{"id":327720,"date":"2025-01-15T07:28:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=327720"},"modified":"2025-01-15T17:33:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T16:33:27","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-january-15-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-january-15-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 January 15, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Supporters of the Iranian Resistance in Hamburg, Germany, held a gathering to protest against the ongoing executions in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 5:30 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump’s New Ukraine Envoy Issues Warning to Iran, Says ‘Maximum Pressure Must Be Reinstated’<\/h3>\n

\"Fox-News\"<\/p>\n

President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s incoming\u00a0special envoy for Ukraine and Russia<\/a>, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>recently said the United States must return to the policy of “maximum pressure” and that the Iranian regime’s weakness has reopened what the future of Iran will look like.<\/p>\n

“I believe this year should be considered a year of hope, it should be considered a year of action, and it should be considered a year of change,” Kellogg, who served in Trump\u2019s first administration, said at an event sponsored by an Iranian opposition group, The National Council of Resistance of Iran, in Paris.<\/p>\n

The retired lieutenant general said that Iran\u2019s development and acquisition of a nuclear weapon would be the most destabilizing event for the Middle East. Kellogg reminded the opposition group that\u00a0then-President Trump walked away<\/a>\u00a0from the Iran nuclear deal during his first term, even with opposition from those who served in the first administration.<\/p>\n

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

\n

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

Iran\u2019s Regime Futile Efforts to Whitewash Its Strategic Defeat in Syria<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Since Iran\u2019s regime lost one of its most coveted investments with the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has made four speeches offering empty promises to his audience. Without presenting a clear position or directive, he makes promises to IRGC Basij forces, asserting that Syria will improve, Lebanon and Yemen remain part of the \u201cAxis of Resistance,\u201d and the \u201cResistance Front\u201d is still intact.<\/p>\n

In all four speeches, Khamenei tried to convince his audience that Syria remains unaffected and that the expenses were for ensuring security. To dress the shaky foundation of the regime in the guise of \u201csecurity,\u201d he symbolically offers Lebanon\u2019s and Syria\u2019s loss to Iraq\u2019s holy sites, trying to console his followers that the holy shrines in Karbala and Najaf still exist.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran\u2019s Oil Reserves and the Looming Energy Crisis<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Global media outlets have reported that a severe cold front is expected to envelop much of the Northern Hemisphere, impacting countries across Asia and Europe in the coming days. This weather phenomenon is likely to exacerbate existing energy challenges, particularly in Iran, where a shortage of fuel and electricity could lead to a serious crisis for both citizens and businesses.<\/p>\n

Iran faces a paradoxical situation: while struggling with internal energy shortages, the regime has stored approximately 25 million barrels of oil in Shandong Port, China. Recent reports indicate that with China\u2019s agreement, Iran has withdrawn several million barrels from these reserves to sell in global smuggling markets and convert them into cash.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran\u2019s Worsening Power Crisis: A Looming Threat to Industries and Daily Life<\/h3>\n

\"iran<\/p>\n

Iran is grappling with a severe energy crisis that has already caused widespread disruption to daily life, paralyzed industries, and inflicted massive economic losses. With consecutive power outages during autumn and winter, the situation is expected to worsen significantly in the coming months. Minister of Energy Abbas Aliabadi warned on Sunday, January 5, during a meeting with parliamentarians, that the country is facing a more critical summer ahead, with an anticipated electricity deficit of 25,000 megawatts by the summer of 2025.<\/p>\n

Aliabadi bluntly stated that \u201cbig dissatisfaction\u201d is on the horizon, emphasizing that while people can endure winter by wearing warm clothing, surviving summer without electricity will be far more difficult. This term, \u201cdissatisfaction,\u201d is often used by Iranian officials to refer to the widening gap between energy production and consumption.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran\u2019s Household Budgets: Rising Costs and Growing Economic Strain<\/h3>\n

\"Iranians-fall-beaneath-poverty-line-750x375-1\"<\/p>\n

The Central Bank of Iran\u2019s latest report on household budgets in 2024 reveals alarming statistics. The average annual gross expenditure for an urban household was over 340 million tomans, equivalent to approximately 28.5 million tomans per month, marking a staggering 48.3% increase compared to 2022. This significant rise highlights a growing disparity between incomes and expenses in Iranian society, as the minimum wage in 2024 stood at only 5.308 million tomans.<\/p>\n

Amid an annual inflation rate of around 52%, as announced by the Central Bank, the report identifies housing as the largest expense for Iranian families, accounting for an average of 34.7% of total spending. Food followed closely at 29.9%, reflecting a 44% increase in household budgets compared to 2022. These figures underscore a sharp decline in purchasing power, particularly given that workers\u2019 salaries increased by only 27% in 2022. The average urban household size in this report is 3.29 people.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Tragedy in Qom\u2019s Langarud Prison: Woman Sets Herself Ablaze in Protest, Faces Inhumane Treatment<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On Friday, January 10, 2025, a female prisoner named Fatemeh Lotfi set herself on fire in Langarud Prison,\u00a0Qom<\/a>, in protest against her prolonged uncertainty and lack of resolution regarding her case. Instead of transferring her to a burn center, prison officials sent her to a psychiatric hospital. After just one day and without receiving any proper treatment, she was returned to prison and confined to solitary confinement.<\/p>\n

Fatemeh Lotfi, imprisoned on charges related to drug offenses, suffered severe burns, blisters, and infections after the incident. Nevertheless, the prison staff cruelly moved her to the psychiatric hospital without appropriate medical care. Despite her critical condition, she was brought back to\u00a0Langarud Prison<\/a>\u00a0the next day, shackled hands, and feet, and left in solitary confinement.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran: Theft of \u201c70,000 Liters\u201d of Jet Fuel Per Day from Bandar Abbas Pipeline<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mojtaba Ghahramani, Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran has provided new details about a fuel theft pipeline in Bandar Abbas, revealing that the illegal pipeline branched off the main fuel transfer line and extended for two kilometers.\u00a0He stated that the illegal pipeline extracted approximately \u201c70,000 liters\u201d of jet fuel daily from the main line.\u00a0On January 11, Ghahramani told Iranian state television that inspections of the discovered equipment and evaluations of pipe corrosion and rust indicate that the thieves had been using this pipeline for a long time.<\/p>\n

The Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province also said on January 11, \u201cThe value of the illegal pipeline itself is approximately 40 billion rials, and it appears that the thieves possessed the technical expertise and necessary information.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran\u2019s Health Ministry: 30,692 Deaths Due to Air Pollution Last Year<\/h3>\n

\"iran<\/p>\n

Abbas Shahsavani, head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at Iran\u2019s Health Ministry, announced that based on monitoring a statistical population of 48 million, 30,692 deaths were attributed to air pollution last year.<\/p>\n

He also stated that the number of visits to public health centers for non-infectious respiratory illnesses has increased by approximately 30% since December 22, 2024.\u00a0The number of deaths due to\u00a0air pollution<\/a>\u00a0last year increased by 4,385, approximately 17%, compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n

Previously, Shahsavani reported that an average of 26,307 deaths from air pollution were recorded in 2022, marking an increase of over 26% compared to 2021.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Iran\u2019s Industries Face Complete Power Shutdown Amid Growing Crisis<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ali-Mohammad Abouei, chairman of the board of the Iranian regime\u2019s Steel Rolling Association, criticized the governance of the Iranian regime and stated that there is a possibility of a complete power outage for industries in the coming days.\u00a0According to the state-run Eghtesad Online website, Ali-Mohammad Abouei emphasized, \u201cI have no good news for steel industry activists. There are reports from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and the Ministry of Interior indicating that orders have been issued to completely cut off power to industries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abouei, sarcastically pointing out the contradictory behavior of the Minister of Energy, said, \u201cWhen Mr. Ali-Abadi was Minister of Industry and Mines, he used to say that industrialists could legally sue the Ministry of Energy for damages caused by power outages, and now he himself is the Minister of Energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\n

Dorchester, UK \u2013 January 11, 2025: \u2018Academics in Exile\u2019 Exhibition Highlights Iran\u2019s Human Rights Violations and Calls to End Executions<\/h3>\n
<\/div>
Dorchester, Jan 11, 2025: \u2018Academics in Exile\u2019 Exhibition Highlights Iran\u2019s Human Rights Violations.<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>