{"id":326318,"date":"2024-12-05T07:15:29","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T06:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=326318"},"modified":"2024-12-05T20:14:27","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T19:14:27","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-december-5-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-december-5-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 December 5, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Congressmen Cohen and McClintock Condemn Iranian Death Sentences for Political Prisoners<\/h3>\r\n

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WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Tom McClintock (CA-5), the Co-Chairmen of the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, today released the following statement:<\/p>\r\n

\u201cAs the co-chairs of the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, we strongly condemn the death sentences imposed on six Iranian political prisoners for their support of the organized Iranian resistance, MEK\/PMOI, and the Iranian protesters. This escalating crackdown on dissent by the Iranian regime is a grave violation of human rights and comes amid a rise in death sentences in recent weeks. We call on the regime to halt these executions immediately and uphold justice and human dignity. Stand with Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani-Amrian, Babak Alipour, Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi. Their lives depend on it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

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

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UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n

UK Defence Chief: Iran\u2019s Ballistic Missile Production Severely Impacted<\/h3>\r\n

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Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the United Kingdom’s Chief of Defence Staff, announced that Iran\u2019s ability to produce ballistic missiles has been effectively neutralized for a year.<\/p>\r\n

Speaking at the Royal<\/a> United Services Institute (RUSI) in London on December 4, Radakin attributed the setback to precise and strategic airstrikes conducted in October.\u00a0“I won\u2019t go into detail, but in October\u2019s retaliatory strikes against Iran, more than 100 aircraft were used, carrying fewer than 100 munitions. No aircraft came within 100 miles of the target in the first wave, and nearly the entirety of Iran\u2019s air defense system was taken down,” he said. Radakin emphasized the operation\u2019s strategic impact, stating, “It has destroyed Iran\u2019s ability to produce ballistic missiles for a year and left Tehran with a strategic dilemma in how it responds.”<\/p>\r\n

The admiral highlighted the broader challenges posed by authoritarian states like Iran, which he said prioritize regime survival over international norms.<\/p>\r\n

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Settlement Agreement between the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Aiotec GmbH<\/h3>\r\n

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The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced a $14,550,000 settlement with Aiotec GmbH (“Aiotec”). Aiotec, a Berlin, Germany-headquartered company that sources industrial equipment for the energy sector, has agreed to settle its potential civil liability for one apparent violation of the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). This apparent violation of the ITSR arose from Aiotec’s participation in a conspiracy between 2015 and 2019 to cause a U.S. company to indirectly sell and supply an Australian polypropylene plant to Iran, and remit payments for the sale of the plant through U.S. financial institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

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

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

Inmates in Evin Prison Condemn Death Sentence for Political Prisoners<\/h3>\r\n

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A group of political prisoners in Evin Prison issued a statement in response to the\u00a0death sentences for six political prisoners<\/a>, stating: \u201cThe 2022 uprising, as one of the key milestones in the Iranian people\u2019s struggle for freedom, has so destabilized the foundations of the ruling regime that it sees no option but to intensify repression in various forms.\u00a0\u201cThe escalating trend of issuing and executing multiple death sentences against political prisoners over the past two years not only recalls the regime\u2019s repressions of the 1980s but also signifies the fear and panic of the political elite over the advancing and justice-seeking Iranian society.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cCollective death sentences have been issued for six political prisoners\u2014Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar\u2014while recently, several young individuals in a case dubbed the \u2018Ekbatan children\u2019 also faced death sentences.<\/p>\r\n

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

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The Collapse of Iran\u2019s Intellectual Infrastructure<\/h3>\r\n

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Sciences and technologies are the brain and commanding force of a nation\u2019s life everywhere in the world, encompassing medicine, agriculture, engineering, architecture, the environment, utilities, transportation, education, literature, arts, and sports.\u00a0With these undeniable premises that none of them can be removed from the essentials of people\u2019s lives, imagine the experts and scholars of these fields themselves becoming trapped and victimized by the regime\u2019s authoritarian policies, such that their livelihoods become obstacles to their work and expertise.<\/p>\r\n

The sign of this situation is when the nation\u2019s elites, including scientists, professors, students, and freedom seekers, are forced to choose between staying in the country or going into exile and emigration. To escape an incompetent and authoritarian regime, they leave their homeland. The stage or process of a political regime\u2019s collapse and destruction bears such strong and undeniable indicators, even if the regime tries to portray itself as stable and steadfast through reliance on military and law enforcement support.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Who Is Profiting from Internet Censorship in Iran?<\/h3>\r\n

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Not a day goes by without the rival factions and groups within Iran\u2019s regime exposing each other\u2019s involvement in looting the people\u2019s assets and Iran\u2019s national wealth.<\/p>\r\n

Apparently, even the so-called \u201cUnity Government\u201d led by Masoud Pezeshkian has failed to fairly distribute the periodic division of power and wealth\u2014resources that rightfully belong to the people\u2014among the competing factions and satisfy both sides.<\/p>\r\n

In the latest internal factional disputes of this kind, Ebtakar newspaper wrote: \u201cThe income of those profiting from internet filtering ranges between 200 to 500 trillion.\u201d It then posed the question: \u201cWhat could be achieved with this money?\u201d<\/p>\r\n

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

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The Revolution of the Starving: Iran\u2019s Economic Collapse and Political Struggles<\/h3>\r\n

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A revolution driven by the desperation of Iran\u2019s starving population has become a nightmare for the regime, with growing public dissatisfaction and skyrocketing prices posing an existential threat. Regime officials and state-controlled media now openly acknowledge the crisis, underscoring the regime\u2019s precarious position.\u00a0Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei faces an array of challenges, from economic deterioration to regional failures, leaving the regime trapped between crises. State-run media have likened the situation to a dying entity gasping for its last breaths.<\/p>\r\n

On November 26, the state-run daily\u00a0Jomhouri Eslami<\/em>\u00a0published a stark warning under the title \u201cBe Afraid of the Revolution of the Starving Army.\u201d Highlighting the widening class gap and intensifying economic crisis, the article stated:<\/p>\r\n

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

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The Decline of Iranian Universities in Global Rankings: Financial and Political Challenges<\/h3>\r\n

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The president of Iran\u2019s Tarbiat Modares University has highlighted a worrying trend: the global scientific rankings of Iranian universities are in decline due to severe financial constraints. In an interview with ISNA on November 30, Yusef Hojjat pointed to the universities\u2019 falling positions in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities as a stark indicator of this decline.\u00a0\u201cAll university budgets are consumed by routine expenditures such as salaries, dormitories, and food,\u201d Hojjat explained. \u201cThis leaves almost no funds for essential academic activities like research.\u201d He emphasized that Iran\u2019s broader economic challenges have eroded the purchasing power of funds allocated to higher education, leaving universities with insufficient resources for research and innovation.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Iran-Linked Fuel Smuggling Network in Iraq Generates Billions Amid U.S. Sanctions \u2013 Reuters Report<\/h3>\r\n

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A complex smuggling operation involving heavy fuel oil, detailed in a report by\u00a0Reuters<\/em><\/a>, has emerged in Iraq, reportedly generating at least $1 billion annually for Iran and its allied groups. This sophisticated network, which has intensified since Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani took office in 2022, exploits government subsidies and Iraq\u2019s fuel oil distribution policies to channel funds to Tehran and its proxies.\u00a0The operation revolves around allocating subsidized heavy fuel oil to asphalt plants, some of which inflate their requirements or exist solely on paper. According to Western intelligence reports and multiple sources, this fuel is then diverted, with up to 750,000 metric tons smuggled monthly. The fuel either blends with Iranian supplies to bypass U.S. sanctions or is exported outright using falsified documentation.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Iranian Regime Hackers Target Trump\u2019s Pick for FBI Director<\/h3>\r\n

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Kash Patel, Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for the directorship of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been targeted by Iranian regime hackers.\u00a0According to CNN<\/a>, the incident occurred just days after 44-year-old Kash Patel was announced as President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s nominee to lead the FBI.\u00a0CNN reported on Wednesday, December 4, citing two informed sources, that the FBI recently informed Kash Patel he had been targeted in a hacking operation by the Iranian regime.\u00a0One of the sources stated that the hackers had accessed at least some of Mr. Patel\u2019s communications.<\/p>\r\n

CNN also reported that Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesperson for\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s transition team, described Kash Patel in a statement as \u201ca central figure\u201d in the Trump administration\u2019s early efforts against the \u201cterrorist regime of Iran.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

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

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Statement by 40 Evin Prisoners Protesting Death Sentences for Six Political Prisoners<\/h3>\r\n

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The 2022 uprising, as one of the most important turning points in the Iranian people\u2019s struggle for freedom, has shaken the foundations of the ruling regime to such an extent that it sees no alternative but to intensify repression in various forms.\u00a0The exponential trend of issuing for and carrying out numerous death sentences of political prisoners over the past two years, while reminiscent of the regime\u2019s repression in the 1980s, is a sign of the fear and terror of the political elite about the advance of Iran\u2019s rising and justice-seeking society.<\/p>\r\n

Collective\u00a0death sentences have been issued for six political prisoners<\/a>, Abolhassan Montazer, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, while a group of youths were recently sentenced to death in a case known as the Children of Ekbatan.\u00a0In addition to these mass death sentences, since the beginning of 2024, other political prisoners, such as Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, Shahriar Bayat, Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hassani, and Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, have also been imprisoned while facing death sentences.<\/p>\r\n

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

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Sheffield Hosts Exhibition by Academics in Exile Protesting Executions and Death Sentences for PMOI Political Prisoners<\/h3>\r\n
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Sheffield Hosts Exhibition Protesting Executions and Death Sentences for PMOI Political Prisoners<\/div><\/div>
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