{"id":348852,"date":"2026-10-19T07:27:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=348852"},"modified":"2026-10-19T07:27:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:27:57","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-october-19-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-october-19-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 October 19, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On October 17, 2026, NCRI supporters held a rally in Malm\u00f6, Sweden to reaffirm their support for the Resistance’s provisional government<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

Resistance Units in Zahedan Reject Shah and Mullahs, Demand a Democratic Republic<\/h3>\n

\"Resistance<\/p>\n

On October 16, 2026, PMOI\/MEK Resistance Units resumed their weekly anti-regime activities in Zahedan, southeastern Iran, displaying placards in public places rejecting both the ruling clerical dictatorship and a return to monarchy. Their messages linked opposition to executions and repression with the demand for a democratic republic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA dictator is a dictator, whether with a turban or a crown,\u201d read one placard. Another declared: \u201cNo to mullahs, no to shah, yes to freedom and democratic republic.\u201d<\/p>\n

A major theme of the campaign was opposition to promoting Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran\u2019s deposed shah, as a representative of the Iranian people. The messages came amid controversy over the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom\u2019s 2026 Freedom Prize, which was offered to Pahlavi. The decision to give the prize to the representative of the ousted shah dictatorship has caused outrage, including a letter dated October 16<\/a>, in which 306 Iranian associations and communities protested the arrangement.<\/p>\n

One placard rejected \u201crewarding or legitimizing the remnants of the autocratic, foreign-dependent Shah,\u201d arguing that monarchical dictatorship deserved no more recognition than clerical dictatorship.<\/p>\n

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

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Veteran PMOI Member Jalal Farkhondi Passes Away After 50 Years Of Resistance Against Two Dictatorships<\/h3>\n

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It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of PMOI member Jalal Farkhondi in Albania due to illness, following 50 years of relentless struggle against two dictatorships in the ranks of the PMOI and the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA).<\/p>\n

Jalal Farkhondi was born in 1960 in Tabriz, northwestern Iran. In 1976, while studying in Tehran, he became acquainted with the ideals and struggles of the PMOI by reading the biographies of its martyrs and the defense statements of PMOI members before the Shah\u2019s military courts.<\/p>\n

Together with a group of students and friends from his neighborhood, he began distributing leaflets and engaging in activities in support of the PMOI. As a result, he was arrested by the Gendarmerie in Amol in June 1976 and was detained and interrogated for several days.<\/p>\n

In 1979, during the anti-monarchical revolution, Jalal Farkhondi participated in organizing demonstrations and protest marches. Following the September 8, 1978 massacre, carried out on the orders of the treacherous Shah, he intensified his activities, spreading the slogans \u201cThe only path to liberation is armed struggle\u201d and \u201cFreedom for political prisoners\u201d among young people.<\/p>\n

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

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Femicide in Iran: When the Law Grants Killers Impunity Instead of Protecting Women<\/h3>\n

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Femicide in Iran: In just a few days in October 2026, several women and girls were murdered in different cities across Iran by the men closest to them\u2014from a 16-year-old child bride<\/a> to a mother who was shot alongside her 14-year-old daughter.<\/h5>\n

These crimes are neither isolated incidents nor exceptional cases. They are part of the reality women in Iran face every day: a reality in which the misogynistic laws of the mullahs\u2019 regime, ineffective penalties, and a culture of impunity for perpetrators of violence have created conditions that allow femicide to continue.<\/p>\n

A review of killings reported in recent weeks shows that violence against women in Iran<\/a> is not an individual or family crisis, but a structural problem rooted in the state itself.<\/p>\n

Fereshteh Yousefzadeh, a 38-year-old mother of three, was murdered by her husband, a member of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mohammad Mohammadi, 56, an IRGC member in the city of Dehloran, Ilam Province, opened fire with a Kalashnikov, killing Fereshteh, her 14-year-old daughter Roza, and her nine-year-old twins, Radbin and Hadis.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran Regime\u2019s Unfulfilled Food Voucher Promises Leave Millions Facing Exclusion<\/h3>\n

\"Soaring<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s regime is facing growing public anger over its failure to deliver promised increases in food voucher allowances, as soaring prices erode household purchasing power and millions risk losing access to the program. The food voucher scheme, presented as a measure to protect livelihoods amid the country\u2019s deepening economic crisis, has instead become another source of frustration for families struggling to afford basic necessities.<\/p>\n

The controversy intensified after months of delays, repeated changes to eligibility criteria, and reports that the government intends to remove millions of people from the list of beneficiaries.<\/p>\n

In December 2025, after President Masoud Pezeshkian\u2019s government removed the preferential exchange rate, officials promised to provide food vouchers worth one million tomans to all citizens. The measure was presented as compensation for the resulting economic pressure on households.<\/p>\n

Approximately nine months later, however, the promised support had still not materialized as announced.<\/p>\n

On October 7, 2026, officials once again discussed changes to the program without announcing a concrete increase in the allowance. Instead, new eligibility conditions were introduced, including an income ceiling of 20 million tomans and restrictions involving home and car ownership.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran: Militarization of Children and Their Military Training<\/h3>\n

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In October 2026 (Mehr 1405), the publication of documented images and reports in Iranian domestic media, including Rouydad 24 and ISNA, revealed alarming dimensions of the military training of children and adolescents in public spaces. According to these images, military and security forces operating under the so-called \u201cJan-Fada\u201d battalions in various parts of Tehran, including Azadi Square and Haft-e Tir Square, have been training children and adolescents in handling firearms, including assault rifles, scoped rifles, and machine guns. These actions, conducted with the presence and supervision of official forces and in the view of the general public, reflect the continuation of a pattern pursued over past decades through the mobilization and military organization of students. Relying on visual evidence and official statements, this report examines the dimensions of this phenomenon, the historical background of using children in military and security structures and assesses the compliance of these practices with the international obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding child rights.<\/p>\n

During government-sponsored exhibitions and gatherings held in October 2026 in Tehran, numerous images depicting direct military training provided to children drew widespread reactions:<\/p>\n