have been blocked.<\/p>\n

According to these reports, officials are not even allowing Nika\u2019s family to enter the cemetery and visit her grave.<\/p>\n

Nika Shakarami was one of hundreds of protesters killed during the protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Jina Amini,\u00a0who died in the custody of Iran\u2019s morality police in 2022<\/a>. Government authorities forced her family to bury Nika in a remote village near Khorramabad in the Lorestan province.<\/p>\n

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

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Three Million Tehran Residents Living in High-Risk Subsidence Zones<\/h3>\n

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Ali Beitollahi, the head of the Risk Management Division of the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center, says the rate of subsidence in Tehran has reached 20 centimeters, and 3 million people in this city live in a \u201csubsidence zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, September 18, Beitollahi told the ILNA news agency, \u201cThe subsidence zone in Tehran<\/a>\u00a0has reached 50 kilometers in length and 30 kilometers in width, and based on studies, including Tehran and its surrounding cities, more than three million people are living in the subsidence area.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to this official from the Iranian regime\u2019s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, in previous years, subsidence in Tehran was only observed in parts of districts 17, 18, and 19 and had not reached its current extent, but now it occupies a vast area.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran Issues Death Sentences for Two Political Prisoners Amid Growing Concerns<\/h3>\n

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The Iranian Revolutionary Court, in a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups, has sentenced two political prisoners to death. On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, the 26th Branch of Tehran\u2019s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, officially notified the defense lawyer representing the two prisoners, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, of the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

Behrouz Ehsani, 67, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, were both convicted on charges of \u201cenmity against God,\u201d \u201ccorruption on earth,\u201d and \u201crebellion,\u201d all severe allegations often associated with political dissent in Iran. Additional charges included membership in the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), gathering classified information, and conspiring against national security.<\/p>\n

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

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How Sanctions on Iranian Terrorists Impact Strategy, and Path Forward<\/h3>\n

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A report on the terrorism of the Iranian regime was published by Lebanon\u2019s Al-Badeel website on September 11. The article addresses how the regime has fueled the growth of terrorism. The introduction states: \u201cUnder the leadership of Ali Khamenei, the clerical regime has expanded its terrorist activities in recent years, utilizing illegal methods extensively. By continuing to fund terrorist groups and exploit global financial resources, the regime has demonstrated a strong determination to achieve its goals. This article examines the new dimensions of these activities and their impact on global security and international policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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Dallas, Texas\u2014September 14, 2024: Iranian Resistance Supporters Rally to Mark Anniversary of 2022 Uprising<\/h3>\n
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Dallas Rally Marks Anniversary of Iran\u2019s 2022 Uprising \u2013 September 14, 2024<\/div><\/div>
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