{"id":344181,"date":"2026-04-09T06:54:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T05:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=344181"},"modified":"2026-04-09T19:39:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T18:39:18","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-9-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-9-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 9, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Berlin,
Berlin, April 7, 2026 \u2014 NCRI supporters rallied outside the Iranian regime’s embassy to condemn the execution of six PMOI political prisoners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 08:30 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Costa Rica Declares Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Deutsche_Welle_Logo-30112020\"<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Costa Rican<\/a>\u00a0government declared the\u00a0Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards<\/a>, Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemeni Ansarallah as terrorist organizations on Wednesday (08.04.2026), because it considers them a risk to international security.<\/p>\n

The decision was announced Wednesday by Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, Security Minister Mario Zamora and Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andr\u00e9 during the president’s weekly press conference.<\/p>\n

Zamora said that this categorization is the result of “international cooperation work with intelligence counterparts” and that from now on Costa Rica will\u00a0reinforce its security measures<\/a>\u00a0to prevent the entry of people related to these organizations and capital into the banking system.<\/p>\n

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

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Bolivia Canceled the Military Cooperation Agreement with Iran Signed by the Arce Government in 2023<\/h3>\n

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The Bolivian government confirmed on Wednesday the\u00a0cancellation of the military cooperation agreement that the then president\u00a0Luis Arce signed with Iran<\/a>\u00a0in July 2023. Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas indicated that the agreement was denounced approximately four months ago and that it is no longer in force. The statement, made to journalists who consulted about the status of the agreement, is the first official public confirmation of its termination.<\/p>\n

“About four months ago,\u00a0that military cooperation agreement has been denounced, so that contract no longer exists,” Salinas said, according to the agency\u00a0EFE<\/i>. The minister added that the agreements with Tehran “have simply been concluded and no longer exist,” without offering details on which actors formally promoted the termination or whether there was any external pressure.<\/p>\n

The agreement was signed on July 20, 2023, in Tehran by the then Minister of Defense, Edmundo Novillo, and his Iranian counterpart at the time, Brigadier General Mohamad Reza Qaraee Ashtiani. The document established a framework for cooperation in security and defense\u00a0which included assistance for border surveillance, the fight against drug trafficking and smuggling, and the possible supply of Iranian military drones. The opacity with which it was handled generated questions within Bolivia and a reaction of alarm in Argentina, a country that in the 1990s suffered two attacks that the Argentine justice system attributed to Iran.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 09:30 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

War Within War: Repression In the Shadow of the Conflict in Iran<\/h3>\n

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The\u00a0recent spate of executions in Iran<\/a>\u00a0should force us to rethink one of the most persistent assumptions in the European debate: that war, by weakening a regime, brings democratic change closer. It is not like that.\u00a0Military pressure can expose vulnerabilities, but it does not in itself generate political transformation. In authoritarian systems, it usually produces the opposite effect. That is precisely what happened in Iran. The external conflict did not open up room for change, but rather reduced it:\u00a0it allowed the authorities to present dissent as a matter of national security, justify harsher repression and act preemptively against organized opposition.<\/p>\n

The recent executions must be understood in that context. Between 30 March and 4 April,\u00a0six political prisoners,\u00a0including engineers such as Vahid Bani Amerian (33), Abolhassan Montazer (66), a former political prisoner from the Shah’s time, and Pouya Ghobadi (33), were executed for their links to the country’s main resistance movement, the People’s Mujahideen of Iran (MEK). In the days that followed, several young people arrested during the January 2026 national uprising suffered the same fate.\u00a0These are not isolated acts, but a deliberate strategy to contain a society\u00a0marked by deep malaise.<\/p>\n

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The Iranian Opposition Warns That Peace Will Only Come If the Regime Falls<\/h3>\n

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Iran’s National Council of Resistance (NCRI) on Wednesday expressed its satisfaction with the ceasefire, but warned that lasting peace will only come when the theocratic dictatorship established in Tehran in 1979 is overthrown.<\/p>\n

In a statement made public in Paris, the president-elect of the NCRI for the transitional period, Maryam Rajavi, welcomed the truce, “in particular the cessation of attacks on civilian infrastructure and facilities”, and said that “it was the most appropriate decision of the United States at the most sensitive time”.<\/p>\n

Rajavi was however skeptical about the true intentions of the leaders of the Islamic Republic, as well as of “the remnants” of the Shah’s regime, regarding the agreement in extremis reached with Washington. The opposition leader insisted that, “as the Iranian resistance has stressed for the past 45 years, lasting peace will only be achieved if the absolute clerical, terrorist and bellicose dictatorship is overthrown, through the Iranian people, organized resistance and the establishment of a democratic republic.”<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 07:30 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Executions Of PMOI Members Only Fuel the Resolve of Iran\u2019s Resistance Units<\/h3>\n

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The Iranian regime\u2019s desperate attempt to terrorize the youth and crush the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) through a brutal wave of executions has backfired. Instead of instilling fear, the state-sanctioned murders have ignited a fierce response from PMOI Resistance Units across the country, proving that the ruling clerics\u2019 strategy of intimidation has failed and only deepened the resolve of the youth to overthrow the dictatorship.<\/p>\n

In the span of just a few days, between March 30 and April 4, 2026, the regime hanged six PMOI political prisoners: Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Vahid Bani Amerian, and Abolhassan Montazer. Driven by profound weakness, the authorities hoped these heinous acts would physically eliminate their organized opposition and terrorize a restless society. On the contrary, PMOI Resistance Units immediately commemorated their martyred comrades and publicly vowed to continue the fight against the regime.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Defining Crisis: War or Executions?<\/h3>\n

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What defines Iran\u2019s current crisis? War\u2014or executions?<\/p>\n

At first glance, the answer may seem obvious. War dominates the landscape. Its scale, its noise, and its psychological weight stretch across the horizon, capturing attention and shaping perception. It darkens the future and fixes the public gaze upward\u2014toward missiles, aircraft, and geopolitical confrontation.<\/p>\n

Executions, however, operate differently. They unfold on the ground, often in silence, yet with far greater strategic precision. Beneath the shadow and noise of war, executions can be carried out more systematically, with reduced scrutiny and diminished immediate backlash. While war distracts, executions proceed.<\/p>\n

The Iranian regime has undoubtedly absorbed significant blows from aerial conflict. Yet its primary threat does not come from the sky. It comes from the ground\u2014an Iran in which a vast majority of the population is disillusioned, oppositional, and increasingly oriented toward regime change.<\/p>\n

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

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Fluorspar Miners Dismissed in Tabas as Labor Crisis Deepens Amid Economic Turmoil<\/h3>\n

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The wave of layoffs and job insecurity sweeping across Iran\u2019s industrial sectors has reached the fluorspar mines of Tabas, where dozens of experienced workers have recently been dismissed. Reports indicate that many of those affected are long-serving, skilled laborers\u2014some only months away from retirement\u2014raising serious concerns among workers and labor activists about the deepening employment crisis.\u00a0According to a report published on April 6, 2026, by the state-affiliated ILNA news agency, the executive secretary of the Tabas Workers\u2019 House announced that between 20 and 25 specialized workers at a fluorspar mining company have been laid off. These dismissals disproportionately affect individuals who have spent years working under harsh and hazardous mining conditions, only to now face economic uncertainty at the final stage of their careers.<\/p>\n

Ebrahim Rahimian, the local labor official, attributed the layoffs to the company\u2019s significant unpaid \u201cgovernment dues.\u201d He warned that the mining license could be revoked and reassigned to another operator, a development that has directly contributed to the workers\u2019 dismissal. Rahimian placed responsibility squarely on the employer, questioning why these obligations had gone unpaid for years\u2014inaction that has now translated into job losses.<\/p>\n

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

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Ceasefire Sparks Hope for Change: Resistance Welcomes Trump\u2019s Move Amid Tehran\u2019s Struggles<\/h3>\n

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WASHINGTON \/ TEHRAN \/ ISLAMABAD \u2014\u00a0In a fast\u2011moving development, U.S. President Donald Trump announced his approval of Pakistan\u2019s request to suspend all American military operations against Iran for two weeks. The move, described by Trump as a \u201cmutual ceasefire,\u201d aims to create space for potential negotiations while maintaining strong conditions on the Iranian regime, including the full and safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Trump said the United States had \u201cachieved and exceeded\u201d its military objectives, adding that Tehran had submitted a ten\u2011point proposal through Pakistan that could serve as a basis for talks. Sources close to the administration say the temporary truce is intended to test whether Iran\u2019s regime is prepared for genuine engagement or simply seeking relief under military pressure.<\/p>\n

Oil markets reacted sharply, with prices dropping below $100 per barrel after news of the ceasefire. Israeli officials confirmed their commitment to maintaining the truce, while analysts noted renewed diplomatic activity between Washington and Islamabad aimed at stabilizing regional tensions.<\/p>\n

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

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The Command to Accelerate Executions and Systematic Suppression in Iran<\/h3>\n

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Contrary to international norms where governments focus on border protection during military conflicts, recent statements by high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic reveal that the \u201cstreets of Iran\u201d and \u201cpolitical dissidents\u201d are the primary and ultimate targets of the sovereignty.<\/p>\n