{"id":344656,"date":"2026-04-26T07:42:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=344656"},"modified":"2026-04-26T08:45:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T07:45:58","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-april-26-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-april-26-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 April 26, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Geneva, April 24, 2026 \u2014 Supporters of the Iranian Resistance honored Dr. Kazem Rajavi and called for the trial of regime leaders over executions of political prisoners and arrested January 2026 protesters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

UPDATE: 9:30 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smuggled Video Reveals Defiant Song of Hanged Iran Protesters<\/h3>\n

\"sunday<\/p>\n

Pouya Ghobadi was seated alone in a prison yard. A single leafless sapling threw a thin shadow against a wall topped with coils of barbed wire. In one corner, someone had scrawled in Persian: \u201cDeath to the dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghobadi, 33, an electrical engineer from the western city of Sonqor, then began to sing. \u201cI clench the weapon\u2019s grip, with iron in my hand,\u201d he chanted, his voice steady. \u201cFor fire is the only answer to this land.\u201d The camera filming the young man tilted towards the sky.<\/p>\n

Five weeks after this video was taken, Ghobadi was dead. According to Amnesty International, he was allegedly tortured before the Iranian regime hanged him on March 31, accusing him of armed rebellion against the state and membership in an outlawed organisation.<\/p>\n

He was one of at least 17 people put to death by Iran over the five weeks to April 21, a pace that human rights monitors claim has been the fastest for decades. Amnesty believes Iran is the world\u2019s second most prolific user of the death penalty, after China.<\/p>\n

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

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

PMOI Resistance Units in Zahedan Prove the Regime\u2019s Intimidation Campaign Has Failed<\/h3>\n

\"MEK<\/p>\n

Despite the Iranian regime\u2019s frantic attempts to crush internal dissent through an unprecedented wave of fear and repression, PMOI Resistance Units in Zahedan boldly resumed their anti-regime activities on April 24. As the clerical regime finds itself at its weakest and most vulnerable point in history, its leaders are realizing a fundamental truth: their primary existential threat is not external war, but the deep-seated popular outrage and the organized resistance of the Iranian people. The regime\u2019s efforts to intimidate the public have visibly failed.<\/p>\n

Taking to the streets in Zahedan, the courageous Resistance Units displayed placards in public spaces with bold messages of resistance, disrupting the regime\u2019s calculations. They proudly declared that<\/p>\n

\u201cNo system built on fear, repression, torture, and executions can endure in the long run.\u201d Through their ongoing defiance, the activists emphasized that the sacrifice of Iran\u2019s heroic rebels has \u201cexposed and broke the silence and censorship imposed against the resistance.\u201d Reminding the public of the movement\u2019s deep roots, placards read,\u00a0\u201cFor over 60 years, our Resistance has stood firm in an unbroken fight against the dictatorships of both the Shah and the mullahs, and today it stands as a symbol of hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Healthcare Workers Continue Protest for Second Day<\/h3>\n

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Protests by healthcare workers in Yazd, a key central province in Iran, entered a second consecutive day on Saturday, April 25.<\/p>\n

Employees of the provincial health center gathered in a large demonstration outside the Governor\u2019s Office to voice their grievances and demand accountability.<\/p>\n

Participants cited worsening living conditions, unpaid wages, and inadequate working environment as the primary drivers of the demonstrations. They called for immediate intervention by authorities, stressing that many of their longstanding demands have gone unanswered.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0protesters<\/a>, a significant source of frustration stems from the continued lack of official response. Demonstrators emphasized that no government representative has appeared to address their concerns, leaving their appeals effectively ignored.<\/p>\n

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

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Reza Pahlavi and the Dream of Reviving SAVAK<\/h3>\n

\"Reza<\/p>\n

Reza Pahlavi\u2019s recent trip to Sweden\u2014promoted by his supporters as an \u201cofficial parliamentary visit\u201d\u2014has once again brought into sharp focus the enduring controversy surrounding the Pahlavi dynasty and its political ambitions. Far from signaling broad international legitimacy, reports indicate that his appearance was limited in scope, taking place in a small, side-room gathering attended by a narrow audience that included a handful of representatives from a right-wing political faction. This stark contrast between the promotional narrative and the actual setting raises fundamental questions about both intent and credibility.<\/p>\n

More importantly, the visit has reignited a deeper and more consequential debate: can a political project rooted in a legacy widely associated with authoritarianism credibly position itself as a vehicle for democratic change in Iran?<\/p>\n

Swedish daily\u00a0Dagens Nyheter<\/em>\u00a0captured this tension succinctly, noting that \u201cwhile the resistance movement in Iran is inherently anti-authoritarian, inviting Reza Pahlavi grants legitimacy to a figure whose political project is grounded in an authoritarian legacy.\u201d The paper further drew a parallel to post-invasion Iraq, where figures such as Ahmed Chalabi emerged in political vacuums, presenting themselves as viable alternatives despite tenuous domestic legitimacy\u2014often with destabilizing consequences.<\/p>\n

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

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War and Policy Failures Push Iran\u2019s Construction Workers into Collapse<\/h3>\n

\"Day<\/p>\n

The recent war involving the Iran regime, the United States, and Israel has driven Iran\u2019s construction workers into a crisis, pushing them to the edge of absolute poverty and uncertainty. According to official statistics and field reports, approximately 1.2 million worker households have seen their livelihoods effectively collapse. This vast labor force, already weakened by a prolonged housing recession, now finds itself buried under crushing living costs with no safety net.\u00a0Iran\u2019s construction sector had been deteriorating long before the outbreak of military conflict. Reports from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development indicate that while the country requires at least one million new housing units annually, actual construction in recent years has barely reached one-third of that demand. With the onset of war, this fragile sector has now ground to a near-complete halt.<\/p>\n

Akbar Shokat, head of the Construction Workers\u2019 Trade Association, described the scale of the collapse in stark terms: \u201cBetween 2012 and 2022, around 110 million square meters of residential units were built annually. Last year, this fell to 65 million square meters, and now, with the military crisis, construction activity has dropped to just 20 percent of last year\u2019s level.\u201d For workers, this translates into an almost total loss of income.<\/p>\n

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

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Manufactured Alternatives and the Struggle for Iran\u2019s Future<\/h3>\n

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As the clerical establishment in Iran shows increasing signs of internal strain, a familiar political mechanism has accelerated: the construction of \u201calternatives.\u201d This process, however, is neither new nor particularly innovative. It resembles an old, overused engine\u2014revved up in moments of crisis, yet structurally incapable of delivering meaningful change.\u00a0In recent months, segments of the Iranian public have been encouraged\u2014implicitly and explicitly\u2014to remain passive, to \u201cwait\u201d for external forces or dramatic geopolitical events to deliver liberation. At the same time, the lived reality of protest\u2014people risking their lives in the streets\u2014has often been reframed or appropriated to amplify figures positioned as ready-made leaders for a post-regime Iran. Through repetition across social media and satellite broadcasting, certain narratives have been amplified far beyond their organic base of support.<\/p>\n

A recurring feature of this discourse has been the open or thinly veiled call for foreign military intervention, presented as the only viable path to change. Yet historical experience suggests that such interventions rarely align with the long-term interests of the societies they claim to assist. Instead, they tend to reflect the strategic priorities of external powers, often at the expense of domestic democratic development.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran War: Escalating Drug Shortages and Disruption of Healthcare Services<\/h3>\n

\"Iran-Pharmacy\"<\/p>\n

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that the consequences of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran could place the country\u2019s healthcare system under strain for months or even years.<\/p>\n

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated that after weeks of bombardment, Iran is facing the risk of a serious crisis in the provision of healthcare services, and shortages of equipment along with disruptions in supply chains may persist for an extended period. At the same time, the state-run newspaper Donya-ye-Eqtesad reported that drug shortages\u2014especially specialized and imported medications\u2014have intensified in Tehran pharmacies, forcing patients either to wait for supplies or to use alternatives with lower effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Cristian Cortez Cardoza, Regional Vice President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the Middle East and North Africa, said after a four-day visit to Iran in Geneva that a ceasefire does not signify the end of the crisis.<\/p>\n

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

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Sudden And Violent Transfers of Political Prisoners to Qezel Hesar Prison<\/h3>\n

\"qezelhesar-prison-iran\"<\/p>\n

Following an unprecedented wave of political executions in Iran\u00a0(17 executions in 35 days)<\/u><\/em>\u00a0and continuous pressure on political detainees, the forced transfer of political prisoners to Qezel Hesar\u2014notoriously known as the\u00a0\u201cExecution Prison\u201d<\/em>\u2014continues. These transfers signal a new strategic shift by the Islamic Republic\u2019s judiciary to physically eliminate dissidents in an environment of extreme isolation and heightened restrictions. In the most recent judicial action, at\u00a07 political prisoners<\/em>\u00a0from Ward 7 of Evin Prison were abruptly and violently moved to solitary confinement cells in\u00a0Unit 3 of Qezel Hesar<\/em>. Among families of the incarcerated, Unit 3 is infamous as a place of brutal conditions, severe restrictions, and direct threats to the lives of prisoners.<\/p>\n