{"id":345828,"date":"2026-06-18T07:21:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T06:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=345828"},"modified":"2026-06-18T07:22:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T06:22:43","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-june-18-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-june-18-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 June 18, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MEK Resistance Units mark the anniversary of June 20 with coordinated actions across cities throughout Iran\u2014 June 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

PMOI Resistance Units Honor June 20 Anniversary Across Iran<\/h3>\n

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On June 16, 2026, ahead of a monumental international gathering of the Iranian Resistance, PMOI\/MEK Resistance Units launched a widespread campaign across Iran. Spanning major cities from the north to the south, these activists took to the streets to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the June 20, 1981, uprising and to declare their unwavering solidarity with the upcoming Free Iran rally in France.\u00a0In highly organized displays of defiance, Resistance Units carried out visible activities in Astara, Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Urmia. In Tehran and Isfahan, groups of PMOI Resistance Units bravely marched in the streets holding placards that read \u201cCommemorating June 20th.\u201d<\/p>\n

Activists hung large placards from pedestrian bridges, including a prominent display in Tehran featuring the photo of Massoud Rajavi alongside the emblem of the National Liberation Army (NLA) with the message: \u201cJune 20, 1981, marked the dawn of the most magnificent and monumental resistance in the history of Iran.\u201d The overarching message of these campaigns emphasized a rejection of all dictatorships.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran: Baluch Protest Suppressed in Kerman; Women Beaten and Arrested<\/h3>\n

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KERMAN, Iran\u00a0_\u00a0Baluch Protest\u00a0\u2014 On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the Iranian regime\u2019s repressive military forces violently attacked a peaceful protest by Baluch residents in Pashmoki village, located in the Faryab region of\u00a0Kerman<\/a>\u00a0province. The forces brutally beat the protesters, specifically targeting women, and arrested several individuals.<\/p>\n

During this violent crackdown, at least seven Baluch women were injured. Furthermore, regime forces arrested six local citizens, including three women, and transferred them to an unknown location.<\/p>\n

Local residents were protesting for the second consecutive day against the unjust allocation of the Pashmoki chromite mine, which deprives the indigenous population of the mine\u2019s economic benefits and opportunities. The local population is demanding their basic rights to profit from the natural resources and wealth of their own region. Women played a courageous and active role in this gathering. According to eyewitnesses, instead of addressing the people\u2019s legitimate demands, the regime\u2019s security forces used blatant violence and physical assault to break up the protest and disperse the crowd.<\/p>\n

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

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When Inflation Devours Wages: The Economic Bankruptcy Behind Iran\u2019s Collapse in Living Standards<\/h3>\n

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For decades, discussions about wages and inflation in Iran have been treated as technical debates among economists and policymakers. Yet the numbers tell a far more consequential story. The historical relationship between wages and inflation is not merely an economic indicator\u2014it is a measure of the regime\u2019s structural failure to provide even the most basic economic security for its citizens.<\/p>\n

Every year, the regime\u2019s Supreme Labor Council announces a new minimum wage increase amid extensive media coverage and official claims of support for workers. On paper, wages rise. In reality, workers become poorer. The widening gap between nominal wage growth and the actual cost of living has become one of the clearest indicators of Iran\u2019s economic decline.<\/p>\n

As the state-run newspaper\u00a0Jahan-e Sanat<\/em>\u00a0recently observed in its analysis, minimum wage levels have evolved from a simple labor policy metric into a thermometer measuring the failure of economic governance. Despite annual wage negotiations and headline-grabbing increases, workers repeatedly confront the same question: why does the family table become smaller every year despite higher salaries?<\/p>\n

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

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Child Laborers: The Silent Victims of Poverty and Inflation in Iran<\/h3>\n

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On June 15, the state-run Shargh newspaper published a report on child labor titled \u201cChildhood on a Work Shift,\u201d highlighting the painful conditions faced by child laborers in Iran. At the same time, on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour, a conference titled \u201cRed Card to Child Labor\u201d was held in Tehran. Unlike many official ceremonies, the event presented a bleak and alarming picture of the situation of child laborers in Iran. Statistics and remarks by experts attending the conference indicate that child labor is not merely a limited social problem but one of the most widespread manifestations of poverty, inequality, and the failure of support structures under Iran\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

According to estimates presented at the conference, approximately 2 million children in Iran are engaged in labor. Even the speakers described this figure as a conservative estimate. The lack of transparent and reliable statistics has left the true scale of the child labor crisis shrouded in uncertainty. While a report by the Statistical Center of Iran in 2017 estimated that about 410,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 were employed, social activists argue that this figure represents only a small fraction of reality, as many working children\u2014especially those without identity documents or those who are migrants\u2014are not recorded in any official statistics.<\/p>\n

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

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Sacrificing Human Rights in Iran at the Altar of Energy Diplomacy<\/h3>\n

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While the world remains engrossed in the peace accord between Iran and the United States, counting down the moments for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to restore the global flow of oil and energy, the reality of sacrificing human rights remains glaringly obvious in this deal. There is no demand for the cessation of executions, no appeal for the release of political prisoners, and no accountability for the massacres, slaughters, and war crimes that have swallowed over 30,000 lives\u2014predominantly Iran\u2019s youth. Merely reading the headlines of human rights violations in Iran requires immense emotional fortitude, let alone diving into their details; yet, from the \u201ccivilized\u201d world, nothing is heard but a deafening silence of inaction.<\/p>\n

June 16<\/strong>: On 16 June, Mizan News Agency reported the execution of Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saedi, two individuals arrested during the nationwide protests of December 2025 in Semnan Province. Although authorities have published a list of security\u2011related charges against these political prisoners, no transparent information has been made available regarding the interrogation process, the judicial proceedings, the fairness and quality of the trial, or their access to legal defense rights.<\/p>\n

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

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Ali Rabii, Iran President\u2019s Social Affairs Assistant, Admits 70% of Iranians Want Change<\/h3>\n

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New data and field reports from the capital suggest that accumulated domestic grievances have turned into a Gordian knot rooted in severe economic challenges.<\/p>\n

Rabii, a veteran security figure who now serves as the government\u2019s social affairs assistant, recently conceded in remarks to domestic media that public opinion has undergone a major shift. Citing undisclosed statistical assessments,\u00a0he stated<\/a>\u00a0that more than 60 percent of the population \u2014 and by some indicators nearly three-quarters of society \u2014 seek change in the current structure. According to him, this segment encompasses a significant share of the country\u2019s social dynamics, and the authorities can no longer afford to ignore it.<\/p>\n

The Achilles\u2019 heel of Rabii\u2019s remarks is the silence surrounding the reasons behind this situation. While official platforms consistently focus on external factors, major economic and civil indicators suggest that the principal driver of public disillusionment is severe\u00a0mismanagement\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0restrictions\u00a0<\/a>on\u00a0basic freedoms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

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MEK Supporters in Switzerland Promote June 20 Paris Free Iran Rally for a Democratic Republic<\/h3>\n

Bern, Switzerland \u2013 June 2026:\u00a0In the lead-up to the major\u00a0June 20 rally in Paris<\/span><\/a>, supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/span><\/a>) have launched activities across Switzerland to promote the event. Meanwhile, supporters gathered outside the Iranian regime\u2019s embassy in Bern, urging freedom-loving Iranians to\u00a0join the June 20 Free Iran Rally, where\u00a0100,000 participants\u00a0are expected to assemble at Place Vauban in Paris\u2019s 7th arrondissement, calling for an end to executions and expressing support for a democratic republic in Iran.<\/p>\n

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MEK Supporters in Switzerland Promote June 20 Paris Free Iran Rally for a Democratic Republic<\/div><\/div>
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