{"id":347092,"date":"2026-08-04T07:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=347092"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:07:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T07:07:03","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-august-4-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-august-4-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 August 4, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"London,
London, United Kingdom \u2013 August 1, 2026: Iranian Resistance supporters held a rally and exhibition at Trafalgar Square on Saturday, August 1, to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

Tehran\u2019s Escalating War on Political Prisoners Exposes a Weakening Regime
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The Iranian regime is dangerously escalating its physical harassment and pressure on political prisoners, highlighted by a brutal, unprovoked raid on Evin Prison. On Saturday, August 1, 2026, at approximately 11:30 AM, prison guards\u00a0violently assaulted inmates<\/a>\u00a0in the political prisoners\u2019 hall of Evin\u2019s Ward 7. The guards severely beat the prisoners and forcibly transferred six individuals to an unknown location, dragging them away despite their injuries and torn clothes.<\/p>\n

Five of the disappeared victims are supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK). They include\u00a0Amir Hossein Moradi<\/a>, a 26-year-old elite student at Sharif University of Technology who has been held without a single day of furlough since his arrest in April 2020, serving a sentence of six years and eight months. Also targeted were\u00a0Ehsan Rostami<\/a>, a sociologist and director of Samandar Publishing and Bookstore, and his cousin Ramin Rostami, both arrested on August 20, 2025.<\/p>\n

The other transferred PMOI supporters are 31-year-old Pejman Toobareh-Rizi, who was arrested on January 28, 2025, and sentenced to 20 years in prison, and 58-year-old Mojtaba Taghavi. Taghavi was arrested in March 2024 and sentenced to six years and seven months simply for being the brother of\u00a0Mohammad Taghavi<\/a>, a martyred PMOI member executed earlier this year on March 30, 2026. The sixth transferred prisoner is children\u2019s rights activist Afshin Heyratian.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran: 32-Year-Old Mother, Mahtab Shir-Mohammadi, Executed in Yasuj Prison<\/h3>\n

\"iran-human-rights-violations-flag-gallows\"<\/p>\n

A female prisoner was executed in\u00a0Yasuj<\/a>\u00a0Prison in the early hours of Sunday, August 2, 2026. The prisoner was identified as Mahtab Shir-Mohammadi, a 32-year-old woman from Tabriz and the mother of one daughter.<\/p>\n

She had been arrested three years ago on a murder charge and was subsequently sentenced to death.\u00a0With the execution of Mahtab Shir-Mohammadi at the Prison of Yasuj, the number of women executed in the year 2026, reaches 19. According to\u00a0data recorded<\/a>\u00a0by the Women\u2019s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, at least\u00a0347 women\u00a0have been executed in Iran since 2007.<\/p>\n

Many of the women executed by the Iranian regime are themselves victims of domestic violence and discriminatory family laws. A significant number have acted in self-defense.<\/p>\n

Since Masoud Pezeshkian took office, the clerical regime has executed\u00a0nearly 3,970 prisoners, including\u00a0107 women.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran Regime\u2019s Regional Proxy Network Shows Signs of Recovery, Raising Security Concerns<\/h3>\n

\"Liwa<\/p>\n

Armed groups backed by the Iranian regime appear to be regaining momentum across the Middle East after suffering significant setbacks over the past several years, according to a report by CNN citing regional analysts.<\/p>\n

The assessment suggests that Tehran\u2019s longstanding network of proxy organizations, while weakened by recent regional conflicts and leadership losses, remains operational and is adapting to changing conditions. Analysts argue that the recovery of these groups could strengthen the regime\u2019s ability to exert pressure beyond its borders and complicate regional security dynamics.<\/p>\n

For decades, the Iranian regime has pursued a strategy of expanding its influence through allied armed groups operating across the Middle East. These organizations have served as a central component of Tehran\u2019s regional security doctrine, allowing the regime to project power while avoiding direct military confrontation.<\/p>\n

Although many of these groups suffered serious losses in recent years\u2014including the deaths of senior commanders and intensified military pressure\u2014they have not disappeared. Instead, analysts believe they are reorganizing and adapting to a new regional environment.<\/p>\n

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

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UK Conservatives Call for Iran\u2019s Intelligence Ministry to Be Banned as a Terrorist Organization<\/h3>\n

\"cyber<\/p>\n

Britain\u2019s Conservative Party has called on the government to use newly enacted national security legislation to designate Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) as a terrorist organization, arguing that it poses a threat comparable to the already-banned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).<\/p>\n

The proposal follows the British government\u2019s recent decision to invoke new emergency powers to proscribe the IRGC and other foreign state-linked organizations under legislation designed to combat hostile activities conducted on behalf of foreign governments.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0The Telegraph<\/em>, Conservative lawmakers now want the government to extend those same powers to the MOIS and the Zindashti criminal network, which British officials have identified as closely linked to the intelligence ministry.<\/p>\n

Shadow National Security Minister Alicia Kearns argued that while the IRGC has received considerable public attention, the MOIS has played an equally significant role in the Iranian regime\u2019s overseas operations.<\/p>\n

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

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Regime-Linked Economists Warn Iran Is Approaching Hyperinflation<\/h3>\n

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Warnings from economists affiliated with the Iranian regime have highlighted growing alarm over the country\u2019s deteriorating economic outlook, with experts cautioning that continued depreciation of the national currency could ultimately trigger hyperinflation.<\/p>\n

The latest warning came from Hossein Raghfar, an economist known for his proximity to the regime, who described Iran\u2019s economic situation as \u201cextremely unfavorable\u201d and argued that current monetary and exchange-rate policies risk driving the country toward a far more severe inflationary crisis.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the state-affiliated ILNA news agency on Saturday, Raghfar responded to recent remarks by fellow regime economist Masoud Nili, who warned that Iran has reached what he described as the \u201cstation before hyperinflation.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Raghfar argued that Iran has not yet entered a state of hyperinflation in the technical sense, he acknowledged that the country\u2019s economic indicators are moving in a deeply troubling direction.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that prices of many goods have increased by more than 100 percent over recent months. However, he noted that economists generally define hyperinflation as a period in which monthly inflation reaches approximately 40 to 50 percent, a threshold Iran has not yet crossed.<\/p>\n

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

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Continued Labor Protests: Telecommunications Retirees Rally in Various Iranian Cities<\/h3>\n

\"Iran<\/p>\n

As labor protests continued across different parts of Iran, on Monday, August 3, telecommunications retirees in Bijar County and dismissed workers from the maintenance unit of Salman Farsi Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr held protest gatherings, demanding that their grievances be addressed.<\/p>\n

In Bijar, a group of telecommunications retirees staged a protest over their living conditions, the management of the Telecommunication Company of Iran, and the performance of the company\u2019s major shareholders. The protesters identified the Execution of Imam Khomeini\u2019s Order (EIKO), the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, and Mobin Trust Consortium as the principal shareholders of the telecommunications company and called for their livelihood and labor-related demands to be addressed.<\/p>\n

At the same time in Mahshahr, 52 dismissed workers from the maintenance unit of Salman Farsi Petrochemical Company gathered outside the governor\u2019s office and the office of the local member of Majlis (parliament), demanding reinstatement and an end to their employment uncertainty.<\/p>\n

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

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Raid on Evin Prison\u2019s Ward 7 and the Enforced Disappearances of Six Political Prisoners<\/h3>\n

\"Evin-Prison-Zeinab-Hamrang-min<\/p>\n

Following the receipt of verified and complementary information, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, Evin Prison guard forces launched a violent raid on Ward 7 (housing political prisoners). After severely beating and injuring six political prisoners, officers transferred them to an undisclosed location. As time passes without any official clarification, concerns regarding their torture and enforced disappearance have intensified.<\/p>\n

At approximately 11:30 AM on Saturday, August 1, 2026, special guard units at Evin Prison entered the political prisoners\u2019 hall in Ward 7 without presenting any written transfer order or official warrant. The officers subjected six political prisoners to severe physical assault and violence.<\/p>\n

The severity of the violence resulted in physical injuries to the prisoners and tore their clothing during the forced extraction. Eyewitnesses described the atmosphere of the ward during the operation as extremely tense and intimidating.<\/p>\n

Field reports emphasize that this action was pre-planned and executed under the direct supervision and presence of senior Evin Prison officials. Officials present at the scene include<\/p>\n

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

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From Deterrence to Diplomacy: Iran\u2019s Internal Debate Deepens Over U.S. Relations Following Halted Strike<\/h3>\n

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Tehran<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Donald Trump\u2019s decision to halt a strike that he had previously said was ready to be carried out has confronted Iran with a choice that extends beyond foreign policy. Inside the country,\u00a0disagreement over negotiations<\/a>\u00a0with the United States has evolved into a broader debate over the definition of victory, the function of deterrence, the cost of continuing the war, and the role of the Islamic Republic\u2019s regional network.<\/p>\n

Rather than reflecting a simple divide between the government and its opponents, these disagreements are also visible among factions close to Iran\u2019s power structure. Some conservative writers and media outlets view the halted strike as evidence of a strategic failure by the United States and proof that pressure should continue. Others, including analysts writing in state-affiliated and reformist newspapers, argue that deterrence succeeds only if it opens the way to a political resolution of the crisis.<\/p>\n

Trump has said that he called off the attack following requests from Iran and regional countries in order to create an opportunity to reach a swift agreement. Yet there is no consensus in Tehran even over the reasons behind that decision. Amir Ali Abolfath, an international affairs analyst,\u00a0told\u00a0Arman-e Melli<\/em>\u00a0that<\/a>\u00a0the U.S. president typically \u201craises the level of threats to the highest point\u201d before backing down at the last moment in an effort to place psychological pressure on Iran and compel it to accept Washington\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n

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

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Rally in Gothenburg Condemns Executions and Supports a Democratic Republic in Iran<\/h3>\n

Gothenburg, Sweden \u2013 August 1, 2026:\u00a0Supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/span><\/a>) gathered to protest the Iranian regime\u2019s ongoing wave of executions and to call for an immediate halt to death sentences.<\/p>\n

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Rally in Gothenburg Condemns Executions and Supports a Democratic Republic in Iran \u2013 August 1, 2026<\/div><\/div>
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