{"id":336444,"date":"2025-09-05T07:19:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T06:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=336444"},"modified":"2025-09-05T19:55:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T18:55:13","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-september-5-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-september-5-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 September 5, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Celebrating
Celebrating 60 years\u2019 struggle: PMOI Resistance Units mark milestone with bold actions across Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

After Withdrawal of \u201cShiite Duo\u201d Ministers, Lebanese Government Approves Army Plan to Restrict Weapons<\/h3>\n

\"alarabiya-logo\"<\/p>\n

The Lebanese Cabinet today approved the army\u2019s plan to confine weapons exclusively to the state, during a session chaired by President Joseph Aoun, from which ministers aligned with the so-called \u201cShiite Duo\u201d \u2014 Hezbollah and the Amal Movement \u2014 withdrew in protest.<\/p>\n

Following the session, Information Minister Paul Morcos stated that \u201cthe government welcomed the army\u2019s plan to restrict weapons and affirmed the necessity of asserting state authority over all our territories.\u201d<\/em> He added that discussions on the plan remain open and ongoing.<\/p>\n

Morcos stressed that \u201cno investments will come without placing all weapons under state control,\u201d<\/em> revealing that Lebanon had received commitments from several countries to support the army. He also noted that the Prime Minister emphasized the need to pair any economic reforms with consolidating the state\u2019s monopoly over arms, warning that \u201cthe economy will not grow without security.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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

\n

UK Terrorists Being Recruited Online by Iran\u2019s Hardline Revolutionary Guard<\/h3>\n

\"daily-express-logo\"<\/p>\n

The demonstration in Brussels on Saturday has been organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and over 300 Iranian communities across Europe.\u00a0Shahin Gobadi, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said: \u201cTerrorism is in the DNA of this regime. So long as it remains in power, it will not abandon repression at home and terrorism abroad. Tens of thousands of Iranians from across Europe will gather in Brussels on Saturday to reject both foreign war and appeasement, and to support Maryam Rajavi\u2019s Third Option: regime change by the Iranian people and their organized resistance.<\/p>\n

Maryam Rajavi has been elected by the National Council of Resistance of Iran as the President of Iran for the transitional period following the overthrow of the clerical regime.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\n

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to Join Protest Calling for Regime Change in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is set to participate in a protest demonstration advocating for the overthrow of Iran\u2019s clerical regime. The rally, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), is scheduled to take place next Saturday in Brussels.<\/p>\n

According to Politico, the demonstration will also call for new, tougher sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.<\/p>\n

The organizers have announced that several other prominent figures are expected to attend, including former Belgian Prime Minister and current EU Parliament member Guy Verhofstadt, former Speaker of the UK House of Commons John Bercow, and former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Rep. Mike Lawler, Lawmakers Call on Trump to Bar Iran U.N. Visit: \u2018They Are Criminals Who Fuel Terrorism\u2019<\/h3>\n

\"breitbart<\/p>\n

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on Thursday spearheaded a congressional letter to President Donald Trump urging him to block Iranian regime officials from entering the United States for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York, warning, \u201cThey are criminals. They support terrorism. They sow hatred and instability across the Middle East.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter, signed by 40 lawmakers, presses the administration to deny visas and restrict the movement of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his delegation, insisting Tehran must not be allowed to exploit the U.N. platform \u201cto present a deceptive image of moderation\u201d:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe respectfully urge you to restrict the Iranian delegation\u2019s freedom of movement, and, to the extent possible, refrain from issuing visas to key delegation members, including for its President, Masoud Pezeshkian,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Lawler Urges Trump to Restrict Visas of Iranian Regime Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly<\/h3>\n

\"just-the-news-logo\"<\/p>\n

New York GOP Rep. Mike Lawler on Thursday urged President Donald Trump\u00a0in a letter<\/a> to restrict the visas of certain Iranian officials and their movement in the United States, ahead of the United Nations’ (UN) general assembly next week.\u00a0Global leaders are expected to gather in New York City next Monday for the general assembly, where some leaders are\u00a0expected<\/a>\u00a0to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a so-called two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.<\/p>\n

Lawler, who serves as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, highlighted Iran\u2019s worsening human rights abuses and its support for terrorism in the wake of its 12-day war with Israel.<\/p>\n

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

\n

Rallying Against Executions and Repression in Iran<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The world is once again confronted with the horrifying reality of Iran\u2019s increasing use of executions as a tool of state control. On 29 August 2025, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a stark warning to Iran, urging the country to halt its escalating executions and impose a moratorium on the death penalty.<\/p>\n

According to the OHCHR,\u00a0Iranian authorities have executed<\/a>\u00a0at least 841 people in 2025 alone, with 110 people executed in July more than double the number during the same month last year. Since President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in August 2024, the regime has executed nearly 1,600 people in just 12 months, including women, juvenile offenders, and political prisoners. In the past 30 days alone, at least 162 people were hanged, many in public. Yet only around 4% of these executions have been officially acknowledged, underscoring what observers say is a deliberate strategy of secrecy and fear.<\/p>\n

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

\n

UPDATE: 2:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jonathan Burke Vows Aggressive Action Against Iran\u2019s Illicit Finance in Senate Testimony<\/h3>\n

\"U.S.<\/p>\n

Jonathan H. Burke, nominee for Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the U.S. Treasury Department, pledged to take a tougher stance<\/a> against the Iranian regime\u2019s illicit financial activities during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.<\/p>\n

Burke highlighted his prior experience at the Treasury from 2008 to 2012, where he \u201cplayed a key role in Treasury\u2019s efforts to use sanctions to combat Iran\u2019s illicit access to the international financial system.\u201d He emphasized that Iran\u2019s persistent attempts to bypass restrictions make robust enforcement essential: \u201cFinancial measures, including sanctions, are important tools in the U.S. arsenal to respond to geopolitical challenges and counter threats to the safety of the American people and our economy,\u201d Burke said.<\/p>\n

He warned that Tehran\u2019s growing use of sophisticated financial networks, digital platforms, and proxy entities has increased the difficulty of tracking and cutting off funds used to support terrorism, including groups like Hezbollah. Burke argued that the Treasury must move faster to \u201cidentify new vulnerabilities in the financial ecosystem before they are exploited.\u201d<\/p>\n

If confirmed, Burke pledged four key priorities:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Strengthening sanctions enforcement, particularly on Iran\u2019s financing networks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Closing regulatory gaps to prevent Tehran\u2019s access to international markets.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Enhancing public-private cooperation by engaging financial institutions directly.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Leveraging technology to counter Iran\u2019s evolving tactics in money laundering and terror funding.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Burke stressed that sanctions must be \u201cclear, targeted, and enforceable,\u201d calling for better alignment between U.S. regulators, global banks, and allied governments. The Senate committee is expected to vote on Burke\u2019s confirmation in the coming weeks. If approved, he would lead efforts to intensify financial pressure on Tehran.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Asharq Al-Awsat: Iraq Rejects Iran\u2019s Plea to Move Millions to Hezbollah via Border Crossing<\/h3>\n

    \"sharq-al-awsat-logo\"<\/p>\n

    A senior Iraqi official received a message from Iran in late August 2025, requesting \u201cextraordinary facilities\u201d at an official border crossing in the country\u2019s west to enable the transfer of cash shipments to Lebanon\u2019s Hezbollah via Syrian territory.<\/p>\n

    Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, and who claimed that he \u201cdid not respond to the Iranian message because of political and security complications.\u201d<\/p>\n

    According to multiple intersecting sources, Syrian and Lebanese security agencies have tracked intensified Iranian attempts in recent weeks to channel financial aid to Hezbollah, which is under pressure from a disarmament plan.<\/p>\n

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

    \n

    The Next Supreme Leader? What Pahlavi is Really Proposing<\/h3>\n

    \"international<\/p>\n

    Adolf Hitler once observed, \u201cBy means of shrewd lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell \u2013 and hell heaven. The greater the lie, the more readily it will be believed.\u201d Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran\u2019s ousted Shah, appears to be drawing from that dark playbook. On August 1, he unveiled a plan for Iran\u2019s future following a hoped-for collapse of the clerical regime. The \u201cPahlavi Plan,\u201d as set out, centers on a transition in which he presides with sweeping, personal authority for at least three years\u2014appointing the heads of the executive, legislature, judiciary, and intelligence services, and answering to no one. The architecture resembles rule by decree.<\/p>\n

    Each time the theocracy looks unsteady, Pahlavi\u2014now 64\u2014reemerges from his home outside Washington, D.C., to remind Iranians of his claim to the Peacock Throne. His father, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was toppled in 1979 amid mass anger over repression, corruption, and an extractive political economy. The Shah\u2019s rule\u2014marked by SAVAK, the feared secret police\u2014left an indelible record of human-rights abuses and public loathing that helped fuel the revolution.<\/p>\n

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

    \n

    Iran: Erasing the Traces of the Past to Better Repeat the Horror<\/h3>\n

    \"La<\/p>\n

    In Iran, the erasure of collective memory now goes hand in hand with an escalation of political repression. If the world continues to look away, silence will prevail.\u00a0On a scorching summer afternoon, beneath the weight of oppressive heat and silence, an elderly mother, her legs heavy with grief, slowly made her way to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, clutching a small bouquet of flowers tightly to her chest.<\/p>\n

    For years, she had come quietly, discreetly, to pray from a distance near Section 41 \u2014 the forbidden plot where those who were never officially acknowledged are buried.<\/p>\n

    But this time, everything was gone. No stones. No names. No trace of the dead. Bulldozers had erased the memory, flattening the earth into a bare, empty expanse \u2014 as if no lives had been lived there, no mourning endured, and no history ever rooted in this place.<\/p>\n

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

    \n

    UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

    PMOI\u2019s 60th Anniversary: A Legacy of Resilience, A Future Forged by Resistance Units<\/h3>\n

    As the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) marks its 60th founding anniversary in September 2025, it stands as a testament to six decades of relentless struggle against two successive dictatorships. This milestone is not merely a historical commemoration but a vibrant demonstration of an enduring movement that has weathered immense trials and tribulations.<\/p>\n

    \n

    PMOI\u2019s 60th anniversary: A legacy of resilience, a future forged by Resistance Units https:\/\/t.co\/9pnD4ukdrm<\/a><\/p>\n

    — People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n