{"id":330819,"date":"2025-04-24T06:01:38","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T05:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=330819"},"modified":"2025-04-24T20:05:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:05:23","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-24-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-24-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 24, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Residents of Shahrekord, western Iran, rally against water theft and dam projects \u2014 April 17, 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h3>\n

UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iranians Rally Against Execution of Two Death Row Inmates<\/h3>\n

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Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and exiled opponents of the clerical regime gathered in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva at noon on Thursday. They called on the UN and its member states to take immediate action to stop the imminent execution of two Iranian political prisoners, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, the clerical regime executed nearly 1,000 prisoners, a figure described by the NGO Together Against the Death Penalty as a “horrifying escalation” in the use of capital punishment as a tool of “political repression” by the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 6:30 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iranian Regime Highlighted in NATO’s 2024 Annual Report as Key Missile Threat Outside Euro-Atlantic Region<\/h3>\n

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NATO\u2019s newly released 2024 Annual Report<\/a>, presented by Secretary General Mark Rutte, identifies the clerical regime in Iran as a central actor in a growing axis of strategic cooperation among authoritarian states challenging international security. The report was released amid heightened global concern over missile proliferation and shifting alliances beyond Europe.\u00a0According to the report, 2024 saw increased alignment between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea\u2014including the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Europe\u2014a development NATO described as a \u201creckless escalation\u201d that underscores the interconnected nature of threats spanning the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.<\/p>\n

The Secretary General emphasized that these partnerships, including Tehran\u2019s involvement, contribute to \u201cthe most dangerous security environment in generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a section focused on air and missile threats, the report notes that NATO\u2019s Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system\u2014bolstered in 2024 by a newly operational U.S. site in Redzikowo, Poland\u2014is specifically intended to counter ballistic missile threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, with Iran named as a primary source.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aim of NATO Ballistic Missile Defence is purely defensive and oriented to counter ballistic missiles emanating from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, especially from Iran,\u201d the report states.<\/p>\n

NATO\u2019s upgraded missile defense capabilities were declared fully operational during the July 2024 Washington Summit, marking a milestone in the alliance\u2019s strategic posture against missile threats.<\/p>\n

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Netherlands Summons Iranian Ambassador Over Alleged Assassination Attempts<\/h3>\n

THE HAGUE, April 24 (Reuters) – Iran’s ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned on Thursday after the Dutch intelligence agency said it suspected Tehran of being behind two assassination attempts in Europe, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The Dutch general intelligence agency, known as the AIVD, said in its annual report published on Thursday that two men were arrested in June 2024 in the Dutch town of Haarlem after an assassination attempt there on an Iranian residing in the country.<\/p>\n

One of the suspects is also suspected of the failed assassination attempt on Spanish politician and Iran critic Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid in November 2023, it said.<\/p>\n

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

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IAEA Chief Grossi Demands Clarification from Iran Over Tunnels Near Nuclear Facility<\/h3>\n

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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has called on Iran to provide clarification regarding the construction of tunnels around a nuclear facility. Grossi stated on Wednesday, during a visit to Washington, that he had raised this issue with Tehran \u201crepeatedly\u201d and would \u201ccontinue\u201d to do so. He added that it “cannot be ruled out” that undeclared material might be stored in the tunnels. However, he said he would not speculate about Iran\u2019s intentions.<\/p>\n

On the same day, the U.S.-based think tank Institute for Science and International Security released satellite images of the Natanz facility. According to the institute, the images show a new tunnel built deep underground next to an older tunnel near the site. The photos also reveal the presence of a new security perimeter.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 1:30 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lebanese Foreign Ministry Issues 2nd Summons for Iranian Ambassador<\/h3>\n

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Lebanon\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set a new date for Iranian Ambassador Mojtaba Amani to appear after he declined an earlier summons over his controversial remarks criticizing discussions about disarming Hezbollah.\u00a0The ambassador had been scheduled to visit the ministry on Wednesday but apologized for not attending.<\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Youssef Raji had initially summoned Amani to the ministry on Tuesday in protest over his recent statements. In Raji\u2019s absence abroad, the ambassador was expected to receive Lebanon\u2019s official position from the ministry\u2019s secretary general. However, Amani did not show up, later telling Lebanon\u2019s Al Jadeed TV that while he had received the summons, he had excused himself from attending and had yet to be informed of a new date.<\/p>\n

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

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Hezbollah\u2019s Collapse Signals a Strategic Shift in Lebanon and the Region, Says Asharq Al-Awsat<\/h3>\n

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On April 24, 2025, the London-based daily Asharq Al-Awsat<\/em> published<\/a> an opinion column by Dr. Jebril Al-Obaidi, asserting that Hezbollah has suffered a historic collapse and is now a spent force both militarily and politically, marking a turning point for Lebanon and Iranian influence in the region.<\/p>\n

Titled \u201cThe Remnants of Hezbollah and Political Schizophrenia,\u201d<\/em> the article criticizes what remains of Hezbollah\u2019s leadership for continuing to speak of a \u201cnew phase of confrontation\u201d despite the group\u2019s unprecedented losses. Al-Obaidi points to the recent Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and dozens of top commanders, exposing the group\u2019s fragile internal security and ending what he describes as Hezbollah\u2019s myth of invincibility.<\/p>\n

He describes the reaction from Hezbollah leaders as evidence of \u201cpolitical schizophrenia\u201d\u2014rhetoric that no longer matches their dramatically weakened reality. \u201cWhat remains of the party shows a weakness not seen in two generations,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n

The article emphasizes Hezbollah\u2019s transformation from a political resistance group into an armed Iranian proxy. Citing widespread analysis, Al-Obaidi argues that Hezbollah has long functioned as the Iranian regime\u2019s military depot in southern Lebanon and Dahieh, only capable of action with Iranian approval. Nasrallah\u2019s inability to use the organization\u2019s missile arsenal\u2014even in self-defense before his death\u2014was cited as proof of Tehran\u2019s centralized control.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Al-Obaidi contends that Iran\u2019s regional pullback\u2014beginning with the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani and culminating with Nasrallah\u2019s death\u2014has brought an end to Hezbollah\u2019s active role in the region.\u00a0As for Hezbollah\u2019s ideological narrative, Al-Obaidi dismisses its decades-old slogan of liberating Palestine as an outdated and hollow front.<\/p>\n

The article states: \u201cToday, patriotic voices in Lebanon are loudly demanding liberation from Hezbollah as a military force\u2014an entity that, rather than confronting foreign enemies, has imposed the will of outsiders on Lebanon. For years, the country has paid the price for Hassan Nasrallah\u2019s reckless adventures, empty slogans of resistance, and promises of a \u2018harsh response\u2019\u2014a cost borne by southern Lebanon and the nation’s infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scope of Iran’s Global Threats Not Just Nuclear<\/h3>\n

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Recently, Oman\u2019s foreign minister announced that the Islamic Republic may be permitted to continue uranium enrichment at 3.67%.\u00a0Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that Iran has offered to allow the United States and other nations to monitor its nuclear enrichment.\u00a0On the surface, this may seem like a breakthrough.\u00a0But is this truly a step toward peace \u2014 or simply a familiar trap in a dangerous game?<\/p>\n

The world must ask itself: Can a regime that has already violated past agreements be trusted now? Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran Nuclear Deal), Iran pledged to limit enrichment to 3.67%.<\/p>\n

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

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Ali Shamkhani: from Bicycle Apprentice to Oil Mafia and Economic Empire<\/h3>\n

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The secrets of Ali Shamkhani, the apprentice who became an emperor, reveal events that become more exposed with each passing day of the rule of the mullahs in Iran.<\/p>\n

In 1980, a young man named Ali Shamkhani, then an apprentice at a bicycle repair shop in Ahvaz, wrote a passionate letter to Ruhollah Khomeini the founder of the mullahs\u2019 regime ruling Iran: \u201cI have nothing for this revolution and war except my life. If you do not accept even that, then the Khuzestan IRGC is at your disposal, and I will return to being Ali Shamkhani, the bicycle repair apprentice.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this letter, he introduced himself as a humble and devoted commander ready to sacrifice his life for the revolution and the war. But now, after 43 years, that same bicycle apprentice has become one of the most powerful and wealthiest figures in Iran. Oil tankers, luxury villas, high-rise towers in the upscale Elahieh neighborhood of Tehran, a private bank in Oman, and multimillion-pound companies in London\u2014these are parts of a financial empire bearing the name of Shamkhani and his family. How did Shamkhani experience such a meteoric rise, and who knows the secrets behind his amassed wealth?<\/p>\n

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

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Simay Azadi\u2019s Exclusive Interview with Sebasti\u00e1n Basso: Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ordered AMIA Bombing, Must Face Justice<\/h3>\n
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Argentina\u2019s Top Prosecutor: Iran's Khamenei Ordered AMIA Bombing \u2013 He Must Face Justice<\/div><\/div>
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