{"id":325439,"date":"2024-11-01T06:46:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T05:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=325439"},"modified":"2024-11-10T18:07:57","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T17:07:57","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-november-1-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-november-1-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 November 1, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n

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

UPDATE: 6:00 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n

U.S. Extends Export Restrictions on Iran’s Mahan Air<\/h3>\r\n

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The U.S. Department of Commerce has renewed its Temporary Denial Order (TDO) against the Iranian regime’s Mahan Air, extending the airline’s export restrictions for an additional year. This decision, effective immediately, aims to prevent imminent violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).<\/p>\r\n

The renewal order,<\/a> published in the Federal Register on November 1, 2024, states: “I find that renewal of this order, as modified, is necessary in the public interest to prevent an imminent violation of the Regulations.”<\/p>\r\n

Mahan Air has been under U.S. sanctions since 2008 due to its alleged involvement in activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The airline is accused of providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and facilitating the transport of weapons and personnel to conflict zones, including Syria.<\/p>\r\n

The TDO prohibits Mahan Air from engaging in export transactions involving items subject to the EAR. This includes the export or re-export of U.S.-origin goods, software, and technology. The order also applies to any person or entity acting on behalf of Mahan Air.<\/p>\r\n

The Department of Commerce emphasized that the renewal is necessary to prevent imminent violations, citing Mahan Air’s history of non-compliance with U.S. export controls. The order notes: “Mahan Airways has engaged in a pattern of repeated, ongoing and\/or continuous apparent violations of the EAR.”<\/p>\r\n

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Iran Condemns Consulate Closures in Germany as ‘Sanction’<\/h3>\r\n

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The Foreign Ministry has urged German citizens to leave Iran to avoid the risk of being held hostage. The warning comes after the execution of the German-Iranian dissident Jamshid Sharmahd.\u00a0Germany’s<\/a>\u00a0closure of\u00a0Iran’s<\/a>\u00a0consulates in the country effectively serves as a “sanction” against Iranians residing in Germany, Tehran said on Friday.<\/p>\r\n

It comes after German Foreign Minister\u00a0Annalena Baerbock<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday announced that three Iranian consulates would be closed in Germany in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national\u00a0Jamshid Sharmahd<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

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

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UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n

A Horrific Crime in the Mullahs\u2019 Prisons!<\/h3>\r\n

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Five prisoners in Urmia await the brutal punishment of finger amputation.
I call upon the United Nations, the European Union, and member countries to voice strong objections and take immediate action. On October 29, 2024, the regime\u2019s henchmen amputated the fingers of two brothers accused of theft, using a guillotine, in this same prison.\u00a0The regime\u2019s penal code, under which these criminal sentences are issued, serves as a comprehensive record of human rights violations<\/strong><\/a>, including stoning, crucifixion, throwing people from heights, amputations, and eye gouging. If theft is to be punished by cutting off hands, then the leaders of the regime, commanders of the IRGC, government clerics, and corrupt elites are the greatest thieves of the Iranian people\u2019s wealth and the most prolific embezzlers.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Poverty Advances under Mullahs\u2019 Regime in Iran<\/h3>\r\n

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Today, as Iran\u2019s research centers and statistics institutions report that one-third of Iranians live below the poverty line, it appears that a technique of normalizing destitution and hardship is underway.<\/p>\r\n

Research centers have presented shocking statistics on poverty. On October 25, the state-run Donya-ye Eghtesad newspaper wrote, \u201cThe poverty rate in 2023 reached 30.1 percent of Iran\u2019s population. This figure is 0.4 percent higher than the previous year. The poverty rate was around 20 percent at the beginning of the 2010s; however, since 2019, with rising inflation and economic stagnation, the poverty rate has surged to 31 percent. Over the last five years, there has been no miracle to reduce poverty, and one-third of the Iranian population continues to live in poverty.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

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

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Pentagon Reassigns Senior Official Amid Concerns Over Leaked Documents and Ties to Iran<\/h3>\r\n

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In recent weeks, as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, a leak of highly sensitive U.S. documents detailing Israeli military deployments stirred intrigue. The leaked documents, originating from within the U.S. government, remain a mystery.<\/p>\r\n

Though countless officials had access, one name repeatedly surfaced online: Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Defense Department official.\u00a0The Free Press<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0this unfolding story, tracking the Pentagon\u2019s responses and Tabatabai\u2019s recent career shift.<\/p>\r\n

While rumors circulated, no evidence has linked Tabatabai to the leak, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has publicly suggested that neither Tabatabai nor anyone else within the Pentagon is likely the source.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Rocky Path to BRICS: Aspirations, Economic Struggles, and Regional Realities<\/h3>\r\n

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The recent BRICS summits have sparked extensive debate about the coalition\u2019s future role and identity, raising questions on how an expanded BRICS might reshape global alliances. This discussion evolved during the 2023 summit in South Africa and took a sharper turn at the 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia, where BRICS explored expanding its membership and influence.\u00a0In South Africa, the original BRICS members\u2014Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa\u2014formally invited Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. By 2024, all had joined, except Saudi Arabia. The Kazan summit then proposed adding 13 more nations, potentially as associate or partner countries, signifying an ambitious transformation into BRICS+.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Influenza Vaccine Shortages in Iran Fuel Black Market Demand<\/h3>\r\n

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Iran faces yet another year of influenza vaccine shortages, continuing a trend that has plagued the country\u2019s healthcare system. With inadequate supply in pharmacies, the majority of available vaccines end up on the black market, where they are sold at three to four times their official price.\u00a0On October 31, Didban-e Iran reported that approximately three to four million Iranians who rely on annual flu vaccinations are accustomed to finding only sporadic availability in pharmacies each year. This has become a recurring issue, with countless Iranians receiving a consistent \u201cno\u201d when they inquire about the vaccine at pharmacies.<\/p>\r\n

The report highlights a common pattern: each year, a significant portion of the vaccines bypass official distribution channels, entering the black market and fetching exorbitant prices. Despite this widespread shortage, officials in the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Organization appear reluctant to acknowledge or address the need for a solution, leaving many citizens struggling to obtain essential vaccines.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Oil Stolen Directly from A Refinery Pipeline in Iran \u201cOver Several Years\u201d<\/h3>\r\n

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On Tuesday, October 29, Malek Shariati, a Member of the Majlis (Parliament) Energy Commission, revealed in a television program that oil had been stolen directly from beneath a refinery pipeline in Iran.<\/p>\r\n

He did not specify the name of the refinery or the exact duration of the theft. According to Shariati, refinery officials \u201cfor several years\u201d were unaware that a branch had been tapped under the pipeline, allowing oil to be siphoned off.<\/p>\r\n

Criticizing the lack of adequate oversight, Shariati questioned, \u201cWhy did the person responsible for monitoring the pipeline from start to finish not detect this?\u201d He emphasized that a careful examination of the refinery\u2019s input could have easily prevented this theft.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Five Prisoners Executed In Iran\u2019s Ghezel Hesar Prison<\/h3>\r\n

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Human rights media outlets report the execution of five prisoners, including an Afghan national, at Ghezel Hesar and Jiroft prisons in the early hours of Wednesday, October 30.<\/p>\r\n

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRAHA), among the four prisoners executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, two were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, and the other two for \u201cenmity against God through armed robbery.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The Iran Human Rights Organization previously reported that at least eight prisoners sentenced to death in Ghezel Hesar Prison had been moved to solitary confinement as of Monday, October 28, and their families had been called to the prison for a final visit.<\/p>\r\n

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

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British Soldier On Trial for Having Ties with Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard<\/h3>\r\n

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Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British Army soldier \u201caccused of terrorism\u201d and \u201cintelligence ties with Iran,\u201d denied the charges against him in court on Wednesday, October 30.<\/p>\r\n

The former British soldier is accused of sending sensitive information to individuals linked to the\u00a0IRGC<\/a>\u00a0and of planting fake bombs in a military barracks.<\/p>\r\n

Daniel Abed Khalife allegedly collected sensitive information between May 2019 and January 2022, prosecutor Mark Heywood told jurors at the start of the trial at London\u2019s Woolwich Crown Court. The 23-year-old former soldier escaped from prison for a week in September 2023 but was recaptured.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Surge in Executions Across Iranian Prisons<\/h3>\r\n

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In recent days, Iranian authorities have executed multiple prisoners in various prisons across the country, marking a significant increase in the use of the death penalty. According to reports, at least 14 individuals were executed in prisons in Ahvaz, Karaj, and Esfahan between October 28 and October 31, 2024.\u00a0On the morning of Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 36-year-old Sardar Safarpour (also known as Habibi) was executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Safarpour, a resident of Ahvaz, had been arrested in the previous year on charges of murder and subsequently sentenced to death.<\/p>\r\n

In the early hours of Tuesday, October 29, 2024, five prisoners were executed in the Central Prison of Karaj. Among those executed were Mohammad Nedaei and Akbar Khorram-Taj, who had been convicted on charges related to drug offenses. The identities of the remaining three prisoners executed in Karaj were confirmed as Akbar Akhair, Akbar Khalili, and Ali Karami.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Execution of Jamshid Sharmahd and International Reactions<\/h3>\r\n

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The execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, a dual German-American citizen, has triggered a wave of global reactions and condemnation. In response, Germany closed Iran\u2019s consulates and called for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be listed as a terrorist organization.<\/p>\r\n

Germany\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would close all Iranian consulates within Germany in reaction to the execution of a German-Iranian citizen. However, the Iranian embassy will remain operational. In a statement from New York, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stressed that diplomatic relations between the two countries were in a \u201cvery poor\u201d state.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Paris, October 30, 2024: MEK Supporters\u2019 Exhibition Condemns Human Rights Violations in Iran<\/h3>\r\n
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MEK Supporters\u2019 Paris Exhibition Condemns Human Rights Violations in Iran - October 30, 2024<\/div><\/div>
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