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UPDATE: 6:30 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n Somewhere deep underground at a place called Fordow in Iran, you can be assured the gas centrifuges are whirring around the clock enriching Uranium isotopes into weapons-grade product. Atomic bombs for Iran.\u00a0The lightning collapse of Bashar al-Assad\u2019s filthy regime in Iran\u2019s near neighbor Syria is just the latest in a series of catastrophes for the religio-fascist dictators in Tehran. They are on the back foot, weakened and humiliated in ways that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. Nuclear capability – and fast – is seen as the only way out of the mess.<\/p>\r\n Many experts believe Ayatollah Ali Khamenei\u2019s hated theocratic regime, which has ruled over the beleaguered people of Iran with a rod of iron since the revolution of 1979, will be the next Middle East dictatorship to fall. If it does, the downfall will be entirely of Khamenei\u2019s own making.<\/p>\r\n Iran is not like Syria where an awful power vacuum with an awful lot of unknowns beckons – a second Iranian revolution has been quietly (and not so-quietly) building since the murder of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, killed by morality police for not wearing a hijab, and with it a legitimate alternative political (and democratic) infrastructure.<\/p>\r\n Young people – especially women – took to the streets in 2022 united under the banner “Women, Life, Freedom”, a slogan which, critically, later morphed into \u201cWomen, Resistance, Freedom\u201d. Resistance Units grew and affiliated with the main Iranian resistance movement, the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\r\n Now, the word Mojahedin<\/em> tends to make the hairs on the back of the neck of any westerner with a long memory stand up. But this Mojahedin is the key component of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a fully-formed Government-in-waiting, with a female president, Maryam Rajavi, and a 10-point plan to bring democracy to Iran for the first time, which has the approval of huge swathes of the US and UK governments.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n TEHRAN, Iran (AP) \u2014 Iran\u2019s capital and outlying provinces have faced\u00a0rolling power blackouts for weeks<\/a>\u00a0in October and November, with electricity cuts disrupting people\u2019s lives and businesses. And while several factors are likely involved, some suspect\u00a0cryptocurrency mining has played a role<\/a>\u00a0in the outages.<\/p>\r\n Iran’s economy has been hobbled for years by international sanctions over its advancing nuclear program<\/a>. The country\u2019s fuel reserves have plummeted, with the government selling off more to cover budget shortfalls as\u00a0wars rage in the Middle East<\/a>\u00a0and Tehran grapples with mismanagement.<\/p>\r\n The demand on the grid has not let up, however \u2014 even as Iranians stopped using air conditioners as the weather cooled in the fall and before winter months set in when people fire up their gas heaters.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\r\n The\u00a0events of August 2013<\/a> remain a stain on the moral reputation of the West. That summer, Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. This was despite the West’s warning that crossing this red line would be met with a decisive response. The decision by the House of Commons to vote against any retaliatory military strike gave cover for the risk-averse President Obama to abandon the red-line position.<\/p>\r\n Thankfully,\u00a0the Assad regime has now fallen<\/a>. We might have been here years ago and spared the Syrian people dreadful suffering if we had acted differently then. That is a burden those who refuse to act must carry.<\/p>\r\n The greatest political impact of the fall of Assad may be felt not in Damascus,\u00a0but in Tehran<\/a>. The vile regime of Ayatollah Khamenei and the Mullahs saw the 2013 decision as a sign of weakness from the West, following on from the failure to give even moral support to the 2009 Iranian uprising after the \u201cstolen election\u201d.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in his\u00a0speech<\/a>\u00a0following the fall of the despised Assad dictatorship and the loss of four decades of investment in Syria, attempted to justify this defeat by repeating his claim about \u201cprotecting the sanctity of holy shrines.\u201d He said: \u201cOur forces were present in both Iraq and Syria for two reasons: one was to protect the sanctity of the holy shrines. In Samarra, you witnessed that with the help of the Americans, they destroyed and demolished the sacred dome of Samarra.\u201d<\/p>\r\n It is no secret that the bombing of the Shia Imams\u2019 shrines in Samarra, which led to a horrific sectarian war across Iraq, was carried out under the direct orders of Khamenei. Today, even regime supporters acknowledge that the purpose of this bombing was to create religious divisions in Iraq and advance terrorist and war-mongering objectives. They also react to the claim of protecting holy sites.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n The Iranian regime is racing against time to find buyers for the oil it has stored in Dalian, a port city in northeastern China. The looming of Donald Trump\u2019s return to the White House has alarmed Tehran, as his presidency could once again tighten sanctions and block Iran\u2019s access to these oil reserves, valued at approximately one billion dollars. Iran has directed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to sell this embargoed oil using intermediary companies. These intermediaries will leverage the financial credit of Iranian firms based in China to facilitate sales. However, this strategy is fraught with challenges as Beijing tightens its oversight of small refineries\u2014the main buyers of Iran\u2019s discounted oil.<\/p>\r\n Data from the real-time energy tracking firm Vortexa reveals that Iran\u2019s floating oil reserves have grown significantly, increasing from 36 million barrels to 48 million barrels since September. This rise is attributed to a sharp drop in oil sales, with the additional inventory valued at about one billion dollars.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n A recent investigation by Iran\u2019s state-run\u00a0Shargh<\/em>\u00a0newspaper has revealed a troubling increase in the use of cigarettes, marijuana, hashish, and alcoholic beverages among students. This revelation comes amidst a persistent lack of transparency from regime-controlled organizations, which have refrained from publishing accurate statistics on youth and child addiction for the past eight years.<\/p>\r\n In May of this year, the Secretary General of Iran\u2019s Anti-Tobacco Society confirmed that the smoking age in the country has decreased significantly. Warning against the influence of the \u201ctobacco mafia\u201d targeting teenage girls, he disclosed that the age of heavy drug addiction in Iran has alarmingly dropped to as low as 9 or 10 years.<\/p>\r\n Similarly, the Vice President of Iran\u2019s Anti-Narcotics Headquarters referred to a 2016 government survey, which found that 2.1% of Iranian students were drug addicts. However, reports from cultural activists and experts in education suggest that this percentage has risen in recent years, indicating a worsening crisis.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n The Iranian regime continues to demonstrate its inability to meet the basic needs of its citizens, as evidenced by the country\u2019s ongoing energy crisis. On Thursday, the regime\u2019s President, Massoud Pezeshkian, released a video on his social media accounts urging citizens to lower their home temperatures by at least two degrees to conserve energy. However, shortly after this appeal, large swaths of Iran, including the capital, experienced unannounced power outages lasting three to seven hours, leaving homes and public roads in darkness.<\/p>\r\n The situation worsened when Iran\u2019s Tavanir Company announced a new schedule of planned power outages. This announcement highlighted the regime\u2019s lack of commitment to improving energy infrastructure, such as building power plants or increasing gas production capacity. Instead, the regime appears focused on boosting military expenditures.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n Sanandaj, Western Iran<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Siran Khosravi, a 37-year-old women\u2019s rights activist from\u00a0Sanandaj<\/a>, has been in detention for nearly a month with no information about her current situation or whereabouts. She was arrested on November 19, 2024, when Iranian intelligence agents raided her home without a warrant.\u00a0Eyewitnesses describe the early morning operation as one designed to instill fear, with agents forcing their way into Khosravi\u2019s residence and taking her to an undisclosed location. Since then, she has been denied fundamental rights, including access to her family, legal counsel, and communication.<\/p>\r\n Despite continuous efforts by her family to find answers, authorities have not provided any information about the reasons for her arrest or the charges she may face. The lack of transparency has raised serious concerns about her safety and well-being.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n Reports indicate that cyber groups affiliated with the Iranian regime have used the IOCONTROL malware to attack critical water and fuel systems in the U.S. and Israel.<\/p>\r\n This malware, designed to infiltrate internet-connected devices, can control systems such as fuel pumps, routers, and security cameras.\u00a0The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses devices connected to the Internet that send and receive data, such as cameras, sensors, and household appliances. This technology is widely used across industries but can cause widespread disruptions in essential services if infiltrated by malware.<\/p>\r\n According to a report by the cybersecurity firm Claroty, this malware was discovered in a fuel management system targeted by a group linked to the IRGC. The attackers managed to disrupt fuel services and steal customers\u2019 credit card information.<\/p>\r\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\r\n In a disturbing escalation of state violence, the Iranian authorities have executed at least 585 prisoners, including 21 women, since late July under Massoud Pezeshkian\u2019s presidency. This alarming figure represents a 236-person increase compared to the same period last year, underscoring a grim human rights crisis in the country.\u00a0The most recent wave of executions occurred between December 3 and December 11, during which at least 38 prisoners were hanged in various prisons across Iran.<\/p>\r\n On Wednesday, December 11, at least 13 individuals were executed. Among them were Ahmad Jahan Khani, Sirus Ahmadi, Meysam Karegar, Hassan Yousefi, Naser Nakhchi, Iman Moghadam, Rahman Saralak, Abdullah Tajik, and an unidentified prisoner, all hanged in Qezelhessar Prison. Additionally, Naser Shahouzehi was executed in Greater Tehran Prison, Sajad Azizi and Ebrahim Valizadeh in Miandoab, and Gholam Rousta in Shiraz.<\/p>\r\nUnless We Act Now Iran Will Be A Nuclear Military Power In Months<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nBitcoin Mining Is One of The Suspected Causes of The Power Outages Disrupting Life in Iran<\/h3>\r\n
\r\nAre Iran\u2019s Mullahs the Next Domino to Fall? A Robust West Might See it Happen<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nIn Desperation over Syria, Khamenei Revisits the Bombing of Samarra Shrines by His Forces<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nIran\u2019s Oil Gamble in China: A Race Against Time Before Trump\u2019s Return<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nAlarming Rise in Student Addiction in Iran: A Crisis Ignored<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nIran\u2019s Energy Crisis: A Reflection of the Regime\u2019s Mismanagement<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nDetained Women\u2019s Rights Activist Siran Khosravi Held in Uncertainty for Nearly a Month<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nCyberattacks by the Iranian Regime on Critical Infrastructure in the U.S. and Israel<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\nEscalating Executions in Iran: A Stark Reminder of the Human Rights Crisis<\/h3>\r\n
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