{"id":335371,"date":"2025-08-09T06:07:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T05:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=335371"},"modified":"2025-08-09T19:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T18:49:07","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-august-9-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-august-9-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 August 9, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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August 4, 2025\u2014MEK Supporters rally in Stuttgart, Germany, condemned executions in Iran and demand the release of political prisoners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 8:30 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran, the Call from Rome: \u201cNeither Shah nor Ayatollah\u2014Only Freedom\u201d<\/h3>\n

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In support of Iran, Rome became the voice of the Resistance. Over two days of conferences, dozens of parliamentarians, former heads of state, and international diplomatic figures gathered in the Italian capital to send a clear message: the hope for a free Iran exists\u2014and it is embodied by the organized Resistance.<\/p>\n

The heart of Italy\u2019s institutions and the capital\u2019s convention center were transformed into a tribute to the Iranian people\u2019s struggle. Two major international events placed at their core the stifled cries of political prisoners, the faces of those martyred in the uprisings, and the vision for a democratic future led by Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).<\/p>\n

On July 30, the conference \u201cIran After the War \u2013 Prospects for Change and the Role of the Organized Resistance\u201d<\/em> was held in the Sala Regina of the Chamber of Deputies. The following day, at the Palazzo dei Congressi, the call grew even louder with the Free Iran World Summit.<\/p>\n

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

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Ayatollah Calls the Shots on Killings, Iranian Exiles Charge<\/h3>\n

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In the Iranian regime’s intricate worldwide network for terror, the orders on terrorist acts and killings almost always come directly from the very top: the supreme leader himself, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\u00a0“Not a single act of terrorism occurs without the order, approval, or supervision of Khamenei,” said Ali Safavi, spokesman for the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the leading opposition group to the regime.<\/p>\n

The NCRI’s charge came barely 36 hours before reports that five death row prisoners in the Evin Prison \u2014 all convicted of opposing Khameni \u2014 were transferred to the Ghezel Hesar Prison, where executions are routinely carried out. Specifically, the five were sentenced to death on charges of membership in anti-Khomeni groups as well as assembly and collusion against national security and armed rebellion against the state.<\/p>\n

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

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Reza Pahlavi Does Not Represent the Iranian People<\/h3>\n

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On July 25 and 26, Reza Pahlavi hosted a conference in Munich titled \u201cNational Cooperation to Save Iran.\u201d<\/em> He seeks to present himself as an exiled opposition leader. But who exactly is Reza Pahlavi\u2014and why does he face such deep skepticism among Iranians, both inside and outside the country?\u00a0Reza Pahlavi is the son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran\u2019s last Shah, who was overthrown in 1979 after a broad popular revolution. His regime was notorious for severe human rights abuses, systematic suppression of political opposition, strict censorship, and widespread corruption.<\/p>\n

As early as 1976, Amnesty International documented how the Shah\u2019s intelligence service, SAVAK, engaged in torture, imprisonment without trial, and extensive surveillance. One report concluded that \u201cThe Shah\u2019s regime was one of the worst human rights violators in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 12:30 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

A view from Mark Isherwood \u2013 Welsh Conservative North Wales Member of the Senedd<\/h3>\n

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I recently met with the Iranian Academics Association for an update on the rapidly evolving situation in Iran, the need to support efforts to protect lives and amplify the voices of those fighting for freedom at this critical time, and the need for a democratic alternative.\u00a0Last year I sponsored and chaired a roundtable meeting in the Senedd with the Association, at which we also discussed ongoing developments in Iran and the Middle East war, and Iran\u2019s theocratic regime.<\/p>\n

At the meeting in 2024, we heard that at that point 120,000 lives had been lost, killed or under torture, that 30,000 had been arrested and 2,200 publicly hanged since the current uprising began, and that the ruthless theocratic Tehran regime is now a clear threat to global peace.<\/p>\n

Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has offered a peaceful vision for change: no war, no appeasement. The path forward, she argues, lies in allowing Iranians to rise up and change their Government themselves. This approach requires no foreign boots on the ground, nor military or financial support \u2014 only recognition of their right to resist tyranny.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

She Died for Dreaming of Freedom. She Wasn\u2019t the Last<\/h3>\n

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In Connecticut, those of us in the Iranian-American community carry a sorrow that never really fades. We\u2019ve lost family. We\u2019ve lost friends. I lost my childhood friend, young, vibrant, and pregnant executed in an Iranian prison simply for believing in freedom.<\/p>\n

Her murder wasn\u2019t a random act of cruelty. It was part of a calculated massacre that unfolded in the 1980s, especially in the summer of 1988. Over 30,000 political prisoners, mostly members and supporters of the MEK (Mojahedin-e-Khalq) were systematically executed in prisons across Iran. Most had already been sentenced and were serving their time. But that summer, \u201cdeath commissions\u201d formed by clerics and regime officials asked them one question: \u201cDo you still believe in the MEK?\u201d Those who said yes were sent to the gallows. They were buried in unmarked mass graves, their families never notified.<\/p>\n

Among those who signed off on this crime against humanity was Ebrahim Raisi, who later rose to the presidency. His role is no secret. His face is etched in survivors\u2019 memories, and his name appears in UN reports and testimonies. Yet instead of a trial, he got a title. Instead of justice, he got power.<\/p>\n

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

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Blackouts, Bitcoin, And A Regime on Edge: Iran\u2019s Summer of Power Cuts and Public Fury<\/h3>\n

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On August 6, 2025, residents of Rasht rallied in Sabzeh-Meydan against water shortages and blackouts, facing a violent crackdown. The same day, locals in Benlar and Zivdar blocked the Khorramabad\u2013Poldokhtar road over cuts to water and electricity. Nightly chants of \u201cdeath to the dictator\u201d and \u201cdeath to Khamenei\u201d have echoed from the darkness in Karaj, while even regime media carried citizens\u2019 complaints of four to six hours without power in summer heat. By August 6, authorities shuttered the country except for three provinces\u2014an extraordinary move that domestic outlets tied to environmental and infrastructure crises.<\/p>\n

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

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Political Prisoner Fatemeh Ziaee, 68, Arrested for the 7th Time<\/h3>\n

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On Wednesday morning, August 6, 2025, Iranian security forces raided the home of Fatemeh Ziaee Azad (Houri), a former political prisoner and supporter of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK), arresting her and confiscating all her communication devices. This marks the seventh time Fatemeh Ziaee has been arrested over the past four decades.<\/p>\n

Fatemeh Ziaee, now 68 years old, is a survivor of Iran\u2019s notorious political prison system of the 1980s. She has spent over 13 years in prisons and torture centers under the clerical regime. Ziaee suffers from advanced multiple sclerosis (MS), and her health is reported to be in a fragile and deteriorating condition.<\/p>\n

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

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Brussels Book Stall Condemns Iran\u2019s Executions and Promotes Free Iran Grand Rally on September 6<\/h3>\n
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Book Table in Brussels \u2013 Aug 6: MEK Supporters Condemn Iran Executions & Call to Join Sep 6 Rally -1<\/div><\/div>
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