{"id":327748,"date":"2025-01-16T07:58:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T06:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=327748"},"modified":"2025-01-16T13:36:06","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T12:36:06","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-january-16-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-january-16-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 January 16, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Supporters of the Iranian Resistance in Geneva, Switzerland, held a gathering on January 13, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Urges UN Action Against Iranian Regime for Houthi Escalations<\/h3>\n

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In a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea<\/a> called for decisive international action to address the increasing threat posed by Houthi forces, heavily backed by the regime in Iran. Shea highlighted the Houthis’ aggressive regional actions, including recent attacks on international shipping, abductions, and holding UN, NGO, and diplomatic staff as hostages.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Shea emphasized that the Houthis’ use of advanced weaponry, enabled by Tehran, has escalated threats to peace and security. \u201cThe time has come to hold Iran accountable for supporting these sophisticated missile attacks,\u201d she said while calling for targeted sanctions to disrupt the Houthis’ financial resources and ties with other terrorist groups like al-Shabaab.<\/p>\n

Shea also underscored the urgent humanitarian crisis in Yemen, urging the international community to increase aid and press the Houthis to allow unrestricted access to humanitarian workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe path to peace starts with ending Houthi aggression and ensuring a UN-led political solution,\u201d Shea concluded.<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET<\/span><\/p>\n

The Catastrophic Impact of Land Subsidence in Iran<\/h3>\n

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Land subsidence is a phenomenon caused by the reduction in volume of the Earth\u2019s subsurface layers, leading to the gradual sinking of the ground\u2019s surface. In recent years, this issue has become one of Iran\u2019s primary environmental and infrastructural challenges. In short, the monster of subsidence is consuming Iran, and without serious and immediate action, it will bring disastrous consequences for infrastructure, the environment, and even the daily lives of people.<\/p>\n

The excessive use of groundwater, drilling of legal and illegal wells, and exploitation of water resources for profiteering purposes are among the main reasons for land subsidence in Iran. Groundwater reserves, formed over thousands of years, have been depleted due to over-extraction and exploitative policies by the regime. This significant reduction in groundwater has led to a decrease in soil volume and density, resulting in land subsidence.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Regime Shuts Down the Country as A Result of Its Own Failed Policies<\/h3>\n

\"iran-tehran-air-pollution-19022021\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThe destruction of businesses,\u201d \u201cproduction collapse,\u201d \u201cair pollution,\u201d \u201cland subsidence,\u201d \u201cenvironmental degradation,\u201d and various forms of \u201cimbalances,\u201d repeatedly highlighted by Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian, have recently led to the \u201cclosure of the country.\u201d This is the solution of a regime trapped in a swamp of crises, mocked even by its own experts.\u00a0State media use the themes of imbalance and closure as headlines to describe the catastrophic state of the country. The daily Ham-Mihan wrote on January 12, \u201cThe headlines read, \u2018Iran is shut down.\u2019 Now air pollution and imbalances have joined forces, placing the government in a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper continued: \u201cAlmost the entire country has shut down, without any government official providing a proper and convincing explanation for the cause. It appears that electricity and gas shortages may be the main reason; however, due to the lack of precise and clear communication, another cause cannot be ruled out.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Fragile Regime: A Nation Poised for Change<\/h3>\n

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Iran has long been a land prone to uprisings. Over the past decades, numerous social movements have erupted, driven by a range of issues, each contributing to intellectual, political, social, and cultural transformations. For the Iranian people, the fall of Bashar al-Assad\u2019s regime in Syria holds particular significance.\u00a0Assad, a dictator sustained by the Iranian regime, symbolizes the intertwined fate of autocratic governments. To many Iranians, his fall would be a precursor to the weakening and eventual collapse of the theocratic regime in Tehran.<\/p>\n

As each day passes, the repercussions of Iran\u2019s failures in the region weigh increasingly heavily on the regime. The palpable fear of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials underscores the regime\u2019s precarious position.\u00a0Publicly, they emphasize the need to bolster the morale of their dwindling supporters, a clear indicator of the regime\u2019s internal struggles following its regional defeats.<\/p>\n

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

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UANI\u2019s 100-Day Plan: A Blueprint for the Trump Administration to Counter Iran\u2019s Malign Influence<\/h3>\n

\"American-Coalition-Against-Nuclear-Iran-UANI\"<\/p>\n

As the world continues to grapple with the destabilizing actions of the Iranian regime, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI<\/a>) has laid out a comprehensive 100-day plan for the incoming Trump administration to fundamentally reshape U.S. policy toward Tehran.\u00a0The plan, released in January 2025, outlines a multi-faceted approach that leverages diplomatic, informational, military, and economic tools to hold Iran accountable for its decades-long history of regional aggression, terrorism, and human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

The recommendations come at a critical time, as Iran\u2019s support for Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine, its nuclear ambitions, and its repression of its own people have further highlighted the regime\u2019s threat to global security.<\/p>\n

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

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International Experts Condemn Iran\u2019s Upholding of Death Sentence for Kurdish Activist Pakhshan Azizi<\/h3>\n

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Geneva, 14 January 2025<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 A collective of independent human rights experts has\u00a0voiced<\/a> profound concern over the Iranian Supreme Court\u2019s recent decision to uphold the death sentence of Ms. Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist and social worker. The experts condemned the decision as a severe violation of international human rights law.\u00a0\u201cThe charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of \u2018most serious crimes\u2019 required by international law for the death penalty,\u201d the experts stated. \u201cHer death sentence constitutes a serious breach of international human rights standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Azizi was apprehended in Tehran on 4 August 2023 by Iranian Intelligence Services. She endured five months of solitary confinement in the notorious Ward 209 of Evin Prison, where reports indicate she was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture. On 23 July 2024, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for \u201carmed rebellion against the state (baghy)\u201d and \u201cmembership of opposition groups,\u201d along with a four-year prison term for her alleged affiliation with the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK). This death sentence was upheld on 8 January 2025 by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

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

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Intensified U.S. Sanctions and Trump\u2019s Potential Clampdownon Iran\u2019s Oil Exports<\/h3>\n

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The Economist, in an analytical report, examined the consequences of new U.S. sanctions on Iran\u2019s oil exports and, referring to the potentially stricter policies of Donald Trump, predicted that China\u2019s imports\u2014which account for nearly all of Iran\u2019s oil exports\u2014would decrease by one million barrels per day. Iran\u2019s oil exports had increased more than twelvefold in the past year compared to 2018, reaching 1.8 million barrels per day. However, even before Trump\u2019s return to the White House, the situation had already begun to change, and this trend is expected to intensify.<\/p>\n

The Economist reported<\/a>\u00a0that on November 25, the oil tanker Elva, registered under the flag of S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe, secretly loaded two million barrels of Iranian crude oil off the coast of Malaysia. Typically, the journey from this point to northeastern China, the likely destination, takes less than two weeks, but this time, it did not.<\/p>\n

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

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MEK Supporters Rally in Horsens, Denmark, to Support the Iranian Revolution and Condemn Human Rights Violations<\/h3>\n
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Horsens, Denmark - January 11, 2025: MEK supporters rally against the mullahs' regime crimes.<\/div><\/div>
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